
CBSE Class 11 History Important Questions cover key aspects of medieval Europe and the Renaissance. Topics include the feudal system, taxation like tithes and tallage, land grants (fiefs), roles of serfs and knights, and major agricultural innovations such as the three-field system, iron ploughs, and water mills. Students are also expected to know about societal orders, crises like the Black Death, and their effects on population and economy.
The Renaissance section emphasizes cultural and scientific developments, including humanism, printing press innovations by Gutenberg, and contributions of scholars like Petrarch, Copernicus, and Newton. Understanding these events and concepts helps students answer MCQs effectively.
CBSE Class 11 History Important Questions focus on key events, people, and developments from medieval Europe to the Renaissance. These questions help students grasp essential concepts for exams effectively.
Q1: What was the ancient name of the region now known as Iraq?
A) Akkadia
B) Mesopotamia
C) Sumer
D) Babylon
Answer: B) Mesopotamia
Q2: The term “Mesopotamia” is derived from which two words and what do they mean?
A) Mesos (Middle) + Potamos (River/Water)
B) Mesos (High) + Potamos (Land)
C) Mesopotamia (Civilization) + River (Water)
D) Mesopotamia (Land) + Agriculture
Answer: A) Mesos (Middle) + Potamos (River/Water)
Q3: Between which two rivers was Mesopotamia located?
A) Nile and Yangtze
B) Euphrates and Tigris
C) Indus and Ganga
D) Tigris and Nile
Answer: B) Euphrates and Tigris
Q4: Which raw material was scarce in Mesopotamia, forcing them to trade?
A) Wheat and Barley
B) Wood and Metals (Copper)
C) Cloth and Wool
D) Animal products
Answer: B) Wood and Metals (Copper)
Q5: What means of transportation did Mesopotamians use for trade?
A) Roads
B) Waterways (Rivers)
C) Camels and Donkeys
D) Railways
Answer: B) Waterways (Rivers)
Q6: Which river was the most important in Mesopotamia and called the "World Route"?
A) Tigris
B) Euphrates
C) Nile
D) Indus
Answer: B) Euphrates
Q7: What was a key feature of Mesopotamian cities?
A) Agriculture-based life
B) Division of labor
C) Hunting-based life
D) Independent families
Answer: B) Division of labor
Q8: After 2400 BCE, which language replaced Sumerian in Mesopotamian administration?
A) Hebrew
B) Akkadian
C) Arabic
D) Persian
Answer: B) Akkadian
Q9: What was the early writing system of Mesopotamia called?
A) Hieroglyphics
B) Cuneiform
C) Sanskrit
D) Phoenician Script
Answer: B) Cuneiform
Q10: What was the physical medium used by Mesopotamians for writing?
A) Papyrus
B) Clay Tablets
C) Animal Skins
D) Stone Slabs
Answer: B) Clay Tablets
Q11: Why was urbanization important in administration according to the lecture?
A) Urban centers acted as trading posts only
B) Urban centers functioned as tax collection and local administration hubs
C) Urban areas were mainly for military purposes
D) Urbanization had no effect on administration
Answer: B) Urban centers functioned as tax collection and local administration hubs
Q12: What were the M4A pots used for in ancient times?
A) Carrying solid grains
B) Carrying liquids
C) Storing weapons
D) Decorative purposes
Answer: B) Carrying liquids
Q13: The founder of the Mongol Empire, Genghis Khan, was originally named:
A) Timur
B) Temujin
C) Kublai
D) Ogedei
Answer: B) Temujin
Q14: In which year was Temujin given the title Genghis Khan?
A) 1199
B) 1206
C) 1215
D) 1227
Answer: B) 1206
Q15: What was the Yassa in the context of the Mongol Empire?
A) A religious text
B) A law code or legal system
C) A type of currency
D) A military rank
Answer: B) A law code or legal system
Q16: What was the Kurultai in the Mongol political system?
A) A military unit of 10,000 soldiers
B) A meeting of Mongol chiefs to make decisions
C) A system of taxation
D) A type of Mongol horse
Answer: B) A meeting of Mongol chiefs to make decisions
Q17: How was the Mongol army organized?
A) In random units
B) Using a decimal system (units of 10, 100, 1000, 10,000)
C) Only by tribes
D) Based on wealth
Answer: B) Using a decimal system (units of 10, 100, 1000, 10,000)
Q18: What was a Tumen in the Mongol military?
A) 1,000 soldiers
B) 10,000 soldiers
C) 100 soldiers
D) A type of commander
Answer: B) 10,000 soldiers
Q19: What was the Yam system in the Mongol Empire?
A) A tax on animals
B) A relay courier system for sending messages
C) A military training program
D) A type of currency
Answer: B) A relay courier system for sending messages
Q20: What was the significance of Genghis Khan’s strong military for trade?
A) It increased taxes
B) It provided security along trade routes, enabling easier trade
C) It reduced the importance of cities
D) It discouraged foreign traders
Answer: B) It provided security along trade routes, enabling easier trade
Q21: In medieval Europe, what were the three main social orders?
A) Clergy, Nobility, Peasants
B) Kings, Merchants, Slaves
C) Clergy, Soldiers, Artisans
D) Nobility, Merchants, Slaves
Answer: A) Clergy, Nobility, Peasants
Q22: What was the tithe collected by the Church in medieval Europe?
A) 1/5th of crops
B) 1/10th of agricultural produce
C) A voluntary donation
D) A military tax
Answer: B) 1/10th of agricultural produce
Q23: What was the tax collected by kings directly for themselves called?
A) Tithe
B) Toll
C) Tallage (Tel)
D) Feudal Tax
Answer: C) Tallage (Tel)
Q24: The land granted by a lord to his vassal for military service was called:
A) Manor
B) Fief
C) Serfdom
D) Estate
Answer: B) Fief
Q25: The three main orders of Medieval European society were:
A) Clergy, Nobility, Peasants
B) King, Lords, Serfs
C) Merchants, Clergy, Knights
D) Clergy, Knights, Merchants
Answer: A) Clergy, Nobility, Peasants
Q26: Serfs in Medieval Europe were:
A) Free farmers
B) Slaves of the king
C) Unfree peasants bound to the lord’s land
D) Merchants in towns
Answer: C) Unfree peasants bound to the lord’s land
Q27: Which agricultural innovation increased crop production in the 11th century?
A) Iron plough, three-field system, water & wind mills, horse collar
B) Slash-and-burn farming
C) Crop rotation with two fields only
D) Irrigation canals only
Answer: A) Iron plough, three-field system, water & wind mills, horse collar
Q28: Advantage of shifting from two-field to three-field system was:
A) Reduced cultivation
B) Increased crop production and soil fertility
C) Allowed only one crop per year
D) Increased feudal taxes
Answer: B) Increased crop production and soil fertility
Q29: The major crisis in Europe during the mid-14th century included:
A) Industrial Revolution
B) Black Death, climatic change, floods, exhaustion of silver mines
C) Renaissance
D) French Revolution
Answer: B) Black Death, climatic change, floods, exhaustion of silver mines
Q30: Main role of a Knight in feudal Europe was:
A) Collect taxes from peasants
B) Provide cavalry for military service and protect the lord
C) Serve in church rituals
D) Manage trade routes
Answer: B) Provide cavalry for military service and protect the lord
Q31: The term ‘Renaissance’ literally means:
A) Rebirth
B) Reform
C) Revolution
D) Revival
Answer: A) Rebirth
Q32: Swiss scholar who described the Renaissance period and emphasized culture over politics:
A) Johannes Gutenberg
B) Jacob Burckhardt
C) Francesco Petrarch
D) Leonardo da Vinci
Answer: B) Jacob Burckhardt
Q33: Who developed the movable printing press in Europe?
A) Jacob Burckhardt
B) Francesco Petrarch
C) Johannes Gutenberg
D) Nicolaus Copernicus
Answer: C) Johannes Gutenberg
Q34: The first book printed using Gutenberg’s press was:
A) Divine Comedy
B) Bible
C) Iliad
D) The Civilization of Italy
Answer: B) Bible
Q35: Father of Humanism is:
A) Leonardo da Vinci
B) Johannes Gutenberg
C) Francesco Petrarch
D) Nicolaus Copernicus
Answer: C) Francesco Petrarch
Q36: Nicolaus Copernicus proposed which theory?
A) Geocentric theory
B) Heliocentric theory
C) Law of Gravity
D) Three-field system
Answer: B) Heliocentric theory
Q37: Law of gravity was formulated by:
A) Copernicus
B) Galileo
C) Isaac Newton
D) Johannes Gutenberg
Answer: C) Isaac Newton
Q38: Effect of Europeans reaching North & South America on local populations:
A) Only establishment of trade
B) Spread of smallpox and measles, massive population decline
C) Immediate war and conquest only
D) Cultural exchange without disease
Answer: B) Spread of smallpox and measles, massive population decline
Q39: Forced relocation of Cherokee tribe in 1830 across Mississippi River is called:
A) Trail of Tears
B) Indian Removal Crisis
C) Manifest Destiny
D) Louisiana Purchase
Answer: A) Trail of Tears
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