Authentic Past Paper Standard Evaluation
Consider the following statements: 1. Under Akbar, the system of Zabt was established over a large area from Punjab to Awadh. 2. In the seventeenth century North India, the system of Zabt lost much ground to the system of Kankut.
Solution & Analysis
Answer: C
Concept
The Mughal revenue system was dynamic, changing based on state capacity and local needs. While measurement-based systems provided accuracy, they were administratively expensive and sometimes gave way to simpler estimation methods.Explanation
Statement 1 is correct: The Zabt system (based on area measurement and 10-year average yields) was standardized under Akbar and spread across the fertile North Indian plains from Punjab to Awadh.
Statement 2 is correct: By the 17th century, the complexity of maintaining Zabt records led to its decline in some regions, where it was replaced by Kankut (estimating the total yield through inspection of the standing crop). Logical Breakup
Logic 1: Zabt required a massive bureaucracy for constant surveying; Kankut was a more practical 'middle-path' estimation when central oversight weakened.
Logic 2: The shift represents the practical administrative challenges the later Mughals faced in maintaining the high-accuracy standards set by Akbar and Todar Mal.