Authentic Past Paper Standard Evaluation
Arrange the following foreign travellers in chronological order of their arrival in India: I. William Hawkins II. Ralph Fitch III. Sir Thomas Roe IV. Nicholsa Dawnton
Solution & Analysis
Answer: A
Concept
European contact with the Mughal Empire evolved from early exploratory voyages to formal diplomatic missions. Each traveler represents a specific phase of the East India Company's attempts to secure trading rights.Explanation
Ralph Fitch (1583) was one of the earliest to arrive, visiting during Akbar's reign. William Hawkins (1608) followed as the first EIC ambassador to Jahangir. Nicholas Downton (1612) arrived next as a naval commander and negotiator, and finally, Sir Thomas Roe (1615) came as the formal English Ambassador.Logical Breakup
Logic 1: Ralph Fitch arrived decades before the others, representing the Elizabethan exploration era.
Logic 2: The others (Hawkins, Downton, Roe) all arrived during Jahangir's reign, marking the systematic push by the British to establish a permanent factory at Surat.