Prelims 1999 · archive
MediumAssertion (A): During the time of Akbar, for every ten cavalrymen, the mansabdars had to maintain twenty horses.
- Reason (R): Horses had to be rested while on march and replacements were necessary in times of war.
Answer & explanation
Answer: (a) Both A and R are true but R is the correct explanation of A
Under Akbar's mansab system a rider's rank (sawar) carried a duty to keep cavalry ready, with spare horses kept so that tired animals could be rested and war losses replaced. The spare horses are exactly why the rule existed, so R explains A.
- ✓ (a) Both statements hold: the rule of twenty horses for every ten sawars is the Akbari norm, and the extra horses served as rest and replacement mounts.
- ✗ (b) R is not a separate fact; it is the purpose of the rule in A.
- ✗ (c) R is true, so A cannot be 'true but R false'.
- ✗ (d) A is true, so A cannot be false.
Remember · A mansabdar's sawar rank fixed his cavalry; the horses were branded (dagh) and inspected, with spares for rest and replacement.
Question: UPSC Civil Services (Preliminary) 1999, General Studies paper. UPSC did not publish an answer key for 1999: the answer shown is the generally accepted one, and the sources above explain the facts behind it. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 24 Oct 2026 (how we verify). ·