✅ Answer: A) 1, 2 and 3All three statements are correct. Muhammad bin Qasim invaded Sindh in 712 CE, defeated and killed Dahir (Hindu king of Sindh), and the account is found in the Chach Nama (Arabic text). This was the first permanent Muslim conquest in India. The Arab advance was later stopped by the Pratiharas and Rashtrakutas.

✅ Answer: B) Prithviraj Chauhan’s victoryIn the First Battle of Tarain (1191 CE), Prithviraj Chauhan III defeated Muhammad Ghori. Ghori was wounded and barely escaped. However, in the Second Battle of Tarain (1192 CE), Muhammad Ghori returned with a larger army and defeated Prithviraj decisively. This second battle opened North India to Muslim rule.

✅ Answer: C) 17 timesMahmud of Ghazni made 17 invasions of India between 1000–1027 CE. His primary motive was plunder — he looted temples and cities. His most famous raid was on the Somnath Temple (1025 CE). He only permanently annexed Punjab. Al-Biruni came to India with Mahmud and wrote Kitab-ul-Hind.

✅ Answer: C) DeccanThe Rashtrakuta dynasty was based in the Deccan (modern Maharashtra/Karnataka). Their capital was Manyakheta (Malkhed). The greatest Rashtrakuta king was Amoghavarsha I — a Jain who wrote Kavirajamarga (first Kannada literary work). The Rashtrakutas were one of the three powers in the Tripartite Struggle.

✅ Answer: C) JainismThe Dilwara temples at Mount Abu (Rajasthan) are Jain temples built between the 11th–13th centuries CE. They are famous for their intricate white marble carvings — considered the finest examples of Jain architecture. The Vimal Vasahi temple (1031 CE) and Luna Vasahi temple (1230 CE) are the most famous. They were built by Jain merchants.

✅ Answer: B) Mahmud of GhazniFirdausi was the court poet of Mahmud of Ghazni. He wrote the Shahnama (Book of Kings) — the national epic of Iran/Persia. It took 30 years to write and contains 60,000 verses. Firdausi had a famous dispute with Mahmud over payment. Al-Biruni was also associated with Mahmud’s court.

✅ Answer: B) Bhoja (Mihira Bhoja)Bhoja (Mihira Bhoja, 836–885 CE) was the greatest Pratihara king. He controlled Kanauj and resisted Arab expansion from Sindh. The Arab governor of Sindh described him as the “greatest enemy of Islam” — a testament to his effectiveness in stopping Arab advance. He was a devotee of Vishnu and adopted the title “Adivaraha.”

✅ Answer: B) 1206 CEThe Delhi Sultanate was founded in 1206 CE by Qutb-ud-din Aibak after Muhammad Ghori’s assassination. Aibak was a slave (mamluk) of Ghori — hence the first dynasty is called the Slave/Mamluk dynasty. The Delhi Sultanate lasted until 1526 CE when Babur defeated Ibrahim Lodi in the First Battle of Panipat.

✅ Answer: B) BuddhismThe Pala dynasty (Bengal/Bihar, 8th–12th centuries CE) was the last great patron of Buddhism in India. They founded Vikramashila University (Dharmapala) and patronised Nalanda. The Palas supported Vajrayana (Tantric) Buddhism. After the Pala decline and Bakhtiyar Khilji’s invasions, Buddhism virtually disappeared from India.

✅ Answer: B) Arab conquest of SindhThe Chach Nama is an Arabic text that describes the Arab conquest of Sindh by Muhammad bin Qasim in 712 CE. It was originally written in Arabic and later translated into Persian. It describes the political situation in Sindh before the Arab invasion, the conquest, and the subsequent administration. It is the primary source for this period.