Tracing Changes Through a Thousand Years quiz

Al-Idrisi made his map in:

In the thirteenth century, Minhaj-i Siraj used "Hindustan" to mean:

Who divided Indian history into Hindu, Muslim and British periods?

A place where documents and manuscripts are stored is an:

Which crop came to the subcontinent in this period?

Amir Khusrau noted the languages of the land in:

Which technology spread in this period?

In the medieval period, a "foreigner" meant:

The period covered in this book is roughly:

Which is a textual record?

Why did paper become important for historians in this period? (2 marks)

Why is al-Idrisi's map difficult for us to read? (2 marks)

Who were the Rajputs? (2 marks)

What were the main groups within Islam mentioned in this period? (2 marks)

Name two new beverages introduced in this period. (2 marks)

Why did scribes' copies differ from the original? (2 marks)

What is the meaning of "Hindustan" in Babur's writings? (2 marks)

What were the ulama? (2 marks)

Why do historians need to be careful when reading chronicles written for kings? (2 marks)

How did the jati system regulate society? (2 marks)

How many years separated (i) al-Idrisi's map (1154) and Amir Khusrau's note (1318)? (ii) Amir Khusrau's note and Babur's victory at Panipat (1526)? (3 marks)

In which century does each year fall: 712, 1206, 1526, 1707? (3 marks)

A museum has 120 manuscripts from this period: 45 in Persian, 50 in Sanskrit and the rest in regional languages. Find the number in regional languages and the percentage of Persian manuscripts. (3 marks)

The period 700 to 1750 CE is divided into early medieval (700-1200) and late medieval (1200-1750). Find the length of each. Which is longer and by how much? (3 marks)

How many years ago from 2026 was (i) 700 CE (ii) 1750 CE? (3 marks)

Read the passage and answer the questions. Al-Idrisi's map shows south India where we would expect north, and Sri Lanka at the top. A map made in 1720 by a French cartographer looks familiar to us. (i) Who was al-Idrisi? (ii) Why do the maps differ? (iii) What does this tell us about cartography over time? (5 marks)

Read the passage and answer the questions. A historian studying a fourteenth century chronicle found three copies with slightly different words in some places. (i) Why are there differences? (ii) How can the historian decide which is closest to the original? (iii) Why were manuscripts copied by hand? (5 marks)

Read the passage and answer the questions. In this period, new crops like maize, chillies and potatoes arrived, and the Persian wheel was used for irrigation. (i) Where did these crops come from? (ii) How did the Persian wheel help farmers? (iii) Name one more technology of this period. (5 marks)

Read the passage and answer the questions. In the thirteenth century, a weaver who moved from Bengal to Delhi might be called a foreigner by the people of Delhi. (i) What did "foreigner" mean then? (ii) How is it different today? (iii) What does this show about the meanings of words? (5 marks)

Read the passage and answer the questions. James Mill thought that before the British came, Indian society was dominated by Hindu and Muslim despots, and that British rule would civilise India. (i) What was Mill's division of history? (ii) Why do historians reject it? (iii) How do historians divide history today? (5 marks)

Explain how the meanings of the words "Hindustan" and "foreigner" changed over time, with examples. (6 marks)

Describe the sources used by historians for the period 700-1750, with a flowchart. (6 marks)

Discuss the new social and political groups, technologies and crops of this period. (6 marks)

Explain the problems of periodisation, with reference to James Mill. (6 marks)

Compare the maps of al-Idrisi and the French cartographer and explain what they tell us about changing knowledge. Draw a simple sketch of the subcontinent. (6 marks)