UGC NET History Practice Question

The primary cause of the Great Indian Agricultural Depression during the 1930s was:

Collapse of international agricultural commodity prices in global markets ✓

Universal failure of monsoon rains across Asia

Sudden abolition of cash revenue collection

Complete banning of commercial cash crops

The 1930s agricultural depression in India was driven primarily by the collapse of global agricultural commodity prices during the worldwide Great Depression — Indian peasants, having been pushed toward export-oriented cash crops, were especially exposed to this global price collapse.

Which colonial land revenue settlement covered approximately 51% of British Indian territory, predominantly in Bombay and Madras Presidencies?

Ryotwari Settlement ✓

Permanent Settlement

Mahalwari Settlement

Malguzari Settlement

Ryotwari was the most geographically extensive revenue system, covering roughly 51% of British Indian territory, chiefly in Bombay and Madras — a useful figure for comparing the relative scale of the three main revenue systems (Permanent ~19%, Mahalwari ~30%, Ryotwari ~51%).

The Permanent Settlement covered what percentage of total British Indian territory (chiefly Bengal, Bihar, Orissa, and Varanasi)?

19% ✓

30%

51%

70%

The Permanent Settlement, despite its major historical significance, actually covered a smaller share of territory (roughly 19%) than either Mahalwari or Ryotwari — a fact worth remembering precisely, since exam questions often test these comparative percentages directly.

What percentage of British Indian territory was governed under the Mahalwari Settlement (North-Western Provinces, Punjab, Central Provinces)?

30% ✓

19%

51%

10%

The Mahalwari system covered roughly 30% of British Indian territory — positioned between the Permanent Settlement's 19% and Ryotwari's 51%, completing the standard set of comparative figures across the three major revenue systems.

In Bengal, sharecroppers who cultivated land owned by Jotedars and surrendered half the produce were locally termed:

Adhiars or Bargadars ✓

Raiyats

Pattadars

Zamindars

Adhiars (or Bargadars) were Bengal sharecroppers who worked Jotedar-owned land in exchange for half the produce — their subordinate position and demand for a better (two-thirds) share directly fed the later Tebhaga movement.

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More Free UGC NET History Practice

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.