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. Which among the following is the correct meaning of a word “Manigramam” used in medieval India?
[A] Association of Villages
[B] Complex of various markets
[C] Association of Merchants
[D] Unit of administration in a small village
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Association of Merchants]
Notes:
Manigramam was a merchant organisation active in medieval South India. Its members participated in regional and overseas trade, and evidence of its activity also occurs in Southeast Asia.
2. At which among the following places, the modern armory was established by Hyder Ali?
[A] Mysore
[B] Dindigul
[C] Dharmapuri
[D] Hosur
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Dindigul]
Notes:
The Dindigul Fort was built in 16th-century in the state of Tamil Nadu. Later Hyder Ali occupied the fort and established a modern armory.
3. Rajasekhara, the eminent Sanskrit poet, dramatist and critic, who is best known for his work Kavyamimamsa, has described himself as guru of which king of Gurjara Pratiharas?
[A] Bhoj II
[B] Mihirbhoja I
[C] Mahendrapala I
[D] Mahipala I
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Mahendrapala I]
Notes:
Rajasekhara was an eminent Sanskrit poet, dramatist and critic of 10th century and was court poet of the Gurjara Pratihara Kings. His most important works are Kavyamimamsa and Karpurmanjari. He had written Karpurmanjari to please his wife Avantisundari. Karpurmanjari is written in Sauraseni Prakrit. In his plays, Rajshekhara has described himself as teacher / guru of Gurjara Pratihara King Mahendrapala I.
4. One of the cited reasons of the expedition of Muhammad Bin Qasim on Sindh was to punish the Bawarij of Sindh. Who were these people?
[A] Dacoits
[B] Pirates
[C] Soldiers
[D] Traders
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Pirates ]
Notes:
Bawarij were Sindhi pirates who used special ships called barja warships. They looted Arab shipping bound for the Indian subcontinent and China. One of the cited reasons of Arab conquest of Sindh was to punish the Bawarij who used to prey on Arab shipping from their bases at Kutch, Debal and Kathiawar.
5. Out of the battles fought between contemporary rulers and Babur, which among the following resulted in the firm establishment of Babur’s rule in North India?
[A] Battle of Panipat
[B] Battle of Khanva
[C] Battle of Ghagra
[D] Second Battle of Panipat
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Battle of Khanva]
Notes:
The Battle of Khanwa was fought at Khanwa, in Bharatpur District of Rajasthan, on March 16, 1527. It was fought between the invading forces of the first Mughal Emperor Babur and the Rajput forces led by Rana Sanga of Mewar, after the Battle of Panipat.
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. Who started the construction of Alai Minar ?
[A] Allauddin Khilji
[B] Jallaluddin Khilji
[C] Mubarak Khan
[D] Shihabuddin
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Allauddin Khilji ]
Notes:
The Alai Minar is an incomplete monument that lies within the Qutb complex in South Delhi. Ala-ud-Din Khilji was an over ambitious Sultan of the Khilji dynasty and to commemorate his victory, he started constructing a huge Tower or Minar that would double the height of Qutub Minar in order to be remembered as the only Sultan who dared to create such a monumental masterpiece that was grander and more spectacular than the Qutub Minar of Qutb-ud-din Aibak of the Slave dynasty that ruled before him.
8. Who was the ruler of Chittorgarh when Allauddin Khilji invaded and annexed it?
[A] Raja Karan
[B] Rana Hammir Deva
[C] Rana Rawal Ratan Singh
[D] Rama Chandra Deva
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Rana Rawal Ratan Singh]
Notes:
Rawal Ratnasimha, commonly called Ratan Singh, ruled Chittor when Alauddin Khalji besieged and captured it in 1303.
9. Which of the following were among the markets regulated under Alauddin Khalji’s market-control measures?
[A] Mandi, the grain market
[B] Sarai-i-Adl, the market for cloth and other goods
[C] Markets for horses, cattle and slaves
[D] All of the above
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [All of the above]
Notes:
Alauddin Khalji regulated several markets in Delhi as part of his price-control measures. Mandi was the grain market, while Sarai-i-Adl dealt with cloth and other specified goods. Separate arrangements covered horses, cattle and slaves. The Shahna-i-Mandi was the market superintendent, not the name of the grain market. These regulations aimed to control prices and ensure the supply of goods, including provisions for the Sultan’s large army.
10. In the council of ministers of Shivaji, the finance minister was known as
[A] Mazumdar
[B] Dabir
[C] Sar-i-Naubat
[D] Peshwa
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Mazumdar]
Notes:
In the council of ministers of Shivaji, Mazumdar (or Amatya) was the finance and revenue minister who looked after the accounts of income and expenditure.
