Ans: B

Exp:

Statement 1 is correct: After the disintegration of the Mongol empire in the fourteenth century, Timur united Iran and Turan under one rule once again. Timur’s empire extended from the lower Volga to the river Indus and included Asia Minor (modern Turkey), Iran, Trans- Oxiana, Afghanistan and a part of the Punjab.

Statement 2 is incorrect: Shahrukh Mirza, Timur’s grandson, successfully retained a significant part of Timur’s empire and promoted arts and culture, making Samarqand and Herat prominent cultural hubs. The ruler of Samarqand had great prestige in the entire Islamic world.

Statement 3 is correct: The decline of Timurid power in the latter half of the fifteenth century was accelerated by their tradition of dividing the empire, resulting in internal conflicts among various Timurid principalities, which always fought and wrangled among themselves.

Statement 4 is correct: From the north, a Turko-Mongol tribe, the Uzbeks, thrust into Trans-Oxiana. Further to the west, a new dynasty, the Safavid dynasty, began to dominate Iran. The Safavids supported the Shiite sect among the Muslims and persecuted those who were not prepared to accept the Shiite tenets. The Uzbeks, on the other hand, were Sunnis. Thus, political conflict between these two elements was embittered by sectarian strife. Further west, the Ottoman Turks were also expanding their influence in Eastern Europe, Iraq, and Iran.

Ans: D

Exp:

Statement 1 is correct: Like countless earlier invaders from Central Asia, Babur was drawn to India by the lure of its fabulous wealth. India was the land of gold and riches. Babur’s ancestor, Timur, had not only carried away a vast treasure and many skillful artisans who helped him to consolidate his Asian empire and beautify his capital.

Statement 2 is correct: In 1520-21, Babur crossed the Indus and easily captured Bhira and Sialkot, the twin gateways to Hindustan. Lahore also capitulated to him. He might have proceeded further but for the news of a revolt at Qandhar. He retraced his steps and, after a siege of a year and a half, recaptured Qandhar.

Statement 3 is correct: After recapturing Qandhar, Babur was once again able to turn his attention towards India. It was about this time that Babur received an embassy from Daulat Khan Lodi, led by his son, Dilawar Khan. They invited Babur to India and suggested that he should displace Ibrahim Lodi since he was a tyrant and enjoyed no support from his nobles. It is probable that a messenger from Rana Sanga arrived at the same time, inviting Babur to invade India. These embassies convinced Babur that the time was ripe for his conquest of the whole of the Punjab, if not of India itself.

Ans: B

Exp:

The Battle of Khanwa in 1527 marked a significant turning point in the struggle for dominance in northern India. Rana Sanga, a powerful Rajput ruler, aimed to thwart Babur’s growing influence in the region, but the battle ended in a decisive victory for Babur. Sanga was defeated, and his subsequent attempt to renew the conflict ended with his assassination. With Rana Sanga’s demise, the dream of a united Rajasthan extending up to Agra suffered a significant setback, securing Babur’s position in the Delhi-Agra region and leading to further Mughal expansion in the area.

Ans: C

Exp:

One of the most important problems facing Akbar was the system of land revenue administration. Sher Shah had instituted a system by which the cultivated area was measured, and a crop rate (rai) was drawn up, fixing the dues of the peasant crop-wise on the basis of the productivity of the land. 

Statement 1 is correct:  The peasant was required to pay to the state on the basis of local productivity as well as local prices. The system of measurement and the assessment based upon it is called the zabti system. Akbar introduced this system in the area from Lahore to Allahabad to Malwa and Gujarat. The dahsala system was a further development of the zabti system.  Under the zabti system, the land revenue was assessed and required to be paid in cash. Even when the peasant was given the option of choosing other methods of assessment, such as crop-sharing. 

Statement 2 is correct:  A number of other systems of assessment were also followed under Akbar. The most common and, perhaps, the oldest was called batai or ghalla-bakshi. In this system, the produce was divided between the peasants and the state in a fixed proportion. The crop was divided after it had been thrashed, or when it had been cut and tied in stacks, or while it was standing in the field. This system was considered a very fair one.

Reference: Medieval India by Satish Chandra, Chapter 13.

Ans: C

Exp:

Statement 1 is incorrect: Jahangir’s reign witnessed the visit of two Englishmen – William Hawkins and Sir Thomas Roe. While the former could not get the consent of the Emperor for establishing an English factory in India, the latter, sent as ambassador by King James I, succeeded in securing permission to establish a British factory at Surat.

Statement 2 is correct: Akbar’s court poet Faizi translated Bhaskaracharya’s famous work on mathematics, Lilavati, into Persian. 

The Mahabharata was translated under the supervision of Abul Faizi, brother of Abul Fazal and a court poet of Akbar. The translation of Upanishads by Dara Shukoh, entitled Sirr-I-Akbar (the Great Secret), is a landmark. The Masnawis of Abul Faizi, Utbi and Naziri enriched Persian Poetry in India.

Statement 3 is correct: The method of water-lift based on pin-drum gearing, known as the Persian wheel, was introduced during Babur’s time. A complicated system of water lift by a series of gear-wheels was installed in Fatehpur Sikri. Akbar was also credited with popularising the device of cooling water using saltpetre. He is also the first known person in the world to have devised the ‘ship’s camel’, a barge on which the ship is built to make it easier for the ship to be carried to the sea.

Statement 4 is correct: Akbar was well known for his patronage of the Arts. He made Tansen of Gwalior one of the Navaratnas in his court and gave him the title of Mian. 

Tansen was an Indian musician and poet who was an important figure in the North Indian tradition of Hindustani classical music. He was greatly esteemed for his dhrupad and raga compositions and for his vocal performances. His renditions of ragas, a musical form intended to invoke emotion or nature.