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Indian HistoryHardAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2018, GK

The important source for Akbar's reign, Tarikh-i-Akbari was written by which one of the following Persian language scholars?

  1. A.Arif Qandahari
  2. B.Bayazid Bayat
  3. C.Abdul Qadir Badauni
  4. D.Nizamuddin Ahmad

Correct answer

A. Arif Qandahari

Explanation

The correct answer is A, Arif Qandahari. Haji Muhammad Arif Qandahari, a noble who served under Bairam Khan and later Akbar, wrote the Persian chronicle Tarikh-i-Akbari.

Akbar's reign is one of the best recorded in Indian history because many writers of his court left Persian accounts. The official history is Abul Fazl's Akbarnama, with the Ain-i-Akbari as its third part. Alongside it stand several independent chronicles. Arif Qandahari's Tarikh-i-Akbari covers the early decades of the reign and is valued because the author saw many events himself. The names of these works are close to one another, which is exactly why paper setters test them.

Option B is wrong because Bayazid Bayat wrote Tazkira-i-Humayun wa Akbar, a memoir of Humayun and Akbar. Option C is wrong because Badauni wrote Muntakhab-ut-Tawarikh, a critical history of the reign. Option D is wrong because Nizamuddin Ahmad wrote Tabaqat-i-Akbari, a different work with a similar name.

Exam tip: Tarikh-i-Akbari = Arif Qandahari; Tabaqat-i-Akbari = Nizamuddin Ahmad; Muntakhab-ut-Tawarikh = Badauni; Akbarnama = Abul Fazl.

Practice Questions

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Q1.Indian HistoryAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2016, GKEasy

The 'water frame' of Richard Arkwright was a device for

  1. A.producing a new type of painting
  2. B.irrigating fields for rice cultivation
  3. C.producing strong threads of yarn
  4. D.the faster movement of steamships
Show answer
Correct answer: C. producing strong threads of yarn

Richard Arkwright's water frame, patented in 1769, was a spinning machine driven by water power that spun strong cotton thread.

Q2.Indian HistoryAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2017, GKMedium

Consider the following statements about the Salt March : 1. The Salt March was deliberately ignored by the European media. 2. The Salt March was widely covered by the American and European press. 3. The Salt March was the first nationalist activity in which women participated in large numbers. 4. The Salt March impressed upon the British the urgent need to devolve more power to Indians. Which of the statements given above are correct?

  1. A.1, 2 and 4
  2. B.2, 3 and 4
  3. C.3 and 4 only
  4. D.2 and 3 only
Show answer
Correct answer: B. 2, 3 and 4

The Salt March drew wide notice in the American and European press, brought women into the national movement in large numbers, and made the British see that they had to share more power with Indians.

Q4.Indian HistoryAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2016, GKHard

The term Upari refers to which one of the following?

  1. A.A category of proprietary tenure under the Mughal rule
  2. B.A category of tenancy tenure under the Maratha rule
  3. C.A soldier in the Maratha army
  4. D.A village headman in the Mughal period
Show answer
Correct answer: B. A category of tenancy tenure under the Maratha rule

In the Maratha villages of the Deccan, an upari was a tenant who cultivated land without any hereditary right to it.

Q5.Indian HistoryAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2017, GKHard

With regard to nature of Mughal State, who among the following scholars argued that "the peculiar feature of the State in Mughal India was that it served not merely as the protective arm of the exploiting classes, but was itself the principal instrument of exploitation"?

  1. A.Irfan Habib
  2. B.Satish Chandra
  3. C.Athar Ali
  4. D.J. F. Richards
Show answer
Correct answer: A. Irfan Habib

In his study of the Mughal agrarian system, Habib argued that the Mughal State did not merely protect the exploiting classes but was itself the main instrument for taking the peasants' surplus.