Q 01/05

Which pattern is named after the Scottish town whose weavers copied Kashmir shawls the East India Company brought to Europe?

A) Argyle

B) Paisley

C) Tartan

D) Houndstooth

Answer · why

B) Paisley

Paisley. The pattern surged back into fashion in the 1960s, helped along by The Beatles.

Q 02/05

Which monarch granted the East India Company its founding charter?

A) Elizabeth I

B) Henry VIII

C) Charles II

D) James I

Answer · why

A) Elizabeth I

Elizabeth I granted it so London merchants could break into the rich East Indies spice trade, then held by rival European powers.

Q 03/05

Which American university takes its name from a former East India Company governor in Madras?

A) Harvard University

B) Yale University

C) Brown University

D) Cornell University

Answer · why

B) Yale University

Yale University. Elihu Yale, removed from office over charges of enriching himself, later sent books and goods whose sale paid for a college building.

Q 04/05

The East India Company's first charter gave it a monopoly on English trade east of which cape?

A) Cape Horn

B) Cape Finisterre

C) Cape of Good Hope

D) Cape Comorin

Answer · why

C) Cape of Good Hope

Cape of Good Hope. The company's first fleet rounded it in 1601 and went on to set up its first trading post at Bantam on Java.

Q 05/05

Roughly how large were the company's three presidency armies at their peak?

A) About 1 million soldiers

B) About 100,000 soldiers

C) About 260,000 soldiers

D) About 26,000 soldiers

Answer · why

C) About 260,000 soldiers

That was twice the size of the British Army at certain times.