Resources › CA MCQ Practice
8 Jul 2026HISTORY3 questions

Restoring the Char Kaman: Hyderabad's Qutb Shahi Gateways Get a Second Life

UPSC-standard MCQs with explanations, trap analysis, and approach guide. Answer after the test — not before.

1

Easy

1

Medium

1

Hard

Practice this set

3 questions · full analysis after submission · no sign-up required

Start test →Read the article first

Article summary

The Telangana government has moved to restore the Char Kaman — four ornamental gateways near Hyderabad's Charminar — granting administrative sanction to appoint a consultant and invite tenders for conservation work. The four arches, Machli Kaman, Kali Kaman, Sher-e-Batil Kaman and Charminar Kaman, surround the historic Gulzar Houz and once marked the entrances to the old city. They belong to the architectural legacy of the Qutb Shahi dynasty: the Charminar itself was built between 1589 and 1591 by Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah, the fifth Qutb Shahi ruler and founder of Hyderabad, with the Kamans constructed a few years later, around 1594. Heritage conservationists have long warned that age, pollution and urban pressure have damaged the structures. The restoration is a case study in living-heritage conservation — protecting monuments that remain embedded in a dense, functioning cityscape rather than isolated as ruins. For UPSC, it anchors Indo-Islamic Deccan architecture and the governance of heritage.

What this tests

recallTests whether you read the article and retained key facts.
1Q
applicationTests whether you can apply the concept to a new scenario.
1Q
analysisTests whether you can reason across multiple related facts.
1Q

Sample questions — answers revealed after test

HISTORYRecallEasy

Q1. With reference to the Qutb Shahi dynasty and the monuments of Hyderabad, which one of the following statements is correct?

AThe Qutb Shahis ruled the Bijapur Sultanate, the Adil Shahis having ruled Golconda.
BThe Charminar was built by Aurangzeb after the Mughal conquest of Golconda in 1687.
CThe Qutb Shahi dynasty ruled the Golconda Sultanate from 1518 to 1687, and the Charminar and the surrounding urban plan were the work of Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah, the dynasty's fifth ruler and the founder of Hyderabad.
DThe Char Kaman comprises four arches built in the eighteenth century under Asaf Jahi patronage.
Answer revealed after you submit the test
HISTORYApplicationMedium

Q2. Qutb Shahi architecture is described as a Deccani strand of Indo-Islamic building. Which one of the following best characterises what that means?

APersian influences — arches, minarets, stucco ornament and water features — were blended with local idioms, producing a regional variant rather than a transplanted style.
BIt reproduced Mughal imperial architecture without modification, the Deccan being administratively part of the Mughal Empire throughout the period.
CIt rejected Persian and Islamic forms entirely in favour of indigenous temple architecture.
DIt was a purely functional military style, ornamentation being absent from Qutb Shahi buildings.
Answer revealed after you submit the test
HISTORYAnalysisHard

Q3. Consider the following statements: 1. The Char Kaman consists of four arches — Machli Kaman, Kali Kaman, Sher-e-Batil Kaman and Charminar Kaman — situated around the Gulzar Houz near the Charminar. 2. The Qutb Shahi Sultanate was one of the five Deccan Sultanates that emerged from the disintegration of the Bahmani Kingdom. 3. The Charminar was completed in 1594, three years before the Char Kaman arches were raised. Which of the statements given above are correct?

A1 only
B1 and 2 only
C2 and 3 only
D1, 2 and 3
Answer revealed after you submit the test
Practice all 3 questions →All CA MCQ sets