Delhi Sultanate & Vijayanagara Quiz: Medieval Indian History Practice

Spoilers! These are the Starter quiz’s answers. Easy, Medium, Hard and Mixed rounds show their own answers when you finish.

1. Which is the correct chronological order of the dynasties of the Delhi Sultanate?

   • Khalji – Mamluk – Tughlaq – Lodi – Sayyid
   • Mamluk – Tughlaq – Khalji – Sayyid – Lodi
   • Mamluk – Khalji – Tughlaq – Sayyid – Lodi
   • Mamluk – Khalji – Sayyid – Tughlaq – Lodi

   Answer: Mamluk – Khalji – Tughlaq – Sayyid – Lodi. Mamluk (1206), Khalji (1290), Tughlaq (1320), Sayyid (1414) and Lodi (1451) — the Lodis ended at Panipat in 1526.

2. Which Sultan introduced the silver tanka and the copper jital?

   • Qutb-ud-din Aibak
   • Iltutmish
   • Balban
   • Alauddin Khalji

   Answer: Iltutmish. Iltutmish standardised Sultanate coinage with these two coins and organised the iqta system of revenue assignments.

3. Which Sultan of Delhi introduced strict market control and fixed prices of goods?

   • Alauddin Khalji
   • Muhammad bin Tughlaq
   • Firoz Shah Tughlaq
   • Sikandar Lodi

   Answer: Alauddin Khalji. Alauddin Khalji controlled prices so he could pay a large standing army low salaries while facing Mongol attacks.

4. Which Sultan shifted the capital from Delhi to Daulatabad (Devagiri)?

   • Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq
   • Alauddin Khalji
   • Firoz Shah Tughlaq
   • Muhammad bin Tughlaq

   Answer: Muhammad bin Tughlaq. Muhammad bin Tughlaq moved the capital in 1327 to control the south better, but the move failed and Delhi was restored.

5. The Moroccan traveller who served as qazi of Delhi under Muhammad bin Tughlaq was:

   • Marco Polo
   • Ibn Battuta
   • Al-Biruni
   • Abdur Razzaq

   Answer: Ibn Battuta. Ibn Battuta described his years in India in his travel account, the Rihla.

6. The Vijayanagara empire was founded in 1336 by Harihara and Bukka of which dynasty?

   • Saluva
   • Tuluva
   • Sangama
   • Aravidu

   Answer: Sangama. The four dynasties in order were Sangama, Saluva, Tuluva and Aravidu. Krishnadeva Raya belonged to the Tuluva line.

7. "Amuktamalyada", a Telugu work on statecraft and devotion, was written by:

   • Krishnadeva Raya
   • Devaraya II
   • Rama Raya
   • Allasani Peddana

   Answer: Krishnadeva Raya. Krishnadeva Raya wrote it himself. Allasani Peddana was one of the eight poets (Ashtadiggajas) at his court.

8. In the Battle of Talikota (1565), Vijayanagara under Rama Raya was defeated by:

   • the Mughals under Akbar
   • the Bahmani kingdom alone
   • the Portuguese and Bijapur
   • a confederacy of Deccan sultanates

   Answer: a confederacy of Deccan sultanates. Bijapur, Ahmadnagar, Golconda and Bidar combined against Rama Raya. The battle led to the sack of Hampi.

9. Which Persian ambassador visited Vijayanagara during the reign of Devaraya II?

   • Niccolo de Conti
   • Domingo Paes
   • Abdur Razzaq
   • Fernao Nuniz

   Answer: Abdur Razzaq. Abdur Razzaq came from Herat in the 1440s. Niccolo de Conti (Italian) came under Devaraya I; Paes and Nuniz (Portuguese) in the 16th century.

10. Consider the following statements: 1. Razia Sultan was the daughter of Iltutmish. 2. Balban introduced the court customs of sijda and paibos. 3. Firoz Shah Tughlaq brought two Ashokan pillars to Delhi. Which of the statements given above are correct?

    • 1 and 2 only
    • 1, 2 and 3
    • 2 and 3 only
    • 1 and 3 only

    Answer: 1, 2 and 3. All three are correct. The pillars came from Topra (Ambala) and Meerut; the Topra pillar stands at Feroz Shah Kotla.