"Medieval India — Sultanate to Mughals" — Practice

Question 1

The Delhi Sultanate was founded in 1206 by:
(a) Qutb-ud-din Aibak (b) Alauddin Khilji (c) Iltutmish (d) Muhammad bin Tughlaq

Accepted Answer

(a) Qutb-ud-din Aibak.

A general of Muhammad of Ghor, Aibak founded the Mamluk (Slave) Dynasty at Delhi after Ghor's death, beginning the Delhi Sultanate.

Question 2

Razia Sultana, the first and only woman to rule the Delhi Sultanate, belonged to which dynasty?
(a) Mamluk (Slave) Dynasty (b) Khilji Dynasty (c) Tughlaq Dynasty (d) Lodi Dynasty

Accepted Answer

(a) Mamluk (Slave) Dynasty.

She ruled briefly in the 13th century, a frequently tested standalone fact within the Sultanate period.

Question 3

Alauddin Khilji's market control reforms, fixing prices for grain and cloth, were primarily aimed at:
(a) sustaining a large standing army economically (b) promoting religious conversion (c) funding temple construction (d) encouraging foreign trade

Accepted Answer

(a) sustaining a large standing army economically.

By controlling prices through a state-regulated market system, Khilji ensured his soldiers' fixed salaries retained purchasing power, allowing him to maintain a large army to repel repeated Mongol invasions.

Question 4

Muhammad bin Tughlaq's token currency experiment failed primarily due to:
(a) widespread counterfeiting (b) rejection by foreign traders only (c) a shortage of copper (d) opposition from the Sufi orders

Accepted Answer

(a) widespread counterfeiting.

This is a separate failed policy from his transfer of the capital from Delhi to Daulatabad — both are frequently tested together as distinct Tughlaq-era administrative failures.

Question 5

The Vijayanagara Empire, founded in 1336, reached its peak under which ruler?
(a) Krishnadeva Raya (b) Harihara (c) Bukka (d) Rama Raya

Accepted Answer

(a) Krishnadeva Raya.

Ruling under the Tuluva dynasty in the early 16th century, he is noted for extensive patronage of literature, temple construction and sophisticated irrigation systems.

Question 6

The Vijayanagara Empire's imperial power was decisively ended at the Battle of Talikota (1565) by:
(a) a confederacy of Deccan (Bahmani successor) Sultanates (b) the Mughal Empire (c) the Delhi Sultanate (d) the Marathas

Accepted Answer

(a) a confederacy of Deccan (Bahmani successor) Sultanates.

The Bahmani Sultanate had earlier fragmented into five Deccan Sultanates (Bijapur, Golconda, Ahmednagar, Bidar, Berar), which combined forces to defeat Vijayanagara.

Question 7

Guru Nanak, founder of Sikhism, is associated with which region?
(a) Punjab (b) Bengal (c) Maharashtra (d) Karnataka

Accepted Answer

(a) Punjab.

He emphasised one formless God, equality, and rejection of caste and ritualism — distinct from Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (Bengal, Krishna-bhakti kirtan) and Basavanna (Karnataka, Lingayat movement).

Question 8

Which Sufi order, associated with saints like Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti and Nizamuddin Auliya, was most influential in India and known for openness to people of all faiths?
(a) Chishti order (b) Suhrawardi order (c) Naqshbandi order (d) Qadiri order

Accepted Answer

(a) Chishti order.

The Chishti order emphasised love and tolerance and became deeply woven into popular devotional practice in India, unlike the comparatively more state-power-engaged Suhrawardi order.

Question 9

Sher Shah Suri, who briefly displaced Humayun from the Mughal throne, is credited with:
(a) building the Grand Trunk Road and introducing the rupiya silver coin (b) founding the Din-i-Ilahi (c) building the Taj Mahal (d) introducing the mansabdari system

Accepted Answer

(a) building the Grand Trunk Road and introducing the rupiya silver coin.

His efficient land revenue system also influenced later Mughal administration under Akbar.

Question 10

The Zabti/Dahsala land revenue system, assessing revenue based on a 10-year average of crop yields and prices, was refined under Akbar largely by:
(a) Raja Todar Mal (b) Raja Man Singh (c) Abul Fazl (d) Birbal

Accepted Answer

(a) Raja Todar Mal.

As Akbar's finance minister, Todar Mal systematised this revenue assessment method, a significant improvement over earlier ad hoc approaches.

Question 11

Din-i-Ilahi, promoted by Akbar, is best described as:
(a) a syncretic ethical order that never gained mass following (b) the official state religion of the Mughal Empire (c) a Sufi silsilah (order) (d) a Bhakti movement

Accepted Answer

(a) a syncretic ethical order that never gained mass following.

It reflected Akbar's broader policy of religious tolerance but did not replace Islam or Hinduism as a formal state religion.

Question 12

The Jizya tax, abolished by Akbar, was later reinstated by which ruler?
(a) Aurangzeb (b) Jahangir (c) Shah Jahan (d) Humayun

Accepted Answer

(a) Aurangzeb.

This exact reversal — Akbar's abolition followed by Aurangzeb's reinstatement — is among the most frequently tested single facts in Medieval Indian history.

Question 13

The Taj Mahal was built under the patronage of:
(a) Shah Jahan (b) Akbar (c) Jahangir (d) Aurangzeb

Accepted Answer

(a) Shah Jahan.

Built as a mausoleum for his wife Mumtaz Mahal; Humayun's Tomb, an earlier and influential precursor in Mughal garden-tomb architecture, was built under Akbar's patronage after Humayun's death.

Question 14

The Persian ruler who sacked Delhi in 1739, seizing the Peacock Throne and the Koh-i-Noor diamond, was:
(a) Nadir Shah (b) Ahmad Shah Abdali (c) Sher Shah Suri (d) Babur

Accepted Answer

(a) Nadir Shah.

This invasion, along with later Afghan invasions by Ahmad Shah Abdali and rising Maratha power, significantly accelerated the Mughal Empire's decline after Aurangzeb's death in 1707.

Question 15

The Bahmani Sultanate eventually fragmented into how many Deccan Sultanates?
(a) Five (b) Three (c) Seven (d) Two

Accepted Answer

(a) Five.

Bijapur, Golconda, Ahmednagar, Bidar and Berar — this confederacy later combined to defeat Vijayanagara at the Battle of Talikota in 1565.

Practice — "Medieval India — Sultanate to Mughals"

Sign in to save attempts to your dashboard and track your accuracy over time

Find a verified tutor

Join a live course

Browse coaching centres

About

Categories

Support

Documentation

Get Study Tips & Updates

Download Our App

Download for iOS

Download for Android

Popular Cities