The Delhi Sultanate ruled over large parts of the Indian subcontinent from 1206 to 1526 AD. This period witnessed the rise of five different dynasties that governed from Delhi. These dynasties were the Mamluk (Slave) Dynasty, Khalji Dynasty, Tughlaq Dynasty, Sayyid Dynasty, and Lodi Dynasty. Each dynasty brought its own administrative policies, architectural marvels, and cultural contributions to medieval Indian history. The Delhi Sultanate period transformed the political landscape of India and left a lasting impact on its society and governance structures.
For students preparing for UPSC, SSC, State PSC, and other competitive examinations, the Delhi Sultanate remains one of the most frequently tested topics in Indian History. Questions from this era cover rulers, battles, administrative reforms, economic policies, and architectural achievements. This blog post presents 30 well-crafted MCQs on the Delhi Sultanate that will help you strengthen your preparation and test your knowledge of this fascinating historical period.
30 MCQs on Delhi Sultanate – Indian History
Q1. Who founded the Delhi Sultanate in 1206 AD?
(a) Iltutmish
(b) Qutbuddin Aibak
(c) Balban
(d) Muhammad Ghori
Q2. Which dynasty was the first to rule the Delhi Sultanate?
(a) Khalji Dynasty
(b) Tughlaq Dynasty
(c) Mamluk (Slave) Dynasty
(d) Sayyid Dynasty
Q3. Who among the following completed the construction of the Qutub Minar?
(a) Qutbuddin Aibak
(b) Iltutmish
(c) Balban
(d) Raziya Sultan
Q4. Raziya Sultan was the daughter of which ruler?
(a) Qutbuddin Aibak
(b) Balban
(c) Iltutmish
(d) Nasiruddin Mahmud
Q5. Which Sultan of Delhi introduced the system of “Sijda” and “Paibos”?
(a) Iltutmish
(b) Balban
(c) Alauddin Khalji
(d) Muhammad bin Tughlaq
Q6. The Khalji Dynasty was established by which ruler?
(a) Alauddin Khalji
(b) Jalaluddin Khalji
(c) Qutbuddin Mubarak Shah
(d) Khusrau Khan
Q7. Alauddin Khalji introduced the market control system known as:
(a) Iqta System
(b) Diwan-i-Riyasat
(c) Diwan-i-Arz
(d) Diwan-i-Bandagan
Q8. Which Sultan of Delhi is known for his policy of “blood and iron”?
(a) Iltutmish
(b) Alauddin Khalji
(c) Balban
(d) Firoz Shah Tughlaq
Q9. The famous Mongol invasion during the Delhi Sultanate was repelled by which ruler?
(a) Iltutmish
(b) Balban
(c) Alauddin Khalji
(d) Muhammad bin Tughlaq
Q10. Who was the founder of the Tughlaq Dynasty?
(a) Muhammad bin Tughlaq
(b) Firoz Shah Tughlaq
(c) Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq
(d) Nasir-ud-din Mahmud Shah Tughlaq
Q11. Muhammad bin Tughlaq shifted his capital from Delhi to which city?
(a) Agra
(b) Lahore
(c) Daulatabad
(d) Jaunpur
Q12. Which Sultan introduced token currency made of copper and brass?
(a) Alauddin Khalji
(b) Muhammad bin Tughlaq
(c) Firoz Shah Tughlaq
(d) Iltutmish
Q13. The famous traveler Ibn Battuta visited India during the reign of which Sultan?
(a) Alauddin Khalji
(b) Firoz Shah Tughlaq
(c) Muhammad bin Tughlaq
(d) Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq
Q14. Firoz Shah Tughlaq imposed which of the following taxes?
(a) Jizya
(b) Kharaj
(c) Kham
(d) All of the above
Q15. Who established the Sayyid Dynasty in Delhi?
(a) Muhammad Shah
(b) Mubarak Shah
(c) Khizr Khan
(d) Alauddin Alam Shah
Q16. The Lodi Dynasty was founded by which ruler?
(a) Ibrahim Lodi
(b) Sikandar Lodi
(c) Bahlul Lodi
(d) Daulat Khan Lodi
Q17. The Battle of Panipat in 1526 was fought between Ibrahim Lodi and which ruler?
(a) Sher Shah Suri
(b) Babur
(c) Humayun
(d) Akbar
Q18. Which Sultan of Delhi was known as “Lakh Bakhsh” (giver of lakhs)?
(a) Iltutmish
(b) Qutbuddin Aibak
(c) Balban
(d) Firoz Shah Tughlaq
Q19. The Iqta system was introduced in India by which ruler?
(a) Qutbuddin Aibak
(b) Iltutmish
(c) Balban
(d) Alauddin Khalji
Q20. Which Delhi Sultan was the first to attack South India?
(a) Balban
(b) Alauddin Khalji
(c) Muhammad bin Tughlaq
(d) Firoz Shah Tughlaq
Q21. Alauddin Khalji’s general who conquered South India was:
(a) Zafar Khan
(b) Malik Kafur
(c) Khusrau Khan
(d) Ulugh Khan
Q22. The “Diwan-i-Kohi” was a department established by Muhammad bin Tughlaq for:
(a) Military affairs
(b) Agriculture
(c) Revenue collection
(d) Justice
Q23. Which Sultan of Delhi was a patron of the Sufi saint Nizamuddin Auliya?
(a) Alauddin Khalji
(b) Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq
(c) Both (a) and (b)
(d) Firoz Shah Tughlaq
Q24. Sikandar Lodi founded which city?
(a) Firozabad
(b) Jaunpur
(c) Agra
(d) Daulatabad
Q25. The “Chahalgani” or the group of forty nobles was associated with which Sultan?
(a) Qutbuddin Aibak
(b) Iltutmish
(c) Balban
(d) Raziya Sultan
Q26. Which historian accompanied Alauddin Khalji and wrote “Tarikh-i-Alai”?
(a) Ziauddin Barani
(b) Amir Khusrau
(c) Ibn Battuta
(d) Minhaj-us-Siraj
Q27. Firoz Shah Tughlaq repaired the Ashoka Pillars and brought them to Delhi from which places?
(a) Topra and Meerut
(b) Sarnath and Sanchi
(c) Allahabad and Lauriya
(d) Bodh Gaya and Vaishali
Q28. The “Kitab-ul-Hind” was written by which scholar during the early Sultanate period?
(a) Amir Khusrau
(b) Al-Biruni
(c) Ziauddin Barani
(d) Isami
Q29. Which Sultan of Delhi abolished the “Iqta” system?
(a) Alauddin Khalji
(b) Balban
(c) Muhammad bin Tughlaq
(d) None of the above
Q30. The last ruler of the Delhi Sultanate was:
(a) Bahlul Lodi
(b) Sikandar Lodi
(c) Ibrahim Lodi
(d) Daulat Khan Lodi
Correct Answers
- (b) Qutbuddin Aibak
- (c) Mamluk (Slave) Dynasty
- (b) Iltutmish
- (c) Iltutmish
- (b) Balban
- (b) Jalaluddin Khalji
- (b) Diwan-i-Riyasat
- (c) Balban
- (c) Alauddin Khalji
- (c) Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq
- (c) Daulatabad
- (b) Muhammad bin Tughlaq
- (c) Muhammad bin Tughlaq
- (d) All of the above
- (c) Khizr Khan
- (c) Bahlul Lodi
- (b) Babur
- (b) Qutbuddin Aibak
- (b) Iltutmish
- (b) Alauddin Khalji
- (b) Malik Kafur
- (b) Agriculture
- (c) Both (a) and (b)
- (c) Agra
- (b) Iltutmish
- (b) Amir Khusrau
- (a) Topra and Meerut
- (b) Al-Biruni
- (a) Alauddin Khalji
- (c) Ibrahim Lodi
Conclusion
The Delhi Sultanate is one of the most asked topics in Indian History for competitive examinations. This period spanning over three centuries shaped the administrative, cultural, and architectural heritage of medieval India. From the establishment of the Slave Dynasty by Qutbuddin Aibak to the fall of Ibrahim Lodi at the Battle of Panipat in 1526, every ruler and event holds importance for exam preparation.
We hope these 30 MCQs on the Delhi Sultanate have helped you revise and strengthen your hold over this topic. Regular practice of such questions will improve your accuracy and speed during actual exams. Bookmark this page for quick revision and share it with fellow aspirants who are preparing for UPSC, SSC, NDA, CDS, and State PSC examinations. Keep practicing and stay consistent in your preparation journey.