1. “When he attained Kingship, he was fully independent of from rules and orders of Shariat.” For which Sultan Barani made this statement?
(a) Iltutmish
(b) Balban
(c) Alauddin Khalji
(d) Muhammad Tughluq
[46th B.P.S.C. (Pre) 2004]
Ans. (c) Alauddin Khalji
- Ziyauddin Barani said that Alauddin Khalji, the first king of Delhi, was in control of the state rather than religion.
- Alauddin believed that the king was a representative of God and didn’t need permission from Khalifa to expand his powers.
- Alauddin declared himself “Yamin-ulKhilafat Nasiri Amir-ul-Mumnin” and no longer had to obey the Ulemas.
- He stated that he did not know what was right and wrong, but he just did what he thought was best for the state and didn’t know what would happen in the end.
- He was continuing the thought of Balban.
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2. Which dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate ruled for the shortest period?
(a) Khalji
(b) Tughluq
(c) Sayyid
(d) Lodi
[M.P.P.C.S. (Pre) 2017]
Ans. (a) Khalji
- The Delhi Sultanate was ruled by five different dynasties.
- The Slave Dynasty from 1206 to 1290, the Khalji Dynasty from 1290 to 1320, the Tughluq Dynasty from 1320 to 1412, the Sayyid Dynasty from 1414 to 1450, and the Lodi Dynasty from 1451 to 1526.
- The Khalji Dynasty was the shortest ruling dynasty.
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3. Which Sultan wanted to launch a new religion but Ulemas opposed the move?
(a) Balban
(b) Alauddin
(c) Muhammad Tughluq
(d) Iltutmish
[Chhattisgarh P.C.S. (Pre) 2003]
Ans. (b) Alauddin
- Alauddin Khalji was an ambitious ruler who wanted to take over the world and start a new religion.
- He even had his aspiration to be like Alexander the Great by putting it on his coins.
- However, on the advice of his trusted friend “Alla-ul-Mulk”, the city police chief, he decided to abandon his plan.
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4. Which Sultan of Delhi assumed the title of Alexander the Great –
(a) Balban
(b) Alauddin Khalji
(c) Muhammad-Bin-Tughluq
(d) Sikandar Lodi
[U.P. Lower Sub (Pre) 2008]
Ans. (b) Alauddin Khalji
- Alauddin Khalji was very ambitious.
- He wanted to call himself “Alexander the Great” and even put it on his coins.
- His dream was to conquer the whole world and create a new religion.
- However, his close friend and Kotwal “Alla-ul-Mulk” advised him against this and he gave up on his plans.
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5. Who among the army commanders of Alauddin Khalji died fighting against the Mongols?
(a) Zafar Khan
(b) Nusrat Khan
(c) Alp Khan
(d) Ulugh Khan
[41st B.P.S.C. (Pre) 1996]
Ans. (a) Zafar Khan
- Zafar Khan was a renowned military leader in Alauddin Khalji’s army.
- He was a brave and skillful commander of his time, and the Mongols were so amazed by his courage and the strength of the Khilji soldiers that they retreated 30 miles.
- Zafar Khan’s birth name was Malik Yusuf Hizbaruddin.
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6. Padmini is associated with Ala-ud-Din’s conquest of Chittor. She was the wife of
(a) Maharana Pratap Singh
(b) Ranjit Singh
(c) Raja Man Singh
(d) Rana Ratan Singh
[43rd B.P.S.C. (Pre) 1999]
Ans. (d) Rana Ratan Singh
- The story of Padmini was written in the book ‘Padmavat’ by Malik Muhammad Jayasi in 1540 AD.
- It said that Padmini was the wife of King Ratan Singh.
- The story of Suleman and Queen Shaiba was mentioned in Amir Khusrau’s text and Alauddin was compared to Suleman and Padmini to Shaiba.
- It is likely that Malik Muhammad Jayasi wrote ‘Padmavat’ based on this, which is about Rana Ratan.
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7. Assertion (A): Alauddin’s Deccan expeditions were financial ventures.
Reason (R): He wanted to annex the Deccan States.
Code:
(a) Both (A) and (R) are true, and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).
(b) Both (A) and (R) are true, but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A).
(c) (A) is true, but (R) is false.
(d) (A) is false, but (R) is true.
[U.P.P.C.S. (Pre) 1997]
Ans. (c) (A) is true, but (R) is false.
- Dr. K.S. Lal has said that Alauddin Khalji’s desire for riches and power caused him to attack the southern states.
- His goal was to gain wealth and triumph, not to interfere with their internal affairs or take control of them.
- Therefore, statement (A) is correct and (R) is false, making option (c) the right answer.
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8. Who was the ruler of Devagiri at the time of Alauddin Khalji’s invasion?
(a) Ramachandra Dev
(b) Prataprudra Dev
(c) Malik Kafur
(d) Rana Ratan Singh
[53rd to 55th B.P.S.C. (Pre) 2011, 47th B.P.S.C. (Pre) 2005]
Ans. (a) Ramachandra Dev
- Ramchandra Dev was the ruler of Devagiri when Alauddin Khalji invaded in 1296 AD.
- He had promised to send taxes from Ellichpur every year, but he failed to do so in 1305-1306 AD.
- In response, Alauddin sent an army under Malik Kafur to attack Devagiri in 1307.
- Ramchandra Dev was defeated and taken to Delhi.
- Alauddin treated him well and gave him the title of ‘Rai Rayan’ and sent him back to his kingdom with 1 lakh golden ‘Tankas’ and the ‘Navsari’ district.
- Malik Kafur also led a campaign against Shankar Dev, the son of Ramchandra in 1312 AD.
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9. Whose army was defeated by the army of Kakatiya rulers in 1303 at Warangal?
(a) of Iltutmish
(b) of Balban
(c) of Alauddin Khalji
(d) of Muhammad Tughluq
[U.P.P.C.S. (Pre) 2017]
Ans. (c) of Alauddin Khalji
- In 1303, Alauddin tried to take over Warangal but failed when the Kakatiya dynasty’s army beat them.
- Prataprudra, the Kakatiya king, had a strong army that defeated Alauddin’s forces led by Fakhruddin Juna and Malik Chhaju.
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10. During the regime of the Sultan was the Khalisa land developed on a large scale?
(a) Ghiyasuddin Balban
(b) Alauddin Khalji
(c) Muhammad-Bin-Tughluq
(d) Firuz Shah Tughluq
[39th B.P.S.C. (Pre) 1994]
Ans. (b) Alauddin Khalji
- Alauddin wanted to create a strong, centralized government, so he took away all of the lands given as rewards, pensions, and charity from the people, resulting in a big rise of state-owned land.
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11. The Sultan who is said to have raised the land revenue to one-half of the produce was
(a) Balban
(b) Alauddin Khalji
(c) Muhammad-Bin-Tughluq
(d) Firuz Tughluq
[Jharkhand P.C.S. (Pre) 2013]
Ans. (b) Alauddin Khalji & (c) Muhammad-Bin-Tughluq
- Alauddin Khalji was the first Indian Muslim ruler to collect taxes based on the income of land.
- He would measure the land and charge one-half of what was produced.
- He also charged taxes for houses and grazing.
- Muhammad-Bin-Tughluq had a similar policy, but he based the amount of tax on an estimate instead of measuring the land.
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12. The Sultan who raised the land revenue to fifty percent of the produce was
(a) Muhammad-bin-Tughluq
(b) Alauddin Khalji
(c) Firuz Shah Tughluq
(d) Balban
[Uttarakhand P.C.S. (Pre) 2016]
Ans. (a) Muhammad-bin-Tughluq & (b) Alauddin Khalji
- Alauddin Khalji was the first Indian Muslim ruler to tax people based on how much land they owned.
- He taxed half of the produce from the land, as well as houses and grazing taxes.
- Similarly, Muhammad-Bin-Tughluq also demanded 50% of land revenue, but his taxes were based on estimates, while Alauddin Khalji’s taxes were based on measurements.
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13. Consider the following statement connected with Alauddin Khalji :
I. He collected revenue by measuring the cultivated land.
II. He enforced revenue measures in his entire empire.
III. He abolished the powers of provincial Governors.
Select the correct answer from the coding scheme given below :
(a) I and II
(b) II and III
(c) I and III
(d) I, II, and III
[U.P.P.C.S. (Pre) 1994]
Ans. (c) I and III
- Alauddin Khalji’s Lagaan system (a system of measuring the land and charging taxes) was only used in Delhi and the surrounding area.
- He was the first ruler to use this system and he created a department called “Diwan-i-Mustakhraj” to make sure it was implemented.
- Alauddin also took away the rights of traditional officers (Khut, Muqaddam, and Chaudhary) to charge taxes and abolished their privileges.
- He even started taxing them too.
- As a result, there was no difference between the landlords and the ordinary farmers.
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14. Assertion (A): Alauddin Khalji introduced price control in Delhi.
Reason (R): He wanted to pay lower wages to the artisans building his palaces in Delhi.
Select the correct answer from the code given below :
Code :
(a) Both (A) and (R) are true, and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).
(b) Both (A) and (R) are true, but (R) is not a correct explanation of (A).
(c) (A) is true, but (R) is false.
(d) (A) is false, but (R) is true.
[U.P.P.C.S. (Mains) 2005]
Ans. (c) (A) is true, but (R) is false.
- Alauddin Khalji implemented a policy to control prices.
- He appointed a man named Malik Kabool to keep an eye on the market, giving him a lot of authority, as well as a big army.
- He also made sure that the King was aware of any changes in prices and what was going on in the market.
- Barani said the reason for reforming the market was to support a large army against attacks from the Mongols and to prevent any possible Hindu rebellions.
- He had nothing to do with making sure artisans were paid less.
- Therefore, the statement is true, but the reason given is false.
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15. Which of the following Sultans introduced “Market Reforms”?
(a) Jalaluddin Khalji
(b) Alauddin Khalji
(c) Muhammad Tughluq
(d) Balban
[M.P.P.C.S. (Pre) 2014]
Ans. (b) Alauddin Khalji
- Alauddin Khalji put in place a policy to control prices.
- He assigned Malik Kabool to watch over the market and gave him a big group of soldiers and officers to help.
- He also gave him a lot of power.
- He monitored the merchants and told the ruler about any changes in the prices or the market.
- Barani said that the goal of the market reform was to have enough soldiers to protect against Mongol attacks and also to keep Hindus from rebelling.
- However, this had nothing to do with the wages of artisans.
- Therefore, the statement is true, but the reason given is not.
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16. Who of the following Muslim rulers enforced a strict price control system during his time?
(a) Alauddin Khalji
(b) Iltutmish
(c) Muhammad Tughluq
(d) Sher Shah Suri
[U.P. P.S.C. (GIC) 2010, U.P. Lower Sub. (Pre) 2004, U.P. Lower Sub. (Pre) 1998]
Ans. (a) Alauddin Khalji
- Alauddin Khalji, during the Sultanate period, introduced a system of price control in order to reduce the high cost of maintaining his army.
- He was the first Delhi Sultan to pay soldiers in cash.
- According to Barani, if they were paid the normal wages, the state treasury would be depleted in five to six years.
- To combat this, he lowered the wages of the soldiers and set fixed prices for commodities so that they could have an easier life.
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17. The attempt of Alauddin Khalji to control the market prices
(a) led to agricultural progress
(b) benefitted only Nobles/Courtiers
(c) was highly successful
(d) the alienated ruler from the masses
[U.P.P.C.S. (Mains) 2017]
Ans. (c) was highly successful
- Alauddin Khalji was very successful when he tried to regulate market prices.
- This was one of the most important things he did in his reign.
- He wanted to have a large army and so he tried to keep the cost of daily items low.
- He created different markets in Delhi, like a grain market, a market for clothes and groceries, one for horses, slaves, and cattle, and one for other items.
- He put a superintendent (Shahna-i-Mandi) in charge of each market and gave him help from an intelligence officer.
- He also had two other sources of information about the markets, braids and minivans.
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18. The market control system was introduced by
(a) Ghiyasuddin Tughluq
(b) Jalaluddin Khalji
(c) Alauddin Khalji
(d) Balban
[U.P.P.C.S. (Pre) 1992]
Ans. (c) Alauddin Khalji
- Alauddin Khalji did a great job in trying to control the market prices.
- This was one of the most important things he did during his reign.
- He wanted to keep a big army, so he made sure the prices of everyday items were low.
- He set up different markets in Delhi for different things like grain, clothes, horses, and other items.
- He put someone in charge of each market to make sure his orders were followed and he also had secret spies to report back to him on what was going on.
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19. Which one of the following Kings of medieval India began the ‘Public Distribution System’?
(a) Alauddin Khalji
(b) Balban
(c) Firuz Shah Tughluq
(d) Muhammad-Bin-Tughluq
[U.P.P.C.S. (Mains) 2010]
Ans. (a) Alauddin Khalji
- During the Sultanate period, Alauddin Khalji created the ‘Public Distribution System’.
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20. Who started the Public Distribution System in the Sultanate period?
(a) Ala-ud-din Khalji
(b) Sikandar Lodhi
(c) Muhammad bin Tughlaq
(d) Firuz Shah Tughluq
(e) None of the above/More than one of the above
[66th B.P.S.C. Re-Exam (Pre) 2020]
Ans (a) Ala-ud-din Khalji
- Alauddin Khalji set up the ‘Public Distribution System’ during the time he was in charge of the Sultanate.
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21. Which Sultan of Delhi was the first to charge ‘Ghari’ or house tax?
(a) Balban
(b) Alauddin Khalji
(c) Muhammad-Bin-Tughluq
(d) Firuz Shah Tughluq
[U.P.P.C.S. (Mains) 2011]
Ans.(b) Alauddin Khalji
- Alauddin Khalji had two kinds of taxes: a tax on houses and huts called the Ghari Tax and a Grazing Tax on animals that give milk.
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22. What was the boundary between the Delhi Sultan and Mongols during the period of Alauddin Khalji after 1306 A.D.?
(a) Byas
(b) Ravi
(c) Indus
(d) Sutlej
[U.P.P.C.S. (Pre) 2014]
Ans. (b) Ravi
- In 1306, during Alauddin Khalji’s reign, the Ravi River became the line of separation between the Delhi Sultanate and the Mongols.
- Malik Kafur and Ghazi Malik were successful in stopping the Mongol’s attempt to cross the Ravi River, which made it the border between them.
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23. Which of the following Sultan appointed a special army to protect the boundaries of the empire?
(a) Iltutmish
(b) Nasiruddin Mahmud
(c) Balban
(d) Alauddin Khilji
[U.P.R.O./A.R.O. (Pre.) 2021]
Ans (d) Alauddin Khilji
- Alauddin Khilji took steps to make his empire strong.
- He built a strong government and a very big army to protect it.
- So option (d) is the right answer.
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24. Which Ruler of the Delhi Sultanate declared himself as “Khalifa”?
(a) Balban
(b) Alauddin Khilji
(c) Mubarak Khilji
(d) Muhammad bin Tuglaq
[U.P.R.O./A.R.O (Re-Exam) (Pre) 2016]
Ans (c) Mubarak Khilji
- After Alauddin Khilji died, his son, Mubarak Khilji, was kept in jail by Malik Kafur.
- However, he was eventually released and became the ruler.
- He even gave himself the title of Al-Iman, Khilafat-Ul-Leh, which made him the only ruler to do that.
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