With reference to the Treaty of "Aix-la-Chapelle" – 1748, which of the following statements is/are correct ? 1. The I Carnatic War was ended. 2. The English got back Madras. Select the correct answer using the codes given below.
- (a)1 only
- (b)2 only
- (c)Both 1 and 2
- (d)Neither 1 nor 2
Correct — C, both statements are true. The Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (1748) ended the War of the Austrian Succession in Europe; because the First Carnatic War (1746–48) was the Indian theatre of that European conflict, the treaty also brought it to a close (statement 1). Under the treaty's terms Madras — which the French under La Bourdonnais had captured in 1746 — was restored to the English, in exchange for the French recovering Louisbourg (Cape Breton, in North America) (statement 2).
- (a)1 only — Incomplete — statement 2 is also correct; the treaty specifically returned Madras to the English.
- (b)2 only — Incomplete — statement 1 is also correct; the treaty ended the First Carnatic War as the Indian extension of the War of the Austrian Succession.
- (d)Neither 1 nor 2 — Both statements are in fact correct, so 'neither' is wrong.
The three Carnatic Wars (1746–63) were the Indian arm of the wider Anglo-French global rivalry, fought between the English and French East India Companies for supremacy in south-eastern India. The First Carnatic War (1746–48) mirrored the War of the Austrian Succession in Europe and ended, without a decisive result in India, when the European war was closed by the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle in 1748.
The treaty's key Indian outcome is the swap: France returned Madras (captured 1746) to Britain, while Britain returned Louisbourg to France. Because both statements describe genuine outcomes of the same treaty, the answer is 'Both'. The trap is the temptation to pick only the more familiar 'Madras returned' clause.
- Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, 1748 — ended the War of the Austrian Succession in Europe
- It closed the First Carnatic War (1746–48), the Indian theatre of that conflict
- Madras (taken by the French in 1746) was restored to the English
- In exchange, France recovered Louisbourg (Cape Breton, North America)
- Confusing the treaty that ended the First war (Aix-la-Chapelle, 1748) with that ending the Third (Treaty of Paris, 1763)
- Marking '2 only' by remembering the Madras clause but forgetting the war it ended
UPSC/UPPSC test the treaty–war pairing and the Madras/Louisbourg exchange; keep each Carnatic War tied to its closing treaty.
Which one of the following pairs is correctly matched?
- (a) Battle of Buxar — Mir Jafar vs. Clive
- (b) Battle of Wandiwash — French vs. East India Company
- (c) Battle of Chilianwala — Dalhousie vs. Marathas
- (d) Battle of Kharda — Nizam vs. East India Company
Answer(b) Battle of Wandiwash — French vs. East India Company
Both test the Anglo-French Carnatic Wars — this UPPSC question on the treaty that ended the First war, the UPSC one on Wandiwash (1760), the decisive battle of the Third war.
- practice — not a real PYQ
The Third Carnatic War between the English and French in India was decisively settled by which battle?
- (a)Battle of Plassey
- (b)Battle of Buxar
- (c)Battle of Wandiwash
- (d)Battle of Adyar
Answer(c) Battle of Wandiwash (1760), where Eyre Coote defeated the French under Lally.
- practice — not a real PYQ
The Anglo-French rivalry in the Carnatic was finally ended in 1763 by which treaty?
- (a)Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle
- (b)Treaty of Paris
- (c)Treaty of Salbai
- (d)Treaty of Bassein
Answer(b) Treaty of Paris (1763), which ended the Third Carnatic War and the Seven Years' War.