History · General Awareness

Medieval and Modern Indian History

1,676 Questions

Explore a comprehensive collection of medieval and modern Indian history questions designed for exam preparation. The topics cover major wars, treaties, regional conflicts, and colonial administration. This material helps candidates appearing for civil services and other competitive examinations to test their knowledge effectively.

Carnatic warsMughal and Sultanate conflictsBritish annexation policiesIndo Pak warsColonial administration

Medieval and Modern Indian History Questions

Multiple choice

Which of the following statements is/are correct?

  1. Ala-ud-din Khilji was the first Indian ruler of the Delhi Sultanate.
  2. One of the major reasons of the decline of Ala-ud-din's dynasty was the invasion of Mongols.

  1. Only 1

  2. Only 2

  3. Both of these

  4. Neither of these
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Jalal-ud-din Firuz Khilji was founder of the Khilji dynasty. The most distinguishing part of Ala-ud-din's reign was the fact that he repeatedly defeated the Mongol invaders. Not only did he defeat them, but also raided their strongholds. So much was his fear that the Mongols spared India after that.

Multiple choice

Which of the following statements is/are correct?

  1. Turkic ruler, Timur Lang invaded India on the pretext that the Muslim sultans of Delhi were too tolerant of their Hindu subjects.
  2. Timur Lang invaded India during the reign of the Tughlaqs over Delhi.

  1. Only 1

  2. Only 2

  3. Both of these

  4. Neither of these
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

In 1398, Timur Lang invaded India on the pretext that the Muslim sultans of Delhi were too tolerant of their Hindu subjects. After defeating the armies of Nasiruddin Mahmud of Tughlaq dynasty on 15 December 1398, Timur entered Delhi on 18 December, 1398, and the city was sacked, destroyed and left in ruins, and over 100, 000 war prisoners were killed as well.

Multiple choice

Which of the following statements is/are incorrect in relation to the literature of the Delhi Sultanate?

  1. Persian became the official language of India.
  2. Sanskrit and other regional languages lost their importance.

  1. Only 1

  2. Only 2

  3. Both of these

  4. Neither of these
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

The rise of Persian speaking people to the throne naturally resulted in the spread of the Persian language in India. It was the official language and soon literary works in the language began to appear. Sanskrit continued to remain an important language of the time, and despite the increasingly influence of Persian, it was able to hold its ground. There was also significant amount of work taking place in regional languages.

Multiple choice

Which of the following statements is/are correct in relation to Akbar's diplomatic policy?

  1. Akbar diplomatic policy departed from that of his predecessors.
  2. He extracted a tribute from each territory he conquered and then left it to administer its dominion autonomously.

  1. Only 1

  2. Only 2

  3. Both of these

  4. Neither of these
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Akbar departed from the diplomatic policy of his predecessors in his treatment of the territories he conquered. Previous Mughals extracted a large tribute from these rulers and then leave them to administer their dominions autonomously; Akbar integrated them into his administration, providing them the opportunity to serve as military rulers.

Multiple choice

Which of the following statements is/are correct?

  1. Akbar organized his army as well as the nobility by means of a system called the mansabdari.
  2. The mansabdars were divided into 33 classes.

  1. Only 1

  2. Only 2

  3. Both of these

  4. Neither of these
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Akbar organized his army as well as the nobility by means of a system called the mansabdari. Under this system, each officer in the army was assigned a rank (a mansab), and assigned a number of cavalry that he had to supply to the imperial army. The mansabdars were divided into 33 classes. The mansabdars were remunerated well for their services and constituted the highest paid military service in the world at the time.

Multiple choice

Which of the following statements is/are true?

  1. The Maurya ruler, Brihadrata, was assassinated by his son in the wish of throne.
  2. The mutual quarrel among the successors of Ashoka was the greatest cause of the decline of the Mauryan Empire.

  1. Only 1

  2. Only 2

  3. Both of these

  4. Neither of these
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Statement 1 is incorrect: In the year 185 BC, about fifty years after Ashoka's death, the last Maurya ruler, Brihadrata, was assassinated by the commander-in-chief of the Mauryan armed forces, Pusyamitra Sunga, while he was taking the Guard of Honor of his forces. Statement 2 is also incorrect: Ashoka was succeeded by weak rulers, which encouraged the provinces to proclaim their independence. The arduous task of administering such a vast empire could not be executed by the weak rulers. The mutual quarrel among the successors also contributed to the decline of the Mauryan Empire.

Multiple choice

Which of the following statements is/are correct?

  1. The Maurya period was the first time in Indian history that an empire extended from the Hindukush to the valleys of Godavari and Krishna.
  2. The early Maurya rulers had close contact with China.

  1. Only 1

  2. Only 2

  3. Both of these

  4. Neither of these
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Statement 1 is correct: The Maurya period was the first time in Indian history that an empire extended from the Hindukush to the valleys of Godavari and Krishna. Statement 2 is incorrect: The early Maurya rulers had no contact with China. In fact, China was unknown to Indian epigraphy before the Nagarjunikonda inscriptions.

Multiple choice

Consider the following statements related to the Mansabdari System under the Mughals:

  1. During the reign of Akbar, the system of dual ranking was not in existence and hence, only 'Zat' ranks were given to the Mansabdars.
  2. The Sawar ranks were allotted to the Mansabdars under Jahangir for the first time.

Which of the following is/are correct?

  1. Only 1

  2. Only 2

  3. Both 1 and 2

  4. Neither 1 nor 2
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

During later years of his reign, Akbar introduced the rank of ‘Zat’ and ‘Sawar’ in the Mansabdari system. Different views have been expressed regarding these terms. According to Blochmann, every mansabdar had to maintain as many soldiers as were indicated by his rank of Zat’ while the rank of ‘sawar’ indicated the number of horsemen among them. Irvin expressed the view that Zat indicated the actual number of cavalry under a mansabdar besides other soldiers while sawar was an additional honour. However, during the reign of Akbar, the system of dual ranking was also there. Thus, statement 1 is incorrect. Also, 2 is incorrect as Sawar was introduced in the reign of Akbar.

Multiple choice

Consider the following statements:

  1. A small part of Mysore territory was put in the hands of the king of Wodeyar dynasty.
  2. The British signed a treaty with the new king of Mysore.
  3. Lord Wellesley constructed a grand mansion known as Government House.

Which of these statements are correct?

  1. 1 and 2

  2. 1 and 3

  3. 2 and 3

  4. 1, 2 and 3
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Statement 1: It is correct because the Wodeyar dynasty was an Indian royal dynasty that ruled the Kingdom of Mysore from 1399 to 1947 until the independence of India from British rule and the subsequent unification of the Indian dominion and princely states into the Republic of India.  Statement 2: It is incorrect because the Siege of Seringapatam (5 April - 4 May 1799) was the final confrontation of the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War between the British East India Company and the Kingdom of Mysore.  Statement 3: It is correct because Lord Wellesley constructed a grand mansion, known as Government House, between 1799 and 1803. The mansion remained in use until the capital moved from Calcutta to Delhi in 1912. 

Multiple choice

The main cause of Black Hole Incident was that

  1. the British Company supported Shaukat Jung, the rival of Siraj ud Daulah

  2. the British Company started making forts in Bengal without the permission of Siraj ud Daulah

  3. the British people gave shelter to a rich businessman who was demanded by Siraj ud Daulah

  4. the British Company was not ready to recognise Siraj ud Daulah as the Nawab
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

The main cause of Black Hole Incident was that the British Company started making forts in Bengal without the permission of Siraj ud Daulah. Black Hole Incident is the name given to an event that took place during Nawab Siraj ud Daulah's capture of Calcutta on 20 June, 1756.

Multiple choice

The Treaty of Sreerangapatanam was signed after the defeat of Tipu Sultan in the Third Anglo-Mysore war. Between whom was this treaty signed?

  1. Tipu Sultan and Lord Cornwallis

  2. Tipu Sultan and Lord Minto

  3. Tipu Sultan and Lord Wellesley

  4. Tipu Sultan and Lord Canning
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The Treaty of Sreerangapatanam was signed after the defeat of Tipu Sultan in the Third Anglo-Mysore war. The treaty was signed between Tipu Sultan and Lord Cornwallis.  

Multiple choice

The Moplah Rebellion broke out in

  1. Uttarakhand

  2. Chauri Chaura

  3. Malabar

  4. Telengana
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

The Moplah Rebellion (also called Malabar Rebellion) of 1921 broke out in the Malabar region of present-day Kerala. It was a major uprising by Muslim Mappila (Moplah) community against British colonial authority and Hindu landlords, fueled by agrarian distress and political awakening. The rebellion was led by Variyam Kunnath Kunhamed Haji and Ali Musliar, and was eventually suppressed by the British with significant casualties on both sides.