UPSC Prelims 2014— Question 13

Correct answer: Option C. The Ibadat Khana at Fatehpur Sikri was established by Akbar as a place for religious discussions. Scholars and representatives of different religious traditions participated in debates and exchanges there. It was not simply a royal-family mosque, a private prayer chamber, or a room reserved for nobles. Option A: Incorrect. This option does not match the verified answer because its proposition, location, institution, sequence, or combination conflicts with the relevant fact tested in the question. The option reads: “the mosque for the use of Royal Family” Option B: Incorrect. This option does not match the verified answer because its proposition, location, institution, sequence, or combination conflicts with the relevant fact tested in the question. The option reads: “Akbar’s private chamber prayer” Option C: Correct. This option is consistent with the governing fact or the valid combination identified in the question. The option reads: “the hall in which Akbar held discussions with scholars of various religions.” Option D: Incorrect. This option does not match the verified answer because its proposition, location, institution, sequence, or combination conflicts with the relevant fact tested in the question. The option reads: “the room in which the nobles belonging to different religions gathered to discuss religious affairs” The key Prelims lesson is to test each proposition independently before selecting the combination. Where the question uses words such as 'only', 'all', 'none', 'always' or a precise institutional/geographical association, a single inaccurate component is sufficient to eliminate the option. The answer recorded here follows the official answer key for the question-paper series represented by the uploaded source and has been cross-checked against an independent published key. The explanation is intended for conceptual revision rather than as a reproduction of any third-party solution.