Prelims 2012 · archive
MediumWith reference to the Guilds (Shrenis) of ancient India that played a very important role in the country’s economy, which of the following statements is/are true?
- 1.Every Guild was registered with the central authority of the state and the King was the chief administrative authority on them
- 2.The wages, rules of work, standards and prices were fixed by the Guild
- 3.The guild had judicial powers over its own members.
Select the correct answer using the codes given below:
Answer & explanation
Answer: (c) 2 and 3 only
Shrenis largely governed themselves: they set work rules, standards and prices and judged disputes among members. They were not registered with a central authority.
- ✗ 1. Guilds were self-governing bodies; no central registration is recorded.
- ✓ 2. Guilds regulated production, quality and prices.
- ✓ 3. Guilds settled disputes of their own members under their own rules.
Remember · Shrenis: self-governing craft and merchant bodies with their own rules and courts.
📘 Read it in NCERT: Class 12 Themes in Indian History, Part I, Ch 2 (practise this chapter)
Sources
- NCERT Class 12 · Themes in Indian History, Part I, Chapter 2 “These guilds probably procured raw materials, regulated production, and marketed the finished product.”
Question: UPSC Civil Services (Preliminary) 2012, General Studies paper. UPSC did not publish an answer key for 2012: the answer shown is the one the sources above support. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 24 Oct 2026 (how we verify). ·