UPSC Prelims 2017 GS Paper I · Q51 of 100 History medium

Which one of the following was a very important seaport in the Kakatiya kingdom ?

  1. (a) Kakinada
  2. (b) Motupalli ✓ UPSC's answer
  3. (c) Machilipatnam (Masulipatnam)
  4. (d) Nelluru

Why the answer is (b)

• Motupalli, on the Andhra coast in Prakasam district, was the chief port of the Kakatiya kingdom (12th–14th century); Marco Polo visited it around 1290 and praised its trade in diamonds and muslin.

• Ganapatideva's Motupalli pillar inscription (1244) guaranteed security and fair duties to foreign merchants — a famous charter of trade — option (b).

• Kakinada (a) and Machilipatnam (c) rose under later powers; Nellore (d) is inland.

• Hence option (b).

Why the other options are wrong

(a) Kakinada
Kakinada became important much later.
(c) Machilipatnam (Masulipatnam)
Machilipatnam flourished under the Qutb Shahis and Europeans.
(d) Nelluru
Nellore is not a seaport.

Asked in the GS Paper I of the UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination 2017, held on 18 June 2017. Question and answer key: Union Public Service Commission. Explanation: UPSC Answer Check.

Reading the answer is not the same as getting it right under a clock. Practise this question with UPSC's negative marking, and anything you miss goes into an error notebook until you get it right twice.

Practise this paper free