Which of the following pairs is not correctly matched?

The correct answer is D. The Third Anglo-Maratha War (1817-18) belongs to Lord Hastings, not Cornwallis. Cornwallis was Governor-General from 1786 to 1793, and his war was the Third Anglo-Mysore War (1790-92) against Tipu Sultan, which ended with the Treaty of Seringapatam.

The other three pairs are correctly matched:

• Hector Munro – Battle of Buxar (1764): Munro commanded the British forces against Mir Qasim, Shuja-ud-Daula and the Mughal emperor Shah Alam II. The battle led to the Treaty of Allahabad (1765) and the grant of the diwani of Bengal.
• Lord Hastings – Anglo-Nepal War (1814-16): It ended with the Treaty of Sugauli, which gave the British control over Kumaon and Garhwal and led to the Sikkim-Nepal territorial changes.
• Lord Wellesley – Fourth Anglo-Mysore War (1799): Tipu Sultan died at Seringapatam, and Mysore was brought under a subsidiary alliance.

The core concept here is the expansion of British power through wars and the subsidiary alliance system. This links directly to Mains questions on the consolidation of British paramountcy in India.

Trap: Candidates often attach Hastings's Maratha war to Wellesley or Cornwallis, because all three governors-general handled Maratha and Mysore affairs. Remember that the Third Anglo-Maratha War is always Hastings.