Maize (makka) was introduced into India in the seventeenth century via
- A.Portugal
- B.Africa and Spain
- C.China and Mongolia
- D.Turkey
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is B, Africa and Spain. The standard account of Mughal-era agriculture records that maize came into India via Africa and Spain, and by the seventeenth century it was listed among the major crops of western India.
Maize is a crop of the Americas, first grown in Mexico and Central America. After the voyages of Columbus it spread across the Old World, and it reached India along the Africa and Spain route. It belongs to the group of New World crops, with tomatoes, potatoes, chillies and tobacco, that changed Indian farming and food after 1500, and the agrarian sources of the Mughal period show it already well established in the west of the country.
A is wrong because Portugal is linked with bringing chillies, tobacco and pineapple, while the route recorded for maize is Africa and Spain.
C is wrong because China and Mongolia lie nowhere on the path of a crop that came from the Americas.
D is wrong because, though Europeans once nicknamed maize "Turkey wheat", it did not reach India through Turkey.
Exam tip: maize, potato, tomato and chilli are New World crops; maize came via Africa and Spain.
Practice Questions
View allWhich of the following statements about Srimanta Shankardeva is/are correct?
1. In the late fifteenth century Shankardeva emerged as one of the leading proponents of Vaishnavism in Assam
2. He was the founder of Gaudiya Vaishnavism
3. His teachings are known as Bhagavati Dharma
4. He encouraged the establishment of satra and naam ghar
Select the answer using the code given below:
- A.1 and 2 only
- B.2 and 3 only
- C.1, 3 and 4 only
- D.1, 2, 3 and 4
Show answer
Statements 1, 3 and 4 describe Shankardeva correctly; statement 2 is wrong because Gaudiya Vaishnavism was founded by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu of Bengal.
Read the full explanation →Consider the following statements about ancient Indian inscriptions :
1. The earliest inscriptions are in Sanskrit.
2. Kharosthi script, used in inscriptions in the north-west, was deciphered with the help of coins of Indo-Greek kings who ruled over the area.
3. Most of the inscriptions mention grand, unique events, and routine agricultural practices do not find mention.
How many of the above statements is/are correct ?
- A.1
- B.2
- C.3
- D.None
Show answer
Statements 2 and 3 are correct; statement 1 is wrong because the earliest inscriptions are in Prakrit, not Sanskrit.
Read the full explanation →Which one of the following statements about the Shvetambara Sect of Jainism is not correct?
- A.It refers to monks, who wear white clothes.
- B.It refers to monks, who migrated to the south of Vindhyas in 4th century BCE.
- C.They recognized the existence canonical texts including the 12 Angas.
- D.They believed that women can also attain salvation.
Show answer
The monks who went south were the followers of Bhadrabahu, who later became the Digambaras, not the Shvetambaras.
Read the full explanation →Which one of the following is the language of the famous political treatise Amuktmalyada ?
- A.Sanskrit
- B.Tamil
- C.Kannada
- D.Telugu
Show answer
Amuktamalyada was written in Telugu by Krishnadevaraya, the greatest ruler of the Tuluva dynasty of Vijayanagara. Krishnadevaraya ruled from 1509 to 1529.
Read the full explanation →Who among the following was the founder of 'Sikkim Praja Mandal' ?
- A.Kazi Lhendup Dorji Khangsarpa
- B.Angami Zapu Phizo
- C.Laldenga
- D.Nar Bahadur Bhandari
Show answer
He founded the Sikkim Praja Mandal in 1945 to oppose the feudal landlord system and the absolute rule of the Chogyal.
Read the full explanation →