The correct answer is Virashaivas.

Key PointsLingayats

• The term Lingayat denotes a person who wears a personal linga, an iconic form of god Shiva, on the body which is received during the initiation ceremony.
• Lingayats are the followers of the 12th-century social reformer-philosopher poet, Basaveshwara.
• The Lingayats are strict monotheists. They enjoin the worship of only one God, namely, Linga (Shiva).
• The word ‘Linga’ does not mean Linga established in temples, but universal consciousness qualified by the universal energy (Shakti).
• Lingayats had been classified as a Hindu subcaste called “Veerashaiva Lingayats” and they are considered to be Shaivites.

The correct answer is shari‘a.

Key Points

An early globe-trotter

• Ibn Battuta’s book of travels called Rihla, written in Arabic provides vibrant and interesting details about the social and cultural life in the subcontinent in the fourteenth century.
• This Moroccan traveller was born in Tangier into one of the most respectable and educated families known for their expertise in Islamic religious law or shari‘a.
• Hence the correct answer is option 3.
• True to the tradition of his family, Ibn Battuta received literary and scholastic education when he was quite young.

The correct answer is ​A hunting community.

Key Points

• Nishad: A hunting community.
• Chandals: Untouchables of ancient India who did menial works.
• Mahasammata: It means the great elect. A person is chosen by the whole people.
• Epic: A long poem about the deeds of great men and women or about a nation’s past history.

The correct answer is Seals.

Key Points

• Harappan Civilisation was a Bronze Age civilization.
• The most interesting part of the discovery relates to the seals-more than 2000 in number, made of soapstone, terracotta, and copper.
• The seals give us useful information about the civilization of Indus valley civilization.
• The seals even have an inscription of a sort of pictorial writing.
• Most of the seals have been written on both sides.
• The writings are in the Kharosthi style (right to left).
• Some seals have mathematical images and might be used for educational purposes.
• The most famous seal is the Pashupati Seal of Harappan civilization from the Mohenjodaro site.

The correct answer is Music and Dance.

Key PointsZiyarat

• Ziyarat meant pilgrimage to the tombs of Sufi saints.
• Its main objective was to seek spiritual grace from the Sufi.
• Music and dance are an important part of Ziyarat.
• The Sufis believed that music and dance evoke divine ecstasy in the human heart.
• Ziyarat is an Arabic term that literally means "visit", and is used to refer to a form of pilgrimage to sites associated with Muhammad, his family members, and his companions, and other venerated figures in Islam such as the prophets, Sufi Saints, and Islamic scholars.
• By the eleventh century, Sufism evolved into a well-developed movement with a body of literature on Quranic studies and sufi practices.
• When the shaikh/Saints died, his tomb shrine (dargah, a Persian term meaning court) became the center of devotion for his followers.
• This encouraged the practice of pilgrimage or ziyarat to his grave, particularly on his death anniversary or urs (or marriage, signifying the union of his soul with God).

Option 3 is the correct answer: The ancient Harappan town of Lothal is situated in the state of Gujarat.

• Lothal is a coastal site in the state of Gujarat and was as an important trading centre during the Harappan period.
• The artificial dockyard (the most striking feature) in Lothal signifies its importance as a trading centre.
• The site was discovered by SR Rao in 1964.
• It is situated on the banks of Bhogava river, a tributary of Sabarmati River.
• It is the only site belonging to Harappan culture where the evidence of rice has been found.
• From here a doubtful terracotta figurine representing horse has been found.
• Other striking excavations made from here are:
  • Terracotta ship
  • Ship on a seal
  • double burial (male and female)
  • chess-like game
  • instruments for measuring angles

The correct answer is Bernier.

Key Points

The question of landownership -

• Bernier’s descriptions influenced Western theorists from the eighteenth century onwards.
• The French philosopher Montesquieu, for instance, used this account to develop the idea of oriental despotism. Hence the correct answer is option 1.
• According to which rulers in Asia enjoyed absolute authority over their subjects, who were kept in conditions of subjugation and poverty, arguing that all land belonged to the king and that private property was non-existent.
• According to this view, everybody, except the emperor and his nobles, barely managed to survive.
• This idea was further developed as the concept of the Asiatic mode of production by Karl Marx in the nineteenth century.

The Correct Answer is 1919.
Key Points

• The Khilafat Movement (1919-20 ) was essentially a movement to express Muslim support for the Caliph of Turkey against the allied powers particularly Britain.
• It was led by Shaukat Ali, Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar, Hakim Ajmal Khan, and Abul Kalam Azad to restore the caliph of the Ottoman Caliphate, 
• Muslims were especially upset about the future of the Islamic places of worship after the allied powers had partitioned the Turkish Empire.
• On November 23, 1919, the All India Khilafat Conference was organized in New Delhi.
• The movement collapsed by late 1922 when Turkey gained a more favourable diplomatic position and moved towards secularism.
• By 1924 Turkey simply abolished the role of the caliph.

The correct answer is Ghazni.

Key Points

Al-Biruni -

• Al-Biruni was born in 973, in Khwarizm in presentday Uzbekistan.
• Khwarizm was an important centre of learning, and Al-Biruni received the best education available at the time. 
• It was in Ghazni that Al-Biruni developed an interest in India.
• Hence the correct answer is option 2.
• This was not unusual Sanskrit works on astronomy, mathematics and medicine had been translated into Arabic from the eighth century onwards.
• When the Punjab became a part of the Ghaznavid empire, contacts with the local population helped create an environment of mutual trust and understanding.

The correct answer is Patriliny.

Key PointsPatriliny

• Patriliny means that the descent which is traced from father to son, then grandson and great-grandson.
• Patriliny was prevalent even before the Mahabharata, yet Mahabharata strengthen it.
• In a patrilinial society, male gender becomes extremely important. 
• Mahabharata reinforced the idea that it was valuable. Under patriliny, sons could claim the resources (including the throne in the case of kings) of their fathers when the latter died.
• In absence of a male heir to the throne, brothers succeeded one another, sometimes other kinsmen claimed the throne. 
• While sons were important for the continuity of the patrilineage, daughters were viewed rather differently within this framework. They had no claims to the resources of the household. 

Additional Information

• Kinship: The person belonging the same family.
• Matriliny: System of tracing descent from mother side.
• Endogamy: It refers to the system of marriage within the unit such as caste.

The correct answer is Gotra.

Key PointsGotra

• One Brahmanical practice, evident from c. 1000 BCE onwards, was to classify people (especially Brahmanas) in terms of gotras.
• Each gotra was named after a Vedic seer, and all those who belonged to the same gotra were regarded as his descendants.
• Two rules about gotra were particularly important: women were expected to give up their father’s gotra and adopt that of their husband upon marriage and members of the same gotra could not marry.
  • One way to find out whether this was commonly followed is to consider the names of men and women, which were sometimes derived from gotra names.
  • These names are available for powerful ruling lineages such as the Satavahanas who ruled over parts of western India and the Deccan (c. second century BCE-second century CE).
  • Several of their inscriptions have been recovered, which allow historians to trace family ties, including marriages.
• During Mahabharata age gotras were considered very important by higher varna of societies.

The correct answer is Persian.

Key Points

Mughal court chronicles -

• Mughal court chronicles were written in Persian.
• Under the Sultans of Delhi, it flourished as a language of the court and of literary writings, alongside north Indian languages, especially Hindavi and its regional variants
• Mughal chronicles such as the Akbar Nama were written in Persian, others, like Babur’s memoirs, were translated from Turkish into the Persian Babur Nama. Hence the correct answer is option 3.
• Translations of Sanskrit texts such as the Mahabharata and the Ramayana into Persian were commissioned by the Mughal emperors.
• The Mahabharata was translated as the Razmnama (Book of Wars).

The correct answer is Both (1) and (2)

• Ashokan inscriptions were mostly written in Brahmi script.
• The northwestern Inscriptions were written in Kharosthi Script.
• Both these scripts were deciphered by James Princep.

Ashoka:

• Ashoka is referred as Buddhsakya in Maski Inscription and Dharmakosa in his Sarnath Inscription.
• He was known as Devampiya i.e. beloved oof Goda, and as Piyadassi i.e. of pleasing appearance.
• Ashoka believed in the policy of Dhamma.
• Ashoka's visit to Lumbini and exemption of Lumbini from tax was mentioned in Rumminidei Pillar Inscription.
• The Kandhar Inscription speaks about the success of his policy with the hunters and fishermen.
• Nigalisagar Pillar Inscription: It mentions that Ashoka increased the height of the stupa of Buddha Konakamana to its double size.

The correct answer is Kushana.

• The Kushanas had originally belonged to the regions of western China. They are also known as the ‘Yuehchis'.
• The first-ever gold coins in India were issued by the Kushana dynasty.
• The first important ruler of the Kushana dynasty was ‘Kujula Kadphises’ or Kadphises I.

Key Points

• Kanishka usurped the throne in AD 78, and then started a new era, what is known to us as the ‘Shaka era'. He was the greatest king of the Kushana dynasty.
• Kanishka is credited with convening the fourth Buddhist Council at Kundalavan, located at present day Harwan near Srinagar in J&K.
• In this council that Buddhism got split into two different schools – Hinayana and Mahayana.
• Kanishka is also known to patronize the Gandhara and Mathura schools of sculptural art.
• Kanishka also patronized the famous physician of ancient India Charaka.

The correct answer is option 4.

Key Points

• East India Company over trade with India and China was not mentioned in the Fifth report.
• In 1813, the British Parliament received the Fifth Report.
• It was known as the Fifth Report because it was the fifth in a series of reports about the East India Company's operations.
• The administration and activities of the East India Company were the central themes of the Fifth Report.

The Main feature of the Fifth report are:

1. It was 1002 pages long, with over 800 pages of appendices containing zamindar and ryot petitions.
2. Collectors' reports from several districts.
3. Statistical tables on revenue returns.
4. Official notes on the tax and judicial administrations of Bengal and Madras.

Tirthankara refers to an enlightened soul achieves perfection through meditation.

Important Points

• Vardhamana Mahavira is regarded as the founder of Jainism.
• In Jainism, there were twenty-four Tirthankaras.
• Lord Rishabha was the first Tirthankara and Lord Mahavira was the last Tirthankara.
• Mahavira wandered for twelve years to attain perfect knowledge and later he was known as Jina(conqueror) and the followers of Mahavira were called Jains.
• In Jainism, there are three jewels- right belief, right knowledge, and right action to achieve salvation.
• Jain monks followed non-violence very strictly and they opposed the caste system.

Additional Information

Some facts about Jainism:

• Jainism traditionally known as Jain Dharma is an ancient Indian religion. 
• Jains trace their spiritual ideas and history through a succession of twenty-four leaders or Tirthankaras, the last of them was Lord Mahavira.
• These twenty-four teachers were called Tirthankaras - people who had attained all knowledge (Moksha) while living and preached it to the people.
• Jainism came into prominence in 6th century B.C., when Lord Mahavira propagated the religion.
• Within Jainism, a Tirthankara is the savior as well as the spiritual teacher of the dharma (righteous life).
• Rishabdev/Adinatha was the first Tirthankara and Mahavira was the last i.e. 24th Tirthankara.
• Anantanatha was the 14th Tirthankara whereas Parshavanatha was the second last i.e. 23rd Tirthankara.

The correct answer is All of the Above.

Key Points

Shaikh Nizam-ud-din Auliya

• The famous Sufi saint of the Chishti Order, Shaikh Nizamuddin Auliya got the popularity by the titles 'Mehboob -i-Illahi' (the beloved of God) and Sutan-ul-Auliya.
• He built his Khanqah in Delhi and witnessed the reign of 7 sultans of Delhi.
• Nasiruddin Chiragh Dehlavi, Amir Khusro, Jalaluddin Bhandari, etc. were the disciples of him.
• He stressed on realising God in humanity, secularity and kindness for people.
• Amir Hasan Sijzi, Amir Khusro and the court historian Ziya-ud-din Barani were poets or historians who visited Shaikh Nizam-ud-din Aulia and wrote about the Shaikh.
• There are 4 practices adopted by Shaikh Nizam-ud-din Auliya which represent that he tried to assimilate love traditions.
  • Bowing before the Shaikh.
  • Offering water to visitors.
  • Shaving the heads of inmates.
  • Yogic exercise.

The correct answer is Sultan Mahmud.

Key Points

From Khwarizm to Punjab -

• Al-Biruni was born in 973, in Khwarizm in present-day Uzbekistan.
• Khwarizm was an important centre of learning, and Al-Biruni received the best education available at the time.
• He was well versed in several languages: Syriac, Arabic, Persian, Hebrew and Sanskrit.
• Although he did not know Greek, he was familiar with the works of Plato and other Greek philosophers, having read them in Arabic translations.
• In 1017, when Sultan Mahmud invaded Khwarizm, he took several scholars and poets back to his capital, Ghazni; Al-Biruni was one of them.
• Hence the correct answer is option 2.
• He arrived in Ghazni as a hostage, but gradually developed a liking for the city, where he spent the rest of his life until his death at the age of 70.

The correct answer is option 1.

Key Points

Some Major Mughal Chronicles and Memoirs -

• In 1587 , Gulbadan Begum begins to write the Humayun Nama.
• In 1589, Babur’s memoirs were translated into Persian as Babur Nama.
• 1589-1602 , Abu’l Fazl works on the Akbar Nama.
• From 1605-to 22, Jahangir writes his memoirs, the Jahangir Nama.
• In 1639-47, Lahori composes the first two drafters of the Badshah Nama.
• Hence the correct answer is option 1.

• Dhamma is derived from Classical Sanskrit or Prakrit, in Buddhism.
• It means the teachings and doctrines of the Buddha.
• Three Jewels (Triratnas) of Buddhism: Buddha, Dhamma, Sangha.
• Ashoka was the greatest Mauryan ruler and Governor of Taxila and Ujjain.
• He embraced Buddhism under Upagupta after the Kalinga war, which changed his attitude towards war.
• He sent his son Mahendra and daughter Sanghamitra to Ceylon as Buddhist missionaries with a sapling of original peepal tree.

Key Points

• With the help of Chanakya (Vishnugupta/ Kautilya), Chandragupta Maurya defeated Dhana Nanda (322 BCE) and founded the Mauryan Dynasty.
• Chanakya encouraged Chandragupta Maurya and his army to take over the throne of Magadha.
• His vast empire included Bihar, Bengal, Deccan (except modern Kerala, Tamilnadu, and parts of Northeast India), Eastern Afghanistan, Baluchistan, and the area west of the Indus river.

 Important Points

bindusara

• Chandragupta was succeeded by his son Bindusara.
• Bindusara ruled for approximately 25-26 years and his succession was disputed which ultimately gave India a great king called Asoka.

Ashoka

• Asoka was the third and the greatest of the Mauryan rulers.
• Ashoka is referred to as Ashokavardhana.

Kunala

• Kunala was the son of Emperor Ashoka and Queen Padmavati and the presumptive heir to Ashoka.

The correct answer is 8.

Key Points

Marriages in Dharmasutras and Dharmashastras -

• The Dharmasutras and Dharmashastras recognised as many as eight forms of marriage. Hence the correct answer is option 4.
• Of these, the first four were considered “good” while the remaining were condemned.
• It is possible that these were practised by those who did not accept Brahmanical norms.
• They were Brahma Vivah, Daiva Vivah, Arsha Vivah, Prajapatya Vivah, Gandharva Vivah, Asura Vivah, Rakshasa Vivah, and Paisasha Vivah.
  • Brahma Vivah: We are following this type of vivah. In this Vivah the bride and bridegroom are from the same caste/Varna. This marriage is done through the process of Kanyadan.
  • Daiva Vivah: This marriage is not encouraged. As in this marriage, the girl should marry a priest or a god generally we call the girl "DevaDasi".
  • Arsha Vivah: This marriage is encouraged to certain extents. As in this marriage, the boy himself gives gifts to the family of the girl if they are poor.
  • Prajapatya Vivah: This marriage is similar to Brahma Vivah. But here we don't see the Kanyadan but we can see the Panigrahan. The process of making the girl study Veda is Panigrahan.
  • Gandharva Vivah: This marriage is the most interested nowadays. This marriage is a love marriage. Boy and girl marry with their will.
  • Asura Vivah: We saw in Arsha Vivah that the groom gives gifts to the bride's family. But in this marriage, the bride gives gifts to the family. This is also not encouraged today.
  • Rakshasa Vivah: In the name itself we can say that this is a cruel marriage. As in this marriage if the bride likes the groom then the groom's family marries them against the will of the bride's family.
  • Paisasha Vivah: This is the cruelest marriage. As in this marriage, the boy marries a girl against her will by using toxicants or drugs. We generally see this in movies.

The correct answer is Qandahar.

Key Points

The Safavids and Qandahar 

• The political and diplomatic relations between the Mughal kings and the neighbouring countries of Iran and Turan hinged on the control of the frontier defined by the Hindukush mountains that separated Afghanistan from the regions of Iran and Central Asia.
• A constant aim of Mughal policy was to ward off this potential danger by controlling strategic outposts notably Kabul and Qandahar.
• Qandahar was a bone of contention between the Safavids and the Mughals.
• Hence the correct answer is option 1.
• The fortress-town had initially been in the possession of Humayun, reconquered in 1595 by Akbar.
• While the Safavid court retained diplomatic relations with the Mughals, it continued to stake claims to Qandahar.

The correct answer is None of the above.

Key PointsThe correct match

• Tavaram: Collection of Poems in Tamil.
• Sharia: Law of governing the Muslim community.
• Maktubat: Letters written by Sufi-saints.
• mama: Religious scholars of Islamic studies.

The correct answer is None of the above.

Key PointsThe Significance of Mahabharata:

• Historians examine whether texts were written in Prakrit, Pali, or Sanskrit languages. They try to find out about the authors whose perspectives and ideas shaped the text.
• The Sanskrit used in the Mahabharata is far simpler than that of the Vedas. Hence, statement 1 is correct.
• Historians classify the contents of the text under two broad heads, narrative containing stories and didactic containing prescription and social norms.
• Mahabharata has been written in many phases. It is not the work of a single author. However, it is traditionally attributed to a sage named Vyasa.
• Mahabharata contains vivid descriptions of battles, forests, palaces, and settlements. Hence, statement 2 is correct.
• One of the most challenging episodes in the Mahabharata is Draupadi’s marriage to five Pandavas.
• It suggests polyandry ( the practice of a woman having several husbands) among ruling elites.
• Some historians think that polyandry is undesirable from the Brahmanical point of view, but it was prevalent in the Himalayan region due to a shortage of women during war times.

The correct answer is Francois Bernier.

Key Points

Bernier and degenerate East -

• Bernier’s "Travels in the Mughal Empire" is marked by detailed observations, critical insights and reflection. Hence the correct answer is option 2.
• His account contains discussions trying to place the history of the Mughals within some sort of a universal framework.
• He constantly compared Mughal India with contemporary Europe, generally emphasising the superiority of the latter.
• His representation of India works on the model of binary opposition, where India is presented as the inverse of Europe.
• He also ordered the perceived differences hierarchically, so that India appeared to be inferior to the Western world.

The correct answer is Hampi.

Key Points

• Hampi was the capital of the Vijayanagara kingdom.
• It served as the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire in the 14th century
• Hampi was a city located in northern Karnataka.
• Hampi is a famous pilgrimage centre of the Hindu and Jain religions.
• It is situated on the banks of the Tungabhadra River.
• Hampi-Vijayanagara was considered the world's second-largest medieval-era city after Beijing By 1500 CE.
• Group of Monuments at Hampi was added to UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1986.
• The site has about 1,600 monuments.

Additional Information

• Mysore was the capital city of the Kingdom of Mysore from 1399 until 1956.
• The famous Brihadishvara Temple is located in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu.
• Belur in Karnataka was the early capital of the Hoysala Empire.

The correct answer is Coconut and paan.

Key Points

The coconut and the paan 

• Some of the best examples of Ibn Battuta’s strategies of representation are evident in the ways in which he described the coconut and the paan, two kinds of plant products that were completely unfamiliar to his audience.
• Hence the correct answer is option 2.

Additional Information

Ibn Battuta described the Cocunut -

• These trees are among the most peculiar trees in kind and most astonishing inhabit.
• They look exactly like date palms, without any difference between them except that the one produces nuts as its fruits and the other produces dates.
• The nuts of coconut trees resemble a man's head, for in it are what look like two eyes and a mouth, and the inside of it when it is green looks like the brain and attached to it is a fibre which looks like hair.

Ibn Battuta described the paan -

• The betel is a tree which is cultivated in the same manner as the grapevine.
• The betel has no fruit and is grown only for the sake of its leaves.
• The manner of its use is that before eating it one takes areca nut, this is like a nutmeg but is broken up until it is reduced to small pallets and one places these in his mouth and ches them.

The correct answer is Akbar.

Key Points

• Buland Darwaza or the garret gateway at Fatehpur Sikri was constructed by the great Mughal emperor, Akbar in 1601.

• Akbar constructed the Buland Darwaza to commemorate his victory over Gujarat. 

Important Points

• It is made of red and buff sandstone and finished by carving and inlaying of white and black marble.
• An inscription on the central face of the Buland Darwaza throws light on Akbar's religious tolerance and broad-mindedness.
• It is semi-octagonal in plan and is protected by pillars and chhatris, echoing early Mughal design with simple ornamentation, carved verses from the Quran, and towering arches.
• A Persian inscription on the eastern archway of the Buland Darwaza records Akbar's conquest over Deccan in 1601 A.D.
• This enormous monument that forms the main entrance of the palace at Fatehpur Sikri stands as a fine example of the architectural brilliance of the Mughal Empire that showcases an extraordinary mix of Hindu and Persian styles of architecture. Also called the ‘Gate of Magnificence’.

The correct option is Both 1 and 3.

Key Points

• The Alvars and the Nayanars were considered as the founder of the Bhakti movement in southern India.
• The Alvars were the devotees of Lord Vishnu, while the Nayanars followed Shaivism.
• Both Alvars and Nayanars strongly criticized the social and religious malpractices prevalent in society.
• Two women saints-Andal of Alvars and Karaikkal of Ammaiyar of Nayanars played a valuable role in giving a new direction to the society.

• Nayanars	Alvars
  Nayanars were devoted to Lord Shiva and his avatars	Alvars were devoted to Lord Vishnu and his avatars
  Nayanars were active around the 6th-8th Century AD	Although modern scholars consider the Alvars to be active between the 5th and 10th Century AD, they are believed to have lived between 4200 BCE – 2700 BCE
  The high priest of Raja Raja Chola I, Nambiyandar Nambi, compiled the hymns into a series of volumes called the Tirumurai.	The hymns of the Alvars were made into a consolidated volume known as Divya Prabandha.
  The Nayanars were from various backgrounds, including Brahmins, Harijan, and nobles. Along with the twelve Vaishnava Alvars, they are regarded as the important Hindu saints from South India.	The Bhakti literature that sprang from Alvars had contributed to the establishment and sustenance of a culture that broke away from the ritual-oriented Vedic religion and rooted itself in devotion as the only path for salvation
  Tiru Neelakanta Meiporul Viralminda Amaraneedi Eripatha Yenathinathar	Sri Andal Thirumazhisai Alvar Thiruppaan Alvar Nammalwar Kulasekara Alwar

The correct answer is Rihla.

Key Points

An early globe-trotter -

• Ibn Battuta’s book of travels, called Rihla, written in Arabic, provides vibrant and interesting details about the social and cultural life in the subcontinent in the fourteenth century.
• Hence the correct answer is option 1.
• This Moroccan traveller was born in Tangier into one of the most respectable and educated families known for their expertise in Islamic religious law or sharia.
• True to the tradition of his family, Ibn Battuta received literary and scholastic education when he was quite young.

The correct answer is Permanent Settlement.

Key Points

• ​The Permanent Settlement had come into operation in 1793 and was introduced by Lord Cornwallis.
• The East India Company had fixed the revenue that each zamindar had to pay. The estates of those who failed to pay were to be auctioned to recover the revenue.
• They were now classified as zamindars, and they had to pay the revenue demand that was fixed in perpetuity.
• In the early decades after the Permanent Settlement, however, zamindars regularly failed to pay the revenue demand and unpaid balances accumulated. The reasons for this failure were various.
  • The initial revenue demands were impractically very high.
  • High demand was imposed in the 1790s, a time when the prices of agricultural produce were depressed, making it difficult for the ryots to pay their dues to the zamindar.
  • The revenue was invariable, regardless of the harvest, and had to be paid punctually.
    • In fact, according to the Sunset Law, if payment did not come in by sunset of the specified date, the zamindari was liable to be auctioned.
      • The Sunset Law in British India is another name for the Revenue Sale Act of 1793, which is an integral part of the laws related to the Permanent Settlement of Bengal. Hence option 1 is the correct answer.
  • The Permanent Settlement initially limited the power of the zamindar to collect rent from the ryot and manage his zamindari.

Additional Information

•  Mahalwari system:
  • In the North-Western Provinces of the Bengal Presidency (most of this area is now in Uttar Pradesh), an Englishman called Holt Mackenzie devised the new system which came into effect in 1822.
  • The estimated revenue of each plot within a village was added up to calculate the revenue that each village (mahal) had to pay.
  • Under this system, the revenue paid was to be revised periodically, not permanently fixed. 
  • The charge of collecting the revenue and paying it to the Company was given to the village headman, rather than the zamindar.
• Ryotwari system:
  • Developed by Thomas Munro.
  • It was prevalent in most of southern India, being the standard system of the Madras Presidency.
  • The principle was the direct collection of the land revenue from each individual cultivator by government agents. Hence, elimination of middlemen.
  • For this purpose, all holdings were measured and assessed according to crop potential and actual cultivation.
  • The rates were high and unlike the Permanent System, they were open to being increased.

The correct answer is option 4.

Key Points

• Paharias people didn't rear cows.
• Paharias were hill people that lived near the Rajmahal mountains.
• Hunters, shifting cultivators, food gatherers, charcoal manufacturers, and silkworm rearers were among their occupations.
• They had inextricably linked to the forest.
• They resided in hutments surrounded by tamarind trees and rested under the shade of mango trees.
• They regarded the entire territory as their land, the source of their identity and life, and they rejected alien incursion.
• Their chiefs kept the tribe united, resolved disagreements, and led the tribe in fights against other tribes and plains people.

The correct answer is Nana Sahib.

Key Points

• Nana Sahib led the revolt of 1857 in the city of Kanpur.
• He was the 14th Peshwa of the Maratha Empire.
• The original name of Nana Sahib was Dhondu Pant.
• He was the adopted son of the late Peshwa Baji Rao.
• He was the successor of Peshwa Baji Rao II.
• Tatya Tope was the general of Nana Saheb in the 1857 revolt.
• The British East India Company forces reached Kanpur on 16 July 1857.
• It is believed that Nana Sahib escaped to Nepal when the rebellion collapsed.

Additional Information

• Kunwar Jagdish Singh led the revolt of 1857 in Jagadishpur, Bihar.
• Tatya Tope led the revolt of 1857 in Gwalior.
• Wajid Ali Shah was the last ruler of Awadh who ascended the throne of Awadh in 1847.

Ain-i-Akbari is a literary source that gives an insight into the Mughal Empire.

Important Points

• Akbar the Great (1556-1605 CE) ordered one of his courtiers Abul Fazl to write an account of his reign.
• Abul Fazl wrote Akbar Nama which gives us information about the social, economic, religious, and administration.
• The Akbar Nama was written in three volumes.
  • The first two volumes provide the account of his ancestors and the events respectively.
  • The third volume titled as Ain-i-Akbari that deals with administration, household, army, revenues, and geography.
  • In addition, it provides data on revenues, wages, prices along with details of the culture and tradition of India.

Hence, we can conclude that Ain-i-Akbari provides economic conditions of the reign of Akbar.

The correct answer is Sabarmati.

Key Points

Dandi March or Salt Satyagraha was started by Mahatma Gandhi in Sabarmati launched on March 12, 1930, and it lasted till April 5, 1930, in Dandi (Navsari).

• It was a part of Non-violent Civil Disobedience.
• It was against the tax collected by the British Raj on salt and Gandhi opposed this by producing salt through evaporation.
• This significantly influenced American activist's Martin Luther King, James Bevel, and others.
• It is also known as the White Flowing River as all people took part in the march by wearing White Khadi.
• Gandhi called it “Poor Man’s Struggle”.
• Due to this, mass civil disobedience was observed and Indians boycotted British clothes and goods.
• International Walk for Justice and Freedom – Mahatma Gandhi Foundation re-framed and cast the Salt March in 2005 on the 75^th anniversary of Dandi March
• National Salt Satyagraha Memorial – Dandi (inaugurated Jan 30, 2019)

Mistake Points

• C Rajgopalachari, Gandhi’s associate organized Vedaranyam Salt March along the east coast while Gandhi launched along the west coast.
• C Rajgopalachari was the 1^st Governor-General of India after Independence.
• 1^st women arrested in Salt March – Sarojini Naidu
• To commemorate the 50^th and 75^th anniversary of Dandi March in 1980 and 2005 respectively, stamps were also released by the government.

(Stamp released in 2005 on the 75^th anniversary of Dandi Satyagraha)

The correct answer is option 4.

Key Points

Damin-i Koh 

• Damin-i Koh in the Rajmahal area was a large area of land demarcated and declared to be the land of the Santhals.
• Damin-i Koh is in the area of Sahebganj, Pakur, and Godda districts in the Jharkhand.
• British persuaded the local tribe of Rajmahal Hills i.e. Santhals to live in the foothills of Rajmahal by giving land to them.
• This was declared to be the land of the Santhals.
• They were to live within it, practice plow agriculture, and become settled peasants.
• The land grant to the Santhals stipulated that at least one-tenth of the area was to be cleared and cultivated within the first ten years.
• Enclosed with boundary pillars, it was separated from both the world of the settled agriculturists of the plains and the Paharis of the hills.
• After the demarcation of Damin-i-Koh, Santhal settlements expanded rapidly.
• From 40 Santhal villages in the area in 1838, as many as 1,473 villages had come up by 1851.
• Over the same period, the Santhal population increased from a mere 3,000 to over 82,000.
• According to the land grant, at least one-tenth (not one-third) of the land had to be cleared and cultivated within the first ten years. Hence, option 4 is incorrect.

The correct answer is None of the above.

Key PointsIslam Religion

• Islam is one of the major religions in the world. It was promulgated by the Prophet Muhammad in Arabia in the 7th century CE.
• The Arabic term, ‘Islam’ means surrender. 
• The pillars of Islam are;
  • Reutors Raima
  • Namaz
  • Ranja
  • Zakat
  • Hajj
• The holy book of Islam is Quran Shariff. It has been written in Arabic and has 114 chapters.
• According to Muslim tradition Quran is the compilation of those message which god (Allah) had sent to prophet Muhammad between 610-632 at Mecca and Madina through his envoy Archangel Jibris.
• A Muslim is believed to be one who accepts to surrender to the will of Allah. Allah is viewed as the sole God—creator, sustainer, and restorer of the world.
• The will of Allah, to which human beings must submit, is made known through the sacred scriptures, the Quran.

The correct answer is Ibn Battuta.

Key Points

Ibn Battuta's description of Daulatabad-

• In Daulatabad there is a marketplace for male and female singers, which is known as Tarababad.
• Hence the correct answer is option 1.
• It is one of the greatest and most beautiful bazaars.
• It has numerous shops and every shop has a door which leads into the house of the owner.
• The shops are decorated with carpets and at the centre of a shop, there is a swing on which sits the female singer.
• In the middle of the marketplace, there stands a large cupola, which is carpeted and decorated and in which the chief of the musicians takes his place every Thursday after the dawn prayers, accompanied by his servants and slaves.

The correct answer is 1932.

Key Points

• The Poona Pact was signed on 24 September 1932 at Yerwada Central Jail in Pune.
• The Pact was signed between Dr B.R Ambedkar and Mahatma Gandhi.
• Mahatma Gandhi went on a hunger strike and objected to the provision of separate electorates for the Dalits at Yerwada Central Jail. 
• This Pact ended the fast that Gandhi had undertaken in the jail to protest against British Prime Minister Ramsay Macdonald’s award of a separate electorate to the Depressed Classes.
• It was signed during the time of Lord Willington.
• The Poona Pact refers to the agreement signed in 1932 to provide the depressed classes with the reservation of the electoral seats in the British India Parliament.
• It was signed by Madan Mohan Malviya on the behalf of Mahatma Gandhi and B.R. Ambedkar at Yerwada Central Jail in Pune.

• Heavy taxation imposed by money lenders is the main reason behind the Deccan Riots.
• In 1874, there is a social boycott movement organized by the riots against the outsider moneylenders due to growing tension between the moneylenders and the peasants.
• These moneylenders were mostly outsiders- Marwaris or Gujaratis.
• Soon the social boycott was converted into riots with systematic attacks on the house and shop of the moneylenders.
• The Government succeeded in repressing the movement.

The Muslim League Council proclaimed 16th August 1946 as ‘Direct Action Day’ in order to accentuate their demand for a separate Muslim homeland after the British left the Indian subcontinent. Their main aim was to attain a different country with a Muslim majority.

• In 1946, the Cabinet Mission was sent to India by the British government to find a resolution to the conflict between the Indian National Congress (INC) and the Muslim League on the issue of independence. The two parties were the largest in India’s Constituent Assembly.
• The League wanted a separate homeland for the Muslims they called Pakistan while the INC wanted a united India.
• The Mission was not successful since the League and the Congress could not agree on the point of a united India with a strong center.
• Since the Mission failed, the Muslim League announced 16th August as Direct Action Day and called for a general hartal in order to protest the INC’s stand and demand vehemently a separate homeland.
• The Chief Minister of Bengal at that time was Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy of the Muslim League. The League announced that there was to be a mass rally presided over by Suhrawardy. Processions of people would come from different places and meet at the Ochterlony Monument to attend the rally.
• The rally started at noon, although there were instances of forced closing down of shops, stabbing, and stoning from morning itself.
• It is believed that when Muhammad Ali Jinnah asked the people to ‘suspend all business, he did not expect the riot to get so violent.
• However, the outcome of this Direct Action Day turned out to be extremely violent and took the lives of hundreds of people in both countries.

Thus, it is clear that the Muslim League party is associated with 'Direct Action Day'.

The correct answer is All of the above.

 Important Points

• During the reign of Viceroy Lord Chelmsford, a sedition committee was appointed by the government in 1918 with Justice Rowlatt which made certain recommendations to curb the seditious activities in India.
• The Rowlatt Act 1919, gave unbridled powers to the government to arrest and imprison suspects, without trial.
• This act called for " No Appeal, No Vakil, No Dalil." The act also called the ' Black Act '.
• Gandhiji opposed this law and decided to fight against this act.
• Gandhiji gave a call for Satyagraha on April 6, 1919. He was arrested on 8 April 1919.
• This act caused a wave of anger among the people.

• Freedom fighter, Mangal Pandey was the first martyr of the Revolt of 1857 and he played a major role in the revolt of 1857.
• He was a sepoy in the 34th Bengal Native Infantry regiment of the British East India Company.
• Mangal Pandey was one of the prominent faces of the revolt of 1857 who was given death sentence by the British in fear that he would have been responsible for the massive outrage during the revolt.​
• He was sentenced to death and executed by the British authorities 10 days before the scheduled date of April 18, on April 8, 1857, due to large scale outrage by the Indian masses.
• Mangal Pandey was born on July 19, 1827, in an Indian Brahmin family and later he joined the British East India Company as a soldier at the age of 18.

The correct answer is Lord ​Wellesley

Key Points

Subsidiary Alliance System - 

• It ​was a 'Non-Intervention Policy' used by Lord Wellesley. Hence, statement 4 is correct.
• Under this system, Any Indian ruler who entered into the subsidiary alliance with the British had to maintain a contingent of British troops in his territory.
• The contingent was commanded by a British officer.
• The Indian state was called ‘the protected state’ and the British hereinafter were referred to as ‘the paramount power’.
• It was the duty of the British to safeguard that state from external aggression and to help its ruler maintain internal peace.
• The protected state should cut off its connection with European powers other than the English and with the French in particular.
• The ruler of the protected state should keep a British Resident at his court and disband his own army.
• The paramount power should not interfere in the internal affairs of the protected state.

Important Points

Lord Wellesley - 

• He was the governor-general from 1798 to 1805.
• He was a great imperialist and called himself ‘a Bengal tiger’
• He came to India with a determination to launch a forward policy in order to make the British Empire in India’ into ‘the British Empire of India’.
• He was also thoroughly convinced that only strong British power in India could reduce and control the existing tyranny and corruption in Indian states.

The correct answer is Amristar

Key Points

• Jallianwala Bagh Massacre (13TH APRIL, 1919) in Punjab Amritsar.
  • ​Reason: After Rowlatt satyagraha got huge support in Punjab.
  • The Government handed over the administration to the military authorities under General Dyer to suppress this violent situation ongoing.
  • Political leaders were detained and all public meetings were banned by General Dyer.
  • Being unaware of the prohibitory orders in the city, a large crowd had gathered on a Baisakhi Day in this small park to protest against the arrest of their leaders Dr Saifuddin Kitchlew and Dr Satyapal.
  • Under orders from General Dyer, the gathering was surrounded by the army, they blocked the only exit point and opened fire on the unarmed crowd.
  • A large number of people lost their lives.

Important Points

• This resulted in a nationwide protest against this massacre and Rabindranath Tagore renounced his knighthood as a protest.
• M.K Gandhi was overwhelmed by the atmosphere of violence and withdrew from the Rowlatt Satyagraha movement on April 18, 1919.

Additional Information

•  Importance of the Year 1919:
  • ​In the history of British India, the year 1919 constitutes an important landmark.
  • Jallianwala Bagh Massacre is the output of the Rowlatt Act and the reign of terror in Punjab.
  • M.K Gandhi emerged as a prominent leader.

The correct answer is (i) and (iii) only.

Key Points

• Champaran Satyagraha (1917):
  • The issue was Indigo Cultivation under the Tinkathia System (3/20)th of total land.
  • Lead by Gandhiji. 
  • He convinced the authorities to end the system.
  • Demand was accepted and 25% compensation was given.
  • It was the first Satyagraha, taken up by Gandhiji in India.
  • Joining peasant unrest to India's National Movement is a very significant aspect of the Champaran Satyagraha.
• Kheda Satyagraha (1918):
  • 1918 was a year of failed crops in the Kheda district of Gujarat due to droughts.
  • Lead by Gandhiji.
  • As per law, the farmers were entitled to remission if the produce was less than a quarter of the normal output.
  • But the government refused any remission from paying land revenue.
  • Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, under Gandhi’s guidance, led the farmers in protest against the collection of taxes in the wake of the famine.

Additional Information 

• Home Rule Movements were launched in the country in 1916 under the leadership of Annie Besant and Bal Gangadhar Tilak.
• Bal Gangadhar Tilak gave the popular slogan during the movement - “Home Rule is my birth-right, and I will have it.”

The correct answer is all of the above.

Key PointsAlvar and Nayanar

• Powerful Chola, Pallavas, and Chalukya rulers supported Alvars and Nayanars traditions and made several land grants and built temples of Shiva and Vishnu.
• During this period most of the bronze sculpture of Shiva was produced, inspired by the visions of Nayanars.
• Both Alvars and Nayanars were supported by the peasants and the rulers.
• The rulers built temples and introduced singing of Tamil Shiva hymns, sung in people’s language.
• And some of the most famous temples were built under the rule of Chola rulers like those at Chidambaram, Thanjavur and Gangaikondacholapuram.
• Alvars and Nayanars protested against the caste system which supported the dominance of the Brahmans. They tried to reform the system.
• This was due to the fact that bhaktas belonging to every social background were present from Brahmans to those considered ‘untouchables’.
• And also in one of Alvars Vedas, described as Tamil Vedas, the text was as significant as in the Sanskrit Vedas cherished by the Brahmans.

The correct answer is Salt Satyagraha.

Key Points

• Mahatma Gandhi sent an ultimatum to Viceroy Irwin stating eleven demands on 31 January 1930 and stated that if the demands were not fulfilled by 11 March, he would start a Civil disobedience campaign.
• On 12 March 1930, Mahatma Gandhi with his 78 volunteers started marching from Gandhiji's ashram in Sabarmati to Dandi.
• On 6 April, he reached Dandi and violated the Salt law, by manufacturing salt by boiling water.
• This movement thus marked the beginning of the Civil Disobedience Movement.

Hence, the correct answer is Salt Satyagraha.

Additional Information

• Khilafat Movement was led by the Ali brothers, Muhammad Ali and Shaukat Ali in India.
  • It was later united with the Non-Cooperation Movement.
• The Ghadar Movement was an early 20th century, international political movement founded by expatriate Indians to overthrow British rule in India.

The correct answer is Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan.

• Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, also known as Bacha Khan, was a Pashtun independence activist who campaigned to end the rule of the British Raj in India.
• For his adherence to pacifism and close association with Mahatma Gandhi, he earned the nickname “Frontier Gandhi”.
• He founded the Khudai Khidmatgar (“Servants of God”) movement in 1929.
• He was nominated for Nobel Peace prize in 1985. In 1987 he became the first person who won Bharat Ratna without being an Indian national.

Additional Information

The correct answer is place where Sufi Masters held theirs assembles.

Important Points

The word "Khanqah" is used to define a place of spiritual teaching through discourses on spirituality by a murshid (spiritual mentor, or guide).

• The word finds its origins in the Persian language.
• The place is also served as a common place where the message of communal harmony is imparted.
• It was a building designed specifically for gatherings of a Sufi brotherhood and was a place for spiritual retreat and character reformation.
• Sama was the creation of mood to nearness to god by reciting music.

Additional Information

Sufism is an important concept that influenced religion in India in the medieval ages.

• It is a mystical form of Islam, a school of practice that focuses on the spiritual search for God and shuns materialism.
• It stresses asceticism.
• There is a lot of emphasis on love and devotion towards God.
• The term ‘Sufi’ is probably derived from the Arabic ‘suf’ word which means ‘one who wears wool’.
• This is because woolen clothes were generally associated with ascetics.
• Another possible origin of the word is ‘safa’ which means purity in Arabic.