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AP Intermediate History (BIEAP) study materials
AP Intermediate History (BIEAP) study resources

AP Intermediate History (BIEAP) practice questions

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Question 1Ancient Indian History

The earliest evidence of settled agriculture in the Indian subcontinent, with wheat and barley cultivation, comes from which archaeological site in Baluchistan?

  1. Mehrgarh Correct answer.
  2. Lothal
  3. Inamgaon
  4. Burzahom

Explanation

Mehrgarh, near the Bolan Pass in Baluchistan, has yielded the earliest farming evidence in South Asia, dating from around 7000 BCE, with wheat, barley, and later cotton and animal domestication.

Question 2Ancient Indian History

Which Harappan city is best known for its large granary-like structure and the 'Great Bath'?

  1. Rakhigarhi
  2. Mohenjo-daro Correct answer.
  3. Kalibangan
  4. Dholavira

Explanation

Mohenjo-daro on the Indus in Sindh contains the Great Bath within its citadel and a massive structure interpreted as a granary, making it the type-site for Harappan urban planning.

Question 3Ancient Indian History

The Harappan script remains undeciphered, but scholars generally characterize it as:

  1. A logo-syllabic script written mostly right to left Correct answer.
  2. A purely alphabetic script written left to right
  3. A Brahmi-derived syllabary written boustrophedon
  4. A Kharosthi-derived script written vertically

Explanation

Harappan seals usually carry short sign sequences read from right to left, and the signs are widely regarded as logo-syllabic rather than alphabetic. No bilingual text has been found, so decipherment remains unresolved.

Question 4Ancient Indian History

Which of the following best explains why the Harappan civilization is described as having a 'mature' urban phase between roughly 2600 and 1900 BCE?

  1. It saw the first use of iron tools in South Asia
  2. It was unified under a single named monarch recorded in inscriptions
  3. It replaced agriculture with pastoral nomadism as its economic base
  4. It produced standardized weights, baked brick sizes, and planned drainage across distant sites Correct answer.

Explanation

The mature phase is marked by uniform cubical chert weights, standardised brick ratios of 1:2:4, gridded streets, and covered drains repeated across sites from Sutkagendor to Alamgirpur, indicating shared craft and civic norms.

Question 5Ancient Indian History

The Rigveda is traditionally divided into ten mandalas; which mandalas are considered the oldest core by most scholars?

  1. Mandalas 1 and 10
  2. Mandalas 2 to 7 Correct answer.
  3. Mandalas 8 and 9
  4. Mandalas 5 to 10

Explanation

The 'family books', mandalas 2 through 7, are attributed to specific priestly families and are linguistically archaic. Mandalas 1 and 10 are later additions, and 8 and 9 show mixed strata.

Question 6Ancient Indian History

In the Vedic corpus, the term 'gavishthi' most directly refers to:

  1. A search for or battle over cattle Correct answer.
  2. A unit of land measurement
  3. A ritual of royal consecration
  4. A hymn praising the dawn goddess

Explanation

Gavishthi literally means 'desire for cows' and is used in the Rigveda for cattle raids and conflicts, reflecting the centrality of cattle in the pastoral economy and in inter-tribal warfare.

Question 7Ancient Indian History

Which Vedic text is the earliest known Indian discussion of the four ashramas as a scheme of life stages?

  1. Baudhayana Dharmasutra Correct answer.
  2. Rigveda Samhita
  3. Aitareya Brahmana
  4. Chandogya Upanishad

Explanation

The Baudhayana Dharmasutra contains one of the earliest systematic statements of the four ashramas, brahmacharya, grihastha, vanaprastha, and sannyasa, as an ordered sequence of life stages.

Question 8Ancient Indian History

The sixteen mahajanapadas are best described as:

  1. Sixteen Buddhist monastic councils
  2. Sixteen guilds of merchants in the Mauryan empire
  3. Sixteen administrative provinces under Ashoka
  4. Sixteen territorial states of the sixth century BCE in the Gangetic plains and beyond Correct answer.

Explanation

Buddhist and Jaina texts list sixteen mahajanapadas, such as Magadha, Kosala, Vatsa, and Avanti, as major territorial states of the mid-first millennium BCE, most of them in the Ganga valley.

Question 9Ancient Indian History

Magadha emerged as the strongest mahajanapada partly because of which set of advantages?

  1. Control of iron ore, fertile alluvial land, and river routes on the Ganga Correct answer.
  2. Dominance over the Deccan plateau's cotton trade
  3. Access to sea trade through the port of Bharuch
  4. A monopoly on Himalayan timber and saffron

Explanation

Magadha's rise is linked to iron deposits near Rajgir, fertile alluvium, elephant resources, and command of Ganga trade routes, which supported large armies and fortified capitals such as Rajagriha and Pataliputra.

Question 10Ancient Indian History

The Buddha's first sermon, setting out the Four Noble Truths, is traditionally called:

  1. Dharmachakra-pravartana Correct answer.
  2. Mahaparinirvana
  3. Dhammapada
  4. Mahaparinibbana

Explanation

The Dharmachakra-pravartana, 'turning of the wheel of law', was delivered at Sarnath and expounds the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path, marking the start of the Buddha's teaching career.

Question 11Ancient Indian History

Which doctrine of early Buddhism holds that all conditioned things are impermanent and without a permanent self?

  1. Samadhi
  2. Ahimsa
  3. Anatta and anicca Correct answer.
  4. Karma

Explanation

Anatta denies a permanent self, and anicca asserts universal impermanence; together with dukkha they form the three marks of existence in Buddhist teaching.

Question 12Ancient Indian History

Jainism's strictest ethical principle, often emphasised more strongly than in contemporary Buddhism, is:

  1. Faith in a creator god
  2. Caste-based ritual purity
  3. The supremacy of Vedic sacrifice
  4. Ahimsa in its most rigorous form Correct answer.

Explanation

Jainism treats ahimsa with exceptional rigour, extending non-violence to plants, insects, and microscopic life, and tying it to the doctrine that all living beings possess a jiva.

Question 13Ancient Indian History

The Ashokan edicts were mainly written in which script in the eastern and central parts of the subcontinent, and which script in the northwest?

  1. Devanagari in the east, Sharada in the northwest
  2. Brahmi in the east and centre, Kharosthi in the northwest Correct answer.
  3. Kharosthi in the east and centre, Brahmi in the northwest
  4. Greek in the east, Aramaean in the northwest

Explanation

Ashoka's edicts use Brahmi across most of the subcontinent and Kharosthi in the northwest, with Greek and Aramaic versions in the frontier regions, reflecting the empire's linguistic geography.

Question 14Ancient Indian History

In the Arthashastra, the term 'danda' in the context of statecraft refers to:

  1. A land tax collected in grain
  2. A type of fortified frontier post
  3. Coercive authority or punitive power used to maintain order Correct answer.
  4. A merchant guild's charter

Explanation

Kautilya uses danda for the coercive power of the state, exercised through the rod of punishment, and treats the proper use of danda as essential to royal authority and social order.

Question 15Ancient Indian History

Megasthenes, the Seleucid envoy at the Mauryan court, described the Indian society he observed in terms of:

  1. Four varnas identical to the Brahmanical scheme
  2. A single undifferentiated tribal society
  3. Seven functional classes including philosophers, farmers, herdsmen, and soldiers Correct answer.
  4. Two classes of rulers and ruled

Explanation

Megasthenes described seven classes, philosophers, farmers, herdsmen, artisans, soldiers, overseers, and councillors, a functional division that does not match the four-varna model and is debated by modern scholars.

Question 16Ancient Indian History

The Mauryan administrative structure is often described as centralised, but which evidence suggests significant regional variation?

  1. The appointment of provincial governors and the use of local officials and languages in outlying regions Correct answer.
  2. The uniform use of a single script across the empire
  3. The absence of any taxation system
  4. The complete abolition of local assemblies

Explanation

Mauryan rule combined a central court with provincial governors, often princes, and regional officials, and the edicts' multilingual versions suggest accommodation of local conditions rather than uniform central control.

Question 17Ancient Indian History

The Indo-Greek king Menander, who figures in the Buddhist text Milindapanha, ruled mainly in which region?

  1. Bengal and Assam
  2. The northwest and Punjab Correct answer.
  3. The Tamil country
  4. The Konkan coast

Explanation

Menander, Milinda in Pali, ruled a Greco-Bactrian successor state centred on the northwest, including Gandhara and Punjab, and his dialogue with the monk Nagasena is preserved in the Milindapanha.

Question 18Ancient Indian History

The Kushana ruler Kanishka is particularly associated with which development in Buddhist history?

  1. The composition of the Arthashastra
  2. The founding of the Nalanda university
  3. The compilation of the Pali canon at the first council
  4. The patronage of Gandhara and Mathura art and the convening of a major council in Kashmir Correct answer.

Explanation

Kanishka's reign is linked with a Buddhist council held in Kashmir and with lavish patronage of Gandhara and Mathura sculpture, which produced the earliest anthropomorphic Buddha images.

Question 19Ancient Indian History

The Satavahana rulers are notable in early Indian history for which practice?

  1. Conducting overseas conquests in Southeast Asia
  2. Issuing land grants to Buddhist monks and Brahmans, recorded on copper plates Correct answer.
  3. Building the first stone temples at Khajuraho
  4. Introducing the silver rupaka coinage of the Delhi Sultanate

Explanation

Satavahana inscriptions record grants of land and villages to religious beneficiaries, an early form of the land-grant practice that became widespread in the Gupta period and reshaped rural society.

Question 20Ancient Indian History

The Sangam anthologies of Tamil literature are primarily valuable to historians because they:

  1. Record Mauryan administrative edicts in Tamil
  2. Contain the earliest Tamil Buddhist commentaries
  3. Depict the economy, warfare, and social life of early historic Tamilakam Correct answer.
  4. Provide a chronological king-list of the imperial Cholas

Explanation

Sangam poems, dated roughly to the early centuries CE, describe chieftaincies, trade with Rome, cattle raids, and poetic conventions of love and war, making them key sources for early Tamil society.

Question 21Ancient Indian History

The term 'Tinai' in Sangam poetry refers to:

  1. A type of megalithic burial
  2. A tax on maritime trade
  3. A poetic convention classifying landscapes and associated emotions Correct answer.
  4. A guild of weavers

Explanation

Tinai is the Sangam system that links five landscapes, such as kurinji and marutam, to particular phases of love and social life, functioning as both a poetic and a geographical classification.

Question 22Ancient Indian History

Which Gupta ruler is associated with the Allahabad pillar inscription composed by Harisena?

  1. Skandagupta
  2. Kumaragupta I
  3. Chandragupta I
  4. Samudragupta Correct answer.

Explanation

The Allahabad pillar inscription, a prashasti by the court poet Harisena, celebrates Samudragupta's military campaigns and is a central source for early Gupta political history.

Question 23Ancient Indian History

The Chinese pilgrim Faxian visited India during the reign of which Gupta ruler?

  1. Skandagupta
  2. Samudragupta
  3. Budhagupta
  4. Chandragupta II Correct answer.

Explanation

Faxian travelled in India around 400 to 411 CE, during the reign of Chandragupta II, and his account describes Buddhist monasteries, pilgrimage sites, and the prosperity of the Gangetic plains.

Question 24Ancient Indian History

Aryabhata's Aryabhatiya is significant in the history of Indian science chiefly because it:

  1. Compiled the first Indian medical pharmacopoeia
  2. First proposed a heliocentric model of the solar system
  3. Introduced the decimal place-value system with a zero symbol
  4. Argued that the earth rotates on its axis and explained eclipses mathematically Correct answer.

Explanation

Aryabhata held that the earth spins on its axis and gave mathematical explanations of eclipses based on shadows, along with methods for computing planetary positions, making the Aryabhatiya a landmark of Indian astronomy.

Question 25Ancient Indian History

The Huna invasions of the fifth century CE affected the Gupta empire mainly by:

  1. Accelerating its political fragmentation and weakening central authority Correct answer.
  2. Introducing Buddhism to the Gupta court for the first time
  3. Establishing a lasting Huna dynasty at Pataliputra
  4. Restoring Mauryan-style centralised administration

Explanation

Huna incursions, resisted by Skandagupta and later rulers, drained Gupta resources and coincided with the rise of regional powers, contributing to the empire's decline and fragmentation by the sixth century.

Question 26Ancient Indian History

The Harappan site of Lothal in Gujarat is chiefly identified by archaeologists as which kind of settlement?

  1. A royal burial complex containing chariot burials
  2. A purely agrarian village with no craft production
  3. A coastal port town with a dockyard and bead-making workshops Correct answer.
  4. A hilltop fortress guarding a mountain pass

Explanation

Lothal lies near the Gulf of Khambhat and yielded a large basin interpreted as a dockyard, together with a warehouse and workshops for beads and copper. Its location and craft evidence indicate a maritime trading centre linking the Harappan zone with the Persian Gulf. This distinguishes it from inland agrarian or defensive sites.

Question 27Ancient Indian History

Which feature of Harappan town planning is most consistently observed across major sites such as Mohenjo-daro and Harappa?

  1. Grid-aligned streets with covered drainage running along them Correct answer.
  2. Circular huts arranged around a central cattle kraal
  3. Houses built entirely of timber on stone platforms
  4. Palatial compounds crowned by monumental temples

Explanation

Harappan cities were laid out on a rough grid, with streets and lanes intersecting at right angles and brick-lined drains with inspection holes along the thoroughfares. This sanitation and street alignment is the most widely shared planning trait. Monumental temple architecture and timber-dominant housing are not attested.

Question 28Ancient Indian History

A historian finds that a particular Rigvedic hymn addresses a deity as the supreme creator and identifies that deity with other gods. This hymn is best used as evidence for which development in Vedic religion?

  1. The adoption of Ahimsa as the central Vedic ethical doctrine
  2. The complete replacement of Vedic ritual by image worship
  3. A trend toward henotheism or monistic speculation within a polytheistic framework Correct answer.
  4. The abolition of the sacrificial cult by the priestly class

Explanation

Hymns such as the Purusha-sukta and the Hiranyagarbha hymn show speculation in which one deity or principle is exalted above others while other gods remain acknowledged. Scholars describe this as henotheism or incipient monism within an otherwise polytheistic and sacrificial system. It is not evidence of image worship, Ahimsa-centred ethics, or the end of sacrifice.

Question 29Ancient Indian History

A Satavahana inscription records a ruler granting land to a Buddhist monastery, and the same ruler's coins carry the names of his mother and father. Taken together, what do these two types of evidence best illustrate about Satavahana rule?

  1. Royal patronage of religious institutions alongside a practice of recording matronymic and patronymic titles Correct answer.
  2. The absence of coinage in the Deccan during this period
  3. Direct administration of monasteries by royal officials
  4. A rejection of Buddhism in favour of exclusive Vedic ritual

Explanation

Satavahana inscriptions and coins show rulers endowing Buddhist establishments while also bearing titles derived from their mothers' and fathers' names, a pattern often linked to their marriage alliances. Combining epigraphic and numismatic evidence thus reveals both patronage and naming practice. The evidence does not show hostility to Buddhism, absence of coinage, or royal takeover of monastic administration.

Question 30Ancient Indian History

An inscription of a post-Gupta regional ruler records a land grant specifying the measured area, the boundaries by neighbouring plots, the dues transferred to the donee, and the immunity from royal officers. Historians treat such charters as evidence primarily for which process?

  1. The gradual emergence of landed intermediaries and fragmented sovereignty in early medieval India Correct answer.
  2. The replacement of Sanskrit by vernacular languages in administration
  3. The decline of agricultural settlement in favour of pastoralism
  4. The expansion of a centralised bureaucracy staffed by salaried officials

Explanation

Detailed boundaries, transferred revenue dues and clauses barring royal officials indicate that rights over land and its produce were being devolved to donees, often brahmanas or religious institutions. This pattern underlies the model of emerging landed intermediaries and fragmented sovereignty in the early medieval period. The charters record devolution rather than salaried central bureaucracy, agrarian decline, or linguistic replacement.

Question 31Medieval Indian History

Who founded the Delhi Sultanate's Slave (Mamluk) Dynasty after the death of Muhammad of Ghor in 1206?

  1. Qutb-ud-din Aibak Correct answer.
  2. Balban
  3. Iltutmish
  4. Razia Sultan

Explanation

Qutb-ud-din Aibak, a former slave of Muhammad of Ghor, took control of the Ghurid territories in India after Ghor's death in 1206 and ruled from Lahore, establishing what historians call the Slave or Mamluk Dynasty. Iltutmish and Balban were later rulers of the same dynasty, and Razia came after Iltutmish.

Question 32Medieval Indian History

The Battle of Tarain in 1192 is significant in medieval Indian history because it resulted in the

  1. overthrow of the Khalji dynasty
  2. establishment of the Bahmani Sultanate
  3. annexation of Bengal by Akbar
  4. defeat of Prithviraj Chauhan by Muhammad of Ghor Correct answer.

Explanation

At the Second Battle of Tarain in 1192, Muhammad of Ghor defeated Prithviraj Chauhan, the Chahamana ruler of Ajmer, opening the way for Ghurid conquest of northern India. The Bahmani Sultanate, the Khalji dynasty, and Akbar's conquests all belong to later periods.

Question 33Medieval Indian History

Which ruler of the Delhi Sultanate is credited with introducing the market control regulations and price-fixing measures recorded by the chronicler Ziauddin Barani?

  1. Alauddin Khalji Correct answer.
  2. Muhammad bin Tughlaq
  3. Firoz Shah Tughlaq
  4. Sikandar Lodi

Explanation

Alauddin Khalji imposed a series of market regulations in Delhi, fixing prices of essential commodities and controlling the grain trade to keep his large standing army and the capital supplied. Barani's Tarikh-i-Firoz Shahi describes these measures in detail. The other rulers are not associated with this system.

Question 34Medieval Indian History

The Khalji dynasty came to an end in 1320 when the throne of Delhi was seized by

  1. Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq Correct answer.
  2. Mubarak Khalji
  3. Khusrau Khan
  4. Malik Kafur

Explanation

After the death of Alauddin Khalji and a period of confusion, the slave-general Khusrau Khan briefly seized power in 1320. Ghiasuddin Tughlaq, a governor, defeated and killed him, founding the Tughlaq dynasty. The other names belong to the Khalji household or its officers.

Question 35Medieval Indian History

Muhammad bin Tughlaq's decision to transfer the capital from Delhi to which city is often cited as a costly experiment?

  1. Daulatabad Correct answer.
  2. Fatehpur Sikri
  3. Agra
  4. Vijayanagara

Explanation

Muhammad bin Tughlaq moved his capital from Delhi to Daulatabad (Devagiri) in the Deccan, reportedly to control the south better, but the move caused great hardship and was later reversed. Agra and Fatehpur Sikri are Mughal capitals, and Vijayanagara was the capital of a southern empire.

Question 36Medieval Indian History

Ibn Battuta, the Moroccan traveler who served in the Delhi Sultanate administration, wrote his account during the reign of which sultan?

  1. Iltutmish
  2. Alauddin Khalji
  3. Muhammad bin Tughlaq Correct answer.
  4. Sikandar Lodi

Explanation

Ibn Battuta arrived in India in the 1330s and was appointed a qazi by Muhammad bin Tughlaq, whose court and eccentric projects he described in the Rihla. The other sultans lived before or after his stay and could not have employed him.

Question 37Medieval Indian History

Which Sultan of Delhi is known for constructing the Hauz Khas reservoir and numerous canals and public buildings during the fourteenth century?

  1. Qutb-ud-din Aibak
  2. Firoz Shah Tughlaq Correct answer.
  3. Balban
  4. Muhammad of Ghor

Explanation

Firoz Shah Tughlaq undertook extensive construction, including the Hauz Khas reservoir in Delhi and canals such as the one from the Sutlej, and he is remembered for public welfare works. Balban, Ghor, and Aibak ruled in earlier periods and are not linked to this reservoir.

Question 38Medieval Indian History

The Vijayanagara Empire was founded in 1336 by Harihara and Bukka, who had earlier served the

  1. Khalji Sultanate
  2. Bahmani Sultanate
  3. Chola dynasty
  4. Kakatiya dynasty Correct answer.

Explanation

Harihara and Bukka are said to have served the Kakatiyas of Warangal before founding Vijayanagara on the Tungabhadra. The Bahmani Sultanate arose later as their main rival, and the Cholas were a much older Tamil power.

Question 39Medieval Indian History

The Bahmani Sultanate's capital was moved from Gulbarga to which city by the ruler Firuz Shah Bahmani?

  1. Golconda
  2. Warangal
  3. Bijapur
  4. Bidar Correct answer.

Explanation

Firuz Shah Bahmani shifted the Bahmani capital from Gulbarga to Bidar, which remained the seat of the sultanate until its break-up into the Deccan sultanates. Bijapur and Golconda were later successor sultanates, and Warangal was a Kakatiya capital.

Question 40Medieval Indian History

Krishnadevaraya, the most celebrated ruler of Vijayanagara, belonged to which dynasty?

  1. Tuluva Correct answer.
  2. Aravidu
  3. Saluva
  4. Sangama

Explanation

Krishnadevaraya (r. 1509-1529) belonged to the Tuluva dynasty, the third of the four dynasties that ruled Vijayanagara. The Sangama, Saluva, and Aravidu dynasties came before or after the Tuluva line.

Question 41Medieval Indian History

The Battle of Talikota in 1565 resulted in the

  1. capture of Delhi by Babur
  2. defeat and sack of Vijayanagara by the Deccan sultanates Correct answer.
  3. establishment of the Adil Shahi dynasty
  4. overthrow of the Bahmani Sultanate

Explanation

At Talikota (Rakshasa-Tangadi) in 1565, a coalition of the Deccan sultanates defeated Vijayanagara's army, after which the capital was plundered and abandoned. The Bahmani Sultanate had already fragmented, Babur's capture of Delhi was in 1526, and the Adil Shahi state predates the battle.

Question 42Medieval Indian History

Which Mughal emperor is credited with building the Buland Darwaza at Fatehpur Sikri to commemorate the conquest of Gujarat?

  1. Humayun
  2. Akbar Correct answer.
  3. Babur
  4. Shah Jahan

Explanation

Akbar built the Buland Darwaza, the monumental gateway at Fatehpur Sikri, and it is commonly associated with his victory over Gujarat. Babur and Humayun ruled earlier and did not build at Fatehpur Sikri, while Shah Jahan's major works belong to a later phase.

Question 43Medieval Indian History

The First Battle of Panipat in 1526 was fought between Babur and

  1. Sher Shah Suri
  2. Ibrahim Lodi Correct answer.
  3. Rana Sanga
  4. Hemu

Explanation

Babur defeated Ibrahim Lodi, the last Lodi sultan of Delhi, at Panipat in 1526, using artillery and the tulughma flanking tactic. Rana Sanga was defeated later at Khanwa, Sher Shah Suri rose after Babur, and Hemu fought in the sixteenth century.

Question 44Medieval Indian History

Sher Shah Suri's administrative reforms included the introduction of which system of land measurement and revenue assessment?

  1. Jagirdari assignment of revenue to nobles
  2. Zabti or rayatwari measurement with a schedule of crop rates Correct answer.
  3. Mansabdari ranking of all officials
  4. Iqta assignment to military commanders

Explanation

Sher Shah Suri standardized land measurement and fixed revenue demand based on crop yields, often described as an early form of the zabti system that Akbar's minister Todar Mal later developed. Mansabdari and jagirdari are Mughal institutions, and iqta was used by the Delhi Sultanate.

Question 45Medieval Indian History

Akbar's mansabdari system ranked officers primarily according to which pair of numerical designations?

  1. Zabt and ghalla
  2. Zat and sawar Correct answer.
  3. Jama and hasil
  4. Khalisa and jagir

Explanation

Under the mansabdari system, each officer held a rank expressed in zat (personal status) and sawar (number of cavalrymen maintained). Jama and hasil refer to revenue figures, while khalisa, jagir, zabt, and ghalla relate to land revenue arrangements.

Question 46Medieval Indian History

The Din-i-Ilahi, promulgated by Akbar in 1582, is best described as

  1. a new tax on non-Muslim subjects
  2. a legal code replacing sharia in the empire
  3. a syncretic order of discipleship centered on the emperor Correct answer.
  4. a military reform creating a standing army

Explanation

The Din-i-Ilahi was a discipleship order in which selected nobles accepted Akbar as their spiritual guide, drawing on themes from several religious traditions. It was not a tax, a legal code, or a military reform.

Question 47Medieval Indian History

The Mughal emperor Jahangir's memoirs, the Tuzuk-i-Jahangiri, were written in which language?

  1. Persian Correct answer.
  2. Turkish
  3. Hindi
  4. Arabic

Explanation

Jahangir's memoirs were composed in Persian, the official court language of the Mughal Empire. Turkish was the ancestral language of the dynasty, Arabic was used for religious scholarship, and Hindi was not the language of court chronicles.

Question 48Medieval Indian History

Shah Jahan's reign is most closely associated with which of the following architectural projects?

  1. Atala Masjid at Jaunpur
  2. Adhai Din Ka Jhonpra at Ajmer
  3. Taj Mahal at Agra Correct answer.
  4. Qutb Minar at Delhi

Explanation

Shah Jahan commissioned the Taj Mahal as a mausoleum for Mumtaz Mahal, and his reign is regarded as the high point of Mughal architecture. The Qutb Minar dates from the Slave Dynasty, the Atala Masjid from the Sharqi period, and the Adhai Din Ka Jhonpra from the Ghurid era.

Question 49Medieval Indian History

Aurangzeb's reimposition of the jizya in 1679 is best understood as

  1. a levy on Mughal mansabdars' salaries
  2. a tariff on foreign merchants at Surat
  3. a land revenue settlement for the Deccan
  4. a tax on non-Muslim subjects that reversed Akbar's earlier abolition Correct answer.

Explanation

The jizya was a poll tax on non-Muslim subjects that Akbar had abolished; Aurangzeb reinstated it in 1679, a measure often discussed alongside his other policies toward non-Muslims. It was not a land settlement, a customs duty, or a levy on officers.

Question 50Medieval Indian History

Shivaji's administration is notable for the council of eight ministers known as the

  1. Ashta Pradhan Correct answer.
  2. Turkan-i-Chihalgani
  3. Ain-i-Akbari
  4. Chahalgani

Explanation

Shivaji organized his government around the Ashta Pradhan, a council of eight ministers headed by the Peshwa. The Chahalgani (Turkan-i-Chihalgani) was a group of nobles under Iltutmish, and the Ain-i-Akbari is Abul Fazl's administrative survey of the Mughal Empire.