A historian is reading seventeenth-century revenue records from two districts of the Mughal empire. One district sends in mostly rice, while the other sends in mostly wheat and millets. In the records of the second district she also finds entries for the cost of wells, ropes and bullocks used for lifting water. She wants to explain both the crop pattern and the farming methods she sees in the records, using what is known about agriculture in that period.
Which of the following was the backbone of Indian agriculture in the period these records come from?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Monsoons
Option (1) Monsoons — Correct. The monsoons were the main support of farming then, as they are today. Most staple crops grew on the rains alone.
Option (2) Canal irrigation — Incorrect. Canals are an artificial system of irrigation. They were made only for crops that needed extra water, so they were not the base of farming.
Option (3) Wells fitted with Persian wheels — Incorrect. The Persian wheel lifted well water for crops and young trees that needed more water. It added to the rains; it did not replace them.
Option (4) Tanks built by village communities — Incorrect. Settlers made a tank or a well for a new place, but farming did not rest on them. Most crops were still grown on the rains.
NCERT (2026-27): “1.3 Irrigation and technology “Monsoons remained the backbone of Indian agriculture, as they are even today. But there were crops which required additional water. Artificial systems of irrigation had to be devised for this.” |