Q10. Muhammad Ghori’s first major defeat in India in 1178 came against which dynasty?
[UPPCS Preliminary Examination — 2014]
A. Gujarat Chaulukyas
B. Bengal Senas
C. Cholas
D. Eastern Gangas
Answer: A. Gujarat Chaulukyas
Explanation: The failed Gujarat campaign convinced Ghori to alter his route of expansion, eventually targeting Punjab before confronting the Chauhans of Delhi-Ajmer.
Q9. The Battle of Kayadara, where Muhammad Ghori was defeated in 1178, was fought near which geographical feature?
[RAS Preliminary Examination — 2013]
A. Mount Abu
B. Vindhyas
C. Satpura
D. Aravallis near Delhi
Answer: A. Mount Abu
Explanation: Kayadara near Mount Abu in Gujarat was the scene of Ghori’s serious defeat by Chaulukya forces, traditionally led under the direction of Queen Naiki Devi.
Q8. Who wrote the Persian epic Shahnameh?
[UPRO/ARO — 2013]
A. Firdausi
B. Utbi
C. Al-Biruni
D. Baihaqi
Answer: A. Firdausi
Explanation: Firdausi’s Shahnameh is Persia’s great national epic. The poet lived during Mahmud of Ghazni’s reign and is frequently associated with his court.
Q7. Mahmud of Ghazni’s famous attack on Somnath occurred approximately in which year?
[JPSC — 2013]
A. 1001
B. 1014
C. 1025
D. 1192
Answer: C. 1025
Explanation: Mahmud marched into Gujarat in 1025 and attacked Somnath before returning westward. The expedition became his most celebrated and controversial Indian raid.
Q6. India’s earliest sustained contact with Islam occurred primarily through which route?
[RRB — 2012]
A. Arab merchants on the Malabar coast
B. Mongol invasions
C. Portuguese missionaries
D. Ghurid occupation of Delhi
Answer: A. Arab merchants on the Malabar coast
Explanation: Commercial interaction with Arab merchants on India’s western coast began before the conquest of Sindh, demonstrating that cultural contact preceded Muslim territorial expansion.
Q5. Which scholar came to India in connection with Mahmud of Ghazni and wrote extensively about the country?
[Jharkhand PCS Preliminary Examination — 2011]
A. Al-Biruni
B. Ibn Battuta
C. Bernier
D. Marco Polo
Answer: A. Al-Biruni
Explanation: Al-Biruni learned Sanskrit and examined Indian intellectual traditions in depth, producing Kitab-ul-Hind, a major source for the early medieval period.
Q4. What was the principal character of most of Mahmud of Ghazni’s Indian campaigns?
[RAS/RTS — 2010]
A. Primarily plundering expeditions
B. Permanent occupation of all India
C. Naval colonisation
D. Establishment of the Mughal Empire
Answer: A. Primarily plundering expeditions
Explanation: Mahmud repeatedly targeted wealthy centres and temples to finance and glorify his empire, although he retained Punjab as a strategic territorial possession.
Q3. Muhammad Ghori defeated Jayachandra in 1194 in which battle?
[UPPCS Preliminary Examination — 2008]
A. First Tarain
B. Chandawar
C. Panipat
D. Khanwa
Answer: B. Chandawar
Explanation: Chandawar followed Ghori’s victory at Tarain and eliminated another major north Indian rival, accelerating Ghurid expansion along the Gangetic plain.
Q2. In which year did Mahmud of Ghazni attack the Somnath temple?
[Chhattisgarh PSC / CGPSC — 2006]
A. 1001 CE
B. 1013 CE
C. 1016 CE
D. 1025 CE
Answer: D. 1025 CE
Explanation: The Somnath campaign of 1025–26 was among Mahmud’s last and most renowned Indian expeditions, aimed at the wealthy temple complex on Gujarat’s coast.
Q1. The term “Hindu” was first used for the people living beyond the Indus by which group?
[UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination — 1995]
A. Greeks
B. Arabs
C. Romans
D. Chinese
Answer: B. Arabs
Explanation: In medieval geographical usage, Arab and Persian writers used forms derived from Sindhu to describe the land and inhabitants beyond the Indus region.
