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“The British sought to… (Class 12 Economics 2026, Q30B)

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EconomicsCBSE Class 12 · Board exam 2026, set 58/1/1 · 4 marks · Short answer

CBSE Class 12 Economics 2026: question 30(B)

Set in the CBSE Class 12 board exam of 2026, paper 58/1/1, section B, question 30(B), for 4 marks. Try it first; the hints and our step-by-step solution are below.

Q30(B) · 4 marks · Short answerIndian Economy on the Eve of Independence

“The British sought to achieve their vested interest through their policies of infrastructural development in India.”
Do you agree with the given statement ? Justify your answer with valid explanation.

Source: official question paper from cbse.gov.in (PDF). See it in the full 2026 board paper, set 58/1/1.

Hints

Open one hint at a time and try again before the next.

Hint 1

Where did the railway lines lead?

Hint 2

Who benefited from the telegraph?

Step-by-step solution

Each step shows the marks it earns, as an examiner would award them. Checked by an independent re-solve from the question paper.

  1. Yes, I agree. The British built infrastructure mainly to serve colonial interests. Roads and railways were built to move the army within India and to carry raw materials from the interior to ports for export to Britain, and to bring British manufactured goods into Indian markets.

    2 marks

  2. Ports and inland waterways served the same trade purpose, and the electric telegraph was introduced mainly to maintain law and order. Rural roads, all-weather roads and services for ordinary people were neglected, so the infrastructure did little for India's own development.

    2 marks

Answer: Agree: railways, roads, ports and the telegraph were developed to move troops, raw materials and British goods and to maintain control, not to develop India.

Where the marks are

  • Agreement justified with the purpose of infrastructure (marked as a whole, 4)

Revise the chapter

Practise this chapterBoard-style questions from Indian Economy on the Eve of Independence, one at a time, marked against the answer key and marking points.Back to the full paper2026 board paper, set 58/1/1: every question, by section.

The question is transcribed from the official paper; figures are described in words. The solution, hints and chapter tag are ours. Spotted an error? Write tosupport@questionbuddy.in.