INDIA ON THE EVE OF BRITISH CONQUEST

Question 1

Book “India Conquered” is written by?

Answer 1

Jon Wilson.

Question 2

Why Panipat was a favorite battle field?

Answer 2

1. Panipat had a strategic location. One of the parties of the war generally came from the north/northwest through the Khyber Pass to get hold over Delhi, the political capital of northern India. To move a military through rough terrains–deserts of Rajasthan or the other northern areas infested with dense forests–was very risky and difficult. On the other hand, the rulers at Delhi considered Panipat as a confrontable strategic ground and hence they preferred to take the fight there.
2. Its proximity to Delhi made it easier for the Indian rulers to transport weapons, military and food supplies etc., to the battleground, and still keep the capital insulated from the conflict at hand.
3. Panipat’s surrounding region has a flat ground which was suitable for cavalry movement–the main mode of warfare at the time.
4. After the construction of the Grand Trunk Road by Sher Shah Suri (1540-45), Panipat was on this route. It became easier for conquerors to find their way there.
5. The duration of monsoon rainfall in the region is short in comparison to other areas making it easier to fight.
6. The artisans/smiths of these regions were experts in making warfare related materials and hence it became easier for forces of both parties to replenish their war materials.

Question 3

Khafi khan gave the title of Shah-i-Bekhabar to?

Answer 3

Bahadur Shah 1 (original name Muazzam– eldest son of Aurangzeb).

Question 4

Who introduced izara system?

Answer 4

Zulfikar khan (prime minister of Jahandar Shah) introduced izara system.
Jahandar Shah abolished jizya.

Question 5

Who were known as the king makers?

Answer 5

Sayyid brothers– Abdulla Khan and Hussain Ali.
Farrukhsiyar with the help of Sayyid brothers killed Jahandar Shah.

Question 6

In 1719, the Sayyid brothers with the help of _________, dethroned Farrukhsiyar.

Answer 6

Peshwa Balaji Vishwanath.

Question 7

Which Mughal ruler’s rule was the shortest?

Answer 7

Rafi-ud-Darajat.

Question 8

Which Mughal ruler was known by the title ‘Rangeela’?

Answer 8

Muhammad Shah.

Question 9

Who killed Sayyid brothers?

Answer 9

Muhammad Shah (Raushan Akhtar) with the help of the Nizam-ul-Mulk, killed Sayyid brothers.

Question 10

Battle of Karnal?

Answer 10

In 1739, Nadir Shah defeated the Mughals in the battle of Karnal and later imprisoned Muhammad Shah and annexed areas west of the Indus into the Persian empire.

Question 11

Which Mughal ruler left the state affairs in the hand of Udham Bai?

Answer 11

Ahmad Shah was an incompetent ruler who left the state affairs in the hands of Udham Bai, the ‘Queen Mother’.
Udham Bai, given the title of Qibla-i-Alam, was a lady of poor intellect who ruled with the help of her paramour, Javid Khan (a notorious eunuch).

Question 12

Battle of Plassey was fought during the reign of which Mughal ruler?

Answer 12

Alamgir 2.

Question 13

Third battle of Panipat and the Battle of Buxar was fought during the reign of which Mughal ruler?

Answer 13

Shah Alam 2.

Question 14

Which ruler granted the Diwani rights to the East India Company after the defeat in the Battle of Buxar (1764)?

Answer 14

Shah Alam 2 issued a farman granting to the Company in perpetuity the Diwani (the right to collect revenue) of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa.

Question 15

The coins bearing the names of Mughal emperors were stopped during the reign of?

Answer 15

In 1835 during the reign of Akbar 2.

Question 16

Who gave the title of Raja to Rammohan Rai?

Answer 16

Akbar 2.

Question 17

Mughal rulers after Aurangzeb in chronological order?

Answer 17

1. Bahadur Shah 1
2. Jahandar Shah
3. Farrukhsiyar
4. Rafi-ud-Darajat
5. Rafi-ud-Daula (Shah Jehan 2)
6. Muhammad Shah
7. Ahmad Shah
8. Alamgir 2
9. Shahjehan 3
10. Shah Alam 2
11. Akbar 2
12. Bahadur Shah 2.

Question 18

Zamidars during Mughal’s rule were hereditary owners of their lands who enjoyed certain privileges on hereditary basis, and were variously known as ___,___,___,___ or _____.

Answer 18

rais, rajas, thakurs, khuts or deshmukhs.

Question 19

Book ‘Parties and Politics at the Mughal Court’ is written by?

Answer 19

Satish Chandra.

Question 20

How did Aurangzeb tried to solve the problem of acute shortage of jagirs or bejagiri?

Answer 20

Aurangzeb tried to solve the problem of acute shortage of jagirs or bejagiri by showing enhanced income from the jagirs on record.

Question 21

Battle of Shakr-Kheda?

Answer 21

Nizam-ul-Mulk Asaf Jah aka Kilich Khan defeated and killed Mubariz Khan in the Battle of Shakr-Kheda.

Question 22

Treaty of Amritsar?

Answer 22

By the Treaty of Amritsar with the British, Maharaja Ranjit Singh acknowledged the British right over the cis-Sutlej territories.
It checked one of the most cherished ambitions of Ranjit Singh to extend his rule over the entire Sikh nation by accepting the river Sutlej as the boundary line for his dominions and the Company’s. Now he directed his energies towards the west and captured Multan (1818), Kashmir (1819) and Peshawar (1834).

Question 23

Tripartite treaty?

Answer 23

Maharaja Ranjit Singh signed the Tripartite treaty in 1838 with the Shah Shuja and the English company whereby he agreed to provide passage to the British troops through Punjab with a view to placing Shah Shuja on the throne of Kabul. (He refused to give passage to the British army through his territories to attack Dost Mohammed, the Afghan Amir).

Question 24

_______ used the Muslim Kunjali Maraikkars (who were well known for their seafaring ability) for his navy.

Answer 24

The Zamorin of Calicut.

Question 25

Term pathshalas and maktabs meaning?

Answer 25

Pathshalas– Hindu elementary schools.
Maktabs– Muslim elementary schools.

Question 26

Term Chatuspathis or Tols meaning?

Answer 26

Chatuspathis or Tols as they were called in Bengal and Bihar, were the centres of higher education.

Question 27

Menace of slavery during 17th century.
1. Generally higher classes of Rajputs, Khatris and Kayasthas kept women slave for domestic work.
2. However, the status of slaves in India was better than that in Europe.
3. Slaves, were usually treated as hereditary servants rather than as menials.
4. Marriages took place among the slaves, and the offspring coming out of such wedlock were considered free citizens.
True/false.

Answer 27

1. True
2. True
3. True
4. True

Question 28

Bada Imambara is built by?

Answer 28

At Lucknow, Asaf-ud-Daula built the bada Imambara in 1784.

Question 29

Sawai Jai Singh built the pink city of Jaipur and five astronomical observatories at?

Answer 29

1. Delhi
2. Jaipur
3. Benares
4. Mathura
5. Ujjain

Question 30

Sawai Jai Singh prepared a set of time tables called_______, to help the people in the study of astronomy.

Answer 30

Jij Muhammad Shahi.

Question 31

Why was the Sittar poetry of Tayaumanavar famous?

Answer 31

The writings were protests against the temple rule and the caste system.

Question 32

Sittar poetry is written in which language?

Answer 32

Tamil.

Question 33

Shah Jo Risalo, a collection of poems in Sindhi literature is written by?

Answer 33

Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai.