In the administration of the Delhi Sultanate, the department called Diwan-i-Arz looked after which of the following?

The correct answer is B, the army. The Diwan-i-Arz was the military department of the Delhi Sultanate, headed by the ariz-i-mumalik, who recruited soldiers, held the muster, inspected horses and equipment and arranged pay. Balban set it up as a separate department, and Alauddin Khalji strengthened it with the dagh and chehra checks. Option A is wrong because finance and land revenue belonged to the Diwan-i-Wizarat under the wazir, the senior-most officer of the state. Option C is wrong because royal correspondence and the drafting of orders were the work of the Diwan-i-Insha, headed by the dabir-i-khas. Option D is wrong because justice was administered through the Diwan-i-Qaza under the qazi-ul-quzat, while the Diwan-i-Risalat handled religious matters, grants and appeals in the Sultan's name. Questions from this topic usually pair a department with its head, so it is worth fixing the four pairs together: wizarat with the wazir, arz with the ariz-i-mumalik, insha with the dabir-i-khas and qaza with the qazi-ul-quzat.