Daily Static Quiz Prelims Practice 2027
Option (c) is correct — Muhammad bin Tughlaq planned both a Khorasan expedition (to conquer Central Asia) and a Qarachil expedition (into the Himalayan foothills of Kumaon), both resulting in catastrophic losses of men, money, and military credibility. Option (a) is wrong — the Daulatabad transfer was aimed at better controlling the Deccan from a central location, not purely Mongol defence. Option (b) is wrong — the token currency failed precisely because government mints couldn't be regulated, allowing widespread private forgery, the opposite of what's stated. Option (d) is wrong — the Iqta system was never abolished and remained a key administrative instrument throughout the Sultanate.
- Firuz Shah Tughlaq founded several new cities, including Firozabad, Fatehabad, Jaunpur and Hissar.
- He abolished all taxes not sanctioned by Islamic law and relied primarily on the four taxes permitted by the Shariat — Kharaj, Zakat, Jizya, and Khams.
- Firuz Shah Tughlaq was known for his military conquests in the Deccan, where he successfully extended Delhi Sultanate control over the Vijayanagara kingdom.
- He established a department called Diwan-i-Khairat for the welfare of orphans, widows and the poor.
Statements 1, 2 and 4 are correct. Firuz founded Firozabad, Fatehabad, Jaunpur and Hissar, alongside extensive canal construction. He restricted taxation to the four Shariat-sanctioned levies — Kharaj, Zakat, Jizya, and Khams — abolishing many of his predecessor's arbitrary cesses. He also established Diwan-i-Khairat for orphans, widows and the destitute. Statement 3 is incorrect — his Deccan campaigns were notable failures; he could not even subdue Warangal effectively, and Vijayanagara remained entirely outside Sultanate control, marking the beginning of territorial contraction rather than expansion.
- A. Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq 1. Token currency experiment using brass and copper coins
- B. Muhammad bin Tughlaq 2. Timur's invasion of India and sack of Delhi
- C. Firuz Shah Tughlaq 3. Founder of the Tughlaq dynasty; known for administrative consolidation after Khilji excess
- D. Mahmud Tughlaq 4. Extensive canal irrigation works and charitable institutions
Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq founded the dynasty and restored administrative order after Khilji-era excess. Muhammad bin Tughlaq is remembered for the token currency experiment substituting brass and copper for silver, causing widespread forgery and economic chaos. Firuz Shah Tughlaq is associated with extensive canal construction and welfare institutions like Diwan-i-Khairat. Mahmud Tughlaq, the last significant Tughlaq sultan, saw the catastrophic Timur invasion of 1398 that sacked Delhi — giving A-3, B-1, C-4, D-2.
Option (b) is correct — Daulatabad was geographically more central for an empire spanning north and south India, giving the transfer a genuine strategic logic, but the forced migration of Delhi's entire population caused immense suffering, and Daulatabad proved poorly positioned to administer the north, leading the capital to eventually shift back to Delhi. Option (a) is wrong — the transfer is universally assessed as a failure, not a two-century success. Option (c) is wrong — it ignores the genuine strategic thinking behind the move. Option (d) is wrong — the capital moved back to Delhi, not Lahore, and the reversal happened within Muhammad bin Tughlaq's own reign, not under Firuz Shah.
- Timur invaded India during the reign of Mahmud Tughlaq and sacked Delhi, carrying away immense wealth and captives to Samarkand.
- The invasion permanently ended the Delhi Sultanate, which was immediately replaced by the Sayyid dynasty established by Timur himself.
- Before reaching Delhi, Timur massacred tens of thousands of Hindu prisoners to prevent them from becoming a logistical burden during battle.
- The invasion left Delhi so depopulated and devastated that it took decades for the city to recover.
Statements 1, 3 and 4 are correct. Timur invaded during Mahmud Tughlaq's reign in 1398, sacked Delhi and returned to Samarkand with plunder and slaves; chronicles record his massacre of roughly 100,000 Hindu prisoners before the Battle of Delhi out of fear they would revolt; and Delhi was left depopulated and devastated, taking decades to recover. Statement 2 is incorrect — the Tughlaq dynasty did not end immediately, as Mahmud Tughlaq continued as nominal ruler until 1413, and the Sayyid dynasty was established later by Khizr Khan (Timur's former Punjab governor), not by Timur himself.
