Which of the following is not correctly matched?

Question

UnlockIAS · Accepted Answer

Correct — C is the wrong (mismatched) pair. Hamida Banu Begum was the wife of the Mughal emperor Humayun and the mother of Akbar — she has no connection with Alauddin Khilji of the Delhi Sultanate (who ruled 1296-1316, more than two centuries earlier). The pairing 'Hamida Banu Begum – Wife of Alauddin Khilji' is therefore incorrect, which is exactly what the question asks for.

Why the other options are wrong — (a) Correctly matched, so not the answer. Gulbadan Begum was a daughter of Babur and author of the Humayun-Nama, an account of Humayun's reign.  (b) Correctly matched, so not the answer. Iltutmish (Slave/Mamluk dynasty) nominated his daughter Razia as his successor; she became Razia Sultan.  (d) Correctly matched, so not the answer. Shah Turkan was a wife of Iltutmish and mother of Ruknuddin Firuz, who briefly succeeded Iltutmish.

Concept: This 'odd pair out' question mixes two different eras: the Delhi Sultanate (Iltutmish and his family; Alauddin Khilji) and the Mughals (Babur's and Humayun's households). Fixing each woman to the right ruler is the whole task. Hamida Banu Begum belongs firmly to the Mughal household — Humayun's wife and Akbar's mother — not to the Khilji Sultanate.

State PCS 2023 Q53 — History PYQ with Answer

State PCS 2023 Q53 — History PYQ with Answer