MCQs with Answers and Explanations

Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) with Answers & Explanations

Chapter 9: Kings and Chronicles – The Mughal Courts

(CBSE Class 12 | NCERT Based)

1. What is the main focus of the chapter Kings and Chronicles?

A. Mughal economy
B. Mughal military system
C. Mughal political culture and history writing
D. Mughal architecture

✅ Correct Answer: C
Explanation: The chapter examines Mughal political culture and how history writing was used to legitimise power.

2. Who were responsible for writing Mughal chronicles?

A. Merchants
B. Religious leaders
C. Court historians
D. European travellers

✅ Correct Answer: C
Explanation: Court historians were appointed by emperors to write official accounts of their reigns.

3. Mughal chronicles were mainly written in which language?

A. Sanskrit
B. Arabic
C. Persian
D. Urdu

✅ Correct Answer: C
Explanation: Persian was the official court language and associated with elite culture.

4. Why was Persian preferred for Mughal history writing?

A. It was spoken by peasants
B. It was a sacred language
C. It symbolised refinement and elite culture
D. It was easy to understand

✅ Correct Answer: C
Explanation: Persian reflected sophistication and restricted readership to the educated elite.

5. Who was the court historian of Akbar?

A. Faizi
B. Badauni
C. Abul Fazl
D. Gulbadan Begum

✅ Correct Answer: C
Explanation: Abul Fazl authored the Akbarnama under Akbar’s patronage.

6. The Akbarnama deals with the reign of:

A. Babur
B. Humayun
C. Akbar
D. Jahangir

✅ Correct Answer: C
Explanation: The Akbarnama records Akbar’s life, rule, and achievements.

7. How many volumes does the Akbarnama consist of?

A. One
B. Two
C. Three
D. Four

✅ Correct Answer: C
Explanation: The third volume is the Ain-i-Akbari.

8. What is the Ain-i-Akbari?

A. A travel account
B. A military manual
C. An administrative record
D. A religious text

✅ Correct Answer: C
Explanation: It provides detailed information on Mughal administration and society.

9. Which aspect is NOT covered in the Ain-i-Akbari?

A. Revenue system
B. Military organisation
C. Social customs
D. European trade routes

✅ Correct Answer: D
Explanation: European trade routes are not its focus.

10. Mughal chronicles mainly aimed to:

A. Criticise rulers
B. Entertain readers
C. Legitimate imperial authority
D. Record peasant life

✅ Correct Answer: C
Explanation: They projected emperors as ideal rulers to strengthen authority.

11. How was Mughal kingship portrayed in chronicles?

A. Limited and accountable
B. Weak and dependent
C. Divinely sanctioned and supreme
D. Temporary and negotiable

✅ Correct Answer: C
Explanation: Kingship was shown as sacred and absolute.

12. Which title emphasised Mughal imperial power?

A. Sultan
B. Shahanshah
C. Nawab
D. Amir

✅ Correct Answer: B
Explanation: Shahanshah means “King of Kings”.

13. What does Sulh-i-Kul mean?

A. Religious dominance
B. Military discipline
C. Universal peace and tolerance
D. Forced conversion

✅ Correct Answer: C
Explanation: It promoted harmony among all religious groups.

14. Which ruler promoted Sulh-i-Kul?

A. Babur
B. Humayun
C. Akbar
D. Aurangzeb

✅ Correct Answer: C
Explanation: Akbar used this policy to unify a diverse empire.

15. How was justice represented in Mughal chronicles?

A. As collective responsibility
B. As religious law only
C. As emperor’s moral duty
D. As local custom

✅ Correct Answer: C
Explanation: The emperor was shown as the supreme dispenser of justice.

16. Which administrative system organised Mughal nobles?

A. Jagirdari
B. Iqtadari
C. Mansabdari
D. Zamindari

✅ Correct Answer: C
Explanation: Mansabdari fixed rank, salary, and military obligations.

17. Mughal chronicles described administration as:

A. Fragmented
B. Inefficient
C. Centralised and orderly
D. Localised

✅ Correct Answer: C
Explanation: This portrayal enhanced the image of strong governance.

18. Why are Mughal chronicles considered biased?

A. They lack dates
B. They ignore administration
C. They were written under imperial patronage
D. They used foreign languages

✅ Correct Answer: C
Explanation: Patronage influenced content and tone.

19. Which voices are largely absent in Mughal chronicles?

A. Nobles
B. Emperors
C. Court officials
D. Common people

✅ Correct Answer: D
Explanation: Peasants and ordinary subjects are rarely represented.

20. Why must Mughal chronicles be read critically?

A. They are incomplete
B. They exaggerate imperial success
C. They are fictional
D. They lack illustrations

✅ Correct Answer: B
Explanation: Failures and opposition were often minimised.

21. What role did paintings play in Mughal manuscripts?

A. Decoration only
B. Religious instruction
C. Visual reinforcement of power
D. Record keeping

✅ Correct Answer: C
Explanation: Paintings glorified emperors and court life.

22. Mughal courts functioned as centres of:

A. Agriculture
B. Trade only
C. Culture and learning
D. Military training

✅ Correct Answer: C
Explanation: Scholars, poets, and artists were patronised.

23. Which type of literature flourished under Mughal patronage?

A. Hindi
B. Tamil
C. Persian
D. English

✅ Correct Answer: C
Explanation: Persian literature dominated court culture.

24. Who was the intended audience of Mughal chronicles?

A. Peasants
B. Soldiers
C. Nobles and elites
D. Foreign traders

✅ Correct Answer: C
Explanation: Persian limited readership to educated elites.

25. What happened to Mughal history writing as imperial power declined?

A. It became more detailed
B. It stopped completely
C. Patronage declined
D. It shifted to Sanskrit

✅ Correct Answer: C
Explanation: Declining power reduced support to historians.

26. Which types of histories gained importance later?

A. Imperial chronicles
B. European accounts
C. Regional histories
D. Mythological texts

✅ Correct Answer: C
Explanation: Regional powers produced their own narratives.

27. Mughal chronicles help modern historians mainly to study:

A. Peasant revolts
B. Mughal political ideology
C. Village economy
D. Tribal society

✅ Correct Answer: B
Explanation: They reveal ideology, governance, and court culture.

28. What relationship does the chapter highlight?

A. Religion and trade
B. Economy and culture
C. Power and history writing
D. War and diplomacy

✅ Correct Answer: C
Explanation: History writing was shaped by political power.

29. Which of the following is NOT a Mughal chronicle?

A. Akbarnama
B. Ain-i-Akbari
C. Baburnama
D. Arthashastra

✅ Correct Answer: D
Explanation: Arthashastra predates the Mughal period.

30. What is the central lesson of Kings and Chronicles?

A. History is neutral
B. History reflects only facts
C. History can legitimise power
D. History is unimportant

✅ Correct Answer: C
Explanation: The chapter shows how rulers used history to justify authority.