Q30. Arrange the following Mughal emperors chronologically:
[UPPSC RO/ARO, 2024]
I. Farrukhsiyar,
II. Jahandar Shah,
III. Bahadur Shah II,
IV. Muhammad Shah.
A. III, II, I, IV
B. I, IV, II, III
C. II, I, IV, III
D. I, III, IV, II
Answer: C. II, I, IV, III
Explanation: Jahandar Shah ruled in 1712–1713, followed by Farrukhsiyar from 1713–1719. Muhammad Shah subsequently ruled from 1719–1748, while Bahadur Shah II became emperor in 1837. Their chronology illustrates the long period of weakening central power after Aurangzeb.
Q29. The Third Battle of Panipat took place in which year?
[Chhattisgarh PSC Preliminary Examination, 2024]
A. 1765
B. 1789
C. 1761
D. None of the above
Answer: C. 1761
Explanation: Panipat’s third major battle occurred on 14 January 1761 between Ahmad Shah Abdali and the Maratha army led by Sadashivrao Bhau. The battle severely weakened the Marathas temporarily and highlighted the power vacuum created by the Mughal Empire’s decline.
Q28. In which year did Nadir Shah invade India?
[MPPSC State Services Prelims, 2023]
A. 1736 AD
B. 1737 AD
C. 1738 AD
D. 1739 AD
Answer: D. 1739 AD
Explanation: Nadir Shah advanced into Mughal territories during 1738–1739 and defeated the imperial army at Karnal in February 1739. His subsequent sack of Delhi devastated the treasury and demonstrated the inability of Muhammad Shah’s government to defend imperial territories.
Q27. The Battle of Karnal is associated with the invasion of which foreign ruler?
[SSC CHSL, 2023]
A. Nadir Shah
B. Nasir Khan
C. Ahmad Shah Abdali
D. Shah Shuja
Answer: A. Nadir Shah
Explanation: The Battle of Karnal was fought in February 1739 between Nadir Shah’s Persian army and Mughal forces under Muhammad Shah. Nadir Shah achieved a decisive victory, subsequently entering Delhi and carrying away vast wealth. The invasion exposed deep military and administrative weaknesses.
Q26. The Battle of Buxar was fought in which year?
[SSC CGL, 2023 – Memory-Based]
A. 1905
B. 1860
C. 1757
D. 1764
Answer: D. 1764
Explanation: The Battle of Buxar occurred on 22 October 1764. The East India Company’s army under Hector Munro defeated the combined forces of Mir Qasim, Shuja-ud-Daula and Mughal emperor Shah Alam II, establishing the conditions for the Diwani grant of 1765.
Q25. Which battle is generally regarded as laying the foundation of British political rule in India?
[UPSC NDA, 2022]
A. Third Battle of Panipat
B. Battle of Plassey
C. Battle of Buxar
D. Revolt of 1857
Answer: B. Battle of Plassey
Explanation: The Battle of Plassey in 1757 enabled the East India Company to establish political influence over Bengal after defeating Siraj-ud-Daulah. This victory occurred during the disintegration of Mughal central authority and laid the foundation for subsequent British territorial expansion.
Q24. Which nineteenth-century Khayal singer received the title ‘Tanras’ from Bahadur Shah Zafar?
[SSC CHSL 2021 Cycle, Held in 2022]
A. Bade Ghulam Ali Khan
B. Meer Qutub Baksh
C. Ustad Amir Khan
D. Sadarang
Answer: B. Meer Qutub Baksh
Explanation: Meer Qutub Baksh, popularly known as Tanras Khan, was an accomplished Hindustani classical musician associated with Bahadur Shah Zafar’s court. His career illustrates that cultural patronage continued in Delhi even when the later Mughal rulers had lost effective political authority.
Q23. In which year did Nadir Shah invade India and sack Delhi?
[SSC Selection Post HSC Level, 2022]
A. 1634
B. 1799
C. 1739
D. 1598
Answer: C. 1739
Explanation: In 1739, Nadir Shah defeated the Mughals at Karnal and occupied Delhi. The invasion resulted in extensive plunder and loss of imperial prestige. It also encouraged provincial elites and regional rulers to act increasingly independently of the Mughal court.
Q22. Nizam-ul-Mulk Asaf Jah, the founder of Hyderabad, was a powerful noble at the court of which ruler?
[SSC GD Constable, 2021 – Adapted]
A. Farrukhsiyar
B. Chandragupta Maurya
C. Alauddin Khalji
D. Krishnadevaraya
Answer: A. Farrukhsiyar
Explanation: Nizam-ul-Mulk Asaf Jah served in the Mughal administration and became influential during Farrukhsiyar’s reign. He subsequently consolidated power in the Deccan and established the autonomous Hyderabad state in 1724, illustrating the fragmentation of Mughal provincial authority.
Q21. Arrange the following later Mughal rulers chronologically: A. Jahandar Shah, B. Bahadur Shah I, C. Farrukhsiyar, D. Muhammad Shah Rangeela.
[RPSC Assistant Professor History, 2021]
A. B, A, C, D
B. A, B, C, D
C. C, D, A, B
D. B, C, A, D
Answer: A. B, A, C, D
Explanation: Bahadur Shah I ruled from 1707–1712, Jahandar Shah from 1712–1713, Farrukhsiyar from 1713–1719 and Muhammad Shah from 1719–1748. Their successive reigns were marked by factional politics, weakened imperial authority and the growing influence of powerful nobles.
