A researcher studying labourers' wages in Bengal villages in the late sixteenth century plans to use the Ain-i Akbari's price and wage list. Why would this list be of limited help?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → It mostly drew on data from areas in or around Agra
Option (1) Its figures were mostly recorded in years of famine and scarcity — Incorrect. Nothing ties the Ain's price data to famine years. Its weakness lies in the region the data came from.
Option (2) It mostly drew on data from areas in or around Agra — Correct. The price and wage list comes mainly from areas <strong>in or around the imperial capital of Agra</strong>. So it is of <strong>limited relevance for the rest of the country</strong>, Bengal included.
Option (3) Its figures were noted in numerals that later copyists misread — Incorrect. Abu'l Fazl wrote all numeric data in <strong>words</strong> to reduce copying errors, so misread numerals are not the problem.
Option (4) It mostly covered goods bought by foreign merchants at the ports — Incorrect. The list is not a record of goods bought by foreign merchants. It deals with prices and wages around the capital.
NCERT (2026-27): “8. The Ain-i Akbari of Abu’l Fazl Allami … |