Consolidation of the Mughal Empire — Age of Akbar: UPSC Prelims Practice
Answer all questions carefully. Each question has exactly one correct answer.
hard•15 questions•~15 min
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Question 01
hard
Consider the following statements about the Second Battle of Panipat (1556):
1. Hemu was killed outright by a Mughal arrow during the battle.
2. Hemu's artillery had been captured earlier by a Mughal detachment before the main battle.
3. The battle was fought between the Mughals led by Bairam Khan and the Afghan forces led by Hemu.
4. Hemu had not lost a single one of the twenty-two battles he had fought before Panipat.
Which of the above statements are correct?
Question 02
hard
Which of the following correctly describes the Dahsala (Ain-i-Dahsala) land revenue system introduced in 1580?
1. The state's share was fixed at one-half of the average produce.
2. Average prices prevailing over the last ten years were used to convert the state share into cash.
3. The system was NOT a permanent ten-year settlement — the state retained the right to modify it.
4. The system is sometimes called 'Todar Mal's bandobast' and is associated with the zabti system.
Select the correct answer:
Question 03
hard
With reference to the Mansabdari system under Akbar, which of the following statements is INCORRECT?
Question 04
hard
Arrange the following events in Akbar's reign in correct chronological order:
1. Akbar's first sight of the sea at Cambay (Gujarat campaign)
2. Battle of Haldighati
3. Akbar marches to Kabul — first Indian ruler to enter this historic town
4. Ibadat Khana opened to people of all religions
Select the correct sequence:
Question 05
hard
Consider the following pairs regarding Akbar's central administration:
Officer — Primary Responsibility
A. Diwan (Diwan-i-ala) — All income and expenditure; control over khalisa, jagir, and inam lands
B. Mir Bakhshi — Head of military department; also head of intelligence and information agencies
C. Mir Saman — In charge of the imperial household including the supply of all provisions for the harem
D. Chief Qazi — Headed both the judicial department and was solely responsible for the military department
Which pairs are CORRECTLY matched?
Question 06
hard
Which of the following statements about the Mahzar (Declaration) of 1579 is most accurate?
Question 07
hard
With reference to the Battle of Haldighati (1576), consider the following statements:
1. The battle was essentially a conflict between Hindus and Muslims.
2. Hakim Khan Sur, an Afghan, led the van of Rana Pratap's forces.
3. A small force of Bhils, whom the Rana had befriended, was also present on the Rana's side.
4. The battle ended with Rana Pratap's decisive defeat and capture by the Mughals.
Which of the above statements are correct?
Question 08
medium
Which of the following is the correct characterisation of the Din-i-Ilahi (Tauhid-i-Ilahi) according to modern historians?
Question 09
medium
Match the following persons with their correct roles/significance in Akbar's reign:
A. Abdur Rahim Khan-i-Khanan — 1. Son of Bairam Khan, raised by Akbar; one of the most important officers and commanders of the empire
B. Adham Khan — 2. Son of foster-mother Maham Anaga; stabbed the acting wazir; thrown down from the fort parapet by Akbar (1561)
C. Todar Mal — 3. Brilliant revenue officer; first served under Sher Shah; associated with the zabti/dahsala system
D. Birbal — 4. Favourite of the emperor; subject of many popular stories; the only leading Hindu noble who joined Din-i-Ilahi
Select the correct match:
Question 10
medium
Consider the following statements about Akbar's social reforms:
1. Akbar stopped sati unless the widow herself, of her own free will, persistently desired it.
2. Akbar legalised widow remarriage.
3. The age of marriage was raised to 18 for girls and 21 for boys.
4. Akbar was against anyone having more than one wife unless the first wife was barren.
Which of the above statements are correct?
Question 11
hard
Queen Durgavati, who resisted the Mughal invasion of Garh-Katanga, is associated with which of the following statements that are CORRECT?
1. She was the widow of Sangram Shah, ruler of Garh-Katanga.
2. She stabbed herself to death rather than be captured when she realised the battle was lost.
3. The Mughal campaign against Garh-Katanga was led by Asaf Khan, the Mughal governor of Allahabad.
4. After dealing with the Uzbek rebellion, Akbar restored the kingdom to Chandra Shah (younger son of Sangram Shah).
Question 12
medium
Which of the following correctly describes the concept of 'sulh-kul' as elaborated by Abul Fazl in the context of Akbar's rule?
Question 13
medium
Which of the following statements about Akbar's Gujarat campaign of 1572–73 is correct?
Question 14
hard
Consider the following about Akbar's Rajput policy:
1. Bhara Mal of Amber cemented the alliance by marrying his younger daughter Harka Bai to Akbar in 1562.
2. Man Singh rose to the rank of 7000 — accorded by Akbar to only one other noble, Aziz Khan Kuka.
3. Akbar insisted on matrimonial alliances as a precondition for Rajput submission to Mughal suzerainty.
4. The only Rajput state that stubbornly refused to accept Mughal suzerainty till Akbar's death was Mewar.
Which of the above statements are correct?
Question 15
hard
Which of the following pairs of land types and their definitions under Akbar's revenue system is INCORRECTLY matched?
(A) Polaj — Land which remained under cultivation almost every year
(B) Parati — Fallow land which paid at the full (polaj) rate when it was cultivated
(C) Chachar — Land which had been fallow for two to three years, assessed at concessional rates
(D) Banjar — Land which had been fallow for more than two years, where the full revenue was demanded immediately upon cultivation