Mughal Empire MCQs for UPSC Prelims

Correct answer: D - Neither 1 nor 2

A jagir was a revenue assignment given to a mansabdar in lieu of cash salary for military and administrative service, not specifically for judicial and police duties, so statement 1 misdescribes the institution. Statement 2 reverses the actual position: jagirs were transferable and non-hereditary, with jagirdars routinely rotated, while zamindari rights over revenue collection were customarily hereditary. Zamindars also often carried local policing and militia obligations, which further weakens statement 1. Since both statements are wrong, the answer is neither 1 nor 2.

Correct answer: A - Akbar

Nizam-ud-din Panipati rendered the Sanskrit philosophical text Yogavasistha into Persian during Akbar's reign, part of the broad translation movement that the emperor patronised, which also produced Persian versions of the Mahabharata and Ramayana. Humayun's short and unstable reign predates this translation effort. While further Yogavasistha translations were made later, including one connected with Dara Shukoh in Shah Jahan's time, the Panipati translation named in the question belongs to Akbar's court. Aurangzeb, known for withdrawing such patronage, is clearly not the answer.

Correct answer: C - the hall in which Akbar held discussions with scholars of various religions

The Ibadat Khana (House of Worship) built by Akbar at Fatehpur Sikri was the hall where he held discussions with scholars and theologians of various religions, debates that shaped his eclectic outlook and the Din-i-Ilahi, so option (c) is correct. It was not a royal mosque, not Akbar's private prayer chamber, and not merely a gathering room of nobles, so the other options are wrong.

Correct answer: A - Paragana-Sarkar-Suba

In the Mughal administrative hierarchy the empire was divided into provinces called Subas, each Suba into Sarkars (districts), and each Sarkar further into Parganas (groups of villages). Therefore in ascending order of size the sequence is Pargana, then Sarkar, then Suba, which is the first option. Every other arrangement places a larger unit below a smaller one, so they misrepresent the actual order of these territorial divisions.

Correct answer: C - All the three

Papaya, pineapple and guava are all fruits of New World origin that reached India through the Portuguese, who carried American crops to their Asian possessions in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Along with items like potato, tomato, chilli, cashew and tobacco, these fruits became naturalised in India during the Mughal period. Since all three listed fruits were Portuguese introductions, the answer is (c) All the three, and the options suggesting fewer introductions are incorrect.

Correct answer: B - Jean-Baptiste Tavernier

Jean-Baptiste Tavernier, the 17th-century French gem merchant who travelled repeatedly to India, wrote in detail about Indian diamonds and the diamond mines (including Golconda), making (b) correct. Francois Bernier (a) is known for his account of Mughal politics and society, Jean de Thevenot (c) for general travel observations, and Abbe Barthelemy Carre (d) for diplomatic travels. Tavernier's trade in precious stones makes his elaborate treatment of diamonds distinctive.

Correct answer: B - 3 only

Only statement 3 is correct as per the official UPSC key. Babur was a descendant of Timur on his father's side, so the Mughal empire he founded in 1526 was effectively the Timurid dynasty established in India. Statement 1 is incorrect because gunpowder was already known and used in the subcontinent before Babur; what he demonstrated at Panipat was the effective tactical use of field artillery and matchlocks, not the introduction of gunpowder itself. Statement 2 is incorrect because the true arch and dome had entered Indian architecture with the Delhi Sultanate in the thirteenth century, as seen in buildings like the Alai Darwaza, long before Babur. Note that some coaching institutes had argued for including statement 1, but the official key accepted 3 only.

Correct answer: A - Sawar

Each mansabdar held a dual rank: the Zat fixed personal status and pay, while the Sawar rank indicated the number of horsemen the noble was obliged to maintain. Jagir was a revenue assignment in lieu of salary, and tankha referred to cash salary. Hence the Sawar rank governed the cavalry obligation.