Q60. Consider the statements:
(A) Shivaji drew support from warrior families;
(B) local power-holders were called deshmukhs;
(C) mobile peasant-pastoral groups supported Maratha forces;
(D) Kunbis were associated with agrarian society.
Which are correct?
[CTET Social Studies Paper II, 2026]
(A) Only C and D
(B) A, B, C and D
(C) Only A, B and C
(D) Only A and C
Answer: (B) A, B, C and D
Explanation: The early Maratha political and military base drew upon landed warrior families, hereditary local intermediaries and mobile rural groups. Deshmukhs were influential local chiefs; Kunbis formed an important agrarian population. Together these networks assisted recruitment, intelligence, supplies and regional organization.
Q59. In which village was Ahilyabai Holkar born?
[RRB Group D, 2025]
(A) Nashik
(B) Chondi
(C) Paithan
(D) Maheshwar
Answer: (B) Chondi
Explanation: Ahilyabai was born in Chondi in present-day Maharashtra in 1725. She later ruled the Holkar dominions and is remembered for administration, public works and religious endowments. Maheshwar became especially associated with her rule, but it was not her birthplace.
Q58. After Shivaji’s death, which community became especially prominent through the later Peshwa office?
[SSC CGL, 2025]
(A) Mughals
(B) Deshmukhs
(C) Kunbis
(D) Chitpavan Brahmins
Answer: (D) Chitpavan Brahmins
Explanation: The Chitpavan Brahmin Peshwas rose to exceptional political importance in the eighteenth century, especially after Balaji Vishwanath and Baji Rao I. This development was gradual: direct succession initially passed to Shivaji’s descendants before executive authority shifted toward the Peshwas.
Q57. Match: Treaty of Surat (1775), Treaty of Salbai (1782), Treaty of Purandar (1665). Which mapping is correct?
[SSC CHSL Tier II, 2024]
(A) Surat-1665, Salbai-1775, Purandar-1782
(B) Surat-1775, Salbai-1782, Purandar-1665
(C) Surat-1665, Salbai-1782, Purandar-1775
(D) Surat-1782, Salbai-1775, Purandar-1665
Answer: (B) Surat-1775, Salbai-1782, Purandar-1665
Explanation: The Purandar treaty with Shivaji and Jai Singh dates to 1665. The British agreement with Raghunathrao at Surat occurred in 1775, while Salbai in 1782 settled the First Anglo-Maratha War. Confusing the two treaties named Purandar can cause errors.
Q56. Which Peshwa’s period is associated with Pune emerging as a leading political centre of Maratha power?
[RPSC Assistant Professor (History), 2024]
(A) Baji Rao I
(B) Balaji Vishwanath
(C) Madhavrao I
(D) Balaji Baji Rao
Answer: (A) Baji Rao I
Explanation: Baji Rao I was Peshwa from 1720 to 1740 and used Pune as an increasingly important centre while expanding Maratha influence across India. Delhi remained an imperial symbol, but actual power became fragmented among the Peshwa and regional authorities.
Q55. Which historian portrayed Shivaji as a proto-nationalist figure in influential writings on the Marathas?
[RPSC Assistant Professor (History), 2024]
(A) D. D. Kosambi
(B) H. C. Raychaudhuri
(C) Jadunath Sarkar
(D) K. M. Panikkar
Answer: (C) Jadunath Sarkar
Explanation: Jadunath Sarkar produced important historical studies of Shivaji and Mughal-Maratha relations. His interpretation emphasized military leadership and state formation. The description proto-nationalist reflects a historiographical reading, not an assertion that seventeenth-century political identities matched modern nationalism.
Q54. Which Maratha general was assassinated in Rajasthan during the eighteenth century?
[RPSC Assistant Professor (History), 2024]
(A) Mahadji Scindia
(B) Jayappa Scindia
(C) Malhar Rao Holkar
(D) Tukoji Holkar
Answer: (B) Jayappa Scindia
Explanation: Jayappa Scindia, an important Maratha commander active in Rajasthan, was assassinated during the struggle around Nagaur in 1755. He should not be confused with Mahadji Scindia, who later rebuilt Maratha power in northern India after Panipat.
Q53. Under which Peshwa did Maratha power extend effectively into Odisha?
[RPSC Assistant Professor (History), 2024]
(A) Balaji Baji Rao
(B) Balaji Vishwanath
(C) Baji Rao I
(D) Madhavrao I
Answer: (A) Balaji Baji Rao
Explanation: During Balaji Baji Rao’s Peshwaship, Maratha expansion in eastern India advanced through Raghuji Bhonsle and related campaigns. The 1751 settlement with Bengal’s Nawab recognized Maratha rights in Odisha. Provincial gains occurred through confederate chiefs, not only through direct Peshwa rule.
