Test: Medieval History - Software Development MCQ

The correct answer is Razia Sultan.

Key Points

• Razia Sultana was the first and last woman Sultanate of India and ruled the court of Delhi from the end of 1236 to 1240.
• The only ever woman to do so, she defied all odds to occupy the throne, including overcoming conflicts over her gender and her slave ancestry.
• The fifth Mamluk dynasty ruler, history deems Razia Sultan as one of the very few female rulers in the history of Islamic civilizations across the world.
• During her reign, she ordered coins be minted with her title as “Pillar of Women, Queen of the Times, Sultan Razia, daughter of Shamsuddin Iltumish.”

Additional Information

• Chand Bibi
  • Sultana Chand Bibi was an Indian Muslim ruler and warrior.
  • She acted as the Regent of Bijapur Sultanate and Ahmednagar Sultanate in current day Maharashtra.
  • Chand Bibi is best known for defending Ahmednagar against the Mughal forces of Emperor Akbar in 1595.
• Noor Jahan
  • Nur Jahan (born Mehr-un-Nissa, 31 May 1577 – 18 December 1645 was the twentieth (and last) wife of the Mughal emperor Jahangir.
  • She was a married woman when Prince Salim (the future Emperor Jahangir), Akbar's eldest son, fell in love with her. 
  • Nur Jahan was born Mehr-un-Nissa, the daughter of a Grand Vizier (Minister) who served under Akbar.
• Mumtaz Mahal
  • Mumtaz Mahal was the Empress consort of the Mughal Empire from 19 January 1628 to 17 June 1631 as the chief consort of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan.
  • The Taj Mahal in Agra often cited as one of the Wonders of the World, was commissioned by her husband to act as her tomb.

The correct answer is Akbar.

Key Points

•  Akbar(1556-1605):
  • Akbar was born on 15th October 1542. His full name was Abu'l-Fath Jalal ud-din Muhammad Akbar.
  • Akbar succeeded his father Humayun at the age of thirteen on 14th February 1556 as the third Mughal Emperor of India.
  • Akbar made major reforms in the war techniques especially in the use of firearms.
  • He reigned from 1556 to 1605 and extended Mughal power over most of the Indian subcontinent.
  • To preserve the unity of his empire, Akbar adopted programs that won the loyalty of the non-Muslim populations of his realm.

Additional Information

• Jahangir:
  • The fourth Mughal ruler, Jahangir, was succeeded by the famous Akbar the Great.
  • Jahangir was known for his ambivalent stance on religion and his love for art.
  • Like most Mughal rulers, Jahangir has given India a few of the most iconic structures that have lasted the centuries without losing their glory.
• Shahjahan:
  • Shah Jahan was an able military commander.
  • While still a prince, he was able to obtain the submission of the Rajput state of Mewar which Akbar had not been able to defeat.
  • Mewar then became a vassal of the Mughal Empire.
  • On becoming the emperor, Shah Jahan executed many of his former rivals including his own brother Shahryar, imprisoned many more, and consolidated his power.
  • The Mughal rules of succession do not follow primogeniture, i.e., the eldest son succeeding the father; there is always a fight for power by brothers in the Mughal courts upon the death of a ruler.
• Babur:
  • Babur was the founder of the Mughal empire in the Indian subcontinent
  • He ruled the Mughal dynasty from 1526 to 1530.
  • Babur came to India from Ferghana.
  • Babur succeeded to the throne of Ferghana in 1494 when he was only 12 years old.
  • He was forced to leave his ancestral throne due to the invasion of the Uzbeks(Mongol group).
  • He was a descendant of Timur from his father's side and a descendant of Chengiz Khan from his mother's side.
  • He defeated Ibrahim Lodi at Panipat and captured Delhi and Agra in 1526.
  • He defeated Rana Sanga of Mewar at Khanwa in 1527
  • He defeated the Rajputs at Chanderi in 1528.
  • Baburnama or Tuzuk-e-Baburi is the autobiography of Babur.
  • He died at Agra in 1530.

The correct answer is Shiva.

Key Points

• Nayanars were devotees of Shiva.
• Alvars were devotees of Vishnu
• The Vaishanvite movement was a strong movement that reigned in South India till the end of the thirteenth century.
• Prabhandas were the collection of songs that Alvars sang.
• Aryikas were the female monks under Digambara School of Jainism.

The correct answer is Todar Mal.

• As Akbar's finance minister, Raja Todar Mal has implemented a new revenue system called zabt, and a tax system called dahshala.
  • He took a careful survey of crop yields and cultivated prices for a ten-year 1570–1580 era. 
  • On this basis, the tax has been set in cash on each harvest.
  • Each province was divided into income circles with its own tax rates and an individual crop schedule.
  • There was a prevalence of this method where the Mughal administration could survey the land and keep careful records.

Important Points 

• The Akbar territory was divided into 15 Subahs for the revenue system, further subdivided into a total of 187 Sarkars across 15 subahs, and those 197 sarkars (sirkar) were subdivided into a total of 3367 Mahals or Pargana.

The correct answer is Hampi.

Key Points

• Vijayanagara empire ruins were found in Hampi.
• The ruins at Hampi:
  • The Vijayanagara empire was established in 1336 by Harihara I and his brother Bukka Raya I.
  • The empire was destroyed in the Battle of Talikota in 1565.
  • The ruins at Hampi were brought to light in 1800 by an engineer and antiquarian named Colonel Colin Mackenzie.
  • An employee of the English East India Company, he prepared the first survey map of the site.
  • Much of the initial information he received was based on the memories of priests of the Virupaksha temple and the shrine of Pampadevi.
  • Subsequently, from 1856, photographers began to record the monuments which enabled scholars to study them.
  • As early as 1836 epigraphists began collecting several dozen inscriptions found at this and other temples at Hampi. 

The correct answer is Alauddin Khilji.

Key Points

• Alauddin Khilji:
  • Alauddin Khilji was the second ruler of the Khalji Dynasty.
  • He ruled from 1296 to1316.​
  • He conquered nearly the regions which include Gujrat, Chittor, Ranthambhor, Malwa, Ujjain, etc.
  • He acquires the title "Sikander-i-Sani".
  • He was the first Sultan to conquer South India.

Additional Information

• Iltutmish:
  • ​He was the real founder of the Delhi sultanate.
  • He ruled from 1211 to 1236 AD.
  • He introduces the Iqta system and made it hereditary.
• Babur:
  • ​He was the founder of the Mughal Empire in India.
  • He ruled from 1526 to 1530 AD.
  • Baburnama, also known as Tuzk-e Babri is the biography of Babur written by him.
  • Humayun was the son of Babur.

• Muhammad bin Tughluq:
  • ​Muhammad bin Tughluq was the Sultan of Delhi from 1325 to 1351.
  • He was the founder of the Tughluq dynasty.
  • He was proficient in many Indian languages.
  • He introduced the copper currency system.

The correct answer is Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti.

Key Points

• Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti came to India in 1192 CE and afterwards, he started the Sufi sect in India.
• After visiting many places in India, he settled permanently in Ajmer.
• The tomb of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti in Ajmer is known as Ajmer Sharif’.
• His disciples or devotees recall him by the names of ‘Khwaja Sahib’ or ‘Garib Nawaz’.
• Chishti sect considers music as the important source of displaying love for God. 

Thus, we can conclude that the Sufi sect was started by Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti.

Additional Information

• Baba Farid was a Sunni Muslim and was one of the founding fathers of the Chishti Sufi order.
• Shaikh Nuruddin, also known as Nund Rishi was a Kashmiri Sufi saint, mystic, poet and Islamic preacher. Nund Reshi was among the founders of the Rishi order, a Sufi tradition of the region.
• Amir Khusro was an Indo-Persian Sufi singer, musician, poet and scholar who lived under the Delhi Sultanate. He was an iconic figure in the cultural history of the Indian subcontinent.

Sant Kabir Das:

• Sant Kabir Das was a very renowned saint, poet and social reformer of India who lived during the 15th century. His esteemed works and poems describe the greatness and oneness of the Supreme Being.
• He was a proponent of the Bhakti Movement. 
• He did not believe in any religious discrimination and readily accepted all religions. 
• A religious community known as ‘Kabir Panth’ was founded by him and the members of this forum are referred to as ‘Kabir Panthis’.
• Kabir Das’ ideologies were greatly influenced by Vaishnava saint Swami Ramananda who accepted Kabir as his disciple. Hence, option 4 is correct.

His famous literary works:

• Bijak, Sakhi Granth, Kabir Granthawali and Anurag Sagar.
• His verses are found in Sikhism’s scripture Guru Granth Sahib.
• The major part of his work was collected by the fifth Sikh guru, Guru Arjan Dev.
• The hallmark of Sant Kabirdas’ work consists of his two-line couplets, popularly known as ‘Kabir Ke Dohe.

The correct answer is Kannauj.

Key Points

• The Palas, Prathiharas and Rashtrakutas fought for control of Kannauj.
• It is known as a tripartite struggle.
• Kannauj is a city situated in Uttar Pradesh.
• The Tripartite Struggle for Kanauj had happened between:
  • The Palas of Bengal.
  • The Pratiharas of Central India.
  • The Rashtrakutas of Deccan. 
• The tripartite struggle ultimately ended in favour of Nagabhata II, Gurjara - Pratihara ruler.
• ​​The struggle lasted for 200 years and weakened all of them which enabled the Turks to overthrow them. 

The Correct Answer is Option 1 i.e Tomara Rajputs.

• Tomara Rajputs (8th Century -12th Century):
  • Anangapala was considered to be the founder of this dynasty.
  • Delhi became the capital of a kingdom for the first time under the Tomara Rajputs.
  • They were defeated by Chauhans in the middle of the twelfth century.
  • The name of Anangpala is inscribed in the Iron Pillar of Delhi. 
• Chauhans (1165-1192):
  • Prithviraj Chauhan was the most important ruler of this dynasty.
  • In the first battle of Tarain 1191 AD, he defeated Muhammad Ghori.
  • In the second battle of Tarain 1192 AD, he was defeated by Muhammad Ghori.
•  Aurangzeb (1658-1707):
  • He was the sixth Mughal Emperor.
  • He executed the ninth Sikh guru Guru Tegh Bahadur in 1675 AD.
  • He re-imposed Jaziya in 1679 AD.