Consider the following statements about artisans in the villages of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries:
(A) A relative lull in the agricultural calendar between sowing and weeding gave cultivators time for artisanal production.
(B) Village surveys showed artisans sometimes as high as 50 per cent of the total households.
(C) A relative lull between weeding and harvesting also gave cultivators time for craft work.
(D) Marathi documents from the early years of Mughal rule revealed substantial numbers of village artisans.
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → A and C only
(A) A relative lull in the agricultural calendar between sowing and weeding gave cultivators time for artisanal production. — Correct. The lull between sowing and weeding was a time when cultivators could take up crafts such as dyeing or pottery.
(B) Village surveys showed artisans sometimes as high as 50 per cent of the total households. — Incorrect. Artisans were sometimes as high as 25 per cent of village households. The figure is changed.
(C) A relative lull between weeding and harvesting also gave cultivators time for craft work. — Correct. The lull between weeding and harvesting was the second such break in the farming year.
(D) Marathi documents from the early years of Mughal rule revealed substantial numbers of village artisans. — Incorrect. The Marathi documents and village surveys came from the early years of British rule. The ruling power is changed.
NCERT (2026-27): “2.3 Village artisans |