Medieval History · Chapter 5 of 6

Mughal Polity & Culture: BPSC Prelims PYQs

22 previous-year questions on Mughal Polity & Culture, asked 1997–2025. Each one opens to its answer and explanation.

1. 1. 48th–52nd BPSC Prelims 2008

   The meaning of the word Bantai during the Medieval period was?

   1. AReligious Tax
   2. BSystem of calculating revenue
   3. CWealth tax
   4. DProperty tax
   Answer and explanation →

2. 2. 46th BPSC Prelims 2004

   Who introduced ‘Do-aspa and Sih-aspa’ system?

   1. AAkbar
   2. BJahangir
   3. CShah Jahan
   4. DAurangzeb
   Answer and explanation →

3. 3. 47th BPSC Prelims 2005

   In the Mughal administration ‘Muhtasib’ was –

   1. AMilitary Officer
   2. BHead of Foreign Affairs
   3. CAn Officer-in-Charge of public morals
   4. DOfficer of Correspondence Department
   Answer and explanation →

4. 4. 46th BPSC Prelims 2004

   ‘Madad-e-Maash’ indicates in Mughal administration –

   1. AToll Tax
   2. BRevenue free land granted to a learned person
   3. CPension provided to military officials
   4. DCultivation Tax
   Answer and explanation →

5. 5. BPSC CDPO Prelims 2005

   In Mughal administration, the 'Chief Qazi' was -

   1. AChief Justice
   2. BMilitary Officer
   3. CHead of the Foreign Department
   4. DAn officer of public conduct
   Answer and explanation →

6. 6. 47th BPSC Prelims 2005 · 65th BPSC Prelims 2019 Asked again

   In medieval India, why was the mansabdari system introduced?

   1. AFor revenue collection
   2. BFacilitating recruitment to the army
   3. CTo establish religious harmony
   4. DEnsuring clean administration
   5. ENone of the above/More than one of the above
   Answer and explanation →

7. 7. 66th BPSC Prelims 2020 Disputed key

   Which Mughal ruler established Karkhanas for painting?

   1. AHumayun
   2. BAkbar
   3. CJahangir
   4. DShah Jahan
   5. ENone of the above/More than one of the above
   Answer and explanation →

8. 8. 47th BPSC Prelims 2005 Disputed key

   Who illustrated “Dastan-e-Amir Hamza”?

   1. AAbdus Samad
   2. BMansur
   3. CMir Sayyid Ali
   4. DAbul Hasan
   Answer and explanation →

9. 9. 63rd BPSC Prelims 2017

   European paintings were introduced in the court of :

   1. AHumayun
   2. BAkbar
   3. CJahangir
   4. DShah Jahan
   5. ENone of the above/ More than one of the above
   Answer and explanation →

10. 10. 60th–62nd BPSC Prelims 2016

    'Daswant and Basawan' the famous painters were courtiers of Mughal emperor :

    1. AAkbar
    2. BJahangir
    3. CShah Jahan
    4. DAurangzeb
    5. ENone of the above/More than one of the above
    Answer and explanation →

11. 11. 65th BPSC Prelims 2019

    Mughal painting reached its zenith under –

    1. AJahangir
    2. BHumayun
    3. CShah Jahan
    4. DAkbar
    5. ENone of the above/More than one of the above
    Answer and explanation →

12. 12. 71st BPSC Prelims 2025

    Which one of the following is not written by Tulsidas?

    1. AVinay Patrika
    2. BGeetavali
    3. CSahitya Lahari
    4. DKavitavali
    Answer and explanation →

13. 13. 42nd BPSC Prelims 1997

    Who wrote Humayun Nama?

    1. ABabur
    2. BHumayun
    3. CGulbadan Begum
    4. DJahangir
    Answer and explanation →

14. 14. 68th BPSC Prelims 2023

    Tabaqat-i-Akbari, which has been sometimes considered more reliable than Abul Fazl's Akbarnama, was written by

    1. AGulbadan Begum
    2. BNizamuddin Ahmad
    3. CAbdul Hamid Lahori
    4. DMore than one of the above
    5. ENone of the above
    Answer and explanation →

15. 15. 67th BPSC Prelims 2022

    Ain-i-Akbari was written by -

    1. AAbdul Qadir
    2. BAkbar
    3. CKhwaja Nizamuddin
    4. DAbul Fazl
    5. ENone of the above/ More than one of the above
    Answer and explanation →

16. 16. 69th BPSC Prelims 2023

    Futuhat-i-Alamgiri was written by

    1. AIshwardas Nagar
    2. BBhimsen
    3. CHaridas
    4. DNone of them
    Answer and explanation →

17. 17. 56th–59th BPSC Prelims 2014

    In which language was ‘Tuzuk-i-Baburi’ written?

    1. APersian
    2. BArabic
    3. CTurkish
    4. DUrdu
    Answer and explanation →

18. 18. 71st BPSC Prelims 2025

    Match List-I with List-II:

    List-I (Father)	List-II (Son)
    A. Babur	1. Salim
    B. Akbar	2. Khusrau
    C. Shah Jahan	3. Kamran
    D. Jahangir	4. Murad

    Select the correct answer using the codes given below (in the order A B C D):

    1. A3 1 4 2
    2. B4 1 3 2
    3. C3 1 2 4
    4. D4 2 3 1
    Answer and explanation →

19. 19. 71st BPSC Prelims 2025

    Match List-I with List-II:

    List-I (Building)	List-II (Built by)
    A. Kabuli Bagh Mosque	1. Qutb ud-Din Aibak
    B. Adhai Din Ka Jhopra	2. Nur Jahan
    C. Allahabad Fort	3. Akbar
    D. Itmad-ud-Daulah Mausoleum	4. Babur

    Select the correct answer using the codes given below (in the order A B C D):

    1. A2 1 4 3
    2. B4 1 3 2
    3. C4 1 2 3
    4. D1 4 3 2
    Answer and explanation →

20. 20. 68th BPSC Prelims 2023

    In which of the following battles are the main opponents not correctly stated?

    1. ABattle of Haldighati-Maharana Pratap and Akbar
    2. BFirst Battle of Panipat-Babur and Ibrahim Lodi
    3. CSecond Battle of Panipat-Tipu Sultan and Marathas
    4. DMore than one of the above
    5. ENone of the above
    Answer and explanation →

21. 21. 69th BPSC Prelims 2023

    Which among the following ports was called Bab-ul-Makkah (Gate of Makkah) during the Mughal period?

    1. ACalicut
    2. BSurat
    3. CCambay
    4. DBroach
    Answer and explanation →

22. 22. 64th BPSC Prelims 2018

    Who stated that five thousand to twenty thousand men worked for forty years to build the palace of forty pillars at Allahabad in Akbar's time?

    1. AManucci
    2. BTavernier
    3. CWilliam Finch
    4. DAbdul Hamid Lahori
    5. ENone of the above/More than one of the above
    Answer and explanation →