History Test - 8

The correct answer is Nastaliq

Key Points

Calligraphy 

• Calligraphy, the art of handwriting, was considered a skill of great importance.
• It was practised using different styles.
• Akbar’s favourite was the Nastaliq, a fluid style with long horizontal strokes.
• Hence the correct answer is option 2.
• It is written using a piece of trimmed reed with a tip of five to 10 mm called qalam, dipped in carbon ink (si ahi).
• The nib of the qalam is usually split in the middle to facilitate the absorption of ink.

The correct answer is Scriptorium.

Key Points

The making of manuscripts -

• All books in Mughal India were manuscripts, that is, they were handwritten.
• The centre of manuscript production was the imperial Kitab khana.
• Although Kitab khana can be translated as a library, it was a scriptorium, that is, a place where the emperor’s collection of manuscripts was kept and new manuscripts were produced.
• Hence the correct answer is option 1.

The correct answer is Asaf Khan

Key Points

Titles  

• Grand titles were adopted by the Mughal emperors at the time of coronation or after a victory over an enemy.
• High sounding and rhythmic, they created an atmosphere of awe in the audience when announced by ushers (naqib).
• Mughal coins carried the full title of the reigning emperor with the regal protocol.
• The granting of titles to men of merit was an important aspect of Mughal polity.
• A man’s ascent in the court hierarchy could be traced through the titles he held.
• The title Asaf Khan for one of the highest ministers originated with Asaf, the legendary minister of the prophet king Sulaiman (Solomon).
• Hence the correct answer is option 2.
• The title Mirza Raja was accorded by Aurangzeb to his two highest-ranking nobles, Jai Singh and Jaswant Singh.
• Titles could be earned or paid for.
• Mir Khan offered Rs 1 lakh to Aurangzeb for the letter alif, that is A, to be added to his name to make it Amir Khan.

The correct answer is Diwan-i-am

Key Points

Mughal Administration 

• After spending an hour at the jharokha, the emperor walked to the public hall of the audience (diwan-i am) to conduct the primary business of his government.
• State officials presented reports and made requests.
• Two hours later, the emperor was in the diwan-i Khas to hold private audiences and discuss confidential matters.
• High ministers of state placed their petitions before him and tax officials presented their accounts.
• Occasionally, the emperor viewed the works of highly reputed artists or building plans of architects (Mimar).
• After that, the emperor walked to the public hall of the audience (Diwan-i-am) to conduct the primary business of his government.
• Hence the correct answer is option 3.

The correct answer is option 4.

Key Points

The Imperial Household 

• In the Mughal household, a distinction was maintained between wives who came from royal families (begams) and other wives (aghas) who were not of noble birth.
• The begams, married after receiving huge amounts of cash and valuables as dower (mahr ).
• Naturally received a higher status and greater attention from their husbands than did aghas.
• The concubines (aghacha or the lesser agha) occupied the lowest position in the hierarchy of females intimately related to royalty. Hence, the correct answer is option 4.
• They all received monthly allowances in cash, supplemented with gifts according to their status.
• The lineage-based family structure was not entirely static.
• The agha and the aghacha could rise to the position of a begam depending on the husband’s will, and provided that he did not already have four wives.
• Love and motherhood played important roles in elevating such women to the status of legally wedded wives.

The correct answer is option 4.

Key Points

The Paintings of the Mughal Period 

• Abu’l Fazl described the painting as a ‘magical art’, but the production of painting was largely criticised by the Ulama, as it was  prohibited by the Quran as well as by the
  ‘hadis’.
• Hadis described the life event of the prophet Muhammad which restricted the deception of living beings as they regarded it as a function of God.
• The Safavid kings and the Mughal Emperors patronised the finest artists like Bihzad, Mir Sayyid Ali, Abdus Samad, etc.
• Hence the correct answer is option 4.

The correct answer is Persian with Hindavi

Key Points

Urdu Language

• Turkish was the mother tongue of Mughals, but it was Akbar who made Persian the leading language of the Mughal court.
• Persian became Indianised by absorbing local idioms.
• Urdu sprang from the interaction of Persian with Hindavi.
• Hence the correct answer is option 4.
• All books in Mughal India were handwritten manuscripts and were kept in Kitabkhana . i.e. scriptorium.

The correct answer is Mir Bakshi

Key Points

Mughal Administration 

• Akbar designed the Mansab system which established spiritual relationships with a select band of his nobility by treating them as his disciples.
• Some important officials were Mir Bakshi (paymaster general), Diwan-i ala (Finance minister) and sadr-us-sudur (minister of grants and in charge of appointing local judges or qazis), etc.
• The keeping of exact and detailed rewards was a major concern of the Mughal administration.
• The Mir Bakshi supervised the corps of court writers who recorded all applications and documents of courts.
• Hence the correct answer is option 1.

The correct answer is Both 1 and 2.

Key Points

The Officials in Mughal Administration 

• In the Mughal period, the nobility was recruited from a diverse ethnic and religious group.
• In Akbar’s imperial service Turani and Iranian nobles played a dominant role.
• Two ruling groups of Indian origin, the Rajputs and the Indian Muslims (Shaikhzadas) entered the imperial service from 1560 onwards.
• Hence the correct answer is option 3.

The correct answer is Lahore.

Key Points

Capitals and Courts of the Mughals 

• The capital cities of the Mughals frequently shifted during the 16th and 17th centuries.
• Babur took over the Lodhi capital of Agra.
• In 1570, Akbar decided to build a new capital, Fatehpur Sikri.
• In 1585, Akbar shifted his capital from Fatehpur Sikri to Lahore.
• Hence the correct answer is option 1.