Question

Match List-I with List-II:

List-I (Incident/ Characteristics)	List-II (Traveller)
(A) He arrived in Ghazni as a hostage, but gradually developed a liking for this city	(I) Al-Biruni
(B) He reached Sind in 1333 and was later appointed as the qazi of Delhi	(II) François Bernier
(C) Physician to Prince Dara Shukoh	(III) Ibn Battuta
(D) Wrote a detailed account of trade and society in South India	(IV) Duarte Barbosa

Choose the correct answer from the options given below:

• (A) - (I), (B) - (II), (C) - (III), (D) - (IV)
• (A) - (I), (B) - (III), (C) - (II), (D) - (IV)
• (A) - (I), (B) - (II), (C) - (IV), (D) - (III)
• (A) - (III), (B) - (IV), (C) - (I), (D) - (II)

Hint:

Associate each traveler with their patron or the ruler of their time: Al-Biruni with Mahmud of Ghazni, Ibn Battuta with Muhammad bin Tughlaq, and Bernier with the later Mughals (Shah Jahan, Aurangzeb).

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

Step 1: Understand the Task
The objective is to match prominent foreign travelers to medieval India with significant events or characteristics from their lives and writings.

Step 2: Detailed Matching


(A) Taken hostage to Ghazni: In 1017, when his homeland Khwarizm fell to Mahmud of Ghazni, (I) Al-Biruni was captured and brought to Ghazni. This experience sparked his interest in India, leading him to accompany Mahmud's expeditions.

(B) Arrived in Sind and appointed Qazi of Delhi: The Moroccan traveler (III) Ibn Battuta landed in Sind in 1333. In Delhi, Sultan Muhammad bin Tughlaq, impressed by his intellect, appointed him as the *qazi* (judge).

(C) Physician to Prince Dara Shukoh: The French traveler (II) François Bernier arrived in India in the mid-17th century. He served for several years as a physician to Dara Shukoh, the eldest son of Emperor Shah Jahan.

(D) Documented South Indian trade and society: The Portuguese writer and official (IV) Duarte Barbosa traveled to India in the early 16th century. He meticulously recorded the trade, social norms, and political structures of South India, including a notable account of the Vijayanagara Empire.

Step 3: Final Result
The correct pairings are: A-I, B-III, C-II, and D-IV. This corresponds to option (2).