Consider the following statements about the Zawar mines
1. Zinc was present, mixed with ores of copper, lead and silver.
2. By the 14th century, zinc began to be isolated by the distillation method.
3. Abul Fazl described zinc as a newly discovered metal unknown to the ancients.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
Answer: (d)
The Zawar mines in Rajasthan are known for zinc ore mixed with copper, lead and silver; zinc distillation there dates to around the 14th century, one of the earliest such processes in the world; and Abul Fazl, in the Ain-i-Akbari, noted zinc (jasad) as a metal not known to earlier (ancient) writers.