Medieval Indian History – WBCS Main Question Paper

medieval indian history questions and answers

WBCS Main Question Paper – 2021

36. Which was the earliest seat of Turkish power in Delhi?

(1052 – 1060 )

(A) Qila-i Rai Pithora

(B) Koshak-i Siri

(C) Purana Qila

(D) Jahanpanah

69. How were foreign merchants referred to in Chola documents?

(A) Manigramam

(B) Nanadeshi

(C) Ayyavole

(D) Pattinam

110. What occasioned the break between the Mughals and the Rajputs?

(A) Increasing importance of the Marathas in Mughal state.

(B) Succession crisis in Marwar after the death of Jaswant Singh.

(C) Aurungzeb’s favoritism towards Muslims in Mughal service.

(D) Aurungzeb’s demolition of Hindu temples.

124. Who was the author of the Prabandha Chintamani?

(1304, Gujarat)

(A) Medhatithi

(B) Merutunga

(C) Shriharsha

(D) Soddhala

145. Who was the author of Rajatarangini?

(A) Kalhana

(B) Jonaraja

(C) Srivara

(D) All of the above

172. Which of the following is true of the Mansabdari system?

(i) Mansab denotes the rank an official held in the Mughal hierarchy.

(ii) Mansabdari usually entailed military obligation towards the empire.

(iii) Salary of a Mansabdar was indicated in the sawar rank he held.

(iv) Remuneration for Mansabdari was provided only in terms of grants of jagir.

(A) (i), (iii), (iv)

(B) (i), (ii), (iv)

(C) (i), (ii)

(D) (i), (ii), (iii), (iv)

WBCS Main Question Paper – 2020

8. Who is the only woman historian to write a historical account of the Mughal period?

(Humayun-Nama)

(A) Gulbadan Begum

(B) Noorjahan

(C) Jahanara Begum

(D) Zebun-nissa Begum

10. Which of the following facts about the Taj Mahal is incorrect?

(Built – 1632–53)

(A) It is a magnificent Mausoleum

(B) It was built by Shah Jahan

(C) It is situated outside the Agra Fort

(D) The names of artisans who built are engraved on it

12. The Persian ruler who besieged Qandahar in Jahangir’s reign was

(1622)

(A) Shah Muhammad

(B) Shah Parvez

(C) Shah Abbas

(D) Shah Raza

19. The popular name of Muizuddin Muhammad Bin Sam was

(1149 – 1206)

(A) Sultan Mahmud

(B) Muhammad Ghori

(C) Timur

(D) None of the above

20. Kamban’s Ramayana in Tamil was written during the reign of

(12th century)

(A) Chalukya

(B) Pallavas

(C) Cholas

(D) Kakatiyas

21. Who constructed the ‘Grand Trunk Road‘?

(A) Akbar

(B) Sher Shah Suri

(C) Ashoka

(D) Samudra Gupta

22. Silver ‘Tanka’ and Copper ‘Jital’ were introduced by

(A) Qutubuddin Aibek

(B) Raziya Sultana

(C) Iltutmish

(D) Balban

25. Who faced defeat in the Battle of Chandawar in 1194 AD?

(A) Bhima II

(B) Jaichand

(C) Lakshman Sena

(D) Muhammad Ghori

26. The founder of the Lodi dynasty was

(1451-1526)

(A) Bahlul Lodi

(B) Sikandar Lodi

(C) Ibrahim Lodi

(D) Daulat Khan Lodi

33. The name of Sultan Mahmud’s father is

(971 – 1030)

(A) Alptigin

(B) Sabuktigin

(C) Ulugh Khan

(D) Nove of the above

34. Who of the following became a member of the Din-i-Ilahi?

(A) Todar Mal

(B) Raja Birbal

(C) Raja Man Singh

(D) Tansen

37. Who was the Hindu king at the time of Muhammad bin Qasim’s invasion of Sind?

(Battole of Aror, 712)

(A) Dahir

(B) Hala

(C) Harsha

(D) Ananda Pala

38. Ghazi Malik was the actual name of

(A) Ghiyas uddin Tughlaq

(B) Muhammad bin Tughlaq

(C) Firuz Shah Tughlaq

(D) None of the above

44. The Persian poet Firdausi who composed ‘Shah Namah’ was associated with the court of

(977 – 1010 CE)

(A) Sultan Mahmud

(B) Muhammad Ghori

(C) Shah Tahmasp

(D) None of the above

46. Two major crops introduced in India during the Mughal period were

(A) Millet and Groundnut

(B) Potato and Mustard

(C) Tobacco and Maize

(D) Indigo and Maize

48. The Somnath Temple of Gujarat was destroyed by Sultan Mahmud in

(A) 1015 AD

(B) 1020 AD

(C) 1025 AD

(D) 1027 AD

50. The Dilwara Temples at Mount Abu were constructed during the rule of

(Vimal Shah, 1031)

(A) Chalukyas

(B) Solankis

(C) Kalachuris

(D) None of the above

52. The Russian merchant traveller Nikitin visited South India in

(A) 14th Century

(B) 15th Century

(C) 16th Century

(D) None of the above

54. Which of the following systems were the backbones of the Vijaynagar administration?

(A) Nitinirdesha and Dandniti

(B) Karyapalika and Nayankara

(C) Nayankara and Ayagar

(D) Dandniti and Spy system

57. ‘Diwan-i-Khairat‘, a Ministry of Charity was organised by

(A) Alauddin

(B) Ghiyas uddin

(C) Firuz Shah

(D) None of the above

59. The Mughals imported fruits from

(Uzbekistan)

(A) Samarkand

(B) Arabia

(C) Kabul

(D) Portugal

63. Which Mughal Emperor transferred the capital from Agra to Delhi?

(1638)

(A) Jahangir

(B) Shah Jahan

(C) Aurangzeb

(D) Bahadur Shah

67. Which of the following works refer to the History of Sind and it’s conquest by the Muslim?

(A) Taj-ul-Manthir

(B) Chach Namah

(C) Lubab-ul-Abab

(D) Kitab-i-Tahqiq

69. Who was the author of ‘Tabaqat-i-Nasiri‘?

(1260)

(A) Ibn Batura

(B) Minhaj-us-Siraj

(C) Isami

(D) Ziauddin Barani

74. Jizya was abolished by the Mughal ruler

(1564)

(A) Babur

(B) Humayun

(C) Akbar

(D) Aurangzeb

78. King Jaypala, who faced Sultan Mahmud’s invasion belonged to the

(964 to 1001 CE)

(A) Chalukya dynasty

(B) Hindu Shahi dynasty

(C) Pandya dynasty

(D) None of the above

80. The Mughal Prince who was well versed in Arabic, Persian and Sanskrit was

(A) Prince Akbar

(B) Prince Salim

(C) Prince Sulaiman Shukoh

(D) Prince Dara Shikoh

87. Aurangzeb sent Mukarrab Khan against

(A) Shahji Bhonsle

(B) Shivaji

(C) Sambhaji

(D) Shahu

93. Ramachandra Yadav, who faced Alauddin’s invasion was the ruler of

(1296, Maharashtra)

(A) Devagiri

(B) Malwa

(C) Ujjain

(D) Telangana

94. Which Mughal Emperor was a patron of Hindustani music and was popularly known as Rangila?

(A) Bahadur Shah I

(B) Bahadur Shah II

(C) Muhammad Shah

(D) Ahmed Shah

95. Sant Jnaneshwar was the author of

(Marathi language)

(A) Amrutanubhav

(B) Rukmini Swayamvar

(C) Dasbodha

(D) Vivek sindhu

WBCS Main Question Paper – 2019

56. The largest standing army of the Sultanate directly paid by the state was createdby

(A) Iltutmish

(B) Alauddin Khilji

(C) Muhammad Bin Tughlug

(D) Sikandar Lodi

 

57. The Muslim kingdom of Golconda grew up on the ruins of the old Hindu kingdom of

(12-14th centuries)

(A) Devagiri

(B) Dwarsamudra

(C) Warrangal

(D) Kanchi

 

58. Which of the following did not form part of the contingents maintained by the mansabdars ?

(A) Cavalry men

(B) Artillery men

(C) Bow men

(D) Musketeers

 

61. Who is known as the ‘Plato of the Jat tribe‘?

(Bharatpur, Rajasthan)

(A) Rajaram

(B) Churaman

(C) Badan Singh

(D) Surajmal

 

62. The Nawab of Awadh who was appointed the Wazir of the Mughal empire was

(A) Sadat Khan

(B) Safdar Jang

(C) Asaf ud daula

(D) Nasiruddin

 

 

 

WBCS Main Question Paper – 2018

105. The famous Uttaramerur inscription belongs to the reign of

(Kancheepuram, Tamil Nadu)

a) Parantaka I

b) Parantaka II

c) Rajaraja I

d) Rajaraja II

 

106. Which Delhi Sultan represented himself as ‘Sikandari-Sani’?

a) Alauddin Khilji

b) Muhammad bin Tughluq

c) Sikandar Lodi

d) Khizr Khan

 

107. The foreign traveler named one of the famous Vijayanagara coins as pagoda. Originally it was

a) Pan

b) Varaha

c) Hun

d) Panam

 

108. Nasaq was

a) a revenue system in which the average produce of different crops as well as average price of 10 years were calculated.

b) revenue payable by the cultivator was based on past experience.

c) revenue system where crop was divided at the threshing floor between cultivator and the government.

d) revenue system in which not the actual crop but the estimated crop was divided between the cultivator and the government.

 

109. The effects of 1717 farman of Emperor Farukshiyar, granting exemption to the Company’s merchandise from customs duty in lieu of an annual sum of 3000 was

(surgeon William Hamilton)

a) with a dastak (hand written pass) Company’s goods could pass without inspection through toll station (chowki).

b) Company’s officials quietly extended this privilege to their own private trade.

c) the ‘chief sufferers’ was the government of the Nawabs who lost out on customs duties and rival Indian traders who faced unequal competition.

d) All of the above

 

112. Who was the author of Siyar-ul-Mutakherin?

a) Gulam Hussein

b) Arif Muhammad

c) Nasir Hussein

d) Shahabuddin

 

 

WBCS Main Question Paper – 2017

16. Which of the following pairs is not matched correctly ?

(Chand Bardai – Prithvirajacharita)

(A) Sandhyakar nandi – Ramacharita

(B) Jaysimha – Kumarapalacharita

(C) Gaudavaho – Vakpati

(D) Bilhana – Prithvirajacharita

 

31. Who was popularly known as Nana Saheb ?

(1740-61)

(A) Baji Rao I

(B) Balaji Baji Rao

(C) Balaji Biswanath

(D) Sawai Madhav Rao

 

32. Which Mughal building is said to possess the unique feature of being exactly equal in length and breadth ?

(A) Red fort

(B) Agra fort

(C) Taj Mahal

(D) Buland Darwaja

 

34. Which Mughal ruler conferred the title of ‘Raja’ on Ram Mohan Roy and requested him to go to England to plead for a hike in the Emperor’s pension ?

(A) Saha Alam ll

(B) Akbar II

(C) Bahadur Shah II

(D) None of the above

 

33. How many Mughal provinces were there under Akbar and Aurangzeb respectively ?

(A) 15 and 21

(B) 17 and 19

(C) 14 and 20

(D) 16 and 19

 

36. An elite body formed by the slave officers of which Delhi Sultan is popularly known in history as “Crop of Forty” (Chahalgani / Chihalgani) ?

(A) Qutbuddin Aibak

(B) Iltutmish

(C) Raziya

(D) Balban

 

37.Which Mughal emperor for the first time divided the empire into provinces ?

(A) Babur

(B) Humayun

(C) Jahangir

(D) Akbar

 

38. The royal ritual of ‘Jharokha Darshan’ was introduced by the Mughal emperor

(A) Akbar

(B) Shajahan

(C) Aurangzeb

(D) Bahadur Shah

 

39. The ‘Jagir’ of the Mughals is equal to which of the following units of Sultanate period ?

(tax farming)

(A) Waqf

(B) Khalisa

(C) Inam

(D) Iqta

 

40. The type of painting which made remarkable progress during the reign of Jahangir was

(A) Fresco painting

(B) Battle scenes

(C) Portrait painting

(D) Miniature painting

 

41. Who was known as ‘Lakh Baksh’ ?

(A) Qutbuddin Aibak

(B) Iltutmish

(C) Balban

(D) Raziya

 

42. Muhammad bin Tughlaq lived in a camp called ‘Svargadvari’ for 2½ years on the bank of which river was this camp located ?

(A) Sutlej

(B) Indus

(C) Yamuna

(D) Ganges

 

43. During the reign of which Delhi sultan was ‘Jizya’ collected even from Brahmins

(A) Ghiyas-ud-din Tughlaq

(B) Balban

(C) Muhammad-bin Tughlaq

(D) Firuz Tughlaq

 

44. Policemen of Vijayanagar were paid out of taxes colle cted from

(A) Wine shops

(B) Land revenue

(C) Taxes on goods

(D) Prostitutes

 

49. Jayadev’s “Gita Govinda” deals with the cult of

(12th century)

(A) Rama

(B) Shiva

(C) Krishna

(D) Shakti

 

53. The Iqtadars during the Sultanate period were also known as

(A) maliks

(B) muqtis

(C) mamlatdars

(D) munhias

 

57. The 96 years old man who was captured and behaded at Talikota (Bannihatti) in 1565 was

(A) Rama Raya

(B) Krishna Deva Raya

(C) Bukkal

(D) Saluva Narsimha

 

58. The term ‘Malaimandalam’ refers to

(A) Coromandal coast

(B) Malabar coast

(C) Pandya coast

(D) Konkan coast

 

60. Which Bahamani ruler shifted the capital from Gulbarga to Bidar ?

(A) Ala-ud-din ll

(B) Ahmad Shah Wali

(C) Muhammad Shah I

(D) Muhammad III

61. Who among the following was greatly influenced by Islam ?

(A) Namadeva

(B) Chaitanya

(C) Ramananda

(D) Ramanuja

 

62. Which Mughal is credited with prohibiting ‘Sati’ unless the widow herself, on her own free will, persistently desired it ?

(A) Babur

(B) Humayun

(C) Akbar

(D) Aurangzeb

 

63. During the reign of which Mughal was tobacco introduced in India ?

(A) Aurangzeb

(B) Jahangir

(C) Akbar

(D) Shahjahan

 

64. According to a legend, whom did Sikandar Lodi, the Sultan of Delhi, try to kill by various means ?

(A) Nanak

(B) Mirabai

(C) Kabir

(C) Chaitanya

 

69. The Delhi Sultan who styled himself “The Second Alexander” (Sikandar-i-Sani) was

(A) Balban

(B) Alauddin Khilji

(C) Sikandar Lodi

(D) Sikandar Khan

 

 

WBCS Main Question Paper – 2016

9. Which of the following pairs is not matched correctly ?

(A) Firuz Tughluq – Futuhat-i-Firuz-Shahi

(B) Zia-ud-din Barani – Kitab-ul-Rahala

(C) Zia-ud-din-Barani – Tarikh-i-Firuz Shahi

(D) Minhaj-us-Siraj – Tabaqat-i-Nasiri

 

10. “The success of Muizzudin Muhammad Ghori in India was the consummation of a process which extended over the whole of 12th Century”. By whom this observation has been made ?

(A) A.B.M. Habibullah

(B) Satish Chandra

(C) Irfan Habib

(D) A.K. Nizami

 

11. During the reign of which Sultan of Delhi did the Chahalgani or Chalisa come into existence ?

(A) Balban

(B) Raziya

(C) Iltutmish

(D) Ala-ud-din Khilji

 

12. Three types of the coins of the Delhi Sultanate tanka, shashgani and jital – were made respectively of –

(A) Silver, Silver, Copper

(B) Gold, Silver, Copper

(C) Silver, Bronze, Copper

(D) Gold, Bronze, Copper

 

13. Nicolo de Conti, an Italian visitor, came to Vjjaynagar during the reign of –

(A) Harihara I

(B) Bukka I

(C) Deva Raya II

(D) Deva Raya I

 

14. According to Abdur Razzaq, the policeman of Vijayanagar were paid out of taxes collected from

(A) Wine shops

(B) Brothels (prostitutes)

(C) Land revenue

(D) Taxes on goods

 

15. Which revenue system among the following is also known as the ‘bandobast’ system ?

(1580)

(A) Zabti

(B) Dahsala

(C) Nasaq

(D) Kankut

 

16. During the reign of which Mughal was tobacco introduced in India ?

(A) Akbar

(B) Aurangzeb

(C) Jahangir

(D) Shahjahan

 

17. Which Mughal is credited with prohibiting Sati unless the widow herself, of her own free will, persistently desired it ?

(A) Babur

(B) Akbar

(C) Humayan

(D) Jahangir

 

18. The only type of Jagir which could not be transferred was the –

(hereditary)

(A) Khidmati jagir

(B) Watan Jagir

(C) Milkiyat Jagir

(D) Tan Jagir

 

27. Who among the following Mughal rulers were half Rajput (born of a Rajput mother) ?

(A) Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb

(B) Akbar and Jahangir

(C) Jahangir and Shahjahan

(D) Jahangir and Humayan

 

28. Who was the first Englishman to visit Jahangir’s court ?

(1608)

(A) William Edwards

(B) Red Dragon

(C) Thomas Roe

(D) Hawkins

 

19. A new technique of painting, known as Siyahi qalam, became fashionable during the reign of –

(A) Akbar

(B) Aurangzeb

(C) Jahangir

(D) Shahjahan

 

 

WBCS Main Question Paper – 2015

148.  During whose reign did the post of Peshwa not only become powerful but also hereditary

(A) Rajaram  

(B) Shivaji – II      

(C) Sambhaji       

(D) Shahu

 

149.  Who among the following got the title of ‘Sena Karte’ ?

(Shahu)

(A) Balaji Biswanath

(B) Balaji Baji Rao      

(C) Rajaram       

(D) Baji Rao – I

 

153.  Which one of the following Mughal emperors is credited with the composition of many Hindi Songs ?

(A) Humayun        

(B) Babur       

(C) Akbar        

(D) Jahangir

 

154.  Which of the following manuscripts, containing miniature paintings, reveals a sense of realism and authenticity witnessed or experienced by the painters themselves

(Akbar, 1582-88)

(A) Timur Namah       

(B) Akbar Namah        

(C) Jamiut-Tawarikh        

(D) Tarikh-i Alfi

 

155.  The subject matter of Hamzanamah is

(A) Architecture          

(B) Painting

(C) Music       

(D) Philosophy

 

156.  The only type of Jagir which could not be transferred was –

(A) Khidmati Jagir        

(B) Watan Jagir

(C) MiIkiyat Jagir        

(D) Tan Jagir

 

157.  During the reign of which great Mughal was tobacco introduced in India ?

(1605, Portuguese)

(A) Jahangir

(B) Akbar       

(C) Shahjahan        

(D) Aurangzeb

 

158.  Which of the following mosques of the Mughals is also known as the ‘pearl-mosque‘ ?

(Shah Jahan, 1653)

(A) Jamia Masjid at Delhi         

(B) Jamia Masjid at Fatehpur

(C) Moti Masjid at Agra

(D) Aurangzeb’s personal mosque in the Red Fort

 

159. Who among the following Mughal Minister was the ‘pay master-general’ as well ?

(A) Diwan        

(B) Mir Bakshi

(C) Khan-i-Saman       

(D) Vakil

 

160. Who among the following nobles of Akbar was killed by the Afghan rebels in one of the Mughal campaigns to suppress them ?

(A) Man Singh        

(B) Todar Mal          

(C) Birbal

(D) Bhagwan Das

171. Which Vijayanagara ruler sent an embassy to China ?

(A) Harihara – I      

(B) Krishna Deva Raya       

(C) Bukka – I

(D) Saluva Narasimha

 

172.  ‘Every pearl in the royal crown is but the crystallized drops of blood fallen from the tearful eyes of the poor peasant’. Who made this statement ?

(A) Amir Khusrau

(B) Barauni        

(C) Ibn-Batutah       

(D) Al-Beruni

 

173. Who introduced the famous Persian festival of Nauroz ?

(A) Alauddin Khalji       

(B) Iltutmish        

(C) Balban

(D) Firuz Tughlaq

 

174.   The famous Jaina temples at Dilwara were built by

(11-13th centuries, Gujarat)

(A) Paramaras        

(B) Chandellas          

(C) Solankis

(D) Chauhans

 

178.  With which one of the following are the later foreign immigrants like Hunas, who came after the fall of Imperial Guptas, identified ?

(A) Kshatriyas       

(B) Fallen Kshatriyas          

(C) Rajputs

(D) Mlechchas

 

191.  Who among the following Rajputs were the first to voluntarily submit to Akbar ?

(A) Hedas      

(B) Sisodias       

(C) Rathors       

(D) Kachchhawahas

 

192.  Who among the following Englishmen was given the title ‘Khan’ by Jahangir ?

(A) Thomas Roe       

(B) Ralph Fitch       

(C) Hawkins

(D) Newbery

 

193.  Who was the founder of ‘Gajapati Dynasty’ of Orissa ?

(A) Purushottam        

(B) Kapilendra

(C) Prataparudra

(D) Vidyadhara

 

194.  Who was the founder of Sultanate of Madurai  ?

(A) Jalaluddin Ahsan

(B) Hussain Shah       

(C) Nusrat Shah       

(D) Dilwar Khan

 

195.  Who built the ‘Gol-Gombuj’ at Bijapur famous for the world’s second largest dome and the whispering gallery ?

(A) Mahmud Gawan      

(B) Yusuf Adil Shah      

(C) Ismail Adil Shah      

(D) Muhammed Adil Shah

 

196.  Which Sufi Saint adopted Yogic breathing exercises and was called Sidh or perfect ?

(A) Nizamuddin Auliya

(B) Farid      

(C) Salim Chisti       

(D) Muhammed Jilani

 

197.  Who wrote Gitawali, Kavitawali and Vinaya Patrika ?

(A) Tulsidas

(B) Surdas       

(C) Chaitanya       

(D) Namadeva

 

198.  What is ‘Asthavana’

(Vijayanagara Empire)

(A) Land revenue department

(B) A type of rice

(C) One-third of the produce of the land       

(D) House-tax

 

199.  City of Nagalapura was built by –

(A) Bukka – II        

(B) Deva Raya- I         

(C) Krishnadevaraya

(D) Virupaksha

 

200.  During whose reign did Vijayanagara come into conflict with Orissa for the first time ?

(A) Bukka – II       

(B) Devaraya – I      

(C) Devaraya – II       

(D) Virupaksha – II

 

 

WBCS Main Question Paper – 2014

59.  Which of the following work was not done by Amir Khosrue ?

(autobiography by Timur)

(A) Dewal Rani Khisly     

(B) Nuh Sipih       

(C) Qirun us Saadain       

(D) Tuzuk-i-Timuri

 

60.  Vallabhacharya was the most distinguished preacher of the

(A) Shaiva Cult       

(B) Shakti Cult       

(C) Balaram Cult       

(D) Krishna Cult

 

61.  Janamsakhi is the biography of

(A) Guru Nanak

(B) Guru Arjundeva       

(C) Guru Hargobind Sing      

(D) Guru Tegbahadur

 

62.  Who translated Atharvaveda into Persian during the Mughal period ?

(A) Abdul Hamid Lahori      

(B) Haji Ibrahim Sarhindi

(C) Khafi Khan      

(D) Malik Muhammad Jayasi

 

75.  Which Sultan of Bengal built Madrasas in Mecca & Madina

(A) Shamsuddin Ilius Shah

(B) Shekander Shah

(C) Ghiyasuddin Azam Shah

(D) Rukumuddin Barbak Shah

 

76.  Which General of Aurangzeb conquered Ahom kingdom in the East India ?

(A) Jai Singh      

(B) Josowant Singh       

(C) Sayesta Khan       

(D) Mir Jumla