Medieval Indian History MCQs
Multiple choice questions on Medieval Indian History for General Studies and GK preparation of SSC, NDA, CDS, UPSC, UPPSC and State PSC Examinations.
1. Who was the first Indian ruler to organize Haj pilgrimage at the expense of the state?
[A] Alauddin Khilji
[B] Feroz Tughlaq
[C] Akbar
[D] Aurangzeb
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Akbar]
Notes:
Akbar was the first Indian ruler to organize Haj pilgrimage at the expense of the state.
2. Who among the following poets used to write the Urdu Ghazals with the pen name “Asad”?
[A] Mir Taqi Mir
[B] Dushyant
[C] Mirza Ghalib
[D] Amir Khusrow
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Mirza Ghalib]
Notes:
Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib used Asad as an early pen name and later became famous as Ghalib. He wrote poetry in Urdu and Persian and received courtly honours from Bahadur Shah Zafar.
3. Surdas was a disciple of which among the following?
[A] Ramanujacharya
[B] Ramananda
[C] Vallabhacharya
[D] Gyaneshwar
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Vallabhacharya]
Notes:
Surdas was a 16th-century blind Hindu devotional poet and singer known for his lyrics written in praise of Krishna. He was a disciple of Vallabhacharya.
4. Moti Masjid was built in Red Fort by which of the following Mughal Emperor?
[A] Shahjahan
[B] Aurangazeb
[C] Shah Aalam II
[D] Akbar
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Aurangazeb]
Notes:
Aurangzeb built the Moti Masjid within Delhi’s Red Fort as a private mosque. Its white marble gives it the name Pearl Mosque.
5. Year 1674 AD marks which of the following important events of life of Shivaji ?
[A] Shivaji’s Coronation
[B] Treaty of Purander
[C] Battle of surat
[D] None of the above
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Shivaji’s Coronation]
Notes:
Shivaji was formally crowned Chhatrapati (meaning lord of the umbrella, the umbrella being an important symbol of royalty), on June 6, 1674 at Raigad fort, and given the title Kshatriya Kulavantas Sinhasanadheeshwar Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj
6. Which of the following Mughal Emperors shifted his imperial court and residence from Agra to Sikri, later renamed as Fatehpur Sikri?
[A] Akbar
[B] Jahangir
[C] Shahjahan
[D] Aurangzeb
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Akbar]
Notes:
Akbar is the Mughal emperor who shifted his imperial court and residence deom Agra to Sikri. Fatehpur Sikri is a town in the Agra District of Uttar Pradesh, India. The city itself was founded as the capital of Mughal Empire in 1571 by Emperor Akbar.
7. Which Khilji ruler adopted the title of “Sikandar -i- Sani”?
[A] Jalaluddin Khilji
[B] Allauddin Khilji
[C] Mubarak Khan
[D] Shihabuddin
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Allauddin Khilji]
Notes:
Allauddin Khilji is known for his ambitious expansionist policies as he sought to build an empire across India. His reign marked the beginning of a period of extensive military conquests. The “Sikandar-i-Sani” title pays homage to Alexander the Great (“Sikandar”) and reflects Allauddin Khilji’s aspirations towards comparable military success and empire-building.
8. In the context of Alauddin Khalji’s economic reforms, land revenue was generally fixed at what share of the produce?
[A] One-sixth
[B] One-fourth
[C] One-third
[D] One-half
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [One-half]
Notes:
Alauddin Khalji fixed the state’s land-revenue demand at one-half of the produce in the territories where his agrarian reforms were enforced. Assessment was based on measurement of cultivated land, known as masahat, rather than relying solely on estimates. The reforms strengthened the Sultan’s control over revenue collection and sought to limit the influence of local intermediaries. Thus, the correct share of the produce was one-half.
9. When did Jizya reintroduced by Aurangzeb ?
[A] 1681
[B] 1682
[C] 1679
[D] 1680
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [1679]
Notes:
In 1679 AD, the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb reimposed Jizya on Hindus, at the usual rates of 48 dirhams on the rich, 24 on the middle class, and 12 on the poor. The Jizya was hated by the Hindus as it was a symbol of their inferiority and involved a lot of humiliation. In 1564 AD, the Mughal emperor Akbar abolished Jizya, a poll tax, on Hindus.
10. Mahmud of Ghazni’s campaign against the Somnath temple is commonly dated to which period?
[A] 1025–1026 AD
[B] 1018–1019 AD
[C] 1027–1028 AD
[D] 1030–1031 AD
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [1025–1026 AD]
Notes:
Mahmud of Ghazni’s expedition to Somnath took place across 1025–1026 AD. The campaign began in 1025, while the attack on the temple is also dated to 1026 in historical accounts. Giving the campaign as a two-year range reflects this distinction and avoids treating its departure and the temple’s attack as necessarily occurring in the same calendar year. Somnath, a major Shiva shrine in Gujarat, was plundered during the expedition.
