Medieval Indian History Mixed Practice — MCQs with Answers (Set 1)

Duarte Barbosa, a Portuguese official and writer active in India between 1500 and 1516, gave the earliest known description of a seed drill on the Karnataka coast.

Only the Durgara and Jammu pair is right. Champaka is Chamba, not Central India. Kuluta is Kullu, not Malabar.

Correct: Shah Miri. It was Kashmir’s first Muslim dynasty and lasted about two hundred years.

Correct: Samarkand. He studied there as a boy and later invited its teachers and artisans to Kashmir.

Correct: Zaina Tarangini. Srivara, a pupil of Jonaraja, covered the later years of the reign.

He felt remorse, apologised and promised that no tree would be cut and hunting banned.

The scheme named Hindu, Muslim and British phases. It rested on the religion of the rulers.

Scribes copied by hand. They added small changes, so copies of one text came to differ.

He used it in a political sense for lands ruled from Delhi. It never included south India.

The answer is 31 August 1952. The Ayyangar committee had studied the Act in 1949 and 1950. Its victims are now called Denotified Tribes. Why the others fail: 15 August 1947 is Independence Day. 26 January 1950 is when the Constitution came into force. 2 October 1949 does not match the repeal. Memory hook: independence came in 1947, but this Act ended in 1952.

The answer is one-half. Peasants mostly paid in cash, so they sold grain cheap to the Banjaras. Why the others fail: one-third, one-fourth and one-sixth are lower shares and do not match the doab demand. Memory hook: half the produce, paid in cash.

The answer is Peter Mundy. He met the camp on the road to Agra in August 1632. Why the others fail: Roe came earlier, as an envoy to Jahangir. Bernier and Tavernier were French travellers. Memory hook: Mundy met the Banjaras with 14,000 oxen.

The answer is tanda. A tanda could hold thousands of animals and many families. Why the others fail: a sarai is a roadside inn. A mandi is a market. A haveli is a mansion. Memory hook: the Banjaras moved in a tanda.

The answer is Alauddin Khalji. He fixed prices and registered the Banjaras, who carried grain to the city markets. Why the others fail: Balban, Muhammad bin Tughluq and Firuz Shah Tughluq are not linked to this market control. Memory hook: Alauddin built cheap markets for a big army.

The answer is carrying grain on pack-bullocks. They tied far-off farms to towns and armies. Why the others fail: Banjaras did not mint coins, build temples or write chronicles. Memory hook: no Banjaras, no cheap grain in the city.

The Akal Takht began as a raised platform. It was set slightly lower than Darbar Sahib.

The answer is about 128 years earlier. Timur came in 1398 and Babur won in 1526. The gap is 128 years. Why the others fail: the other gaps do not match these two dates. Memory hook: 1526 minus 1398 equals 128.

The answer is Malwa. It became a strong independent state with its capital at Mandu. Why the others fail: Jaunpur was ruled by the Sharqi sultans. Gujarat and Bengal are not linked to Mandu. Memory hook: Mandu means Malwa.

The answer is Bahlul Lodi. Alam Shah had left Delhi for Badaun in 1448. Three years later Bahlul Lodi took Delhi. Why the others fail: Alam Shah was the last Sayyid ruler. Mubarak Shah was killed in 1434. Babur ended the sultanate in 1526 at Panipat. Memory hook: 1451 is Bahlul Lodi, 1526 is Babur.

The answer is Sayyid. Khizr Khan, once governor of the Punjab, took Delhi after the last Tughluq died in 1413. The dynasty ruled from about 1414 to 1451. Why the others fail: The Lodis came after the Sayyids, from 1451. The Khaljis ruled from 1290 to 1320. The Slave dynasty was much earlier. Memory hook: after Timur, the Sayyids; after the Sayyids, the Lodis.

The answer is Mahmud Tughluq. His army was destroyed on 17 December 1398, and Delhi was sacked. Why the others fail: Firuz Shah Tughluq ruled from 1351 to 1388, before the invasion. Alauddin Khalji ruled from 1296 to 1316. Khizr Khan came after Timur and founded the Sayyid line. Memory hook: the last strong blow fell on Mahmud Tughluq.

The answer is 1398. Timur crossed the Indus on 24 September 1398. The sultan’s army was destroyed on 17 December 1398. Why the others fail: 1206 is the start of the Delhi Sultanate. 1526 is the First Battle of Panipat won by Babur. 1451 is when Bahlul Lodi seized Delhi. Memory hook: Timur came in 1398 and left by April 1399.

Abdul Hamid Lahori, the court historian, wrote the Badshah Nama. Inayat Khan wrote the Shah Jahan Nama.

His favourite daughter Jahanara chose to live in the fort and nursed him for eight long years.

The correct answer is Nasir al-Din Mahmud. He reigned from 1246 to 1266. Balban held the title Ulagh Khan and ran the government. The sultan was a mild man who stayed a puppet. Iltutmish and Aibak ruled earlier. Kay-Qubadh came after Balban. Memory hook: the puppet sultan, the deputy who ruled.