The source-backed, question-specific record explains: At Talikota, the allied Deccan sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara army and Aliya Rama Raya was captured and killed. Vijayanagara political authority did not vanish instantly: the ruling house shifted its base and continued from Penukonda and other centres, while Hampi was heavily plundered. The precise result is therefore military defeat and severe political dislocation, not the instantaneous destruction of every part of the empire. This evidence establishes the historical relationship required in this Important Battles item. A correct solution must preserve the exact battle, date, participants, commander, location, outcome or significance requested by the stem. Similar periods, genres or national traditions do not make two battle facts interchangeable. Option A gives Its field army was defeated and Aliya Rama Raya was killed and satisfies every condition stated in the question. The remaining choices—The Bahmani Sultanate was restored, Vijayanagara annexed all Deccan sultanates and The Portuguese occupied Hampi—do not satisfy the complete requirement. Depending on the stem, a distractor may name a real commander but attach the wrong title, use a related event involving another power, reverse a correct association, or present a correct statement when the question specifically asks for the incorrect match. The reliable checking method is to identify the named battle first, recall or verify its verified participant or outcome, and then read qualifiers such as “both works,” “original language,” “first published,” “correctly matched” or “incorrectly matched.” These qualifiers determine what counts as the answer. Replaying that method for this Important Battles question confirms Its field army was defeated and Aliya Rama Raya was killed without relying on.