Ans. (c) The first Muslim invaders of India were the Arabs. The first Arab invasion of India was an expedition by sea to conquer Thana near Mumbai as early as 636 AD. It was undertaken during the vigorous expansionist regime of the second Caliph, Umar-bin-Akhtab. The Arab army was repulsed decisively and returned to Oman, and the first ever Arab raid on India was defeated.

Ans. (a) Statement (a) is not correct about Al-Biruni.
Al-Biruni (973-1048 AD) was a Muslim scholar (Iran) and his work was written from a Muslim perspective. His writing was influenced by India.
He spent many years in India and he learned Sanskrit and studied Indian culture and religion in depth. He translated several Sanskrit texts into Arabic and was an expert of trigonometry.

Ans. (a) Statements (1) and (2) are correct.
On 21st January, 2022, Prime Minister inaugurated the new circuit house near Somnath temple. Somnath temple is one among the 12 Jyotirlinga shrine. It is located in the state of Gujarat.
Al – Biruni gave description of Somnath temple in his travelogue, Al- Hind. He was a Persian traveller. Statement (3) is incorrect because Pran Pratishtha of Somnath temple (installation of the present day temple) was done by first President Dr. Rajendra Prasad.

Ans. (a) Both Assertion (A) and Reason (R) are true and Reason (R) is the correct explanation of Assertion (A).
After the downfall of the Gupta Era and also after the end of the reign of Harshavardhana, a kind of political instability sprang up in the whole of Northern India.
This is why foreign invaders like Arabs and Turks considered this situation as a golden opportunity to conquer over India.
Turkish invasions on India were successful, the Indian rulers were fighting among themselves and they lack unity. Along with it, the Turks had superior military skills.