UGC NET History Practice Question

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.

The wealthy class of intermediate rich peasants who emerged in Bengal countryside under the Permanent Settlement were known as:

Jotedars ✓

Ryots

Lathials

Gomastahs

Jotedars emerged as a powerful intermediate class of substantial landholding peasants under the Permanent Settlement's evolving agrarian structure — often themselves employing sharecroppers (Adhiars/Bargadars), forming a distinct rural power layer between Zamindars and the landless.

This is one question from a free, complete 50-question Unit-Wise mock test — take the real thing, under real time pressure, for free.

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.