Source-Based Questions with Answers
Source-Based Questions with Answers
Chapter 8: Peasants, Zamindars and the State
(CBSE Class 12 | NCERT Aligned)
Source 1: On the Importance of Land Revenue
Source:
“Land revenue was the principal source of income for the Mughal state and sustained the army and administration.”
Q1. Why was land revenue crucial for the Mughal Empire?
Answer: Land revenue funded the army, administration, and royal household of the Mughal state.
Q2. From whom was land revenue mainly collected?
Answer: Land revenue was mainly collected from peasants engaged in cultivation.
Q3. What does this source reveal about the Mughal economy?
Answer: It shows that the Mughal economy was primarily agrarian.
Source 2: On Peasant Communities
Source:
“Peasant society was not uniform; it was divided into different social and economic groups based on landholding and status.”
Q4. How was peasant society structured in Mughal India?
Answer: Peasant society was hierarchical and included different castes and economic groups.
Q5. What factor mainly differentiated peasants from one another?
Answer: Landholding size and access to resources differentiated peasants.
Q6. Why is peasant society described as non-homogeneous?
Answer: Because peasants had unequal social and economic positions.
Source 3: On Zamindars
Source:
“Zamindars were powerful intermediaries who collected revenue and exercised control over local resources.”
Q7. Who were zamindars in Mughal India?
Answer: Zamindars were intermediaries between peasants and the Mughal state.
Q8. Mention one function of zamindars.
Answer: They collected land revenue on behalf of the state.
Q9. What does this source suggest about zamindars’ power?
Answer: It suggests that zamindars held significant local authority.
Source 4: On Revenue Assessment under Akbar
Source:
“During the reign of Akbar, land was measured and revenue was fixed on the basis of average crop yields.”
Q10. Which system of revenue assessment is referred to here?
Answer: The zabti system is referred to here.
Q11. Why was land measurement important under this system?
Answer: Land measurement ensured uniform and systematic revenue assessment.
Q12. What was the objective of Akbar’s revenue reforms?
Answer: The objective was to stabilise revenue collection and reduce peasant hardship.
Source 5: On Peasant Resistance
Source:
“When revenue demands became excessive, peasants migrated or resisted tax collection.”
Q13. What forms of resistance are mentioned in the source?
Answer: Migration and refusal to pay taxes are mentioned as forms of resistance.
Q14. Why did peasants migrate during Mughal rule?
Answer: Peasants migrated to escape heavy taxation and oppression.
Q15. What does this source reveal about peasant agency?
Answer: It shows that peasants were not passive and could resist state pressure.
The chapter “Peasants, Zamindars and the State: Agrarian Society and the Mughal Empire” is a crucial topic in CBSE Class 12 History, focusing on agrarian relations that formed the economic foundation of Mughal rule. Based strictly on the NCERT syllabus, this chapter explains how agriculture sustained the Mughal Empire and shaped rural society.
The chapter explores the lives of peasant communities, the authority and role of zamindars, and the functioning of Mughal land revenue administration. It examines different systems of revenue assessment such as zabti, batai, kankut, and nasaq, highlighting the efforts of the Mughal state to maximise revenue while maintaining rural stability.
Special emphasis is placed on cash crops, market integration, peasant resistance, famines, and the limits of state control in villages. Using official Mughal records like the Ain-i Akbari, the chapter helps students understand the relationship between the state, zamindars, and peasants in early modern India.
These NCERT-aligned study materials and question-answer sets are ideal for CBSE Class 12 board exam preparation, particularly for short answers, long answers, and source-based questions.