This free Delhi Sultanate MCQ test is the eighth set in our 72nd BPSC practice series and follows NCERT Class 7 (Our Pasts II). Its 25 questions cover the Hoysalas and Kakatiyas, Mahmud of Ghazni and Al-Biruni, the Mamluk sultans, Alauddin Khalji’s kharaj, Ibn Battuta, and then Babur to Aurangzeb: Panipat, Khanua, Chittor, mansabs, watan jagirs, Todar Mal’s zabt and sulh-i kul. Each question shows the correct answer and an explanation as soon as you choose an option, and you can work out your score with BPSC-style negative marking at the end. For more practice, see our free BPSC mock test series.
What this test covers: Belur and Halebid, Rudramadevi, Kitab ul-Hind, Qutb Minar, Hauz-i-Sultani, tanka and jital, Raziyya’s removal, muqtis, Genghis Khan, Sher Shah, Timurid descent, coparcenary inheritance, the zat rank, the Ain-i Akbari, provincial diwans, Nur Jahan and the annexation of Bijapur.
Deccan Kingdoms, Delhi Sultanate & Mughal Empire
25 questions · NCERT Class 7 · BPSC prelims pattern
How this test works
Click the option you think is right. It locks, turns green if correct or red if not, and the explanation opens underneath. Your score updates in the bar at the top as you go, and Calculate final score at the bottom gives the full breakdown. Choose (E) Not attempted when you would only be guessing, exactly as you would bubble E on the BPSC OMR sheet.
+1 mark — Correct answer
−1/3 mark — Wrong answer
0 — no penalty — (E) Not attempted, the fifth bubble on every question
−1/3 mark — Row left completely blank in the real exam
Deccan kingdoms & Delhi sultanate9 questions
1. With reference to the regional kingdoms of the Deccan Plateau, consider the following statements:
- The Chennakesava Temple at Belur and the Hoysaleswara Temple at Halebid were constructed of soft soapstone (chloritic schist) and featured intricate outer wall carvings.
- Queen Rudramadevi belonged to the Kakatiya dynasty of Warangal and altered her name in inscriptions to present herself as a male ruler.
- The Thousand Pillar Temple at Hanumakonda was built under the patronage of the Yadavas of Devagiri.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
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Answer: (C) 1 and 2 only
The Hoysala temples at Belur and Halebid are of soapstone with dense carving, and Rudramadevi of the Kakatiyas appeared as Rudradeva in inscriptions. Statement 3 is wrong: the Thousand Pillar temple was built by the Kakatiya king Rudra Deva, not the Yadavas.
2. Consider the following statements regarding Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni and his court chroniclers:
- Sultan Mahmud raided wealthy Indian temple towns, including Somnath in Gujarat, primarily to accumulate wealth to build his capital at Ghazni.
- Mahmud commissioned the scholar Al-Biruni, who consulted Sanskrit scholars to write the famous Arabic work Kitab ul-Hind.
- The Tripartite Struggle over the control of Kanauj was fought between Mahmud of Ghazni, Ghori, and Prithviraj Chauhan.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
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Answer: (A) 1 and 2 only
Mahmud raided temple towns such as Somnath to fund his capital at Ghazni, and Al-Biruni wrote the Kitab ul-Hind in Arabic after consulting Sanskrit scholars. Statement 3 is wrong: the tripartite struggle was between the Palas, Pratiharas and Rashtrakutas.
3. With reference to the early Turkish Sultans (Mamluk Dynasty) of Delhi, consider the following statements:
- Qutbuddin Aibak began the construction of the Qutb Minar, which was dedicated to the Sufi saint Khwaja Qutbuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki.
- Shamsuddin Iltutmish constructed the Hauz-i-Sultani (King’s Reservoir) outside Dehli-i-Kuhna, earning praise for public welfare.
- Iltutmish introduced the Tanka (silver coin) and Jital (copper coin) as the Sultanate’s standard currencies.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
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Answer: (B) 1, 2 and 3
Aibak began the Qutb Minar, named for the Sufi Bakhtiyar Kaki; Iltutmish built the Hauz-i-Sultani and introduced the silver tanka and copper jital. All three are correct.
4. In which year was Raziyya, the daughter of Sultan Iltutmish, removed from the throne of Delhi?
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Answer: (C) 1240
Raziyya ruled from 1236 and was removed from the throne in 1240, as the nobles would not accept a woman as sultan.
5. Queen Rudramadevi, who ruled between 1262 and 1289 and changed her name on inscriptions, belonged to which dynasty?
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Answer: (D) Kakatiya Dynasty
Rudramadevi of the Kakatiya dynasty of Warangal ruled from 1262 to 1289 and styled herself Rudradeva in inscriptions.
6. What was the land revenue tax on cultivation under Alauddin Khalji called, which amounted to about 50 per cent of the peasant’s produce?
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Answer: (A) Kharaj
Kharaj was the tax on cultivation under Alauddin Khalji, fixed at about half the produce; zakat is an Islamic alms tax and jizya a tax on non-Muslims.
7. The military commanders who were assigned territories of varying sizes by Khalji and Tughluq monarchs were called:
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Answer: (B) Muqtis or Iqtadars
Military commanders given territories (iqtas) to govern and to collect revenue were called muqtis or iqtadars.
8. Which Moroccan traveller visited India in the fourteenth century and recorded detailed accounts of local chieftains and fortifications?
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Answer: (C) Ibn Battuta
Ibn Battuta, from Tangier in Morocco, travelled in India in the 1330s and served Muhammad Tughluq as qazi of Delhi.
9. Genghis Khan led the Mongol invasion of Transoxiana in north-east Iran in which year?
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Answer: (B) 1219
Genghis Khan invaded Transoxiana in 1219; the Mongol threat then hung over the Delhi Sultanate for a century.
Mughal empire16 questions
10. Who was the founder of the Sur dynasty that defeated Humayun and introduced administrative innovations later copied by Akbar?
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Answer: (B) Sher Shah Sur
Sher Shah Sur defeated Humayun at Chausa (1539) and Kannauj (1540) and his revenue and road reforms were later copied by Akbar.
11. On their father’s side, the Mughals were the direct patrilineal descendants of which Central Asian ruler?
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Answer: (B) Timur
The Mughals descended from Timur on the father’s side and from Genghis Khan through their mother’s side, but they preferred to stress the Timurid link.
12. In which year did Babur defeat Ibrahim Lodi at the First Battle of Panipat to capture Delhi and Agra?
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Answer: (B) 1526
Babur defeated Ibrahim Lodi at Panipat in 1526 and captured Delhi and Agra.
13. In 1527, Babur defeated which Rajput ruler along with his allies at the Battle of Khanua?
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Answer: (A) Rana Sanga
At Khanua in 1527 Babur defeated Rana Sanga of Mewar and his Rajput allies.
14. Humayun was defeated by Sher Khan at Chausa and Kanauj, forcing him to flee to which foreign country?
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Answer: (B) Safavid Iran
After losing Chausa and Kannauj to Sher Khan, Humayun took refuge at the court of the Safavid ruler of Iran and recaptured Delhi only in 1555.
15. The Sisodiya capital of Chittor was seized by Akbar’s forces in which year?
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Answer: (B) 1568
Akbar besieged and captured Chittor in 1568; Ranthambhor fell the next year.
16. What was the Mughal and Timurid custom of inheritance that involved dividing the estate among all sons?
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Answer: (B) Coparcenary
Mughal and Timurid custom was coparcenary inheritance, dividing the inheritance among all sons, rather than primogeniture.
17. The Sisodiya Rajputs of Mewar were defeated by the Mughals but honourably given back their lands as assignments.
What were these lands called?
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Answer: (B) Watan Jagir
Lands restored to defeated Rajputs such as the Sisodiyas as hereditary assignments were called watan jagirs.
18. In the Mughal administration, what did the numerical value called ‘zat’ determine?
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Answer: (B) Rank and salary of a mansabdar
A mansabdar’s zat rank fixed his position and salary, while the sawar rank fixed the number of cavalrymen he had to maintain.
19. Who was Akbar’s revenue minister who carried out a careful survey of crop yields, prices, and cultivated land for 10 years (1570-1580)?
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Answer: (C) Todar Mal
Todar Mal, Akbar’s revenue minister, surveyed crop yields, prices and cultivated areas over ten years from 1570 to 1580.
20. What was the revenue assessment system based on Todar Mal’s survey, where each crop had its own schedule of revenue rates, called?
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Answer: (C) Zabt
The zabt system fixed cash revenue rates for each crop on the basis of Todar Mal’s survey; kankut and batai were older methods of estimating or sharing the crop.
21. Abul Fazl wrote a three-volume history of Akbar’s reign titled ‘Akbarnama’. What is the title of the third volume?
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Answer: (A) Ain-i Akbari
The Ain-i Akbari, the third volume of the Akbarnama, describes Akbar’s administration, household, army, revenues and the geography of the empire.
22. In Akbar’s provincial administration, who was the financial officer of a province (suba) called?
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Answer: (B) Diwan
Each suba had a diwan as its financial officer, alongside the subadar (governor), bakshi (military paymaster), sadr (religious affairs) and faujdars.
23. Which Mughal noble held the title of ‘Nur Jahan’ and exercised significant political influence, having coins struck in her name?
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Answer: (B) Mehr-un-Nisa
Mehrunnisa, Jahangir’s wife, received the title Nur Jahan and coins were struck in her name along with the emperor’s.
24. What was the core idea of Akbar’s religious policy ‘Sulh-i Kul’?
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Answer: (B) Universal peace and tolerance
Sulh-i kul, or universal peace, was Akbar’s policy of tolerance that did not discriminate between people of different religions.
25. In 1685, which Deccan Sultanate was annexed by the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb?
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Answer: (C) Bijapur
Aurangzeb annexed Bijapur in 1685 and Golconda in 1687, ending the last Deccan sultanates.
Your result
Automatic scoring needs JavaScript. Until it runs, tally by hand: score = correct − (wrong ÷ 3).
Finished, or stopping here? This counts every question you have answered so far.
Show the full answer key
1 C · 2 A · 3 B · 4 C · 5 D · 6 A · 7 B · 8 C · 9 B · 10 B · 11 B · 12 B · 13 A · 14 B · 15 B · 16 B · 17 B · 18 B · 19 C · 20 C · 21 A · 22 B · 23 B · 24 B · 25 C
Scoring: +1 correct, −1/3 wrong, 0 for (E) Not attempted, −1/3 for a row left blank in the real exam.
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