The correct answer is Sufi.

Key Points

Sufi

• Islam entered India in the 7th century CE in the form of merchants from Saudi Arabia who traded with the western coastal regions of India
• After that in the north, the religion entered Multan and Sind when Muhammad Bin Qasim captured the regions in the 8th century CE.
• Sufism, however, gained prominence in the 10th and 11th centuries during the reign of the Delhi Sultanate.
• In India, Sufism adopted many native Indian concepts such as yogic postures, music, and dance.
• Sufism found adherents among both Muslims and Hindus.
• During the Medieval period in India Sufism emerged as a powerful movement.
• Sufis were so-called because of the purity (safa) of their hearts.
• They are in the first queue before god.
• Some others believe that Sufi’s were called so because of their habit of wearing wool (suf).
• Unity in God, complete self-surrender, charity, Ibadat, love for mankind, etc. is the primary teaching of Sufism.
• Sufi silsilas begin to emerge in the Islamic world.
• The important silsilas of Islam are;
  • The Chishti Silsila
  • The Suhrawardi Silsila
  • The Qadiri Silsila
  • The Naqshbandi Silsila

The correct answer is Lothal.

Key Points

• Lothal in Gujarat was a port town of the Indus valley civilization and is famous for its dockyard. 

Additional Information

• Lothal has two primary zones: the upper and the lower town.
  • Within the citadel (the upper town) is a planned layout of wide streets, drains, and rows of bathing platforms.
  • The remains of the lower town suggest that the area had a bead-making factory.
  • Along the eastern side is a basin measuring 217 m long and 26 meters in width, identified as a tidal dockyard.
  • The excavated site of Lothal is the only port-town of the Indus Valley Civilisation.
• Mohenjo-Daro is located in the Sindh province of Pakistan.
  • The name Mohenjo-Daro is reputed to signify “the mound of the dead.”
  • The citadel was the upper town.
  •  In the lower town were substantial courtyard houses indicating a considerable middle class.
  • The Great Bath has been found here. It was used for ritual bathing.
  • Mohenjo-Daro featured numerous baths most homes had washrooms and an extensive sewage system.
• Kalibangan is a site of the Indus valley civilization in Rajasthan.
  • The site contains both pre-Harappan and Harappan remains, and therein can be seen the transition between the two cultures.
  • The Harappan remains include a cemetery and a fortified citadel.
• Dholavira is located in Gujarat.
  • It is famous for water conservation.

Gold, copper, silver, bronze metals were known to Indus Valley Civilization but not iron.

• The Indus Valley Civilization was a Bronze Age civilization extending from what today is northeast Afghanistan to Pakistan and northwest India, it was one of three early civilizations of the Old World.
• Inhabitants of the ancients Indus river valley developed new techniques in handicraft (carnelian products, seal carving) and metallurgy (copper, bronze, lead, and tin).

Thus, it is clear that Copper, Bronze, and Gold were known to Indus Valley Civilization.

Shortcut Trick Trick to remember the metals which were known to the Harappans:

(Trick: सोचता सिटी)

• सो- सोना(Gold)
• च- चांदी(Silver)
• ता- तांबा(Copper)
• सि- सीसा(Led)
• टी- टिन(Tin)

Additional Information

• The Harappans were very well acquainted with the manufacturing and use of Bronze.
• The first evidence of Iron is found about 1000 B.C. from Ataranjikhera in Etah district.
• Beads made for Gold and Silver were found in most of the places of Indus valley civilization.

The correct answer is Lingayats.

Key Points

The Virashaiva Tradition in Karnataka

• A new movement emerged in Karnataka led by a Brahmana named Basavanna in the 12th century’.
• His followers were known as Virashaivas (heroes of Shiva) or Lingayats (Wearers of Lingas).
• Lingayats continue to be an important community in the region to date.
• The Lingayats challenged the idea of caste, pollution, theory of rebirth etc and encouraged post-puberty marriage and the remarriage of widows.
• Our understanding of the Virashaiva tradlition is derived from Vachanas (literally sayings) composed in Kannada by women and men who joined the movement.

Additional InformationLingayats

• 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. 
• Basaveshwara was against the caste system and Vedic rituals. 
• 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 Copper.

Key Points

• Harappan civilization existed during the Bronze age.
• Copper, bronze, gold, silver, and lead-related objects can be seen.
• The Harappan people were aware of almost all the metals except iron.
• They manufactured gold and silver objects.
  • Gold might have been obtained from the Himalayan riverbeds and South India, and silver from Mesopotamia.
  • The gold objects include beads, armlets, needles, and other ornaments.
  • But the use of silver was more common than gold.
• A large number of silver ornaments, dishes, etc. have been discovered.
• A number of copper tools and weapons have also been discovered.
• The common tools included an axe, saws, chisels, knives, spearheads, and arrowheads. It is important to note that the weapons produced by the Harappans were mostly defensive in nature as there are no evidence of weapons like swords, etc.
• Stone tools were also commonly used.
• Copper was brought mainly from Khetri in Rajasthan.
• We also have evidence of the use of the bronze though in a limited manner.
• The most famous specimen in this regard is the bronze ‘dancing girl’ figurine discovered at Mohenjodaro.

The correct answer is option 1.

Key Points

Ryot - A peasant.

• A person who owns or rents a small plot of land and uses it to grow crops or rear animals.

Mandals - Rich Ryot and the village headman.

• ​Mandals - Mandals were landed peasantry who owned vast swaths of land.
• Also known as jotedars.

​Pottahs - deed of contract.

• Deed of the contract is known as Pottahs.
• ​A contract for deed is a land sale agreement in which the buyer takes possession of the property right away and pays the purchase price in instalments over time, but the seller retains legal title until all payments are paid.

Mahua - A flower is used as food.

• ​Mahua is a flower used as food by Paharias.

The correct answer is Ropar.

Key Points

• Ropar is an Indus Valley Civilisation site located near the bank of the river Satluj in Punjab.
• The town of Rupnagar was earlier known as Ropar.
• The town is founded by Raja Rokeshar, who ruled during the 11th century.

Additional Information

• Banawali site was excavated by R.S.Bist in 1973 in Fatehabad, Haryana.
  • The Replica of the plough was field found in the Banawali district.
  • The clay figure of the mother goddess was also found there.
• Lothal was excavated by S.R.Rao in 1954 in Gujarat.
  • It was a port city as evidence shows.
  • The evidence of ​the dockyard was found at Lothal.
• Rakhigarhi is an ancient site of Indus Valley Civilisation located in Haryana.
  • It is the biggest Harappan Site.

The correct answer is Gateway of India.

Key Points

• The Gateway of India
  • It is an arch monument built during the 20th century in Bombay.
  • The monument was erected to commemorate the landing of King George V and Queen Mary at Apollo Bunder on their visit to India in 1911.
• The Victoria Memorial
  • It is a large marble building in Central Kolkata, which was built between 1906 and 1921.
  • It is dedicated to the memory of Empress Victoria, and is now a museum under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture.
  • It lies on the Maidan and is one of the famous monuments of Kolkata.
• Bombay Castle
  • It is one of the oldest defensive structures built in the city of Mumbai.
  • The current castle is a structure built by the British on the site of the Manor House built by a Portuguese nobleman Garcia de Orta.
• The Chattri
  • It is a war memorial in the English city of Brighton and Hove.
  • It is sited 500 feet above the city on the South Downs above the suburb of Patcham.

The correct answer is 1, 2 and 3.

Key Points

Kabir

• Kabir was a poet-saint of the 14th-15th centuries.
• Kabir’s verses were compiled in three distinct traditions
• The Kabir Bijak is preserved by the Kabirpanth in Uttar Pradesh. Hence, option 1 is correct.
• The Kabir Granthavali is associated with the Dadupanth in Rajasthan.  Hence, option 2 is correct.
• Many of his verses were included in the Adi Granth Sahib.  Hence, option 3 is correct.
• Kabir described the ultimate reality as Allah, Khuda, Hazarat, and Pir.
• He also used terms from Vedantic traditions, like alakh, nirakar, brahmin, atman, etc.
• Kabir accepted all types of philosophy i.e. Vedantic traditions, Yogic traditions, and Islamic ideas.
• Kabir’s ideas probably crystallized through dialogue and debate.
• Sant Kabir Das was born in the city of Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.
• He was brought up by a Muslim couple who were weavers by profession.
• He was a renowned saint, poet and social reformer of India who lived during the 15th century.
• His esteemed works and poems describe the greatness and oneness of the Supreme Being.
• The legacy of Kabir Das still remains through a sect referred to as Panth of Kabir, a spiritual community that considers him as the founder.
• Kabir Panth is not a separate religion, but a spiritual philosophy.
• In his poems, Kabir calls himself a julaha and kori. Both mean weavers, belonging to a lower caste.
• He did not associate himself completely with either Hindus or Muslims.

The correct answer is Nana Saheb.

Key Points

• Nana Saheb: 
  • ​Balaji Baji Rao was popularly known as “Nana Saheb”.
  • He was a Peshwa of the Maratha Empire in India.
  • Born in Bithoor of Kanpur district. 
  • Adopted by Peshwa Baji Rao II who was residing in an estate in Bithoor after the Third-Anglo Maratha war. 
  • As the adopted son of Bajirao II, he sought to restore the Maratha confederacy and the Peshwa tradition. 
  • After the death of Peshwa Bajirao II, Nana Saheb was not accepted as the heir by the British as he was the adopted son of the Peshwa and they also refused to give him a pension. 
  • All this led him to participate in the Revolt of 1857.
  • Nana Saheb was an inspiration to many other freedom fighters as he supported the ideology of Independence and tried to diminish the British impact through the rebellion of 1857.
  • He attacked the British Barricade at Kanpur and captured it. Then he declared himself as the Peshwa and the governor under Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar.

The correct answer is The root ‘Bhaj’ meaning to adore.

Key PointsBhakti

• The devotional worship of god with the ultimate objective of attaining moksha is called Bhakti.
• The Bhaktis who was against the worship of avatars and idol worship are known as saints. Kabir, Guru Nanak Dev ji, and   are the prominent Bhakti Saints.
• The impact of the Bhakti movement on the Indian Society was significant and far-reaching.
• The term ‘Bhakthi’ refers to ‘devotion’.
• As a movement, it emphasized the mutual intense emotional attachment and love of a devotee toward a personal god and of the god for the devotee.
• This movement originated in South India in the 7th and 10th CE, mostly in the poems of Alvars and Nayanars.
• These poems were composed in Tamil; the poems were addressed to Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva respectively
• Bhakti soon spread to North India, appearing most notably in the 10th-century Sanskrit text the Bhagavata-Purana.
• It swept over east and north India from the 15th century onwards and reached its peak between the 15th and 17th century CE.
• The Bhakti Saints moved against the austerities propagated by the Buddhist and Jain schools and professed that ultimate devotion to god was the means to salvation.

The correct answer is Lucknow.

Key Points

• Begum Hazrat Mahal's band of supporters, led by Raja Jalal Singh rebelled against the forces of the British.
• After the recapture of Lucknow by rebel forces led by the Begum and her allies, she crowned her 11-year-old son Birjis Qadras the ruler of Avadh.
• Begum Hazrat Mahal's tomb is located in the central part of Kathmandu near Jama Masjid.
• On 15 August 1962, Mahal was honored at the Old Victoria Park in Hazratganj, Lucknow for her role in the Great Revolt.

Additional Information

Birjis Qadr -

• He was the son of Begum Hazrat Mahal and Nawab Wajid Ali Shah.
• He provided equal opportunities to both Hindu and Muslims.
• Nawab Wajid Ali Shah was deposed by the British and Awadh was annexed on the pretext of maladministration.

Begum Hazrat Mahal -

• She led the revolt in Lucknow.
• There was overwhelming sympathy in favour of the deposed Nawab.

Maulvi Ahmadullah-

• He led the revolt in Faizabad, he was also known as the Lighthouse of rebellion.

The correct answer is Kitab khana

Key Points

The making of manuscripts 

• All books in Mughal India were manuscripts, that is, they were handwritten.
• The centre of manuscript production was the imperial Kitab khana. Hence the correct answer is option 3.
• Although Kitab khana can be translated as a library, it was a scriptorium, that is, a place where the emperor’s collection of manuscripts was kept and new manuscripts were produced.
• The creation of a manuscript involved a number of people performing a variety of tasks.
• Paper makers were needed to prepare the folios of the manuscript, scribes or calligraphers to copy the text, gilders to illuminate the pages, painters to illustrate scenes from the text, and bookbinders, to gather the individual folios and set them within ornamental covers.

Additional Information

• ​ Akbar’s quest for religious knowledge led to interfaith debates in the ibadat khana at Fatehpur Sikri between learned Muslims, Hindus, Jainas, Parsis and Christians.

The correct answer is not refused to introduce reforms as suggested by the British.

Key Points

• Awadh
  • The Oudh (called Awadh by the British) State was a princely state in the Awadh region of North India. 
  • The first capital of Oudh/Awadh was Ayodhya, later Faizabad.
  • Awadh became one of the provinces where governors upon the decline of the Mughal Empire (following the death of Emperor Aurangazeb) began to consolidate their own power.
  • The governors of Awadh began to exert greater autonomy until Awadh evolved into an independent state that controlled the fertile lands of the Central and Lower Doab region.
  • The British East India Company checked its power following the Battle of Buxar in 1764. In its aftermath, Awadh came under the nominal control of the British colonial powers.
  • Although Wajid Ali Shah was a capable ruler, the British residents gave exaggerated reports about his incompetence to the company authorities.
  • This gave the East India Company a Casus Belli (cause for war in Latin) to conquer Awadh.
  • On 7th February 1856, Lord Dalhousie ordered to depose Wajid Ali Shah on the account of alleged internal misrule.
  • This was in line with Dalhousie’s Doctrine of Lapse, in which the British would take over a kingdom if there was misrule also.
  • The Kingdom of Awadh was annexed in February 1856. 
  • In 1856, Awadh would not have been annexed with the British Empire if the Nawab of Awadh had not refused to introduce reforms as suggested by the British. Hence, Option 2 is correct.

Additional Information

• Doctrine of Lapse
  • It was an annexation policy followed widely by Lord Dalhousie when he was India's Governor-General from 1848 to 1856.
  • According to this, any princely state that was under the direct or indirect control of the East India Company where the ruler did not have a legal male heir would be annexed by the company.
  • As per this, any adopted son of the Indian ruler could not be proclaimed as heir to the kingdom.
  • By applying the doctrine of lapse, Dalhousie annexed the States of:
  • Satara (1848 A.D.),
  • Jaitpur, and Sambalpur (1849 A.D.),
  • Baghat (1850 A.D.),
  • Udaipur (1852 A.D.),
  • Jhansi (1853 A.D.), and
  • Nagpur (1854 A.D.)

The correct answer is Religious.

The religious gathering of Sufism is known as Sama.

Key PointsSufism

• Sufism was a liberal reform movement within Islam.
• It had its origin in Persia and spread into India in the 11th century. Most of the Sufis (mystics) were persons of deep devotion who disliked the display of wealth and degeneration of morals following the establishment of the Islamic empire.
• They laid great emphasis on love as the bond between God and the individual soul.
• Love of God meant love of humanity and therefore, Sufis believed service to humanity was tantamount to service to God.
• In Sufism, self-discipline was considered an essential condition to gain knowledge of God by a sense of perception. While the orthodox Muslims emphasize external conduct, the Sufis lay stress on inner purity.
• The orthodox Muslims believe in the blind observance of rituals, the Sufis consider love and devotion as the only means of attaining salvation.
• Sufism also laid stress on meditation, good actions, repentance for sins, prayers, pilgrimage, fasting, charity and controlling of passion by ascetic practices.
• By the 12th century, the Sufis were organized in 12 orders or Silsilas.
• A Silsila was generally led by a prominent mystic who lived in a Khanqah or hospice along with his disciples.
• The link between the teacher or pir or murshid and his disciples or murids was a vital part of the Sufi system.
• Every pir nominated a successor or wali to carry on his work.
• Gradually, the Khanqahs emerged as important centers of learning and preaching.
• The religious gathering of Sufism is known as Sama.
• Many Sufis enjoyed the sama or musical congregation in their Khanqahs. In fact, qawwali developed during this period.

The correct answer is option (4) i.e. All of the above.

Key Points

• Prohibition of Sati in 1829, was a social reform carried out by Lord William Bentinck, the first Governor-General of India.
• Widow Remarriage Act, 1856 was drafted by Lord Dalhousie, Ishwar Chand Vidyasagar was the torchbearer.
• All these changes were seen as interference to the local population by the foreign body which added fire to the revolt of 1857.
• Lord William Bentinck carried out other reforms like the elimination of thugs(1830) and passed the Charter Act of 1833.
• Lord Dalhousie started the Public Works Department and started engineering college in Roorkee.

The correct answer is  On the banks of the river Yamuna in Ghiyaspur.

Key PointsShaikh Nizam- ud-din Aulia 

• Dargah of Shaikh Nizam-ud-din Aulia was situated on the banks of the river Yamuna in Ghiyaspur, on the outskirts of the then city of Delhi.
• The main feature of its open kitchen was that it was run on unasked-for charity or ‘futuh’.

Additional InformationNizamuddin Aauliya

• Syed Muhammad Nizamuddin Auliya was one of the most famous Sufi saints from the Indian subcontinent region.
• Also known as Hazrat Nizamuddin, and Mahbub-e-Ilahi (Beloved of God), he was a Sunni Muslim scholar and Sufi saint of the Chishti Order.
• He believed the love of God implied a love of humanity. He had a major influence on the Muslims of Delhi and the world over.
• Nizamuddin Auliya was born in 1238 AD in Badaun , Uttar Pradesh.
• His father died when Nizamuddin was just five years old. At the age of 21, Nizamuddin went to Ajodhan (present Pakpattan Sharif in Pakistan) to become a disciple of the Sufi saint Fariduddin Ganjshakar, also known as Baba Farid.
• He built his Khanqah (place of worship and holding Sufi rituals) which was thronged with all kinds of people, rich and poor alike.
• Some of the famous disciples of Nizamuddin includes – Shaikh Nasiruddin Chirag Delhavi, Amir Khusro, and the royal poet of the Delhi Sultanate.
• He died on April 3, 1325. His dargah (shrine) ‘Hazrat Nizamuddin Aauliya Mehboob e Elahi Dargah’ was built in 1562 and is situated in the Nizamuddin West area of Delhi.

The correct answer is Abdul Rahim Khan-I-Khana.

• Babur has written his biography i.e. Baburnama which is also known as Tuzk-e Babri.

Key Points

• Babur and Jahangir are the only two emperors of the Mughal Empire who wrote their own biographies.
• Baburnama is also known to be the first true autobiography in Islamic literature.
• Baburnama was written in Chagatai Turkic, which was Babur’s mother tongue.
• It was translated into Persian by Abdul Rahim Khan-I-Khana.
• He was son of Bairam khan.​

Important Points

Mughals:

• The Mughals were descendants of two lineages of rulers.
• From their mother’s side, they were descendants of Genghis Khan (died 1227), the Mongol ruler who ruled over parts of China and Central Asia.
• From their father’s side, they were the successors of Timur (died 1404), the ruler of Iran, Iraq and modern-day Turkey.
• However, the Mughals did not like to be called Mughal or Mongol. This was because Genghis Khan’s memory was associated with the massacre of innumerable people.
• It was also linked with the Uzbeks, their Mongol competitors.
• On the other hand, the Mughals were proud of their Timurid ancestry, not least of all because their great ancestor had captured Delhi in 1398. 

The correct answer is 47.

Key Points

The critical edition of Mahabharata

• Under the leadership of eminent Sanskrit Scholar V.S. Sukthankar, a very ambitious project was started in 1919 CE. Many scholars decided to make a critical edition of Mahabharata.
• Scholars worked out a method of comparing verses from each manuscript. They sorted all those verses that appeared common in all manuscripts. All these were published in several volumes running into 1300 pages.
• It took 47 years to complete the project.
• There were many similarities in various elements of the Sanskrit version of the story. All these are found in all the manuscripts that stretched from Kashmir and Nepal in the north and to Kerala, and Tamil Nadu in the South.
• A number of regional variations came into the light as the epic had been transmitted over the centuries. These were written as footnotes and appendices to the main texts. Pages in large numbers are devoted to these variations whenever they were taken together.
• These variations could be reflected in the complete process which shaped before and after social histories through dialogues between dominant traditions and resilient local ideas and practices.
• Information about all these processes is based on those Sanskrit texts which were written by Brahmans for themselves. In the 19th and 20th centuries, historians explored these texts.
• Historians believed that, what is written in the texts, could have been practiced really. Many scholars studied many other traditions later with the help of Pali, Prakrit, and Tamil texts.
• Such studies mentioned that the ideas contained in normative Sanskrit texts were identified as authoritative. Sometimes, they were questioned and sometimes rejected.

The correct answer is Persian.

• The Mughal court chronicles written in Persian.

Key Points

• ​Mughal chronicles such as the Akbar Nama were written in Persian, others, like Babur's memoirs, were translated from the Turkish into the Persian Babur Nama.
• Urdu came from the amalgamation of Persian with Hindavi. 
• Chronicles commissioned by the Mughal emperors are an important source for studying the empire and its court.
• The authors of Mughal chronicles were mostly courtiers.
• The Mughals were Chaghtai Turks by origin.
• Turkish was their mother tongue hence the first ruler Babur wrote poetry and his memoirs in this language.

The correct answer is ​Muhammad Kazim.
Key Points

Muhammad Kazim -

• In 1668, Alamgir Nama, a history of the first ten years of Aurangzeb’s reign compiled by Muhammad Kazim.
• Abu’l Fazl works on the Akbar Nama.
• Mirza Muhammad Kazim was the court historiographer of emperor Aurangzeb.
• He composed in the Alamgir Nama. Hence the correct answer is option 4.
• Aurangzeb ordered him to record and compile the history of his reign.
• The first ten years of his rule are chronicled in Alamgir Nama written by Muhammad Kazim.

Verses ascribed to poet-saint Kabir have been compiled in all 3 traditions mentioned below.

• Kabir bijak (preserved by Kabirpnath which means path or sect of Kabir in Varanasi)
• Kabir Granthawali (which is associated with Dadupanth in Rajasthan)
• Adi Granth Sahib (His compositions are also found in Adi Granth Sahib in Punjab).

All of the manuscripts have been compiled long after death of Kabir.

The correct answer is ​Al-Biruni

Key Points

Travellers

Descriptions of social life provided by travellers who visited the subcontinent, focusing on the accounts of three men-

• Al-Biruni came from Uzbekistan (eleventh century), Hence the correct answer is option 2.
• Ibn Battuta came from Morocco, in northwestern Africa (fourteenth century)
• The Frenchman François Bernier (seventeenth century).
• As these authors came from vastly different social and cultural environments.
• They were often more attentive to everyday activities and practices were taken for granted by indigenous writers, for whom these were routine matters, not worthy of being recorded.

The correct answer is Guru Arjan Dev

Key Points

• Adi Granth means "the first book". This book is compiled by the 5^th group by Guru Arjan Dev. It is a collection of nearly 6,000 hymns of the Sikh Gurus.
• In this holy book the 10^th  Sikh guru, Guru Gobind Singh added holy words to this Granth.
• This is known as the  Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji.
• Born on 15 April 1563, Guru Arjan Dev became a Guru on 16 September 1581, making him the fifth Sikh Guru of Sikhism.
• He was tortured and executed on 30 May 1606 on orders of Mughal emperor Jahangir for refusing to convert to Islam.

The correct answer is 1 only.

Key Points

The significance of gender differences in early societies between 600 BCE and 600 CE.

• Societies were generally patriliny. But matriliny family was also present. Hence, the statement 1 is correct.
• Sons were considered important for the continuity of the family and had shared in the paternal estate. But women could not claim a share of these resources.
• Women were also warned not to hoard family property without their husbands’ permission.
• In other words, gender differences between men and women were sharpened due to unethical and biased rules.
• There was gendered access to the property. In ancient society patrilineal system of succession was followed; according to which the paternal state was divided equally amongst sons after the death of the parents.
• Women were not part of the succession and hence didn’t get any share from it. Attitudes toward daughters were different. They had no claims towards the resource of the household. Hence, the statement 3 is not correct.
• Access to property determined social status.
• Although women were allowed to retain the gifts they received on the occasion of their marriage as “Stridhana” Manusmriti warned women against hoarding family property without the husband’s permission both textual and epigraphic evidence suggests that all the resources- land, cattle, and money were controlled by men.
• Since women did not own property social differences between men and women sharpened. Hence, statement 2 is not correct.
• Men enjoyed a higher status than women and this led to the domination of women both in power and in the household.

• Located in the northeastern part of Hampi, Karnataka, the Vittala temple is an ancient monument and one of the largest monuments in Hampi.
• It is located near the banks of the Tungabhadra river.
• The temple was built during the reign of King Devaraya (1422-1446 A.D.) of the Vijayanagara Empire in the 15th century.
• It was expanded and renovated during the reign of Krishnadevaraya (1508-1529 A.D.).
• The temple is dedicated to Lord Vitthala, a form of Lord Vishnu.

The correct answer is a-1, b-2, c-3, d-4.

Key Points

• Al-Biruni :
  • Al-Biruni was born in 973, in Khwarizm in present-day Uzbekistan. 
  • He was well versed in several languages: Syriac, Arabic, Persian, Hebrew and, Sanskrit.
  • Al-Biruni’s Kitab-ul-Hind, written in Arabic. It is a voluminous text on subjects such as religion and philosophy, festivals, astronomy, alchemy, manners and customs, social life, weights and measures, iconography, laws, and metrology.
• Ibn Battuta :
  • Ibn Battuta’s book of travels, called Rihla, written in Arabic, provides extremely rich and interesting details about the social and cultural life in the
    subcontinent in the fourteenth century.
  • This Moroccan traveler was born in Tangier into one of the most respectable and educated families known for their expertise in Islamic religious law or shari‘a.
• François Bernier :
  • François Bernier, a Frenchman, was a doctor, political philosopher, and historian.
  • He came to the Mughal Empire in search of opportunities. He was in India for twelve years, from 1656 to 1668, and was closely associated with the Mughal court, as a physician to Prince Dara Shukoh, the eldest son of Emperor Shah Jahan, and later as an intellectual and scientist, with Danishmand Khan, an Armenian noble at the Mughal court.
  • He compared the cultures of East and West.
• Abdur Razzaq Samarqandi :
  • One of the most important descriptions of the city of Vijayanagara in the fifteenth century comes from Abdur Razzaq Samarqandi, a diplomat who came visiting from Herat.

The correct answer is Ashoka.

Key Points

• Sanchi is a Buddhist complex, famous for its Great Stupa, on a hilltop at Sanchi Town in Raisen District of the State of Madhya Pradesh.
  • The Great Stupa at Sanchi is one of the oldest stone structures in India and an important monument of Indian Architecture.
  • It was originally commissioned by the emperor Ashoka in the 3rd century BCE.
  • Sanchi Stupa is depicted on the reverse side of the Indian currency note of Rs 200 to signify its importance to Indian cultural heritage.
  • Bindusara's successor was Ashoka the Great who sat on the throne of Magadha in 268 BCE.
  • He was Governor of Avanti at the time he sat on The throne of Magadha.

Additional Information

• Chandra Gupt Maurya was born in 345 BC.
  • He sat on the throne of Magadh in 322 BC.
  • He was a follower of Jainism.
• Bindusara:
  • He was son of Chandragupta.
  • He ruled from 297 BC to 273 BC.
  • Also called Amitraghata (Slayer of foes) or Amitrochates in Greek sources.
  • He had appointed his son, Ashoka as the governor of Ujjain.
  • Bindusara is believed to have extended the Mauryan Empire to Mysore as well.

The correct answer is Marco Polo.

Key Points

An early globe-trotter -

• Marco Polo from Italy.
• Ibn Battuta proceeded to the Malabar coast through central India.
• From Malabar, he went to the Maldives, where he stayed for eighteen months as the qazi, but eventually decided to proceed to Sri Lanka.
• His account is often compared with that of Marco Polo, who visited China (and also India) from his home base in Venice in the late thirteenth century.
• Hence the correct answer is option 4.
• Marco Polo, a Venetian merchant and adventurer who travelled from Europe to Asia from 1271–to 95, remaining in China for 17 of those years, and whose Il milione (“The Million”), known in English as the Travels of Marco Polo, is a classic of travel literature.

Mahayana Buddhism focuses on collective freedom from suffering and teaching the ways to enlightenment. Zen and Tibetan Buddhism, both considered offshoots of the Mahayana tradition, are the two types of Buddhism most people in western countries practice.

Theravada Buddhism focuses on individual enlightenment and experience as well as monastic life.

THE KEY PRINCIPLES OF BUDDHISM

• Buddhism is different from many other faith traditions in that it is not centered on the relationship between humans and a high god.
• Buddhists do not believe in a personal creator God. In a sense then, Buddhism is more than a religion; it is a tradition that focuses on personal spiritual development.
• To many, it is more of a philosophy and a humanistic way of life which can be summed up as striving to lead a moral life; being aware of one‘s thoughts and actions; and developing wisdom, compassion and understanding.

The correct answer is Arabic.

Key Points

The Kitab-ul-Hind -

• Al-Biruni’s Kitab-ul-Hind, written in Arabic, is simple and lucid. Hence the correct answer is option 1.
• It is a voluminous text, divided into 80 chapters on subjects such as religion and philosophy, festivals, astronomy, alchemy, manners and customs, social life, weights and measures, iconography, laws and metrology.
• Al-Biruni, who wrote in Arabic, probably intended his work for people living along the frontiers of the subcontinent.
• He was familiar with translations and adaptations of Sanskrit, Pali and Prakrit texts into Arabic these ranged from fables to works on astronomy and medicine.

Additional Information

• ​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.

The correct answer is 16.

Key Points

• There were sixteen such Mahajanapadas during 600 B.C. to 325 B.C. in the Indian Sub-continent.
• There were sixteen kingdoms or oligarchic republics that existed in Northern ancient India from the sixth to fourth centuries BCE during the second urbanization period.
• The 6^th - 5^th centuries BCE is often regarded as a major turning point in early Indian history; during this period India's first large cities arose after the demise of the Indus Valley Civilization.
• It was also the time of the rise of sramana movements (including Buddhism and Jainism), which challenged the religious orthodoxy of the Vedic Period.

Additional Information

• The term "Janapada" literally means the foothold of a people.
• The Bhir Mound was first excavated from 1913 - 1925 by Sir John Marshall.
• There are seven features or main constituents of a Mahajanapada and they are listed below:
  • The King
  • The Minister
  • The Country
  • Fortified City
  • Treasury
  • Army
  • Ally​

The correct option is 1-d, 2-a, 3-b, 4-c

Key Points

Sufism

• Like the saint-poets, the Sufis too composed poems expressing their feelings, and a rich literature in prose, including anecdotes and fables, developed around them.
• Among the great Sufis of Central Asia were Ghazzali, Rumi and Sadi.

Pir

• They developed elaborate methods of training using zikr (chanting of a name or sacred formula), contemplation, sama (singing), raqs (dancing), discussion of parables, breath control, etc. under the guidance of a master or Pir.

SILSILAS and Tariqa

• Thus emerged the Silsilas, a spiritual genealogy of Sufi teachers, each following a slightly different method (Tariqa) of instruction and ritual practice 
• A large number of Sufis from Central Asia settled in Hindustan from the eleventh century onwards.
• This process was strengthened with the establishment of the Delhi Sultanate when several major Sufi centres developed all over the subcontinent.
• The Chishti silsila was among the most influential orders. It had a long line of teachers like Khwaja Muinuddin Chishti of Ajmer, Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki of Delhi, Baba Farid of Punjab, Khwaja Nizamuddin Auliya of Delhi and Bandanawaz Gisudaraz of Gulbarga.

Khanqah

• The Sufi masters held their assemblies in their Khanqahs or hospices.
• Devotees of all descriptions including members of the royalty and nobility, and ordinary people flocked to these khanqahs.

The correct answer is 1856.

Key Points

• The Hindu widow remarriage act was passed in the year 1856.
  • The act made the remarriage of Hindu widows in all jurisdictions of India under East India Company rule legal.
  • The Hindu widow remarriage act was drafted during the tenure of Lord Dalhousie.
  • The act was passed by Lord Canning in 1856.
  • The remarriage of Hindu widows was first legalized by Lord Canning.
  • Hindu widow remarriage act was considered as the first major social reform legislation after the abolition of Sati in 1829.
  • Indian social reformer Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar was the most prominent campaigner of the Hindu widow remarriage act

The correct answer is Indian National Congress.

Important Points

• The First legislative assembly election for the Madras Presidency was held in 1937, Indian National Congress obtained a majority and came into power.
• In the year 1937 C. Rajagopalachari became the first congress Chief minister of Madras.
• Many ministers of the Justice Party were defeated in the election of 1937, by congress leaders.

Additional Information

• Since the year the, 1920 Justice Party had been ruling Madras. Candidate of Justice Party Subbarayalu Reddiar was chosen as Chief Minister in the year 1920.
•  In 1996, the Tamil Nadu government officially changed the of Madras to Chennai. 

The correct answer is England.

Key Points

Some Travellers who left Accounts -

•  Seventeenth century -

• Hence the correct answer is option 1.

 Additional Information

• Peter Mundy was a seventeenth-century British merchant trader, traveller and writer.
• He was the first Briton to record, in his Itinerarium Mundi, tasting Chaa in China and travelled extensively in Asia, Russia and Europe.

The correct answer is Babasaheb Ambedkar.

Key Points

• Independent Labour Party (ILP) was an Indian political organisation established by Dr B. R. Ambedkar.
  • It was founded in August 1936.
  • It was founded as a political organisation against the Brahmanical and capitalist structures in the society.
  • The formation of the Independent Labour Party was not supported by the communist leaders.
  • Independent Labour Party secured 15 of the 17 seats in the 1937 Provincial elections.
  • It opposed the introduction of the Industrial Disputes Bill 1937 because it removed the workers’ right to strike.
  • Nine members of the party were elected to the Lok Sabha in the 1957 Lok Sabha election.

Important Points 

• Babasaheb Ambedkar was an Indian jurist and social reformer.
  • He was appointed as the first Minister of Law and Justice in independent India.
  • He is the chief architect of the Constitution of India.
  • He was posthumously honoured with the Bharat Ratna award in 1990.
  • He was appointed as the chairman of the Constitution Drafting Committee.

Additional Information

• Bal Gangadhar Tilak was an Indian independence activist and teacher.
  • "Swaraj is my birthright and I shall have it" is the famous slogan raised by Bal Gangadhar Tilak.
  • He is also known as the father of the Indian unrest.
• Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel served as the First Deputy Prime Minister of India.
  • He is known as "Iron Man of India".
  • The world's tallest statue, The Statue of Unity was dedicated to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on 31 October 2018.
• Bhalchandra Vaidya was an Indian politician.
  • He served as the Home Minister of the Indian state of Maharashtra.

Partition Of India, 1947:

• Radcliff was appointed as chairman of the Boundary Commission for the Partition of India. Hence, option B is incorrect.
• The approval to the Partition was given by then Governor-General of India Mountbatten by passing India Independence Act,1947. Hence, option C is correct.
• The Communal Award was announced by the British prime minister, Ramsay MacDonald, on August 16, 1932. Hence, option A is incorrect.
• J. L. Nehru was Prime Minister of the Interim Government of 1946 and first Prime Minister of independent India. Hence, option D is incorrect.

The correct answer is Jawahar Lal Nehru.

Key Points

• Jawahar Lal Nehru
  • He was the first Prime Minister of India.
  • His birthday, 14 November is celebrated as Children's day in India.
  • He was the President of the Congress in the Lahore Session in 1929 when the declaration of Purna Swaraj as the goal of the freedom movement was passed.
  • On 13 December 1946, He presented An Objective Resolution in the Constituent Assembly which laid down the principles of the constitution which later became the Preamble of the Constitution.
  • He was the chairman of the Union Power Committee, Union Constitution Committee, and States Committee of Constituent Assembly.
• Drafting Committee
  • On 29 August 1947, the Constituent Assembly set up a Drafting Committee under the Chairmanship of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar to prepare a Draft Constitution for India.
  • Out of 165 sittings of the Constitution Assembly, 114 were spent debating the Draft Committee.
  • The Drafting Committee had seven members:
    • Alladi Krishnaswami Ayyar, N. Gopalswami, B.R. Ambedkar, K.M. Munshi, Mohammad Saadulla, B.L.Mitter, and D.P. Khaitan.

Additional Information

• Constituent Assembly
  • The idea for the Constituent Assembly was proposed by M.N. Roy in 1934.
  • The Constitution of India was drafted by Constituent Assembly and it was implemented under the Cabinet Mission Plan on 16 May 1946.
  • Under the Cabinet Mission Plan of 1946, elections were held for the first time for the Constituent Assembly.
  • The Constituent Assembly met for the first time on 9 December 1946 with Dr.Sachchinanda Sinha as a temporary Chairman of the Assembly.
  • Permanent Chairman: Dr. Rajendra Prasad.
  • Constitutional Advisor: B.N. Rau.
  • It took 2 years 11 months 17 days to complete the historic task of drafting the Constitution of India.
  • During this period, 11 sessions were held.
  • The total strength of the Constituent Assembly was 389.
    • 292 members were elected through the Provincial Legislative Assemblies.
    • 93 Members represented the Indian Princely States.
    • 4 members represented the Chief Commissioner Provinces.
  • After the Independence of India, the strength of the Constituent Assembly reduced to 299.
  • On 24 January 1950, 284 members signed the Constitution of India.

The correct answer is V.S. Sukthankar.

Key Points

• VS Sukthankar, a noted Indian Sanskritist, with his team initiated the task of preparing a critical edition of the Mahabharata.
• It involved collecting Sanskrit manuscripts of the texts written in a variety of scripts, from different parts of the country.
• First historians accepted the texts written in Sanskrit as the main source, but later they also relied on works in Pali, Prakrit and Tamil to reconstruct social histories.
• One of the most ambitious projects of scholarship began in 1919, under the leadership of a noted Indian Sanskritist, V.S. Sukthankar.
• A team comprising dozens of scholars initiated the task of preparing a critical edition of the Mahabharata.
• The team worked out a method of comparing verses from each manuscript.

The correct answer is Protection.

Key Points

Zimmi

• The word ‘Zimmi’ was derived from the Arabic word ‘Zimma’ which meant ‘protection’.
• In other words, the Zimmis were the protected people.
• They were non-Muslims and included Hindus, Jains, Jews, and Christians.
• They lived under Muslim rulership and paid a tax called ‘Jaziya’. So they were entitled to protection by the Muslims.
• The category of zimmis was developed for the followers of revealed scriptures such as Bible and Vedas.
• Zimmis paid the tax, jizya to the Muslim rulers and gained the right to be protected by the rulers.
• The followers of Prophet Muhammad set up an empire called the Caliphate.
• The Umayyads and the Abbasids were called the caliphs.
• According to Ain-i-Akbari, qalandars belonged to the group of beshara silsilahs.

Additional Information

• Integration of cult: Modes of worship.
• Jagannatha: The lord of the world.
• Tantricism: Worship of the golden.

The correct answer is 1580.

Key Points

Jesuits at the Mughal court 

• The Portuguese king was also interested in the propagation of Christianity with the help of the missionaries of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits).
• The Christian missions to India during the sixteenth century were part of this process of trade and empire building.
• Akbar was curious about Christianity and dispatched an embassy to Goa to invite Jesuit priests.
• The first Jesuit mission reached the Mughal court at Fatehpur Sikri in 1580 and stayed for about two years.
• Hence the correct answer is option 3.
• The Jesuits spoke to Akbar about Christianity and debated its virtues with the ulama.
• Two more missions were sent to the Mughal court at Lahore, in 1591 and 1595.

The correct answer is option 2.

Key Points

Permanent settlement is not a reason behind Deccan Riots. Because it was not imposed in the Deccan part.

Reason behind Deccan Riots:

1. A new revenue system - The colonial state could not claim any of the increased revenue because the revenue demand was set by the Permanent Settlement. The colonial authority needed to think of strategies to maximise land revenue if it wanted to expand its financial resources. Temporary revenue settlements were formed in lands conquered in the nineteenth century.
2. Revenue demand and peasant debt - The debt on peasants grows as a result of the East India company's strong demand for revenue, as well as areas of poor soil and changeable rainfall.
3. The cotton boom - Cotton farmers did not all succeed during the cotton boom years. Although few wealthy peasants benefited, cotton development resulted in increased debt for the vast majority of peasants.
4. Credit dries up - Cotton production in America rebounded after the Civil War ended, whereas Indian cotton shipments to Britain progressively fell. Maharashtra's export merchants and sahukars were no longer interested in granting long-term financing. They may witness a drop in demand for Indian cotton, as well as a drop in cotton prices. As a result, they decided to cease operations, limit their advances to peasants, and demand payback of existing debts.
5. The experience of injustice - The ryots were upset by moneylenders' refusal to renew loans. What enraged them was not just that they were getting further and deeper into debt, or that they were completely reliant on the moneylender for survival, but that the moneylenders were oblivious to their suffering. The moneylenders were breaking the countryside's established standards.

The correct answer is November 1949.

Key Points

• The Constituent Assembly was formed on 6 December 1946.
• The Constituent Assembly met for the first time in New Delhi on 9 December 1946 in the Constitution Hall which is now known as the Central Hall of Parliament House.
• On 26 November 1949, the Constitution of India was adopted by the  Constituent Assembly.
• Dr B R Ambedkar introduced the final draft of the Constitution in the Assembly on 4 November 1948 (first reading). The Assembly had a general discussion on it for five days (till 9 November 1948).
• The second reading started on 15 November 1948 and ended on 17 October 1949. During this stage, as many as 7653 amendments were proposed and 2473 were actually discussed in the Assembly.
• The third reading of the draft started on 14 November 1949.
• Dr B R Ambedkar moved a motion —"the Constitution as settled by the Assembly be passed".
• The motion on Draft Constitution was declared as passed on 26 November 1949 and received the signatures of the members and the President.
• This is also the date mentioned in the Preamble as the date on which the people of India in the Constituent Assembly adopted, enacted, and gave to themselves this Constitution.
• The Republic is governed in terms of the Constitution of India which was adopted by the Constituent Assembly on 26^th November 1949 and came into force on 26^th January 1950.
• The Indian Constitution is the lengthiest and most comprehensive constitution in the world. At the time of its commencement, the Indian Constitution had 395 Articles, 22 Parts and 8 Schedules.
• The Government of India has decided to observe November 26 as Constitution Day.

The correct answer is Pataliputra.

Important Points 

• Mauryan empire lasted from about 321 to 185 BCE.
  • Pataliputra was the capital of the Mauryan empire.
  • The area around Pataliputra was under the direct control of the emperor.
  • There were five major political centres in the Mauryan empire including the capital Pataliputra and the provincial centres of Taxila, Ujjayini, Tosali, and Suvarnagiri.

Key Points 

• The third Buddist council was held at Pataliputra.
• Kautilya's Artha-shastra was the most important literary source for the Maurya's.
• Chandragupta Maurya is the founder of the Mauryan dynasty.
• Ashoka was the most famous Mauryan ruler and he was the first ruler who tried to take his message to the people through inscriptions.
• Mauryan empire started declining due to the invasions, defections by southern princes after the death of Ashoka.

Additional Information

• Vaishali was the capital of Vrijji mahajanapada.
• Indraprastha was the capital of the Pandavas.
• Kushinagar was the capital of the Malla Republic.

The correct answer is Both 1 and 2.

Key Points

• The Brahmanas develop a sharper social divide by suggesting the ideal occupations of the ideal varnas in society. For example:
  • They classified certain social categories as untouchables. Hence, statement 1 is correct.
  • According to the brahmins, the Chandalas were considered as untouchables.
  • It was based on the concept that some activities especially those that are connected with the performance of rituals were sacred and pure.  Hence, statement 2 is correct.
  • Those who considered themselves as pure avoided taking food from the so-called untouchables.​
• Brahmanas were supposed to study and teach the Vedas, Kshatriyas were to engage in warfare, protect people and administer justice, Vaishyas were engaged in agriculture, pastoralism, and trade, and Shudras had only one occupation of serving the three “higher” varnas.

The correct answer is option 3, i.e. Mahatma Gandhi.

HIND SWARAJ, the title of the first definitive writing of Mahatma Gandhi in 1909 in Gujarati, and which continues to evoke critical interest in the world over even now, literally means ‘self-rule in India’.

Books Written by Indians:

The correct answer is option 1, i.e. peasants who were affected by crop failure and a plague epidemic.

• ​​The Kheda Satyagraha of 1918, in the Kheda district of Gujarat, India during the period of the British Raj, was a Satyagraha movement organized by Mohandas Gandhi.
• People of Kheda were unable to pay the high taxes levied by the British due to crop failure and a plague epidemic.
• It was a major revolt in the Indian independence movement. It was the third Satyagraha movement after Champaran Satyagraha and Ahmedabad mill strike.
• Gandhi organised this movement to support peasants of the Kheda district. 

Option 4 is the correct answer.