Zamindars had an ability “to establish a claim to sovereignty” largely due to the Mughal Empire’s policy of

(A) religious toleration (B) universal taxation (C) martial law (D) suffrageExplanation: The Mughal Empire was notable for its religious toleration, (A), a key to success on the subcontinent that was already populated by Hindus. The passage makes it clear that not all zamindars paid taxes, so eliminate (B). Choices (C) and (D) were not characteristic of the Mughal Empire, so eliminate them.