Q70. Which polity did not use either the Delhi Sultanate’s iqta or the Mughal mansabdari system?
[SSC CPO, 12 Dec 2025, Shift 1]
(A) Delhi Sultanate
(B) Mughal Empire
(C) Vijayanagara Empire
(D) Lodi Sultanate
Answer: (C) Vijayanagara Empire
Explanation: The Vijayanagara state used its own arrangements, notably the nayaka or amara-nayaka framework. The iqta is associated chiefly with Delhi Sultanate revenue assignments, whereas mansabdari refers to the Mughal graded imperial service system.
Q69. What did “gaibana” refer to in Mughal court practice?
[UPHESC Assistant Professor (History), 2025]
(A) Honouring a noble in his absence
(B) Honouring only the queen
(C) Appointment of a village accountant
(D) A cavalry inspection
Answer: (A) Honouring a noble in his absence
Explanation: Gaibana denoted recognition accorded to an amir or noble even while absent from court. Such courtly practices reinforced status, favour and ties to the emperor, especially for leading officers serving in distant provinces or on campaigns.
Q68. Which emperor wrote the autobiographical account known as Tuzuk-i-Jahangiri?
[SSC Stenographer, 08 Aug 2025, Shift 2]
(A) Jahangir
(B) Akbar
(C) Shah Jahan
(D) Aurangzeb
Answer: (A) Jahangir
Explanation: Jahangir’s memoirs record his view of imperial decisions, patronage and court events. Although a personal narrative, the work also helps historians study appointments, justice and relationships with nobles. It should be read alongside other contemporary records.
Q67. Which Mughal ruler enrolled Gakkhar chief Kamal Khan as a mansabdar?
[SSC CHSL, 2025 paper compilation]
(A) Babur
(B) Akbar
(C) Shah Jahan
(D) Bahadur Shah I
Answer: (B) Akbar
Explanation: Akbar used mansab appointments to incorporate regional chiefs into imperial service. Recognizing influential local families helped build alliances, channel their armed resources toward the state and extend Mughal authority beyond areas governed directly by imperial officers.
Q66. Akbar’s policy of sulh-i-kul was founded on which governing principle?
[SSC CGL, 2025 paper compilation]
(A) Universal peace and tolerance
(B) Exclusive rule by one sect
(C) Permanent warfare against rivals
(D) Abolition of all provincial government
Answer: (A) Universal peace and tolerance
Explanation: Sulh-i-kul envisaged peaceful relations between diverse communities, with imperial stability resting on accommodation rather than uniform belief. In practice, Akbar combined this outlook with political alliances, broader recruitment and measures that reduced certain discriminatory taxes.
Q65. What was “jama” in Mughal land-revenue accounts?
[SSC CGL, 2025 paper compilation]
(A) A horse-branding mark
(B) Estimated or assessed revenue demand
(C) The actual amount collected
(D) A soldier’s personal rank
Answer: (B) Estimated or assessed revenue demand
Explanation: Jama denoted the assessed revenue demand entered in accounts, while hasil referred to actual realization. Differences between the two affected imperial finances, especially when jagirs promised nominal incomes that were difficult to collect in practice.
Q64. What was the principal language of Mughal court chronicles and state documentation?
[SSC CGL, 2025 paper compilation]
(A) Arabic
(B) Persian
(C) Greek
(D) Portuguese
Answer: (B) Persian
Explanation: Persian became the principal language of high Mughal administration and court historiography. Official chronicles, orders and many revenue records were prepared in Persian, although numerous regional languages continued to be spoken and used locally throughout the empire.
Q63. Which Jain monk received the honorific “Jagat Guru” from Akbar?
[CGPSC Prelims, 09 Feb 2025]
(A) Jinchandra Suri
(B) Hir Vijay Suri
(C) Shanti Chandra
(D) Birbal
Answer: (B) Hir Vijay Suri
Explanation: Akbar honoured Hir Vijay Suri, reflecting the presence of Jain teachers in imperial religious discussions. The court’s exchanges with different traditions informed aspects of its patronage, social regulations and broader policy of political accommodation.
Q62. Which place in a Mughal palace served for confidential royal audiences with leading officials?
[RRB NTPC (Graduate), 13 Jun 2025, Shift 2]
(A) Sarai
(B) Bridge
(C) Katra
(D) Diwan-i-Khas
Answer: (D) Diwan-i-Khas
Explanation: Diwan-i-Khas was the hall of private audience where the ruler could meet selected courtiers, foreign envoys and officials. The Diwan-i-Am served a more public ceremonial function, although access to imperial audiences remained carefully regulated.
Q61. Under which emperor’s patronage was the Mahabharata translated into Persian as the Razmnama?
[SSC CPO, 12 Dec 2025, Shift 2]
(A) Babur
(B) Akbar
(C) Jahangir
(D) Aurangzeb
Answer: (B) Akbar
Explanation: Akbar supported a translation bureau known as the Maktab Khana, where scholars rendered important Sanskrit works into Persian. The Razmnama project exemplified how imperial patronage and translation served his broader interest in intellectual exchange at court.
