Practice MCQs — Medieval India (with Answers)

1. Who defeated Prithviraj Chauhan at the Second Battle of Tarain (1192)? Answer: Muhammad Ghori.

2. Who wrote Tahqiq-i-Hind, an account of India under Mahmud of Ghazni's era? Answer: Al-Biruni.

3. Which dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate came first? Answer: The Slave (Mamluk) dynasty.

4. Who introduced the silver tanka and copper jital? Answer: Iltutmish.

5. Which Sultan's general Malik Kafur led campaigns into South India? Answer: Alauddin Khalji.

6. Who compiled his own memoirs, the Futuhat-i-Firoz Shahi? Answer: Firoz Shah Tughlaq.

7. Who invaded and sacked Delhi in 1398? Answer: Timur (Tamerlane).

8. Which dynasty was the only Afghan dynasty to rule Delhi? Answer: The Lodi dynasty.

9. Who founded the Vijayanagara Empire? Answer: Harihara and Bukka.

10. Which battle broke the power of the Vijayanagara Empire? Answer: Battle of Talikota (1565).

11. Who founded the Bahmani Sultanate? Answer: Alauddin Bahman Shah (Hasan Gangu).

12. Which Ahom general defeated the Mughals at the Battle of Saraighat? Answer: Lachit Borphukan.

13. At which battle did Babur defeat Ibrahim Lodi? Answer: First Battle of Panipat (1526).

14. What text did Babur write? Answer: The Baburnama.

15. Who defeated Humayun and temporarily displaced Mughal rule? Answer: Sher Shah Suri.

16. What currency did Sher Shah Suri introduce? Answer: The Rupiya.

17. Who defeated Hemu at the Second Battle of Panipat (1556)? Answer: Akbar (under Bairam Khan's regency).

18. Who founded the Ibadat Khana? Answer: Akbar.

19. Who compiled the Ain-i-Akbari? Answer: Abul Fazl.

20. What was the Mansabdari system's two grading components? Answer: Zat and Sawar.

21. Who was Akbar's finance minister associated with land revenue reform? Answer: Raja Todar Mal.

22. Who built the Taj Mahal and for whom? Answer: Shah Jahan, in memory of Mumtaz Mahal.

23. Which Mughal emperor imprisoned his father, Shah Jahan? Answer: Aurangzeb.

24. Which Sikh Guru was executed by Aurangzeb? Answer: Guru Tegh Bahadur.

25. Who founded the Khalsa in 1699? Answer: Guru Gobind Singh.

26. Who was crowned Chhatrapati at Raigad in 1674? Answer: Shivaji.

27. What were Chauth and Sardeshmukhi? Answer: Maratha revenue levies extracted from neighbouring territories.

28. Who defeated the Marathas at the Third Battle of Panipat (1761)? Answer: Ahmad Shah Abdali (Durrani).

29. Who founded the Sikh Empire with capital at Lahore? Answer: Maharaja Ranjit Singh.

30. Who is regarded as the founder of the Chishti Silsilah in India? Answer: Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti.

31. Who wrote the Ramcharitmanas? Answer: Tulsidas.

32. Who is often called the "father of Qawwali"? Answer: Amir Khusrau.

33. Which European power established the first Indian settlement, at Goa, in 1510? Answer: The Portuguese.

34. Which Mughal ruler's court was visited by Sir Thomas Roe? Answer: Jahangir.

35. Who was the last Mughal emperor, exiled after the Revolt of 1857? Answer: Bahadur Shah Zafar.

(End of Medieval India notes.)