Unit 20: Paper 3 (HL) — History of Asia & Oceania
Topic 20.4: The rise and fall of the Mughal Empire (1526–1712) Questions
Practice 20 exam-style questions for IB History Topic 20.4. Review the question stems below, then unlock the full Question Bank to access markschemes, model answers, and AI grading.
1Choose1 mark
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Choose the building completed by Shah Jahan in 1653 as a mausoleum for his wife Mumtaz Mahal.
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Choose the Sikh guru whose execution by Aurangzeb in 1675 helped militarise Sikh opposition to Mughal rule.
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Unlock Question3Analyse15 marks
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Analyse why Rana Sanga's Rajput coalition, despite being larger than Babur's army, was defeated at the Battle of Khanwa in 1527.
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To what extent did the personal qualities and decisions of individual rulers, rather than broader structural factors, explain the establishment of Mughal power in India by 1556?
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Evaluate the impact of gunpowder weapons and the tulughma tactic on the Mughal conquest of northern India, 1526-1527.
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Discuss the reasons for Humayun's loss of the Mughal throne between 1539 and 1540.
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To what extent was Safavid Persian support responsible for Humayun's restoration to the Mughal throne in 1555?
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Analyse the significance of Sher Shah Suri's rule (1540-1545) for the later development of Mughal administration under Akbar.
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Evaluate the claim that Humayun's fifteen years of exile (1540-1555) were more beneficial than damaging to the long-term future of the Mughal Empire.
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Examine the reasons for Babur's military success in establishing Mughal rule in northern India between 1526 and 1527.
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Unlock Question11Compare and contrast15 marks
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Compare and contrast the methods used by Babur in India (1526-1530) with those used by Shaka in the founding of the Zulu kingdom in southern Africa (1816-1828) to establish a new state.
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Examine the reasons for religious conflict in the Mughal Empire between 1658 and 1712.
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Evaluate the significance of Aurangzeb's religious policies for the decline of the Mughal Empire.
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Discuss the impact of domestic opposition on the Mughal Empire in the period 1658 to 1712.
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Compare and contrast the methods used to maintain authority over a religiously or ethnically diverse population in two Asian or Oceanian states, each chosen from a different region.
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Compare and contrast the origins and impact of Sikh and Maratha opposition to Mughal rule between 1658 and 1712.
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Analyse the impact of the Deccan wars on the decline of the Mughal Empire by 1712.
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Examine the role of Aurangzeb in shaping the fortunes of the Mughal Empire between 1658 and 1707.
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To what extent was Akbar's policy of religious cooperation more successful than Aurangzeb's policy of religious orthodoxy in maintaining Mughal stability?
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Discuss the view that the cultural and economic achievements of the Mughal Empire masked serious underlying weaknesses.
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