Civil Services Prep

UPSC Prelims MCQs

History

  1. Al-Biruni relied heavily on normative Sanskritic texts, compared the caste system with social divisions in…
  2. Archaeological remains and travellers' descriptions indicate that the outer fortifications of Vijayanagara…
  3. Arrange the following architectural developments in the order of the rulers with whom they are associated: 1.…
  4. Arrange the following developments in chronological order, beginning with the earliest: 1. Shah Shuja allowed…
  5. Arrange the following developments in chronological order: 1. Battle of Haldighati 2. Second Battle of Panipat…
  6. Arrange the following developments in chronological order: 1. Establishment of the Vijayanagara Empire 2.…
  7. Arrange the following developments in chronological order: 1. Guru Arjan compiled the Adi Granth Sahib. 2.…
  8. Arrange the following developments in chronological order: 1. Transfer of Bengal’s diwani to the East India…
  9. Arrange the following events in chronological order, beginning with the earliest: 1. The Compagnie des Indes…
  10. Arrange the following events in chronological order, beginning with the earliest: 1. Shahu was released from…
  11. Arrange the following events in chronological order: 1. Humayun recovered the Mughal throne. 2. Babur defeated…
  12. Arrange the following in chronological order: 1. Reign of Aurangzeb 2. Reign of Jahangir 3. Nadir Shah’s sack…
  13. Arrange the following Sufi teachers according to the dates of their deaths: 1. Shaikh Nizamuddin Auliya 2. Ali…
  14. Arrange the following teachers or poet-saints according to the approximate periods in which they lived: 1.…
  15. Assertion (A): A Mughal mansabdar who received a jagir did not necessarily exercise territorial lordship over…
  16. Assertion (A): A Sufi silsila created continuity between successive generations of spiritual teachers and…
  17. Assertion (A): Akbar eventually discontinued the religious debates held at the Ibadat Khana. Reason (R): The…
  18. Assertion (A): Balban gave priority to consolidating the Delhi Sultanate and strengthening the monarchy.…
  19. Assertion (A): Firoz Tughlaq altered the fiscal treatment of jizya in addition to imposing it on non-Muslims.…
  20. Assertion (A): Historians must use compositions attributed to bhakti poet-saints with caution. Reason (R):…
  21. Assertion (A): It is difficult to determine with certainty which surviving verses were composed personally by…
  22. Assertion (A): Mahmud Gawan's importance in the Bahmani kingdom extended beyond the conduct of warfare. Reason…
  23. Assertion (A): Monsoon rainfall remained fundamental to Mughal agriculture, but artificial irrigation was…
  24. Assertion (A): Muhammad bin Tughlaq's token-currency experiment failed. Reason (R): Copper coins were assigned…
  25. Assertion (A): Persian acquired exceptional importance in Mughal administration and historical writing. Reason…
  26. Assertion (A): Physical geography influenced both routes of entry into India and the relative isolation of…
  27. Assertion (A): Succession to the Mughal throne frequently produced conflict among imperial princes. Reason…
  28. Assertion (A): The overseas horse trade had considerable political importance for Vijayanagara and its rivals.…
  29. Assertion (A): The sacred associations of the Vijayanagara site contributed to the political representation of…
  30. Assertion (A): Zamindars occupied a powerful position at the apex of Mughal rural society. Reason (R): They…
  31. Assertion: Agricultural production in Mughal India cannot be characterised as purely subsistence-oriented.…
  32. Assertion: Akbar’s zabti system attempted to create a standardised basis for land-revenue assessment. Consider…
  33. Assertion: Alauddin Khalji's reforms reduced the state's dependence on intermediaries in military payment and…
  34. Assertion: Delhi Sultanate architecture reflected both structural adaptation and material constraints rather…
  35. Assertion: Early Tamil bhakti traditions created space for questioning the exclusiveness of the Brahmanical…
  36. Assertion: Expanding overseas trade strengthened the monetary foundations of the Mughal economy. Consider the…
  37. Assertion: Humayun’s early political decisions and military reverses interrupted the continuity of Mughal…
  38. Assertion: Sikander Lodi's transfer of the capital from Delhi to Agra had a strategic purpose beyond a…
  39. Assertion: The Ain-i Akbari marked a departure from chronicles centred primarily upon dynastic and military…
  40. Assertion: The amara-nayaka system connected territorial administration with the maintenance of Vijayanagara's…
  41. Assertion: The eighteenth-century regional states weakened Mughal authority but failed to establish a stable…
  42. Assertion: The First Carnatic War showed that disciplined land forces and naval power could outweigh…
  43. Assertion: The influence of the Chishti silsila in the subcontinent was aided by its adaptation to local…
  44. Assertion: The jagirdari system came under increasing strain during Aurangzeb’s reign. Consider the following…
  45. Assertion: The reign of Muhammad Shah III combined territorial expansion with efforts to strengthen Bahmani…
  46. Assertion: The transfer of the Bahmani capital to Bidar was intended to serve both administrative and…
  47. Assertion: The use of regional languages helped devotional teachers address audiences beyond Sanskrit-educated…
  48. Aurangzeb annexed Bijapur and Golconda, but prolonged warfare brought the Mughals into direct confrontation…
  49. Babur’s army at Panipat was numerically inferior to Ibrahim Lodi’s forces, but it was better organised and…
  50. Chishti shaikhs valued austerity and distance from worldly authority, yet accepted unsolicited donations,…
  51. Chola rulers built major temples, organised the singing of Tamil Shaiva hymns and consecrated metal images of…
  52. Consider a category of land with the following characteristics: - It remained under the Sultan's direct…
  53. Consider a work with the following features: - It was written in Arabic by a Moroccan traveller. - It…
  54. Consider an arrangement characterised by the following features: - Four separate markets operated in Delhi. -…
  55. Consider the following characteristics of a European trading company: - It was formed in 1602 by amalgamating…
  56. Consider the following characteristics of an eighteenth-century ruler: - He established an independent state…
  57. Consider the following clues: - He served both Sher Khan and Akbar. - He held the offices of Diwan-i-Ala and…
  58. Consider the following clues: - He was a leading proponent of Vaishnavism in Assam. - His teaching emphasised…
  59. Consider the following clues: - He was the son of Shaikh Mubarak. - He was Akbar’s court historian and close…
  60. Consider the following clues: - His khanqah stood at Ghiyaspur near the Yamuna. - Amir Khusrau and Amir Hasan…
  61. Consider the following clues: - It was established at Fatehpur Sikri. - It operated under Akbar’s patronage. -…
  62. Consider the following clues concerning a Bahmani statesman: - He initially came to the Deccan as a Persian…
  63. Consider the following clues concerning a devotional community: - Its members worshipped Shiva in the form of…
  64. Consider the following clues concerning a Mughal emperor: - He was defeated at both Chausa and Bilgram. - He…
  65. Consider the following clues concerning a Mughal-period rural institution: - It was generally composed of…
  66. Consider the following clues concerning a Mughal work: - It was prepared under Abu’l Fazl’s direction. - It…
  67. Consider the following clues concerning a title: - It was used by the rulers of Vijayanagara. - It represented…
  68. Consider the following developments: 1. Establishment of the Sayyid Dynasty. 2. Beginning of Bahlul Lodi's…
  69. Consider the following events: 1. Jalaluddin Khalji ascended the throne. 2. Alauddin Khalji became Sultan…
  70. Consider the following events: 1. Qutbuddin Aibak made Lahore his capital. 2. Iltutmish received a *mansur*…
  71. Consider the following features of an educational institution: - It was known as a Chatuspathi or Tol in Bihar…
  72. Consider the following features of an instrument granted to the English East India Company: - It was issued by…
  73. Consider the following statements: 1. The Sayyid Dynasty was founded by a governor appointed by Timur. 2.…
  74. Consider the following statements: Assertion (A): Panipat repeatedly became the site of battles that affected…
  75. Consider the following statements: Assertion (A): The decline of the Mughal Empire cannot be explained solely…
  76. Consider the following statements: Assertion (A): The Portuguese acquired an early advantage over other…
  77. Consider the following table: | Aspect | Position of women | |---|---| | Agricultural work | Sowing, weeding,…
  78. Consider the following table: | Aspect | Teaching or practice associated with Baba Guru Nanak | |---|---| |…
  79. Consider the following table: | Book of the Ain-i Akbari | Subject | |---|---| | Manzil-abadi | Imperial…
  80. Consider the following table: | Campaign or battle | Result | |---|---| | Mahmud of Ghazni's campaign of 1001…
  81. Consider the following table: | Crop | Description | |---|---| | Cotton | A prominent jins-i kamil | |…
  82. Consider the following table: | Department | Function | Head | |---|---|---| | Diwan-i-Wizarat | Finance |…
  83. Consider the following table: | Development | Connection with Portuguese decline | |---|---| | Discovery of…
  84. Consider the following table: | Development | Description | |---|---| | Puranic dissemination | Simple…
  85. Consider the following table: | European power | Place | Description | |---|---|---| | Portuguese | Goa |…
  86. Consider the following table: | Event | Outcome | |---|---| | Conflict at Lahore, 1525 | Daulat Khan Lodi was…
  87. Consider the following table: | Individual | Year | Activity | |---|---:|---| | William Hawkins | 1609 |…
  88. Consider the following table: | Initiative | Associated feature or outcome | |---|---| | Transfer of capital |…
  89. Consider the following table: | Measure | Description | |---|---| | Abolition of pilgrim tax | Part of Akbar’s…
  90. Consider the following table: | Measure | Function attributed to it | |---|---| | Cash salaries | Payment of…
  91. Consider the following table: | Measure or development | Association | |---|---| | Division into eight tarafs…
  92. Consider the following table: | Official | Principal responsibility | |---|---| | Diwan-i-Ala | Imperial…
  93. Consider the following table: | Region or area | Commodities or industry | Nature of connection |…
  94. Consider the following table: | Social group or institution | Condition or function | |---|---| | Caste…
  95. Consider the following table: | State | Category | Associated ruler | |---|---|---| | Hyderabad | Successor…
  96. Consider the following table: | Structure or feature | Description | |---|---| | Raya gopuram | Monumental…
  97. Consider the following table: | Term | Meaning | |---|---| | Murid | Disciple of a Sufi master | | Khalifa |…
  98. Consider the following table concerning Vijayanagara: | Feature | Description | |---|---| | Kamalapuram tank |…
  99. During the Second Carnatic War, the French supported Muzaffar Jang and Chanda Sahib, while the English…
  100. Eighteenth-century India exported more goods than it imported, received silver and gold to balance its trade…
  101. Iltutmish created an elite body of forty nobles that initially served him faithfully but later intrigued…
  102. In Maharashtra, the hereditary land allotted to village artisans in return for their services was commonly…
  103. In the institutional organisation of Sufism, a khanqah was:
  104. In the Mughal Empire, the term kitabkhana referred to:
  105. In the Mughal mansabdari system, what did the terms zat and sawar respectively indicate?
  106. Mahmud Gawan divided the Bahmani kingdom into eight tarafs, sought to regulate their governors and penalised…
  107. Match List I with List II: | List I: European power | List II: Institutional feature | |---|---| | A.…
  108. Match List I with List II: | List I | List II | |---|---| | A. Alamgir Nama | 1. Inayat Khan | | B. Shah Jahan…
  109. Match List I with List II: | List I | List II | |---|---| | A. Alauddin Bahman Shah | 1. Bahmani minister of…
  110. Match List I with List II: | List I | List II | |---|---| | A. Babur | 1. Tuzuk-i-Jahangiri | | B. Gulbadan…
  111. Match List I with List II: | List I | List II | |---|---| | A. Bahlul Lodi | 1. Shifted the capital to Agra |…
  112. Match List I with List II: | List I | List II | |---|---| | A. Banjaras | 1. Local traders | | B. Baniks | 2.…
  113. Match List I with List II: | List I | List II | |---|---| | A. First Battle of Panipat | 1. Afghan forces in…
  114. Match List I with List II: | List I | List II | |---|---| | A. Kankut | 1. Fields divided after sowing | | B.…
  115. Match List I with List II: | List I | List II | |---|---| | A. Malfuzat | 1. Biographical accounts of saints |…
  116. Match List I with List II: | List I | List II | |---|---| | A. Muhammad bin Tughlaq | 1. *Rihla* | | B. Firoz…
  117. Match List I with List II: | List I | List II | |---|---| | A. Nalayira Divyaprabandham | 1. Shankaradeva | |…
  118. Match List I with List II: | List I | List II | |---|---| | A. Nicolo de Conti | 1. Ambassador sent by the…
  119. Match List I with List II: | List I | List II | |---|---| | A. Polaj | 1. Uncultivated for five years or more…
  120. Match List I with List II: | List I | List II | |---|---| | A. Qutbuddin Aibak | 1. Hauz-i-Sultani | | B.…
  121. Match List I with List II: | List I | List II | |---|---| | A. Sant bhasha | 1. Remembrance of God’s name | |…
  122. Match List I with List II: | List I | List II | |---|---| | A. Tungabhadra Doab | 1. A linguistic region…
  123. Match List I with List II: | List I: State | List II: Founder | |---|---| | A. Hyderabad | 1. Saadat Khan | |…
  124. Mirabai rejected the expected roles of wife and royal princess, accepted Krishna as her beloved and was…
  125. Mughal revenue records distinguished between jama, the amount assessed, and hasil, the amount actually…
  126. Mughal villages possessed collective institutions and common financial resources, but property was…
  127. Muhammad bin Tughlaq's token currency failed because of forgery, and his higher Doab taxation provoked revolt.…
  128. The Ain-i Akbari contains rich provincial statistics, but information was not collected uniformly, and many…
  129. The discovery of Brazil redirected Portuguese colonising activity westward. The union of Portugal and Spain…
  130. The number and ranks of Mughal amirs increased while the land available for assignment as jagirs diminished.…
  131. The Sultanate maintained central departments under the Sultan, Naib and Wazir, while territorial…
  132. What was milkiyat in the context of Mughal zamindars?
  133. What was the principal devotional purpose of ziyarat to the tomb of a Sufi saint?
  134. When reconciliation over excessive revenue demands failed, peasants could desert a village. Uncultivated land…
  135. Which Mughal emperor issued silver coins honouring Nur Jahan?
  136. Which Mughal official functioned as the paymaster-general and presented candidates for mansab appointments or…
  137. Which one of the following best explains why large quantities of silver bullion entered Mughal India?
  138. Which one of the following correctly associates the Kabir Bijak with the community that preserved it?
  139. Which one of the following correctly describes Alauddin Khalji's market administration?
  140. Which one of the following correctly describes the ancestry claimed by the Mughals?
  141. Which one of the following correctly describes the foundation of the Vijayanagara Empire?
  142. Which one of the following correctly distinguishes khud-kashta peasants from pahi-kashta peasants?
  143. Which one of the following correctly distinguishes saguna bhakti from nirguna bhakti?
  144. Which one of the following developments most directly intensified the European search for a direct sea route…
  145. Which one of the following developments most directly renewed India's vulnerability to invasions from the…
  146. Which one of the following expressions denoted Akbar’s principle of universal peace?
  147. Which one of the following is incorrectly matched?
  148. Which one of the following is incorrectly matched?
  149. Which one of the following is incorrectly matched?
  150. Which one of the following is incorrectly matched? | Aspect | Al-Biruni's assessment or method | |---|---| |…
  151. Which one of the following marked the final day of the Mahanavami celebrations at Vijayanagara?
  152. Which one of the following pairs is incorrectly matched?
  153. Which one of the following pairs is incorrectly matched?
  154. Which one of the following pairs is incorrectly matched?
  155. Which one of the following pairs is incorrectly matched?
  156. Which one of the following pairs is incorrectly matched?
  157. Which one of the following pairs is incorrectly matched?
  158. Which one of the following pairs is incorrectly matched?
  159. Which one of the following pairs is incorrectly matched?
  160. Which one of the following pairs is incorrectly matched?
  161. Which one of the following pairs is incorrectly matched?
  162. Which one of the following pairs is incorrectly matched?
  163. Which one of the following pairs is incorrectly matched?
  164. Which one of the following pairs is incorrectly matched?
  165. Which one of the following pairs is incorrectly matched?
  166. Which one of the following pairs is incorrectly matched?
  167. Which one of the following represents the correct chronological sequence of ruling dynasties at Vijayanagara?
  168. Which one of the following represents the most appropriate sequence of major agricultural operations?
  169. Which one of the following rulers created the *Turkan-i-Chahalgani* and introduced the iqtadari system?
  170. Which one of the following statements about education in eighteenth-century India is correct?
  171. Which one of the following statements best describes the Danish presence in India?
  172. Which one of the following was not associated with the decision to shift the Bahmani capital from Gulbarga to…
  173. Which one of the following works was written in Arabic and generally organised each chapter around a question,…
  174. Who among the following founded the Lodi Dynasty?
  175. Who among the following served as Akbar’s regent during the early years of his reign?
  176. Who compiled the hymns of Baba Guru Nanak, his four successors, Baba Farid, Ravidas and Kabir in the Adi…
  177. Who received the title “Zarrin Qalam” or “Golden Pen” at Akbar’s court?
  178. Why was the Nalayira Divyaprabandham frequently described as the “Tamil Veda”?
  179. With reference to Al-Biruni, consider the following statements: 1. He was taken to Ghazni after Sultan Mahmud…
  180. With reference to Firoz Tughlaq, consider the following statements: 1. He revived the iqta system and made it…
  181. With reference to Iltutmish, consider the following statements: 1. He shifted the capital from Lahore to…
  182. Arrange the following developments in chronological order, beginning with the earliest: 1. Banda Bahadur…
  183. Arrange the following events in chronological order, beginning with the earliest: 1. The French captured…
  184. Consider the following statements: Assertion (A): Dutch commercial activity in India did not develop into a…
  185. Nadir Shah defeated the Mughal army, devastated Delhi and annexed territory west of the Indus. Ahmad Shah…
  186. The English company was a private enterprise with comparatively less governmental control, while the French…
  187. Which one of the following pairs is incorrectly matched?
  188. Which one of the following pairs is incorrectly matched?