Read the passage and answer the five questions that follow.
Mughal chronicles, especially the Akbar Nama, written by Abu’l Fazl, have bequeathed a vision of empire in which agency rests almost solely with the emperor, while the rest of the kingdom has been portrayed as following his orders. Yet if we look more closely at the rich information, these histories provide information about the apparatus of the Mughal State from which we may be able to understand the ways in which the imperial organization was dependent on several different institutions to be able to function effectively. One important pillar of the Mughal State was the nobility.
Mughal chronicles viewed the emperors as supreme sovereign because
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Vision of empire viewed the emperor as the sole ruler.
The passage says that the chronicles bequeathed a vision of empire in which agency rests almost solely with the emperor, while the rest of the kingdom only follows his orders.
Option (1) Nobility wanted him to be one. — Incorrect. In the passage the nobility is a pillar the state depended on; the chronicles do not present the emperor’s place as the nobles’ wish.
Option (2) Vision of empire viewed the emperor as the sole ruler. — Correct. Since all agency rested with the emperor, the chronicles showed him as the supreme sovereign.
Option (3) Chronicles were a rich source of history. — Incorrect. The passage does call their information rich, but that is their value for historians today, not the reason the chronicles saw the emperor as supreme.
Option (4) Imperial administration was weak. — Incorrect. The passage says the opposite: the imperial organisation functioned effectively through several institutions.
Note: The passage of this question is taken from the chapter ‘Kings and Chronicles’, which was there in the pre-rationalised NCERT and has been deleted from subsequent editions of NCERT.
NCERT (Pre-rationalised): “8.1 Recruitment and rank … Mughal chronicles, especially the Akbar Nama, have bequeathed a vision of empire in which agency rests almost solely with the emperor, while the rest of the kingdom has been portrayed as following his orders. Yet if we look more closely at the rich information these histories provide about the apparatus of the Mughal state, we may be able to understand the ways in which the imperial organisation was dependent on several different institutions to be able to function effectively. One important pillar of the Mughal state was its corps of officers, also referred to by historians collectively as the nobility.…” |