Model Test Paper 1

Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation for (A).

Explanation — The Roman religion was polytheistic, whereas the Jews believed in the existence of one God. From the time of Augustus, the emperor also assumed the title of the chief priest, which the Jews were unhappy with. This religious difference was a key reason why some Jews did not support the Roman rule.

Thomas

Reason — Thomas was one of the twelve apostles chosen by Jesus. It is believed that he travelled to India and brought Christianity to the country.

Only (R) is true and (A) is false.

Explanation — The Abbasids were not overthrown in the 11th century. Their political power declined considerably after the Mongols sacked Baghdad in 1258 CE (the 13th century), following which they fled to Egypt, where they were ultimately overthrown by the Turks. So the assertion is false, while the reasoning — that they were attacked by both the Mongols and the Turks — is true.

he wanted to protect the empire from Mongol invasion.

Reason — Balban built new forts and repaired the old ones in the region between the river Indus and the city of Delhi in order to protect the empire from Mongol invasions.

Land revenue was one-third of the produce.

Reason — This statement is false because Alauddin increased the land revenue from one-third to half of the produce. The other two statements are true.

All of the above

Reason — To curtail the power of the nobles, Alauddin prohibited the drinking of wine, set up an elaborate spy system to watch and report every movement of the nobles, and regulated their marriages so that they could not forge any matrimonial alliances without his permission.

non-Muslims

Reason — Jizyah was a religious tax that was levied upon the non-Muslims.

Persian

Reason — With the rise of the Persian-speaking sultans, the Persian language saw an emergence in the Indian subcontinent and became the court language of the Delhi Sultanate.

Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation for (A).

Explanation — Hindi and Persian fused together in the army camps, where the soldiers spoke a mix of the two languages, and this gave birth to a new language called Urdu. Since it developed in the army camps, Urdu came to be known as the 'camp language'.

Ahmad Shah I

Reason — Ahmad Shah I, a ruler of the Bahmani kingdom, transferred the capital from Gulbarga to Bidar.

1. Good Friday marks the day of Jesus's crucifixion, while Easter celebrates his resurrection. His followers believe that Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. Hence, the two are observed three days apart.

2. Jesus's followers accepted him as the messiah and referred to him as Jesus Christ. The word 'Christ' came from christos, the Greek word for 'messiah'.

3. In spite of being an independent ruler, Mahmud swore allegiance to the Abbasid Caliph in Baghdad for political reasons. In return, the Caliph recognised him as the legitimate ruler of the land and encouraged him in his conquests.

4. Muhammad Ghori attempted to enter Gujarat by crossing the Rajputana desert. However, he was completely routed by the Vaghela ruler of Gujarat, Bhima II. Therefore, he could not enter Gujarat.

1. False. Islam is a monotheistic religion; its main teaching is that there is only one God, Allah.

2. The duties laid down as mandatory for all practising Muslims were called the Pillars of Islam (the Five Pillars of Islam).

3. The five duties are Faith, Prayer, Zakat, Fasting and Hajj.

4. Their holy month is called Ramadan.

1. The ruler of the kingdom of Kanauj did not help Ajmer.

2. The ruler of Ajmer was killed during the Second Battle of Tarain.

1. The monument in the picture is the Qutb Minar.

2. It is located in Delhi.

3. It was made of red sandstone and marble.

4. Several rulers contributed to its construction. Qutbuddin Aibak laid the foundation of the minar, Iltutmish added three storeys to it, Alauddin Khalji added the Alai Darwaza as an entrance to it, and Firuz Shah Tughlaq later repaired it.

5. It is decorated with bands of intricate carvings of Islamic calligraphy.

1. It is located in Bijapur.

2. It is the tomb of Muhammad Adil Shah, who ruled the sultanate of Bijapur.

3. False. The dome of the Gol Gumbaz stands independent of pillars.

4. It is one of the largest domes in the world. The Gol Gumbaz, with its enormous dome, covers an area of 1703.56 square metres.

5. A significant feature of the building is its acoustic system — the dome carries the faintest whisper around it and returns it to the person ten times. (At its four corners are minaret-like towers that house staircases leading to the top dome.)