Q40. In which year was the Taj Mahal inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site?
[2026 — RRB NTPC (UG) CBT-I — 20 June 2026, Shift 3]
(A) 1981
(B) 1984
(C) 1980
(D) 1983
Answer: (D) 1983
Explanation: The Taj Mahal, commissioned by Shah Jahan in memory of Mumtaz Mahal, entered the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1983. It is situated beside the Yamuna River in Agra.
Q39. Which structure in Agra Fort, distinguished by white marble arches, was used by Shah Jahan to view the Taj Mahal?
[2026 — SSC GD Constable — 31 May 2026, Shift 1]
(A) Musamman Burj
(B) Moti Masjid
(C) Nagina Masjid
(D) Diwan-i-Khas
Answer: (A) Musamman Burj
Explanation: Musamman Burj is an octagonal, marble pavilion within Agra Fort. Tradition associates it with Shah Jahan’s confinement under Aurangzeb, when he could look towards the Taj Mahal.
Q38. Which statement best describes governance and cultural developments under Jahangir and Shah Jahan?
[2026 — UP PGT History — 9 May 2026]
(A) The period witnessed administrative consolidation, political stability, prosperity and cultural activity.
(B) Weak central control caused immediate fragmentation and sustained decline.
(C) Established imperial institutions disappeared under both rulers.
(D) Cultural patronage ceased because military spending absorbed all resources.
Answer: (A) The period witnessed administrative consolidation, political stability, prosperity and cultural activity.
Explanation: Both reigns broadly continued the administrative framework inherited from Akbar. Courtly arts, Persian literature and architecture flourished, although military campaigns and succession struggles also strained imperial resources.
Q37. Which Delhi monument built under Shah Jahan became the principal residence of Mughal emperors?
[2026 — DSSSB MTS — 22 April 2026, Shift 1]
(A) Red Fort
(B) Jama Masjid
(C) Humayun’s Tomb
(D) Taj Mahal
Answer: (A) Red Fort
Explanation: Shah Jahan commissioned the Red Fort as the palace-fortress of his new capital, Shahjahanabad. Completed in 1648, it remained a key seat of Mughal authority for generations.
Q36. Which seventeenth-century monument in Agra, built by Shah Jahan, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site?
[2026 — RRB NTPC (Graduate) CBT-I — 25 March 2026, Shift 3]
(A) Jama Masjid, Delhi
(B) Safdarjung’s Tomb
(C) Taj Mahal
(D) Akbar’s Tomb at Sikandra
Answer: (C) Taj Mahal
Explanation: The Taj Mahal is a white marble mausoleum commissioned by Shah Jahan for Mumtaz Mahal. Its symmetrical plan and stone inlay exemplify the mature Mughal architectural style.
Q35. The Taj Mahal, constructed during Shah Jahan’s reign, is in which Indian state?
[2026 — RRB NTPC (Graduate) CBT-I — 22 March 2026, Shift 1]
(A) Uttar Pradesh
(B) Delhi
(C) Rajasthan
(D) Madhya Pradesh
Answer: (A) Uttar Pradesh
Explanation: The Taj Mahal stands in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, on the Yamuna’s southern bank. Shah Jahan ordered the mausoleum after the death of Mumtaz Mahal in 1631.
Q34. Which monument built by Shah Jahan in memory of Mumtaz Mahal is recognised by UNESCO?
[2026 — DSSSB PRT — 19 February 2026, Shift 1]
(A) Red Fort
(B) Taj Mahal
(C) Qutub Minar
(D) Humayun’s Tomb
Answer: (B) Taj Mahal
Explanation: Shah Jahan commissioned the Taj Mahal as a funerary monument for his wife Mumtaz Mahal. Its marble dome, charbagh garden and finely balanced composition made it internationally celebrated.
Q33. According to the stated dates 1639–1648, the Red Fort took how many years to construct?
[2026 — SSC MTS 2025 cycle — held 10 February 2026, Shift 3]
(A) 3
(B) 5
(C) 9
(D) 14
Answer: (C) 9
Explanation: Using the dates specified in the question, 1648 minus 1639 equals nine years. Shah Jahan built the Delhi fort for his newly developed imperial capital, Shahjahanabad.
Q32. Which Mughal emperor commissioned Delhi’s Jama Masjid, a mosque built mainly with red sandstone and marble?
[2026 — Delhi Police Constable (Executive) — 3 January 2026, Shift 2]
(A) Akbar
(B) Shah Jahan
(C) Humayun
(D) Jahangir
Answer: (B) Shah Jahan
Explanation: Shah Jahan commissioned the Jama Masjid of Delhi, also called Masjid-i-Jahan-Numa. Completed in 1656, its enormous courtyard and three marble domes dominate Old Delhi’s skyline.
Q31. Which Mughal emperor commissioned the Taj Mahal as a mausoleum for Mumtaz Mahal?
[2026 — Delhi Police Constable (Executive) — 3 January 2026, Shift 2]
(A) Akbar
(B) Jahangir
(C) Shah Jahan
(D) Aurangzeb
Answer: (C) Shah Jahan
Explanation: The fifth Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan, ordered construction of the Taj Mahal after Mumtaz Mahal’s death. Its central tomb and associated garden complex developed through the seventeenth century.