HISTORY (VII)- LESSON-3 THE DELHI SULTANS (QUESTION ANSWERS)

 HISTORY (VII)- LESSON-3

THE DELHI SULTANS

(QUESTION ANSWERS)

__________________________________________________________________________

(NCERT EXERCISE)

1. Which ruler first established his or her capital at Delhi?

Answer: Ananga Pala (Tomaras) of the Rajput Dynasty first established his capital at Delhi.

2. What was the language of administration under the Delhi Sultans?

Answer: The language of administration under the Delhi Sultans was Persian.

3. In whose reign did the Sultanate reach its farthest extent?

Answer: During the reign of Muhammad Tughluq, the Sultanate reached its farthest extent and had marched across a large part of the subcontinent. They defeated the rival armies and seized several cities. The Sultanate also collected taxes from the peasantry and dispensed justice in its realm.

4. From which country did Ibn Battuta travel to India?

Answer: Ibn Battuta was a fourteenth-century travellers who came to India from Morocco, Africa.

5. According to the “circle of justice”, why was it important for military commanders to keep the interests of the peasantry in mind?

Answer: According to the “circle of justice”, it was important for military commanders to keep the interests of the peasantry in mind, because the salaries of the military commanders came from the revenue collected from peasants. However, the peasants were able to pay their revenue only when they were prosperous and happy. Thus, the military commanders promoted justice and honest governance.

6. What is meant by the “internal” and “external” frontiers of the Sultanate?

Answer: The “internal” frontiers of the Sultanate means the consolidation of the hinterlands of the garrison towns. During these campaigns, forests were cleared in the Ganga-Yamuna doab and hunter-gatherers and pastoralists were expelled from their habitat and these lands were handed over to the peasants. They also promoted regional trade through the establishment of New fortresses and garrison towns.

The “external” frontiers of the Sultanate meant the military expeditions into southern parts of India, which started during the reign of Alauddin Khalji and ended with the reign of Muhammad Tughluq.

7. What were the steps taken to ensure that muqtis performed their duties? Why do you think they may have wanted to defy the orders of the Sultans?

Answer: The muqtis or iqtadar was a military commander appointed by the Khalji and Tughlug monarchs as governors of territories of varying sizes. These lands were called ‘Iqta’. The duties of the muqtis were as follows:

a. To lead military campaigns and maintain law and order in their iqtas.

b. The muqtis had to collect the revenues of their assignments as salary in exchange for their military services and had to pay their soldiers from these revenues.

c. Control over muqtis was most effective if their office was not inheritable and if they were assigned iqtas for a short period of time before being shifted.

d. Accountants were appointed by the state to check the amount of revenue collected by the muqtis. Care was taken that the muqti collected only the taxes prescribed by the state and that they kept the required number of soldiers.

8. What was the impact of the Mongol invasions on the Delhi Sultanate?

Answer: Mongol attacks on the Delhi Sultanate increased during the reign of Alauddin Khalji and in the early years of Muhammad Tughluq’s rule. Both Alauddin Khalji and Muhammad Tughluq constructed a new garrison town for their soldiers and collected tax from lands between the Ganga and Yamuna to keep the soldiers fed. Alauddin chose to pay his soldiers in cash rather than iqtas, whereas Muhammad Tughluq used a token currency made out of cheap metals.

 

(OTHER IMPORTANT QUESTIONS)

 1. Which of the following was NOT the king of the Rajput Dynasty?
(a) Tomaras
(b) Ananga Pala
(c) Prithviraj Chauhan
(d) Bahlul Lodi

 

 2. Which ruler first established his capital at Delhi?
(a) Chauhans ruler
(b) Tomara Rajput ruler
(c) Turkish ruler
(d) Khalji dynasty

 

 3. Who was the first slave king of Delhi Sultanate?
(a) Qutbuddin Aybak
(b) Iltutmish
(c) Raziyya Sultan
(d) Alauddin Khalji

 

4. Who was successor of Muhammad-bin Tughluq?
(a) Ghiyasuddin Tughluq
(b) Firuz Shah Tughluq
(c) Ibn Battuta
(d) None of these

 

 5. What was the language of administration under the Delhi Sultans?
(a) Urdu
(b) Persian
(c) Hindi
(d) English

 

 6. The position of standing facing Mecca during namaj is known as
(a) Khutba
(b) Qibla
(c) Sijdah
(d) Kharaj

 

 7. In whose reign did the Sultanate reach its i farthest extent?
(a) Tomara Rajput
(b) Raziyya
(c) Alauddin Khalji
(d) Muhammad-bin Tughluq

 

 8. Who was Ulema?
(a) A slave purchased for military service
(b) A ruler
(c) A scholar of Islamic learning
(d) An invader

 

 9. A fortified settlement with soldiers was
(a) hinterland
(b) garrison town
(c) jagir
(d) none of these

 

 10. Which was NOT the kind of taxes during Delhi Sultanate?
(a) Kharaj
(b) Tax on cattles
(c) Tax on houses
(d) Bandagans

 

 11. Kharaj was a type of tax on
(a) houses
(b) cattle
(c) trade
(d) cultivation

 

 12. Which Mughal emperor followed Sher Shah Suri’s idea of administration?
(a) Humayun
(b) Akbar
(c) Babur
(d) Aurangzeb

 

Match the contents of Column A with that of Column B:

Column A	Column B
1. Dehliwal	(a) Traveller from Morocco
2. Shamsuddin Iltutmish	(b) Coins minted in Delhi
3. Sanctuary of the world	(c) Mongol invader
4. Ibn Batuta	(d) Jahanpanah
5. Genghis Khan	(e) Early Turkish Ruler

 

Fill in the blanks with appropriate words:

1. …………. dynasty ruled Delhi before the Tughluqs.

 

2. Tarikh or Tawarikh were written in ………….

 

3. ……….. was built by two rulers Qutbuddin Aybak and Iltutmish.

 

4. …………. is a sermon during Friday prayer in the Mosque.

 

5. Leader of the Namaz is ……………

 

6. Raziyya Sultan ruled from ………… to 1240 AD.

 

State whether the given statements are true or false:

1. Delhi became an important city under the rule of Tomaras and Chauhans.

 

2. Minhaj-i-Siraj was in favour of Queen’s rule in Delhi.

 

3. Delhi’s authority was challenged by Mongols’ invasions.

 

4. The iqtadars were called Samantas.

 

5. Jalaluddin established the Lodi dynasty.

 

6. Dehli-i-Kuhna was oldest of four cities of Delhi and was established by Muhammad Bin Tughluq.

 

ANSWERS

1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
D	B	A	B	B	B	D	C	B	D
11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20
D	B

MATCH THE FOLLOWINGS

1-B, 2-E, 3-D, 4-A, 5-C

FILL IN THE BLANKS

1-  Khalji, 2- Persian, 3- Qutb Minar, 4- Khutba, 5- Imam, 6-  1236

TRUE/ FALSE

1- TRUE, 2- FALSE, 3- TRUE, 4- FALSE, 5- FALSE, 6- TRUE

 

Very Short Answer Type Questions

1. Who defeated the Tomara Rajputs and when?
Answer:  The Chauhans of Ajmer defeated the Tomara Rajputs in the middle of the 12th century.

2. When did the Delhi Sultanate lag its foundation?
Answer: The Delhi Sultanate laid its foundation in the beginning of the thirteenth century.

3. Name the five dynasties that together made the Delhi Sultanate.
Answer: Early Turkish rulers (1206—1290)

Khalji dynasty (1290—1320)

Tughluq dynasty (1320—1414)

Sayyid dynasty (1414—1451)

Lodi dynasty (1451—1526).

4. Mention the sources that provide a lot of information about the Delhi Sultans.
Answer:  Inscriptions, coins, architecture and history written in Persian by learned authors are some of the most important sources that provide a lot of information about the Delhi Sultans.

5. Why did the authors of tawarikh write their histories for Sultans?
Answer: They did so in the hope of rich rewards.

6. Why was Raziyya removed from the throne? 
Answer:  Being a woman ruler she was not favoured by anyone. She ruled just for four years and was finally dethroned in 1240.

7. What is a mosque called in Arabic?
Answer:  It is called a masjid.

8. What is the literal meaning of mosque?
Answer:  It refers to a place where a Muslim prostrates in reverence to Allah.

9. What is called the qibla?
Answer:  The direction towards which Muslims turn while offering prayer or namaz.

10. Why did the early Delhi Sultans favour their slaves?
Answer:  The slaves were totally dependent on their master. Therefore the Sultan could trust and rely upon them.

11. What was the duty of the muqtis?
Answer:  The duly of the muqtis was to lead military campaigns and maintain law and order in their iqtas.

12. Why were accountants appointed by the state?
Answer: They were appointed to check the amount of revenue collected by the muqtis.

13. Why did the authors of Persian tawarikh criticise the Delhi Sultans? [Imp.]
Answer: They did not like the Sultanate’s policy of appointing the ‘low and base-born’ to high offices.

14. Name the three types of taxes collected during the Sultanate period.
Answer: 1. Tax on cultivation called Kharcy and amounting to about 50% of the peasant’s yield.

Tax on cattle

Tax on houses.

15. For how many years the Suri dynasty rule?
Answer:  The Suri dynasty ruled for only 15 years.

 

Short Answer Type Questions

1. Who were the authors of tawarikh? Write in brief about them.        
Answer:  The authors of tawarikh were learned men. They were secretaries, administrators, poets and courtiers who recounted events as well as advised rulers on governance, emphasising the importance of just rule. The authors of tawarikh lived in cities mainly in Delhi and therefore they were cut off from the village. They used to write histories in praise of the Sultans and in return got rich rewards. These authors advised rulers that they should follow an ideal social order based on birthright and gender distinctions. Common mass had nothing to do with their ideas.

2. Who was Raziyya? Why was she not accepted as a Sultan inspite of being talented?
Answer:  Raziyya was Sultan Iltutmish’s daughter. She became Sultan in 1236. She was very talented. According to the chronicler of the age, Minhaj-i-Siraj, she was more able and qualified than all her brothers. But she was not accepted when she became a ruler. Those were the days when women were not allowed to enjoy independent identity. They were supposed to be subordinate to men. This led to her removal from the throne in 1240.

3. What were the four stages in the making of a manuscript?
Answer: The four stages in the making of a manuscript are:

1.      Preparing the paper

2.      Writing the text

3.      Melting gold to highlight important words and passages

4.      Preparing the binding.

4. How did the Khaljis and Tughluqs help the people of humble birth? How did it lead to political instability?
Answer:  The Khaljis and Tughluqs raised people of humble birth who were often their clients, to high political positions. They were appointed as generals and governors. However, this also introduced an element of political instability. Slaves and clients, the people of humble birth, were loyal to their masters and patrons but not to their heirs. Now Sultans had their own servants. As a result the accession of a new monarch often saw conflict between the old and the new nobility.

5. Why did large parts of the subcontinent remain outside the control of the Delhi Sultans? What were the repurcussions?
Answer:  Large parts of the subcontinent remained outside the control of the Delhi Sultans because they were very far from Delhi. For example, it was difficult to control Bengal from Delhi. This helplessness of the Delhi Sultans paved the way for distant provinces to get independence. Even in the Gangetic plain there were forested areas that Sultanate forces could not penetrate. It was a golden opportunity for the local chieftains to establish their rule in these regions.