Game Plan
A) How to get good marks
1) Apply effective methodology and hard work
2) Dilute of intellectualism
3) Previous 10 years papers
4) Preparation of notes
5) Concise the notes
6) Specific the task without time limitation
7) Make your material different
8) Prepare your objective (700-1000)
i) Sources of history e.g. Humayunnamah
ii) List of travellers e.g. Manucci and their books
iii) Sufis and saints
iv) Nobles e.g. Mir Afzal Khan, Behram Khan
v) Important rebels e.g. Katlu Khan
vi) Important dates 712 to 1707
vii) Important conquests
viii) Important ladies e.g. Noor Jahan, Roshan Ara, Jahan Ara etc
ix) Important buildings
x) Important administrative people
xi) Important cities
9) Quotations
i) Direct quotation (2 to 3 lines)
ii) Break the quotation
iii) Indirect narration
iv) Key word of quotation
10) Maps
11) Time management
i) 1st question to be given 50 minutes and it should cover 8 pages
ii) The 1st and the last questions should be attempted extra ordinarily
B) If questions are out of your approach then apply this strategy
1) Introduction
2) Background
3) Features
4) Reaction and impacts
5) Conclusion
C) How to make notes and how to attempt paper
1) Character
i) Personality e.g. complexion, personal traits – valour and generosity
ii) Temperament
iii) As a human
iv) As a ruler (vision, priorities)
v) As a statesman
vi) As a soldier or general
vii) As a religious person (liberal or religious)
viii) Man of refined taste (patronized literary, painting)
ix) As a scholar
2) Achievements
i) Political, military, administrative, economic, reformative, architectural works of public utility
3) Determine the place in history e.g. Akbar, Shah Jahan
i) Introduction
ii) Background
iii) Place in history ( achievements, novelty of his reforms and ideas – opinion of other historians – comparison with other rulers)
4) Reforms (Sher Shah , Alaudin Khilji, Akbar and Balban)
i) Introduction
ii) Background ( Factors leading to reforms – why reforms were needed)
iii) Feature of reforms (political, administrative, military, revenue, economic)
iv) Impacts or significance
v) Negative impacts or criticism
vi) Reason of success or failure
vii) Analysis
viii) Conclusion
5) Revenue reforms ( Sher Shah Suri , Alaudin Khilji)
i) Introduction
ii) Background
iii) Features (measurement of land, procedure and mode of assessment of revenue, mode of Vivendi e.g. Pata and Qabooliat)
iv) Rate of revenue
v) Taxes other than revenue e.g. Jarbana, Mahesilana – grazing tax
vi) Assessed very carefully and leniently but received with accuracy except famine
vii) Whether it was implemented in all over India or limited
viii) Impacts
ix) Reasons of success and failure
x) Analysis
xi) Conclusion
6) Opinionative questions
i) Either you have to corroborate the statement or negate the statement
ii) Explanatory quotation
a) Introduction
b) Contextualize
c) Stance

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Expect the best, Prepare for the worst.
Muhammad Ali Jinnah