MCQs with Answers and Explanations
Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) with Answers & Explanations
Chapter 8: Peasants, Zamindars and the State
(CBSE Class 12 | NCERT Based)
1. What was the backbone of the Mughal economy?
A. Trade
B. Handicrafts
C. Agriculture
D. Mining
✅ Correct Answer: C
Explanation: Agriculture formed the economic base of the Mughal Empire, as land revenue from cultivation was the main source of state income.
2. What term was used for peasants in Mughal India?
A. Jagirdars
B. Ryots
C. Mansabdars
D. Umara
✅ Correct Answer: B
Explanation: Peasants were commonly referred to as ryots in Mughal records.
3. Which group acted as intermediaries between peasants and the Mughal state?
A. Merchants
B. Amils
C. Zamindars
D. Artisans
✅ Correct Answer: C
Explanation: Zamindars collected land revenue from peasants and passed it on to the state.
4. The main source of income for the Mughal state was:
A. Trade tax
B. Customs duty
C. Land revenue
D. Tribute
✅ Correct Answer: C
Explanation: Land revenue from agriculture was the principal source of Mughal income.
5. Peasant society in Mughal India was:
A. Uniform
B. Egalitarian
C. Hierarchical
D. Nomadic
✅ Correct Answer: C
Explanation: Peasant society was socially and economically differentiated based on landholding and status.
6. Which Mughal emperor introduced systematic land revenue reforms?
A. Babur
B. Humayun
C. Jahangir
D. Akbar
✅ Correct Answer: D
Explanation: Akbar introduced comprehensive revenue reforms to stabilise agrarian administration.
7. The zabti system was based on:
A. Fixed tax rate
B. Crop-sharing
C. Average crop yield
D. Village consensus
✅ Correct Answer: C
Explanation: Zabti assessed revenue based on the average yield of crops over several years.
8. Which revenue system involved sharing a portion of produce?
A. Zabti
B. Batai
C. Nasaq
D. Kankut
✅ Correct Answer: B
Explanation: Batai was a crop-sharing system where peasants paid a share of produce as revenue.
9. Which official was responsible for collecting land revenue?
A. Qanungo
B. Patwari
C. Amil
D. Kotwal
✅ Correct Answer: C
Explanation: The amil was the revenue collector appointed by the Mughal state.
10. Who maintained village-level revenue records?
A. Amil
B. Qanungo
C. Patwari
D. Faujdar
✅ Correct Answer: C
Explanation: Patwaris kept records of land, crops, and revenue at the village level.
11. What was the main role of qanungos?
A. Collecting taxes
B. Maintaining revenue records
C. Enforcing law
D. Measuring land
✅ Correct Answer: B
Explanation: Qanungos preserved detailed revenue and land records.
12. Which crops were sown during the kharif season?
A. Wheat and barley
B. Rice and cotton
C. Gram and peas
D. Mustard and wheat
✅ Correct Answer: B
Explanation: Kharif crops were grown during the monsoon season.
13. Which crops were associated with the rabi season?
A. Rice and cotton
B. Indigo and sugarcane
C. Wheat and barley
D. Maize and jowar
✅ Correct Answer: C
Explanation: Rabi crops were sown in winter and harvested in spring.
14. What were cash crops mainly grown for?
A. Household consumption
B. Religious rituals
C. Market sale
D. Storage
✅ Correct Answer: C
Explanation: Cash crops were cultivated to be sold in markets for money.
15. Which of the following was an important cash crop in Mughal India?
A. Tea
B. Coffee
C. Indigo
D. Rubber
✅ Correct Answer: C
Explanation: Indigo was widely grown for dye and export.
16. What linked villages to markets in Mughal India?
A. Food crops
B. Cash crops
C. Forest produce
D. Animal husbandry
✅ Correct Answer: B
Explanation: Cash crop cultivation connected rural areas to regional and overseas markets.
17. Zamindars often lived in:
A. Simple huts
B. Cities
C. Fortified houses
D. Monasteries
✅ Correct Answer: C
Explanation: Fortified residences symbolised zamindars’ power and authority.
18. Which of the following was NOT a privilege of zamindars?
A. Hereditary rights
B. Armed retainers
C. Revenue collection
D. Minting coins
✅ Correct Answer: D
Explanation: Minting coins was a royal prerogative, not a zamindari right.
19. How did peasants resist excessive revenue demands?
A. By increasing production
B. By migrating
C. By supporting the state
D. By hoarding grain
✅ Correct Answer: B
Explanation: Migration was a common form of resistance against heavy taxation.
20. Which factor made agriculture risky for peasants?
A. Dependence on monsoons
B. Availability of labour
C. Market demand
D. State protection
✅ Correct Answer: A
Explanation: Agriculture depended heavily on rainfall, making peasants vulnerable to droughts.
21. What was double cropping?
A. Cultivating two fields
B. Growing two crops on the same land in a year
C. Growing two varieties of the same crop
D. Seasonal migration
✅ Correct Answer: B
Explanation: Double cropping increased agricultural output in fertile regions.
22. Famines in Mughal India were caused mainly by:
A. Over-irrigation
B. Crop failure and war
C. Excess trade
D. Industrial decline
✅ Correct Answer: B
Explanation: Crop failure, wars, and over-taxation led to frequent famines.
23. How did the Mughal state respond to famines?
A. Ignored them completely
B. Always provided full relief
C. Sometimes remitted revenue
D. Increased taxation
✅ Correct Answer: C
Explanation: The state occasionally reduced or remitted revenue during crises.
24. Which text provides detailed information on Mughal administration?
A. Tuzuk-i-Baburi
B. Ain-i-Akbari
C. Baburnama
D. Akbarnama
✅ Correct Answer: B
Explanation: Ain-i-Akbari contains extensive data on revenue and administration.
25. Mughal control over villages was:
A. Absolute
B. Direct and uniform
C. Dependent on zamindars
D. Non-existent
✅ Correct Answer: C
Explanation: The state relied heavily on zamindars to exercise rural control.
26. Which revenue system estimated standing crops?
A. Zabti
B. Batai
C. Kankut
D. Nasaq
✅ Correct Answer: C
Explanation: Kankut involved estimation of standing crops for assessment.
27. What was nasaq based on?
A. Crop sharing
B. Land measurement
C. Past cultivation records
D. Market prices
✅ Correct Answer: C
Explanation: Nasaq assessed revenue based on past records.
28. Who benefited most from agrarian surplus?
A. Peasants
B. Zamindars and the state
C. Artisans
D. Traders
✅ Correct Answer: B
Explanation: The Mughal state and zamindars extracted most of the surplus.
29. Why must Mughal records be read critically?
A. They are incomplete
B. They reflect official viewpoints
C. They exaggerate peasant power
D. They lack economic data
✅ Correct Answer: B
Explanation: Mughal records mainly present the state’s perspective, not peasants’ voices.
30. What is the central theme of this chapter?
A. Trade networks
B. Urban centres
C. Agrarian relations
D. Religious policies
✅ Correct Answer: C
Explanation: The chapter focuses on agrarian relations between peasants, zamindars, and the state.
The chapter “Peasants, Zamindars and the State: Agrarian Society and the Mughal Empire” is a key topic in CBSE Class 12 History that explains the structure of agrarian relations in Mughal India. Based strictly on the NCERT syllabus, this chapter focuses on how agriculture formed the economic foundation of the Mughal Empire.
It examines the lives of peasant communities, the authority and functions of zamindars, and the working of the Mughal land revenue administration. The chapter explains important revenue systems such as zabti, batai, kankut, and nasaq, and highlights the role of land revenue as the chief source of state income.
The topic also discusses cash crop cultivation, market linkages, peasant resistance, famines, and the limits of Mughal control over rural society. Using official records like the Ain-i-Akbari, the chapter helps students understand the relationship between the state and the countryside.
These NCERT-aligned study materials and question-answer sets are ideal for CBSE Class 12 board exam preparation, especially for short answer, long answer, source-based questions, and MCQs.