Among the four alternatives, A territorial assignment granted to a military chief alone satisfies the full historical condition. Amaram was a revenue-bearing territorial assignment held by an amara-nayaka, who maintained troops and rendered military service to the Vijayanagara ruler. Vijayanagara and the Deccan states combined agrarian revenue, fortified capitals, temple-centred urbanism and military chiefs. The distractors need separate rejection: A merchant guild belongs to a different institution, context or chronology; A tax-free Brahmana village does not perform the function described in the stem; and A royal mint fails the required association. The wording of “In Vijayanagara administration, amaram referred to what?” is deliberately specific, so the candidate should isolate its operative clue before recalling names. — A territorial assignment granted to a military chief”, but also remember the factual reason stated above.