Consider the following statements about the village community in the…

Consider the following statements about the village community in the Mughal period:

(A) Some British officials in the nineteenth century saw the village as a little republic.
(B) This view of the village was a sign of rural egalitarianism among its members.
(C) There was individual ownership of assets and deep inequities based on caste and gender.
(D) A group of powerful individuals decided the affairs of the village.
(E) In the Mughal heartland, revenue was assessed and collected in kind.

Choose the correct answer from the options given below:

Answer & explanation

Correct answer: option 4

The correct answer is Option (4) → A, C and D only

(A) Some British officials in the nineteenth century saw the village as a little republic. — Correct. Some nineteenth-century British officials called the village a little republic of fraternal partners sharing resources and labour.

(B) This view of the village was a sign of rural egalitarianism among its members. — Incorrect. The little republic image did not mean equality; the village had sharp inequalities.

(C) There was individual ownership of assets and deep inequities based on caste and gender. — Correct. Assets were owned individually, and caste and gender created deep inequities.

(D) A group of powerful individuals decided the affairs of the village. — Correct. A group of powerful individuals ran village affairs, exploited the weak and dispensed justice.

(E) In the Mughal heartland, revenue was assessed and collected in kind. — Incorrect. In the Mughal heartland revenue was assessed and collected in cash, as a cash nexus had already developed.

NCERT (2026-27): “2.4 A “little republic”?
How does one understand the significance of the village community? Some British officials in the nineteenth century saw the village as a “little republic” made up of fraternal partners sharing resources and labour in a collective. However, this was not a sign of rural egalitarianism. There was individual ownership of assets and deep inequities based on caste and gender distinctions. A group of powerful individuals decided the affairs of the village, exploited the weaker sections and had the authority to dispense justice.”

“More importantly, a cash nexus had already developed through trade between villages and towns. In the Mughal heartland too, revenue was assessed and collected in cash. …”