1. ‘Zawabit’ in the context of north Indian medieval empires means

(a) Secular laws/decrees promulgated by the sultans and padshahs to aid the governance.

(b) Answers provided by the maulavis to the questions posed to them by the faithful inquisitive people.

(c) Unit of land measurement to determine land revenue.

(d) Songs of devotion sung by Sufis of Chishti Silsilahs.

Answer: (a) Explanation: Zawabits were secular decrees promulgated by the sultans. They aided their administration along with the religious laws provided by Sharia and Hadis. Both Muhammad Bin Tughalaq and Alauddin Khilji are known for their zawabits. Aurangzeb Padhshah’s zawabits are compiled in a book named Zawabit-i-Alamgiri. His religious firmans are also composed in a compendium called fatwah-i-alamgiri. Thus he indulged in both secular laws as well as attempted to modify Sunni mazhab as per his understanding of piety. He was also referred to as Zinda Pir for his simple living and pious religious adherence to orthodox Sunni Islam. Units of land measurement kept evolving over the medieval times with changing reigns. The basics used were either length of rope (zarb) or length of the stick (e.g.gaj-e- sikandari, gaj-e-ilahi). Songs of devotion sung by the Sufis are of various types – dervish sung their songs while revolving around themselves, Chishtis chanted meditatively, but in communion, some dancing rituals were called raqs while individual confinement in solitude with songs was called chilla.

Source: Class 11th NCERT, Medieval India by Satish Chandra, Chapter 18, Page 229.

2. Following statements are about a traveller who visited India during the Mughal times.

(1) He visited India during the era of Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb.

(2) He was a doctor, historian and a philosopher.

(3) He was associated as a physician to Dara Shikoh.

(4) He stayed in the Mughal Empire for 12 years.

(5) He was also associated with an Armenian noble Danishmand Khan.

Which of the following traveller fits the description given above?

(a) Francois Bernier

(b) Jean-Baptiste Tavernier

(c) Jean Chardin

(d) Peter Mundy

Bernier was a French physician and traveller. He was the personal physician to Mughal prince Dara Shikoh for a brief period. He came to Mughal Empire in search of opportunities. He stayed in India from 1656-1668. He has compared the then East with West. He dedicated his writing to the king of France Louis XIV. All statements provided here regarding him are true. Tavernier was a 17th-century French gem merchant and traveller. He made six voyages to Persia and India between the years 1630 and 1668. In 1675, Tavernier, at the behest of his patron Louis XIV, published Les Six Voyages de Jean-Baptiste Tavernier. Chardin was a French jeweller and traveller whose ten-volume book The Travels of Sir John Chardin is regarded as one of the finest works of early Western scholarship on Persia and the Near East in general. Peter Mundy was a seventeenth-century British merchant trader, traveller and writer. He was the first Briton to record, in his Itinerarium Mundi ('Itinerary of the World'), tasting Chaa (tea) in China and travelled extensively in Asia, Russia and Europe. He visited Surat, Agra and Bengal while dealing with East India Company in the 17th century.

Source: general – information spread across Class 11th NCERT, Medieval India by Satish Chandra.

3. Calligraphy was a very important art form in the medieval Indo-Islamic culture. Various scripts were used to embellish the manuscripts, and some calligraphers even achieved fame and respect for their beautiful artwork.

Which among the following are the names of scripts that were used to adorn the manuscripts?

(1) Nastaliq

(2) Tughra

(3) Naqsh

(4) Kufic

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 1 and 3 only

(c) 3 and 4 only

(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4

Answer: (d) Explanation: These are all the names of various fonts used by calligraphers to adorn their books. The work was done in two phases – initially in tasweerkhana; the miniature paintings were done. Then the book illumination took place in kitabkhana where naqqashikars applied their art. They used various fonts as per the demand of the book and wishes of the Padshah. Akbar was known to like the Kufic script very much. Nastaliq is a straightforward script with all the nuqtas in place. Tughra is a very complicated form, which was initially used in some mosques and mausoleums but soon became relatively more prominent in Deccan sultanates and got confined to royal seals. Naqsh was a variation of Nastaliq, but it was somewhat more complicated.

Source: Class 11th NCERT, Medieval India by Satish Chandra, Chapter 17, Pages 212-224.

4. Which of the following statement/statements is/are true about Tipu Sultan?

(1) He showed a keen interest in the French Revolution.

(2) He planted a ‘Tree of Liberty’ at Srirangapatnam.

(3) He became a member of Jacobin Club.

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

(a) 1 only

(b) 1 and 2 only

(c) 1 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

Answer: (d) Explanation: Tipu Sultan had a keen interest in the French Revolution. Thus, statement 1 is correct. Historians document that to commemorate the commencement of the French Revolution he planted a tree in Srirangapatnam and joined the Jacobin Club which remained the motive force behind that epoch-making revolution. Thus, statements 2 and 3 are correct. He also called himself “Citizen Tipu”. Tipu Sultan exchanged numerous correspondences with Napoleon who warmly responded to him, and both had a plan to come together based on strategic affinity and interest.

Source: Old Modern India NCERT by Bipan Chandra, Chapter 1, Page 15.

5. Arrange the following events related to Raja Ram Mohan Roy in chronological order:

(1) Establishment of a Vedanta College

(2) Foundation of Hindu College

(3) Foundation of Brahmo Samaj

(4) Wrote 'Gift to Monotheists.'

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

(a) 1-2-3-4

(b) 2-4-1-3

(c) 3-1-4-2

(d) 4-2-1-3

Answer: (d) Explanation: In 1809, he wrote in Persian his famous work Gift to Monotheists in which he put forward weighty arguments against belief in many gods and for the worship of a single God. In 1829, he founded a new religious society, the Brahma Sabha, later known as the Brahmo Samaj, whose purpose was to purify Hinduism and to preach monotheism or the worship of one God. The new society was to be based on the twin pillars of reason and the Vedas and Upanishads. It was also to incorporate the teachings of other religions. The Brahmo Samaj laid emphasis on human dignity, opposed idolatry, and criticised such social evils as the practice of Sati. He spent his entire life in the promotion of modern education in the country. In 1817, assisted David Hare in foundation Hindu college. In 1825, he established a Vedanta College in which courses both in Indian learning and in Western social and physical sciences were offered.

Source: Old Modern India NCERT by Bipan Chandra, Chapter 5, Page 95.