Important Questions for Class 9 Social Science (Understanding Society: India and Beyond – Part II) Chapter 3 Resistance and Resilience (1000–1700 CE) | 2026–27

The Class 9 Social Science Part 2 Chapter 3 PDF covers resistance, alliances, regional kingdoms, cultural traditions and the growth of India's economy between 1000 and 1700 CE.

Use the Resistance and Resilience Class 9 Important Questions to revise the key events and practise writing answers. The questions include 1-mark MCQs, 2-mark very short answers, 3-mark short answers and 5-mark long answers.

Class 9 Social Science Chapter 3 Important Questions MCQ with Answers

1. In 1178, which queen of the Chaulukya kingdom defeated Muhammad Ghurī at Kasarhada, near Mount Abu?

A) Rūdramā Devī
B) Nāikī Devī
C) Ahilyābāī Holkar
D) Rāṇī Abbakkā

Answer: B) Nāikī Devī

2. Rāṇā Sāngā of Mewar led a Rajput confederacy against Bābur in which battle?

A) First Battle of Panipat
B) Battle of Haldighati
C) Battle of Khanua
D) Battle of Talikota

Answer: C) Battle of Khanua

3. Who brought the Sultanate of Madurai to an end?

A) Harihara
B) Bukkā
C) Kumāra Kampana
D) Kṛishṇadevarāya

Answer: C) Kumāra Kampana

4. Who ordered the execution of Guru Tegh Bahādur, the ninth Sikh Guru, in 1675?

A) Akbar
B) Jahāngīr
C) Shah Jahan
D) Aurangzeb

Answer: D) Aurangzeb

5. Sulh-i-kul, adopted as a state policy by Akbar, stood for:

A) Peace with all
B) War with all
C) Equal taxes for all
D) Trade with all

Answer: A) Peace with all

6. What does the term “haveli temple” mean?

A) Temples built inside forts
B) Temples that looked like ordinary houses and were built in less visible places
C) Temples with very tall śhikharas
D) Temples built only by merchants

Answer: B) Temples that looked like ordinary houses and were built in less visible places

Class 9 Social Science Part 2 Chapter 3 Very Short Answer Questions

7. How are resistance and resilience linked?

Answer: Resilience is the backbone of resistance. A political cause or leadership creates the conditions for resistance, but resilience enables people to endure.

8. What is a mansab?

Answer: Mansab means “rank” or “office”. Its holders were called mansabdars. Akbar introduced the mansabdari system, which combined military organisation with civil administration. The Mughals gave mansabs to some Rajputs to bring them into the empire.

9. Who led the Jat rebellion of 1669? Why did the Jats rebel?

Answer: Gokul Jat led the rebellion. The Jats were farmers of the Ganga–Yamuna Doab who were burdened with heavy taxes and exploitation by the Mughals. Aurangzeb’s religious policies also angered them.

10. What was a hundī? Who ran the networks that handled it?

Answer: A hundī was a financial instrument, similar in some ways to a modern bank cheque. It worked as a bill of exchange, so people could make large payments without carrying much money. It was also a trusted way to send money over long distances. Hundīs were handled through money-changers called sarrāfs and their agents, called gumasthas.

Class 9 Social Science Chapter 3 Short Answer Questions and Answers

11. Why did the Mughals want to work with the Rajputs? Compare how Mewar and the Kachhwāhās of Amber dealt with the Mughals.

Answer:

• The Mughals needed the Rajputs’ military strength, loyalty, and administrative skill to strengthen their empire. They brought some Rajputs into the empire by giving them mansabs and through other understandings.

• The Rajputs of Amber (the Kachhwāhās) made cooperative arrangements with the Mughals.

• Mewar kept up strong resistance. Akbar besieged Chittor in 1567–68. Mahārāṇā Pratāp fought at Haldighati in 1576, and later used guerrilla warfare. His successors continued the resistance.

• In 1615, a settlement between Jahāngīr and Rāṇā Amar Singh brought Mewar under Mughal suzerainty while protecting some of its privileges. The Rana did not have to attend the Mughal court personally, although his son served at court.

12. Describe the main events of the Ahom–Mughal conflict.

Answer:

• 1615: The first clash took place near Samdhara. The Mughals under Abu Bakr made early gains but had to retreat. By 1616, the Ahoms had won back the lost territory.

• 1662: Mīr Jumlā captured the Ahom capital, Garhgaon, and a treaty was forced on King Jayadhvaj Singha. The king broke the treaty within a year of the Mughal withdrawal, and the Ahoms stayed independent.

• 1671: Ahom commander Lachit Borphukan defeated a Mughal fleet at the Battle of Saraighat. This decisively checked Mughal ambitions and made the Brahmaputra an effective boundary.

13. Explain the meaning of mīrī-pīrī and the role of the Khalsa in Sikh history.

Answer:

• Mīrī-pīrī means the Guru’s authority over both worldly (mīrī) and spiritual (pīrī) matters. In Amritsar, the Harmandir Sahib represented spiritual authority, and the Akāl Takht, set up by Guru Hargobind, represented temporal (worldly) power. It served as a seat of justice and governance and was also meant, in part, to counter Mughal political dominance.

• In 1699, Guru Gobind Singh set up the Sikh order called the Khalsa. It adopted a distinct martial code, and so spiritual identity became closely tied to political identity.

• The Khalsa strengthened Sikh identity and collective organisation. Sikh resistance continued after Guru Gobind Singh's lifetime, and armed Sikh confederacies known as misls developed mainly during the eighteenth century.

14. How did the Bhakti tradition help to protect culture when temple building faced restrictions or temples were destroyed?

Answer:

• Devotees could turn to non-material forms of worship, such as nām kīrtan (reciting the divine Name). This made worship less dependent on physical buildings that could be destroyed.

• Bhakti spread through local songs and community participation (satsang), reaching more people and making it harder to suppress.

• For example, Sankardev composed the Kīrtana Ghosha, which is still central to Vaishnava traditions today.

• Community singing (sankīrtan) also became an act of defiance. Chaitanya Mahāprabhu led public sankīrtan in Bengal to protest restrictions imposed by a Qazi on devotional practices.

Class 9 Social Science Chapter 3 Long Answer Questions 

15. Resistance and resilience are closely linked. Explain with their meanings and examples from the chapter.

Answer:

• Resilience is the capacity to survive and adapt in difficult situations, such as political unrest, while keeping one’s socio-cultural and spiritual traditions. Resistance means actively opposing a force, authority or threat to protect political power, territory, interests or cultural identity. It can take the form of warfare, alliances, diplomacy, negotiation or other political action.

• The two are closely linked. A political cause creates the conditions for resistance, but resilience enables endurance.

• Examples of resistance:

• In 1178, Queen Nāikī Devī of the Chaulukya kingdom defeated Muhammad Ghurī at Kasarhada.

• Gujarat, Malwa, and Bundelkhand under the Chandellas put up strong resistance for about a hundred years after northern powers like the Chauhāns, Gahaḍavālas, and Senas came under Turkic control. The Turks failed to conquer present-day Odisha and parts of Assam.

• The Yādavas, several Rajput dynasties, the Kākatīyas and the Hoysāḷas repeatedly resisted the Delhi Sultanate.

• The Rajputs, Ahoms, Vijayanagara rulers, Marathas, Sikhs and Jats defended their lands and identities.

• Examples of resilience: Rulers and communities restored places of worship, changed customs to suit new situations and built lasting patterns of coexistence. The Bhakti tradition and a strong economy also helped people endure hardship.

• So the period 1000–1700 CE is not just a story of invasion and resistance. It is a story of both conflict and cooperation.

16. How did geography and local knowledge help the Ahoms, the Vijayanagara rulers and the Marathas resist stronger powers?

Answer:

• Ahoms: Their commanders knew Assam’s forests, river systems and monsoon cycles, which invaders did not. They used the terrain to their advantage instead of fighting directly, used guerrilla tactics, and had the Paik system of military and administrative organisation. Their navy used light, fast boats called bāchārī, built for river warfare, which gave them an advantage over Mughal fleets. They ruled independently for almost six centuries (1228–1826).

• Vijayanagara: The empire (founded in 1336 by Harihara and Bukkā near Hampi, Karnataka) had a strong river and rugged, rocky land. This gave it a natural defence and a safe base for military operations. It grew by taking territory south of the Krishna and Tungabhadra rivers and became one of the richest and most influential states. Kumāra Kampana ended the Madurai Sultanate.

• Marathas: Their land had hills and deep valleys, and they knew its complex geography well. Forts such as Raigad and Sinhagad were centres for guerrilla warfare. They allowed quick attacks from different directions and provided safe places to retreat. Some forts were advanced outposts, and frontier forts served as fallback capitals. Forts also served as centres of administration and justice. Strong defences, water sources and armouries let the Marathas hold out in long sieges.

• Using this knowledge, the Marathas, led by Chhatrapati Śhivājī, fought for swarājya (self-rule). Aurangzeb spent more than two decades in the Deccan trying to control the Marathas.

17. Explain how the Bhakti tradition showed resilience and helped bring people together.

Answer:

• Bhakti is a tradition of personal devotion to the divine, expressed through hymns composed in local languages. It stressed inclusiveness, equality and simplicity. For example, Eknāth composed in Marathi so that devotion was open to all without depending on institutions. Tulsidas composed the Rāmcharitmānas in Awadhi, which made the Rāmāyaṇa accessible to more people. Using local languages built shared identities and a sense of solidarity.

• Two streams emerged: Nirguṇa bhakti (devotion to a formless divine) and Saguṇa bhakti (devotion to a divine with attributes). Rāmānanda helped link the Bhakti traditions of southern and northern India.

• Saints came from diverse backgrounds. Women rose to prominence, such as Atukuri Molla, who composed the Rāmāyaṇa in Telugu, Akkā Mahādevi and Lāl Ded. Bahinābāi fulfilled her family duties while following the path of devotion. Devotees such as Raskhān, Rahīm and Bibi Lachimar also contributed.

• Saints such as Chaitanya Mahāprabhu and Guru Nānak used community singing to bridge social divides. In Rajasthan, the Dādu Panth and Niranjani Sampradāya gave stability. Some even kept armies of warrior ascetics to protect trade routes and provided educational and medical services.

• In this way, Bhakti protected and passed on core cultural traditions even as circumstances changed.

18. How did temples and the economy contribute to the resilience of Indian society between 1000 and 1700 CE?

Answer:

• Temples:

• Temples were major economic hubs. They managed large land grants, gave jobs to many workers such as architects, sculptors, priests and musicians, gave credit to farmers and merchants, and helped with irrigation and farming. The Bṛihadīśhvara temple at Thanjavur received large donations of gold, ornaments and vessels. Temple towns such as Thanjavur, Kanchipuram and Puri grew into important urban centres.

• They were also centres of education and culture, where art forms such as Bharatanatyam were preserved. Rulers used temples to strengthen their authority. For example, the Gajapati rulers of Odisha called themselves Rauta (deputy) of Jagannath.

• Many temples were destroyed from the 11th century onwards, but local rulers, merchant guilds and religious communities repaired and restored them. For example, Kumāra Kampana restored a temple at Kannanur, and the Kashi Vishwanath Temple was rebuilt by Toḍar Mal and Rājā Mān Singh. From the 16th century, some temples were built in less visible places, looking like ordinary houses (“haveli temples”), to avoid destruction.

• Economy:

• Farming grew, and people widely used irrigation tools such as rope pulleys and the Persian wheel. Vijayanagara invested in small-scale irrigation.

• Trade grew inland through caravans and groups such as the banjārās. From the 13th century, seaborne trade grew, and India became a major centre of Indian Ocean trade.

• Powerful merchant groups and financial tools such as the hunḍī kept trade running.

• This strength gave people the resources to resist politically and culturally, and kept the economy active despite invasions and unrest.

Key Topics to Revise for Class 9 Social Science Chapter 3 Important Questions and Answers

Before practising the Class 9 Social Science Chapter 3 Important Questions and Answers, students should understand how military strategies, political agreements and cultural traditions shaped this period.

Important Dates in Resistance and Resilience (1000–1700 CE)

How to Prepare Resistance and Resilience Class 9 Important Questions

Use the following steps to practise historical questions from Chapter 3.

• Follow the timeline: Learn when important battles, alliances and political changes took place.

• Understand the causes: Explain why rulers resisted invasions or formed alliances.

• Compare different regions: Study how the Ahoms, Vijayanagara rulers and Marathas used their local geography.

• Connect culture and history: Learn how temples, Bhakti traditions and local languages helped communities preserve their customs.

• Revise important terms: Understand mansab, mīrī-pīrī, swarājya, hundī and sulh-i-kul.

• Write structured answers: Use separate points for political, military, cultural and economic developments.

Use the Class 9 Social Science Chapter 3 Important Questions and Answers to check whether you can explain each event with its historical context.

How Vedantu Helps Students Prepare Class 9 Social Science Chapter 3 Questions and Answers

Students can use Vedantu's Class 9 Social Science Chapter 3 Important Questions and Answers to practise facts, comparisons and historical explanations.

• MCQs: Identify rulers, battles, dates and historical terms.

• Very short answers: Write direct definitions with the required facts.

• Short answers: Explain conflicts, alliances and cultural traditions in clear points.

• Long answers: Organise examples under suitable headings instead of writing one long paragraph.

• Map practice: Locate Mewar, Hampi, Assam and important Maratha forts.

• Revision: Attempt questions independently and check your answers against the provided solutions.

Students can also read the chapter alongside revision notes and NCERT Solutions to improve their understanding of events between 1000 and 1700 CE.

Important Study Material Links for Class 9 Social Science Part 2 Chapter 3

Class 9 Social Science Chapter-Wise Important Questions

Important Study Materials for CBSE Class 9 Social Science