Which of the following changes took place in India due to colonialism? a. Growth of Nationalism b. End of Medieval Reign c. Growth of Urbanisation in India d. Growth in Indigenous Industry
This MPSC previous-year question is drawn from MPSC Group B Combined Pre 2026 (English). It belongs to the History section and is reproduced here in English exactly as it appeared in the official Maharashtra Public Service Commission paper, along with the four options, the official Set A answer key and a compact explanation of why the correct option is correct.
Correct answer: C
Explanation
The verified answer here is option C. Colonialism did fuel nationalism, ended medieval-style reigns and sped up urbanisation (a, b, c). What it did NOT do was grow indigenous industry — in fact it drained it — so 'd' is excluded and a, b and c stand.
Why this question matters
MPSC's answer-key process — including the objection round after every paper — means the official Set A answer keys we use are the authoritative reference for questions like this. When you see a discrepancy between two coaching-institute keys, the official MPSC revised key (which we track) is the source of truth. Anchoring your revision on the official key prevents second-guessing on the day of the actual exam.
How to attempt this in the exam
Watch for negation traps — words like "not", "except", "incorrect" that flip the intent of the question. MPSC deliberately embeds them in history items to catch aspirants who read the question in a hurry. Re-read the stem with a mental highlight on any negation word before selecting an option.
Subject-specific tip
Tip for History: anchor the answer to a date, a king or leader and a primary source. MPSC History options usually contain one option with the wrong date and one with the wrong dynasty — eliminate those first.
Marathas, Peshwas and the freedom struggle
The Maratha half of MPSC History is anchored on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's coronation at Raigad (1674), the ashta-pradhan council, the guerrilla warfare doctrine, the Treaty of Purandar (1665) with the Mughals, the sack of Surat (1664), and the succession through Sambhaji, Rajaram, Shahu and Tarabai to the Peshwa era. Under Bajirao I (1720–1740) the Maratha confederacy reached its northern peak; under Nana Sahib and Madhav Rao I it consolidated; under Bajirao II it fell to the British in the Third Anglo-Maratha War (1817–1818) after the defeat at Kirkee.
The freedom-movement paragraph most MPSC papers ask about is the Maharashtra contribution: Bal Gangadhar Tilak's Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav (from 1893) and Shivaji Utsav (from 1895) as public-mobilisation tools; his newspapers Kesari and The Mahratta; his six years of imprisonment in Mandalay after the 1908 sedition trial; Gopal Krishna Gokhale as Congress moderate and mentor to Gandhi; Dadabhai Naoroji and the drain theory; Vinayak Damodar Savarkar and the 1857 History; the Chapekar brothers; Bhagat Singh at HSRA (linked via Maharashtra activists); and later Ambedkar's Poona Pact (1932) with Gandhi.
The 1960 formation of Maharashtra state, following the Samyukta Maharashtra Samiti's decade-long agitation, the martyrdom of 106 activists at Flora Fountain (later renamed Hutatma Chowk) in 1956, and the eventual reorganisation of the erstwhile Bombay state into Gujarat and Maharashtra on 1 May 1960 is the single most-asked modern-history question in the MPSC set.
Source and editorial process
Source: MPSC Group B Combined Pre 2026 (English). This question, its four options and the marked correct answer are transcribed verbatim from the official Maharashtra Public Service Commission Set A paper. Our editorial team cross-checks each question against the original PDF released on mpsc.gov.in and against the corresponding official answer key.
We never paraphrase the wording. Where MPSC has issued a revised key after an objection round, the answer highlighted above reflects the revised key and the revision is logged in our internal change-log. If you spot a discrepancy, please email us at dontknowacademy@gmail.com — we acknowledge every report within 24 hours and push a fix within 48 hours.
Related study material
Deepen your preparation on this topic with our long-form MPSC study guides. Every guide is written specifically for the Maharashtra Public Service Commission preliminary syllabus and takes twelve to sixteen minutes to read in full.
- Maharashtra HistorySatavahanas, Yadavas, Maratha Empire, Peshwas, freedom movement, 1960 state formation.
- MPSC Exam PatternGroup B, Group C, PSI, Gazetted CS & TS prelims — marks, syllabus, negative marking, cut-offs.
- MPSC Preparation Strategy6-month plan, book list, daily routine, PYQ usage, mock-test strategy.
About MPSC PYQ QUIZ
MPSC PYQ QUIZ is a free educational platform by Don't know Academy that helps Maharashtra Public Service Commission aspirants practise with the complete archive of previous-year questions. Every paper on the site is sourced from the official MPSC release, tagged by subject and topic, and paired with the official Set A answer key. The platform is independent and not affiliated with MPSC, the Government of Maharashtra or any government body — please read our Disclaimer for the full statement.