Medieval History (Part-I)

Total Questions: 60

31. was the growth of small regional kingdoms rather than large empires because of: [1999]

Correct Answer: (c) absence of vast areas of fertile land
Solution:One consistent feature found in the history of southern India was the growth of small regional kingdoms rather than large empires because of absence of vast areas of fertile land.
  • Southern India’s geography, characterized by the Deccan Plateau and the Western and Eastern Ghats, created regional distinctiveness and could have made it challenging to control vast, centrally unified territories.
  • A relatively lower population density compared to other regions made it difficult to sustain large empires, which required extensive manpower for administration and defense.
  • Strong local institutions, social stratification, and regional identities may have hindered the sustained centralization required for a large empire, promoting instead the persistence of regional polities.

32. 'The king was freed from his people and they from their king'. [1999]

On whose death did Badauni comment this?

Correct Answer: (c) Muhammad-bin-Tughlaq
Solution:Muhammad Bin Tughlaq died in 1351 CE. He was succeeded by his cousin Firoz Tughlaq.
  • After Ghiyas-ud-din Tughlaq’s death in 1325 AD, his son Muhammad bin Tughlaq, or Jauna Khan, came to power.
  • Muhammad bin Tughlaq was one of the most controversial rulers of the Delhi Sultanate. He introduced many ambitious schemes and experiments, but most of them failed.
  • Muhammad bin Tughlaq was a learned Arabic and Persian scholar who was tolerant of religious affairs.

33. Consider the following statements: [1999]

The striking feature of the Jama Masjid in Kashmir completed by Zain-ul-Abdin include(s):

1. turret

2. similarity with Buddhist pagodas

3. Persian style

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

Correct Answer: (b) 1, 2 & 3
Solution:Jama Masjid is a mosque in Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir, India. The Jama Masjid of Srinagar is situated at Nowhatta, in the middle of the old city. It was built by Sultan Sikandar in 1400 AD. Later, the son of Sultan Sikandar, Zain-ul-Abidin had the mosque extended.

34. Which one of the following pairs is not correctly matched? [1999]

Correct Answer: (b) Akbar : Sir Thomas Roe
Solution:Sir Thomas Roe also visited the court of Jahangir. He was an ambassador of James I, king of England. Tavernier's account covers the reign of Shahjahan and Aurangzeb.

In the Mughal Court: Sir Thomas Roe

  • Sir Thomas Roe was a merchant diplomat with the East India Company and England’s first appointed ambassador to India.
  • In September 1615, he arrived at the port of Surat carrying a letter from King James I requesting a commercial deal with the Mughal Emperor, Jahangir. Roe’s arrival revealed that his mission’s dual goals were to enhance Britain’s standing abroad and secure trade and privileges for the Company.
  • On August 17th, 1616, Jahangir presented Sir Thomas Roe with a “medal of gold as huge as sixpence” to symbolise his status as the emperor’s client.
  • He was identified as belonging to the noble class in the Mughal Court.
  • Despite not being “a great general, a great organiser, or a great builder” like his predecessors, Thomas Roe wrote in one of his memoirs that the emperor Jahangir who governed from 1605, was “a great lover of the arts, particularly painting and architecture.”
  • Roe’s memoirs from his time spent in the Mughal court is a crucial source not only for the factual information it contains but also for the cultural presumptions it exposes. Historians like Michael Brown and Colin Mitchell have shown that Roe did not write with imperialist goals in mind.
  • Roe’s journal, on the other hand, reveals aspects of the society he belonged to, including attitudes on English supremacy and the inferiority of foreign strangers, which later in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries became fundamental elements of English Imperialist culture.

35. Match List-I with List-II and select the correct answer using the codes given below the list: [2000]

List-I (Author) List-II (Text) 
A. Land allotted to big feudal landlords1. Jagirdari System
B. Land allotted to revenue farmers of rent collectors2. Ryotwari System
C. Land allotted to each peasant with the right to sublet, mortgage transfer, gift or sell3. Mahalwari System
D. Revenue settlements made at village level4. Zamindari System

Codes:

ABCD
(a)1324
(b)1423
(c)3412
(d)2134
Correct Answer: (b)
Solution:Under the Mahalwari system, revenue, settlement was to be made by village or estates with the landlords. In the Ryotwari system, a direct settlement was made between the government and the ryot (cultivator). In the Zamindari system, land is allotted to revenue farmers of Zamindars (rent collectors).

36. Who among the following streamlined the Maratha administration after Sambhaji ? [2000]

Correct Answer: (b) Balaji Vishwanath
Solution:Best answer is Balaji Vishwanath. As Sambhaji (1680-89) were succeeded by Rajaram, Shivaji II, Tarabai and Shahu ji. Balaji Vishwanath played a crucial role in the final victory of Shahu by winning over almost all the Maratha sardars to the side of Shahu.
Balaji Vishwanath, also known as Balaji Vishwanath Peshwa, was a prominent figure in the Maratha Empire during the late 17th century. He served as the first Peshwa, a high-ranking administrative and military position in the Maratha government. Balaji Vishwanath is credited with laying the foundation for the Peshwa dynasty’s ascendancy and played a crucial role in consolidating Maratha power. His tenure as Peshwa marked the beginning of the Peshwa era in Maratha history.

37. The given map refers to the kingdom of: [2000]

Correct Answer: (a) Akbar at the time of capture of Khandesh in 1601
Solution:Khandesh was ancient name of the north-western region of Maharashtra. Asirgarh was an important fort in Khandesh. In 1601, Mughal emperor Akbar annexed the Khandesh sultanate and Burhanpur became the capital of Khandesh Subah of the Mughal empire. The shaded portion in given map indicates Khandesh during Akbar.

38. Consider the following events: [2000]

1. Reign of Krishna Deva of Vijaynagara

2. Construction of Qutab Minar

3. Arrival of Portuguese in India

4. Death of Firoz Tughlaq

Correct chronological sequence of these events is:

Correct Answer: (a) 2, 4, 3, 1
Solution:Reign of Krishna Deva of Vijaynagara (1509-30); Construction of Qutab Minar (1206 1210); Arrival of Portugese in India (1498); Death of Firoz Tughlaq (1388).

39. Match List-I with List-II and select the correct answer using the codes given below the lists: [2000]

List-I (Author) List-II (Text) 
A. Iqta1. Marathas
B. Jagir2. Delhi Sultans
C. Amaram3. Mughals
D. Mokasa4. Vijayanagara

Codes:

ABCD
(a)3214
(b)2341
(c)2314
(d)3241
Correct Answer: (b)
Solution:These are the land grants given during the period of different dynasties.
Iqta system was a crucial administrative and land distribution mechanism during the Delhi Sultanate period. Under this system, the empire was divided into iqtas, which were assigned to nobles, officers, and soldiers for revenue collection and governance. These Iqtas were transferable and Muqtis, or Iqtadars, managed tax collection, maintained troops, and ensured administration, with surplus revenue sent to the Sultan’s treasury.
Jagirdari System was a system of allocating revenue from a specific territory to nobles in lieu of cash salaries for their services to the state. The Jagirdari System was a common practice during the Delhi Sultanate, with revenue assignments referred to as iqtas. The Jagirdari system continued under the Mughal Empire, and it involved granting land (jagirs) to nobles (mansabdars) for revenue collection and governance.
Amaram refers to lands or territories granted to military chiefs (Amaranayakas) in the Vijayanagara Empire in exchange for military service. The Amara-nayaka system was a crucial administrative and military innovation, where these military leaders collected taxes and maintained troops from their assigned Amaram lands, ensuring the empire had a large and well-equipped army without constant cash payments.
Mokasa refers to a practice in the Maratha Empire where land revenue was assigned to military commanders or chiefs, who received a portion of the revenue from assigned lands or villages to maintain their troops and fulfill their military obligations. It served as a system for paying military personnel and collecting revenue for the state.

40. Which one of the following Muslim rulers was hailed as the 'Jagadguru' by his Muslim subject because of his belief in secularism? [2000]

Correct Answer: (c) Ibrahim Adil Shah
Solution:

Ibrahim Adil Shah

  • He was a king of the Sultanate of Bijapur and was a member of Adil Shah dynasty. This reign is greatest period of this dynasty.
  • He was a skillful administrator, artist, poet and a gorgeous patron of the arts. Culturally, Bijapur kingdom was located between the centers of Marathi (Pandharpur-Vithoba cult) and Kannada bhakti (Basava Lingayat).

  • Secular Attitude:

  • He was deeply influenced by Shaivism and was fascinated with Hinduism. Though, he adopted Sunni sect of Islam.
  • He endowed many temples, affirm the rights of pilgrims at popular shrines, and consciously exalted Hindu gods to the heights of kingly devotion.
  • Several his Farman’s begin with an invocation of the Goddess Saraswati.
  • There were many in his court who believed that Ibrahim Adil Shah II was secretly practicing Hinduism which was apostasy.
  • Renamed city of Bijapur (originally Vijayapura, the City of Victory) as Vidyapur (City of Learning).