Q11. Shivaji’s use of "Ganimi Kava" was highly successful against larger imperial armies. What does this concept refer to?
The Marathas: RAS Prelims MCQs
65 RAS Prelims MCQs on the Marathas follow Shivaji, the Peshwas and the Anglo-Maratha wars. Questions ask for Shivaji’s forts and treaties, the Ashtapradhan, Baji Rao I’s campaigns, the Third Battle of Panipat, Mahadji Scindia, the treaties with the British and the reasons for Maratha decline.
Practice questions based on the RPSC RAS Prelims syllabus. They follow the exam pattern but are not past-paper questions.
Showing 11–20 of 65 questions
Q12. Following Shivaji’s death in 1680, a war of succession broke out between his sons. Who emerged victorious and succeeded Shivaji as Chhatrapati?
Explanation
After Shivaji died in 1680, Sambhaji won the succession struggle against his half-brother Rajaram and became Chhatrapati.
Q13. Identify the odd one out among the following historical figures, based on their affiliation with the Maratha resistance against Aurangzeb.
Explanation
Santaji Ghorpade, Dhanaji Jadhav and Tarabai led the Maratha resistance against Aurangzeb. Zulfiqar Khan was a Mughal general, so he is the odd one out.
Q14. Given below are two statements, one labeled as
Assertion (A) and the other as Reason (R). Read the statements and choose the correct option.
Assertion (A): After the execution of Sambhaji in 1689, the Maratha resistance against the Mughals intensified into a decentralized people’s war.
Reason (R): The Maratha central authority collapsed with Rajaram’s flight to Jinji, leading local Maratha chiefs to fight the Mughals independently.
Assertion (A) and the other as Reason (R). Read the statements and choose the correct option.
Assertion (A): After the execution of Sambhaji in 1689, the Maratha resistance against the Mughals intensified into a decentralized people’s war.
Reason (R): The Maratha central authority collapsed with Rajaram’s flight to Jinji, leading local Maratha chiefs to fight the Mughals independently.
Explanation
After Sambhaji was executed in 1689, Rajaram fled to Jinji and central authority collapsed, so local Maratha chiefs fought the Mughals on their own. This turned the war into a decentralised people’s war.
Q15. During the prolonged Mughal-Maratha war, which Maratha queen provided formidable leadership and established a parallel court at Kolhapur after the death of Rajaram?
Explanation
Tarabai led the Marathas with great skill in the long war against the Mughals and set up a parallel court at Kolhapur after Rajaram died.
Q16. In 1707, the release of Shahu by the Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah I led to a civil war within the Maratha camp. This civil war culminated in which decisive battle in 1707?
Explanation
Shahu was released by Bahadur Shah I in 1707, and his struggle with Tarabai’s side was decided at the Battle of Khed in 1707.
Q17. Consider the following statements about Balaji Vishwanath:
I. He was the first to make the office of the Peshwa hereditary.
II. He secured the release of Shahu’s mother from Mughal captivity.
III. He commanded the Maratha forces during the Battle of Panipat.
Which of the above statement(s) is/are correct?
I. He was the first to make the office of the Peshwa hereditary.
II. He secured the release of Shahu’s mother from Mughal captivity.
III. He commanded the Maratha forces during the Battle of Panipat.
Which of the above statement(s) is/are correct?
Explanation
Balaji Vishwanath made the office of the Peshwa hereditary and secured the release of Shahu’s mother Yesubai from the Mughals. He did not command at Panipat, which was in 1761, so III is wrong.
Q18. Consider the following statements about the agreement secured by Peshwa Balaji Vishwanath from the Sayyid brothers in 1719:
I. The Mughal Emperor recognized Shahu as the legitimate ruler of Shivaji’s Swarajya.
II. The Marathas were granted the right to collect Chauth and Sardeshmukhi from the six Mughal subahs of the Deccan.
III. In return, Shahu agreed to maintain a contingent of 15,000 troops for the Mughal Emperor.
IV. The treaty explicitly permitted the Marathas to annex the territory of Awadh.
Which of the above statement(s) is/are incorrect?
I. The Mughal Emperor recognized Shahu as the legitimate ruler of Shivaji’s Swarajya.
II. The Marathas were granted the right to collect Chauth and Sardeshmukhi from the six Mughal subahs of the Deccan.
III. In return, Shahu agreed to maintain a contingent of 15,000 troops for the Mughal Emperor.
IV. The treaty explicitly permitted the Marathas to annex the territory of Awadh.
Which of the above statement(s) is/are incorrect?
Explanation
In 1719 the Mughals recognised Shahu’s Swarajya, granted Chauth and Sardeshmukhi from six Deccan subahs and Shahu agreed to keep 15,000 troops for the emperor. The treaty did not allow annexing Awadh, so IV is incorrect.
Q19. The document signed in 1719 granting Marathas rights in the Deccan was famously termed by a British historian as the "Magna Carta of the Maratha Dominion." Who was this historian?
Explanation
The 1719 agreement is described as the Magna Carta of the Maratha dominion by the historian Richard Temple.
Q20. What was the most significant political consequence of Baji Rao I’s policy of northward expansion?
Explanation
Baji Rao I’s northward expansion turned the Maratha state into a pan-Indian power.Answer key for these questions
| Q | Correct answer |
|---|---|
| 11 | (a) The strategic deployment of guerrilla warfare tactics |
| 12 | (c) Sambhaji |
| 13 | (d) Zulfiqar Khan |
| 14 | (a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A. |
| 15 | (d) Tarabai |
| 16 | (a) Battle of Khed |
| 17 | (a) I and II only |
| 18 | (c) IV only |
| 19 | (d) Richard Temple |
| 20 | (b) Expansion of the Maratha state into a pan- Indian empire |
Key facts from The Marathas
- Shivaji began his conquests by capturing Torna in 1646; his council of eight ministers was called the Ashtapradhan.
- By the Treaty of Purandar (1665) Shivaji gave 23 forts to the Mughals after Jai Singh besieged Purandar.
- Ganimi Kava was Shivaji’s guerrilla warfare; the Saranjam system gave chiefs revenue grants for troops.
- After the Battle of Bhopal in 1737 the Marathas and the Nizam signed the Treaty of Doraha Sarai.
- The Third Battle of Panipat (1761) was fought against Ahmad Shah Abdali; Sadashivrao Bhau was the commander.
- Treaties with the British: Surat (1775), Purandar (1776), Salbai (1782) and Bassein (1802).
Frequently asked questions
How many RAS Prelims practice MCQs are there on The Marathas?
This page has 65 practice MCQs on The Marathas (Medieval Indian History). Each has the correct answer, and most have an explanation.
What was the Treaty of Purandar of 1665?
A treaty between Shivaji and the Mughal general Jai Singh. Shivaji gave up 23 forts to the Mughals, and he was promised the right to collect certain dues in return. It followed Jai Singh’s successful siege of Purandar.
Who commanded the Marathas at the Third Battle of Panipat?
Sadashivrao Bhau, with the Peshwa’s son Vishwasrao as nominal head. Both died in the battle, in which the Marathas lost to Ahmad Shah Abdali in 1761, a blow to Maratha power in the north.
What was the Saranjam system?
A system under which Maratha chiefs received grants of land revenue to maintain troops. It expanded in the Peshwa period and helped build an army, but it also made chiefs hereditary and weakened central control.