1. During whose reign is the beginning of the end of Mughal rule generally considered to have started?
2. For how many years did Muhammad Shah rule?
3. Which Persian emperor attacked India in 1738-39 and defeated the Mughal army at Karnal?
4. On which date was the Mughal army defeated at Karnal by Nadir Shah?
5. Apart from the Peacock Throne and the Kohinoor diamond, how much money is estimated to have been collected by Nadir Shah from the official treasury and nobles' safes?
6. Ahmad Shah Abdali was elected successor to Nadir Shah after the latter's death in which year?
7. Which Rohilla chief did Ahmad Shah Abdali recognise as Mir Bakhshi of the empire and his personal 'supreme agent' in 1757?
8. Which Maratha chief expelled Najib-ud-Daula from Delhi and captured Punjab in 1758?
9. In which year did Ahmad Shah Abdali defeat the Marathas in the Third Battle of Panipat?
10. Consider the following statements regarding the Battles of Panipat:
(I) The First Battle of Panipat (1526) was fought between Babur and Ibrahim Lodi.
(II) The Second Battle of Panipat (1556) was fought between Akbar and Hemu.
(III) The Third Battle of Panipat (1761) was fought between the Marathas and Ahmad Shah Abdali.
Which of the above is/are correct?
11. Who became Mughal emperor after a nearly two-year war of succession, taking the title Bahadur Shah I?
12. Which title did the historian Khafi Khan give to Bahadur Shah I?
13. Which Sikh leader attacked the Muslims in Punjab during Bahadur Shah I's reign, prompting action against him?
14. Who introduced the izara system to improve the empire's financial condition during the reign of Jahandar Shah?
15. Farrukhsiyar became emperor after killing Jahandar Shah with the help of the 'King Makers', known as the:
16. In 1717, Farrukhsiyar gave farmans to which power, later regarded as the 'Magna Carta' of that power's trading rights?
17. Who was dethroned, blinded and killed by the Sayyid brothers in 1719, with the help of Peshwa Balaji Vishwanath?
18. Which Mughal ruler had the shortest reign in Mughal history?
19. Which emperor was given the title 'Rangeela' due to his luxurious lifestyle?
20. With whose help did Muhammad Shah kill the Sayyid Brothers?
21. During whose reign was the Battle of Plassey fought in June 1757?
22. By the Treaty of Allahabad (August 1765), which Mughal emperor granted the East India Company the Diwani of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa?
23. Who gave the title of Raja to Rammohan Rai?
24. Who was the last Mughal emperor?
25. On which date did the Mughal Empire legally come to an end with the declaration of Queen Victoria?
26. Which class of hereditary landowners, also known as rais, rajas, thakurs, khuts or deshmukhs, helped in revenue collection and local administration under the Mughals?
27. The growing financial crisis in the later Mughal period, which took the form of a shortage of jagirs to distribute among the nobility, is known as the:
28. Consider the following statements regarding causes of the Mughal Empire's decline:
(I) The absence of a definite law of succession fostered wars of succession and partisanship.
(II) Aurangzeb's Deccan policy kept the emperor away from the capital for a long duration.
(III) The invasions of Nadir Shah and Ahmad Shah Abdali gave a death-blow to the empire.
Which of the above is/are correct?
29. Who founded the Asaf-Jah house of Hyderabad?
30. In which battle did Nizam-ul-Mulk defeat and kill Mubariz Khan to gain control of the Deccan?
31. Who was the founder of the independent principality of Awadh, popularly known as Burhan-ul-Mulk?
32. Who was the founder of the independent state of Bengal?
33. Alivardi Khan, the deputy governor of Bihar, killed which Bengal ruler at Gheria in 1740 to seize power?
34. Which Mughal ruler marched against Ajit Singh of the Rajputs in 1708, breaking his alliance with Jai Singh II and Durgadas Rathor?
35. Which dynasty ruled Mysore before it was brought under Haider Ali's control?
36. Who established the independent state of Kerala with Travancore as its capital?
37. Under which ruler did the Jat power at Bharatpur reach its zenith?
38. In which year did Suraj Mal die, after which the Jat state declined?
39. Who assumed leadership of the Sikhs in 1708 but was later defeated and killed?
40. How many misls or confederacies did the Sikhs organise themselves into following the invasions of Nadir Shah and Ahmad Shah Abdali?
41. Ranjit Singh, the founder of the Sikh kingdom of Punjab, was the son of the leader of which misl?
42. Ranjit Singh conquered Lahore and Amritsar in which respective years?
43. By the Treaty of Amritsar, Ranjit Singh acknowledged British rights over which territories?
44. In 1838, Ranjit Singh signed the Tripartite Treaty with the English Company and which ruler, agreeing to provide passage for British troops through Punjab?
45. Which Afghan set up an independent kingdom around Farrukhabad during the reigns of Farrukhsiyar and Muhammad Shah?
46. Who took advantage of the collapse of authority following Nadir Shah's invasion to set up the kingdom of Rohilakhand?
47. What was the general condition of Indian agriculture in the 18th century despite peasants' hard labour?
48. Since India was largely self-sufficient in handicrafts and agricultural products in the 18th century, how was its trade balance generally described?
49. From which region did India import pearls, raw silk, wool, dates, dried fruits, and rose water?
50. Which item was NOT among India's major exports in the 18th century?
51. Which region was noted as a centre of woollen manufactures in 18th century India?
52. Which regions were the leaders in India's ship-building industry?
53. Whose navy put up a good defence on the west coast against the Portuguese?
54. What were the Hindu and Muslim elementary schools respectively called in 18th century India?
55. Chatuspathis or Tols, centres of higher education, were mainly located in which regions?
56. Which city was a famous centre for Persian education in 18th century India?
57. Which term was used for the class of nobles, scholars, priests and army officers among Muslims, as opposed to the lower-class ajlaf Muslims?
58. Consider the following statements regarding the status of women in 18th century India:
(I) Upper class women generally remained at home, while lower class women worked in fields.
(II) Practices such as purdah, sati, child marriage and polygamy hindered women's progress.
(III) In most social groups except in Kerala, women possessed little individuality of their own.
Which of the above is/are correct?
59. The evil of dowry was especially widespread in which two regions?
60. Which two figures tried, but failed, to promote widow remarriage in 18th century India?
61. Higher classes such as Rajputs, Khatris and Kayasthas generally kept female slaves for what purpose in 18th century India?
62. Which nawab built the Bada Imambara at Lucknow in 1784?
63. Who built the pink city of Jaipur and five astronomical observatories in the first half of the 18th century?
64. Which two schools of painting became prominent in 18th century India, revealing new vitality and taste?
65. Which language and poetry saw distinct growth in northern India during the 18th century, with poets like Mir, Sauda, and Nazir?
66. Which Tamil sittar poet (1706-44) protested against the abuses of temple-rule and the caste system?
67. Who composed the romantic Punjabi epic Heer Ranjha?
68. Who composed Risalo, a collection of poems in Sindhi literature?
