The above account makes it clear that agricultural production involved the intensive participation and initiative of the peasantry. How did this affect the structure of agrarian relations in Mughal society? To find out, let us look at the social groups involved in agricultural expansion, and at their relationships and conflicts. At the same time they belonged to a collective village community as far as many aspects of their social existence were concerned.
The passage also leaves out a closing line naming the three constituents of the village community. Which of the following gives them?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → The cultivators, the panchayat and the village headman
Option (1) The cultivators, the panchayat and the village headman — Correct. The village community had three constituents: the cultivators, the panchayat and the village headman, called the muqaddam or mandal.
Option (2) The cultivators, the zamindar and the village accountant — Incorrect. The zamindar stood above the village as a holder of rights, and the accountant served the panchayat. Neither is one of the three constituents.
Option (3) The panchayat, the zamindar and the revenue collector — Incorrect. The revenue collector was an official of the state, outside the village community. The zamindar is not one of the three either.
Option (4) The cultivators, the artisans and the village headman — Incorrect. Artisans lived and worked in villages, but they are outside the three constituents. This set also leaves out the panchayat.
NCERT (2026-27): “2. The Village Community … |