Relevant Titles
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CBSE Class 12 MCQs — Accounts of Al-Biruni and Ibn Battuta (NCERT Aligned)
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Practice Test: Al-Biruni & Ibn Battuta — CBSE Class 12 History Theme 5
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NCERT-Based Quiz: Travellers’ Perceptions — Al-Biruni and Ibn Battuta MCQs
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CBSE History: Al-Biruni vs Ibn Battuta — 60 Question Revision Guide
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Online Practice: Medieval India Travellers — Al-Biruni & Ibn Battuta for Class 12
Introduction Paragraph
CBSE Class 12 History MCQs — Accounts of Al-Biruni and Ibn Battuta offers a focused, NCERT-aligned practice set that helps students master medieval travel narratives and how travellers perceived society. Mapped to Part B: Medieval India — Theme 5: Through the Eyes of Travellers, this online practice test covers Al-Biruni’s analytical, comparative study of Indian culture and Ibn Battuta’s vivid Rihla-style eyewitness accounts. Questions are crafted to assess factual recall, source interpretation, and comparative thinking — the exact skills CBSE board examiners expect. Each MCQ includes a clear explanation to strengthen conceptual clarity and to help you relate primary observations to broader social, religious, and economic patterns of medieval India. Use this quiz for timed revision, classroom practice, or self-assessment; the emphasis remains strictly on NCERT topics and exam-relevant themes. Finish the test to reveal answers and explanations, identify weak areas, and revise effectively before the board exams. Sharpen your understanding of how Al-Biruni and Ibn Battuta recorded caste, court culture, trade, pilgrimage, and regional diversity in the medieval subcontinent.
Sample MCQs with Explanations
Q1. Al-Biruni’s study of India is best described as:
A. A devotional text promoting one religion
B. An empirical, comparative study of Indian science, religion and society
C. A short travel diary with only personal anecdotes
D. A military manual on conquest
Answer: B
Explanation: Al-Biruni (11th century) used empirical observation, engaged with Sanskrit texts, and compared Indian astronomy, calendars and religious beliefs with Islamic scholarship — producing a systematic, comparative study.
Q2. Ibn Battuta’s Rihla is most useful to historians because it:
A. Gives a purely statistical census of all cities he visited
B. Records first-hand and second-hand descriptions of social life, courts and trade networks
C. Is a legal code binding across the Islamic world
D. Contains only poetry and metaphors
Answer: B
Explanation: The Rihla (14th century) mixes eyewitness detail, courtly descriptions, and reports of commerce and administration — valuable for reconstructing medieval networks and social customs.
Q3. Which of the following did Al-Biruni pay special attention to in Indian society?
A. Use of steam power in factories
B. Calendrical systems, astronomy and Sanskrit scholarship
C. Modern parliamentary systems
D. Transatlantic trade routes
Answer: B
Explanation: Al-Biruni compared Indian and Islamic calendars, studied astronomical texts and consulted Sanskrit scholars to understand Indian intellectual traditions.
Q4. Ibn Battuta’s observations of the Maldives are notable because he:
A. Became ruler of the islands
B. Served as a qadi and described local marriage practices and social norms
C. Introduced gunpowder to the islands
D. Wrote the islands’ geological survey
Answer: B
Explanation: Ibn Battuta served as a judge (qadi) in the Maldives and recorded distinctive social customs, especially marital practices and gender norms.
Q5. Why must historians read Ibn Battuta’s accounts with caution?
A. Because the manuscript is a modern forgery
B. Because it mixes eyewitness observations with hearsay and occasional exaggeration
C. Because it only records weather reports
D. Because it uses an unknown language
Answer: B
Explanation: While rich in detail, the Rihla includes second-hand stories and embellishments; historians cross-check his narratives with other sources for reliability.