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Question 1Themes in Indian History: Ancient and Medieval India

The Harappan site of Lothal in Gujarat is best known to historians primarily because of which excavated feature?

  1. A large brick stupa built by Ashoka
  2. A megalithic burial complex with iron tools
  3. A rock-cut monastery with painted halls
  4. A dockyard with a basin linked to a tidal channel Correct answer.

Explanation

Lothal lies near the Gulf of Khambhat and its trapezoidal basin with inlet and outlet channels is widely interpreted as a dockyard serving maritime trade with the Persian Gulf. The site also yielded a warehouse-like structure and bead workshops, reinforcing its commercial role in the Harappan network.

Question 2Themes in Indian History: Ancient and Medieval India

Which material evidence from Harappan sites is most often cited as proof of long-distance trade with Mesopotamia?

  1. Tamil-Brahmi inscriptions on pottery from Sindh
  2. Punch-marked silver coins hoarded in Punjab
  3. Iron ploughshares recovered from Gujarat
  4. Carnelian beads and etched seals bearing Indus motifs found in Mesopotamian contexts Correct answer.

Explanation

Indus-style seals, carnelian and agate beads, and dice appear at Mesopotamian sites, while Mesopotamian texts refer to Meluhha, generally identified with the Indus region. This two-way material correspondence is the standard evidence for Harappan overseas trade.

Question 3Themes in Indian History: Ancient and Medieval India

In the Rigvedic corpus, the term 'sabha' most plausibly refers to which of the following?

  1. A priestly school devoted to the Sama Veda
  2. An assembly or gathering place with deliberative and social functions Correct answer.
  3. A tax collected in grain from the vanquished tribes
  4. A unit of land measurement used for royal grants

Explanation

The Rigveda mentions the sabha and samiti as assemblies where matters were discussed and where women such as Ghosha are said to have spoken. Scholars therefore treat the sabha as an institution of collective deliberation rather than a fiscal or territorial unit.

Question 4Themes in Indian History: Ancient and Medieval India

The Vedic term 'gavishthi', frequently rendered as 'search for cows', is significant to historians because it points to which feature of Rigvedic society?

  1. The use of cowrie shells as currency in urban markets
  2. Cattle as the principal form of movable wealth and a cause of inter-tribal conflict Correct answer.
  3. The ritual prohibition on eating any animal product
  4. The dominance of horse-drawn chariots in agriculture

Explanation

Rigvedic hymns repeatedly describe raids for cattle, and the chief's prestige rested on the size of his herd. 'Gavishthi' therefore illuminates a pastoral economy in which cattle were both wealth and a motive for warfare.

Question 5Themes in Indian History: Ancient and Medieval India

Which of the following best describes the 'megalithic' burials of the peninsular Indian Iron Age?

  1. Burials marked by large stone structures, often with iron objects and Black-and-Red Ware Correct answer.
  2. Brick-lined tanks built for Harappan urban drainage
  3. Rock-cut chaitya halls used by Buddhist monastic communities
  4. Terraced fields enclosed by dressed granite blocks

Explanation

Megalithic monuments such as dolmens, cists and stone circles contain iron implements, pottery and occasionally gold ornaments, and are associated with Black-and-Red Ware. They indicate Iron Age burial practices across the Deccan and south India.

Question 6Themes in Indian History: Ancient and Medieval India

The Janapadas of the sixth century BCE are best understood as which of the following?

  1. Guilds of merchants operating across the Indian Ocean
  2. Monastic orders organised around a single teacher
  3. Territorial states with capital centres and standing claims over surrounding populations Correct answer.
  4. Nomadic pastoral bands without fixed settlements

Explanation

The Janapadas were territorial units named after their dominant clans and centred on fortified capitals, as the Pali and Sanskrit sources indicate. Their consolidation into the sixteen Mahajanapadas marks the emergence of state society in the Ganga valley.

Question 7Themes in Indian History: Ancient and Medieval India

Magadha's rise to dominance among the Mahajanapadas is commonly explained by which combination of advantages?

  1. Coastal ports, monsoon shipping and pearl fisheries
  2. Iron-rich hinterland, fertile alluvial land and riverine routes along the Ganga Correct answer.
  3. Extensive silver mines and a monopoly on coinage
  4. Mountain passes controlling caravan traffic to Central Asia

Explanation

Magadha's territory in south Bihar had iron ore, rich alluvial soil and access to the Ganga trade routes, enabling large armies and surplus agriculture. Its capitals Rajagriha and later Pataliputra sat astride strategic river communications.

Question 8Themes in Indian History: Ancient and Medieval India

Which source is the principal basis for reconstructing the Mauryan administration of provinces and districts?

  1. Copper-plate grants of the Pallava kings
  2. The Sangam anthologies of Tamil poetry
  3. Ashokan edicts together with Megasthenes' account and the Arthashastra Correct answer.
  4. The Rajatarangini of Kalhana

Explanation

Ashokan edicts name officials such as the mahamatras and record royal policy, while Megasthenes describes Pataliputra's administration and the Arthashastra discusses statecraft and revenue. Combined, they allow historians to reconstruct Mauryan provincial and district arrangements.

Question 9Themes in Indian History: Ancient and Medieval India

Ashoka's Dhamma policy, as expressed in his edicts, is best characterised as which of the following?

  1. A legal code imposing capital punishment for ritual offences
  2. A code of social ethics stressing tolerance among sects, respect for elders and non-injury Correct answer.
  3. A revenue reform abolishing all taxes on agriculture
  4. A programme of forced conversion to Buddhism across the empire

Explanation

The edicts emphasise respect for brahmanas and shramanas alike, obedience to parents, generosity to friends and restraint from killing. Dhamma was thus a broad ethical programme rather than a sectarian conversion drive or a fiscal measure.

Question 10Themes in Indian History: Ancient and Medieval India

The Sanchi stupa complex is historically important chiefly because of which feature?

  1. It preserves the original Mauryan wooden palace of Pataliputra
  2. Its carved gateways and railings preserve some of the earliest surviving narrative Buddhist sculpture Correct answer.
  3. It contains the only known Ashokan rock edict in the south
  4. It houses a Roman trading factory of the first century CE

Explanation

The toranas and vedika at Sanchi carry reliefs depicting Jataka stories and events in the Buddha's life, making the site a key source for early Buddhist art. The Great Stupa itself was enlarged over centuries, with additions under the Satavahanas.

Question 11Themes in Indian History: Ancient and Medieval India

Gandhara sculpture of the Kushana period is distinguished from Mathura sculpture mainly by which feature?

  1. The absence of any depiction of the Buddha in human form
  2. A strong debt to Hellenistic naturalism in drapery and facial modelling Correct answer.
  3. The depiction of deities only through symbolic footprints and wheels
  4. The exclusive use of red sandstone from the Chambal region

Explanation

Gandhara workshops worked in grey schist and absorbed Greco-Roman conventions of drapery, hair and profile, producing a naturalistic Buddha image. Mathura, by contrast, used mottled red sandstone and developed a more indigenous idiom.

Question 12Themes in Indian History: Ancient and Medieval India

Which of the following is the most reliable indicator that a Tamil text belongs to the Sangam corpus?

  1. Its inclusion in the anthologies Ettuttogai and Pattuppattu with colophons naming poets and patrons Correct answer.
  2. Its use of the Grantha script on temple walls
  3. Its reference to the Chola-Chalukya wars of the eleventh century
  4. Its composition in the Manipravalam mixed style

Explanation

Sangam poems survive in the eight anthologies and the ten idylls, and their colophons record poet, patron and musical mode. These internal markers, along with archaic Tamil and the poetic conventions of akam and puram, define the corpus.

Question 13Themes in Indian History: Ancient and Medieval India

The Sangam concept of 'akam' poetry is best described as which of the following?

  1. Love poetry set in five named landscapes with conventional dramatis personae Correct answer.
  2. Panegyric verse praising kings and describing battles
  3. Hymns addressed to tribal deities for agricultural prosperity
  4. Prose commentaries on the Tamil grammar Tolkappiyam

Explanation

Akam poems treat love in five tinais, each tied to a landscape such as kurinji or neytal, and use stock characters rather than named individuals. Puram poetry, by contrast, deals with war, kingship and public life.

Question 14Themes in Indian History: Ancient and Medieval India

The Satavahana rulers are particularly important in the history of early Indian land relations because their inscriptions record which practice?

  1. The abolition of private property in agricultural land
  2. Grants of land and villages to Buddhist monks and brahmanas Correct answer.
  3. The sale of all royal land to merchant guilds
  4. The compulsory military settlement of frontier zones

Explanation

Satavahana and contemporary inscriptions register gifts of land, fields and villages to religious beneficiaries, which is among the earliest epigraphic evidence for such transfers. These records are central to debates about the growth of landed beneficiaries in the Deccan.

Question 15Themes in Indian History: Ancient and Medieval India

The Allahabad pillar inscription of Samudragupta is valued by historians mainly because it provides which of the following?

  1. A treaty text concluded with the Kushana ruler Kanishka
  2. A census of artisans and merchants in Pataliputra
  3. A detailed schedule of land revenue rates for the empire
  4. A eulogy listing conquered rulers and frontier peoples in a graded hierarchy Correct answer.

Explanation

Composed by Harishena, the inscription distinguishes kings of the Aryavarta who were uprooted, frontier rulers who paid tribute, and forest peoples reduced to servitude. This graded list is a key source for Gupta political geography and ideology.

Question 16Themes in Indian History: Ancient and Medieval India

The Chinese pilgrim Faxian's account of India is used by historians primarily to illuminate which aspect of Gupta-period society?

  1. The exact boundaries of Gupta military provinces
  2. Everyday religious practice, monastic life and the condition of the poor Correct answer.
  3. The genealogy of the Gupta royal house
  4. The technical details of Indian iron smelting

Explanation

Faxian describes Buddhist monasteries, vegetarianism among the elite, the treatment of outcastes and the administration of justice, giving a traveller's view of social and religious life. He does not supply dynastic genealogies or precise administrative boundaries.

Question 17Themes in Indian History: Ancient and Medieval India

A historian comparing the Harshacharita of Banabhatta with Hiuen Tsang's Si-yu-ki would most likely reach which conclusion about the two sources?

  1. Both describe seventh-century Kanauj, but one is a courtly biography and the other a pilgrim's travel record Correct answer.
  2. Both are administrative manuals listing tax rates
  3. Both were composed by Buddhist monks in the same monastery
  4. Both were written after the Turkish conquest of Kanauj

Explanation

Banabhatta wrote an ornate Sanskrit biography of his patron Harsha, while Hiuen Tsang recorded his observations as a Chinese Buddhist pilgrim. Their differing genres mean each must be read with attention to its purpose and audience.

Question 18Themes in Indian History: Ancient and Medieval India

The Pallava capital Kanchipuram and the port of Mamallapuram are associated with which distinctive architectural achievement?

  1. Rock-cut chaitya halls with horseshoe windows
  2. Monolithic rathas and shore temples carved from living rock Correct answer.
  3. Brick stupas encased in carved marble
  4. Terraced temple tanks lined with glazed tiles

Explanation

The Pallavas of the seventh and eighth centuries produced the Pancha Rathas and the Shore Temple at Mamallapuram, combining rock-cut and structural forms. These monuments mark a transition towards the great structural temples of the later Cholas.

Question 19Themes in Indian History: Ancient and Medieval India

The Chola bronze images of Nataraja are historically significant chiefly because they show which development?

  1. The introduction of marble carving from Rajasthan
  2. The perfection of the lost-wax casting technique for processional temple images Correct answer.
  3. The adoption of Persian iconographic conventions
  4. The abandonment of temple ritual in favour of private worship

Explanation

Chola bronzes were produced by the cire perdue method, allowing fine detail and durable alloy images carried in temple processions. They reflect the close relationship between royal patronage, temple ritual and craft specialisation in Tamil country.

Question 20Themes in Indian History: Ancient and Medieval India

The Chola administrative unit called the 'uru' is best understood as which of the following?

  1. A military contingent of the royal bodyguard
  2. A merchant guild trading with Southeast Asia
  3. A royal officer in charge of a district
  4. A village assembly of the common landholders of a locality Correct answer.

Explanation

Chola inscriptions distinguish the uru, the assembly of ordinary villagers, from the sabha of brahmadeya villages and the nagaram of merchants. The uru therefore represents the general village community in the locality.

Question 21Themes in Indian History: Ancient and Medieval India

The Uttaramerur inscription of Parantaka I is a key document for Chola history because it records which of the following?

  1. The construction of a new capital at Gangaikondacholapuram
  2. The grant of a whole district to a Buddhist monastery
  3. The levy of a toll on foreign shipping at Nagapattinam
  4. Rules for selecting members of a village assembly through lot and qualification Correct answer.

Explanation

The inscription sets out eligibility, disqualification and lottery procedures for the committees of the sabha at Uttaramerur. It is therefore a rare epigraphic window onto local self-government in the Chola period.

Question 22Themes in Indian History: Ancient and Medieval India

The Delhi Sultanate ruler Alauddin Khalji's market regulations are best explained as an attempt to achieve which objective?

  1. Promote overseas trade through tax exemptions for foreign merchants
  2. Replace metallic currency entirely with paper notes
  3. Control prices and supplies to sustain a large standing army at low cost Correct answer.
  4. Encourage the settlement of nomadic pastoralists in the Doab

Explanation

Alauddin fixed prices for grain, cloth and livestock and regulated markets and warehouses so that soldiers could be paid in cash without inflation. The measures were tied to his military expansion and revenue reforms in the Doab.

Question 23Themes in Indian History: Ancient and Medieval India

Ibn Battuta's account of fourteenth-century India is especially valuable to historians because it describes which of the following?

  1. The construction of the Qutb Minar by Qutb al-Din Aibak
  2. The postal system, markets and social customs observed by a foreign traveller Correct answer.
  3. The naval campaigns of Rajendra Chola
  4. The land revenue system instituted by Akbar

Explanation

Ibn Battuta served as a qazi under Muhammad bin Tughlaq and recorded the horse post, the market of Delhi and the customs of ordinary people. His outsider's perspective complements court chronicles and inscriptions.

Question 24Themes in Indian History: Ancient and Medieval India

The Vijayanagara empire's control of the Tungabhadra valley is often linked by historians to which economic advantage?

  1. Access to the horse trade and to rich agricultural and mineral resources of the Raichur doab Correct answer.
  2. Ownership of the Gujarat cotton textile industry
  3. A monopoly over the pearl fisheries of the Coromandel coast
  4. Control of the spice routes through the Malabar ports

Explanation

Vijayanagara imported horses through Goa and Bhatkal and contested the fertile Raichur doab with the Bahmanis. Its wealth rested on agriculture, irrigation works and the exchange of textiles and minerals for imported horses.

Question 25Themes in Indian History: Ancient and Medieval India

The Mughal administrative term 'jagir' denotes which of the following?

  1. A tax levied on non-Muslim subjects in place of military service
  2. A market for the sale of imported horses
  3. A hereditary estate exempt from all imperial taxation
  4. The assignment of revenue from a parcel of land to an officer in lieu of cash salary Correct answer.

Explanation

Jagirs were revenue assignments granted to mansabdars, whose income came from the assigned territory while the land itself remained under imperial assessment. The system tied military rank to revenue collection and was periodically transferred.

Question 26Themes in Indian History: Ancient and Medieval India

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

  1. A hilltop fortress of the Mauryan period
  2. A port town with a dockyard and warehouse Correct answer.
  3. A purely agricultural village with no craft activity
  4. A Buddhist monastic complex of the Kushana age

Explanation

Lothal lies near the Gulf of Khambhat and excavation revealed a large basin interpreted as a dockyard, together with a warehouse and bead workshops. This combination marks it as a coastal trading settlement tied to Harappan maritime exchange.

Question 27Themes in Indian History: Ancient and Medieval India

In the study of Harappan seals, the presence of a short inscription above an animal figure is generally taken to indicate which of the following?

  1. That the seals were used only as personal ornaments
  2. That the animals depicted were objects of worship in every case
  3. That the script remains undeciphered but was probably linked to ownership or trade Correct answer.
  4. That writing was introduced to the subcontinent after the Harappans

Explanation

Harappan seals typically carry a brief sign sequence plus an animal motif, and thousands of such seals and sealings have been found at sites and in Mesopotamia. Since the script is still undeciphered, scholars infer a function connected with identity, commodity control, or exchange rather than reading the text.

Question 28Themes in Indian History: Ancient and Medieval India

The 'Great Bath' at Mohenjodaro is interpreted by most archaeologists as evidence of which feature of Harappan society?

  1. A workshop for manufacturing faience beads
  2. Organised public ritual or bathing practices within a planned citadel Correct answer.
  3. A royal burial chamber
  4. A granary for storing surplus barley

Explanation

The Great Bath is a carefully built watertight tank with steps, adjoining rooms, and a drain, located in the citadel area of Mohenjodaro. Its design and public setting suggest a collective ritual or purificatory function rather than storage or burial.

Question 29Themes in Indian History: Ancient and Medieval India

A historian examining the Vedic corpus to reconstruct early society would treat the Rigveda as which kind of source?

  1. An administrative manual of the Mauryan state
  2. A dated royal chronicle listing kings in sequence
  3. A grammar of Sanskrit composed in the Gupta period
  4. A collection of hymns transmitted orally and later written down Correct answer.

Explanation

The Rigveda is a collection of hymns that circulated orally for centuries before being committed to writing, so its chronology and social content must be handled with care. Historians use internal references and linguistic comparison rather than treating it as a dated record.

Question 30Themes in Indian History: Ancient and Medieval India

The term 'varna' in early Indian texts refers primarily to which of the following?

  1. The fourfold social order described in Brahmanical literature Correct answer.
  2. A territorial unit of the Mahajanapadas
  3. A guild of merchants regulating trade
  4. A tax levied on agricultural produce

Explanation

Varna denotes the ideal fourfold division of society set out in Brahmanical texts such as the Purusha-sukta and the Dharmashastras. It is a textual model of social order, distinct from the many jatis that emerged historically.

Question 31Themes in Indian History: Ancient and Medieval India

The Buddhist text Majjhima Nikaya's account of the Buddha's teaching on social origins is often cited by historians to argue which point?

  1. That social divisions arose from human agreements and occupational change rather than divine creation Correct answer.
  2. That only Brahmins could attain enlightenment
  3. That kingship was abolished in the Buddha's time
  4. That the four varnas were created simultaneously by a supreme deity

Explanation

The Aggañña Sutta of the Majjhima Nikaya presents an alternative account in which social distinctions emerge from contracts, accumulation, and occupational specialisation. Historians read it as a challenge to the Brahmanical claim that varna was divinely ordained.

Question 32Themes in Indian History: Ancient and Medieval India

The Mauryan official designated as 'dhamma mahamatta' under Ashoka was appointed to do which of the following?

  1. Collect tolls at river crossings
  2. Conduct the census of the empire
  3. Command frontier garrisons
  4. Supervise the propagation of dhamma among various communities Correct answer.

Explanation

Ashoka's edicts refer to dhamma mahamattas as officers charged with promoting dhamma and looking after the welfare of different religious groups and border peoples. Their role was moral and administrative rather than military.

Question 33Themes in Indian History: Ancient and Medieval India

The Arthashastra attributed to Kautilya is used by historians of the Mauryan state with which caution?

  1. It is a Buddhist chronicle and therefore hostile to the Mauryas
  2. It was composed after the Gupta period and cannot describe earlier practice
  3. It survives only in fragmentary inscriptions
  4. It is a prescriptive treatise on statecraft, so it describes what rulers should do rather than what they always did Correct answer.

Explanation

The Arthashastra is a normative manual advising rulers on taxation, espionage, and administration, and its date and layers are debated. Historians therefore use it to understand ideals and vocabulary of governance, checking them against inscriptions and other evidence.

Question 34Themes in Indian History: Ancient and Medieval India

The Besnagar pillar inscription of Heliodorus is significant in ancient Indian history because it records which of the following?

  1. A Greek ambassador's dedication to Vasudeva Correct answer.
  2. The conquest of Kalinga by Ashoka
  3. The building of a dam by the Cholas
  4. The land grant of a Satavahana queen

Explanation

Heliodorus, an envoy of the Indo-Greek king Antialkidas, erected a pillar with a Garuda capital in honour of Vasudeva, identifying himself as a Bhagavata. The record shows interaction between Indo-Greek and Vaishnava religious traditions in the second century BCE.

Question 35Themes in Indian History: Ancient and Medieval India

The term 'gahapati' in early Buddhist and Jaina texts most often designates which figure?

  1. A wandering ascetic without possessions
  2. A royal priest at the court
  3. A frontier soldier
  4. A householder, often a prosperous landowner or merchant Correct answer.

Explanation

In the early texts the gahapati is the male head of a household, frequently shown as a wealthy landowner or trader who supports the sangha. The term captures the economic importance of propertied householders in the period of urban growth.

Question 36Themes in Indian History: Ancient and Medieval India

Which feature of the Ajanta caves makes them a key source for the history of Indian painting?

  1. They are the only caves in India with a rock-cut stupa
  2. They contain the earliest known stone inscriptions of Ashoka
  3. They preserve mural paintings of the Satavahana and later periods depicting courtly and Buddhist themes Correct answer.
  4. They house a complete library of palm-leaf manuscripts

Explanation

The Ajanta caves contain surviving wall paintings executed over several centuries, illustrating Jataka stories and courtly life. These murals are the principal evidence for the style and technique of ancient Indian painting.

Question 37Themes in Indian History: Ancient and Medieval India

A historian comparing the accounts of the Chinese pilgrims with Indian inscriptions about Nalanda would most likely conclude which of the following?

  1. Nalanda was abandoned before the Gupta period
  2. Nalanda was a minor shrine visited only by local pilgrims
  3. Nalanda was a military fort guarding the Ganga route
  4. Nalanda was a large monastic university supported by royal patronage and donations Correct answer.

Explanation

Xuanzang and Yijing describe Nalanda as a great centre of learning with thousands of monks, and inscriptions record grants from rulers and lay donors for its maintenance. Combining these sources shows a well-endowed monastic institution sustained by patronage.

Question 38Themes in Indian History: Ancient and Medieval India

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

  1. Land granted to Brahmins, often with revenue rights Correct answer.
  2. A guild of weavers in port towns
  3. A temple dancing troupe
  4. A tax on salt production

Explanation

Brahmadeya denotes land donated to Brahmin individuals or assemblies, frequently recorded on copper plates and stones. Such grants transferred revenue and sometimes judicial rights, reshaping rural society in the Chola and Pallava domains.

Question 39Themes in Indian History: Ancient and Medieval India

The Aihole inscription of Pulakeshin II is important for the history of the Chalukyas of Badami because it records which of the following?

  1. The construction of the Kailasanatha temple at Ellora
  2. His victory over Harsha on the banks of the Narmada Correct answer.
  3. The founding of the Vijayanagara city
  4. The defeat of the Cholas at Talakad

Explanation

Composed by Ravikirti, the Aihole inscription praises Pulakeshin II and claims a victory over Harshavardhana's forces at the Narmada. It is a principal source for Chalukya political power in the Deccan in the seventh century.

Question 40Themes in Indian History: Ancient and Medieval India

The Rashtrakuta ruler Amoghavarsha is remembered in historical tradition chiefly for which combination?

  1. Founding the city of Delhi
  2. Abolishing land grants in the Deccan
  3. Authoring the Kannada work Kavirajamarga and patronising Jain learning Correct answer.
  4. Leading the first Turkish raids into the Ganga valley

Explanation

Amoghavarsha is credited with the Kavirajamarga, an early Kannada poetic work, and his reign is associated with patronage of Jain scholars and institutions. This makes him a notable example of royal literary and religious patronage in the Deccan.

Question 41Themes in Indian History: Ancient and Medieval India

The Kitab-ul-Hind of Al-Biruni is valued by historians of medieval India mainly because it offers which of the following?

  1. A Persian translation of the Mahabharata commissioned by Akbar
  2. A systematic description of Indian religion, science, and social customs written in Arabic Correct answer.
  3. A register of Mughal revenue settlements
  4. An eyewitness account of the Delhi Sultanate's market regulations

Explanation

Al-Biruni, writing in the eleventh century in Arabic, drew on Sanskrit learning and informants to describe Indian religious and scientific traditions. His work is prized for its comparative and relatively systematic approach, though it reflects his own perspective.

Question 42Themes in Indian History: Ancient and Medieval India

The term 'iqta' in the Delhi Sultanate context refers to which of the following?

  1. A tax paid only by non-Muslim subjects
  2. A royal workshop for minting coins
  3. A revenue assignment given to an officer in lieu of salary Correct answer.
  4. A form of temple endowment in the Deccan

Explanation

An iqta was a transfer of revenue rights over a tract of land to an official, who collected the surplus and remitted part to the state while supporting himself and his troops. The system linked military service to revenue administration under the Sultanate.

Question 43Themes in Indian History: Ancient and Medieval India

A historian studying the Mongol threat to the Delhi Sultanate under Alauddin Khalji would find which measure most directly relevant to his military policy?

  1. The construction of a fortified frontier and a large standing army paid in cash Correct answer.
  2. The abolition of the standing army in favour of local levies
  3. The grant of revenue-free land to Mongol settlers
  4. The transfer of the capital to Daulatabad

Explanation

Alauddin strengthened frontier defences, maintained a large army with regular cash payment, and controlled prices to sustain it against Mongol incursions. These measures belong to his broader programme of military and market control.

Question 44Themes in Indian History: Ancient and Medieval India

The Vijayanagara ruler Krishnadevaraya's work Amuktamalyada is historically notable because it is which of the following?

  1. A Telugu poem on statecraft and devotion composed by a ruling king Correct answer.
  2. A Persian chronicle of the Bahmani court
  3. A Tamil inscription recording a temple grant
  4. A Sanskrit legal commentary on inheritance

Explanation

Amuktamalyada is a Telugu work attributed to Krishnadevaraya, combining devotional themes with reflections on kingship and governance. It illustrates the literary patronage and cultural production associated with the Vijayanagara court.

Question 45Themes in Indian History: Ancient and Medieval India

The Amara-nayaka system in Vijayanagara is best described as which of the following?

  1. A caste assembly governing Brahmin villages
  2. A system of military chiefs holding revenue rights over territories in return for service Correct answer.
  3. A guild monopoly over overseas trade
  4. A scheme for irrigating the Tungabhadra delta

Explanation

Amara-nayakas were military commanders who received revenue rights over specified areas and maintained troops for the empire. Their growing autonomy contributed to the fragmentation of Vijayanagara authority after the empire's decline.

Question 46Themes in Indian History: Ancient and Medieval India

The Mughal 'mansabdari' system is best understood as which of the following?

  1. A guild register of artisans in imperial workshops
  2. A method of dividing the empire into hereditary principalities
  3. A ranking system that fixed an officer's status and the number of troops he was expected to maintain Correct answer.
  4. A schedule of taxes on non-Muslim pilgrims

Explanation

Mansab denoted a rank expressed in numerical units, with zat and sawar components indicating personal status and cavalry obligation. The system tied imperial service to military obligation and was central to Mughal administration.

Question 47Themes in Indian History: Ancient and Medieval India

A historian comparing Mughal revenue documents with Abul Fazl's Ain-i-Akbari would most likely use the text to do which of the following?

  1. Describe Portuguese trade in the Indian Ocean
  2. Explain the principles and categories behind the imperial measurement of land and revenue Correct answer.
  3. Provide a narrative of Mughal conquests in the Deccan
  4. List the genealogies of Rajput clans

Explanation

The Ain-i-Akbari, part of the Akbarnama, sets out administrative and revenue arrangements including land measurement and assessment categories. Historians read it alongside actual revenue records to test how far stated principles matched practice.

Question 48Themes in Indian History: Ancient and Medieval India

The Mughal emperor Jahangir's memoirs, the Tuzuk-i-Jahangiri, are used by historians with which methodological caution?

  1. They are a compilation of court poetry with no historical content
  2. They were written by a European traveller in Persian
  3. They are an imperial autobiography and therefore present events from the ruler's own perspective Correct answer.
  4. They survive only in fragments quoted by later authors

Explanation

The Tuzuk-i-Jahangiri is an autobiographical account by the emperor, valuable for court life and policy but shaped by self-presentation. Historians cross-check its claims with other chronicles and administrative documents.

Question 49Themes in Indian History: Ancient and Medieval India

The 'jizya' under Mughal rule referred to which of the following?

  1. A toll charged at river ferries
  2. A fee paid for entry into imperial service
  3. A levy on Mughal cavalry remounts
  4. A tax levied on non-Muslim subjects in certain periods Correct answer.

Explanation

Jizya was a tax on non-Muslim subjects, applied with varying rigour by different Mughal rulers and famously reimposed by Aurangzeb. Its incidence and effects are debated by historians using administrative and chronicle sources.

Question 50Themes in Indian History: Ancient and Medieval India

The Bhakti movement of medieval India is best studied by historians through which combination of sources?

  1. Vernacular devotional poetry, hagiographies, and temple inscriptions Correct answer.
  2. Only Persian court chronicles
  3. Only European travel accounts
  4. Only Sanskrit legal texts

Explanation

Bhakti traditions are documented in regional-language poems attributed to saints, later hagiographic compilations, and temple and donative inscriptions. Each genre has its own biases, so historians read them together to trace ideas and social following.