Q100. The Mansabdari system introduced by Akbar was mainly a system of which type?
[RRB NTPC (UG), 07 May 2026, Shift 1]
(A) Religious reform
(B) Military administration
(C) Judicial reform
(D) Maritime trade
Answer: (B) Military administration
Explanation: Akbar used the mansabdari framework to rank imperial servants and organize military obligations. A mansab fixed an officer’s standing and often a specified cavalry contingent. It also linked civil appointments with the military hierarchy, strengthening central supervision.
Q99. In Akbar’s Mansabdari system, what did the word “mansab” signify?
[RRB NTPC (Graduate), 22 Mar 2026, Shift 2 ]
(A) A religious office
(B) A farming tax
(C) A fixed land area
(D) Rank or position of an official
Answer: (D) Rank or position of an official
Explanation: Mansab literally meant rank or position. Each mansabdar held an imperial grade determining official standing and remuneration. Under the mature system, zat signified personal rank while sawar related to cavalry obligations, enabling graded service in the empire.
Q98. Which Mughal emperor strengthened imperial authority through the Mansabdari system and centralized bureaucracy?
[RRB NTPC (UG), 09 May 2026, Shift 3]
(A) Akbar
(B) Shah Jahan
(C) Humayun
(D) Muhammad Shah
Answer: (A) Akbar
Explanation: Akbar consolidated imperial control through graded appointments, a structured military service and centralized revenue supervision. Mansabdars could receive military and civil assignments, allowing the emperor to integrate diverse elites without making most positions hereditary.
Q97. Which Mughal ruler is associated with introducing the Zabti land-revenue system across large parts of the empire?
[RRB NTPC (UG), 08 May 2026, Shift 3]
(A) Akbar
(B) Babur
(C) Aurangzeb
(D) Humayun
Answer: (A) Akbar
Explanation: Akbar systematized land assessment through zabt, especially in well-surveyed northern territories. Measurements, crop-wise rates and price information helped assess state demand. Todar Mal is closely associated with its refinement and the ten-year dahsala calculation.
Q96. Consider two statements:
(I) A subedar headed a Mughal province and maintained general order;
(II) a provincial diwan headed its revenue department.
Which is correct?
[RRB NTPC (UG), 19 Jun 2026, Shift 2]
(A) I only
(B) II only
(C) Both I and II
(D) Neither I nor II
Answer: (C) Both I and II
Explanation: Both offices formed part of provincial administration. The subedar represented imperial executive and military authority, while the diwan handled financial accounts and revenue oversight. Separating these functions helped the centre monitor provincial power and income.
Q95. Consider two statements:
(I) The emperor appointed provincial subedars;
(II) the Daroga-i-Dak supervised communications.
Which is correct?
[RRB NTPC (UG), 07 May 2026, Shift 1]
(A) I only
(B) II only
(C) Neither
(D) Both I and II
Answer: (D) Both I and II
Explanation: The subedar governed a suba on imperial appointment. The Daroga-i-Dak supervised postal and information arrangements that helped messages reach the centre. Reliable communications and centrally appointed governors were essential for controlling a geographically extensive empire.
Q94. Which Mughal official headed military administration and oversaw the mansabdari establishment?
[RRB NTPC (Graduate), 27 Mar 2026, Shift 3]
(A) Diwan-i-Insha
(B) Mir Saman
(C) Mir Bakshi
(D) Sadr-us-Sudur
Answer: (C) Mir Bakshi
Explanation: The Mir Bakshi supervised military personnel, service records and recommendations for appointments. The office helped inspect troops and manage military pay arrangements. This function differed from the diwan’s general control of revenue and financial accounts.
Q93. Who was Akbar’s revenue minister famous for reforms in land assessment?
[SSC GD Constable, 09 May 2026, Shift 3]
(A) Abul Fazl
(B) Birbal
(C) Raja Todar Mal
(D) Tansen
Answer: (C) Raja Todar Mal
Explanation: Raja Todar Mal became closely associated with Akbar’s systematic revenue settlement. The reforms used surveys, classifications of cultivation and crop-wise price calculations to determine assessments, improving predictability in tax demands in areas where detailed measurement was feasible.
Q92. What was the principal military responsibility of a Mughal mansabdar?
[SSC GD Constable, 07 May 2026, Shift 1]
(A) Maintain a stipulated cavalry contingent
(B) Collect only customs duties
(C) Act as the empire’s chief judge
(D) Supervise shipbuilding
Answer: (A) Maintain a stipulated cavalry contingent
Explanation: A mansabdar’s sawar obligation specified the cavalrymen he was expected to maintain for imperial service. The contingent could be inspected, and horses were branded to prevent substitution. Not every mansabdar served exclusively in battlefield commands.
Q91. Which term denoted the cavalrymen maintained by a mansabdar?
[SSC GD Constable, 25 May 2026, Shift 2]
(A) Zat
(B) Sawar
(C) Zamindar
(D) Jagir
Answer: (B) Sawar
Explanation: Sawar referred to horsemen and, in the mansabdari framework, to the cavalry component of an official’s rank. Zat expressed personal status, while a jagir was a revenue assignment; zamindars possessed different kinds of local rights.