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PSEB Matric Punjab History and Culture study materials
PSEB Matric Punjab History and Culture study resources

PSEB Matric Punjab History and Culture practice questions

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Question 1Punjab History and Culture (Class 10 syllabus)

Which ancient city on the banks of the Ravi is associated with the Mahabharata tradition and the sage Vyasa, and later became a major centre of Buddhist learning visited by Chinese pilgrims?

  1. Jalandhar
  2. Taxila Correct answer.
  3. Multan
  4. Sanghol

Explanation

Taxila lies near the Indus in the Rawalpindi region and was a famous centre of Buddhist scholarship visited by pilgrims such as Faxian and Xuanzang. Tradition also connects the region with the Mahabharata's composition. Multan was known for its Sun temple, while Sanghol and Jalandhar are not identified with that Buddhist university tradition.

Question 2Punjab History and Culture (Class 10 syllabus)

The Harappan site of Ropar (Rupnagar) on the Sutlej is significant mainly because it provides evidence of which of the following?

  1. The capital of the Kushana empire
  2. A Harappan settlement with a later cemetery showing cultural continuity Correct answer.
  3. The birthplace of Guru Nanak
  4. The earliest iron smelting furnace in India

Explanation

Ropar is one of the easternmost Harappan-related sites, excavated on the Sutlej, and it yielded a distinctive later cemetery indicating continuity and change after the urban phase. It is not associated with India's earliest iron furnace, Kushana imperial capitals, or the Guru's birthplace.

Question 3Punjab History and Culture (Class 10 syllabus)

Which of these rulers of the Punjab region is remembered for resisting Alexander's advance at the Hydaspes (Jhelum) in 326 BCE?

  1. Ambhi of Taxila
  2. Chandragupta Maurya
  3. Darius III
  4. Porus Correct answer.

Explanation

Porus, ruling the region between the Jhelum and Chenab, fought Alexander at the Hydaspes and was defeated but restored to his kingdom. Ambhi of Taxila had already submitted and aided Alexander, Darius was the defeated Achaemenid king, and Chandragupta rose later.

Question 4Punjab History and Culture (Class 10 syllabus)

Ashoka's edicts in the Punjab, such as those found at Mansehra, were written mainly in which script and language combination?

  1. Persian cuneiform, Aramaic
  2. Brahmi script, Pali
  3. Kharosthi script, Gandhari Prakrit Correct answer.
  4. Sharada script, Sanskrit

Explanation

The northwestern edicts of Ashoka, including the Mansehra rock edicts, use Kharosthi script to record Gandhari Prakrit. Brahmi was used for edicts in most other regions, while Sharada and Persian cuneiform belong to later or unrelated contexts.

Question 5Punjab History and Culture (Class 10 syllabus)

The Indo-Greek kingdom that ruled parts of the Punjab is best known for which cultural development?

  1. Construction of the Grand Trunk Road
  2. Composition of the Rigveda
  3. Founding of the Khalsa
  4. Introduction of coin portraits and bilingual legends Correct answer.

Explanation

Indo-Greek kings such as Menander issued coins bearing royal portraits with Greek and Kharosthi legends, a landmark in Indian numismatics. The Rigveda is far older, the Grand Trunk Road is associated with Sher Shah Suri's renovation of an older route, and the Khalsa was founded by Guru Gobind Singh.

Question 6Punjab History and Culture (Class 10 syllabus)

Menander (Milinda), the Indo-Greek ruler who debated the monk Nagasena, is the subject of which famous Buddhist text?

  1. Milindapanha Correct answer.
  2. Mahavamsa
  3. Arthashastra
  4. Rajatarangini

Explanation

The Milindapanha records the dialogue between King Milinda (Menander) and the monk Nagasena on Buddhist doctrine. The Mahavamsa is a Sri Lankan chronicle, the Arthashastra is Kautilya's treatise on statecraft, and the Rajatarangini is Kalhana's history of Kashmir.

Question 7Punjab History and Culture (Class 10 syllabus)

The famous Sun temple of Multan, described by medieval travellers, was particularly noted by which early Arab geographer?

  1. Al-Biruni Correct answer.
  2. Fa-Hien
  3. Ibn Battuta
  4. Marco Polo

Explanation

Al-Biruni, writing in the eleventh century, described the celebrated Sun temple of Multan and its wealth. Ibn Battuta and Marco Polo travelled later, and Faxian was an earlier Chinese Buddhist pilgrim, so Al-Biruni is the appropriate early Islamic-era source.

Question 8Punjab History and Culture (Class 10 syllabus)

Prithviraj Chauhan's conflict with Muhammad Ghori culminated in the Second Battle of Tarain in 1192 CE, which had which consequence for the Punjab?

  1. Permanent expulsion of Muslim rulers
  2. Opening of northern India to Ghurid rule Correct answer.
  3. Establishment of Maratha control
  4. Transfer of the capital to Lahore

Explanation

The defeat of Prithviraj at Tarain in 1192 removed the main Rajput obstacle and opened northern India, including the Punjab, to Ghurid conquest. Maratha power came centuries later, Muslim rule was not expelled, and Lahore was already an established regional centre.

Question 9Punjab History and Culture (Class 10 syllabus)

Which Sufi saint, whose shrine stands at Pakpattan, is popularly known as Baba Farid and is also remembered in Sikh scripture?

  1. Bulleh Shah
  2. Farid-ud-Din Ganj Shakar Correct answer.
  3. Baba Lal
  4. Shah Hussain

Explanation

Farid-ud-Din Ganj Shakar, known as Baba Farid, settled at Pakpattan and his verses are included in the Guru Granth Sahib. Bulleh Shah and Shah Hussain were later Punjabi Sufi poets, and Baba Lal was a different figure.

Question 10Punjab History and Culture (Class 10 syllabus)

Guru Nanak's travels, known as udasis, are significant in Sikh tradition primarily because they

  1. spread his message of one God and equality across regions Correct answer.
  2. built the Golden Temple
  3. established the Khalsa order
  4. compiled the Guru Granth Sahib

Explanation

The udasis were missionary journeys during which Guru Nanak conveyed his teachings on the oneness of God and the equality of all people to distant regions. The Khalsa was founded by Guru Gobind Singh, the Golden Temple was built under Guru Arjan, and the scripture was compiled by Guru Arjan as well.

Question 11Punjab History and Culture (Class 10 syllabus)

Guru Amar Das is remembered in Sikh institutional history for which measure?

  1. Establishing the manji system of preaching districts Correct answer.
  2. Founding the city of Amritsar
  3. Compiling the Dasam Granth
  4. Creating the Khalsa

Explanation

Guru Amar Das organised the growing Sikh community by appointing manjis, or preaching centres, to spread the message and supervise congregations. Amritsar was founded under Guru Ram Das, the Khalsa by Guru Gobind Singh, and the Dasam Granth is attributed to the tenth Guru.

Question 12Punjab History and Culture (Class 10 syllabus)

Which Mughal emperor ordered the execution of Guru Arjan in 1606, an event that significantly shaped Sikh-Mughal relations?

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

Explanation

Guru Arjan was tortured and executed under Jahangir's orders in 1606, a turning point in Sikh history. Akbar had earlier shown tolerance, Shah Jahan ruled later, and Aurangzeb's conflicts with the Sikhs came after this event.

Question 13Punjab History and Culture (Class 10 syllabus)

The martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur in Delhi in 1675 is remembered in Sikh tradition chiefly because he

  1. refused to accept forced conversion and defended religious freedom Correct answer.
  2. founded the city of Anandpur
  3. led a revolt against the British
  4. compiled the Guru Granth Sahib

Explanation

Guru Tegh Bahadur accepted martyrdom rather than submit to Aurangzeb's pressure, standing for the principle of freedom of faith. Anandpur was founded by his son Guru Gobind Singh, the scripture was compiled by Guru Arjan, and British rule in the Punjab came much later.

Question 14Punjab History and Culture (Class 10 syllabus)

The institution of the Khalsa, founded in 1699, introduced which of the following among initiated Sikhs?

  1. The use of Sanskrit as the sole liturgical language
  2. The five Ks and the Panj Pyare tradition Correct answer.
  3. A hereditary priesthood
  4. The practice of idol worship

Explanation

Guru Gobind Singh initiated the Khalsa at Anandpur in 1699, instituting the five Ks and the collective leadership of the Panj Pyare. Sikhism rejected hereditary priesthood and idol worship, and Punjabi, not Sanskrit alone, served as the liturgical medium.

Question 15Punjab History and Culture (Class 10 syllabus)

Banda Singh Bahadur's early eighteenth-century struggle against Mughal authority in the Punjab is particularly associated with which achievement?

  1. Founding of the Sikh Empire in Lahore
  2. Establishment of a short-lived Sikh state with its capital at Lohgarh Correct answer.
  3. Creation of the Khalsa
  4. Signing of the Treaty of Amritsar

Explanation

Banda Singh Bahadur established a brief Sikh administration centred at Lohgarh and struck coins in the name of the Guru. The Treaty of Amritsar was signed by Ranjit Singh in 1809, the Lahore empire was founded by Ranjit Singh, and the Khalsa was created earlier by Guru Gobind Singh.

Question 16Punjab History and Culture (Class 10 syllabus)

The Sikh misls of the eighteenth century were best described as

  1. Units of the British Indian Army
  2. Confederacies of armed Sikh bands holding territories Correct answer.
  3. Trading guilds based in Multan
  4. Mughal administrative districts

Explanation

After the decline of Mughal authority, the Sikhs organised into misls, which were armed confederacies controlling different territories and later forming a loose federation. They were not Mughal districts, trading guilds, or British army units.

Question 17Punjab History and Culture (Class 10 syllabus)

Maharaja Ranjit Singh's capture of Lahore in 1799 and his later expansion are significant because they

  1. established British rule in the Punjab
  2. abolished the Khalsa
  3. created a unified Sikh empire with Lahore as its capital Correct answer.
  4. ended all trade in the Punjab

Explanation

Ranjit Singh took Lahore in 1799 and gradually brought the Punjab under a single Sikh empire with Lahore as its capital. He did not end trade, British rule came after his death, and the Khalsa was not abolished.

Question 18Punjab History and Culture (Class 10 syllabus)

The Treaty of Amritsar of 1809 between Ranjit Singh and the British chiefly

  1. ended the Anglo-Sikh Wars
  2. fixed the Sutlej as a boundary limiting Ranjit Singh's expansion Correct answer.
  3. ceded Kashmir to the British
  4. granted the British the right to collect revenue in Lahore

Explanation

The Treaty of Amritsar of 1809 defined the Sutlej as the frontier of Ranjit Singh's territories and checked his expansion eastward, while leaving him free north and west. It did not grant revenue rights in Lahore, cede Kashmir, or end the Anglo-Sikh Wars, which came later.

Question 19Punjab History and Culture (Class 10 syllabus)

Which European officers served in Maharaja Ranjit Singh's army and helped modernise its artillery?

  1. Clive and Hastings
  2. Cornwallis and Wellesley
  3. Ventura and Allard Correct answer.
  4. Dalhousie and Lawrence

Explanation

Generals Ventura and Allard, veterans of Napoleon's campaigns, trained Ranjit Singh's troops and improved his artillery. Clive, Hastings, Cornwallis, Wellesley, Dalhousie and Lawrence were British officials associated with the East India Company rather than service under the Maharaja.

Question 20Punjab History and Culture (Class 10 syllabus)

The First Anglo-Sikh War ended with which treaty in 1846?

  1. Treaty of Lahore Correct answer.
  2. Treaty of Peshawar
  3. Treaty of Amritsar
  4. Treaty of Bhairowal

Explanation

The First Anglo-Sikh War concluded with the Treaty of Lahore in 1846, which imposed terms on the Sikh state and led to British control over foreign affairs. The Treaty of Bhairowal followed later in the same year, and the other names do not denote the 1846 settlement.

Question 21Punjab History and Culture (Class 10 syllabus)

After the Second Anglo-Sikh War, the Punjab was annexed to British India in which year?

  1. 1839
  2. 1857
  3. 1849 Correct answer.
  4. 1846

Explanation

The Second Anglo-Sikh War ended in 1849, and the Punjab was formally annexed to British India under Governor-General Dalhousie. 1839 marks Ranjit Singh's death, 1846 the end of the First Anglo-Sikh War, and 1857 the uprising.

Question 22Punjab History and Culture (Class 10 syllabus)

The Board of Administration set up after 1849, with the Lawrence brothers among its members, was designed to

  1. abolish land revenue
  2. restore the Sikh monarchy
  3. govern the annexed Punjab efficiently under British control Correct answer.
  4. transfer the Punjab to Afghanistan

Explanation

After annexation the British created a Board of Administration, later headed by John Lawrence, to govern the Punjab and reorganise revenue and justice. It did not restore the Sikh monarchy, cede the region to Afghanistan, or abolish land revenue.

Question 23Punjab History and Culture (Class 10 syllabus)

The Jallianwala Bagh massacre of 1919 occurred in Amritsar during protests against which legislation?

  1. Indian Councils Act
  2. Ilbert Bill
  3. Government of India Act 1935
  4. Rowlatt Act Correct answer.

Explanation

General Dyer's troops fired on a gathering at Jallianwala Bagh on 13 April 1919, during agitation against the Rowlatt Act, which allowed detention without trial. The Indian Councils Act, Ilbert Bill and the 1935 Act belong to other periods and issues.

Question 24Punjab History and Culture (Class 10 syllabus)

Which Punjabi revolutionary was hanged in 1931 for his role in the killing of a British police officer in Lahore, becoming a symbol of resistance?

  1. Udham Singh
  2. Lala Lajpat Rai
  3. Kartar Singh Sarabha
  4. Bhagat Singh Correct answer.

Explanation

Bhagat Singh was executed in Lahore in 1931 along with Rajguru and Sukhdev for the killing of Assistant Superintendent Saunders. Lala Lajpat Rai died after a police lathi charge in 1928, Udham Singh acted in London in 1940, and Kartar Singh Sarabha was executed earlier in 1915.

Question 25Punjab History and Culture (Class 10 syllabus)

The Ghadar Party, founded in 1913, drew much of its support from which community and aimed at which goal?

  1. Madras officials seeking provincial autonomy
  2. Punjabi emigrants abroad seeking to end British rule in India Correct answer.
  3. Bengali zamindars seeking land reform
  4. Bombay mill owners seeking tariffs

Explanation

The Ghadar Party was founded in San Francisco largely by Punjabi emigrants and planned an armed uprising to overthrow British rule in India. It was not a landlords', industrialists', or provincial-autonomy movement.

Question 26Punjab History and Culture (Class 10 syllabus)

The archaeological site of Harappa, one of the great cities of the Indus Valley Civilisation, is located in which present-day district of Punjab (Pakistan)?

  1. Sahiwal Correct answer.
  2. Multan
  3. Gujrat
  4. Bahawalpur

Explanation

Harappa lies near the old bed of the Ravi in the Sahiwal district of Punjab, Pakistan. It was first excavated in the 1920s and gave its name to the Harappan phase of the Indus Valley Civilisation. Its granaries, wells and town planning are central to the study of early Punjab history.

Question 27Punjab History and Culture (Class 10 syllabus)

The ancient city of Taxila, a great centre of learning visited by students from across Asia, is located in which region of the Punjab's wider historical zone?

  1. The Cholistan desert near Bahawalpur
  2. The Salt Range near Jhelum
  3. The Thal desert near Mianwali
  4. The Potohar plateau near Rawalpindi Correct answer.

Explanation

Taxila lies on the Potohar plateau, northwest of Rawalpindi, at the crossroads of routes from Gandhara to the Gangetic plain. It flourished under Achaemenid, Greek, Mauryan, Kushan and later rulers. Its stupas, monasteries and university ruins make it a key site for Punjab and Gandhara history.

Question 28Punjab History and Culture (Class 10 syllabus)

According to Sikh tradition, Guru Nanak was born in 1469 at which village, now in Nankana Sahib district of Punjab, Pakistan?

  1. Rai Bhoi Talwandi Correct answer.
  2. Khadur
  3. Goindwal
  4. Kartarpur

Explanation

Guru Nanak was born at Rai Bhoi Talwandi, later called Nankana Sahib in his honour. The site is marked by Gurdwara Janam Asthan. Kartarpur, Goindwal and Khadur are associated with later stages of his life and with succeeding Gurus.

Question 29Punjab History and Culture (Class 10 syllabus)

The Punjabi Sufi poet Baba Bulleh Shah, whose verses are still sung across the region, was associated with which city?

  1. Kasur Correct answer.
  2. Multan
  3. Lahore
  4. Pakpattan

Explanation

Bulleh Shah lived and was buried in Kasur, where his shrine remains a place of pilgrimage. His Punjabi kafis and verses criticise rigid ritualism and stress inward devotion. Pakpattan and Multan are linked to other Sufi figures such as Baba Farid and Bahauddin Zakariya.

Question 30Punjab History and Culture (Class 10 syllabus)

Which Punjabi poet is celebrated for the tragic romance of Heer and Ranjha, a tale that became a classic of Punjabi literature?

  1. Shah Hussain
  2. Sultan Bahu
  3. Waris Shah Correct answer.
  4. Mian Muhammad Bakhsh

Explanation

Waris Shah, an eighteenth-century poet, composed the most famous version of the Heer Ranjha story in Punjabi verse. His telling blends romance with social commentary on the Punjab of his time. The other poets wrote mystical or devotional verse rather than this romance.

Question 31Punjab History and Culture (Class 10 syllabus)

The Punjabi folk dance bhangra originated as a celebration linked to which activity?

  1. The wedding rituals of the Potohar plateau
  2. The boatmen's life along the Indus
  3. The spring festival of Basant in Lahore
  4. The harvest of the rabi crop in the Majha and Doaba regions Correct answer.

Explanation

Bhangra grew out of the dance and drumming that marked the wheat harvest in the central Punjab. Its vigorous dhol-driven rhythm later moved from village fields to stage and diaspora performances. Basant and Potohari wedding dances are separate traditions.

Question 32Punjab History and Culture (Class 10 syllabus)

Which language was given official status in the Punjab during the Sikh rule of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, used for court and administrative records?

  1. Urdu
  2. Persian Correct answer.
  3. Punjabi in Gurmukhi script
  4. English

Explanation

Under Ranjit Singh the court continued the Mughal-era use of Persian for official documents and correspondence. Punjabi was widely spoken and used in religious and literary contexts, but Persian remained the language of administration. English arrived only with British annexation in 1849.

Question 33Punjab History and Culture (Class 10 syllabus)

The Punjab region's traditional folk theatre form, in which travelling performers enact stories with music and dance, is known as which of the following?

  1. Nautanki Correct answer.
  2. Giddha
  3. Bhangra
  4. Kikli

Explanation

Nautanki is a popular folk theatre form performed by travelling troupes in the Punjab and neighbouring regions. It combines music, dance and dramatic narrative, often on romantic or heroic themes. Bhangra, Giddha and Kikli are dance forms rather than theatre.

Question 34Punjab History and Culture (Class 10 syllabus)

The Ghaznavid ruler Mahmud of Ghazni made repeated expeditions into the Punjab in the early eleventh century; which city was a principal target of his raids?

  1. Multan Correct answer.
  2. Sialkot
  3. Lahore
  4. Jalandhar

Explanation

Mahmud of Ghazni campaigned into the Punjab and Sindh, and Multan was a key target because of its wealth and its Ismaili rulers. His raids weakened local powers and opened the way for later Ghaznavid control of Lahore. Lahore became a Ghaznavid centre only after his campaigns.

Question 35Punjab History and Culture (Class 10 syllabus)

Lahore rose to prominence as a capital under which dynasty, whose rulers patronised Persian literature and built the city's early fortifications?

  1. The Tughlaqs
  2. The Ghaznavids Correct answer.
  3. The Lodis
  4. The Sayyids

Explanation

Under the Ghaznavids, especially after the loss of Ghazni, Lahore became an important capital and centre of Persian letters. Poets such as Masud Saad Salman are linked to this milieu. The later Delhi-based dynasties ruled Lahore as a provincial city.

Question 36Punjab History and Culture (Class 10 syllabus)

The Punjabi Sufi saint Shah Hussain of Lahore is remembered for which distinctive feature of his life and poetry?

  1. His service as a governor under Akbar
  2. His compilation of the Sikh scripture
  3. His mystical bond with a Hindu youth, Madho Lal, remembered in the shrine's name Correct answer.
  4. His founding of the Chishti order in the Punjab

Explanation

Shah Hussain's devotion to Madho Lal gave the shrine its name, Madho Lal Hussain, and symbolises inter-community mystical love. His kafis in Punjabi express intense spiritual longing. He did not found the Chishti order, which predates him in the region.

Question 37Punjab History and Culture (Class 10 syllabus)

The poet Shah Muhammad, who wrote in Punjabi about the Sikh conquest of the Punjab, is best known for which work?

  1. Heer Ranjha
  2. Sassi Punnun
  3. Mirza Sahiban
  4. Jangnama Correct answer.

Explanation

Shah Muhammad's Jangnama is a verse chronicle of the Sikh campaigns of the early nineteenth century. It is valued as a literary source reflecting contemporary Punjabi Muslim perceptions of those events. The other titles are romantic folk narratives.

Question 38Punjab History and Culture (Class 10 syllabus)

The shrine at Data Darbar in Lahore is dedicated to which Sufi saint?

  1. Bulleh Shah
  2. Mian Mir
  3. Ali Hujwiri Correct answer.
  4. Baba Farid

Explanation

Data Darbar is the shrine of Ali Hujwiri, known as Data Ganj Bakhsh, author of the Persian treatise Kashf al-Mahjub. He is credited with helping establish Sufi thought in the Punjab. The other saints have shrines elsewhere or in other parts of Lahore.

Question 39Punjab History and Culture (Class 10 syllabus)

Which Mughal emperor's reign saw the building of the Shalimar Gardens in Lahore, a monument later inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list?

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

Explanation

The Shalimar Gardens of Lahore were laid out in 1641-42 under Shah Jahan, reflecting Mughal garden design with terraces, canals and pavilions. They are among the finest surviving Mughal gardens in the Punjab. Akbar and Jahangir are linked to other Lahore buildings, such as the fort's earlier phases.

Question 40Punjab History and Culture (Class 10 syllabus)

The Badshahi Mosque in Lahore was commissioned by which Mughal emperor?

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

Explanation

Aurangzeb ordered the Badshahi Mosque in 1671-73, and it remained one of the largest mosques in the world for centuries. Its red sandstone and marble work stand opposite the Lahore Fort. Shah Jahan's Lahore contribution is the Shalimar Gardens.

Question 41Punjab History and Culture (Class 10 syllabus)

Which Punjabi folk heroine is remembered in the tragic romance with Mirza, in which her brothers kill him as the couple flee?

  1. Heer
  2. Sahiban Correct answer.
  3. Sohni
  4. Sassi

Explanation

Mirza Sahiban is the tragedy of Sahiban and her lover Mirza, killed by her brothers as they elope. The story is one of the classic Punjabi romances alongside Heer Ranjha, Sassi Punnun and Sohni Mahiwal. Each heroine belongs to a distinct tale, so the pairing with Mirza identifies Sahiban.

Question 42Punjab History and Culture (Class 10 syllabus)

The Gurdwara Darbar Sahib at Kartarpur, reopened as a cross-border corridor in 2019, commemorates which event in Sikh history?

  1. The martyrdom of Guru Arjan
  2. The founding of the Khalsa
  3. The founding of the first Sikh community settlement by Guru Nanak Correct answer.
  4. The compilation of the Guru Granth Sahib

Explanation

Guru Nanak settled at Kartarpur and lived there for his final years, establishing a community of followers who worked and worshipped together. The corridor allows pilgrims from India to visit the site in Pakistan. The other events are associated with different Gurus and places.

Question 43Punjab History and Culture (Class 10 syllabus)

The Punjabi festival of Basant, historically celebrated in Lahore, is chiefly associated with which activity?

  1. Kite flying Correct answer.
  2. Cattle fairs
  3. Wrestling tournaments
  4. Boat racing

Explanation

Basant marked the arrival of spring and was famous in Lahore for rooftop kite flying and yellow dress. The festival faded in Pakistan in the early 2000s but remains a cultural memory of the city. Boat races and cattle fairs belong to other regional traditions.

Question 44Punjab History and Culture (Class 10 syllabus)

How did the annexation of the Punjab in 1849 change the region's land and revenue administration?

  1. It transferred revenue collection to village panchayats alone
  2. It abolished all land revenue and relied on customs duties
  3. It restored the jagir grants of the Sikh nobility without change
  4. It introduced a systematic revenue settlement that recorded rights in land and fixed cash demand Correct answer.

Explanation

After 1849 the British carried out regular settlements that surveyed land, recorded cultivators' rights and fixed revenue demand in cash for a term of years. These settlements reshaped rural society and created a class of loyal landholders. Earlier Sikh revenue practice and jagir grants were not preserved unchanged.

Question 45Punjab History and Culture (Class 10 syllabus)

Why did the British build a network of cantonments and the city of Lyallpur (now Faisalabad) in the Punjab after 1849?

  1. To resettle Sikh soldiers after disbanding the Khalsa army
  2. To establish missionary schools for Christian converts
  3. To create centres of textile manufacturing for export
  4. To secure the frontier and develop canal colonies for loyal peasant settlement Correct answer.

Explanation

Cantonments protected the new province and the northwestern frontier, while canal colonies such as Lyallpur brought waste land under irrigation and settled peasants loyal to the Raj. The combination of military security and agricultural colonisation shaped British Punjab. Industry and missionary schooling were secondary concerns.

Question 46Punjab History and Culture (Class 10 syllabus)

The Anjuman-i-Himayat-i-Islam, founded in Lahore in 1884, is best understood as which kind of organisation?

  1. A British loyalist officers' club
  2. A Hindu revivalist association
  3. A Muslim educational and social welfare society Correct answer.
  4. A Sikh political party

Explanation

The Anjuman-i-Himayat-i-Islam promoted modern education among Muslims and ran schools and orphanages in Lahore. It reflected the wider late nineteenth-century movement for community education and reform in the Punjab. It was not a Sikh, Hindu or purely official body.

Question 47Punjab History and Culture (Class 10 syllabus)

The Singh Sabha movement of the late nineteenth century in the Punjab is best characterised by which aim?

  1. Abolition of the Khalsa initiation rite
  2. Creation of a separate Sikh state
  3. Reform of Sikh religious and educational practice and defence of Sikh identity Correct answer.
  4. Conversion of Muslims to Sikhism

Explanation

The Singh Sabha sought to purify Sikh practice, spread Gurmukhi education and counter conversions to other faiths. It produced schools, newspapers and scholarly publication of Sikh texts. It did not aim at statehood and did not oppose the Khalsa initiation.

Question 48Punjab History and Culture (Class 10 syllabus)

Which factor best explains why the Punjab became a centre of recruitment for the British Indian Army after 1857?

  1. Officials classified Punjabis as a martial race and rewarded loyal service with land and pensions Correct answer.
  2. Punjabi soldiers refused to serve outside the province
  3. The province had the largest urban population in India
  4. The British abolished the Bengal Army in favour of naval forces

Explanation

After 1857 British recruiting policy favoured groups labelled martial, and Punjabis were heavily recruited, with service rewarded by pensions and land grants. This tied rural families to the Raj and reshaped the province's economy. Urban size and refusal to serve abroad do not explain the recruitment pattern.

Question 49Punjab History and Culture (Class 10 syllabus)

How did the canal colonies of west Punjab alter the social geography of the region in the early twentieth century?

  1. They drew settlers from central Punjab and created new towns and market centres on irrigated land Correct answer.
  2. They were reserved exclusively for European planters
  3. They depopulated the region by moving peasants to Bengal
  4. They converted irrigated land back to pasture

Explanation

Canal colonies such as Lyallpur, Montgomery and Shahpur attracted peasant settlers from crowded central districts, creating new towns, markets and a prosperous agrarian frontier. The scheme redistributed population within the Punjab rather than outside it. Land was allotted mainly to Indian peasants, not only Europeans.

Question 50Punjab History and Culture (Class 10 syllabus)

Which development best explains the spread of the Arya Samaj and the Ahmadiyya movement in the Punjab in the late nineteenth century?

  1. The province's population was declining sharply
  2. Punjabi peasants rejected all forms of modern education
  3. The British banned all religious preaching in the province
  4. Print, railway travel and urban public debate encouraged competing religious reform and missionary activity Correct answer.

Explanation

Cheap printing, railways and growing towns created a public sphere in which reformers debated and competed for followers. The Arya Samaj, Ahmadiyya, Singh Sabha and other movements used presses, schools and public meetings. State restrictions and demographic decline do not fit this period of religious ferment.