Very Short Answer Questions: Reshaping India’s Political Map | Social Science Class 8 - New NCERT PDF Download

Q1. What time span does the “medieval period” in Indian history generally cover?
Ans: Roughly the 11th to 17th centuries, marked by frequent invasions, shifting borders, and cultural blending.

Q2. When did the Delhi Sultanate begin, and with whose defeat?
Ans: In 1192, after Prithviraj Chauhan’s defeat.

Q3. Name the five dynasties of the Delhi Sultanate.
Ans: Mamluks (Slave), Khiljis, Tughlaqs, Sayyids, Lodis.

Q4. Which regions notably resisted the Sultanate’s expansion in the south and east?
Ans: The Hoysalas in the south and the Eastern Ganga kingdom in the east.

Q5. What trend shows political instability among the Sultans?
Ans: About two-thirds rose to power by killing predecessors, with average reigns around nine years.

Q6. Which Sultan repelled repeated Mongol invasions?
Ans: Ala-ud-din Khilji.

Q7. Who led Khilji’s southern raids and what did they fund?
Ans: Malik Kafur; the plunder funded a large army.

Q8. Name two failed policies of Muhammad bin Tughlaq.
Ans: Shifting the capital to Daulatabad and introducing token copper currency.

Q9. Who invaded Delhi in the late 14th century, and what was the impact?
Ans: Timur; mass killings, enslavement, and heavy plunder devastated Delhi.

Q10. Who built the Konark Sun Temple and why?
Ans: Narasimhadeva I of the Eastern Ganga to commemorate victories over the Sultanate.

Q11. Which Rajput ruler built Kumbhalgarh Fort?
Ans: Rana Kumbha of Mewar.

Q12. Who founded the Vijayanagara Empire and in which century?
Ans: Harihara and Bukka in the 14th century.

Q13. Which state was Vijayanagara’s principal northern rival?
Ans: The Bahmani Sultanate (later split into five Deccan Sultanates).

Q14. Name the five Deccan Sultanates formed from Bahmani disintegration.
Ans: Bijapur, Golconda, Berar, Ahmednagar, Bidar.

Q15. Who was Vijayanagara’s most famous ruler and one of his literary works?
Ans: Krishnadevaraya; he wrote the Telugu epic Āmuktamālyada.

Q16. Which battle led to Vijayanagara’s downfall and when?
Ans: The Battle of Talikota in 1565.

Q17. Who founded the Mughal Empire and after which battle?
Ans: Babur, after the First Battle of Panipat (1526).

Q18. What new military technologies did Babur use in India?
Ans: Gunpowder, field artillery, and matchlock guns.

Q19. Which Afghan ruler displaced Humayun and what was his empire called?
Ans: Sher Shah Suri; the Sur Empire.

Q20. Who was Himu and which battle led to his defeat?
Ans: A Suri commander who briefly ruled Delhi; defeated by Akbar at the Second Battle of Panipat.

Q21. Which Rajput fort’s fall saw jauhar during Akbar’s reign?
Ans: Chittorgarh Fort.

Q22. Name two of Akbar’s policies that promoted stability.
Ans: Abolishing jizya and promoting sulh-i-kul (peace with all).

Q23. Which Mughal emperor built the Taj Mahal and Red Forts?
Ans: Shah Jahan.

Q24. Under whom did the Mughal Empire reach its greatest territorial extent?
Ans: Aurangzeb.

Q25. Name two religious policies associated with Aurangzeb.
Ans: Reimposing jizya and ordering temple demolitions.

Q26. Which Gond queen resisted the Mughals and how did her life end?
Ans: Rani Durgavati; she chose death in battle in 1564 to avoid capture.

Q27. Name two Rajput leaders known for resisting the Mughals.
Ans: Rana Sanga and Maharana Pratap.

Q28. Who led the Ahoms to victory at Saraighat and against whom?
Ans: Lachit Borphukan; he defeated a larger Mughal force in 1671.

Q29. Which Sikh Gurus mark the turn to armed resistance and identity formation?
Ans: Guru Hargobind (militarization) and Guru Gobind Singh (Khalsa, 1699).

Q30. What were two key administrative systems under the Sultans and Mughals?
Ans: The iqta system (Sultanate tax grants) and Akbar’s mansabdari-jagirdari framework with Todar Mal’s revenue reforms.