UPSC Prelims 2020 Question:

With reference to the history of India

consider the following pairs

Sl. No.	Terminology		Description
1.	Aurang	:	In-charge of treasury of the State
2.	Banian	:	Indian agent of the East India Company
3.	Mirasidar	:	Designated revenue payer to the State

Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?

Explanation:

• Aurang was a Persian term for a warehouse, a place where goods are collected before being sold. It also refers to a workshop. So, pair 1 is not correctly matched.
  
  
• Banians (banias) were agents of the East India Company. Through them, the English gentlemen in general conducted all their business. So, pair 2 is correctly matched.
  
  
• Mirasdar in Urdu means hereditary landowner, co-proprietor. In Persian, the word ‘miras’ refers to inheritance and estate. He was also a revenue payer to the state. So, pair 3 is correctly matched.
  
  

Therefore, option (2) is the correct answer.

Subject: History| Miscellaneous(hist)