WBBSE Solutions For Class 7 History Chapter 8 Topic A The Crisis Of The Mughal Empire

WBBSE Chapter 8 Topic A The Crisis Of The Mughal Empire Long Question And Answers

Question 1. Who were the Mawalis?
Answer:

Mawalis:

  • In his youth, Shivaji made himself thoroughly familiar with the hilly country around Pune. He freely mixed with the local peasantry known as Mawalis.
  • The Mawalis were hardy and brave people and well acquainted with every nook and corner of the country.
  • Shivaji organized them into a loyal guerilla force and began to raid neighboring territories. Mawalis belonged to the ‘Mawal’ region.

Read and Learn More WBBSE Solutions For Class 7 History

Question 2. Explain the ideas of Hindupad-pad-shahi.
Answer:

The ideas of Hindupad-pad-shahi:

  • Shivaji died in 1780. But his dream of as Hindu empire remained unfulfilled. After fifty years of his death, that is in 1720, it was Peshwa Bajirao I who thought of establishing a Hindu state.
  • So he tried to win the support and sympathy of the Hindu chiefs by holding before them the ideals of the ‘Hindupad-padshahi’ or the Hindu empire.
  • Thus he wanted to unite other kings against the Mughals based on religion.

WBBSE Solutions For Class 7 History Chapter 8 Topic A The Crisis Of The Mughal Empire

Question 3. What do you know about Shivaji’s forefathers?
Answer:

Shivaji’s forefathers:

  • Shivaji’s forefathers, Maloji and Vitoji lived in Daulatabad, where they were cavalrymen under the Yadavas of Sindhukhere.
  • Maloji took service under Malik Ambar of Ahmadnagar.
  • His son, Shahaji, (Shivaji’s father), received from Ambar, the two Parganas, Sholapur, and Pune, as Jagirs.

Question 4. Give a brief description of Shivaji’s early life.
Answer:

Shivaji’s early life:

  • In 1630, Shivaji was born at the hill fort of Shivneri, in the district of Pune. His father’s name was Shahaji Bhonsle and his mother’s name was Jijabai.
  • Shivaji was greatly influenced by his mother and Dadaji Kondadev, his teacher.
  • He learnt horse riding, and weaponry but neglected academics. He built a strong Maratha force with Mawali youths.
  • At the age of 18, he occupied the hill forts of Pune, Raigad, and Bhona.

Question 5. State the political significance of Shi- Shivaji’s coronation.
Answer:

Shivaji’s coronation was politically highly significant.

  1. His territorial conquests acquired a stamp of legitimacy.
  2. He acquired the same status as the Mughal rulers and the Sultans of Bijapur and Golconda.
  3. He also attained recognition among the rival Maratha chieftains.
  4. Gaga Bhatta, the most famous scholar of Varanasi, recognized him as a Suryavanshi Kshatriya and the descendant of the Rana of Mewar.
  5. Thus, Shivaji’s humble Shudra origin was forgotten and he attained social recognition and immense political influence.
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Question 6. What was the aim of Shivaji’s territorial conquests?
Answer:

The aim of Shivaji’s territorial conquests:

  • Since childhood, Shivaji wanted to set up an independent Hindu state in India.
  • He started to conquer territories and built up a Maratha force with Mawali youths.
  • After becoming the Jagirdar of Pune, he began conquering the nearby forts and territories to fulfill his dream.

Real-Life Scenarios Involving Rebellions During Mughal Decline

Question 7. Why was Shivaji successful in fulfilling the ideal of Maratha unity and nationalism?
Answer:

Shivaji was successful in fulfilling the ideal of Maratha unity and nationalism because

Geographical Location:

  • Shivaji succeeded in setting up an independent Maratha state as it was difficult for foreign invaders to attack Maharashtra due to its hilly terrain and strategically located forts.
  • In such unfriendly terrain, the Marathas emerged as brave, hardy, and self-reliant.

Shivaji’s strategy of war:

Again, Shivaji himself was a brave military strategist and diplomat and used his diplomacy to carry on a long struggle against the Mughals and unified the Marathas into a political entity.

Question 8. Who were Bargis and Silahdars?
Answer:

Bargis and Silahdars:

  • Shivaji’s cavalry force had two wings, the Bargis, and the Silahdars. The Bargis were the regular-standing cavalry units and were provided uniforms, horses, and weapons by the state.
  • The Silahdars were the irregular mercenary cavalry troops who had to arrange their weapons.

Important Definitions Related to the Mughal Crisis

Question 9. Why did the Sikhs revolt against the Mughals?
Answer:

Sikhs Revolt against the Mughals:

  • The ninth Sikh Guru, Tegh Bahadur had criticised the orthodox religious policy of Mughal Emperor, Aurangzeb, and helped the Hindu rulers in their struggles.
  • A furious Aurangzeb destroyed Sikh Gurudwaras and killed Tegh Bahadur.
  • The tenth Sikh Guru, Govind Singh unified the Sikhs and turned them into a martial race.
  • After his death, his disciple Banda Bahadur inspired the Sikhs to fight the Mughals.

Question 10. What is Khalsa?
Answer:

Khalsa:

  • The term ‘Khalsa’ means pure or holy. It applied to those Sikh soldiers who fought against their foes bravely and dedicated their lives to the defence of their faith.
  • So, the Khalsa denoted the military organisation of the Sikhs.
  • It was set up by Guru Govind Singh. The soldiers had to put on their person, five ‘K’s. Guru Govind Singh declared, ‘Khalsa is Guru and the Guru is Khalsa’.

Question 11. What crisis appeared in the Mansabdari and Jagirdari systems during the reign of Shah Jahan?
Answer:

During Mughal emperor Shah Jahan’s reign, a grave crisis appeared in the Mansabdari and Jagirdari systems.

  • Inability to pay salary: Mansabdars were not paid on time nor in full due to the exhaustion of the treasury for the prolific building activities of Shah Jahan.
  • Difference between Jama and Haasil: There was a wide gap between Jama (revenue collection estimated) and Haasil (actual revenue collected).

Question 12. State two causes for the decline of Mughal power in India.
Answer:

Two causes for the decline of Mughal power in India were

Weakness of rulers:

  • The successors of Aurangzeb were weak and pleasure-loving. Taking advantage of this, the Marathas and the Sikhs rose to power.
  • The rise of the Marathas and the expansion of their empire greatly weakened the Mughal power.

Invasion of Nadir Shah:

The invasion of Nadir Shah in 1739 gave a death blow to the already weak Mughal Empire.

Question 13. How did the Peshwas come to power?
Answer:

Process of disintegration:

  • During the period of decline of the Mughal empire, the Marathas emerged as a strong political force in India. They also took a leading part in the politics of Delhi.
  • All this credit goes to the ‘Peshwas’ or the Prime Ministers who actually conducted affairs of the Maratha state from the time of Shivaji’s son Shahu.

Short Answers on Causes of the Mughal Empire Crisis

The struggle for power:

  • After a long forty years of struggle for political power, it passed at last into the hands of the ‘Peshwa’ with the help of a Chitpaban Brahman named Balaji Viswanath, Shahu occupied the Maratha throne.
  • Balaji was appointed as his Peshwa or Prime Minister in 1713. From this time Peshwa became the virtual ruler of the Maratha empire.

Question 14. Write a note on Mughal court politics.
Answer:

Mughal court politics:

The degeneration of the nobility was very much responsible for the downfall of the Mughal empire.

  • Under the early Mughals, the nobles like Abdur Rahman, Mahabat Khan, and Mirjumla played vital roles.
  • They were equally great in war and peace.
  • But under the later Mughals, nobles were different.
  • Their character had degenerated. They were split up into three factions-Irani, Turani, and Hindusthanis.
  • They quarreled among themselves for getting good jagirs.
  • In fact, the crisis of the Jagirdari system intensified the party struggle.
  • Thus factionalism and many other evils arose out to the Jagirdari system and greatly weakened the Mughal government.

WBBSE Chapter 8 Topic A The Crisis Of The Mughal Empire Short Question And Answers

Question 1. Explain the nature of the Mughals.
Answer:

  • The Mughal empire reached the height of its expansion during the reign of Aurangzeb.
  • The empire extended from Kabul to Gauhati and from Kashmir to ‘Far South’.
  • Such an extensive empire had never been built in the past. So there is no doubt that the Mughals were extremely powerful.

Question 2. Name two peasants’ revolts of the Mughal period.
Answer: The two peasants’ revolts are ‘Satnami’ and ‘Jat’ rebellion.

Question 3. What is ‘Ashta pradhana’?
Answer:

  • ‘Ashta pradhana’ is the name of the council of ministers, who assisted Shivaji in the administrative work.
  • The council consisted of eight ministers. That is why the council was called ‘Ashta pradhan.

Question 4. When and between whom the Treaty of Porbundar was signed?
Answer: The Treaty of Porbundar was signed between Jaisingh and Shivaji in 1665 AD.

Question 5. Who was Banda Bahadur?
Answer:

  • Banda Bahadur was the disciple of the tenth Sikh Guru Govind Singh.
  • After his death Banda Bahadur continued his fight against the Mughals.

Question 6. Why did Aurangzeb turn the highest, revenue-yielding lands into Khalisa lands?
Answer:

  • Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb designated the highest revenue-yielding lands as Khalisa lands.
  • Because their handsome revenues would be deposited directly in the imperial treasury and no portion had to be given to the tax collectors.

Question 7. What are the five ‘K’s?
Answer:

  • Guru Govind Singh instructed his disciples to adopt the surname Singh and to always keep on their person, five Ks.
  • They are ‘Kesh’ (Beard and long hair), “Kangha’ (Comb), “Kachha” (Long underwear), “Kripan’ (Sword), and ‘Kara’ (Iron bracelet).

Question 8. When did the Satnami Revolt start? Who was the leader of this revolt?
Answer:

  1. The Satnami Revolt started in 1672.
  2. The Satnami peasants were exploited by the Mughal revenue collectors, so they revolted under their leader, Garibdas Hada.

Question 9. How was Shivaji’s coronation held?
Answer:

  • In 1674, Shivaji’s coronation was held at Raigad fort.
  • Pandit Gaga Bhatta (Vishveshwar) recognised him as a Kshatriya. He took the title’ Chatrapati Maharaja’.

WBBSE Chapter 8 Topic A The Crisis Of The Mughal Empire Very Short Question Answers

Question 1. During whose reign the Mughal empire expanded further?
Answer: During the reign of Aurangzeb the Mughal empire expanded further.

Question 2. What was the name of Shivaji’s father?
Answer: The name of Shivaji’s father was Shahaji Bhonsle.

Question 3. What was name of Shivaji’s mother?
Answer: The name of Shivaji’s mother was Jijabai.

Question 4. Who was Shivaji’s guardian?
Answer: Shivaji’s guardian was Dadaji Kondadev.

Question 5. Who was sent by the Sultan of Bijapur to suppress Shivaji?
Answer: Afazl Khan was sent by the Sultan of Bijapur to suppress Shivaji.

Question 6. Who was killed by Shivaji with a ‘tiger’s claw’?
Answer: Afzal Khan was killed by Shivaji with a ‘tiger’s claw’.

Question 7. How many times did Shivaji attack the port- city of Surat?
Answer: Shivaji attacked the port city of Surat twice.

Question 8. Who were called ‘Bargi’?
Answer: Shivaji’s soldiers were called ‘Bargi’.

Question 9. Which Sikh guru was killed by the Mughals?
Answer: The ninth Sikh guru Tegh Bahadur was killed by the Muhgals.

Question 10. Who was the tenth Sikh guru?
Answer: Guru Govind Singh was the tenth Sikh guru.

Question 11. What is the meaning of the word ‘Khalsa’?
Answer: The meaning of the word ‘Khalsa’ is pure.

Question 12. Which Maratha hero first opposed the Mughals?
Answer: Shivaji was the first Maratha hero to oppose the Mughals.

Question 13. Name the first and tenth Sikh Gurus.
Answer:

First Sikh Guru was Guru Nanak and the tenth Sikh Guru was Guru Govind Singh.

Question 14. Name the two states of the Deccan, which were annexed by the Mughals.
Answer:  Bijapur and Golconda were annexed by the Mughals.

Question 15. What were the names of Shivaji’s parents?
Answer:  Shivaji’s father was Shahaji Bhonsle and mother was Jijabai.

Question 16. Name the two Mughal emperors with whom the Sikhs started their conflict.
Answer: During the reign of emperor Jahangir and Shah Jahan, the sikhs started their conflict with the Mughals.

Question 17. Name the two political groups of the Mughal court.
Answer: Irani and Turani are the two political groups of the Mughal court.

Question 18. Where and when the coronation of Shivaji was held?
Answer: Shivaji’s coronation was held at Raigad Fort in 1674.

WBBSE Chapter 8 Topic A The Crisis Of The Mughal Empire Fill In The Blanks

Question 1. Conflicts arose among ________ (nobles/ ministers/wazirs) over Mansabs.
Answer: Nobles

Question 2. ________ (Jijabai/Tarabai/Laxmibai) was Shivaji’s mother.
Answer: Jijabai

Question 3. Dadaji Kondadev was the ________ (brother/ friend/preceptor) of Shivaji.
Answer: Preceptor

Question 4. ________ (Afzal Khan/Shaista Khan/Jaisingh) forced Shivaji to conclude the Treaty of Porbundar.
Answer: Jaisingh

Question 5. Shivaji’s coronation was held at ________ (Raigad/Shivan/Agra) fort.
Answer: Raigad

Question 6. The Ashta Pradhan or Eight Ministers helped ________ (Shershah/Akbar/Shivaji) in matters of administration.
Answer: Shivaji

Question 7. ________ (Peshwa Baji Rao I/Peshwa Baji Rao II/Shivaji) took up the ideal of a pan-Indian Hindu state or Hindupad-pads haha.
Answer: Peshwa Baji Rao I

Question 8. There were ________ (10/15/20) Sikh Gurus.
Answer: 10

Question 9. ________ (Guru Nanak/Guru Tegh Bahadur/ Guru Govind Singh) was the tenth Sikh Guru.
Answer: Guru Govind Singh

Question 10. ________ (Balaji Vishwanath/Peshwa Baji Rao I/Peshwa Baji Rao II) was the first Maratha Peshwa.
Answer: Balaji Vishwanath

Question 11. ________ (Gokla/Rajaram/Churaman) started the Jat Revolt.
Answer: Gokla

Question 12. ________ (Garibdas Hada/Surajmal/Jawahir Singh) started the Satnami Revolt.
Answer: Garibdas Hada

Question 13. In the 17th century, ________ (Shivaji/Sambhuji/Shahaji) unified Marathas.
Answer: Shivaji

WBBSE Chapter 8 Topic A The Crisis Of The Mughal Empire True Or False

Question 1. Shivaji’s mother was Meerabai.
Answer: False

Question 2. The Treaty of Porbundar was signed in 1665.
Answer: True

Question 3. Shivaji was coronated at Raigad.
Answer: True

Question 4. Son of Guru Govind was Guru Arjun.
Answer: False

Question 5. Shivaji united the Marathas.
Answer: True

Question 6. Afzal Khan was killed with Bagh Naka.
Answer: True

Question 7. The founder of the Maratha power was Shivaji.
Answer: True

Question 8. Bijapur and Golconda was occupied by Afzal Khan.
Answer: False

Question 9. The Mughal ministers quarrelled among themselves for a better Jagir.
Answer: False

Question 10. Mughal emperors increased the fertility of lands.
Answer: False

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