Through the eyes of travellers objective questions answers

Through the eyes of travellers 
Below are 100 objective one-liner questions and answers based on the chapter “Through the Eyes of Travellers” (NCERT History – Class 12, Theme 5).

100 Objective One-Liner Questions & Answers

Al-Biruni – Kitab-ul-Hind

1. Q: Who wrote Kitab-ul-Hind?

A: Al-Biruni.

2. Q: In which language was Kitab-ul-Hind written?

A: Arabic.

3. Q: Al-Biruni was born in which country?

A: Uzbekistan (Khwarizm).

4. Q: Who brought Al-Biruni to Ghazni?

A: Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni.

5. Q: What was Al-Biruni’s main method of writing chapters?

A: Question → Description → Comparison.

6. Q: How many chapters are in Kitab-ul-Hind?

A: 80 chapters.

7. Q: Which Indian language did Al-Biruni learn?

A: Sanskrit.

8. Q: Which science is ‘metrology’ related to?

A: Measurement.

9. Q: Which social system did Al-Biruni describe in detail?

A: Caste system (varna system).

10. Q: What barrier did Al-Biruni consider the biggest to understanding India?

A: Language.

11. Q: Which mathematical text did Al-Biruni translate into Sanskrit?

A: Euclid’s Elements.

12. Q: Which text did Al-Biruni study to understand Indian religion?

A: Vedas, Puranas, Bhagavad Gita, Manusmriti.

13. Q: According to Al-Biruni, who were created from Brahma’s head?

A: Brahmanas.

14. Q: Which caste was created from Brahma’s feet?

A: Shudras.

15. Q: What did Al-Biruni think about the idea of pollution?

A: He disapproved it as against natural laws.

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Ibn Battuta – The Rihla

16. Q: In which language did Ibn Battuta write Rihla?

A: Arabic.

17. Q: Ibn Battuta belonged to which country?

A: Morocco.

18. Q: Who appointed Ibn Battuta as qazi of Delhi?

A: Muhammad bin Tughlaq.

19. Q: In which century did Ibn Battuta visit India?

A: 14th century.

20. Q: Ibn Battuta travelled to India through which region?

A: Sind.

21. Q: What fruit did Ibn Battuta compare to a human head?

A: Coconut.

22. Q: What plant did Ibn Battuta describe as being chewed with areca nut?

A: Betel (paan).

23. Q: Which city did Ibn Battuta call one of the largest in India?

A: Delhi.

24. Q: What was the name of the music market in Daulatabad?

A: Tarababad.

25. Q: According to Ibn Battuta, how long did it take to travel from Sind to Delhi?

A: About 50 days.

26. Q: What was the fast postal system in India called?

A: Dawa (foot-post).

27. Q: What was the horse-post called in Ibn Battuta's account?

A: Uluq.

28. Q: What object did postal runners carry with bells?

A: A rod.

29. Q: What did Ibn Battuta say was India’s greatest wealth?

A: Agriculture.

30. Q: Which textile from India was costly and worn by nobles?

A: Muslin.

31. Q: How long did Ibn Battuta stay in Maldives as qazi?

A: 18 months.

32. Q: Which Chinese port did Ibn Battuta visit?

A: Zaytun (Quanzhou).

33. Q: Ibn Battuta described Indian cities as full of what?

A: Opportunities and crowds.

34. Q: According to Ibn Battuta, bazaars had which two religious places?

A: Mosques and temples.

35. Q: What danger did Ibn Battuta frequently face?

A: Robbers.

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François Bernier – Mughal India

36. Q: Bernier belonged to which country?

A: France.

37. Q: How many years did Bernier live in India?

A: 12 years.

38. Q: Who was Bernier’s patron at the Mughal court?

A: Danishmand Khan.

39. Q: To whom did Bernier dedicate his major work?

A: Louis XIV (King of France).

40. Q: Which Mughal prince did Bernier serve as a physician?

A: Dara Shukoh.

41. Q: What idea did Bernier strongly believe in?

A: Private property in land.

42. Q: What did Bernier claim about Mughal land ownership?

A: The emperor owned all land.

43. Q: What did Bernier believe India lacked?

A: A middle class.

44. Q: What term did Bernier use for Mughal towns?

A: “Camp towns.”

45. Q: Bernier’s ideas influenced which European philosopher?

A: Montesquieu.

46. Q: Bernier said Indian fields were full of what?

A: Bushes and marshes.

47. Q: Karl Marx used Bernier’s ideas to define which concept?

A: Asiatic mode of production.

48. Q: Which region did Bernier call more fertile than Egypt?

A: Bengal.

49. Q: What craft did Bernier admire in India?

A: Gold ornaments.

50. Q: Which Mughal institution did Bernier describe in detail?

A: Karkhanas (royal workshops).

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Slavery, Women, and Society

51. Q: Ibn Battuta bought slaves as gifts for whom?

A: Muhammad bin Tughlaq.

52. Q: Who used female slaves as spies?

A: The Sultan of Delhi.

53. Q: Which traveller described the child sati at Lahore?

A: Bernier.

54. Q: What was a palanquin called?

A: Dola.

55. Q: Which slaves did Ibn Battuta consider most useful?

A: Female domestic slaves.

56. Q: Where were slaves sold openly?

A: Markets.

57. Q: Women of merchant families participated in what?

A: Trade and business.

58. Q: What did Bernier say many peasants became due to oppression?

A: Landless and destitute.

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Travellers and Travel Literature

59. Q: Marco Polo visited India in which century?

A: 13th century.

60. Q: What does “Rihla” mean?

A: Journey/travel.

61. Q: Who wrote about Vijayanagara in the 15th century?

A: Abdur Razzaq.

62. Q: Who was the famous French jeweller who visited India?

A: Tavernier.

63. Q: Who was the Italian doctor who settled in India?

A: Manucci.

64. Q: Which language was widely used in Persian travel accounts?

A: Persian.

65. Q: What did travellers often note due to unfamiliarity?

A: Customs, food, dress, and rituals.

66. Q: Ibn Battuta compared India with which region?

A: North Africa and West Asia.

67. Q: Bernier compared India with which region?

A: Europe.

68. Q: Which traveller wrote about Calicut and Mangalore temples?

A: Abdur Razzaq.

69. Q: Who described Indian people as “a strange nation”?

A: Abdur Razzaq.

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Urban Centres

70. Q: Ibn Battuta said Indian cities were densely _________.

A: Populated.

71. Q: Which gate of Delhi did Ibn Battuta call the largest?

A: Budaun Darwaza.

72. Q: Indian cities had which structure within ramparts?

A: Storehouses.

73. Q: According to Ibn Battuta, how many gates were in Delhi?

A: 28 gates.

74. Q: What grew in Delhi’s cemeteries?

A: Flowers like jasmine and wild rose.

75. Q: What did Ibn Battuta find in Daulatabad market?

A: Singers and musicians.

76. Q: Towns earned wealth through surplus from where?

A: Villages.

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Economy and Trade

77. Q: Which region imported Indian textiles?

A: West Asia and Southeast Asia.

78. Q: What precious metals flowed into India?

A: Gold and silver.

79. Q: What Indian industries were famous globally?

A: Textiles and crafts.

80. Q: What agricultural feature impressed Ibn Battuta?

A: Two crops a year.

81. Q: Which crop from Khurasan was transported by foot-post?

A: Fruits.

82. Q: Indian oceans helped link India with which world?

A: Asian and African trade.

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Culture, Customs, and Society

83. Q: What amazed travellers about Indian lifestyle?

A: Diversity of customs.

84. Q: What religious practice did Bernier describe in detail?

A: Sati.

85. Q: Ibn Battuta found India abundant in which resource?

A: Water and fertile soil.

86. Q: What did travellers record due to novelty?

A: Festivals and rituals.

87. Q: What do travellers’ accounts help historians understand?

A: Social life.

88. Q: Which group’s life was rarely recorded by travellers?

A: Ordinary women labourers.

89. Q: How did Indians decorate shop interiors in Tarababad?

A: Carpets and swings.

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Miscellaneous

90. Q: Al-Biruni called Hindus “self-absorbed”, meaning?

A: Insular and inward-looking.

91. Q: What did many travellers use for safety?

A: Caravans.

92. Q: What natural disaster did travellers sometimes escape from?

A: Famine or floods.

93. Q: What is “Hindustan” derived from?

A: Old Persian word “Hindu”.

94. Q: What were merchants’ guilds in western India called?

A: Mahajans.

95. Q: Who was the leader of the merchant community?

A: Nagarsheth.

96. Q: What were the Mughal royal workshops called?

A: Karkhanas.

97. Q: What did artisans make besides textiles?

A: Weapons, jewellery, paintings.

98. Q: What portable drink did Bernier carry?

A: Dahi (curd).

99. Q: What did postal runners tie on their waist?

A: Girdle (girded loins).

100. Q: What do travel accounts collectively provide?

A: External perspectives on Indian society