Medieval India: Practice Questions with Answers
Sultanate, Mughal Empire, and regional kingdoms. Try each question first: tap an option to check it, and the explanation appears below.
Question 1Medium
Who among the following medieval rulers established the dedicated department of 'Diwan-i-Kohi', aimed at improving agricultural productivity through state-sponsored land reclamation?
Show answerAnswer
✅ B. Muhammad bin Tughlaq
Muhammad bin Tughlaq established the specialized agricultural department known as Diwan-i-Kohi to expand cultivation through state-funded land improvements and financial assistance to farmers. Although innovative, the project failed due to poor soil quality and administrative mismanagement. Medieval administrative reforms are important study areas for Indian history examinations.
Question page →Question 2Easy
Who among the following was the founder of the Vijayanagara Empire along with his brother Harihara I in 1336 CE?
Show answerAnswer
✅ A. Bukka Raya I
The Vijayanagara Empire was established in 1336 CE on the southern banks of the Tungabhadra River by Harihara I and his brother Bukka Raya I, both sons of Sangama, under the spiritual guidance of Vidyaranya. Later rulers like Krishnadevaraya belonged to the Tuluva dynasty, which came to power long after the initial founding of the empire. This medieval empire served as a major bulwark of Hindu culture and administration in southern India. The empire comprised four distinct ruling dynasties over its existence.
Question page →Question 3Medium
Consider the following statements regarding the administrative structure established by the Namgyal dynasty in medieval Sikkim: 1. The kingdom was divided into twelve administrative districts or dzongs, each managed by a governor known as a Dzongpon. 2. The administration was entirely secular with no involvement of Buddhist monasteries in civil governance. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Show answerAnswer
✅ A. 1 only
The Namgyal rulers divided medieval Sikkim into twelve administrative zones overseen by officials called Dzongpons, making the first statement correct. Buddhist monasteries and lamas played a deeply integrated role in both spiritual and temporal administration, rendering the second statement incorrect. The ecclesiastical body exercised substantial influence in legal and social matters throughout the kingdom.
Question page →Question 4Easy
Who was the founder of the Slave Dynasty in the Delhi Sultanate?
Show answerAnswer
✅ A. Qutb-ud-din Aibak
Qutb-ud-din Aibak founded the Slave Dynasty in 1206 CE, laying the groundwork for the Delhi Sultanate following the death of Muhammad Ghori. Other rulers like Iltutmish consolidated the empire, while Balban instituted strict court etiquette.
Question page →Question 5Medium
Which of the following administrative practices was adopted by the Ahom kingdom to manage the sensitive frontier marches bordering the Arunachal hill tracts?
Show answerAnswer
✅ B. Appointment of specialized frontier officers known as Duariya Baruas to regulate trade and diplomatic contacts
The Ahom administration appointed specialized officers called Duariya Baruas to supervise the duars or hill passes, regulating entry, trade, and the disbursement of Posa allowances to the hill tribes. This mechanism maintained order along the sensitive border without requiring costly permanent military occupations in rugged terrain. The Mansabdari system was a Mughal institution, and mountainous torrents were unsuitable for naval flotillas. The Duariya Baruas acted as vital interlocutors between the valley state and hill chieftains.
Question page →Question 6Medium
Consider the following aspects of medieval trade between the Arunachal hill tribes and the Ahom kingdom: 1. Annual fairs held at designated foothill duplex markets facilitated barter exchange between hill produce and valley commodities. 2. Salt was among the most heavily regulated and sought-after commodities supplied by the Ahom administration to hill communities. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Show answerAnswer
✅ C. Both 1 and 2
Both statements are correct. Foothill markets, often called duars, served as vital commercial hubs where hill tribes exchanged musk, medicinal herbs, wax, and woven goods for rice, cotton cloth, and salt. Salt was a scarce and precious commodity in the hills, making its supply through state-controlled mechanisms a powerful diplomatic leverage for the Ahom rulers. These economic arrangements minimized border friction and fostered interdependent trading ecosystems.
Question page →Question 7Medium
Who among the following authors wrote the famous historical account 'Padshahnama', chronicling the reign of Emperor Shah Jahan?
Show answerAnswer
✅ B. Abdul Hamid Lahori
The Padshahnama is an official chronicle of the reign of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, written by the court historian Abdul Hamid Lahori at the emperor's behest. It provides comprehensive accounts of court ceremonies, architectural projects, military campaigns, and administrative milestones during the mid-seventeenth century. Other historians like Abul Fazl chronicled Akbar's reign, while Badauni wrote critical historical accounts. Mughal historiography is a standard topic in Indian history syllabi.
Question page →Question 8Hard
In the administrative hierarchy of the Mughal Empire, what was the specific fiscal function performed by the 'Diwan' at the provincial level?
Show answerAnswer
✅ B. Supervising revenue collection, auditing accounts, and managing financial administration
The provincial Diwan was the chief financial officer appointed directly by the imperial center to manage land revenue collection, audit provincial expenditures, and maintain fiscal records independently of the provincial governor, known as the Nazim or Subahdar. While the Subahdar handled military defense and policing, the Diwan ensured that imperial revenues were properly channeled to the royal treasury, maintaining a system of bureaucratic checks and balances.
Question page →Question 9Easy
The famous traveller Ibn Battuta, who visited India during the reign of Muhammad bin Tughluq, originally hailed from which country?
Show answerAnswer
✅ B. Morocco
Ibn Battuta was a medieval scholar and explorer from Tangier, Morocco, who traveled extensively across Afro-Eurasia and documented the reign of Muhammad bin Tughluq in the Delhi Sultanate. His detailed travelogue, the Rihla, is a primary historical source for fourteenth-century India.
Question page →Question 10Medium
Consider the following statements regarding the administrative divisions and revenue terminology of the Mughal Empire: 1. The empire was divided into provinces known as Subas, which were further subdivided into Sarkars and Parganas. 2. The official responsible for maintaining law and order at the Pargana level was designated as the Faujdar. 3. The revenue system introduced by Todar Mal based on land measurement and soil classification was known as the Zabt system. Which of the statements given above are correct?
Show answerAnswer
✅ C. 1 and 3 only
Mughal provinces were indeed styled as Subas, governed by Subahdars, and partitioned into Sarkars and Parganas. The Faujdar was a military officer in charge of a Sarkar to maintain internal security, whereas the administrative head of a Pargana was the Shiqdar. Todar Mal refined the Zabt system which evaluated revenue demand through careful measurement and classification of cultivable land. The Ain-i-Akbari compiled by Abu'l-Fazl provides detailed statistics on these divisions.
Question page →Question 11Hard
The administrative term 'Mokasa' in the Maratha administration under Shivaji referred to:
Show answerAnswer
✅ B. A revenue grant assigned to military commanders or nobles
In the administrative and revenue framework established by Shivaji, 'Mokasa' referred to a revenue grant or assignment given to military commanders and nobles, often carrying obligations to maintain troops. Taxes on religious pilgrims or border custom duties represented entirely different fiscal measures, while central core territories were managed differently. This revenue system helped sustain the Maratha cavalry without relying solely on cash salaries.
Question page →Question 12Easy
The famous travelogue 'Kitab-i-Rahla', which provides invaluable insights into the social, economic, and political conditions of 14th-century India under Muhammad bin Tughlaq, was written by:
Show answerAnswer
✅ B. Ibn Battuta
Ibn Battuta, a renowned Moroccan traveler and scholar, recorded his detailed observations of fourteenth-century India during the reign of Muhammad bin Tughlaq in his book Kitab-i-Rahla. Other figures like Al-Biruni arrived earlier during the eleventh century with Mahmud of Ghazni.
Question page →Question 13Easy
The first capital of the newly founded kingdom of Sikkim during the seventeenth century, where the coronation of Phuntsog Namgyal took place, was:
Show answerAnswer
✅ B. Yuksom
Yuksom, meaning the meeting place of three lamas, served as the initial capital of Sikkim following the establishment of the monarchy in 1642. Rabdentse and Tumlong became capitals during subsequent reigns as the political center shifted to secure locations. Gangtok was established as the capital much later during the British colonial period. Yuksom remains historically significant for housing the stone thrones used in the royal consecration.
Question page →Question 14Medium
The famous Sufi saint of the Chisti order who famously refused to accept any royal grants from the Delhi Sultans and lived in poverty in Ghiyaspur was:
Show answerAnswer
✅ C. Nizamuddin Auliya
Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya was a prominent Chishti Sufi saint in Delhi who famously refused royal patronage and lived an austere life supported entirely by unsolicited gifts. Other saints like Moinuddin Chishti settled in Ajmer and Baba Farid preached in Punjab. Sufism and Bhakti-Sufi traditions are core topics in medieval Indian history questions.
Question page →Question 15Easy
The dual system of administration in Bengal, where the Company exercised revenue rights and the Nawab held administrative control, was abolished by:
Show answerAnswer
✅ A. Warren Hastings
Warren Hastings abolished the Dual Government system in Bengal during his tenure as Governor in 1772, bringing both revenue collection and civil administration directly under British East India Company control. Robert Clive had originally established this dual administrative structure following the Treaty of Allahabad in 1765.
Question page →Question 16Medium
Consider the following architectural features of the Mughal period: 1. Introduction of the 'Pietra Dura' inlay technique using semi-precious stones on white marble surfaces. 2. Construction of vast gardens arranged in symmetric terraces based on the Persian Charbagh layout. 3. Extensive use of bulbous domes and slender minarets. Which of the architectural developments above reached their peak during the reign of Shah Jahan?
Show answerAnswer
✅ D. 1, 2 and 3
All the architectural innovations mentioned attained their zenith during the reign of Shah Jahan, exemplified by masterpieces like the Taj Mahal and the Red Fort. The Pietra Dura technique, Charbagh garden layouts, and refined bulbous domes became defining signatures of Shah Jahan's imperial building projects. Akbar's architecture favored red sandstone and indigenous trabeate construction techniques, as seen in Fatehpur Sikri. Humayun's tomb introduced early Persian-influenced double dome structures to India.
Question page →Question 17Hard
In the administrative lexicon of the medieval Garhwal and Kumaon kingdoms, the specialized military levy or forced labor extracted from the peasantry for transporting military baggage and constructing fortifications was known as:
Show answerAnswer
✅ A. Kulli or Bharoot system
The Kulli or forced labor obligation was a traditional feudal exaction in the hill kingdoms whereby villagers were required to provide unpaid or underpaid labor for transporting royal baggage, military supplies, and constructing public works. The Zabt system was the Mughal land revenue method, and Deshmukhs were Maratha revenue officials. This oppressive corvée labor practice continued well into the early British colonial administration before being systematically reformed. It formed a crucial logistical mechanism for governing rugged terrain lacking wheeled transport.
Question page →Question 18Hard
Which of the following Bahmani rulers shifted the capital from Gulbarga to Bidar, constructed the magnificent Mahmud Gawan madrasa, and expanded the sultanate's maritime trade along the western coast?
Show answerAnswer
✅ B. Ahmad Shah I
Ahmad Shah I transferred the Bahmani capital from Gulbarga to Bidar in 1425, constructing a robust fort and administrative complex. Mahmud Gawan, the prime minister under later Bahmani rulers, built the famous Bidar madrasa as a center of Islamic learning. Ahmad Shah pursued aggressive military campaigns against neighboring Hindu kingdoms and consolidated administrative coherence. The Bahmani Sultanate played a crucial role in shaping the political and cultural landscape of the medieval Deccan.
Question page →Question 19Easy
Which of the following copper plate inscriptions, issued during the reign of the Later Chera king Ayyanadikal Thiruvadikal, grants extensive trading privileges and land to the Church of Tarisapalli at Quilon?
Show answerAnswer
✅ B. Tharisapalli Copper Plates
The Tharisapalli Copper Plates, issued in 849 CE by Ayyanadikal Thiruvadikal, ruler of Quilon, record land grants and commercial immunities granted to the Nestorian Christian church established by Mar Sapir Iso. The Thazhekad plates relate to Christian merchants in central Kerala. The Jewish Copper Plates were issued by Bhaskara Ravi Varman to Joseph Rabban. The Quilon plates are foundational documents illustrating religious harmony and maritime trade organization in medieval Kerala.
Question page →Question 20Medium
In the administrative vocabulary of the Delhi Sultanate, the office of the 'Diwan-i-Arz' was primarily concerned with which of the following?
Show answerAnswer
✅ B. Organization, recruitment, and inspection of the military
The Diwan-i-Arz was the military department established by Sultan Ghiyas-ud-din Balban to safeguard the Delhi Sultanate from internal rebellions and external Mongol threats by directly overseeing army recruitment and maintenance. Departments dealing with charities or land revenue were designated as Diwan-i-Insha or Diwan-i-Wizarat respectively. Administrative terms of the Sultanate period are staple questions in medieval Indian history.
Question page →
Ready to test yourself against the clock?
⏱️ Take a timed Medieval India test →New questions every time, with your score saved to My progress.
More History practice