Bernier felt that manufactures in the Mughal Empire were everywhere i…

Bernier felt that manufactures in the Mughal Empire were everywhere in decline. Which of the following did he see as the cause?

Answer & explanation

Correct answer: option 2

The correct answer is Option (2) → Artisans had no incentive to improve quality, as the state took the profits

Option (1) Cheap goods brought from Europe pushed artisans out of work — Incorrect. Bernier said the opposite flow: Indian goods were <strong>exported</strong> in exchange for gold and silver.

Option (2) Artisans had no incentive to improve quality, as the state took the profits — Correct. Bernier linked the decline to the state. Since <strong>the state took the profits</strong>, artisans saw no gain in better work, so manufactures declined. This fits his picture of a tyrannical state.

Option (3) Artisans left their crafts for farming under high revenue demands — Incorrect. High revenue demands concern peasants and land; Bernier did not say artisans left their crafts for this.

Option (4) Nobles kept artisans in their workshops and paid them very little — Incorrect. Bernier did not blame nobles' workshops; his cause was the state's taking of profits.

NCERT (2026-27): “6.2 A more complex social reality
While Bernier’s preoccupation with projecting the Mughal state as tyrannical is obvious, his descriptions occasionally hint at a more complex social reality. For instance, he felt that artisans had no incentive to improve the quality of their manufactures, since profits were appropriated by the state. Manufactures were, consequently, everywhere in decline. At the same time, he conceded that vast quantities of the world’s precious metals flowed into India, as manufactures were exported in exchange for gold and silver. He also noticed the existence of a prosperous merchant community, engaged in long-distance exchange.”

Bernier felt that manufactures in the Mughal Empire were everywhere in decline. Which of the following did he see as the cause?

Answer & explanation

Correct answer: option 2

The correct answer is Option (2) → Artisans had no incentive to improve quality, as the state took the profits

Option (4) Nobles kept artisans in their workshops and paid them very little — Incorrect. Bernier did not blame nobles' workshops; his cause was the state's taking of profits.