Which one of the following statements about land tenure system is NOT correct?
- A.During the British rule in India three categories of land tenure system, viz. Zamindari, Mahalwari and Ryotwari were introduced
- B.Under Zamindari system, land was held by one person or at the most by a few joint owners who were responsible for the payment of land revenue
- C.Under the Mahalwari system, the agricultural lands belonged to the Government
- D.Under Ryotwari system, the individual holders had the permanent rights over land and were directly responsible for payment of land revenue
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is C. Under the Mahalwari system the land belonged to the village community (the mahal), which was jointly responsible for the revenue; it did not belong to the Government.
The Mahalwari system was proposed by Holt Mackenzie in 1822 and extended under William Bentinck. It was used in the North-Western Provinces, parts of central India and the Punjab. The revenue was fixed for a whole village or estate, and the village headman (lambardar) collected it from the cultivators and paid it to the state. Settlements were revised from time to time instead of being fixed for ever.
A is correct because the British introduced exactly these three systems. B is correct because under the Permanent Settlement of 1793 in Bengal, Bihar and Orissa, the zamindar owned the land and paid a fixed revenue. D is correct because the Ryotwari system of Thomas Munro in Madras and Bombay gave the ryot ownership and made him pay revenue directly to the state.
Exam tip: Zamindari = Cornwallis 1793, Ryotwari = Munro 1820, Mahalwari = Holt Mackenzie 1822.
Practice Questions
View allThe ancient Indian medical treatise for horses called Ashvashastra is attributed to which one of the following persons?
- A.Vagbhatta of the seventh century
- B.The sage Shalihotra
- C.Bhartrihari of the seventh century
- D.Varahamihira of the sixth century
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Indian tradition credits Shalihotra with the science of horses, and veterinary medicine for horses came to be called Shalihotra Shastra after him.
Read the full explanation →Consider the following statements with reference to Jainism: 1. Vardhamana Mahavira attained Kaivalyajnana outside the town of Jrimbhikagrama, on the banks of river Rijupalika and in the field of a householder named Samaga. 2. The state when the Karma particles actually begin to flow towards the Jiva to bind it is known as Asrava. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- A.1 only
- B.2 only
- C.Both 1 and 2
- D.Neither 1 nor 2
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Both statements match the Jaina tradition: the place of Mahavira's enlightenment and the meaning of asrava. Mahavira left home at about thirty and spent some twelve years in hard penance.
Read the full explanation →Arrange the following foreign travellers to India in chronological order, beginning with the earliest : 1. Peter Mundy 2. Antonio Monserrate 3. Afanasii Nikitich Nikitin 4. Ibn Battuta Select the answer using the code given below:
- A.2-1-4-3
- B.2-3-4-1
- C.4-3-2-1
- D.3-4-1-2
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Ibn Battuta came in the 14th century, Nikitin in the 15th, Monserrate in the 16th and Peter Mundy in the 17th.
Read the full explanation →During the Industrial Revolution, who among the following designed the 'flying shuttle loom'?
- A.Samuel Crompton
- B.Edmund Cartwright
- C.John Kay
- D.Richard Arkwright
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John Kay, an English inventor, patented the flying shuttle in 1733, one of the first machines of the Industrial Revolution.
Read the full explanation →In the Harappan Civilization, traces of canals have been found at
- A.Banawali
- B.Lothal
- C.Shortughai
- D.Dholavira
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Shortughai, a Harappan trading settlement in north-eastern Afghanistan, is the site where traces of irrigation canals have been found. Most Harappan farmers relied on river floods and wells, and no canals have been found in the Indus heartland.
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