Solution: (c)
In 1564, Akbar abolished Jizya which was levied from the Hindus. It was a tax on non-Muslims and was seen as a way to encourage poor Hindus to con vert to Islam. This was hated by the Hindus because it was a symbol of their inferiority and involved a lot of humiliation.
The 1st Battle of Panipat was fought in the year:
(a) 1761
(b) 1516
(c) 1526
(d) 1556
Solution: (b)
The First Battle of Panipat was fought between the invading forces of Babur and Ibrahim Lodi on 21 April 1526. The battle marked the end of the Lodhi dynasty and the beginning of the Mughal dynasty in India. This was one of the earliest battles involving gunpowder firearms and field artillery..
Who was Akbar’s guardian?
(a) Amir Khusru
(b) Abul Fazal
(c) Tansen
(d) Bairam Khan
Solution: (d)
Bairam Khan was a powerful statesman and re gent at the court of Humayun who later acted as the guardian, chief mentor, advisor, teacher and most trusted person of Akbar. Following Humayun’s death in 1556, Bairam Khan was appointed Regent over the young monarch Akbar. As regent, he consolidated Mughal authority in northern India and most notably led Mughal forces at the Second Battle of Panipat in November 1556.
Todar Mal, the brilliant revenue officer served under:
(a) Sher Shah
(b) Bhagwan Das
(c) Humayun
(d) Baz Bahadur
Solution: (a)
Before serving Akbar, Todar Mal worked under Sher Shah Suri. He started his career from the humble position of a writer but slowly moved up the ranks when the Sher Shah Suri, committed him to the charge of building a new fort of Rohtas in Punjab. After the Sur dynasty was overthrown by the Mughals, he joined Akbar’s court.
Who built ‘Adhai Din Ka Jhopra’ or ‘A hut of two and a half days’ at Ajmer?
(a) Qutbuddin Aibak
(b) Balban
(c) Alauddin Khalji
(d) Muhammad-bin-Tughlaq
Solution: (a)
Adhai Din ka Jhonpra is an ancient Vaishnava Hindu temple which was constructed during 1153 A.D. and later converted into a mosque in the year 1193 by Qutub- ud- Din Aibak. It is located in the city of Ajmer, Rajasthan, on the mountain slope of Taragarh Hill.
Panditraj Jagannath was the poet laureate of which of the following rulers?
(a) Akbar
(b) Shah Jahan
(c) Aurangzeb
(d) Humayun
Solution: (b)
Pandit Jagannath was a famous poet and literary critic in the courts of the Mughal emperors Jehangir and Shah Jahan. As a literary theorist or rhetorician, he is renowned for his Rasagagadhara, a work on poetic theory. He was granted the title of Paanditaraja by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, at whose court he received patronage.
Who founded the City of Delhi?
(a) Khilji
(b) Lodhi
(c) Tamara
(d) Tughlaq
Solution: (c)
The present-day Delhi was founded by Anang Pal of the Rajput Tomar dynasty in 736 A.D. It was then known as Lal Kot. As per the Prithviraj Raso of Chandabardai, Anangpal established the “Killi” (nail) in Dhilli. From here, the name Dhillika came up which later developed in Dilli or Delhi.
Who was the elder brother of Shah Shuja and Murad Baksh?
(a) Aurangzeb
(b) Azam Shah
(c) Muhammad Kam Baksh
(d) Dara Shikoh
Solution: (d)
Shah Shuja (1616–1661) and Murad Baksh (1624– 1661) were the second and sixth sons respectively of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan and his Empress con sort Mumtaz Mahal. Aurangzeb (1618–1707), the third son, was elder to Murad Baksh, but younger to Shah Shuja. Dara Shikoh (1615–1659) was the eldest among the six sons of Shahjahan.
Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh of Jaipur had not built the observatory at ____
(a) Varanasi
(b) Allahabad
(c) Ujjain
(d) Mathura
Solution: (b)
Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh built five observatories at Delhi, Mathura, Varanasi, Ujjain and Jaipur. Relying primarily on Indian astronomy, these buildings were used to accurately predict eclipses and other astronomical events. Only the one at Jaipur is still operational.
Which monument is in pink color?
(a) Taj Mahal
(b) Hawa Mahal
(c) Moti Mahal
(d) Mumtaz Mahal
Solution: (b)
Hawa Mahal (“Palace of Winds”) is a palace in Jaipur that is built in red and pink coloured sand stone, in keeping with the décor of the other monuments in the city. Its colour is a full testimony to the epithet of “Pink City” given to Jaipur. It was built in 1799 by Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh.
