UPSC Prelims 2020— Question 41

This question tests administrative and commercial terms. The key concept is: An aurang was a term associated with a warehouse/store or commercial establishment rather than the state treasury office; a baniyan was an Indian intermediary or agent associated with European trading companies; a mirasidar held hereditary rights in land/revenue arrangements in parts of South India. Thus the second and third pairings are accepted. The verified answer for the uploaded Set-B paper is option B. Option A — 1 and 2 only: This is not the correct option. The option does not match the verified combination or conclusion. The decisive point is the distinction explained above: An aurang was a term associated with a warehouse/store or commercial establishment rather than the state treasury office; a baniyan was an Indian intermediary or agent associated with European trading companies; a mirasidar held hereditary rights in land/revenue arrangements in parts of South India. Thus the second and third pairings are accepted. Therefore this alternative should be eliminated even if part of its wording appears plausible in isolation. Option B — 2 and 3 only: This is the correct option. It matches the verified conclusion because An aurang was a term associated with a warehouse/store or commercial establishment rather than the state treasury office; a baniyan was an Indian intermediary or agent associated with European trading companies; a mirasidar held hereditary rights in land/revenue arrangements in parts of South India. Thus the second and third pairings are accepted. The wording of the option is consistent with the governing concept tested by the question. Option C — 3 only: This is not the correct option. The option does not match the verified combination or conclusion. The decisive point is the distinction explained above: An aurang was a term associated with a warehouse/store or commercial establishment rather than the state treasury office; a baniyan was an Indian intermediary or agent associated with European trading companies; a mirasidar held hereditary rights in land/revenue arrangements in parts of South India. Thus the second and third pairings are accepted. Therefore this alternative should be eliminated even if part of its wording appears plausible in isolation. Option D — 1,2 and 3: This is not the correct option. The option does not match the verified combination or conclusion. The decisive point is the distinction explained above: An aurang was a term associated with a warehouse/store or commercial establishment rather than the state treasury office; a baniyan was an Indian intermediary or agent associated with European trading companies; a mirasidar held hereditary rights in land/revenue arrangements in parts of South India. Thus the second and third pairings are accepted. Therefore this alternative should be eliminated even if part of its wording appears plausible in isolation. For UPSC-style elimination, first identify the exact proposition being tested, then evaluate each statement independently before comparing the answer codes. Avoid treating a broad or absolute statement as correct merely because its general theme is familiar. The precise qualifiers in the question—such as 'all', 'only', 'cannot', 'largest', 'always' or a specific institutional role—often determine the answer. On that basis, option B is the verified answer.