India on the Eve of British Conquest — UPSC Prelims Practice
Answer all questions carefully. Each question has exactly one correct answer.
hard•12 questions•~15 min
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Question 01
medium
Consider the following statements about the Later Mughals:
1. Khafi Khan gave the title 'Shah-i-Bekhabar' to Bahadur Shah I.
2. It was during the reign of Farrukhsiyar that an emperor was killed by his nobles for the first time in Mughal history.
3. Rafi-ud-Darajat ruled for the shortest period among all Mughal emperors.
4. Muhammad Shah acquired the nickname 'Rangeela' due to his austere and pious lifestyle.
Which of the above statements are correct?
Question 02
medium
The Battle of Karnal (1739) was fought between:
(a) Ahmad Shah Abdali and the Marathas
(b) Nadir Shah and the Mughal forces under Muhammad Shah
(c) Ahmad Shah Abdali and the Mughal forces under Alamgir II
(d) Nadir Shah and Maratha forces under Baji Rao I
Question 03
medium
Which of the following pairs regarding the founders of successor states is correctly matched?
(a) Hyderabad — Saadat Khan (Burhan-ul-Mulk)
(b) Awadh — Murshid Quli Khan
(c) Bengal — Murshid Quli Khan
(d) Hyderabad — Zulfikar Khan
Question 04
hard
Consider the following about the regional states that emerged from the decline of the Mughal Empire:
1. Mysore under the Wodeyars is classified as a 'Successor State' as it broke away from the Mughal Empire.
2. The Maratha, Sikh and Jat states are classified as 'New States' — set up by rebels against the Mughal empire.
3. Hyderabad, Bengal and Awadh are classified as 'Successor States'.
4. The regional states replaced Mughal authority with a stable all-India polity.
Which of the above statements are correct?
Question 05
medium
The Treaty of Allahabad (1765) between the East India Company and Mughal Emperor Shah Alam II is significant because:
(a) It granted the Company the right to collect revenue (Diwani) of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa in perpetuity
(b) It gave the Company zamindari rights over the three villages that became Calcutta
(c) It was the Magna Carta of the Company granting duty-free trade in Mughal territories
(d) It ceded Punjab to Ahmad Shah Abdali in exchange for peace
Question 06
hard
Which historian argued that 'military inefficiency was the principal, if not the sole, cause' of the Mughal Empire's final collapse, and that even without Nadir Shah or Clive, a Maratha bandit or Sikh freebooter would have eventually seized the Mughal throne?
Question 07
hard
Arrange the following events in correct chronological order:
1. Third Battle of Panipat (Abdali defeats Marathas)
2. Nadir Shah's Battle of Karnal
3. Baji Rao I's raid on Delhi with 500 horsemen
4. Nizam-ul-Mulk establishes independent Hyderabad
Select the correct sequence:
Question 08
hard
Consider the following statements about Sawai Jai Singh:
1. He built the pink city of Jaipur in the first half of the 18th century.
2. He established astronomical observatories (Jantar Mantars) at five locations: Delhi, Jaipur, Benares, Mathura and Ujjain.
3. He promoted widow remarriage but failed to make it a social practice.
4. He prepared a set of astronomical tables called 'Zij Muhammad-shahi'.
Which of the above statements are correct?
Question 09
medium
Which of the following correctly matches the literary work with its language and author?
(a) Heer Ranjha — Sindhi — Shah Abdul Latif
(b) Risalo — Punjabi — Warris Shah
(c) Heer Ranjha — Punjabi — Warris Shah
(d) Risalo — Malayalam — Kanchan Nambiar
Question 10
medium
The description of India as a 'sink of precious metals' in the 18th century refers to which of the following?
Question 11
hard
Consider the following pairs relating to Sikh history in the 18th–19th centuries:
1. Ranjit Singh — Conquered Lahore in 1799 and Amritsar in 1802
2. Banda Bahadur — Organised Sikhs into 12 misls or confederacies
3. Treaty of Amritsar — Ranjit Singh acknowledged British rights over cis-Sutlej territories
4. Tripartite Treaty (1838) — Ranjit Singh agreed to provide passage to British troops through Punjab
Which of the above pairs are correctly matched?
Question 12
medium
Which of the following was NOT a cause of the Jagirdari Crisis that contributed to the decline of the Mughal Empire?