The Delhi Sultanate – NDA History PYQs

NDA 2024-I

Q. 1. Which of the following were features of the postal system of India as described by Ibn Battuta?

1. The foot post carries a ringing bell in one hand.

2. The horse post is called uluq, stationed at a distance of every four miles.

3. The foot post or dawa has one station at every four kos of distance.

4. The foot post is quicker than horse post.

(a) 1, 2 and 4

(b) 1 and 2 only

(c) 2 and 3 only

(d) 1, 3 and 4

Answer: (a) 1, 2 and 4

Explanation: Foot-post runners did carry a bell-topped rod in one hand. They rang it to alert the next relay station ahead. So statement 1 correctly describes this practice. Horse-post riders, called uluq, were stationed every four miles. So statement 2 correctly states this exact spacing. Foot-post stations sat much closer, roughly every third of a mile. So statement 3 wrongly claims a much wider four-kos spacing. Frequent relays actually let the foot post outpace the horse post. So statement 4 correctly describes this surprising speed advantage. Statements 1, 2, and 4 together are accurate here. Concept Tested: Exact features of Ibn Battuta’s account of the postal system

★ JOVIK Exam Insight: NDA often hides a wrong distance inside an otherwise accurate-sounding statement. Check the exact numbers, not just the general idea.

NDA 2022-II

Q. 2. Who among the following has described the medieval Indian postal system as of two kinds—the horse-post called ‘Uluq’ and the foot-post called ‘Dawa’?

(a) Al-Biruni

(b) Duarte Barbosa

(c) Ibn Battuta

(d) Seydi Ali Reis

Answer: (c) Ibn Battuta

Explanation: Ibn Battuta described India’s dual postal system in detail. He named the horse-post uluq and the foot-post dawa. Al-Biruni, Barbosa, and Seydi Ali Reis wrote about other topics. So option (c) Ibn Battuta is the correct answer. Concept Tested: Traveller who described the Sultanate-era postal system

NDA 2022-I

Q. 3. The 13th Century text Lekhapaddhati gives us information on which one of the following topics?

(a) Art of writing

(b) Essay writing

(c) Legal document

(d) Epigraphic style

Answer: (c) Legal document

Explanation: Lekhapaddhati is a collection of model administrative documents. It includes land grants, charters, deeds, and official letters. It served as a guidebook for scribes and revenue officials. So option (c) Legal document best describes its content. Concept Tested: Nature of the Lekhapaddhati as a historical source

NDA 2018-I

Q. 4. Which of the following clans are included in the Agnikula Rajputs?

1. Pratiharas

2. Chaulukyas

3. Paramaras

4. Chahamanas

(a) 1 and 3 only

(b) 1, 3 and 4 only

(c) 1, 2, 3 and 4

(d) 2 and 4 only

Answer: (c) 1, 2, 3 and 4

Explanation: Traditional legend links four Rajput clans to a fire ritual. The Pratiharas, Chaulukyas, Paramaras, and Chahamanas are all included. This four-clan grouping is called the Agnikula, or fire lineage. So option (c), all four clans together, is the correct answer. Concept Tested: Clans traditionally grouped as Agnikula Rajputs

NDA 2017-II

Q. 5. Which one of the following travelogues has given an insight on the reign of Muhammad Bin Tughlaq?

(a) Ibn Battuta’s Rihla

(b) Francois Bernier’s Travels in the Mogul Empire

(c) Niccolao Manucci’s Storia do Mogor

(d) Tavernier’s Travels in India

Answer: (a) Ibn Battuta’s Rihla

Explanation: Ibn Battuta visited India during Muhammad bin Tughlaq’s reign. He even served as a qazi at the Sultan’s court for years. His Rihla records this Sultanate-era experience directly. Bernier, Manucci, and Tavernier instead describe the later Mughals. So option (a) Ibn Battuta’s Rihla is the correct answer. Concept Tested: Travelogue describing Muhammad bin Tughlaq’s reign

★ JOVIK Exam Insight: NDA often mixes up Sultanate-era travellers (Ibn Battuta) with Mughal-era ones (Bernier, Manucci, Tavernier). Match traveller to correct era.

NDA 2012-I

Q. 6. Muhammad bin Tughlaq’s experiment of introducing token currency could not succeed on account of

(a) rejection of token coins by foreign merchants

(b) shortage of copper for minting token coins

(c) large-scale minting of spurious coins

(d) poor quality of token currency

Answer: (c) large-scale minting of spurious coins

Explanation: Tughlaq’s token coins lacked proper safeguards against copying. People soon began minting their own fake copper tokens at home. This flood of spurious coins collapsed public trust in the currency. So option (c) correctly identifies the reason for its failure. Concept Tested: Reason behind the failure of Tughlaq’s token currency

NDA 2009-II

Q. 7. Who among the following was the first Muslim military commander who annexed Bihar and Bengal by overthrowing the Sena dynasty?

(a) Mahmud Gawan

(b) Bakhtiyar Khilji

(c) Adil Shahis

(d) Shams-ud-din

Answer: (b) Bakhtiyar Khilji

Explanation: Bakhtiyar Khilji led the early conquest of Bihar and Bengal. He overthrew the last ruler of the Sena dynasty there. Mahmud Gawan and the Adil Shahis belong to the later Deccan. So option (b) Bakhtiyar Khilji is the correct answer. Concept Tested: First Muslim commander to annex Bihar and Bengal

NDA 2009-I

Q. 8. Who among the following was the author of Tarikh-i-Alai, which contains the details of the first few years of Sultan Alauddin Khilji?

(a) Ziauddin Barani

(b) Shams Siraj Afif

(c) Amir Khusrau

(d) Yahiya bin Ahmad

Answer: (c) Amir Khusrau

Explanation: Amir Khusrau composed Tarikh-i-Alai, also called Khazain-ul-Futuh. It records Alauddin Khilji’s early campaigns and conquests. Barani and Afif wrote separate, later Sultanate chronicles instead. So option (c) Amir Khusrau is the correct answer. Concept Tested: Author of the chronicle Tarikh-i-Alai

---