Q20. Who was the first woman ruler of medieval Delhi?
[UPPCS Mains, 2004]
A. Razia Sultan
B. Shah Turkan
C. Chand Bibi
D. Nur Jahan
Answer: A. Razia Sultan
Explanation: Razia ruled Delhi as sovereign from 1236 to 1240 and challenged the established political dominance of Turkish nobles.
Q19. Which Sultan established a separate department specifically for agricultural expansion?
[UP Lower Subordinate, 2004]
A. Muhammad bin Tughlaq
B. Balban
C. Ibrahim Lodi
D. Aibak
Answer: A. Muhammad bin Tughlaq
Explanation: Diwan-i-Amir-Kohi aimed to increase cultivation and agricultural production through state financing and direct administrative supervision.
Q18. Razia Sultan was principally overthrown by opposition from:
[UP Lower Subordinate, 2004]
A. Powerful Turkish nobles
B. Mongol governors
C. Portuguese traders
D. Maratha chiefs
Answer: A. Powerful Turkish nobles
Explanation: Razia’s efforts to assert independent sovereignty and reduce Turkish aristocratic monopoly generated resistance that contributed directly to her deposition.
Q17. Balban’s royal name was:
[Chhattisgarh PSC Prelims, 2004]
A. Ghiyasuddin Balban
B. Jalaluddin Balban
C. Nasiruddin Balban
D. Shamsuddin Balban
Answer: A. Ghiyasuddin Balban
Explanation: The former slave and powerful Naib adopted the royal title Ghiyasuddin Balban when he became Sultan in 1266.
Q16. Which Sultan declared that political decisions need not always be constrained by orthodox religious law when state necessity required otherwise?
[BPSC Prelims, 2004]
A. Alauddin Khalji
B. Iltutmish
C. Bahlul Lodi
D. Firoz Tughlaq
Answer: A. Alauddin Khalji
Explanation: Alauddin emphasised state regulations or zawabit and political necessity, seeking to govern according to imperial requirements rather than clerical pressure alone.
Q15. Who first transferred the principal political centre of the early Sultanate from Lahore to Delhi?
[UPPCS Special Mains, 2004]
A. Iltutmish
B. Qutbuddin Aibak
C. Balban
D. Razia
Answer: A. Iltutmish
Explanation: By establishing Delhi as the central seat of power, Iltutmish gave the Sultanate a stable political capital from which territorial consolidation proceeded.
Q14. Qutbuddin Aibak died after an accident while playing:
[UPSC CSE Prelims, 2003]
A. Chaugan
B. Wrestling
C. Archery
D. Hunting
Answer: A. Chaugan
Explanation: Aibak died at Lahore in 1210 after falling from his horse during a game of Chaugan, creating a succession crisis later resolved by Iltutmish.
Q13. Which Sultan was popularly known as Lakh Baksh?
[Jharkhand PCS Prelims, 2003]
A. Qutbuddin Aibak
B. Balban
C. Muhammad bin Tughlaq
D. Sikandar Lodi
Answer: A. Qutbuddin Aibak
Explanation: Aibak’s reputation for extraordinary generosity earned him the epithet Lakh Baksh, although his principal political importance lies in founding independent Sultanate rule.
Q12. Which Sultan initially entertained ambitions of founding a new political order and world conquest but abandoned the idea after advice?
[Chhattisgarh PSC Prelims, 2003]
A. Alauddin Khalji
B. Iltutmish
C. Balban
D. Bahlul Lodi
Answer: A. Alauddin Khalji
Explanation: Alauddin’s victories encouraged extraordinary imperial ambitions, but advisers persuaded him to concentrate on practical conquest and consolidation of his existing empire.
Q11. Who was the ruler of Delhi during the most intensive phase of Malik Kafur’s southern expeditions?
[State PSC, 2003]
A. Alauddin Khalji
B. Jalaluddin Khalji
C. Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq
D. Balban
Answer: A. Alauddin Khalji
Explanation: Malik Kafur’s Deccan campaigns formed the southern arm of Alauddin’s expansionist policy and brought enormous tribute to Delhi.
