The correct answer is Satavahana.

Key Points

• Gautamiputra Satakarni was the 23rd ruler of the Satavahana dynasty.
• His achievements have been mentioned in the Nasik Inscription, by his mother Gautami.
• He defeated the Saka King Nahapana and revived the Satavahana power.​

Additional Information

• Satavahana Rule
  • Satavahanas became prominent in the Indian political scene in the middle of the first century BC.
  • Simuka was the founder of the Satavahana dynasty.
  • Gautamiputra Satakarni (first century AD) is considered to be the greatest of the Satavahana rulers.
  • The Satavahanas had their capital at Pratishthana (modern Paithan) near Aurangabad in Maharashtra. They were also known as the Andhras.
  • The Puranas and inscriptions remain important sources for the history of Satavahanas. Among the inscriptions, the Nasik and Nanaghad inscriptions throw much light on the reign of Gautamiputra Satakarni.
  • The Satavahana kingdom was wiped out in the first quarter of the third century AD and the Satavahanas kings were succeeded by the Kings of Ikshvaku dynasty.

The correct answer is Slaves.

• There were at least three different kinds of people living in most villages in the southern and northern parts of the subcontinent.
• In the Tamil region :
• large landowners were known as Vellalar.
• Ordinary ploughmen were known as Uzhavar. 
• Landless labourers, including slaves, were known as kadaisiyar and adimai.

Additional Information

• In the northern part of the country,
  • the village headman was known as the Grama bhojaka.
  • Usually, men from the same family held the position for generations that is the post was hereditary.
  • The grama bhojaka was often the largest landowner.
  • He had slaves and hired workers to cultivate the land.
  • The king often used him to collect taxes from the village.
  • He also functioned as a judge, and sometimes as a policeman. 
• Apart from the gramabhojaka, there were other independent farmers, known as Grihapatis, most of whom were smaller landowners.
• And then there were men and women such as the dasa karmakara, who did not own land, and had to earn a living working on the fields owned by others.

The correct answer is Prabhawati.

• Chandragupta I extended the limits of his empire by marriage alliances and conquests.
• He married his daughter Prabhavati to a Vakataka prince who later died.
• So, Prabhavati became the virtual ruler and this allowed Chandragupta II to exercise indirect control over the Vakataka kingdom.

Additional Information

• Chandragupta II, also known by his title Vikramaditya, was one of the most powerful emperors of the Gupta Empire in northern India.
• Chandragupta continued the expansionist policy of his father Samudragupta: historical evidence suggests that he defeated the Western Kshatrapas, and extended the Gupta empire from the Indus River in the west to the Bengal region in the east, and from the Himalayan foothills in the north to the Narmada River in the south.

The correct answer is option 1.

Key Points 

The correct answer is option 1.

Key Points

• At Kalibangan (Rajasthan), archaeologists discovered evidence of a ploughed field connected with Early Harappan levels. Two sets of furrows were at right angles to each other on the field, indicating that two different crops were cultivated together.
• In Kalibangan, archaeologists unearthed Wooden drainage, Copper Ox, Wooden plough, Camel's bone, and Fire Alters.
• Kalibangan is situated on the bank of the Ghaggar river.

• Rudradaman, the greatest of the Saka ruler in India is known to us from his coins, but more so from his Junagarh Inscription dated in the Saka year 72 i.e 150 AD.
• It is located on a rock near Girnar hill, in Junagadh, Gujarat.
• This inscription written in Brahmi script, entirely in prose, using Sanskrit language was the earliest record ever written in perfect Sanskrit.
• The Rudradaman inscription is in fact one of the three significant inscriptions found on the same rock, dated to be the second in chronology. The oldest inscription is a version of Ashoka edicts, while the last and third inscription is of the Gupta Emperor Skandagupta.
• The Rudradaman inscription is near the top, above the Ashoka edict.

The correct answer is Chanhudaro - S R Rao.

Key Points

The correct answer is Silver.

Key Points

• Punch marked coins
  • It is a type of early coinage in India, dating to between about the 6th and 2nd centuries BC.
  • The first coins in India may have been minted around the 6th century BC by the Mahajanpadas of the Indo-Gangetic plain.
  • The coins of this period were punch-marked coins called Puranas, Karshapanas, or Pana.
  • Several of these coins had a similar symbol. For example, Saurashtra had a humped bull Dakshin Panchala had a Swastika, others like Magadha had several symbols.
  • Punched Marked coins were made of silver, had a standard weight but were irregular in shape.
  • The irregular shape was made by cutting up silver bars and then making the correct weight by cutting the edges of the coin.
  • These coins lack any inscriptions written in contemporary languages and were always struck in silver.
  • These unique characters make early Indian coins very different from their contemporaries in Greece.
  • Many historians believe that the concept of coinage was introduced by the Greeks in India. But unlike Indian punch-marked coins, Greek coins had inscriptions that were round in shape, were stamped on both sides, and were minted using silver, electrum, and gold too.
  • Now historians are certain that the concept of coinage was invented in India independent of foreign influence which imparted unique characteristics to these coins.
  • These coins are mentioned in Manu, Panini, and Buddhist Jataka stories and lasted three centuries longer in the south than in the north.
  • After the fall of the Maurya Empire and the increased influence of the Indo-Greeks,punch-marked coins were replaced by cast die struck coins as visible in the Post-Mauryan period.
• 

The correct answer is Shudraka.

• Mrichchhakatika' or 'The little clay art' is an ancient Sanskrit play written by king Shudraka in 3rd century A.D.
  • It is one of the most famous prakaranas i.e. a play whose plot is partly derived from history and partly derived from the author's fancy of ancient India.
• B.B. Lal:
  • He was the former Director-General of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
  • He received the Padma Bhushan in 2000.
  • He was known for his work on Indus Valley Civilization sites, Mahabharat sites, Kalibangan sites.
• Prabhavati Gupta was the daughter of Chandragupta II.
  • Prabhavatigupta issued the Poona copper plate inscription in Sanskrit.

The correct answer is ​everyone should follow the king at the time of war.

Key Points

• Ashoka was the great Mauryan ruler and grandson of the dynasty's founder Chandragupta Maurya.
• Ashoka became a Buddhist in the 9th year of his reign i.e., a year after the conquest of Kalinga.
• Dhamma is Prakrit form of the Sanskrit word 'Dharma'.
• Ashoka’s dhamma was neither a new religion nor a new political philosophy, it was a way of life.
• Ashoka denounced all useless ceremonies and sacrifices held under the influ­ence of superstition.

• Ashoka's major dhamma is inscribed in 14 rock edicts. Some of the important dhamma are:
  • Prohibition of animal sacrifices in festive and public gatherings.
  • It pleads for toleration amongst all religions.
  • Respect for others and regard even for slaves and servants and donations to sramanas and Brahmans.
  • Emphatic plea for toleration amongst the various religions.
  • Plantation of medicinal herbs and trees and digging of wells along the roads, which describes the promotion of welfare of the people.
    • Hence following the king at the time of war is not a dhamma.

The correct answer is cotton and sugarcane.

• cotton and sugarcane were known as jins-i-Kamil by the Mughal state.

Key Points

• Agriculture was organized around two major seasonal cycles, the Kharif (autumn) and the rabi (spring).
• The term Jins-i Kamil literally means perfect crops.
• The Mughal state also encouraged peasants to cultivate such crops as they brought in more revenue. Crops such as cotton and sugarcane were Jins-i Kamil par excellence.
• Cotton was grown over a great swathe of territory spread over central India and the Deccan plateau, whereas Bengal was famous for its sugar.
• Such cash crops would also include various sorts of oilseeds (for example, mustard) and lentils.

The correct answer is the Buddhist ​philosophy.

Key Points

• Gautam Budhha's teachings and understanding of the world around him are widely accepted as the foundations of Buddhism.
• According to Buddhist philosophy, the world is transient (anicca) and constantly changing; it is also soulless (anatta) as there is nothing permanent or eternal in it.
• Within this transient world, sorrow (dukkha) is intrinsic to human existence.
• It is by following the path of moderation between severe penance and self-indulgence that human beings can rise above these worldly troubles.
• The Buddha regarded the social world as the creation of humans rather than of divine origin.
• Therefore, he advised kings and gahapatis to be humane and ethical.
• The Buddha emphasised individual agency and righteous action as the means to escape from the cycle of rebirth and attain self-realisation and Nibbana, literally the extinguishing of the ego and desire – and thus end the cycle of suffering for those who renounced the world.
• According to Buddhist tradition, his last words to his followers were:- Be lamps unto yourselves as all of you must work out your own liberation.

Indo-Greeks:

• The first to invade India were the Greeks, who are called the Indo-Greeks or Bactrian Greeks.
• It is said that they pushed forward as far as Ayodhya and Pataliputra. But the Greeks failed to establish united rule in India.
• The most famous Indo-Greek ruler was Menander (165-45 BC), also known as Milinda. He had his capital at Sakala (modern Sialkot) in the Punjab; and invaded the Ganga–Yamuna doab.
• He was converted to Buddhism by Nagasena, who is also known as Nagarjuna. Menander asked Nagasena many questions relating to Buddhism. These questions and Nagasena’s answers were recorded in the form of a book known as Milinda Panho or the Questions of Milinda.
• Indo-Greek rule is important in the history of India because of the large number of coins that the Greeks issued.
• The Indo-Greeks were also the first to issue gold coins in India, and these increased in number under the Kushans.

​The Saka Era

• The Saka Era is believed to have been founded by King Shalivahana of the Satavahana dynasty. It is zero years correspond to the year when the King was crowned. This is believed to be 78 ACE. 
• The Saka Era marked the beginning of the Saka Samvat, a historic Hindu calendar that was later introduced as ‘Indian National Calendar’ in 1957. 

The Kushan dynasty

• The Kushan dynasty was administered from two capitals - Purushapura (Peshawar), and Mathura in northern India.
• In the 1st century CE, Kujula Kadphises (Kadphises - 1) founded the Kushan dynasty.
• The Kushans are considered to be one of the five branches of the Yuezhi tribe who lived in the Chinese frontier of Central Asia.
• Kanishka (127-151 AD) is considered as the greatest ruler of the Kushan dynasty.

The correct answer is Uzhavar.

Key Points

• In the Tamil region, ordinary Ploughmen were known as Uzhavar,
• The large landowners were known as Vellalar, and landless laborers, including slaves, were known as kadaisiyar and adimai.
• A Ploughmen is a man whose job is to Plough the land, especially with a Plough pulled by horses or oxen.
• Those who were self-employed farmers were known as Grihapatis and worked on lands of others as Dasas and Karamkara. 
• As Uzhavar was the food grain maker, they lived with reverence for themselves.
• Agriculture was primitive during the early stages in Sangam but eventually increased drainage, ploughing, manuring, storage, and distribution.
• The ancient Tamils were aware of the various types of soil, the crops which could be cultivated thereon, and the different irrigation schemes appropriate for a certain area.
• The King had not possessed much land, for the lands that he had granted the poets, brahmins, schools, hospitals, and temples were not the sole landlord.
• The farmers were primarily farmers with their own plots.
• They were the soil tillers and they were named - Ulutunbar or Yerinvalnar.
• The major vocation of the Tamils during the Sangam period, 500 BCE - 300 CE. This was seen as a requirement for life and was hence considered to be the most important of all occupations.
• The farmers or Uzhavar were at the top of the social list.
• Additional Information
• Grambhojaka:-
  • In the northern part of the country, the village headman is called GRAMBHOJAKA.
  • He is often known as the largest landowner.
  • He is powerful. Kings often used them to collect taxes from the villagers.
  • He sometimes functioned as a judge and sometimes as a policeman.
• Gahapatti (Pali form of Grahapati)

• They were wealthy and powerful landowners.
• The term Gahapatti occurs in Vedic literature in the sense of the head of a household.
• The Pali texts tend to use terms such as Gihi, Gahattha, and Ajjhavasati in this sense, and Gahapati (the Pali form of Grihapati) in a broader sense.
• Apart from being the head of a household, the Gahapati was also a wealthy property-owner and producer of wealth, associated especially with land and agriculture.
• According to the Anguttara Nikaya the society is often described as consisting of three strata—Khattiya, Brahmana, and Gahapati.
  • The Khattiya the powerful person same as King.
  • The Brahmana is associated with mantra and yanna (yajna).
  • The Gahapati is associated with kamma (work) and sippa (craft).

The correct answer is Karnataka

Key Points

• ​The ruins of the ancient city of Hampi is a historical site located in Karnataka.
• It is a UNESCO world heritage site and was granted that status in the year 1986.
• It was established as Vidyanagar by Harihara and Buka, the founders of the Sangama dynasty, in the memory of their guru Vidyaranya.
• Ancient temples, ruins of forts, and aquatic structures are the major attractions.
• Temples related to Hinduism as well as Buddhism are found here.
• Virupaksha temple, Hemakuta Hill temple, Vijay Vittal temple are the major Hindu temples.

Vijayanagar Empire (1336 - 1580):

• This empire flourished on the banks of River Tungabhadra.
• The Sangam, the Suluvas, the Tuluvas, and the Arivadu were the ruling dynasties of this empire.

Additional Information

• King Ashoka sent Mahendra to other places to carry out duties to Buddhist missionary. 
• Mahendra, son of Ashoka, is accredited with bringing Buddhism to Sri Lanka.
• It is believed that Mahendra and Saṅghamitthā converted King Tissa and the royal family of Sri Lanka into Buddhism.
• Ashoka vowed never to practice violence after the war of Kalinga.
• He started propagating Buddhist principles throughout his kingdom.
• Ashoka practised and preached the principles of Dhamma that guides human to live peacefully and selflessly.

The Correct Answer is Option (2) i.e Junagarh Rock Inscription.

• Junagarh rock inscription of Rudradaman was written in mid-second century AD.
• It is also known as the 'Girnar Rock inscription' of Rudradaman.
• It mentions that one of Chandragupta Maurya's governor, Pushyagupta, was responsible for building a dam on Sudarshana Lake near Girnar.

The correct answer is Brahmadeya.

Key Points

• The land grants that the Brahmanas received were known as brahmadeyas.
• Each brahmadeya was looked after by an assembly called sabha.
• These assemblies worked very efficiently and their decisions were recorded in detail in inscriptions.
• The earliest royal land grant inscription that mentions the word "Brahmadeya" was discovered from the 3rd century CE of the reign of Brihatphala yana King Jayavarman.

 Thus, we can say that the land grants that the Brahmins received were called Brahmadeya.

Additional Information

• Settlements of peasants were known as Ur.
• Nagarams were associations of traders.

The correct answer is Nandas.

• Chandragupta led a revolt against the Nandas and overthrew them.

Key Points

• In the 4th century B.C., Nanda kings ruled the Magadha dynasty and this dynasty was the most powerful kingdom of the north.
  • A Brahman minister called Chanakya also known as Kautilya trained a young man i.e.Chandragupta Maurya.
  • Chandragupta organized his own army and overthrew the Nanda king Dhana Nand in 322 B.C.In the 4th century B.C.

Additional Information

• Chandragupta Maurya:
  • He was the architect of the Maurya Empire which controlled the plains of both the Indus and the Ganges, and which extended to the eastern and western oceans.
  • He laid the foundation for an extensive and efficient system of centralized administration and tax-collection which formed the basis of his empire.
  • Trade and agriculture were reformed and regulated, with the creation of infrastructure and standardization of weights and measures, and provisions were made for a large standing army.

Important Points

The correct answer is Amara - nayakas.

Key Points

• Vijayanagara empire :
  • Harihara and Bukka - According to tradition and epigraphic evidence two brothers, Harihara and Bukka, founded the Vijayanagara Empire in 1336
  • Vijayanagara or “city of victory” was the name of both a city and an empire.
  • The empire was founded in the 14th century.
  • In its heyday, it stretched from the river Krishna in the north to the extreme south of the peninsula.
  • In 1565, the city was sacked and subsequently deserted. Although it fell into ruin in the seventeenth-eighteenth centuries, it lived on in the memories of people living in the Krishna-Tungabhadra doab.
  • They remembered it as Hampi, a name derived from that of the local mother goddess, Pampadevi.
• The Rayas and the Nayakas :
  • These chiefs often moved from one area to another, and in many cases were accompanied by peasants looking for fertile land on which to settle.
    • These chiefs were known as nayakas and they usually spoke Telugu or Kannada.
    • The amara-nayaka system was a major political innovation of the Vijayanagara Empire.
    • It is likely that many features of this system were derived from the iqta system of the Delhi Sultanate.
    • The amara-nayakas were military commanders who were given territories to govern by the raya. They collected taxes and other dues from peasants, craftspersons and traders in the area.
    • They retained part of the revenue for personal use and for maintaining a stipulated contingent of horses and elephants.
    • Some of the revenue was also used for the maintenance of temples and irrigation works.
    • The amara nayakas sent tribute to the king annually and personally appeared in the royal court with gifts to express their loyalty.
    • Kings occasionally asserted their control over them by transferring them from one place to another. However, during the course of the seventeenth century, many of these nayakas established independent kingdoms. This hastened the collapse of the central imperial structure.

The correct answer is Karnataka.

Key Points

• Jaggahalige Kunita
  • This is a folk art of the Hubballi Dharwad region (particularly the village of Byahatti), which is performed on occasions such as Ugadi and Holi.
  • The Jagghalige is a percussion instrument made from a bullock cart wheel wrapped in buffalo hide.
  • The villagers roll out the large instruments and march in procession.
  • The performance is directed by a choreographer playing a much-smaller percussion instrument called the Kanihaligi, made of clay and covered with calf hide.
  • The performance usually involves about 15 people.

Additional Information

• Karadi Majalu
  • This is a popular group of folk music in north Karnataka, performed during occasions and in processions.
  • The Karadi or Karade is the percussion instrument used by the group.
  • It is a palm-sized cymbal producing metallic sounds, and the shehnai produces the melody.
• Krishna Parijatha
  • Krishna Parijatha is a theatre popular in North Karnataka.
  • It is a combination of Yakshagana and Bayalata, portraying stories or scenes from the Mahabharata

The correct answer is Trade of the British East India Company expanded.

Battle of Plassey - 

• It took place on June 23, 1757.
• It was fought between the forces of East India Company headed by Robert Clive and Siraj-Ud-Daulah (Nawab of Bengal).  
• It resulted in the decisive victory of the East India Company over a much larger force of Siraj-Ud-Daulah. 
• After the Battle of Plassey, the Britishers virtually monopolized the trade and commerce of Bengal. 

Additional Information

• Shuja-Ud-Daula -
  • He was Nawab of Avadh (Oudh) and took the title Nawab Wazir. 
  • He was son of Nawab Safdarjang.
  • He is associated with the Battle of Buxar. 

Jainism was found around the 6th century BCE. 

Key Points

• Jainism is founded by the 24th Tirthankaras Vardhamana Mahavira.
• It rejects the idea of God as the world's creator and teaches the perfectibility of humanity which can be attained through a strict moral and ascetic life.
• In Jainism, Kevalajnana approximately means absolute knowledge or supreme knowledge.
• Kevalajnana is omniscient or the point at which a human eventually breaks free from Maya's bonds and achieves Moksha.
• All souls are thought to have the quality of Kevalajnana.

Therefore, according to Jainism, Kevelajnana is considered unlimited and absolute knowledge.

Additional Information

• Jainism, Charkava, and Buddhism are three schools who denounced the authority of the Vedas. 
• Jainism comes under the Orthodox school of Indian Philiooshy traditions. 

According to Hindu religion, marriage is a sacred relationship. Marriage is considered an important sanskar. Various Hindu religious texts and manuscripts mention different types of Hindu marriages. There are eight different types of marriages in the Hindu religion.

Key Points 

• The famous epic Mahabharata was written by Ved Vyasa.
• The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India, the other being the Ramayaṇa.
• The title may be translated as "the great tale of the Bharata dynasty".
• The Mahabharata is an epic legendary narrative of the Kurukṣetra War and the fates of the Kaurava and the Pandava princes. 
• It also contains philosophical and devotional material, such as a discussion of the four "goals of life" or puruṣartha.

The correct answer is Khusdeva Singh.

Key Points

Khusdeva Singh  

• The work of Khushdeva Singh, a Sikh doctor specialising in the treatment of tuberculosis, was posted at Dharampur in present-day Himachal Pradesh.
• Immersing himself in his work day and night, the doctor provided that rare healing touch, food, shelter, love and security to numerous migrants, Muslim, Sikh, and Hindu alike.
• The residents of Dharampur developed the kind of faith and confidence in his humanity and generosity that the Delhi Muslims and others had in Gandhiji.
• One of them, Muhammad Umar, wrote to Khushdeva Singh: “With great humility, I beg to state that I do not feel safe except under your protection.
• Therefore, in all kindness, be good enough to grant me a seat in your hospital.”
• We know about the gruelling relief work of this doctor from a memoir entitled Love is Stronger than Hate: A Remembrance of 1947.
• Hence the correct answer is option 3.

The correct answer is Buddhist sangha.

• Vinaya Pitaka is a book related to the rules of the Buddhist Sangha.
• The Vinaya was preserved by being memorized and chanted by generations of monks and nuns.
• The Vinaya-Pitaka, or "basket of discipline," is the first of three parts of the Tipitaka, a collection of the earliest Buddhist texts.
• The Vinaya records the Buddha's rules of discipline for monks and nuns. 
• It also contains stories about the first Buddhist monks and nuns and how they lived.
• The Vinaya was not written down during the Buddha's lifetime.

Additional Information

• Vaishnavism: 
  • ​In South India, Vaishnava saints are known as Alvars.
  • They preached complete devotion towards God Vishnu.
  • Their religious songs were collectively called Prabandhas.
  • It laid emphasis on the doctrine of Avataras (incarnations).
• The Lingayats
  • ​Basaveshwara or Basavanna was an Indian 12th-century statesman, philosopher, poet and Lingayat saint and a social reformer in Karnataka.
  • He founded the Lingayats follower of shiva.

The correct answer is Abul Fazl.

Key Points

• The author of 'Ain-i-Akbari' was Abul Fazl.
• He also wrote the Akbar Nama.
  • The Akbarnama which means 'Book of Akbar', is an official biographical account of Akbar.
• Akbar had nine ministers in his court, who were called his Navratnas or '9 gems'.
  • Abul Fazl is one of the Nine Jewels.

Additional Information

• Panchatantra was translated into Persian by Faizi.
  • Shaikh Mubarak, popularly known by his pen-name, Faizi was a poet and scholar of late medieval India whose ancestors hailed from Yemen.
• Badayuni is a historian and translator living in the Mughal Empire.
  • He translated the Hindu works, the Ramayana, and the Mahabharata.
• The word 'Taunhid-i-Ilahi' was used by Abul Fazl and Badayuni for the so-called new religion of Akbar.
• The navaratnas in Akbar’s court are- Abul Fazl, Abdul Rahim Khan-I-Khana, Birbal, Mulla Do-Piyaza, Faizi, Raja Man Singh, Raja Todar Mal, Fakir Aziao-Din and Tansen.

The correct answer is option 3.

Key Points

• Certain sculptures at Sanchi stupa were perhaps not directly inspired by Buddhist ideas.
• These include beautiful women swinging from the edge of the gateway, holding onto a tree; a representation of what is described in Sanskrit as a Shalabhanjika.
• According to popular belief, this was a woman whose touch caused trees to flower and bear fruit.
• It is likely that this was regarded as an auspicious symbol and integrated into the decoration of the stupa.
• The Shalabhanjika motif suggests that many people who turned to Buddhism enriched it with their own pre-Buddhist and even non-Buddhist beliefs, practices and ideas.
• Some of the recurrent motifs in the sculpture at Sanchi was evidently derived from these traditions.

The correct answer is Todar Mal.

• As Akbar's finance minister, Raja Todar Mal has implemented a new revenue system called zabt, and a tax system called dahshala.
  • He took a careful survey of crop yields and cultivated prices for a ten-year 1570–1580 era. 
  • On this basis, the tax has been set in cash on each harvest.
  • Each province was divided into income circles with its own tax rates and an individual crop schedule.
  • There was a prevalence of this method where the Mughal administration could survey the land and keep careful records.

Important Points 

• The Akbar territory was divided into 15 Subahs for the revenue system, further subdivided into a total of 187 Sarkars across 15 subahs, and those 197 sarkars (sirkar) were subdivided into a total of 3367 Mahals or Pargana.

The correct answer is Sher Shah Suri.

Key Points

• Sher Shah Suri was the founder of the Suri dynasty.
• The grand trunk road that turns from Calcutta to Peshawar was built by Sher Shah Suri.
• The silver coin introduced by Sher Shah Suri was called Rupiya.
• His full name was Farid Khan.
• Sher Shah Suri defeated Humayun in the battle of Chausa and assumed the title she shah as emperor in 1539.
• He again defeated the Humayun in the battle of Kannauj and annexed Kannauj in 1540.
• The "Ryotwari System" was originally introduced by Sher Shah Suri.
• He surveyed the land for cultivation and divided it into Polaj (land under continuous cultivation) and Parati (land temporararily out of cultivation).
• In his memory, a tomb designed by Mir Muhammad Aliwal Khan was built in Sasaram, Bihar and it is an example of Indo-Islamic Architecture.

Additional Information

• Muhammad bin Tughluq (1325-1351):​
  • His reign marks the zenith of the Delhi Sultanate but also saw the beginning of disintegration.
  • He defeated the Mongols. He appointed officials on the basis of merit. Advanced secular policies.
  • Applied justice to Ulema.
  • Ibn-Batuta (native of Morocco) was his contemporary of Muhammad Tughlaq and was his envoy to China.
  • He Built the fort of Adilabad and the city of Jahanpanah.
  • During his reign, 3 major kingdoms of South India emerged: Vijayanagar, Bahamani, and Madurai.
• Alla-ud-din Khilji:
  • He was from the Khilji dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate and was nephew and son-in-law of Jalaluddin Khilji.
  • He proclaimed ‘Kingship knows no Kinship’.
  • ​He created a new department viz Diwan-i-Mustakhraj to enquire into the revenue arrears and to collect them.
  • He reorganized the spy system and prohibited it from using wine in Delhi.
  • He confiscated the properties of Nobles classes and even they were not allowed to intermarry without permission.
  • He was the first sultan to have permanent army-paid soldiers in cash, imported horse.
• Razia Sultan:
  • ​She was Iltutmish’s daughter.
  • She is also the first and last Muslim woman to rule over Delhi.
  • She was defeated by Malik Ikhtiar-ud-din Altunia, the governor of Bathinda.
  • After which sultana was prisoned at Qila Mubarak fort.
  • She later married to Malik Ikhtiar-ud-din Altunia.
  • She was reportedly killed by her brother’s forces.
  • She was succeeded by her brother Muizuddin Bahram Shah.

The correct answer is non-violence.
Key Points

•  Non-violence (Ahimsa) is the most fundamental among the five principles of Jainism.
• "Ahimsa Paramo Dharma" was told by Lord Mahavira.
• The Other principles of Jainism are:
  • Truthfulness (Satya)
  • Non-stealing (Asatya)
  • Celibacy (brahmacharya)
  • Non-Possessiveness (Aparigraha)

• Mahavira: 
  • Real name: Vardhamana
  • Birthplace: Kundgrama near Vaishali, Bihar.
  • Father: Siddhartha
  • Mother: Trishala
  • Wife: Yashoda
  • Daughter: Anonja Priyadarshini.
  • Son-in-law: Jamali
  • He was the 24th Tirthankara of Jainism.
  • His symbol was Lion.
  • He attained the supreme knowledge (kaivalya) at the age of 42, under a sal tree at Jambhikagrama on the bank of river Rijupalika.
  • 1st sermon: At Pavapuri, Bihar to his 11 disciples.
  • Death: At the age of 72, at Pavapuri, Bihar.

The correct answer is Successful merchants.

Key Points

• From the sixth century BCE, land and river routes crisscrossed the subcontinent and extended in various directions – overland into Central Asia and beyond, and overseas, from ports that dotted the coastline – extending across the Arabian Sea to East and North Africa and West Asia, and through the Bay of Bengal to Southeast Asia and China.
• Those who traversed these routes included peddlers who probably travelled on foot and merchants who travelled with caravans of bullock carts and pack-animals.
• Successful merchants, designated as masattuvan in Tamil and setthis and satthavahas in Prakrit, could become enormously rich undertaking trade along these routes. Hence option 2 is the correct answer.
• A wide range of goods was carried from one place to another – salt, grain, cloth, metal ores and finished products, stone, timber, medicinal plants, to name a few.
• Spices, especially pepper, were in high demand in the Roman Empire, as were textiles and medicinal plants, and these were all transported across the Arabian Sea to the Mediterranean.

Chauth and Sardeshmukh are associated with the taxation system of the Marathas.

Key Points

• Chauth was a daily tax or tribute levied by the Maratha Empire, from the beginning of the 18th century. This was a nominally levied annual tax on profits or output at 25 percent.
• It was levied on the lands that were under Mughal nominal control.
• The sardeshmukh was on top of the chauth an extra 10 percent tax.
• It was initiated by Koli Maharaja Som Shah of Ramnagar.

Additional Information

Option 2 is correct, i.e. Razmnama.

• Razmnama:
  • In Persian, ‘Razm’ means ‘war’, and ‘nama’ means ‘tale’. So, Razmnama means ‘tale of war’.
  • Great Mughal Emperor Jalal Ud-din Muhammad Akbar, commissioned the Mahabharata to be translated into Persian.
  • The translation was carried out by Faizi (brother of Abu’lFazl) and Abd al-Qadir Bada’uni (1540 – 1615).
  • It was under Akbar regime, that the book of Mahabharat was translated in the Persian language.

The correct answer is ​Urvashi Butalia.

Key Points

• Urvashi Butalia in her book, The Other Side of Silence, narrates one such gruesome incident in the village of Thoa Khalsa, Rawalpindi district.
• Hence the correct answer is option 1.
• During Partition, in this Sikh village, ninety women are said to have “voluntarily” jumped into a well rather than fall into “enemy” hands.
• The migrant refugees from this village still commemorate the event at a gurdwara in Delhi, referring to the deaths as martyrdom, not suicide.
• They believe that men at that time had to courageously accept the decision of women, and in some cases even persuade the women to kill themselves.
• On 13 March every year when their martyrdom” is celebrated, the incident is recounted to an audience of men, women and children.
• Women are exhorted to remember the sacrifice and bravery of their sisters and to cast themselves in the same mould.

The correct answer is 8 April 1857​.Key PointsMangal Pandey

• Mangal Pandey was an Indian soldier under the British who is associated with the Revolt of 1857.
• His attack on British officers on March 29, 1857, marked the beginning of the Revolt.
• During his service in the Bengal Infantry at Barrackpore, the British had introduced a new ‘Enfield Rifle’ in the army.
• This rifle needed a cartridge that had a greased paper cover.
• This paper cover had to be bitten off before loading the cartridge into the rifle.
• The rumors spread that the greased paper was made up of beef and pork.
• Mangal Pandey urged his fellow soldiers to not use the rifle.
• On 29 March 1857, he attacked his officers in Barrackpore. He was later hanged on 8 April 1857.
• This incident sparked the revolt of 1857. 

The correct answer is To boycott the foreign clothes.

Key Points

•  Dandi March
  • The Dandi March, also known as the Salt March and the Dandi Satyagraha was an act of nonviolent civil disobedience led by Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi.
  • The march lasted from 12th March 1930 to 6th April 1930 as a direct action campaign of tax resistance and nonviolent protest against the British salt monopoly.
  • On 12th March, Gandhiji set out from Sabarmati with 78 followers on a 241 mile march to the coastal town of Dandi on the Arabian Sea. There, Gandhi and his supporters were to defy British policy by making salt from seawater.
  • At Dandi, thousands more followed his lead, and in the coastal cities of Bombay and Karachi, Indian nationalists led crowds of citizens in making salt.
  • Civil disobedience broke out all across India, soon involving millions of Indians and British authorities arrested more than 60,000 people Gandhiji himself was arrested on 5th May, but the Satyagraha continued without him.
  • On 21st May, the poet Sarojini Naidu led 2,500 marchers on the Dharasana Salt Works some 150 miles north of Bombay. The incident recorded by American journalist Webb Miller prompted an international outcry against British policy in India.

Additional Information

• Mahatma Gandhi
  • Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist, and political ethicist.
  • He was known as the Father of the Nation and commonly called Bapu.
  • His birthday on 2 October is commemorated in India as Gandhi Jayanti, a national holiday.
  • He was a prolific writer. One of Gandhi's publications Hind Swaraj published in Gujrati in 1909.
  • He was the leader of various movements (Satyagraha, Champaran Movement, Kheda Movement, Quit India Movement).

The correct answer is The Constituent Assembly adopted the National Anthem in January 1950.

Key Points 

• The National Flag of the Indian Union was adopted on 22 July 1947.
• The National Anthem of the Indian Union was adopted on 24 January 1950.
• The Constitution was passed and adopted by the assembly on 26 November 1949.
• On 24 Jan1950, The Indian Constituent Assembly adopted "Vande Mataram " as a national song.
• The Constituent Assembly ratified India's membership of the Commonwealth in May 1949.
  • Hence, Statement one is correct.

Additional Information

• The Constituent Assembly was constituted in November 1946 under the scheme formulated by the Cabinet Mission Plan.
• The elections to the Constituent Assembly were held in July-August 1946.
• The Constituent Assembly held its first meeting on December 9, 1946.
• Dr Sachchidanand Sinha, the oldest member, was elected as the temporary President of the Assembly, following the French practice.
• On December 13, 1946, Jawahar Lal Nehru moved the historic Objectives Resolution in the Assembly that laid down the fundamentals and philosophy of the constitutional structure.

The correct answer is 1931.

• The Gandhi-Irwin pact was carried out in the year 1931.

Key Points

• Gandhi Irwin Pact:
  • Gandhi-Irwin Pact was signed between Mahatma Gandhi and Viceroy Lord Irwin in London on 5 March 1931.
  • Important features of this pact: 
    • INC would agree to discontinue the Civil Disobedience Movement. 
    • Congress would agree to join the second Round Table Conference.
    • British would withdraw all orders imposing curbs on the activities of the Indian National Congress. 
    • British also agreed to withdraw trials relating to several offences except those involving violence and the release of prisoners arrested for participating in the civil disobedience movement. 
    • It was also agreed that the British would remove the tax on salt, which allowed Indians to produce, trade, and sell salt legally and for their own use.

The correct answer is Gowalia tank maidan.

• The famous Quit India Movement is also known as the 'August Movement'.
  • It was launched by Mahatma Gandhi on 8 August 1942 at Gowalia Tank Maidan, Bombay.
  • Gandhi Jee raised the slogan ‘do or die’ in his Quit India speech.
  • Most of the prominent Congress leaders were imprisoned in the initial days of the Quit India Movement.

The correct answer is option 2.

Key Points

• Muslim League
  • It was founded in 1906 as an alternative political group to the Indian National Congress.
  • Muhammad Ali Jinnah was elected as president in 1916.
  • Following the First World War (1914-18) the Muslim League joined forces with Congress to advocate for Home Rule within the British Empire.
  • The founders of the Muslim League were: Khwaja Salimullah, Vikar-ul-Mulk, Syed Amir Ali, Syed Nabiullah, Khan Bahadur Ghulam and Mustafa Chowdhury.
• Cabinet Mission Plan
  • It was a high-powered mission sent in February 1946 to India by the Atlee Government (then British Prime Minister).
  • The mission had three British cabinet members – Pethick Lawrence, Stafford Cripps, & and A.V. Alexander.
  • The aim was to discuss the transfer of power from British to Indian leadership.
• In 1946, elections to the Constituent Assembly were held following the proposals of the British Cabinet Mission.
• In this election, the Congress obtained a majority in the Assembly, and the Muslim League consolidated its support among the Muslim electorate.
• The Muslim league first approved the plan. But when the Muslim League found out that Congress had the majority in the Constituent Assembly, they rejected the plan. Hence A is true.
• On 29 July 1946, the Muslim League withdrew its acceptance of the Mission Plan and declared Direct Action.
• The Muslim League joined the interim government formed in 1946 on 26 October 1946. Hence R is true.
• Both (A) and (R) are true, but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A).

The Permanent Settlement was a land revenue system introduced in 1793 by the East India Company. By the terms of this settlement, the rajas and taluqdars were recognized as zamindars. They were asked to collect rent from the peasants and pay revenue to the Company.

Key Points

Features of the permanent settlement:

• Lord Charles Cornwallis under directions from the then British PM, William Pitt, proposed the Permanent Settlement system in 1786.
• This came into effect in 1793, by the Permanent Settlement Act of 1793.
• Landlords or Zamindars were recognized as the owners of the land.
• They were given hereditary rights of succession of the lands under them.
• The Zamindars could sell or transfer the land as they wished.
• The Zamindars’ proprietorship would stay as long as he paid the fixed revenue at the said date to the government.
• If they failed to pay, their rights would cease to exist and the land would be auctioned off.
• The amount to be paid by the landlords was fixed.
• It was agreed that this would not increase in the future (permanent).
• The fixed amount was 10/11^th portion of the revenue for the government and 1/10^th was for the Zamindar.
• This tax rate was way higher than the prevailing rates in England.
• The Zamindar also had to give the tenant a patta which described the area of the land given to him and the rent he had to pay the landlord.

Hence, the correct answer is The Charles Cornwallis.

The correct answer is Radha Kant Dev.

Key Points

• Radha Kant Dev is the founder of Dharma Sabha.
• It was formed in the year 1830.
• It is based on the idea of opposing the intrusion of the British in religious affairs.
• It advocated against the social reforms of the Abolition of Sati and Widow Remarriage Act.

Additional Information

• Keshab Chandra Sen
  • He is a philosopher and social reformer who was initially associated with Brahmo Samaj.
  • He later opposed and came out to support secularism in the reforms.
  • He founded the Indian Reform Association in 1870.
• ​Govind Ranade
  • ​He is a scholar and social reformer and was one of the founding members of INC.​
  • He was instrumental in establishing Poona Sarvajanik Sabha and Prarthana Samaj.
  • He is also known as Justice Ranade (Judge of Bombay High Court ).

The correct answer is Alvars.

• Sagun Bhakti refers to devotion and prayer to god having some form and with attributes whereas Nirguna Bhakti refers to devotion and prayer to formlessness god without any attributes.
• The Nayanars and Alvars were the Tamil poet-saints who played a key role in propagating the Bhakti Movement in Southern India.
  • Nayanars were the group of saints devoted to Lord Shiva while Alvars were the group of saints who devoted to Lord Vishnu, Vaishnav Bhakti.

Additional Information

• The Nayanars and Alvars went from place to place composing exquisite poems in praise of the deities enshrined in the villages they visited and set them to music.
• There were 63 Nayanars, who belonged to different caste backgrounds such as potters, “untouchable” workers, peasants, hunters, soldiers, Brahmanas, and chiefs.
• The best known among them were Appar, Sambandar, Sundarar and Manikkavasagar. There are two sets of compilations of their songs – Tevaram and Tiruvacakam.
• There were 12 Alvars, who came from equally divergent backgrounds, the best known being Periyalvar, his daughter Andal, Tondaradippodi Alvar and Nammalvar. Their songs were compiled in the Divya Prabandham.

The correct answer is None of the above.

Key PointsObjective Resolution

• Jawaharlal Nehru proposed the Objective Resolution to the Constitution of India on 13th December 1946 which laid down the principles of the constitution. Hence, statement 1 is correct.
• The Objective Resolution provides the philosophy of the constitution. Hence, statement 3 is correct.
• The Resolution was adopted by the Constituent Assembly on 22 January 1947.
• The Resolution proclaimed India as a sovereign Republic which is now independent of any external ruler.
• The Resolution stated that the citizens of India must be guaranteed justice, freedom and equality.
• It also talked about adequate safeguards for the minorities in the Indian society.
• The Objective resolution later took the form of Preamble of the Constitution of India. Hence, statement 2 is correct.

The correct answer is Lahore Session.

Key Points

• The Indian National Congress raised the slogan 'Purna Swaraj' at its Lahore session in 1929.
• The meaning of “Purna Swaraj” is total independence.
• The declaration of 'Purna Swaraj' was passed due to the breakdown of negotiations between Indian freedom fighters and the British government over the question of dominion status for India.
• Jawaharlal Nehru was the President of the Indian National Congress during the Lahore session in 1929.
• Jawaharlal Nehru hoisted the national flag of India on 31^st December 1929 on the banks of the Ravi river as a part of 'Purna Swaraj'.
• A public declaration was made on 26^th January 1930.
• To commemorate the 1930 declaration India decided to celebrate January 26 as Republic day.
• Lord Irwin was the viceroy of India during the declaration of 'Purna Swaraj'.

Additional Information

• Sarojini Naidu became the first Indian woman President of the Indian National Congress during the Kanpur session in 1925.
• The joint session of the Indian National Congress and Muslim League was held at Lucknow in 1916.
• India’s National Anthem 'Jana Gana Mana' was first sung during the Calcutta session in 1911.

The correct answer is Indian National Congress agreed to end the Civil Disobedience Movement.

Key Points

• The Gandhi-Irwin Pact is the name given to a political agreement concluded on 5 March 1931 by Mahatma Gandhi and the then Viceroy of India, Lord Irwin.
  • In 1930, the Salt Satyagraha was organized and India and Gandhi attracted worldwide attention.
  • The British government in India was criticized for its unjust treatment of Indians.
  • Gandhi and many other leaders were imprisoned along with thousands of Indians.
  • Lord Irwin wanted this issue to end.
  • Therefore, Gandhi was released from prison in January 1931.
  • The then Congress President Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel authorized Gandhi to hold talks with Lord Irwin.
  • The Indian National Congress agreed to end the Civil Disobedience Movement.
  • The INC participated in the Second Round Table Conference which was held in September-December in 1931.

Additional Information

• ​The pact made the British Government concede some demands. 
  • To withdraw all ordinances and prosecutions.
  • To release all the political prisoners.
  • To restore the confiscated properties of the satyagarhis.
  • To permit the free collection or manufacture of salt.

The correct answer is option 3, i.e. Gorakhpur.

• Chauri Chaura is located in Gorakhpur district of Uttar Pradesh.
• The incident happened when a large number of people participating in the Non-cooperation movement clashed with the British police. Since Gandhiji was a strong supporter of non-violence, he called off the movement after the incident.
• The first successful mass movement was started by Mahatama Gandhi from Champaran in the year 1917.
• Champaran is a district of Bihar.
• Ghazipur and Ballia are districts in the eastern Uttar Pradesh.

The correct answer is 1915.

Key Points

• Mahatma Gandhi returned from South Africa on 9th January 1915.
  • To commemorate this day we celebrate this day as Pravasi Bharatiya Divas. January 9 is annually celebrated as the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas.
• ​After arriving in India, Mahatma Gandhi successfully organized Satyagraha Movements in various places.
• Gandhi returned to India from South Africa in 1915 at the request of Gopal Krishna Gokhale.
• Gandhi Ji returns from South Africa can be seen as perfect timing for the future of the development of the Indian national movement. Gokhale helped  Gandhiji at the time of hardships in raising funds when Gandhiji was in South Africa.
• Gokhale insisted to Gandhiji that he has been far away from his nation. He wanted Gandhiji to come to India and know the situation of India under British Rule. 

Important Points

• Movements Started by Gandhiji in India:
  • Champaran Satyagraha of 1917.
  • Kheda Satyagrah of 1918.
  • Khilafat Movement Post World War I.
  • Non-Co-operation Movement.
  • Civil Disobedience Movement.
  • Negotiations over Round Table Conferences.
  • Gandhi Irwin Pact.
  • Quit India Movement.

Additional Information

Mahatama Gandhi:

• Champaran Satyagraha:
  • It was India’s first Civil Disobedience movement launched by Mahatma Gandhi in1917.
  • Mahatma Gandhiji was persuaded by Pandit Raj Kumar Shukla to visit the region and take action against the oppressed Indigo cultivator.
  • Landless tenants, indentured labourers and poor farmers were forced to grow indigo and other cash crops instead of food crops.
  • They were forced to grow indigo and sell it at a low price.
  • Gandhiji adopted non-violent Satyagraha as a mass movement to oppose such coercive acts against farmers.
  • The English District Magistrate ordered Gandhiji to leave the district by imposing Section 144 of the Criminal Penal Code. 
  • Gandhiji defied that order and pleaded guilty. He was ready to face consequences.
  • The government agreed to abolish the exploitative tinkathia system and peasants also received a part of the money extracted from them as compensation.
  • This movement made Gandhiji a nationwide leader and non-violent Satyagraha was adopted as a method of protest.

• Ahmedabad Mill Strike:

  • The industrial dispute between the owners and workers of a cotton mill in Ahmedabad lead to a strike demanding a hike in wages.
  • The owners wanted to withdraw the bonus to the workers while the workers were demanding a hike of 35% in their wages.
  • Gandhi underwent a hunger strike.
  • The Ahmedabad Mill strike was successful and the workers were granted the wage hike.

• Bardoli Satyagraha:

  • The Bardoli Taluk was hit by the floods and famines in 1925 affecting crop yield.
  • The Bombay Presidency increased the tax rates by 22% despite poor harvest.
  • Farmers in Bardoli invited Vallabhai Patel to launch the protest movement and Gandhiji also supported this movement.