1. The game of Polo was introduced in India by –
(a) Unani
(b) Britishers
(c) Turks
(d) Mughals
[U.P.P.C.S. (Pre) 2001]
Ans. (c) Turks
- Polo was first brought to India by the Turks.
- Qutbuddin Aibak liked to play Polo (Chaugan).
- He passed away while playing this game in 1210.
|
2. Match List- I with List- II and select the correct answer from the codes given below :
List-I List-II
| A. Firuz Tughluq |
1. Diwan-i-Riyasat |
| B. Balban |
2. Nauroz |
| C. Alauddin |
3. Construction of Canals |
| D. Jahangir |
4. Sir Thomas Roe |
Code:
A B C D
(a) 1 2 3 4
(b) 3 2 1 4
(c) 4 1 2 3
(d) 4 3 2 1
[U.P.P.C.S. (Pre) 1997]
Ans. (b) 3 2 1 4
- Alauddin Khalji created a department to take care of money matters called ‘Diwan-iRiyasat’.
- Firuz Tughluq constructed five canals.
- Balban added the Nauroz festival to the court of Delhi.
- British Ambassador Thomas Roe visited India during Jahangir’s reign.
|
3. What is the sequence of arrival of these travelers?
1. Ibn Battuta 2. Tavernier
3. Al-Biruni 4. Manucci
Code :
(a) 1, 2, 3, 4
(b) 3, 1, 2, 4
(c) 2, 3, 4, 1
(d) 4, 1, 2, 3
[U.P. Lower Sub. (Pre) 2002, U.P. P.C.S. (Pre) 1997]
Ans. (b) 3, 1, 2, 4
- Al-Biruni was a scholar and diplomat from Khiva (ancient Khwarizm) who came to India with Mahmud Ghazni during his invasion.
- Ibn Battuta was a Moroccan traveler who came to India during the Sultanate period during the rule of Muhammad-Bin-Tughluq.
- He was appointed as the ‘Qazi’ of Delhi and was sent to China as an ambassador in 1342.
- He wrote his adventures in the book, “Rihla”.
- Jean-Baptiste Tavernier was a French gem merchant and traveler who visited India during the era of Shahjahan.
- He had six voyages to India and wrote his accounts in the book, “Travels in India”.
- Niccolo Manucci was an Italian traveler who made his way to India from Venice while traveling to Turkey and Asia.
- He served Prince Dara Shukoh as a cannoneer and later took up medicine.
- He is famous for writing the book, “Storia do Magor”.
|
4. Which one of the following pairs is not correctly matched?
(Traveller) (Country)
| (a) Ibn Batuta |
Morocco |
| (b) Marco Polo |
Italy |
| (c) Abdur Razaaq |
Turkey |
| (d) Nuniz |
Portugal |
[U.P.R.O./A.R.O. (Pre) 2017]
Ans. (c) Abdur Razaaq Turkey
- Ibn Batuta was a Moroccan traveler who visited India during Muhammad Bin Tughluq’s reign.
- Marco Polo, from Venice, Italy, came to India during the rule of the Pandya ruler Marvarman Kulshekhara.
- Iranian Ambassador Abdur Razzaq visited the Vijayanagara kingdom during Devrai II’s rule.
- The Portuguese traveler Nuniz also traveled to Vijayanagara.
|
5. Who was called ‘Dastar-Bandan’?
(a) Sufi Saint
(b) Khan
(c) Malik
(d) Ulema
[U.P.P.C.S. (Pre) 2014]
Ans. (d) Ulema
- During the Sultanate period, religious and judicial leaders who were highly respected were called Dastar-Bandhan.
- They wore special turbans to show their rank.
|
6. Which did the Sultan demand half the crops on land after measurement as revenue?
(a) Iltutmish
(b) Balban
(c) Alauddin Khalji
(d) Muhammad-Bin Tughluq
(e) None of the above/More than one of the above
[B.P.S.C. (Pre) 2018]
Ans. (c) Alauddin Khalji
- Mohammad-Bin Tughluq is known for his ambitious plans and attempts at new ideas, which ultimately failed due to them being too advanced for the era.
- He tried to tackle financial issues by raising the amount of land revenue that farmers in the Doab region (between the Ganges and Yamuna rivers) were expected to pay, but this was different from what Alauddin Khalji had set, as Tughluq based it on expected production, rather than measurements.
|
7. Consider the following statements :
1. It was during the reign of Iltutmish that Chengiz Khan reached the Indus in pursuit of the fugitive Khwarezm prince.
2. It was during the reign of Muhammad bin Tughluq that Timur occupied Multan and crossed the Indus.
3. It was during the reign of Deva Raya II of the Vijayanagara Empire that Vasco da Gama reached the coast of Kerala
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 1 and 2
(c) 3 only
(d) 2 and 3
[I.A.S. (Pre.) 2021]
Ans (a) 1 only
- Iltutmish was the ruler when Chengiz Khan was chasing Khwarezm prince Jalauddin, who ran to Delhi.
- Iltutmish denied the prince’s request for asylum, so statement 1 is true.
- Taimur began his conquering in 1370, which was after Muhammad bin Tughluq’s reign (1324-1351), so statement 2 is incorrect.
- Deva Raya II passed away in 1446 and Vasco da Gama arrived in 1498.
|
8. The following persons ruled in India at different periods of time. Select the correct chronological order of their rule from the coding scheme given at the end :
1. Sher Shah 2. Akbar
3. Alauddin Khalji 4. Raziyya Sultan
Code :
(a) 4, 1, 3, 2,
(b) 1, 2, 3, 4
(c) 4, 3, 1, 2
(d) 3, 4, 1, 2
[U.P.P.S.C. (GIC) 2010]
Ans. (c) 4, 3, 1, 2
| Ruler |
Period |
| Raziyya Sultan |
1236-1240 |
| Alauddin Khalji |
1296-1316 |
| Sher Shah |
1540-1545 |
| Akbar |
1556-1605 |
|
9. Consider the following events and arrange these in chronological order:
1. Transfer of capital by Mohd. Tughluq
2. Afghanpur conspiracy
3. Murder of Jalal-ud-Din Khalji
4. Second Battle of Tarain
Select the correct answer from the codes given below :
(a) 4, 3, 2, 1
(b) 3, 1, 2, 4
(c) 1, 2, 3, 4
(d) 1, 2, 4, 3
[U.P. R.O./A.R.O. (Pre) 2017]
Ans. (a) 4, 3, 2, 1
- In 1192 AD, Prithviraj Chauhan was defeated by Mohammad Ghori in the Second Battle of Tarain, which led to the start of Muslim rule in India.
- In 1296, Jalaluddin Khalji was killed and Ulugh Khan, also known as Mohammad Bin Tughluq, was accused of murdering Sultan Ghiyasuddin in the Afghanpur conspiracy case.
- During his rule from 1325-51 AD, Muhammad-Bin- Tughluq (1325-51 AD) shifted his capital from Delhi to Daulatabad (Devgiri).
|
10. Which one of the following pairs is not correctly matched?
| (a) Bahadur Shah |
Gujarat |
| (b) Chand Bibi |
Oudh |
| (c) Raziyya Sultan |
Delhi |
| (d) Baz Bahadur |
Malwa |
[R.A.S./R.T.S. (Pre) 2016]
Ans. (b) Chand Bibi – Oudh
- Chand Bibi was a brave Muslim woman from Medieval India.
- She was the Regent of Bijapur from 1580-90 and Regent of Ahmednagar from 1596-99.
- She was the daughter of Hussain Nizam Shah-I of Ahmednagar.
- Option 2 does not match correctly, but the other options are correct.
|
11. Match List-I with List-II and select the correct answer from the codes given below :
List-I List-II
| A. Ranthambore |
1. Karandeva |
| B. Chittoor |
2. Raja Ray Ramchandra |
| C. Devgiri |
3. Hamirdeva |
| D. Gujarat |
4. Rana Ratan Singh |
Codes :
A B C D
(a) 4 3 2 1
(b) 1 4 3 2
(c) 2 4 1 3
(d) 3 4 2 1
[U.P. R.O./A.R.O. (Pre) 2017]
Ans. (d) 3 4 2 1
- The correctly matched list is as follows –
| List-I |
List-II |
| A. Ranthambore |
Hamirdeva |
| B. Chittoor |
Rana Ratan Singh |
| C. Devgiri |
Raja Ray Ramchandra |
| D. Gujarat |
Karandeva |
|
12. Consider the following events :
1. Reign of Krishna Deva of Vijayanagara
2. Construction of Qutb Minar
3. Arrival of Portuguese in India
4. Death of Firuz Tughluq
The correct chronological sequence of these events is :
(a) 2, 4, 3, 1
(b) 2, 4, 1, 3
(c) 4, 2, 1, 3
(d) 4, 2, 3, 1
[I.A.S. (Pre) 2000]
Ans. (a) 2, 4, 3, 1
- The right order is 2, 4, 3, 1.
- Aibak began building the Qutb Minar and Iltutmish finished it.
- Firuz Tughluq died in 1388, the Portuguese (Vasco-da-Gama) showed up in 1498, and Krishnadeva Raya was in charge of Vijayanagara from 1509 to 1529.
- Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer.
|
13. Under the following passage: In the course of a career on the road spanning almost thirty years, he crossed the breadth of the eastern hemisphere visited territories equivalent to about 44 modern countries, and put behind him a total distance of approximately 73,000 miles”. The world’s greatest traveler of premodern times to whom the above passage refers is :
(a) Megasthenes
(b) Fa-Hien
(c) Marco Polo
(d) Ibn Battuta
[I.A.S. (Pre) 1993]
Ans. (d) Ibn Battuta
- Marco Polo was an early explorer, traveling around 24000 miles over a span of 24 years.
- He ventured through the Middle East, Middle Asia, China, and Mongolia with the help of the Mongolian ruler, Kublai Khan.
- Although he was a great traveler, Ibn Battuta explored more extensively, traveling through 44 countries and covering 73000 miles (117000 km) in 30 years.
|
14. The earliest reference to the use of a magnetic compass in the Indian seas was by –
(a) Marco Polo
(b) Ibn Battuta
(c) Sadruddin Muhammad “Aufi ”
(d) Nicolo Conti
[Jharkhand P.C.S. (Pre) 2016]
Ans. (c) Sadruddin Muhammad “Aufi “
- Sadruddin Muhammad ‘Aufi’ was the first to mention the use of a magnetic compass in the Indian seas.
- The names of his books were Lubab-ul-Albab and Jawamiul-Hikayat, with the latter containing a reference to the magnetic compass.
|
15. Who among the following rulers divided his troops into units of two hundred, two hundred fifty-and-five hundred?
(a) Bahlul Lodi
(b) Sikandar Shah
(c) Sher Shah
(d) Islam Shah
(e) None of the above/More than one of the above
[64th B.P.S.C. (Pre) 2018]
Ans. (d) Islam Shah
- Islam Shah was the son of Sher Shah and he was the ruler of North India for approximately 8 years until 1553 AD.
- He organized his army into groups of fifty, two hundred, two hundred fifty, and five hundred people.
|
16. Which one of the following pairs of kings of Ancient and Medieval periods of Indian History and the works by them are correctly matched?
(a) Krishnadeva Raya : Samaranganasutradhar
(b) Mahendravarman : Mattavilasaprahasana
(c) Bhojadeva : Manasollasa
(d) Somesvara : Amuktamalyada
[I.A.S. (Pre) 1993]
Ans. (b) Mahendravarman : Mattavilasaprahasana
- Krishnadeva Raya, the ruler of Vijayanagara, wrote Amuktamalyada in Telugu.
- Mahendravarman wrote Mattavilasaprahasana.
|
17. Which of the following started during the Rajput period?
(a) Sati Practice
(b) Child-marriage
(c) Johar Practice
(d) None of these
[Uttarakhand U.D.A./L.D.A. (Pre) 2007]
Ans. (c) Johar Practice
- During the time when Hindus and Muslims were fighting, Rajputs (an Indian warrior caste) had their own way of committing Sati (a Hindu funeral practice).
- This was called Jauhar and was done as a reaction to the Muslim attacks.
- Hindu women chose to do this instead of facing the risk of being raped, tortured, or shamed.
|
18. In pre-medieval kingdoms of Rajasthan, the designation “Naimittika” was used for
(a) Royal bard
(b) Head of the public health department
(c) State astrologer
(d) Chief judicial officer
[R.A.S./R.T.S. (Pre) 2018]
Ans. (c) State astrologer
| In old kingdoms in Rajasthan, people who studied astrology were called “Naimittika”. |
19. Who among the following medieval scholars/writers belonged to the Jain religion?
(a) Maladhar Vasu
(b) Hemchandra Suri
(c) Parthasarthi
(d) Sayan
[U.P.P.C.S. (Mains) 2009]
Ans. (b) Hemchandra Suri
- Hemchandra Suri was an excellent academic and a devotee of Jainism.
- He was introduced to Siddharaj Jai Singh and soon became significant in the Solanki royal court.
- Later, Jai Singh constructed a Mandap at Abu Mountain and put up the statues of Jain Thirthankaras.
|
20. Match List-I with List-II and select the correct answer by using the codes given below :
List-I List-II
| A. Battle of Plassey |
1. 261 Bc |
| B. Battle of Kalinga |
2. 1576 AD |
| C. Battle of Haldighati |
3. 1192 AD |
| D. Battle of Tarain |
4. 1757 AD |
Code:
A B C D
(a) 1 2 3 4
(b) 2 1 3 4
(c) 4 1 2 3
(d) 3 4 1 2
[U.P. Lower Sub. (Pre) 2003, U.P. Lower Sub. (Pre) 2002]
Ans. (c) 4 1 2 3
- The Battle of Plassey happened on June 23, 1757, when Robert Clive and the East India Company’s forces beat the Nawab of Bengal’s army, which was headed by Mir Zafar, Rai Durlabh, and Yar Latif Khan.
- Mir Zafar was bribed by Robert Clive which was the cause of the Nawab’s defeat.
- The Kalinga War was fought in 261 B.C. by Ashoka and the people of Kalinga with Ashoka having the upper hand.
- The Battle of Haldighati was fought in 1576 between Maharana Pratap and Akbar, with Akbar being the victor.
- The Second Battle of Tarain was in 1192 A.D. between Muhammad Ghori and Prithviraj Chauhan, ending in Muhammad Ghori’s victory.
|
21. Match the following texts with their authors and select the correct option :
| A. Haqaiq-i-Hindi |
i. Ibn Miskawayh |
| B. Tahdhibul Akhlaq |
ii. Sadruddin Muhammad “Aufi “ |
| C. Kunzal Tijar |
iii. Abdul Wahid Bilgrami |
| D. Jawamiul Hikayat |
iv. Bailaq al Qabayaki |
Code :
A B C D
(a) iii i iv ii
(b) ii iv i iii
(c) iii i ii iv
(d) i ii iii iv
[Jharkhand P.C.S. (Pre) 2016]
Ans. (a) iii i iv ii
- The correctly matched list is as follows : Books Writers
| A. Haqaiq-i-Hindi |
Abdul Wahid Bilgrami |
| B. Tahdhibul Akhlaq |
Ibn Miskawayh |
| C. Kunzal Tijar |
Bailaq-al-Qabayaki |
| D. Jawamiul Hikayat |
Sadruddin Muhammad ‘Aufi ‘ |
|
22. Match List- I with List- II and select the correct answer from the codes given below :
List- I List- II
| A. Akbar |
1. Sadak-I-Azam |
| B. Muhammad Tughluq |
2. Chahalghani nobles |
| C. Iltutmish |
3. Ain-i-Dahsala |
| D. Sher Shah |
4. Token currency |
Code:
A B C D
(a) 1 2 3 4
(b) 3 4 2 1
(c) 2 3 1 4
(d) 4 1 3 2
[U.P.P.C.S. (Pre) 1997]
Ans. (b) 3 4 2 1
- In the 1500s, Sher Shah Suri constructed a major highway that connected Sonargaon (Bengal) to Lahore (Pakistan).
- This road was referred to as “Sadak-i-Azam” and it acted as a communication line between his wide empire’s faraway regions.
- Muhammad Tughluq released token money.
- The Ain-i-Dahsala system was related to Akbar’s land revenue system.
- Iltutmish formed Chahalghani nobles or Turkan-i-Chahalghani.
|
23. During the 13th and 14th Centuries AD, the Indian peasants did not cultivate :
(a) Wheat
(b) Barley
(c) Rice
(d) Maize
[U.P.P.C.S. (Pre) 2011, U.P. P.C.S. (Spl) (Pre) 2008]
Ans. (d) Maize
- In the 13th and 14th centuries, Indian farmers mostly grew rice, wheat, sugarcane, and cotton three times a year.
- Spices were also planted in southern India.
- Maize was not planted until the Portuguese brought it to the region.
|
24. In medieval India, the designations Mahattara’ and Pattakila’ were used for
(a) Military officers
(b) Village headmen
(c) Specialists in Vedic rituals
(d) Chiefs of craft guilds
[I.A.S. (Pre) 2014]
Ans. (*)
- In Ancient India, from 600-1200 AD, villages were the center of administration.
- The village headman, also known as Gramani, Garmika/Gramyaka in northern India, Mununda in eastern India, Pattakila/Gramakuta in Maharashtra, Gavunda in Karnataka, and Mahattaka in Uttar Pradesh, oversaw the village government.
- In the Indian Epigraphical Glossary, Mahattaka was stated as the leader or a member of the Panchayat Board.
- Dr. Harishchandra Verma in his book ‘Madhyakalin Bharat Bhag-1’ described Mahattar as the head of a group of artisans mentioned in inscriptions.
|
25. Which of the following pairs is NOT correctly matched?
| (a) Adina Masjid |
Mandu |
| (b) Lal Darwaza masjid |
Jaunpur |
| (c) Dakhil Darwaza |
Gaour |
| (d) Tin Darwaza |
Ahmedabad |
[U.P.P.C.S. (Pre) 2018]
Ans. (a) Adina Masjid – Mandu
- Adina Mosque is in Pandaua, in West Bengal.
- It was made by the ruler of Bengal, Sikandar Shah, who lived between 1358 and 1390.
- It was built around 1360.
|
26. Which of the following rulers got the Jantar Mahal of Mandu constructed?
(a) Mahmud Shah Khalji
(b) Alauddin Khalji
(c) Bhoj Parmara
(d) Hoshang Shah
[M.P.P.C.S. (Pre) 2017]
Ans. (*)
- The Jahaj Mahal is a famous landmark in Mandu that was constructed during the reign of Sultan Ghiyasuddin Khalji.
- The Madhya Pradesh Public Service Commission has removed a question about a Jantar Mahal in Mandu from their exams because one does not exist.
|
