UGC NET History Practice Question

What was the Jizya tax?

Poll tax levied on non-Muslim subjects in an Islamic state in exchange for protection and exemption from military service ✓

Commercial toll tax on inland river boats

Tax levied on wealth (Zakat)

Imperial house tax

Jizya was a poll tax on non-Muslim subjects in an Islamic polity, in principle exchanged for state protection and exemption from military service — its imposition and abolition across different Sultanate and Mughal reigns (notably abolished by Akbar, reimposed by Aurangzeb) is a recurring, significant exam topic.

Under Akbar, the Mir Bakshi was the chief officer responsible for:

Military administration, paymaster of troops, and maintaining mansabdar rolls ✓

Revenue assessment and treasury supervision

Royal household supplies

Imperial seal and religious charities

The Mir Bakshi headed military administration — paying troops, maintaining mansabdar and Sawar rolls, and overseeing military intelligence — one of the four great central ministers alongside the Diwan (revenue), Mir Saman (household), and Sadr (religious/charitable affairs).

In the Maratha administrative system, the minister holding charge of foreign affairs and intelligence was titled:

Sumant (or Dabir) ✓

Amatya

Sachiv

Senapati

The Sumant (also called Dabir) managed foreign affairs and diplomatic correspondence within Shivaji's Ashta Pradhan council — distinct from the Amatya (finance) and Senapati (military command), reflecting a genuinely differentiated administrative structure.

What was Peshkash in the context of Mughal administration?

Ceremonial tributary gift or lump-sum payment offered by subordinate rulers and noblemen to the Emperor ✓

Land revenue arrears collected forcibly

Tax on cotton manufacturing

Pension paid to retired soldiers

Peshkash was a tributary payment or ceremonial gift offered by a subordinate ruler or noble to the emperor, often on accession or as a mark of submission — distinct from regular land revenue, functioning more as a political/symbolic acknowledgment of Mughal overlordship.

The maritime trade port of Surat during the Mughal Empire was widely referred to in records as:

Bab-ul-Makkah (Gate to Mecca) ✓

Bandar-i-Mubarak

Emperor's Emporium

Gateway of Western India

Surat was known as "Bab-ul-Makkah" (Gate to Mecca) because it was the principal port from which Indian Muslim pilgrims embarked for the Hajj — alongside its major role as the Mughal Empire's busiest international trading port on the western coast.

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This question is part of our free Unit-Wise mock test series, drawn from the same real question bank used across every UGC NET History mock test on this site. For structured, chapter-by-chapter notes covering everything these questions test, see our UGC NET History Notes, or try the History Glossary Flashcard Quiz for daily term-by-term practice.