Unseen Prose Passages — quick quiz

Read the passage and answer the question. The decline of the Mughal Empire in the 18th century was not due to a single cause but rather a combination of factors. After the death of Aurangzeb in 1707, the empire faced weak and ineffective rulers who could not manage the vast territory. The empire's military campaigns had drained the treasury, and heavy taxation alienated the peasantry and the nobility. Regional governors, known as subadars, began asserting independence, leading to the fragmentation of central authority. At the same time, invasions by Nadir Shah and Ahmad Shah Abdali weakened the empire further. The rise of powerful regional states such as the Marathas, the Sikhs, and the Nizam of Hyderabad challenged Mughal supremacy. Additionally, the British East India Company exploited the political instability, gradually expanding its control through diplomacy and military conquests. By the mid-18th century, the Mughal emperor was merely a symbolic figurehead with little real power. Question: Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?