The Rise of the Marathas — Hard

Q1. Statement A: Chhatrapati Shivaji's vision of 'Swarajya' was limited to military conquest of new territory. Statement B: His vision of Swarajya extended to political, economic and cultural aspects of a sovereign kingdom. Which is correct?

• A. Only A is correct
• B. Only B is correct
• C. Both A and B are correct
• D. Neither A nor B is correct

Q2. Why is the founding of the Maratha navy in 1657 described as a 'truly revolutionary step' for the time?

• A. The Mughals already had a large navy that the Marathas had to match
• B. The Bijapur Adil Shahi kept merchant ships but had no full-time naval force, and even the Mughal Empire's use of a navy was very limited
• C. It was the first navy in Indian history
• D. It was funded jointly by European trading companies

Q3. Assertion (A): While sacking Surat, Chhatrapati Shivaji spared the house of Mohandas Parekh. Reason (R): Chhatrapati Shivaji was careful not to attack religious places and respected charitable individuals.

• A. Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A.
• B. Both A and R are true, but R is NOT the correct explanation of A.
• C. A is true, R is false.
• D. A is false, R is true.

Q4. Ravi prepares a timeline. Arrange the following events in Chhatrapati Shivaji's life in correct chronological order: (i) Capturing neglected forts around Pune at age 16; (ii) Founding the Maratha navy; (iii) Coronation at Raigad; (iv) Death by fever.

• A. (i) → (iii) → (ii) → (iv)
• B. (ii) → (i) → (iv) → (iii)
• C. (i) → (ii) → (iii) → (iv)
• D. (iii) → (i) → (ii) → (iv)

Q5. Aarti arranges the post-Shivaji Maratha chronology. Which is the correct order? (i) Sambhaji becomes Chhatrapati; (ii) Aurangzeb captures Raigad; (iii) Rajaram flees to Gingee; (iv) Tarabai leads northward invasions.

• A. (i) → (iii) → (ii) → (iv)
• B. (i) → (ii) → (iii) → (iv)
• C. (iii) → (i) → (iv) → (ii)
• D. (ii) → (i) → (iii) → (iv)

Q6. The chapter notes that the Marathas' ten-year campaign in Bengal 'inflicted much cruelty and devastation on the common people'. What does this point illustrate?

• A. The Maratha state followed Chhatrapati Shivaji's values consistently in every region
• B. Regional chiefs acquired more power and autonomy under decentralisation, in stark contrast with Chhatrapati Shivaji's values
• C. The Bengal campaign was directly led by Chhatrapati Shivaji
• D. The Marathas refused to expand beyond Maharashtra

Q7. Statement I: Nana Phadnavis was a powerful official under the Peshwas. Statement II: He organised the first pan-Indian anti-British alliance and even united with old adversaries like Hyder Ali of Mysore and the Nizam of Hyderabad. Statement III: He led the Maratha cavalry at the Battle of Panipat in 1761.

• A. I and II only
• B. II and III only
• C. I and III only
• D. All three

Q8. Match the ashta pradhana mandala portfolios with their ministers: (i) Amatya; (ii) Sachiv; (iii) Mantri; (iv) Panditrao — with — (P) Land Revenue Minister; (Q) Intelligence Minister; (R) Finance Minister; (S) Head of Religious Affairs.

• A. (i)-R, (ii)-P, (iii)-Q, (iv)-S
• B. (i)-P, (ii)-R, (iii)-S, (iv)-Q
• C. (i)-Q, (ii)-S, (iii)-R, (iv)-P
• D. (i)-S, (ii)-Q, (iii)-P, (iv)-R

Q9. Which of the following statements about the Maratha taxes chauth and sardeshmukhi is NOT correct?

• A. Chauth was levied at 25 per cent and sardeshmukhi was an additional 10 per cent to chauth
• B. They were levied on provinces that were not directly under Maratha rule
• C. In return, the Marathas protected those provinces and did not intervene in their internal administration
• D. The Mughals never recognised these taxes through any treaty

Q10. In the Adnyapatra ('The Royal Edict'), Ramachandrapant Amatya argued that 'Forts are the core of the state' because

• A. Forts were needed mainly to collect chauth from coastal villages
• B. In their absence, the land gets devastated in the face of an invasion; the Maratha state survived decades of Mughal onslaught only because of forts
• C. Forts could store enough food to make the kingdom self-sufficient in agriculture
• D. Forts allowed the Marathas to abandon guerrilla warfare and fight pitched battles

Q11. Statement I: The Marathas used rockets in military campaigns from the days of Chhatrapati Shivaji himself. Statement II: By 1770, metal tube rockets were also being used by the Marathas. Statement III: Swords and lances were the preferred weapons of the Marathas. Which combination is correct?

• A. I and II only
• B. II and III only
• C. I and III only
• D. All three

Q12. In 1665, four Maratha ships reached Muscat (Oman). The ruler of Muscat first arrested the crew, but then retreated inside his harbour because

• A. The Mughal navy intervened in support of Chhatrapati Shivaji
• B. He heard that Chhatrapati Shivaji's Navy contained more than a hundred ships
• C. The Portuguese threatened to attack Muscat from Goa
• D. He received a peace treaty signed by Aurangzeb

Q13. Why did Chhatrapati Shivaji commission the treatise Rajya-Vyavahara-Kosha?

• A. To translate the Quran into Marathi for his Muslim subjects
• B. To provide Sanskrit equivalents for prevalent Persian words in diplomatic exchanges, reducing foreign loanwords
• C. To codify the Marathi grammar for primary schools
• D. To record the genealogy of the Bhonsle clan

Q14. Statement I: Ahilyabai Holkar rebuilt the Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi that had been destroyed by Aurangzeb. Statement II: She rebuilt the Somnath temple in Gujarat that had been destroyed by Mahmud of Ghazni. Statement III: She built temples, ghats, wells and roads only within her Indore kingdom. Which is correct?

• A. I and II only
• B. II and III only
• C. I and III only
• D. All three

Q15. Which of the following about Serfoji II of Thanjavur is NOT correct?

• A. He wrote a Marathi play named Devendra Kuravanji describing world geography
• B. He established the Dhanwantari Mahal, a centre of medicine that offered free treatment using both Indian and Western medicine
• C. He started a printing press, the first such example in India by a native ruler
• D. He destroyed the Brihadishwara temple at Thanjavur to build a Marathi inscription in its place