Mughal painting and Ustad Mansur’s painting Zebra. Consider the following statements:
(A) The peak of Mughal painting presented a blend of Islamic, Hindu and European visual culture.
(B) The zebra in the painting came from Ethiopia, brought by Turks.
(C) Jahangir decided to send the zebra to Shah Abbas of Iran.
(D) The ornate borders of the painting were added in Jahangir’s reign.
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → (A), (B) and (C) only
(A) The peak of Mughal painting presented a blend of Islamic, Hindu and European visual culture. — Correct. At its height the Mughal style joined Islamic, Hindu and European elements.
(B) The zebra in the painting came from Ethiopia, brought by Turks. — Correct. The animal came from Ethiopia, brought by Turks, and Mir Ja’far presented it to Jahangir.
(C) Jahangir decided to send the zebra to Shah Abbas of Iran. — Correct. Jahangir often exchanged rare gifts with Shah Abbas of Iran, and chose to send him the zebra.
(D) The ornate borders of the painting were added in Jahangir’s reign. — Incorrect. The painting later came to Shah Jahan. The borders were added in Shah Jahan’s reign, not Jahangir’s.
Note: This topic was not named in the CUET 2026 syllabus, but it was part of the NCERT chapter. In 2025 and 2026, NTA also asked questions on topics in NCERT that the CUET syllabus did not name. So our mocks have questions from every part of the NCERT chapter, to give you enough practice. Read the whole chapter, not only the sub-topics named in the syllabus.
NCERT (2026-27): “Influences on Mughal Painting …The arts of this period reflect a synthesis of foreign influences and indigenous flavour. The peak of Mughal painting presented a highly sophisticated blend of the Islamic, Hindu and European visual culture and aesthetics.…” “Zebra The zebra in this painting was from Ethiopia, brought by Turks, and presented to Mughal emperor Jahangir by his nobleman Mir Ja’far, who had acquired it. …Its likeness was drawn by Nadir ul asr (Wonder of the Age) Ustad Mansur. …Jahangir decided to send it to Shah Abbas of Iran, with whom he often exchanged rare and unique gifts, including animals and birds. …The painting later came in Emperor Shah Jahan’s possession. It was added to the royal album of paintings and calligraphies. The ornate borders of the painting are additions made in Shah Jahan’s reign.” |