CHAPTER 3: The Rise of the Marathas
Q1. Who were the Marathas?
A. A group of people native to the Deccan Plateau
B. A group of people native to the Himalayas
C. A group of people native to Bengal
D. A group of people native to Punjab
Answer: A. A group of people native to the Deccan Plateau
Q2. Which present-day Indian state is most closely associated with the Marathas?
A. Gujarat
B. Maharashtra
C. Odisha
D. Rajasthan
Answer: B. Maharashtra
Q3. Which language is associated with the Marathas?
A. Bengali
B. Punjabi
C. Marathi
D. Assamese
Answer: C. Marathi
Q4. Which dynasty ruled most of Maharashtra during the 13th century?
A. Mughal dynasty
B. Lodi dynasty
C. Khilji dynasty
D. Yadava dynasty
Answer: D. Yadava dynasty
Q5. What was the capital of the Yadava dynasty?
A. Devagiri
B. Raigad
C. Pune
D. Gingee
Answer: A. Devagiri
Q6. Which Sultanate overcame the Yadava dynasty in the early 14th century?
A. Bahmani Sultanate
B. Khilji Sultanate
C. Bijapur Sultanate
D. Golconda Sultanate
Answer: B. Khilji Sultanate
Q7. What does the term “bhakti” mean?
A. Military conquest
B. Land revenue collection
C. Devotion to the divine or a particular deity
D. Maritime trade
Answer: C. Devotion to the divine or a particular deity
Q8. During which period did the bhakti movement gain popularity across different parts of India, according to the chapter?
A. 1st to 5th centuries
B. 3rd to 8th centuries
C. 10th to 15th centuries
D. 7th to 17th centuries
Answer: D. 7th to 17th centuries
Q9. Which of the following was a well-known bhakti saint of Maharashtra?
A. Sant Tukaram
B. Babur
C. Sher Shah Suri
D. Ibrahim Lodi
Answer: A. Sant Tukaram
Q10. How did Marathi devotional poetry help spread the teachings of bhakti saints?
A. It was written only for royal courts.
B. It communicated their messages in languages understood by ordinary people.
C. It was used exclusively for military training.
D. It prevented people from accessing religious ideas.
Answer: B. It communicated their messages in languages understood by ordinary people.
Q11. In which year was Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj born?
A. 1526
B. 1600
C. 1630
D. 1674
Answer: C. 1630
Q12. Shivaji Maharaj belonged to which clan?
A. Holkar
B. Scindia
C. Gaekwad
D. Bhonsle
Answer: D. Bhonsle
Q13. Who were Shivaji Maharaj’s parents?
A. Shahji and Jijabai
B. Sambhaji and Tarabai
C. Bajirao and Kashibai
D. Rajaram and Ahilyabai
Answer: A. Shahji and Jijabai
Q14. What was a jagir?
A. A type of naval weapon
B. Land assigned by a ruler, usually to a noble or soldier, as a reward for service
C. A council of eight ministers
D. A type of coastal fort
Answer: B. Land assigned by a ruler, usually to a noble or soldier, as a reward for service
Q15. At what age did Shivaji Maharaj begin his military campaigns?
A. 12 years
B. 14 years
C. 16 years
D. 20 years
Answer: C. 16 years
Q16. What was Shivaji Maharaj’s vision of Swarajya?
A. Establishing foreign trading settlements
B. Expanding the Mughal Empire
C. Abolishing all regional administrations
D. Establishing a sovereign kingdom
Answer: D. Establishing a sovereign kingdom
Q17. Why did Shivaji Maharaj establish a navy?
A. To secure access to the resources of coastal regions and protect the western coast
B. To replace all land-based military forces
C. To stop all maritime trade
D. To establish a capital in northern India
Answer: A. To secure access to the resources of coastal regions and protect the western coast
Q18. Which fort is associated with Shivaji Maharaj’s coronation in 1674?
A. Agra Fort
B. Raigad Fort
C. Red Fort
D. Chittorgarh Fort
Answer: B. Raigad Fort
Q19. What was guerrilla warfare, as described in the chapter?
A. A method of fighting using only naval ships
B. A strategy based entirely on large open-field battles
C. A method using small groups, speed, surprise and knowledge of the terrain
D. A method that avoided the use of geographical advantages
Answer: C. A method using small groups, speed, surprise and knowledge of the terrain
Q20. Which general was sent by the Bijapur Sultanate to confront Shivaji Maharaj?
A. Jai Singh
B. Mahadji Shinde
C. Malik Kafur
D. Afzal Khan
Answer: D. Afzal Khan
Q21. Where did Shivaji Maharaj meet Afzal Khan?
A. At the foot of Pratapgad Fort
B. At the Red Fort in Delhi
C. At Agra Fort
D. At Raigad Fort
Answer: A. At the foot of Pratapgad Fort
Q22. Which weapon, shaped like a tiger’s claw, is associated with Shivaji Maharaj’s encounter with Afzal Khan?
A. Matchlock
B. Wagh nakh
C. Lance
D. Cannon
Answer: B. Wagh nakh
Q23. Which Mughal nobleman invaded Shivaji Maharaj’s territories with a large army for three years?
A. Todar Mal
B. Abul Fazl
C. Shaista Khan
D. Raja Man Singh
Answer: C. Shaista Khan
Q24. What did Shivaji Maharaj do in response to Shaista Khan’s campaign?
A. Abandoned Maharashtra permanently
B. Surrendered his entire kingdom
C. Moved his capital to Delhi
D. Raided Shaista Khan’s camp at night with a small group of soldiers
Answer: D. Raided Shaista Khan’s camp at night with a small group of soldiers
Q25. Which wealthy port city of the Mughal Empire did Shivaji Maharaj sack?
A. Surat
B. Calcutta
C. Madras
D. Lahore
Answer: A. Surat
Q26. What was one notable feature of Shivaji Maharaj’s attack on Surat mentioned in the chapter?
A. He destroyed every religious place in the city.
B. He spared religious places and the house of the charitable Mohandas Parekh.
C. He permanently transferred Surat to the Portuguese.
D. He stopped all trade along the western coast.
Answer: B. He spared religious places and the house of the charitable Mohandas Parekh.
Q27. Which Rajput general was sent by Aurangzeb to defeat Shivaji Maharaj?
A. Rana Kumbha
B. Mahadji Shinde
C. Jai Singh
D. Bajirao I
Answer: C. Jai Singh
Q28. What was one result of the Treaty associated with Purandar Fort?
A. Shivaji Maharaj conquered Agra.
B. The Mughal Empire surrendered Delhi.
C. The Marathas conquered all of southern India.
D. Shivaji Maharaj gave up a sizeable part of his kingdom, and Sambhaji entered Mughal service.
Answer: D. Shivaji Maharaj gave up a sizeable part of his kingdom, and Sambhaji entered Mughal service.
Q29. How did Shivaji Maharaj escape from house arrest in Agra?
A. He and Sambhaji hid in baskets used for carrying gifts.
B. He escaped through a tunnel under the Red Fort.
C. He received permission from Aurangzeb to leave.
D. He escaped aboard a Portuguese ship.
Answer: A. He and Sambhaji hid in baskets used for carrying gifts.
Q30. In which year was Shivaji Maharaj crowned at Raigad?
A. 1666
B. 1674
C. 1680
D. 1707
Answer: B. 1674
Q31. What was the name of the era introduced by Shivaji Maharaj after his coronation?
A. Vikrama Samvat
B. Gupta Era
C. Rajyabhisheka Shaka
D. Hijri Era
Answer: C. Rajyabhisheka Shaka
Q32. What does Dakshina Digvijaya refer to?
A. The defence of Delhi against the British
B. The establishment of the Delhi Sultanate
C. The conquest of Bengal by the Mughals
D. Shivaji Maharaj’s campaign of conquest in the South
Answer: D. Shivaji Maharaj’s campaign of conquest in the South
Q33. Who succeeded Shivaji Maharaj as Chhatrapati after his death?
A. Sambhaji
B. Bajirao I
C. Nanasaheb Peshwa
D. Mahadji Shinde
Answer: A. Sambhaji
Q34. Where did Rajaram flee after becoming Chhatrapati?
A. Surat
B. Gingee
C. Agra
D. Lahore
Answer: B. Gingee
Q35. Who led the Marathas in major expansions into Mughal territories after Rajaram’s death?
A. Jijabai
B. Ahilyabai Holkar
C. Tarabai
D. Rani Durgavati
Answer: C. Tarabai
Q36. What change occurred in the Maratha political structure during its rapid expansion?
A. The empire became entirely controlled by European traders.
B. All regional chiefs lost their authority.
C. The Marathas abolished every form of central administration.
D. The state became more decentralised, with chiefs gaining greater power.
Answer: D. The state became more decentralised, with chiefs gaining greater power.
Q37. What was the meaning of the Persian term “Peshwa”?
A. Prime Minister
B. Chief Justice
C. Commander of the Navy
D. Head of Religious Affairs
Answer: A. Prime Minister
Q38. Which two Peshwas were instrumental in the pan-Indian expansion of the Marathas?
A. Rajaram and Sambhaji
B. Bajirao I and Nanasaheb Peshwa
C. Shahji and Jijabai
D. Tarabai and Ahilyabai Holkar
Answer: B. Bajirao I and Nanasaheb Peshwa
Q39. What happened at the Battle of Panipat in 1761?
A. The Marathas defeated the British.
B. The Marathas conquered the Mughal capital.
C. The Marathas suffered a disastrous defeat.
D. The Marathas established the Delhi Sultanate.
Answer: C. The Marathas suffered a disastrous defeat.
Q40. Who led the Marathas in recapturing Delhi in 1771?
A. Kanhoji Angre
B. Sambhaji
C. Serfoji II
D. Mahadji Shinde
Answer: D. Mahadji Shinde
Q41. How many Anglo-Maratha Wars were fought between 1775 and 1818?
A. Three
B. Two
C. Four
D. Five
Answer: A. Three
Q42. Which of the following was a feature of Shivaji Maharaj’s civilian administration?
A. All officials held hereditary posts without supervision.
B. Government officials were paid salaries from the state treasury.
C. Officials were allowed to collect taxes for personal use.
D. Land assignments replaced every form of state payment.
Answer: B. Government officials were paid salaries from the state treasury.
Q43. What was the Ashta Pradhan Mandal?
A. A council of military commanders from Europe
B. A group of regional merchants
C. A council of eight ministers who assisted Shivaji Maharaj in administration
D. A naval force based at Raigad
Answer: C. A council of eight ministers who assisted Shivaji Maharaj in administration
Q44. What were chauth and sardeshmukhi?
A. Two types of Maratha forts
B. Two ranks in the cavalry
C. Two forms of judicial punishment
D. Taxes levied on provinces not directly under Maratha rule
Answer: D. Taxes levied on provinces not directly under Maratha rule
Q45. What were the two types of cavalry soldiers in the Maratha military?
A. Bargirs and shiledars
B. Peshwas and amatyas
C. Kotwals and nyayadhishs
D. Sumants and mantris
Answer: A. Bargirs and shiledars
Q46. What was the main role of forts in Maratha military strategy?
A. To serve only as places of worship
B. To control important routes and shelter the army
C. To replace all forms of trade
D. To function exclusively as courts
Answer: B. To control important routes and shelter the army
Q47. Who guided the Marathas to victories in many naval battles during the 18th century?
A. Todar Mal
B. Nanasaheb Peshwa
C. Kanhoji Angre
D. Serfoji II
Answer: C. Kanhoji Angre
Q48. What was the purpose of the Maratha judicial system’s panchayat?
A. To command the navy
B. To collect chauth from foreign merchants
C. To appoint the Peshwa
D. To deliver justice through a gathering of local officials and prominent men
Answer: D. To deliver justice through a gathering of local officials and prominent men
Q49. Which Maratha ruler is noted for promoting medicine, establishing Dhanwantari Mahal and starting a printing press at Thanjavur?
A. Serfoji II
B. Shivaji Maharaj
C. Sambhaji
D. Bajirao I
Answer: A. Serfoji II
Q50. What was one major legacy of the Maratha Empire, according to the chapter?
A. It ended all regional cultural traditions.
B. It challenged Mughal dominance and inspired confidence in self-government.
C. It prevented the development of local languages.
D. It had no influence on India’s later history.
Answer: B. It challenged Mughal dominance and inspired confidence in self-government.
