UPSC Prelims 2021— Question 58

The Carnatic or Nizamat of Arcot emerged as an autonomous political entity from the weakening Mughal-Deccan administrative structure associated with Hyderabad. Mysore developed as an independent kingdom after the decline of Vijayanagara influence. Rohilkhand was not carved out of territory occupied by Ahmad Shah Durrani; its Afghan chiefs had their own territorial base in the Rohilkhand region. Thus statements 1 and 2 are correct. The final answer-key position for Set C identifies option B as the correct option. Option A — 1 and 2 — is not correct because it does not satisfy the specific condition tested in the question; it represents an alternative that is contradicted, incomplete, or less precise than the accepted answer. Option B — 2 only — is correct because it is the alternative that matches the constitutional, historical, geographical, scientific or economic principle established above. Option C — 2 and 3 — is not correct because it does not satisfy the specific condition tested in the question; it represents an alternative that is contradicted, incomplete, or less precise than the accepted answer. Option D — 3 only — is not correct because it does not satisfy the specific condition tested in the question; it represents an alternative that is contradicted, incomplete, or less precise than the accepted answer. For PYQ interpretation, the distinction between the correct alternative and merely related facts is important. UPSC often places plausible distractors beside the precise statement that matches the underlying rule, chronology, definition or empirical relationship. The answer should therefore be read against the exact wording of the question rather than against a broadly related fact.