Mughal book paintings were made in a set process. What was its first…

Mughal book paintings were made in a set process. What was its first step?

Answer & explanation

Correct answer: option 4

The correct answer is Option (4) → Preparing and cutting sheets of handmade paper

Option (1) Grinding pigments to obtain colours — Incorrect. Grinding and mixing pigments is how the colours were obtained. It belongs to the colours and technique, not to the listed steps of a book painting.
Option (2) Making brushes from squirrel hair — Incorrect. Brushes made with the hair of squirrels or kittens were used to apply the paint. This too is technique, not a step of the process.
Option (3) Obtaining ultramarine from Lapiz Lazuli — Incorrect. Ultramarine from Lapiz Lazuli is one of the pigments listed for the colours. It belongs to the colours, not to the steps of a book painting.
Option (4) Preparing and cutting sheets of handmade paper — Correct. The process began when sheets of handmade paper were prepared and cut to the size of the manuscript.

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): “Process of Mughal Painting …For making book painting, the following process was adopted. Sheets of handmade paper were prepared and cut to suit the size of the manuscript. Designated space was left for the artist to fill it with a suitable visual composition. Then, the pages were ruled and filled with text.…”

“Colours and Technique of Mughal Painting …The colours were opaque and were obtained from natural sources by grinding and mixing pigments to obtain perfect shades of colours. The paint was applied using a variety of brushes made with the hair of squirrels or kittens. …Some of the pigments and colours achieved from those were — vermilion from cinnabar, ultramarine from Lapiz Lazuli, bright yellow from orpiment, shells grounded for making white and lampblack from charcoal.”

Mughal book paintings were made in a set process. What was its first step?

Answer & explanation

Correct answer: option 4

The correct answer is Option (4) → Preparing and cutting sheets of handmade paper

Option (1) Grinding pigments to obtain colours — Incorrect. Grinding and mixing pigments is how the colours were obtained. It belongs to the colours and technique, not to the listed steps of a book painting.
Option (2) Making brushes from squirrel hair — Incorrect. Brushes made with the hair of squirrels or kittens were used to apply the paint. This too is technique, not a step of the process.
Option (3) Obtaining ultramarine from Lapiz Lazuli — Incorrect. Ultramarine from Lapiz Lazuli is one of the pigments listed for the colours. It belongs to the colours, not to the steps of a book painting.
Option (4) Preparing and cutting sheets of handmade paper — Correct. The process began when sheets of handmade paper were prepared and cut to the size of the manuscript.