First Proprietary colony

• A. Virginia
• B. Massachusetts
• C. Rhode Island
• D. Maryland

Answer: (D)

A proprietary colony is a territory granted by the English Crown to an individual or group who owned the land and had broad authority to govern it, including appointing leaders and making laws within Crown-approved limits. Maryland fits this pattern as the first such colony, granted in 1632 to Cecil Calvert, Lord Baltimore. The proprietor had nearly full control over the colony’s administration and policy, making Maryland the earliest example of this colonial model.

The other colonies listed were established under different arrangements: Virginia and Massachusetts began under charters granted to joint-stock companies and later evolved into royal or charter colonies, and Rhode Island operated under charters and practical self-government rather than single ownership by a proprietor.