Top 60+ Slave Dynasty (Mamluk) MCQs with Answers for CSS, PMS & Competitive Exams
1. The Slave Dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate is also known as the _____.
Correct Answer: A. Mamluk Dynasty
Explanation: The Slave Dynasty is also called the Mamluk Dynasty because its rulers were “mamluks” – a term for military slaves trained as soldiers. All three major rulers (Qutbuddin Aybak, Iltutmish, Balban) were originally slaves.
2. Who was the first Sultan of Delhi?
Correct Answer: A. Qutbuddin Aybak
Explanation: Qutbuddin Aybak was the first Sultan of Delhi. He established the Delhi Sultanate in 1206 AD after the assassination of his master Muhammad Ghori, becoming the founder of the Slave Dynasty.
3. Qutbuddin Aybak began construction of the famous Qutb Minar in _____.
Correct Answer: C. 1193
Explanation: Qutbuddin Aybak began building the Qutb Minar in 1193 AD, even before he formally became sultan, constructing only the base. The structure was completed by his successor Iltutmish.
4. Iltutmish extended the Qutb Minar by adding _____ more stories.
Correct Answer: C. Three
Explanation: Qutbuddin Aybak built only the first storey of the Qutb Minar. Iltutmish added three more stories to complete the four-storey minar. A fifth storey was later added by Firuz Shah Tughlaq after the original top was struck by lightning.
5. Ghiyasuddin Balban’s famous theory of kingship was based on the concept of _____.
Correct Answer: C. Niyabat-i-Khudai (Shadow of God on Earth)
Explanation: Balban’s theory of divine right kingship held that the king was God’s shadow on earth (Zill-i-Ilahi) and therefore deserved absolute obedience. He reinforced this through strict court ceremonies like sijda (prostration) and paibos (kissing feet).
6. After Qutbuddin Aybak, who briefly held the throne before Iltutmish?
Correct Answer: B. Aram Shah
Explanation: Aram Shah (also Iltutmish’s son-in-law) briefly held the throne (1210–1211) after Qutbuddin Aybak’s death. He proved incompetent and was overthrown by Iltutmish, the real consolidator of the Slave Dynasty.
7. The Slave Dynasty was the _____ dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate.
Correct Answer: A. First
Explanation: The Slave (Mamluk) Dynasty (1206–1290) was the first of the five dynasties of the Delhi Sultanate, followed by the Khalji, Tughlaq, Sayyid, and Lodhi dynasties.
8. Razia Sultana rode elephants and appeared in public without a veil. She was overthrown mainly because _____.
Correct Answer: C. Turkish nobles resented a woman ruling and found her favoritism toward Yakut offensive
Explanation: The Turkish Chahalgani (Forty) nobles were unwilling to accept a woman as their sovereign. Her appointment of Yakut (an Abyssinian, not a Turk) as Master of Stables further alienated the Turkish aristocracy, leading to her overthrow.
9. The phrase “Slave Dynasty” is somewhat misleading because _____.
Correct Answer: B. The rulers were manumitted (freed) slaves and had legally become free before or after becoming rulers
Explanation: The term “Slave Dynasty” is technically inaccurate since Islamic law does not allow a slave to rule – all three major rulers were legally freed (manumitted) slaves. However, their slave origins distinguished them from other dynasties, hence the name.
10. The famous Sufi saint who is buried next to the Qutb Minar complex is _____.
Correct Answer: B. Qutbuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki
Explanation: The Qutb Minar is named after Hazrat Qutbuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki, the famous Chishti Sufi saint whose dargah (shrine) is at Mehrauli, near the Qutb complex. He was the spiritual guide of Iltutmish.
11. Balban introduced the Nauroz (Persian New Year) celebration at the Delhi court to _____.
Correct Answer: B. Enhance the grandeur of the sultanate and model it on Persian imperial culture
Explanation: Balban introduced the Persian Nauroz (New Year) celebration and other Iranian court customs to give his sultanate the prestige and grandeur of the great Persian empires, reinforcing his concept of absolute, God-like kingship.
12. The Diwan-i-Bandagan was a special department in the Slave Dynasty that dealt with _____.
Correct Answer: C. Management of slaves and slave soldiers
Explanation: The Diwan-i-Bandagan was the department responsible for registering, training, and managing the royal slaves (bandagan-i-khas) who formed an important part of the military and administrative structure of the Slave Dynasty.
13. Balban appointed his own relatives and trusted officials as provincial governors to prevent _____.
Correct Answer: B. Rebellion and provincial independence
Explanation: Balban’s key strategy was to appoint members of his own family (like his nephews and sons) as governors of important provinces, trusting them more than unrelated nobles to remain loyal to the throne.
14. Under which sultan of the Slave Dynasty did Genghis Khan threaten to invade India?
Correct Answer: B. Iltutmish
Explanation: In 1221 AD, during Iltutmish’s reign, Genghis Khan chased the Khwarazmian Shah Jalal ud-Din to the Indus River, threatening to cross into India. Iltutmish wisely refused to give asylum to Jalal ud-Din, averting the Mongol threat to India.
15. The Slave Dynasty’s period of rule is _____.
Correct Answer: C. 1206–1290
Explanation: The Slave Dynasty ruled the Delhi Sultanate from 1206 AD (foundation by Qutbuddin Aybak) to 1290 AD (when Jalaluddin Firuz Khalji overthrew the last Slave sultan), a period of 84 years.
16. The first mosque built in India after the Muslim conquest is _____.
Correct Answer: B. Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque
Explanation: The Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque (Power of Islam mosque), built by Qutbuddin Aybak in 1193 AD at the Qutb complex in Delhi, was the first mosque built in India after the Ghurid/Slave Dynasty conquest.
17. Which female ruler of the Slave Dynasty is considered unique in Indian Islamic history?
Correct Answer: C. Razia Sultana
Explanation: Razia Sultana (r. 1236–1240) was the only female ruler of any of the Delhi Sultanate dynasties and one of the very few women to rule any medieval Islamic state. She held public audiences unveiled and personally led armies.
18. Iltutmish divided his empire into administrative units called _____.
Correct Answer: C. Iqtas (revenue assignments)
Explanation: Iltutmish systematized the Iqta system – dividing the empire into revenue-generating assignments (iqtas) given to nobles/military commanders in lieu of cash salaries. The holder (muqti/iqtadar) collected revenue and maintained an army from it.
19. The Slave Dynasty made what language the official court language?
Correct Answer: C. Persian
Explanation: The Slave Dynasty (and subsequent Delhi Sultanate dynasties) used Persian as the official language of the court and administration, a tradition that continued through the Mughal period.
20. Which Slave dynasty ruler moved the capital permanently to Delhi?
Correct Answer: B. Iltutmish
Explanation: While Qutbuddin Aybak’s base was at Lahore, Iltutmish firmly established Delhi as the permanent capital of the Delhi Sultanate, initiating the construction of major buildings and infrastructure that made Delhi the center of Islamic power in India.
21. Who wrote the famous Arabic travelogue “Rihla” and visited India during the Slave Dynasty period?
Correct Answer: D. None – Ibn Battuta visited later (14th century, Tughlaq period)
Explanation: Ibn Battuta visited India during the reign of Muhammad bin Tughlaq (14th century), well after the Slave Dynasty. The major scholar who came during the Ghurid period (preceding Slave Dynasty) was Al-Biruni.
22. Balban’s son Prince Bughra Khan was appointed governor of _____.
Correct Answer: C. Bengal
Explanation: Balban appointed his son Prince Bughra Khan as the governor of Bengal. After Balban’s death, Bughra Khan preferred to remain independent in Bengal rather than come to Delhi to become sultan, which contributed to the dynasty’s rapid decline.
23. The Slave Dynasty’s administrative system was largely influenced by _____.
Correct Answer: C. Central Asian Turkish-Persian administrative traditions
Explanation: The Slave Dynasty rulers, being Turkic in origin but Persian in culture, brought Central Asian Turkish-Persian administrative practices to India, including the iqta system, Persian court language, and Islamic law implementation.
24. The region of Bengal was first conquered for the Delhi Sultanate by _____.
Correct Answer: B. Bakhtiyar Khilji (a Ghurid general, soon part of Slave Dynasty)
Explanation: Muhammad Bakhtiyar Khilji conquered Bihar (c. 1193 AD) and Bengal (c. 1203 AD) as a general of Muhammad Ghori. His conquests became part of the Slave Dynasty’s territory after 1206 AD.
25. After Balban’s death, why did the Slave Dynasty collapse quickly?
Correct Answer: C. His grandson Muizuddin Qaiqabad was young and pleasure-loving; nobles filled the power vacuum
Explanation: After Balban’s death (1287), his grandson Muizuddin Qaiqabad became sultan. He was only 17–18 years old, interested in pleasure rather than governance. Powerful nobles (like Jalaluddin Firuz Khalji) filled the resulting power vacuum, and within 3 years the Slave Dynasty was replaced by the Khaljis.
26. The Slave Dynasty rulers maintained their political legitimacy through _____.
Correct Answer: C. Recognition from the Abbasid Caliph in Baghdad and military strength
Explanation: The Slave Dynasty rulers legitimized their rule through Caliphal recognition (especially Iltutmish who received formal recognition in 1229 AD) and through maintaining military supremacy over rivals and Mongol threats.
27. The Qutb Minar stands in the historical area of Delhi known as _____.
Correct Answer: A. Mehrauli
Explanation: The Qutb Minar complex, including the Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque and Iltutmish’s tomb, is located in Mehrauli in South Delhi – built on the site of the last pre-Islamic capital of Delhi (Lal Kot of the Tomar Rajputs).
28. Iltutmish’s tomb is remarkable for being _____.
Correct Answer: C. The first royal Islamic tomb built in India (1235 AD)
Explanation: Built in 1235 AD within the Qutb Minar complex at Mehrauli, Iltutmish’s tomb is considered the first true royal mausoleum (tomb) built in India following Islamic architectural traditions, featuring Arabic calligraphy and geometric patterns.
29. Balban created a separate police department headed by the _____ to maintain law and order.
Correct Answer: C. Kotwal
Explanation: Balban established kotwals (chief of police/city officers) in all major cities and towns, who maintained order, collected intelligence about criminals and conspirators, and reported directly to the central government.
30. The famous motto associated with Balban’s rule was _____.
Correct Answer: C. “Blood and Iron” – ruling through fear and force
Explanation: Balban’s political philosophy has been summarized by historians as “Blood and Iron” – meaning he maintained order through severe punishments (blood) and military strength (iron), refusing to compromise on authority or show mercy to criminals and rebels.