History · General Awareness

Medieval and Modern Indian History

1,704 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

The Battle of Jajau took place between

  1. Muazzam and Kam Baksh

  2. Muazzam and Azam

  3. Azam and Farrukhsiyar

  4. Azam and Kam Baksh
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

The Battle of Jajau (1707) was fought between the sons of Aurangzeb, Muazzam (Bahadur Shah I) and Azam Shah, following the death of their father.

Multiple choice

Which of the following statements is correct ?

  1. Shahu was released and given the authority to collect Sardeshmukhi from the Deccan but not the Chauth by Bahadur Shah I.

  2. Shahu was recognized as the Maratha sovereign by Bahadur Shah I.

  3. Shahu received a warm welcome from Tarabai when he returned after being released from mughal captivity.

  4. None of the above.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Shahu was released by Bahadur Shah I in 1707, but he was not granted the right to collect Chauth or Sardeshmukhi at that time. Furthermore, Bahadur Shah I did not recognize him as the sovereign, and Shahu faced significant opposition from Tarabai upon his return. Thus, none of the provided statements are accurate.

Multiple choice

Alauddin Khalji sent an expedition to Devagiri under Malik Kafur in 1307 A.D. because:

  1. Ramachandradeva of Devagiri had withheld the payment of the tribute from the Ellichpur province for the last 3 years.

  2. He had given refuge to Rai Karnadeva II,the fugitive ruler of Chittor.

  3. Both 1 and 2

  4. Alauddin Khalji wanted to marry Devaldevi, the beautiful princess of Devagiri.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Alauddin Khalji's expedition to Devagiri was motivated by the failure of Ramachandradeva to pay tribute and the fact that Rai Karnadeva II, who had fled from Gujarat, was given refuge at the Devagiri court.

Multiple choice

Which opportunity was seized by Malik Kafur to invade the coastal country of Ma'bar?

  1. Its ruler Sundar Pandya had not sent the tribute due on account of his territory for 1 year.

  2. There was fratricidal war going on between Sundar Pandya and Vir Pandya.

  3. Vir Pandya invited Malik Kafur to help him in his struggle for supremacy with Sundar Pandya, in return for an enormous booty.

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

Malik Kafur took advantage of the internal conflict (fratricidal war) between the two brothers, Sundar Pandya and Vir Pandya, to invade the Ma'bar region.

Multiple choice

Which of the following statements is true about Shivaji?

  1. Intolerance towards non-hindus

  2. Pune was his capital

  3. He welded Marathas into a nation

  4. He did not believe in guerilla war
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Shivaji Maharaj is historically celebrated for uniting the Maratha clans and fostering a sense of national identity, which laid the foundation for the Maratha Empire.

Multiple choice

Which of the following events took place during the Governor Generalship of Warren Hastings?

  1. The Treaty of Bassein

  2. War against Rohillas

  3. Annexation of Avadh

  4. First Anglo-Mysore War
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Warren Hastings served as the first Governor-General of Bengal from 1773 to 1785. During his tenure, the Rohilla War took place in 1774, while the Treaty of Bassein and the annexation of Avadh occurred under later Governors-General.

Multiple choice

Why did hostilities break out between the East India Company and Aurangzeb in 1686?

  1. Because the East India Company had helped build a fortified settlement for the French

  2. Because the East India Company had sacked Hughli and declared war on Aurangzeb

  3. Because the East India Company had interfered in the internal affairs of Bengal

  4. None of these
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Hostilities broke out in 1686 because Job Charnock led the East India Company forces to sack Hughli after escalating trade disputes with Mughal authorities. This direct military action prompted Aurangzeb to order attacks on company possessions.

Multiple choice

The rising of the hereditary servants attached to forts when threatened with disbandment by Daji Krishna Pandit, minister of Kolhapur, is known as

  1. Gadkari revolt

  2. Sanyasi rebellion

  3. Kutck rebellion

  4. Kol uprising
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The Gadkari revolt occurred in 1844 in Kolhapur. It was led by the hereditary military servants (gadkaris) who were in charge of forts and rebelled against the administrative changes and potential disbandment imposed by the minister.

Multiple choice

Lord Dalhousie tried to snatch away the remaining glory of the Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah II by

  1. reducing his pension

  2. forcing him to imperial title

  3. derecognizing his imperial title

  4. asking him to vacate the Red Fort and move to a humbler place

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Lord Dalhousie sought to diminish the prestige of the Mughal throne. A key step in this process was the decision to derecognize the imperial title of Bahadur Shah II, effectively reducing his status to that of a mere pensioner.

Multiple choice

Which of the following was the main cause for the defeat of the empire of the Vijayanagar in the battle of Rakshasa - Tangadior Talikota?

a) Ramaraya's desire to make Vijayanagar supreme in the South b) The common enmity of Deccani Sultanates towards Vijayanagar c) The over confidence and haughtiness of Ramaraya

  1. a)

  2. b)

  3. c)

  4. d)
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

The Battle of Talikota (1565) was primarily caused by the collective hostility of the Deccani Sultanates (Bijapur, Golconda, Ahmadnagar, and Bidar) toward the rising power and dominance of the Vijayanagar Empire.

Multiple choice

Shivaji came into conflict with the Mughals for the first time in 1657, when

  1. he attacked on Surat

  2. he had an encounter with Afzal Khan

  3. he had an encounter with Shaista Khan

  4. he took advantage of Aurangzeb and his troops being engaged in the invasion of Bijapur
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Shivaji's first conflict with the Mughals occurred in 1657 when he raided the Mughal territories in the Deccan while Aurangzeb was preoccupied with the invasion of Bijapur.

Multiple choice

What is the ascending order of the following units of administration during the Chola period?

i. Valanadus ii. Nadus iii. Mandalams iv. Kurrams

Choose the answer from the codes given below.

  1. iii, ii, i, iv

  2. i, ii, iii, iv

  3. iv, i, ii, iii

  4. iv, ii, i, iii
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

The administrative hierarchy of the Chola Empire from smallest to largest was: Kurram (village unit), Nadu (group of villages), Valanadu (group of Nadus), and Mandalam (province).