Question

Why did Britain consider India its “jewel in the crown”?
A) India was the only country that didn’t resist British control
B) India’s population and resources made it the most valuable of all the British colonies
C) India was controlled by a company; the government didn’t have to be involved in the day-to-day affairs of the colony
D) India had a vast supply of diamonds and emeralds

Answer 1

Hint: “Jewel in the crown” means something which is valuable and important to someone. That jewel becomes the centre of attraction and all the focus shifts to it.

Complete answer:
Just like all the other countries that the British had colonized, India too was colonized to facilitate the trade of the British trading companies in the eastern hemisphere. With time, the British realised that India had become their most important colony in the world.
India was far richer in resources compared to any other colony of the British. It was like a treasure for Britishers as they got cheap labour in Indian markets, rare stones like Kohinoor and convenient trade routes which gave them huge profits. All these things and India was still a backward nation as Britishers took all the profits.

By colonizing India, the British could much easily trade with other Asian countries like China, Mongolia etc. Also, being easily accessible to the Indian Ocean, India provided extraordinary access to the sea routes for even more trade. These included silk routes and various ports around the Indian coastline.

India’s cotton was of exceptional quality and its value increased from 40 million rupees to 60 million rupees in 20 years. Thus, the British considered India to be its “Jewel in the Crown” because of its location, resources and population, out of which they could earn huge amounts of revenue.

Thus, the correct answer is option (B) India’s population and resources made it the most valuable of all British colonies.

Note: The British government took control of East India Company and took all its power and began to administer most of India as a number of provinces. Infrastructure was built or improved such as Railways, roads, and bridges in India so that raw materials could be transported to ports more efficiently so as to export to England.