1.

A Buddhist Heritage Theme Park ‘Buddhavanam’ is being created at Nagarjuna Sagar ,

Telangana.
Consider the following statements regarding Acharya Nagarjuna.

1 He was also known as the Second Buddha.

2 He was the founder of Madhyamaka school of Hinyana Buddhism.
3 He was a teacher of Ayurveda.

Which of the following statements is/are correct ?

a) 1 & 2
b) 2 & 3
c) 1 & 3
d) 1,2 & 3

Answer – C (1 & 3)

Explanation – Acharya Nagarjuna was an ancient philosopher. He was also known as Second
Buddha.He was a teacher of Ayurveda & he was the founder of Madhyamaka school of
Mahayan Buddhism.

Buddhavanam-Queen Mother of Bhutan and president of Tarayana Foundation Ashi Dorji

Wangmo Wangchuck and Princess Sonam Dechan Wangchuck visited the Buddhavanam
project in Nagarjunasagar in Telangana.

It is first of its kind project in the country having many thematic segments depicting the
major events from the life of Buddha.

2. Consider the following statements regarding ‘Kharosthi’ Script.

1. It was brought into India by Persian.

2. It was derieved from Aramaic Script.
3. It was written from left to right.
4. Many of the Ashokan pillars in north western India are written in Kharosthi script.

Which of the above statements is/are true ?

a) 1, 2 & 3
b) 1,2 & 4
c) 1,3 & 4
d) 1,2,3 & 4

Answer- B ( 1,2 & 4)

Explanation- The cultural effects of the contacts with the Persians on Inida was also
significant. The Persian scribes brought into India a new style of writing. It is called
kharoshthi. It was derived from the Aramaic script, which was written from right to left.
Many of Asoka’s inscriptions found in north western India are witten in kharoshthi. This
script continued to be used in north western India till about third century AD. The Persian
influence may also be traced in the preamble of Asokan edicts. The Mauryan art and
architecture were also greatly influenced by the Persian art. The monolithic pillar edicts of
Asoka with their bell-shaped capitals are somewhat like the victory pillars of the
Achaemenid emperors which have been found in Persepolis.

3 In the Besnagar Pillar incription, Heliodorus (the Greek ambassador of the Indo-Greek king
Antialkidas) describes himself as worshipper of -

a) Shiva
b) Vishnu
c) Buddha
d) Indra

Answer- B ( Vishnu)

Explanation - In the Besnagar Pillar incription, Heliodorus

(the Greek ambassador of the Indo-Greek king Antialkidas) describes himself as a

Bhagavata i.e. worshipper of Vishnu.

4. Consider the following statements.

1. He was born on 14 th October 1884.

2. He worked as Editor of Indian nationalist publication Bande Matram.
3. His simple living and intellectual acumen inspired many expatrate Indians living in Canada
and USA to fight against British Imperialism during the First World War.
4. He gave up the Indian Civil Services and prestigious Oxford scholarship for freedom
movement.

The above statements are reffered to which of the following?

a) Sohan Singh Bakhna

b) Lala Hardayal
c) SurendraNath Banarjee
d) Womesh Chandra Banarjee

Answer- B ( Lala Hardayal)

Explanation- Lala Hardayal

He was born on 14 th October 1884 and died on 4th March 1939.He was an Inidan
nationalist revolutionary and was founding member of Ghadar Party in USA. He worked as
Editor of Indian nationalist publication Bande Matram. His simple living and intellectual
acumen inspired many expatrate Indians living in Canada and USA to fight against British
Imperialism during the First World War. He gave up the Indian Civil Services and prestigious
Oxford scholarship for freedom movement. Department of posts issued a commemorative
stamp in his honour, within the series of “India’s Struggle For Freedom”.

5.Consider the following statements.

1. She was born on 13th February 1879.

2. She was a great indian Independence activist and poet.
3. She took active part is Salt Satyagrah and represented indian women in Round Table
Conference in London in 1931.
4. She was awarded with Kaiser-I-Hind medal for her works during the plague epidemic in
1929.

The above statements are referred to which of the following ?

a) Annie Besant
b) Preetilata Wadedar
c) Ramabai Tata
d) Sarojini Naidu

Answer- D (Sarojini Naidu)

Explanation- Sarojini Naidu

she was popularly known as The Nightingle of India.
She was born on 13th February 1879 and died on 2 march 1949. She was a great indian
Independence activist and poet. She took active part is Salt Satyagrah and represented
indian women in Round Table Conference in London in 1931.She was awarded with Kaiser-I-
Hind medal for her works during the plague epidemic in 1929.Later on she became the first
women to be the Governer of an Indian State.

6. Consider the following statements regarding Jan Pratha Utsav .

1. It was held at Dibrugarh , Assam.

2. It was a festival for Tribal performing arts of North East.
3. It was presented by Sangeet Natak Academy, New Delhi.
Which of the above statements is/are correct ?

a) 1 & 2
b) 1 & 3
c) 2 & 3
d) 1,2 & 3

Answer – C ( 2 & 3 )

Explanation – Jan Parth Utsav was held at pasighat, Arunachal Pradesh between 24-26
february 2017 . It was a festival for Tribal Performing Arts of North East and was presented
by Sangeet Natak Academy, New delhi.

7. Considet the following statements regarding Kurukh .

1. It is an endangered tribal langue which belongs to Dravidian family.

2. It is spoken by Oraon community mainly who lives near dooar, north west Bengal.
3. Kurukh is recoganised as a language in Jharkhand.
4. The script of kurukh language is known as Tolong Siki.

Which of the above statements is/are true ?

a) 1,2 & 3
b) 2,3 & 4
c) 1,2 & 4
d) 1,2,3 & 4

Answer – D ( 1,2,3 & 4)

Explanation -Kurukh, an endangered tribal language of the Dravidian family, is set to get a
new lease of life in West Bengal. It is spoken by the Oraon tribal community. The only
example of a tribal language having its origin from the Dravidian family is Malto, which is
not spoken in West Bengal, but in the Rajmahal hills of Jharkhand. Jharkhand has recognised
Kurukh as a language, and students can write their school final examination in its script. The
script is called Tolong Siki. According to the 2001 census report (the latest official data on
language-speakers), the language is spoken by about 17 lakh persons.

8. Consider the following statements regarding Ochre Coloured Pottery (OCP).

1. OCP marked the last stage of North Indian Bronze Age.

2. Ochre coloured pottery was confined to the doab region.
3. The first remnants of OCP culte was found in Atranjikhera during mid 1950s.

Which of the above statements is/are true ?

a) 1 & 2
b) 1 & 3
c) 2 & 3
d) 1,2,3 & 4

Answer – C (2 & 3)
Explanation- Six copper axes and some pieces of pottery discovered in Sakatpur of
Saharanpur district in Uttar Pradesh could point to a separate culture that straddled the
Ganga and Yamuna, coinciding with the Indus Valley Civilisation.
When the Indus Valley civilisation flourished in what is today Punjab, Haryana and parts of
Pakistan, a parallel culture is thought to have co-existed in the fertile plains between the
Ganga and the Yamuna in western Uttar Pradesh.

The copper axes and pottery sherds found last week may be related to the Ochre Coloured
Pottery (OCP) culture in the doab (plains) of the two rivers in the late Harappan period,
around 2000 BC.

OCP marked the last stage of the North Indian Copper Age. The first remnants of OCP
culture were found in Hastinapur, in Meerut district, in 1951 and later in Atranjikhera in Eta
district.

9. Consider the Following statements.

1. Three-tier executive and legislature at provincial section and union levels.

2. A common centre to control defence, communication and external affairs.
3. Communal questions in central legislature were to be decided by a simple majority of
both communites present and voting.
4. Provinces were to have full autonomy and residuary powers.

Above statements are the provisions of which of the following ?

a) Wavell plan
b) Cabinet Mission Plan
c) Cripps Mission
d) India Independence Act 1947

Answer – B ( Cabinet Mission Plan )

Explanation - Cabinet Mission Plan—Main Points

• Rejection of the demand for a full-fledged Pakistan, because—

(i) the Pakistan so formed would include a large nonMuslim population-38% in the North-
West and 48% in the North-East;
(ii) the very principle of communal self-determination would claim separation of Hindu-
majority Western Bengal and Sikh- and Hindu- dominated 'Ambala and Jullundur divisions of
Punjab (already some Sikh leaders were demanding a separate state if the country was
partitioned);
(iii) deep-seated regional ties would be disturbed if Bengal and Punjab were partitioned;
(iv) partition would entail economic and administrative problems, for instance, the problem
of communication between the western and eastern parts of Pakistan; and
(v) the division of armed forces would be dangerous.

• Grouping of existing provincial assemblies into three sections—

Section-A: Madras, Bombay, Central Provinces, United Provinces, Bihar and Orissa (Hindu-
majority provinces).

Section-B: Punjab, North-West Frontier Province and Sindh (Muslim- majority provinces).

Section-C: Bengal and Assam (Muslim-majority provinces).

Three-tier executive and legislature at provincial, section and union levels.

• A constituent assembly to be elected by provincial assemblies by proportional

representation (voting in three groups—General, Muslims, Sikhs). This constituent Assembly
to be a 389-member body with provincial assemblies sending 292, chief commissioner's
provinces sending 4, and princely states sending 93 members. This was a good, democratic
method not based on weightage.

• In the constituent assembly, members from groups A, B and C were to sit separately to
decide the constitution for provinces and if possible, for the groups also. Then, the whole
constituent assembly (all three sections A, B and C combined) would sit together to
formulate the Union constitution.

• A common centre would control defence, communication and external affairs. Communal
questions in central legislature were to be decided by a simple majority of both
communities present and voting.

• Provinces were to have full autonomy and residual powers. Princely states were no longer
to be under paramountcy of British Government They would be free to enter into an
arrangement with successor governments or the British Government.
• After the first general elections, a province was to be free to come out of a group and after
10 years, a province was to be free to call for a reconsideration of the group or the Union
constitution.

• Meanwhile, an interim government to be formed from the constituent assembly.

10. Who among the following was the founder of All India Village Industries Association ?

1. Gopal Krishna Gokhale

2. Mahatma Gandhi
3. Bal Gangadhar Tilak
4. M. G Ranade

Answer- B (Mahatma Gandhi)

Explanation- Gandhiji started the All India Village Industries Association on 14-12-1934 in
the upperroom of Mahila Ashram, Wardha. Dr Josef Cornellius Kumarappa, known for his
theory of Economy of Permanence was chosen by the Congress to lead this movement as
per Bapu’s wishes. Shri Krishnadas Jaju became its first President. AIVIA had a Board of 18
advisors consisting of distinguished scientists like Dr C V Raman and Dr J C Bose and also
many leaders in public life and industry: Rabindranath Tagore, G D Birla, M A Ansari, and
Satish Chandra Das Gupta among others.

The All India Village Industries Association soon got reorganized in Maganwadi, a spacious
orchard belonging to Seth Jamanalal Bajaji. Mahatma Gandhi stayed here with Kasturba
Gandhi during 1934-36 and supervised the works of All India Village Industries Association.

11. Pindakara during Mauryan Administration was-

a) Agricultural tax
b) Fixed commuted tax levied from villages
c) Entertainment tax
d) A kind of road tax

Answer- B ( Fixed commuted tax levied from villages)

Explanation – Kautilya in his Arthshastra mention many sources of income to the king such
as Senabhaktam, the punitive tax imposed by the army on the region through which it
passed, and Pindakara, a fixed commuted tax contributed by the villages from time to time
during Mauryan Administration.

12. Consider the following.

1. Peshwa- Poona
2. Holkar- Indore
3. Bhonsle- Nagpur
4. Gaekwad- Gwalior
5. Sindhia- Baroda

Which of the above options is/are matched correctly ?

a) 1,2 & 3
b) 2,3 & 4
c) 1,3 & 4
d) 3,4 & 5

Answer- A ( 1,2 & 3 )

Explanation- By the middle of 18 th century, five Maratha powers has emerged.Those were-

1) Peshwa at poona,
2) Holkars at Indore
3) Bhonsle at Nagpur
4) Gaekwad at Baroda
5) Sindhia at Gwalior

13. Consider the following .

1) Calcutta Madarssa- 1789

2) Sanskrit college- 1791
3) Fort William - 1801

Which of the above options is/are matched correctly ?

a) 1 & 2
b) 2 & 3
c) 1 & 3
d) Only 3

Answer- B (2 & 3)

Explanation- A few new types of schools giving instruction in English language and other
braches of western learning had started functioning in Madras region then in Bengal and
Bombay.They were mostly run by Christian missionaries.the first educational insititution
supported by the government were Calcutta Madarssa in 1781 and Sanskrit college in 1791.
The purpose of opening them was to train Indians so that they could help the company’s
British officials in administration.The courses in these institutes were more or less on old
indian lines.The Fort William college was started in 1801 and a handful of indian scholars
under a british principal were engaged there to acquaint the British Civilians with the
languages, history, law and customs of India.

14. Consider the following statements regarding Royal Commission on Decentralisation.

1. It emphasised that village panchayats should be entrusted with more powers like judicial
jurisdiction in petty cases, incurring expenditure on minor village works, village schools,
small fuel and fodder reserves, etc. The panchayats should be given adequate sources of
income.

2. It emphasised the importance of sub-district boards to be established in every taluka or

tehsil, with separate spheres of duties and separate sources of revenue for sub-district
boards and the district boards.

3. It urged the withdrawal of existing restrictions on their powers of taxation, and also, the
stoppage of regular grants-in-aid from provincial governments except for undertaking large
projects.
4. The municipalities might undertake the responsibility for primary education and, if willing,
for middle vernacular schools, otherwise the Government should relieve them of any
charges in regard to secondary education, hospitals, relief, police, veterinary works, etc.

Which of the above statements is/are incorrect ?

a) 1,2 & 3
b) 2,3 & 4
c) All
d) None

Answer- D (None)

Explanation – All the above statements are true regarding Royal Commission on
decentralisation.
Pointing out the lack of financial resources as the great stumbling block in the effective
functioning of local bodies, the commission made following recommendations -
1. It emphasised that village panchayats should be entrusted with more powers like judicial
jurisdiction in petty cases, incurring expenditure on minor village works, village schools,
small fuel and fodder reserves, etc. The panchayats should be given adequate sources of
income.
2. It emphasised the importance of sub-district boards to be established in every taluka or
tehsil, with separate spheres of duties and separate sources of revenue for sub-district
boards and the district boards.

3. It urged the withdrawal of existing restrictions on their powers of taxation, and also, the
stoppage of regular grants-in-aid from provincial governments except for undertaking large
projects.

4. The municipalities might undertake the responsibility for primary education and, if willing,
for middle vernacular schools, otherwise the Government should relieve them of any
charges in regard to secondary education, hospitals, relief, police, veterinary works, etc.
15. Consider the following statements regarding Press Regulations during British Era.

1) Censorship of Press Act -1799

2) Licensing Regulations -1835
3) Registration Act- 1867
4) Metcalf Act – 1857

Which of the above options are incorrectly matched ?

a) 1 & 2
b) 1 & 3
c) 2 & 3
d) 2 & 4

Answer- 2 & 4

Explanation- Regulations on Press during British Era.

-Censorship of Press Act, 1799, Lord Wellesley enacted this, anticipating

French invasion of India. It imposed almost wartime press restrictions including pre-
censorship. These restrictions were relaxed under Lord Hastings, who had progressive
views, and in 1818, pre-censorship was dispensed with.

-Licensing Regulations, 1823, The acting governor-general John Adams, whohad reactionary
views, enacted these. According to these regulations, starting or using a press without
licence was a penal offence. These restrictions were directed chiefly against Indian language
newspapers or those edited by Indians. Rammohan Roy's Mirat-ul-Akbar had to stop
publication.

-Press Act of 1835 or Metcalfe Act, Metcalfe (governorgeneral-1835-36) repealed the

obnoxious 1823 ordinance and earned the epithet, "liberator of the Indian press". The new
Press Act (1835) required a printer/publisher to give a precise account of premises of a
publication and cease functioning, if required by a similar declaration. The result of a liberal
press policy was a rapid growth of newspapers.
-Licensing Act, 1857, Due to the emergency caused by the 1857 revolt, this Act imposed
licensing restrictions in addition to the already existing registration procedure laid down by
Metcalfe Act and the Government reserved the right to stop publication and circulation of
any book, newspaper or printed matter.

-Registration Act, 1867, This replaced Metcalfe's Act of 1835 and was of a regulatory, not
restrictive, nature. As per the Act,

(i) every book/newspaper was required to print the name of the printer and the publisher
and the place of the publication; and

(ii) a copy was to be submitted to the local government within one month of the publication
of a book.