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BSEH SS History practice questions

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Question 1Themes in Indian History Part I (Ancient and Early Medieval India)

The Harappan site of Lothal is best known for which of the following features?

  1. A circular fire altar for yajnas
  2. A rock-cut cave monastery
  3. A dockyard linked to a tidal creek Correct answer.
  4. A large granary with brick platforms

Explanation

Lothal in Gujarat is identified as a port settlement where a large basin with inlet and outlet channels has been interpreted as a dockyard. Its location near the Gulf of Khambhat supports maritime trade with the Persian Gulf.

Question 2Themes in Indian History Part I (Ancient and Early Medieval India)

In the study of the Rigveda, the term 'shakha' refers to which of the following?

  1. A ritual offering of clarified butter
  2. A recension or branch of Vedic transmission Correct answer.
  3. A hymn addressed to a single deity
  4. A sacrificial priest attached to a royal court

Explanation

Shakha literally means a branch, and in Vedic scholarship it denotes a recension of a Veda preserved by a particular lineage of reciters. Each shakha maintained its own textual tradition and ritual practice.

Question 3Themes in Indian History Part I (Ancient and Early Medieval India)

Which of the following was the capital of the Mauryan empire under Ashoka?

  1. Ujjain
  2. Sarnath
  3. Pataliputra Correct answer.
  4. Taxila

Explanation

Pataliputra, modern Patna, was the imperial capital of the Mauryas, while Taxila and Ujjain functioned as provincial centres. Ashoka's inscriptions and Buddhist accounts place the main seat of government at Pataliputra.

Question 4Themes in Indian History Part I (Ancient and Early Medieval India)

The term 'grihapati' in early Vedic society most nearly denotes which of the following?

  1. A merchant trading in distant ports
  2. A wandering ascetic without a household
  3. A head of a household who offers sacrifices Correct answer.
  4. A tribal chief elected by an assembly

Explanation

Grihapati refers to the male head of a household, the central figure of domestic ritual in early Vedic society. He maintained the sacred fire and performed offerings on behalf of the household.

Question 5Themes in Indian History Part I (Ancient and Early Medieval India)

The Ashokan inscriptions that address Buddhist monks and nuns specifically are known as which type of edict?

  1. Pillar edicts
  2. Separate edicts Correct answer.
  3. Minor rock edicts
  4. Major rock edicts

Explanation

The separate edicts are those addressed directly to the monastic community, notably the schism edicts found at Sarnath, Sanchi and Kosambi. They warn monks and nuns against creating divisions in the Sangha.

Question 6Themes in Indian History Part I (Ancient and Early Medieval India)

Which of the following best describes the significance of the 'nagaraka' in the urban economy of the early historic period?

  1. A royal officer who collected land revenue
  2. A body of village elders settling disputes
  3. A city-dwelling merchant or urban resident Correct answer.
  4. A guild of craftsmen specialising in iron

Explanation

Nagaraka denotes a city dweller, often a prosperous urban resident or merchant, in early historic and later texts. The term reflects the growth of towns and the emergence of urban social groups.

Question 7Themes in Indian History Part I (Ancient and Early Medieval India)

The Buddhist text 'Mahavamsa' is chiefly concerned with which subject?

  1. The biography of Mahavira and the Jaina order
  2. The history of Buddhism in Sri Lanka Correct answer.
  3. The laws of the Mauryan state
  4. The grammar of classical Sanskrit

Explanation

The Mahavamsa is a chronicle composed in Pali that narrates the history of Buddhism in Sri Lanka, including the arrival of the tradition and the deeds of kings. It is a key source for early Lankan and Buddhist history.

Question 8Themes in Indian History Part I (Ancient and Early Medieval India)

Which of the following is the standard term for a Jaina monastic community or assembly?

  1. Sangha
  2. Vihara
  3. Gana Correct answer.
  4. Matha

Explanation

In Jaina usage, a gana is a monastic group or assembly under the authority of a teacher, and the term appears in early Jaina inscriptions and texts. The Jaina order was organised into ganas and ganas.

Question 9Themes in Indian History Part I (Ancient and Early Medieval India)

A historian studying the Mauryan economy finds that the Arthashastra prescribes a superintendent for weights and measures. This evidence is best used to argue which of the following?

  1. That markets were entirely free of state supervision
  2. That agriculture was the only taxed activity
  3. That the state claimed a regulatory role in trade Correct answer.
  4. That coins were unknown during the period

Explanation

A prescribed superintendent for weights and measures indicates that the state claimed authority to standardise and regulate exchange. It supports an argument for state regulatory interest in trade rather than a laissez-faire market.

Question 10Themes in Indian History Part I (Ancient and Early Medieval India)

A copper-plate charter records the grant of a village with its fields, wells and pasture to a brahmana. Which of the following does such a record most directly illuminate?

  1. The pattern of Harappan town planning
  2. The growth of land grants and rural settlement Correct answer.
  3. The nature of early Vedic sacrifice
  4. The organisation of the Mauryan army

Explanation

Village land-grant charters document the transfer of rural resources and rights to donees, and they illuminate the extension of agriculture and rural settlement. Such grants became increasingly common in the early medieval period.

Question 11Themes in Indian History Part I (Ancient and Early Medieval India)

An archaeologist excavating a settlement finds a baked-brick drain, standardised weights and a seal with an undeciphered script. The assemblage most strongly indicates which cultural phase?

  1. Megalithic burial culture
  2. Harappan urban culture Correct answer.
  3. Painted Grey Ware culture
  4. Neolithic ash-mound culture

Explanation

Baked-brick drainage, standardised weights and seals with the Harappan script together define the urban Harappan cultural phase. These features indicate planning and long-distance exchange typical of the Indus cities.

Question 12Themes in Indian History Part I (Ancient and Early Medieval India)

The term 'brahmadeya' in early medieval South Indian inscriptions refers to which of the following?

  1. A military garrison
  2. Land granted to a brahmana Correct answer.
  3. A temple dancing troupe
  4. A tax levied on merchants

Explanation

Brahmadeya denotes land granted to a brahmana, often with accompanying rights and exemptions, and such grants are widely recorded in South Indian inscriptions. They shaped the agrarian and social landscape of the region.

Question 13Themes in Indian History Part I (Ancient and Early Medieval India)

Which of the following best explains why the Sangam anthologies are treated as a source for early Tamil society?

  1. They are collections of poems depicting social and economic life Correct answer.
  2. They are Buddhist monastic rules
  3. They are royal administrative registers
  4. They are commentaries on Vedic ritual

Explanation

The Sangam anthologies are collections of poems composed in early Tamil that describe war, love, kingship and exchange. Historians use them cautiously, alongside inscriptions and archaeology, to reconstruct early Tamil society.

Question 14Themes in Indian History Part I (Ancient and Early Medieval India)

A historian notes that the Rigveda mentions 'dasa' and 'dasyu' opponents of the Aryas. Which interpretation of these terms is most defensible?

  1. They are names of Vedic deities
  2. They are precise ethnic labels for a single people
  3. They are technical terms for Vedic priests
  4. They are terms whose meaning is debated and likely complex Correct answer.

Explanation

The terms dasa and dasyu appear in hostile contexts in the Rigveda, but their precise social and ethnic meaning remains debated among scholars. They cannot be reduced to a simple label for one people.

Question 15Themes in Indian History Part I (Ancient and Early Medieval India)

The 'Prayaga Prashasti' of Samudragupta is significant primarily because it does which of the following?

  1. Lists the rules of the Mauryan administration
  2. Describes the trade routes to Southeast Asia
  3. Provides a eulogistic account of the Gupta ruler's conquests Correct answer.
  4. Records the land grants made to Buddhist monasteries

Explanation

The Prayaga Prashasti, composed by Harishena, is a panegyric that recounts Samudragupta's campaigns and the submission of neighbouring rulers. It is a key but highly eulogistic source for Gupta political history.

Question 16Themes in Indian History Part I (Ancient and Early Medieval India)

Which of the following statements about the Harappan script is most accurate?

  1. It was used only for royal inscriptions
  2. It has been deciphered as an early form of Sanskrit
  3. It is a purely alphabetic script with few signs
  4. It remains undeciphered despite numerous attempts Correct answer.

Explanation

The Harappan script is still undeciphered, and no reading of its signs commands scholarly consensus. Its short inscriptions on seals and other objects make decipherment especially difficult.

Question 17Themes in Indian History Part I (Ancient and Early Medieval India)

The Buddhist concept of 'anatta' is best understood as which of the following?

  1. The belief in a single supreme creator
  2. The practice of ritual bathing for purification
  3. The doctrine that the self has no permanent essence Correct answer.
  4. The rule that monks must not own property

Explanation

Anatta, or anatman, is the Buddhist teaching that what we call the self lacks a permanent, unchanging essence. It is one of the central insights attributed to the Buddha in early Buddhist texts.

Question 18Themes in Indian History Part I (Ancient and Early Medieval India)

A scholar compares Ashokan pillar capitals at Sarnath and Sanchi. Which conclusion is best supported by such a comparison?

  1. The pillars were erected only by non-Mauryan rulers
  2. The pillars were imported from the Mediterranean
  3. The pillars carried symbolic and religious meaning Correct answer.
  4. The pillars were purely structural supports for buildings

Explanation

The animal capitals and polished shafts of Ashokan pillars carry symbolic associations, such as the lion capital linked to the Buddha's teaching. Comparing them supports an interpretation of the pillars as meaningful monuments rather than mere supports.

Question 19Themes in Indian History Part I (Ancient and Early Medieval India)

The term 'viharas' in early historic inscriptions most often refers to which of the following?

  1. Buddhist monastic residences Correct answer.
  2. Cavalry units
  3. Irrigation tanks
  4. Market squares

Explanation

Vihara commonly denotes a Buddhist monastery or the residence of monks, and donors often recorded gifts to such establishments. Inscriptions mentioning viharas therefore illuminate monastic patronage.

Question 20Themes in Indian History Part I (Ancient and Early Medieval India)

A historian reads a Jaina text stating that Mahavira attained omniscience after years of ascetic practice. Which methodological point should the historian keep in mind?

  1. The text is a neutral administrative record
  2. The text is a religious narrative shaped by its community Correct answer.
  3. The text is a royal genealogy
  4. The text is an archaeological report

Explanation

Jaina narratives about Mahavira are religious accounts produced and transmitted by the community, so they express devotional and doctrinal concerns. Historians use them critically alongside other evidence rather than as neutral records.

Question 21Themes in Indian History Part I (Ancient and Early Medieval India)

The 'Periplus of the Erythraean Sea' is valuable to historians of ancient India chiefly because it does which of the following?

  1. Sets out the rules of the Mauryan bureaucracy
  2. Describes maritime trade routes and ports of the Indian Ocean Correct answer.
  3. Summarises the Rigvedic hymns
  4. Records the genealogy of the Gupta kings

Explanation

The Periplus is a Greek navigational and commercial text that describes ports, routes and goods of the Indian Ocean trade. It is a key external source for Indo-Roman commerce.

Question 22Themes in Indian History Part I (Ancient and Early Medieval India)

Which of the following features most clearly distinguishes the Mahayana tradition from earlier Buddhist schools?

  1. The denial of karma and rebirth
  2. The ideal of the bodhisattva and universal salvation Correct answer.
  3. The rejection of the monastic order
  4. The use of Pali as the only liturgical language

Explanation

Mahayana emphasises the bodhisattva ideal, in which a being works for the liberation of all sentient beings, and it developed new sutras and philosophical schools. This universalist orientation marks it off from earlier schools.

Question 23Themes in Indian History Part I (Ancient and Early Medieval India)

The 'Allahabad pillar inscription' of Samudragupta is also known by which name?

  1. Aihole prashasti
  2. Mehrauli pillar inscription
  3. Prayaga prashasti Correct answer.
  4. Junagadh inscription

Explanation

The Allahabad pillar inscription is called the Prayaga prashasti because it is engraved on a pillar at Prayaga, modern Allahabad. It was composed by Harishena in praise of Samudragupta.

Question 24Themes in Indian History Part I (Ancient and Early Medieval India)

A historian argues that the 'Arthashastra' describes an idealised rather than a directly observed administration. Which evidence would best support this argument?

  1. It mentions no officials at all
  2. It was written in Prakrit rather than Sanskrit
  3. It contains no reference to taxation
  4. Its prescriptions are highly systematic and exhaustive Correct answer.

Explanation

The exhaustive and systematic character of the Arthashastra's prescriptions suggests a normative treatise rather than a record of observed practice. Historians therefore use it cautiously, cross-checking with inscriptions and other sources.

Question 25Themes in Indian History Part I (Ancient and Early Medieval India)

Which of the following best explains the historiographical debate over the 'Aryan migration' into the subcontinent?

  1. The debate was resolved by the decipherment of the Harappan script
  2. The debate concerns only the location of Harappan ports
  3. The debate involves linguistic, archaeological and genetic evidence that is interpreted differently Correct answer.
  4. The debate is settled because the Rigveda gives exact dates

Explanation

Positions on Indo-Aryan migration rest on linguistic relationships, archaeological continuities and ancient DNA, each of which is interpreted in different ways. The absence of a deciphered Harappan script and of exact Vedic dates keeps the debate open.

Question 26Themes in Indian History Part I (Ancient and Early Medieval India)

The Harappan site of Lothal in Gujarat is best known to archaeologists for which of the following features?

  1. A dockyard basin linked by a channel to the Gulf of Khambhat Correct answer.
  2. A citadel built entirely of dressed stone masonry
  3. A great bath lined with bitumen and flanked by a granary
  4. A cemetery of megalithic dolmens with iron tools

Explanation

Lothal's roughly trapezoidal basin, with an inlet channel and sluice arrangement, is widely interpreted as a dockyard serving maritime trade with the Persian Gulf and Mesopotamia. It lay near the Bhogavo river and was associated with bead and shell workshops. The site thus illustrates Harappan engagement with coastal exchange networks.

Question 27Themes in Indian History Part I (Ancient and Early Medieval India)

In the Rigvedic period, the term 'gavishthi' is generally understood to refer to which of the following?

  1. The assembly of elders that settled disputes over land
  2. The ritual offering of soma to Agni during the morning sacrifice
  3. The seasonal migration of pastoral groups to winter pastures
  4. The search for or pursuit of cattle, often in a raiding or martial sense Correct answer.

Explanation

The compound literally means 'desire for cows' and appears in contexts of conflict and acquisition of cattle, which formed the chief measure of wealth in Rigvedic society. Cattle raiding was a recognised activity, and the term captures the centrality of herds in the economy and warfare of the period.

Question 28Themes in Indian History Part I (Ancient and Early Medieval India)

The eighteen 'mahajanapadas' listed in early Buddhist and Jaina texts were chiefly which kind of political units?

  1. Territorial states and chiefdoms of the sixth century BCE Gangetic plain and adjoining regions Correct answer.
  2. Clan confederacies of the Punjab described in the Rigveda
  3. Trading guilds registered by the Mauryan state
  4. Village councils administering irrigation in the Deccan

Explanation

The list of mahajanapadas in texts such as the Anguttara Nikaya describes large territorial units, some monarchical and some oligarchic (gana-sangha), spread across the Gangetic valley and neighbouring areas in the mid-first millennium BCE. Their emergence is linked to iron use, agricultural expansion and urban growth.

Question 29Themes in Indian History Part I (Ancient and Early Medieval India)

Which of the following best describes the subject matter of the Ashokan 'dhamma' edicts?

  1. Genealogies of the Mauryan royal house and its predecessors
  2. Moral exhortations urging obedience to parents, tolerance among sects and humane treatment of servants Correct answer.
  3. Detailed land revenue rates for different categories of fields
  4. Instructions for the construction of stupas and monasteries

Explanation

The major and minor rock edicts present dhamma as a code of social ethics: respect for elders and parents, generosity to brahmanas and shramanas, restraint in violence and concord among religious groups. The inscriptions are moral and administrative pronouncements rather than records of revenue or dynastic descent.

Question 30Themes in Indian History Part I (Ancient and Early Medieval India)

A historian examining the Sanchi stupa railing sculptures notes repeated scenes of the Buddha's life in which he is shown by symbols such as a wheel, a tree or footprints. Which conclusion is best supported?

  1. The symbols were added by later restorers over earlier Buddha figures
  2. The railing reliefs were produced by foreign artisans unfamiliar with Buddhist ideas
  3. Early Buddhist art at Sanchi avoided anthropomorphic images of the Buddha as a deliberate convention Correct answer.
  4. Sanchi's sculptors had no knowledge of the Buddha's biography

Explanation

At early stupas such as Sanchi and Bharhut the Buddha is represented by emblems, while narrative scenes supply the context of his life. This aniconic convention is understood as a deliberate artistic choice rather than ignorance of his biography. Later phases of Buddhist art introduced anthropomorphic images.

Question 31Themes in Indian History Part I (Ancient and Early Medieval India)

Which of the following is the most accurate description of the 'sangha' in early Buddhist tradition?

  1. A council of lay merchants who funded monasteries
  2. A regional court that adjudicated disputes among householders
  3. The body of texts containing the Buddha's discourses
  4. The organised community of monks and nuns governed by disciplinary rules Correct answer.

Explanation

The sangha denotes the monastic community of bhikkhus and bhikkhunis, regulated by the vinaya rules and central to the transmission of the teaching. Lay supporters provided alms and material support but were distinct from this ordained body. The term does not refer to a court or to the canon itself.

Question 32Themes in Indian History Part I (Ancient and Early Medieval India)

A copper-plate inscription records that a ruler granted a village to a brahmana, specifying that the grantee may collect dues and that the villagers must obey him. Which historical development does this type of record best illustrate?

  1. The growth of landed intermediaries and localised authority in early medieval India Correct answer.
  2. The decline of Sanskrit as a language of administration
  3. The abolition of caste distinctions by royal decree
  4. The replacement of agriculture by long-distance trade

Explanation

Such charters, common from the Gupta period onward, transferred revenue rights and sometimes judicial authority to grantees, creating landed beneficiaries whose power rested on royal donation. They are central evidence for the emergence of localised lordship and agrarian expansion in early medieval India.

Question 33Themes in Indian History Part I (Ancient and Early Medieval India)

The 'Manusmriti' is best characterised as which of the following?

  1. A Tamil anthology of love and war poems
  2. A Mauryan administrative manual on taxation and espionage
  3. A Buddhist chronicle narrating the history of Sri Lanka
  4. A Sanskrit dharmashastra text setting out social norms, including varna duties and rules of inheritance Correct answer.

Explanation

The Manusmriti is a metrical dharmashastra that prescribes duties appropriate to varnas and life stages, together with rules on marriage, inheritance and penance. It is normative rather than descriptive, and historians read it as an idealised statement of brahmanical social order.

Question 34Themes in Indian History Part I (Ancient and Early Medieval India)

A scholar studying the Gupta period argues that the 'golden age' label is overstated. Which piece of evidence most directly supports this revisionist view?

  1. The composition of Sanskrit kavya by court poets such as Kalidasa
  2. Inscriptions recording land grants that transferred revenue and judicial rights to local beneficiaries Correct answer.
  3. The issue of gold coins bearing the king's image
  4. The construction of brick temples with carved doorways

Explanation

Revisionist historians point to the proliferation of land grants and the devolution of fiscal and judicial authority as signs of a weakening central administration and growing localism, which undercuts the image of a uniformly prosperous centralised empire. Cultural achievements such as kavya and coinage do not by themselves demonstrate general well-being.

Question 35Themes in Indian History Part I (Ancient and Early Medieval India)

The Chinese pilgrim Xuanzang visited India in the seventh century CE primarily in order to do which of the following?

  1. Serve as an ambassador negotiating trade treaties for the Tang court
  2. Record the revenue system of Harshavardhana for Chinese officials
  3. Map overland routes for Chinese military campaigns
  4. Study at Buddhist monastic centres and collect sacred texts for translation in China Correct answer.

Explanation

Xuanzang travelled to India to visit Buddhist holy sites and study at centres such as Nalanda, and he returned to China with manuscripts that he translated. His account, the Si-yu-ki, is valued by historians for its observations on politics, religion and society.

Question 36Themes in Indian History Part I (Ancient and Early Medieval India)

A historian finds that the Sangam poem 'Purananuru' praises a chief for distributing war booty to poets and warriors. Which inference about early Tamil society is best supported?

  1. Poets were employed as salaried officials of a centralised bureaucracy
  2. Warfare was absent from early Tamil society
  3. Material resources were redistributed through chiefly patronage that sustained poets and fighters Correct answer.
  4. Booty was deposited in state treasuries for public works

Explanation

Sangam poems depict chiefs whose prestige depended on generosity, and poets composed in return for gifts of cattle, gold and cloth. This patronage relationship, rather than a salaried bureaucracy or central treasury, is what the anthologies illuminate.

Question 37Themes in Indian History Part I (Ancient and Early Medieval India)

In the context of early Indian trade, the term 'shreni' refers to which of the following?

  1. A Buddhist monastic cell
  2. A guild of merchants or artisans organised by craft and locality Correct answer.
  3. A tax levied on irrigated land
  4. A royal officer supervising weights and measures

Explanation

Shrenis were associations of traders and craftsmen that regulated their trades, trained apprentices and sometimes acted as bankers and donors of religious monuments. Their inscriptions at sites such as Sanchi record collective gifts. The term does not denote an official, a cell or a tax.

Question 38Themes in Indian History Part I (Ancient and Early Medieval India)

A historian comparing the 'Indika' of Megasthenes with Ashokan inscriptions would most likely conclude which of the following?

  1. The edicts are unreliable because they were carved in stone
  2. Megasthenes' account is a foreign observer's report containing some unreliable claims, whereas the edicts are royal statements in the king's own voice Correct answer.
  3. Megasthenes' account is more reliable because he lived at the Mauryan court
  4. Both sources were composed by the same Mauryan chancery

Explanation

Megasthenes was a Seleucid envoy whose report survives only in later quotations and contains claims, such as the absence of slavery, that are debated. The Ashokan edicts are contemporary royal proclamations, though they present the king's own perspective. The two sources differ in origin, transmission and purpose.

Question 39Themes in Indian History Part I (Ancient and Early Medieval India)

A historian argues that the 'Arthashastra' cannot be treated as a simple description of Mauryan administration. Which consideration best supports this argument?

  1. The text was composed by a foreign author
  2. The text contains no discussion of taxation
  3. The text was written in Prakrit and survives only in fragments
  4. The text prescribes ideal procedures and its date and layers of composition are debated Correct answer.

Explanation

The Arthashastra is a prescriptive shastra that sets out how a state ought to function, and its textual layers suggest composition over a long period rather than a single eyewitness account. It therefore illuminates administrative ideals and categories more securely than specific Mauryan practice.

Question 40Themes in Indian History Part I (Ancient and Early Medieval India)

Which of the following best explains why historians treat the 'Rajatarangini' as an unusual text for early India?

  1. It is a sustained regional dynastic history of Kashmir composed in Sanskrit verse Correct answer.
  2. It is a collection of Tamil devotional hymns to Vishnu
  3. It is the only surviving inscription issued by a Mauryan king
  4. It is a Buddhist monastic rule book from Sri Lanka

Explanation

Kalhana's Rajatarangini, composed in twelfth-century Kashmir, narrates the history of the region's rulers in continuous verse and uses a range of earlier sources. This sustained historical narrative is rare in early Indian literary production, which more often consists of epics, shastras and genealogies.

Question 41Themes in Indian History Part II (Medieval and Early Modern India)

Who wrote the Sanskrit play 'Abhijnana-shakuntalam', a celebrated work of the Gupta era often studied as part of early India's literary heritage?

  1. Banabhatta
  2. Kalidasa Correct answer.
  3. Vishakhadatta
  4. Bhasa

Explanation

Kalidasa is the classical Sanskrit dramatist and poet credited with 'Abhijnana-shakuntalam', 'Meghaduta' and 'Raghuvamsha'. Banabhatta wrote 'Harshacharita' and 'Kadambari', Bhasa wrote earlier plays, and Vishakhadatta wrote 'Mudrarakshasa'.

Question 42Themes in Indian History Part II (Medieval and Early Modern India)

The text 'Kitab-ul-Hind', an Arabic account of Indian religion, science and society, was written by which scholar?

  1. Ziauddin Barani
  2. Amir Khusrau
  3. Ibn Battuta
  4. Al-Biruni Correct answer.

Explanation

Al-Biruni, who came to India with Mahmud of Ghazni, wrote 'Kitab-ul-Hind' in Arabic, describing Indian philosophy, mathematics and customs with unusual care. Ibn Battuta wrote an Arabic travel account of the Delhi Sultanate, while Khusrau and Barani wrote in Persian.

Question 43Themes in Indian History Part II (Medieval and Early Modern India)

Which Sultan of Delhi introduced the 'token currency' of brass and copper coins meant to circulate at the value of silver tankas?

  1. Iltutmish
  2. Alauddin Khalji
  3. Firuz Shah Tughlaq
  4. Muhammad bin Tughlaq Correct answer.

Explanation

Muhammad bin Tughlaq's experiment with token currency in the 1320s-30s failed because the cheap metal coins were widely forged. Alauddin Khalji is known instead for market regulations and price controls, while Firuz Shah and Iltutmish issued more conventional coinage.

Question 44Themes in Indian History Part II (Medieval and Early Modern India)

The battle of Talikota in 1565 resulted in the defeat of which empire?

  1. Bahmani
  2. Vijayanagara Correct answer.
  3. Mughal
  4. Maratha

Explanation

At Talikota (also called Rakshasa-Tangadi) the combined forces of the Deccan Sultanates defeated Vijayanagara, and the capital was sacked soon afterwards. This hastened the decline of Vijayanagara as a major imperial power.

Question 45Themes in Indian History Part II (Medieval and Early Modern India)

Which Mughal emperor is credited with commissioning the construction of the Taj Mahal at Agra?

  1. Shah Jahan Correct answer.
  2. Jahangir
  3. Aurangzeb
  4. Akbar

Explanation

Shah Jahan commissioned the Taj Mahal as a mausoleum for his wife Mumtaz Mahal, completed in the mid-seventeenth century. Akbar is associated with Fatehpur Sikri, Jahangir with the Shalimar gardens, and Aurangzeb with the Badshahi mosque at Lahore.

Question 46Themes in Indian History Part II (Medieval and Early Modern India)

In the Mughal land revenue system, the term 'jama' referred to which of the following?

  1. The assessed revenue demand Correct answer.
  2. The provincial governor's salary
  3. The tax-free land grant
  4. The market price of grain

Explanation

In Mughal fiscal documents the 'jama' was the assessed or expected revenue, while actual collections were recorded as 'hasil'. This distinction between demand and realisation is central to reading Mughal revenue records.

Question 47Themes in Indian History Part II (Medieval and Early Modern India)

The 'Ain-i-Akbari', a detailed administrative and statistical survey of Akbar's empire, was compiled by which author?

  1. Abul Fazl Correct answer.
  2. Gulbadan Begum
  3. Abdul Hamid Lahori
  4. Khafi Khan

Explanation

Abul Fazl compiled the 'Ain-i-Akbari' as the third volume of the 'Akbarnama', recording revenue rates, prices, administrative divisions and customs. Lahori and Khafi Khan chronicled later reigns, and Gulbadan Begum wrote the 'Humayun-nama'.

Question 48Themes in Indian History Part II (Medieval and Early Modern India)

The 'Chishti' order of Sufis in India is especially associated with which shrine at Ajmer?

  1. Baba Farid
  2. Khwaja Muinuddin Chishti Correct answer.
  3. Nizamuddin Auliya
  4. Shaikh Salim Chishti

Explanation

Khwaja Muinuddin Chishti's dargah at Ajmer became the most important Chishti shrine, visited by rulers and pilgrims. Nizamuddin Auliya is buried in Delhi, Baba Farid at Pakpattan, and Shaikh Salim Chishti at Fatehpur Sikri.

Question 49Themes in Indian History Part II (Medieval and Early Modern India)

In the Mughal administrative hierarchy, which officer was principally responsible for the collection of revenue at the district (sarkar) level?

  1. Sadr
  2. Amil Correct answer.
  3. Subadar
  4. Mir Bakshi

Explanation

The amil (or amil-guzar) was the revenue collector working below the subadar, who governed a province. The mir bakshi handled military appointments and the sadr supervised charitable grants.

Question 50Themes in Indian History Part II (Medieval and Early Modern India)

The 'mansabdari' system of the Mughals graded officers by two numbers, 'zat' and 'sawar'. What did the 'sawar' rank primarily indicate?

  1. His seniority at the imperial court
  2. The size of his revenue assignment
  3. The officer's personal salary scale
  4. The number of cavalrymen the officer was expected to maintain Correct answer.

Explanation

The 'zat' rank set the officer's personal status and salary, while the 'sawar' rank specified the number of horsemen he had to keep. This dual ranking allowed the empire to link military obligation to graded status.