The Maratha Kingdom & Confederacy - 1 - Free MCQ Practice Test with solutions,

The correct answer is Option B - He established a hierarchy of courts and the administration of justice was more of a national concern than local.

The statement in Option B is incorrect; the administration of justice under Maharaja Ranjit Singh was largely local and ad hoc rather than organised into a formal, centralized judicial hierarchy.

Land revenue was the principal source of state income, and the demand is generally recorded between 33% and 40% of the produce, depending on soil fertility; the Maharaja also issued orders to protect standing crops from being damaged by troops. This confirms that the claim in Option A is correct.

The government did set up an Adalat-i-Ala at Lahore which probably heard some appeals, but this did not amount to a fully developed, hierarchical court system like a national judiciary; most judicial decisions were taken by local officers according to local customs. This explains why Option B is wrong.

Maharaja Ranjit Singh employed European officers (notably Jean-Baptiste Ventura and Jean-François Allard, among others) to train and organise his army, and European expertise was widely used in the artillery and drill. This makes Option C correct.

Criminal fines were used as a source of revenue; penalties were often calibrated to the means of the offender, and in practice serious offences could be commuted for payment. Thus Option D is also correct.

In summary, Options A, C and D are historically supported, while Option B is not; therefore Option B is the incorrect statement about the administration of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.

The correct answer is Option D - Waqenavis

The Ashta Pradhan was a council of eight principal officers instituted by Shivaji at his coronation in 1674 to assist in administration; each officer had a defined portfolio.

The Waqenavis was the officer entrusted with intelligence - gathering and reporting information about internal and external developments - and with managing the household affairs of the ruler, including arrangements and internal security of the royal household.

Other principal officers and their main duties were: Peshwa - prime minister and chief coordinator; Amatya - finance and revenue administration; Sachiv - state correspondence and records; Mantri - internal administration; Sumant (often equated with Dabir) - foreign affairs and diplomacy; Senapati - commander-in-chief; Nyayadhish - judiciary; and Panditrao - religious affairs and charity.

Accordingly, the duties of intelligence and household affairs correspond to the office of the Waqenavis, not to Majumdar, Dabir, or Panditrao.

Shahu conferred the title of Sena-karte (organiser of forces) on Balaji Vishwanath and elevated him to the post of Peshwa in 1713. From now onwards the Chatrapati became just a figure-head. Balaji Vishwanath by his ability and statesmanship made the Peshwa ship hereditary in his family. Balaji Vishwanath (1713-20):

Shambaji Maharaj was captured by Muqurrab khan and his contingent of 25000 mughal troops in Sangameshvar. He was presented before the mughal emperor who ordered his execution. Muqurrab khan has also taken part in many seiges and he also became the defectors ruler of golcanda.

Chhattrapati Shahu, a grandson of Shivaji, was released by the Mughals after the death of Emperor Aurangzeb. Following a brief struggle with his aunt Tarabai, Shahu became ruler and appointed Balaji Vishwanath, and later, his descendants, as the peshwas or prime ministers of the empire.

The correct answer is Option - 1 only

Statement 1 is correct because Shivaji introduced a standardized measuring rod called kathi to replace the variable rope method; this change improved accuracy in land measurement across Maratha-controlled areas.

Statement 2 is incorrect. The Chauth was a levy of one-fourth (25%) of the revenue or produce from territories outside direct Maratha control, collected as a protection/tribute; the 10% levy mentioned corresponds to the Sardeshmukhi, an additional charge claimed on lands where Marathas asserted hereditary rights.

Statement 3 is incorrect. The Maratha council of ministers was the Ashta Pradhan (Council of Eight Ministers), each with defined duties; Ashtadiggajas refers to a distinct group historically known as eight eminent poets and is not the Maratha ministerial council.

Hence, only Statement 1 is correct.

The correct answer is Option B - Sikh confederacies

Misls were autonomous military-political units of the Sikh community in the 18th century that functioned together as regional confederacies under the collective framework of the Dal Khalsa.

Each unit was headed by a sardar, maintained its own armed forces, administered territory, and handled local revenue and defence responsibilities.

There were about 12 principal misls; initially they practised collective decision-making, but over time stronger chiefs began to consolidate power within their misls.

Ranjit Singh, leader of the Sukerchakia Misl, emerged as the principal unifier, captured Lahore in 1799, and assumed the title Maharaja in 1801, founding the Sikh Empire.

The correct answer is Option B - Only two

Statement 1 is correct. At his formal coronation in 1674 he adopted royal and religious titles, including Chhatrapati, Shakakarta, Kshatriya Kulavantas and Haindava Dharmodhhaarak, which asserted his sovereignty and claim to Kshatriya status.

Statement 2 is incorrect. The Ryotwari system is a term associated with later colonial settlements; Shivaji did not "abolish the Ryotwari System and replace it with the Jagirdari System." His revenue administration drew on Deccan precedents (notably practices associated with Malik Ambar such as measurement by rod/Kathi), emphasised direct state supervision of revenue, recognised hereditary cultivator rights (mirasdars), and restricted arbitrary intermediary powers rather than effecting the specific replacement described.

Statement 3 is correct. Military organisation under him included regular cash pay for ordinary soldiers and the maintenance of higher officers by service-based grants such as jagir or Saranjam, which tied revenue assignments to duty and service.

Therefore, two statements are correct.

The correct option is D.
All the  statements about the Treaty of 1719 between the Marathas and the Mughals are true.

The correct answer is Option A - 1 and 2 only

Statement 1 is correct. The misls were Sikh confederacies organised as military brotherhoods led by their chiefs (sirdars) but functioning through collective leadership and consultative bodies such as gatherings of chiefs and the Sarbat Khalsa, which introduced important elements of consultative or proto-democratic decision-making rather than absolute personal monarchy.

Statement 2 is correct. Historians conventionally identify twelve major misls that together formed the Sikh confederacy in the late 18th century; this count is the standard way of describing the organisation of Sikh forces before political unification.

Statement 3 is incorrect. Ranjit Singh belonged to the Sukerchakia misl (his father Mahan Singh was its leader). The Ahluwalia misl is associated with Jassa Singh Ahluwalia, not Ranjit Singh.

Thus, statements 1 and 2 are true and statement 3 is false, making Option A the correct choice.

The correct answer is Option C - All three

Mirasdars were hereditary holders of land who cultivated their holdings and enjoyed hereditary occupancy rights, making them resident cultivators rather than short-term tenants.

Patil was the village headman entrusted with local administration, presiding over the village assembly and supervising matters related to village revenue and communal organisation.

Kamavisdars were officials responsible for assessment and collection of revenue, acting as intermediaries between village society and higher Maratha authorities and thus functioning as revenue collectors.

Accordingly, All three statements are correct.

The Guerilla warfare for which the Marathas are best known was pioneered by Malik Ambar. He was a Siddi military leader in the Deccan region of India. He was also the mobilizing force behind the Marathas, the farmers turned into great warriors by Malik Ambar. Guerilla warfare is a type of warfare fought by irregulars in fast-moving, small-scale actions against orthodox military and police force either independently or in conjunction with a larger political-military strategy.

Shivaji's father Shahji belonged to the Bhonsle clan, which claimed patrilineal descent from the Sisodia Rajput royal family of Mewar. His mother Jijabai came from the aristocratic Jadhav family, which traced its lineage to the Yadavas of Devagiri.

The correct option is D.
All of the given statements are correct.

The correct option is A.
Shahaji Bhosale (1602–1664) was a military leader of 17th century India, who served the Ahmadnagar Sultanate, the Bijapur Sultanate, and the Mughal Empire at various points in his career.

The correct answer is Option A - Only one

Statement 1 is incorrect. The hereditary seat of the Peshwa was Pune, so the association given in Statement 1 is not correct.

Statement 2 is correct. The Scindia (Sindhia) house had its principal seat at Gwalior.

Statement 3 is incorrect. The Gaekwad (Gaikwad) dynasty ruled Baroda (Vadodara), not Indore.

Statement 4 is incorrect. The Holkar family's early seat was Maheshwar and later their capital became Indore, so they are associated with Indore rather than Baroda.

Statement 5 is incorrect. The Bhonsle rulers were associated with Nagpur, not Pune.

Therefore, exactly one of the given statements is correct.

Historical context: After the Third Battle of Panipat (1761), Maratha authority functioned as a confederacy with the Peshwa at Pune as nominal head and the principal chiefs - Scindias (Gwalior), Holkars (Indore/Maheshwar), Gaekwads (Baroda), and Bhonsles (Nagpur) - exercising regional control.

Shivaji Maharaj, son of Shahaji Raje Bhonsle & Jijabai, was born on Fort Shivneri. This fort is located in Junnar taluka of Pune district in Maharashtra. The generally accepted date of birth of Shivaji Maharaj is February 19, 1630; although some historians do put the year as 1627.

A is the correct option.After consolidating his control over Pune, Shivaji crossed the Western Ghats, and entered the Konkan region on the western coast of India.The Mavalis of the Western Ghats helped Shivaji in organising predatory expeditions.

Torna Fort, also known as Prachandagad, is a large fort located in Pune district, in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is historically significant because it was the first fort captured by Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in 1646, at the age of 16, forming the nucleus of the Maratha empire.

Afzal Khan was the most powerful General or Sardar in the court of the Bijapur Sultanate who fought against Shivaji. In 1659, he led an army of about 10,000 elite troops and pursued Shivaji persistently. He was killed at a meeting with Shivaji by Shivaji's lieutenant Sambhaji Kavji.

According to James Grant Duff, a captain in the British India Regiment, Surat was attacked by Shivaji on 5 January 1664. Surat was a wealthy port city in Mughal empire for the sea trade of the era.

A is the correct option.Raja Jai Singh considered the Alliance with Shivaji as a starting point of the conquest of Birajpur and the entire Deccan. And once this has been done, shivaji would have no other choice but to remain as an Ally to the Mughals and aice Jai Singh wrote this to Aurangzeb “We shall hem Shivaji in like the centre of a circle”

Shivaji reached Agra on June 11, 1666, accompanied by his son and a small force. When he reached the Mughal durbar, Aurangzeb ignored him. He was made to stand in courtiers' row and this angered Shivaji and when he made his move he realised he was under house arrest.

In 1674, Shivaji crowned himself formally at Raigarh. It placed him on a pedestal much higher than any of the Maratha chiefs, some of whom had continued to look upon him as an upstart.