07. Vision Csp 2016 Test 7 Solution

8/18/2019 07. Vision Csp 2016 Test 7 Solution

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GENERAL STUDIES Prelims Mock TEST No. 1770

VISION IAS ONLINE SYSTEM

www.visionias.in

Q.1 :c

The Citadels or Acropolis in Harappan

civilization were built in the west part of the

city. It was occupied by the members of the

ruling class. Below the citadel in each city lay

a lower town containing brick houses, whichwere inhabited by the common people. Great

Bath was situated in the citadel mound and it

served ritual bathing. It was built of burnt

bricks. One of the most distinctive features of

Harappan cities was the carefully planned

drainage system. Roads and streets were

laid out along an approximate "grid" pattern,

intersecting at right angles. Thus only

statement 3 is correct.

Q.2 :d

RigVeda to two popular assemblies called

sabha and samiti which seem to have formed

an essential feature of the government it was

the samiti, which mainly dealt with policy

decisions and political business, included

common people. So statement 1 is incorrect

the sabha, less political in character, was a

more select body of the Elders or Nobles. It

was through these two assemblies that the

will of the people on important matters of the

rashtra was expressed. So statement 2 is

incorrect also.

Q.3 :b

Ur, a settlement of peasants was the

smallest unit of administration in Chola

empire. Nadu was group of villages and

formed a larger unit. Hence, Statement 1 is

wrong.

The villages in Chola empire enjoyed self-

government, the village assemblies like

mahasabha performed various administrative

functions including dispensing justice and

collecting taxes. They could also settle new

lands and exercise ownership rights over

them. Hence, statement 2 is correct.

Q.4 :d

Muqaddams referred to village headmen and

khuts were smaller landlord who enjoyed a

high standard of life than ordinary peasants

during Sultanate period.

Q.5 :b

The Naqshbandi school of Sufis was an

orthodox and revivalist movement which

opposed the concept of unity of God and

created beings. Hence, statement 1 is wrong.

The school also opposed all those practices

which were due to the influence of Hinduism

such as the use of music in religious

gatherings, excessive meditation, visitingtombs of saints etc. Hence, statement 2 is

correct.

Q.6 :a

The analogy of flame of a lamp which kindles

other lamp before being extinguished was

used to explain the process of transmigration

of soul, which was different from other

contemporary philosophies.

In other religion and philosophy something is

being transferred from one life to another.whereas, in Buddhism transmigration nothing

is transferred but, a new life arises as a chain

of events.

Q.7 :c

During medieval period, withdrawal of royal

patronage to painting under Aurangzeb led

to the dispersal of artists to different places

in the country. This helped in the

development of the art of painting in

Rajasthan and the Punjab hills giving rise todistinct schools of paintings - Rajasthani and

Pahari Schools. Pala and Apabhramsa are

ancient schools of miniature painting.

Q.8 :a

Some of the earliest bhakti movements were

led by the Alvars (literally, those who are

―immersed in devotion to Vishnu) and

Nayanars (literally, leaders who were

devotees of Shiva). They travelled from place

to place singing hymns in Tamil in praise of

their gods. During their travels the Alvars

and Nayanars identified certain shrines as

abodes of their chosen deities. Very often

large temples were later built at these sacred

places.

These developed as centres of pilgrimage.

Singing compositions of these poet-saints

became part of temple rituals in these

shrines, as did worship of the saints‘ images.

The most striking features of these traditions

was the presence of women like Andal was a

women Alvar and Karaikkkal Ammaiyar(

Nayanar), a devotee of Shiva , adopted the

path of extrame ascetism inorder to attainher goal.These women renounced their social

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obligations , but didnot join an alternative

order or become nuns. Hence, only 3rd

statement is incorrect.

Q.9 :a

3D printing or additive manufacturing is a

process of making three dimensional solid

objects from a digital file. The creation of a

3D printed object is achieved using additive

processes. In an additive process an object is

created by laying down successive layers of

material until the entire object is created.

Each of these layers can be seen as a thinly

sliced horizontal cross-section of the

eventual object.

Applications include rapid prototyping,

architectural scale models & maquettes,

healthcare (3d printed prosthetics andprinting with human tissue) and

entertainment (e.g. film props).

Other examples of 3D printing would include

reconstructing fossils in paleontology,

replicating ancient artifacts in archaeology,

reconstructing bones and body parts in

forensic pathology and reconstructing

heavily damaged evidence acquired from

crime scene investigations.

Pandorum Technologies Pvt. Ltd, a

biotechnology start-up focused on tissue

engineering, has made India’s first artificial

human liver tissue with the help of 3Dprinting technology.

Treating diseases such as alzheimers has not

been established yet in any of the research;

neither has it been used in genetic

modification.

Q.10 :d

Many crafts persons and merchants formed

associations known as shrenis. They provided

training, procured raw material and

distributed the finished product. They also

served as banks, where rich men and women

deposited money. This was invested, and

part of the interest was returned or used to

support religious institutions such as

monasteries.

Mandasor stone inscription(Madhya Pradesh)

provides insights into nature of these

shrenis.

Q.11 :d

Lai Haraoba is one of the main festival

performed in Manipur which has its roots inthe pre-Vaishnavite period. Lai Haraoba is

the earliest form of dance which forms the

basis of all stylised dances in Manipur.

Literally meaning - the merrymaking of the

gods, it is performed as a ceremonial offering

of song and dance. The principal performers

are the maibas and maibis (priests and

priestesses) who re-enact the theme of thecreation of the world.

Q.12 :b

Manipuri dance incorporates both the

tandava and lasya. The cult of Radha and

Krishna, particularly the raslila, is central to

its themes but the dances, unusually,

incorporate the characteristic cymbals (kartal

or manjira) and double-headed drum (pung

or Manipuri mrdanga) of sankirtan into the

visual performance. The lyrics used in Manipuri are usually from

the classical poetry of Jayadeva, Vidyapati,

Chandidas, Govindadas or Gyandas and may

be in Sanskrit, Maithili, Brij Bhasha or others.

Hence, only statements 1 and 2 are correct.

Q.13 :d

Akbar commissioned Gulbadan Begum( sister

of Humayun) to chronicle the story of his

father Humayun. It was written in Persian.

Alamgir Nama , a history of the first 10 yearsof Aurangzeb's reign was compiled by

Muhammad Kazim.

Akbar Nama, a history of Akbar's reign was

written by Abul Fazl.

Q.14 :d

A study of development of scripts is called

Palaeography whereas, the study of

inscriptions is called Epigraphy.

One of the most important and reliable

sources of history writing are inscriptions. An

inscription, being a contemporary document,

is free from later interpolations. It comes in

the form it was composed in and engraved

for the first time. It is almost impossible to

add something to it at a later stage.

Q.15 :a

Statement 3 is incorrect because till that

date Mughal had not expanded their Empire

in the South.

Strain began to show within the imperial

structure following Krishnadeva Raya‘s deathin 1529. His successors were troubled by



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rebellious nayakas or military chiefs. By 1542

control at the centre had shifted to another

ruling lineage, that of the Aravidu, which

remained in power till the end of the

seventeenth century. During this period, as

indeed earlier, the military ambitions of the

rulers of Vijayanagara as well as those of theDeccan Sultanates resulted in shifting

alignments. Eventually this led to an alliance

of the Sultanates against Vijayanagara.

Q.16 :a

Vajji (a confederacy of eight republican clans,

situated to the north of the river Ganga in

Bihar) with its capital, Vaishali, so pair 1 is

correct.

Chedi, (covering the modern Bundelkhand

area with its capital at Shuktimati), so pair 2is incorrect.

Ashmaka (between the rivers Narmada' and

Godavari) with its capital at Potana, so pair 3

is also incorrect

Q.17 :b

The RigVedic society comprised four varnas,

namely Brahmana, Kshatriya, Vaisya and

Shudra. This classification of society was

based on the occupation of individuals. So

statement 1 is correct. The teacher and priests were called

Brahmanas; rulers and administrators

kshatriyas; farmers, merchants and bankers

vaisyas; and artisan and labourers as sudras.

These vocations were followed by persons

according to their ability and liking, and the

occupations had not become hereditary as

they become later on. So statement 2 is

incorrect.

Members of the same family took to different

professions and belonged to different varnas.

So statement 3 is also incorrect.

Q.18 :c

It was written by Brahmagupta, it deals with

zero number, denotes positive numbers as

fortune and negative numbers as debt.

Q.19 :a

Urea is an important supplier of nitrogen,

which is necessary for the development of

plants. But only 30-40 per cent of nitrogen

present in the urea is utilised by crops. Therest gets degraded.

When ordinary urea is applied, it gets

converted to ammonium carbamate. Some of

this gets converted to ammonia gas in what

is called ammonia volatilisation.

About 8-10 per cent nitrogen is lost during

volatilization. The rest of the ammonium

carbamate undergoes chemicaltransformation and nitrates are formed.

Some of these are absorbed by the plants.

The rest are either leached into the

underground water or are denitrified to

gaseous nitrogen and nitrous oxide under

anaerobic conditions (absence of oxygen).

Neem has properties that check nitrogen loss

at each stage. It slows down the process of

nitrate formation and hence excess nitrate is

not available for denitrification.

When farmers use this urea, the slow release

of nitrogen helps the fertility of the soil.

Therefore, there will be more yield to theextent of 15-20%. Also, the higher usage of

neem-coated urea would check diversion of

urea for industrial use.Neem coated urea

also works as insecticide.

Q.20 :d

Discussions of the various religion led Akbar

to the idea of sulh-i kul or - universal

peace.This idea of tolerance did not

discriminate between people of different

religions in his realm. Instead it focused on asystem of ethics - honesty, justice, peace -

that was universally applicable. Abul Fazl

helped Akbar in framing a vision of

governance around this idea of sulh-i kul.

This principle of governance was followed by

Jahangir and Shah Jahan as well.

Q.21 :d

From archeological finds it appears that the

people of Indus valley were fashion

conscious.

Use of earring, Necklace, Lipstic, Facepowder

(cinnabar used for this), collyrium (eyeliner),

Necklace and anklets were used by them.

Different hairstyles and beard was also in

vogue.

Q.22 :d

Nalanda university was one of the famous

ancient university, which drew people from

all across the parts of South East Asia, china

etc.

In Nalanda university, all the three form of Buddhist doctrines were taught to the



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students with a strict entrance examination

for students.

Theravada: Theravada means the "Doctrine

of the Elders," is the school of Buddhism that

draws its scriptural inspiration from the

Tipitaka.

Mahayana: also known as the "greatvehicle". They believed in the original

teaching of Buddha without making any

interpretations to it.

Vajrayana: They made Buddhism tantracised

by inclusion of tara with boddhisatvas.

Q.23 :c

The Sahitya Akademi was formally

inaugurated by the Government of India on

12 March 1954. The Government of India

Resolution, which set forth the constitution of the Akademi, described it as a national

organisation to work actively for the

development of Indian letters and to set high

literary standards, to foster and co-ordinate

literary activities in all the Indian languages

and to promote through them all the cultural

unity of the country. Though set up by the

Government, the Akademi functions as an

autonomous organisation. It was

registered as a society on 7 January

1956, under the Societies Registration

Act, 1860.

The work must be published in thelanguage recognized by the Akademi

and the author must be of Indian

Nationality.

Criteria of eligibility for the Award:

In order to be eligible for the award, the book

must be an outstanding contribution to the

language and literature to which it belongs.

The book may be a creative or a critical

work, but must not be

a work of translation; or

an anthology of multiple authors; or

an abridgement, or

a compilation, or

an annotation; or

a treatise or research work prepared for a

university degree or any examination; or the

work of an author who has earlier won an

award from the Akademi (other than the

Translation Prize, Bal Sahitya Puraskar and

Yuva Puraskar); or

a recipient of Bhasha Samman; or

the Fellow of Sahitya Akademi; or

the work of an author who is a member of

the Executive Board of the Akademi.

A fresh collection of writings published earlierin book form, or revised editions of books

published earlier, are not eligible for Award.

However, if at least 75% of the work included

in a collection has been published for the

first time in book form, it can be considered

for Award.

An incomplete work may be considered for

the award only if the part that comprises thebook is complete in itself.

A posthumous publication is eligible for

Award only if the author has died within the

five year period stipulated for the award or

later.

A book shall be disqualified for the award if it

is established to the satisfaction of the

Executive Board that canvassing has been

done by the author.

Books will not be submitted directly from

authors and publishers.

Q.24 :d

The deterioration in the position of women is

quite perceptible in the Gupta age. The

Svayamvara and Gandharva forms of

marriage fell into disuse and the Arsa and

Asura forms in which the bride had to be

given with a price became popular.

Widows could not marry again.

Women had no right to real property.

Therefore, all the given statements are

correct.

Q.25 :c

The Pandya kingdom occupied roughly the

region of the modern districts of Tirunelveli,

Ramnad and Madurai in Tamil Nadu. The

capital of the kingdom was Madurai, The.

Cholas occupied the delta of the Kaveri river

and the adjoining region So statement 1 is

incorrect.

Under the Pandyas, the capital Madurai and

port city Korkai were great centres of trade

and commerce. So statement 2 is correct

The Pandyan kingdom was very wealthy and

prosperous. The traders profited from trade

with the Roman Empire. Pandya kings even

sent embassies to the Roman emperor

Augustus and Trojan.so statement 3 is also

correct.

Q.26 :b

The concept of Amman shrine to house chief

goddess emerged during Vijayanagara

period.

Vesara style is actually a hybrid of Nagaraand Dravida style of temple architecture and



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this style was adopted by the Chalukyas of

Badami. Badami is an important site for this

architecture.

In Nagara style the temple rises to a great

height in a curvilinear manner curving inside

to meet at the highest point.

While in Dravida style the temple tower risesup geometrically in a straight slope like a

stepped pyramid. Vesara style is somewhere

in between the two.

Q.27 :c

In the North West-, the Kashmiri neolithic

culture was distinguished by its dwelling pits

, range of ceramics and variety of stone and

bone tools and complete absence of the

microliths. An important site is that of

Burzahom, which means 'the place of birch' (North West of Srinagar). The placing of

domestic dogs in the graves of the masters

do not seem to be the practice with neolithic

people in any other part of India. Burial

practices were different in the different

regions of the ancient India. Both the

statements are correct. However almost

complete extended burial practice obtained

in western India. In southern India it used to

be buried in east-west position. In fractional

burial bones are found to be piled up.

Q.28 :a

The consolidation of a kingdom as vast as

the Delhi Sultanate needed reliable

governors and administrators. Rather than

appointing aristocrats and landed chieftains

as governors, the early Delhi.

Sultans, especially Iltutmish, favoured their

special slaves purchased for military service,

called bandagan in Persian. They were

carefully trained to man some of the most

important political offices in the kingdom.

Since they were totally dependent upon their

master, the Sultan could trust and rely upon

them.

Q.29 :d

There are three principal inscriptions on the

Allahabad Pillar. It was first erected by

Ashoka for the purpose of inscribing his

edicts regarding the propagation of

Buddhism.

It was next made use of by Samudragupta

and is the most important historical

document of the classical Gupta age. Iteulogizes the achievements, conquests and

personality of Samudragupta. It was

composed by Harishena.

It was then used by Jahangir to

commemorate his accession to the throne.

At some point of time, the pillar was moved

from its original location and installed within

Akbar's Allahabad Fort in Allahabad, UttarPradesh.

Therefore, d is the correct answer.

Q.30 :b

For centuries maharis were the chief

repositories of this dance. The maharis, who

were originally temple dancers came to be

employed in royal courts which resulted in

the degeneration of the art form. Around this

time, a class of boys called gotipuas were

trained in the art, they danced in the templesand also for general entertainment. Many of

today's gurus of this style belong to the

gotipua tradition.

Facial expressions, hand gestures and body

movements are used to suggest a certain

feeling, an emotion or one of the nine rasas.

Q.31 :d

The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral

Technical and Economic Cooperation

(BIMSTEC) is a regional organizationcomprising seven Member States lying in the

littoral and adjacent areas of the Bay of

Bengal constituting a contiguous regional

unity. It constitutes seven Member States:

five deriving from South Asia, including

Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka,

and two from Southeast Asia, including

Myanmar and Thailand. Initially, the

economic bloc was formed with four Member

States with the acronym 'BIST-EC'

(Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka and Thailand

Economic Cooperation). Following the

inclusion of Myanmar on 22 December 1997

during a special Ministerial Meeting in

Bangkok, the Group was renamed 'BIMST-EC'

(Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and

Thailand Economic Cooperation). With the

admission of Nepal and Bhutan at the 6th

Ministerial Meeting (February 2004,

Thailand), the name of the grouping was

changed to 'Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-

Sectoral Technical and Economic

Cooperation' (BIMSTEC). BIMSTEC has also

established a platform for intra-regional

cooperation between SAARC and ASEAN

members.

BIMSTEC Summits2nd BIMSTEC Summit 2008- New



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Delhi

3rd BIMSTEC Summit 2014 - Nay Pyi

Taw, Myanmar

4th BIMSTEC Summit - Nepal

Q.32 :c

Chakravartin were the Kings who tried to

establish their authority from the Himalayas

to down south and from east to western

India. Ashoka and Samudragupta are often

given this title as they extended their reach

to very large areas.

Q.33 :b

The subject matter of Ajanta paintings is

almost exclusively Buddhist, exceptingdecorative patterns on the ceilings and the

pillars. They are mostly associated with the

Jatakas, collection of stories, recording the

previous births of the Lord Buddha.

Both Hindu and Buddhist literature refer to

paintings of various types and techniques for

example, Lepyacitras, lekhacitras and

Dhulitcitras.

The murals chiefly depict religious scenes

from the life of the Buddha and the Buddhist

Jataka stories but we also have secular

scenes.

Q.34 :b

"When India came into contacts with Central

Asian ruler, the foreign princes patronized

Sanskrit literature whose earliest specimen is

found in Junagarh inscription of Rudradaman

in Kathiawar in about A.D. 50. The Kavya

style refers to the indian epic poems written

in sanskrit.

Kushanas patronize Ashvaghosh who wrote

Buddhacharita, biography of Buddha. He also

composed Sanskrit kavya, Saundarnanda.

Swapanvasavdatta was written by Bhas.

Numerous Avadans were composed in what

is known as Buddhist hybrid Sanskrit to

preach the teachings of Mahayana Buddhism

Some of the important books are Mahavastu

and the divyavadana. Avadanas refer to the

legendary literary mateials centering on

Buddha's explanations of events of present

life by a person's worthy deeds in a previous

life. Mahavastu is the most famous work

classified as avadana."

Q.35 :d

The Indo Islamic architecture was synthesis

of architectural form of different religions.

For decorative purposes it used:

Pietra-dura: Enlaying of precious and

semiprecious stones on the walls of

the building.

Tesselation: Decoration on walls andfloors with mosaic.

Dado panel: Lower part of the interior

wall finished differently from other

walls.

Arbesque: Ornamental designs of

lines, leaves and flowers.

Jali work: Ornamental screens with

geometric figures like hexagon etc.

Q.36 :c

Rajaraja-I was the most powerful ruler of theChola Empire.He was a great conqueror. He

defeated the Cheras, Pandyas and the

Chalukyas. He defeated Mahinda-V of Ceylon

and built a Siva temple at Anuradhapuram.

He even conquered Maldives.Thus the power

of Cholas extended beyond South India. He

was a follower of Saivism. Devaram was

collected and codified only during his period.

He constructed the Brahadeeswara Temple

at Tanjore in 1010 A.D.

Chandragupta Maurya accepted Jainism and

went to Sravanbelgola to observe samlekhna

in which a jain follower fast unto death to getliberated from the samsara.

Mahendravarman-I was the son of

Simhavishnu. Conflicts arose between the

Chalukyas and the Pallavas during this

period. He lost the northern parts of the

PallavaKingdom to Pulakesin II. Though a

follower of Jainism, he embraced Saivism due

to Saint Appar's influence.He was a versatile

scholar. Hetook up the titles like

Chitrakarapuli and Vichitra Chitta for his

excellence in building,painting and music. He

constructed the cities of Mahendramangalam

and Mahendravadi.

Q.37 :b

The assessment of land revenue was done on

the basis of the measurement of the land,

however the peasants were given option of

paying in cash or kind. Hence, statement 1 is

wrong.

Sher shah introduced a ces at rate of two

and a half seers per bigha in order to guard

against famine and other natural calamities.

Hence, statement 2 is correct.



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Q.38 :b

India and France have launched an

International Solar Alliance to boost solar

energy in developing countries.

The initiative was launched at the UN Climate

Change Conference in Paris. It will be acommon platform for cooperation among

solar resource rich countries lying fully or

practically between the Tropics of Cancer

and Capricorn.

It will not duplicate or replicate the efforts

that others (like International Renewable

Energy Agency (IRENA), Renewable Energy

and Energy Efficiency Partnership (REEEP),

International Energy Agency (IEA),

Renewable Energy Policy Network for the

21st Century (REN21), United Nations bodies,

bilateral organizations etc.) are currently

engaged in, but will establish networks anddevelop synergies with them.

Thus only statement 3 is wrong.

The International Renewable Energy Agency

(IRENA) is an intergovernmental organisation

that supports countries in their transition to a

sustainable energy future, and serves as the

principal platform for international

cooperation. IRENA promotes the widespread

adoption and sustainable use of all forms of

renewable energy, including bioenergy,

geothermal, hydropower, ocean, solar and

wind energy in the pursuit of sustainable

development, energy access, energy securityand low-carbon economic growth and

prosperity.

Q.39 :d

The Asthapradhan of Shivaji consisted of following 8

officials:

1. Peshwa, who looked after general

administration and finances.

2. Sari-i-naubat or senapati

3. Majumdar, who was an accountant.

4. Wakenavis, who was responsible for

intelligence, posts and household affairs.

5. Suranavis or chitnis, who helped in

correspondence.

6. Dabir. who was master of ceremonies.

7. Nyayadhish, was in charge of justice.

8. Panditrao, was in charge of charitable grants.

All, officers except pandit rao and nyayadhish were

asked to lead military campaigns. Under Shivaji

these offices were neither herediatry nor permanent:

they held office till the king's pleasure and they were

frequently transferred. They were directly paid by

the exchequer and no jagir was granted to any civilor military officer. Later, under the peshwas, they

assumed herediatry and permanent character.

Hence statement 1,2 and 3 are wrong.

Q.40 :d

While Carnatic music is sung and performedin only one style. There exists various style

of singing and performing in Hindustani

music. Each style of school is called a

'gharana'. Hence, statement 1 is correct.

Unlike Hindustani music, Carnatic music does

not adhere to time or Samay concept. In

Hindustan classical music, each raag is

rendered only at aspecific time. The time of

the raag depends on the vaadi swar and the

anuvadi saars. This is so as each raag with

it's particular swar is more effective if

performed at a particular time. It is supposed

to enhance the ras(mood) of the raag.Hence, statement 2 is correct.

Carnatic Style employs Shrutis or semitones

to create a Raga and thus have many more

Ragas than the Hindustani style. Carnatic

ragas differ from Hindustani ragas. The

names of ragas are also different. However,

there are some ragas which have the same

scale as Hindustani ragas but have different

names; such as Hindolam and Malkauns,

Shankarabharanam and Bilawal. There is a

third category of ragas like Hamsadhwani,

Charukeshi, Kalavati etc. which are

essentially Carnatic Ragas. They share thesame name, the same scale (same set of

notes) but can be rendered in the two

distinctively different Carnatic and

Hindustani styles. Hence, statement 3 is

correct.

Q.41 :a

Kabir belonged to the Nirguna tradition of

Bhakti. Kabir preached a religious system

strictly montheistic advocating abolition of

Varnaashrama, and casting doubt on the

authority of the Vedas and the other sacred

books.

The school of Kabir sought to understand

Islam and was sufficiently broad minded to

incorporate some of its basic principles. That

is why his references are available in the Sufi

literature as well. Abul Fazl called Kabir a

muwahhid (monotheist). Hence statement 1,

2 and 3 are correct.

Bijak is the authoritative account of kabir's

philosophy, while Bani is collection of hyms

and poems by Dadu, who was inspired by

Kabir. Hence, statement 4 is wrong.



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Q.42 :d

Located in Kacchi plains of Baluchistan,

Mehrgarh provides the earliest evidence of

settled agriculture in the subcontinent and

probably south Asia. It is considered a

precurser to Indus Valley Civilization.Additional Information : Dholavira, the

largest of all Indus settlements was

characterized by a middle town evidences of

irrigation, findings of gold rings, etc.

Kalibangan site is situated on banks of

Ghagghar river in Rajasthan and provides

evidence of earliest ploughed field in Indai in

its proto-harappan phase.

Q.43 :d

The branch of knowledge which studies coinsis called numismatics. So statement 1 is

correct.

Earliest coins, called punch marked, are in

silver and copper. Some gold punch-marked

coins are also reported to have been found,

but they are very rare and their authenticity

is doubtful. Statement 2 is also correct.

The punch-marked coins are the earliest

coins of India and they bear only symbols on

them. Each symbol is punched separately,

which sometimes overlap the another. These

have been found throughout the country,

from Taxila to Magadha to Mysore or evenfurther south. They do not bear any

inscription, or legend on them. statement 3

is also correct.

Q.44 :b

Statements 1 and 3 are incorrect.

All the three higher varnas shared one

common feature: they were entitled to

upanayana or investiture with the sacred

thread according to the Vedic mantras. The

fourth varna was deprived of the sacred

thread ceremony and the recitation of the

Gayatri mantra.

Ashramas or four stages of life were not well

established in Vedic times. In the post Vedic

texts only 3 (Brahamchari, Grihastha and

Vanprastha) are mentioned. The fourth

stage/Ashrama (Sanyas) had not been well

established in later Vedic times.

Q.45 :b

Pulakesin II was defeated by

Narsimhavarman I, son and successor of Mahendravarman I, After this victory

Narasimhavarman adopted the tittle of

Vatapikonda. He is also said to have

defeated the Cholas, the Cheras, the

Pandyas and the Kalabhrs.

Q.46 :d

All are correctly matched.

Kurnool - Traces of ash have been found here

which suggests that people were familiar

with the use of fire.

Bagor - This site provides the earliest

evidence for the domestication of animals.

Mehrgarh - Women and men learnt to grow

barley and wheat, and rear sheep and goats

for the first time in this area.

Q.47 :a

The most remarkable development in the

religious field in India from about the sixth

century A.D was the spread of tantricism. It

arose as a result of the large-scale admission

of the aboriginal peoples in brahmanical

society. It laid great stress on the use of

magic rituals. They were intended to satisfy

the material desires of the devotees for

physical possessions and to cure the day-to-

day diseases and injuries.

Tantricism admitted both women and

shudras into its ranks. It permeated Jainism,Buddhism, Shaivism and Vaishnavism.

Therefore, only 1 and 2 are correct.

Q.48 :b

Statement 1 is incorrect. The total length of

canal in India is about 4,300. Around 900 KM

is navigable but only 330 KM is used.

Statement 2 is correct. Salinity across the

coastal area hinder the smooth navigation in

the area.

Statement 3 is correct. While inland

waterways are recognised as a fuel efficient,

cost effective and environment friendly mode

of transport, it has received lesser

investment as compared to roads and

railways. Since inland waterways are lagging

behind other modes of transport, the central

government has evolved a policy for

integrated development of inland waterways.

Q.49 :a

Govt. of India approved a new program titled

Global Initiative of Academic Networks(GIAN) in Higher Education aimed at tapping



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the talent pool of scientists and

entrepreneurs, internationally to encourage

their engagement with the institutes of

Higher Education in India so as to augment

the country's existing academic resources,

accelerate the pace of quality reform, and

elevate India's scientific and technologicalcapacity to global excellence.

Statement 1 is correct: Addressing the

shortfall of well trained teachers is one of the

major objectives of GIAN. Teachers from

abroad would help internationalization of

Indian institutions.

Statement 2 is incorrect: IIT Kharagpur is

indeed the nodal agency. But the GIAN is not

only focused on science and related subjects.

Humanities have also been made part of it.

Statement 3 in incorrect: The initiative aims

to tap the services of international teachers.

Q.50 :d

Buddhism did not follow absolute non

voilence.

As per buddhist doctrine one can kill if it is

necessary. Buddhist Monks even used to

consumed meat.

Q.51 :d

Aryabhatta discovered algebra and alsoformulated the area of a triangle, which led

to the origin of Trigonometry.

Varahamihira in Panch Siddhantika gives the

summary of five schools of astronomy

present in his time.

Zero was discovered in India in the second

century BC. Brahmagupta’s Brahmasputa

Siddhanta is the very first book that

mentioned ‘zero’ as a number, hence,

Brahmagupta is considered as the man who

found zero.

Varahamihira’s Brihatsamhita of the sixth

century AD is a work in the field of

astronomy.

Q.52 :d

India is said to be the home of puppets, but it

is yet to awaken to its unlimited possibilities.

The excavation sites at Harappa and

Mohenjo-daro have yielded puppets with

sockets attached to them, which suggest the

presence of puppetry as an art form. The

earliest reference to the art of puppetry is

found in Tamil classic 'Silappadikaaram'

written around the 1st or 2nd century B.C.Natyashastra, the masterly treatise on

dramaturgy written sometime during 2nd

century BC to 2nd century AD., does not

refer to the art of puppetry but the producer-

cum-director of the human theatre has been

termed as 'Sutradhar' meaning the holder of

strings. The word might have found its place

in theatre-terminology long beforeNatyashastra was written but it must come

from marionette theatre. Puppetry,

therefore, must have originated in India more

than 500 years before Christ.

Types of puppets include:

String Puppets – Kathputli

Shadow Puppets - Togalu Gobeyatta

Glove Puppets - Pavakoothu

Rod Puppets - Putul Nacch.

Q.53 :a

Khajuraho temples were patronised by

Chandella dynasty. Some of the features of

the temples include:

The temples are made of sandstone.

Both the interior and exterior walls

are lavishly decorated with carvings.

Temple walls of the temples

patronized by Solanki rulers were

devoid of any carvings.

Panchayatan style of temple making

is followed. Stellate plan style,

whereby shrines are led out in the

shape of an intricately designed star,is followed in Hoysala School of art.

The temples were generally north or

east facing.

The temples were built on relatively

high platforms.

Examples - Lakshamana Temple, Kandariya

Mahadeva Temple.

Some Jain temples are also found in

Khajuraho.

Q.54 :b

2nd statement is incorrect because

Advaitavada philosophy propounded by

Sankara also called the doctrine of non-

dualism, did not reject the path of bhakti ,

but rather the bhakt or the devotee had to

first clean his heart through jnan or

knowledge which can only be attained

through Vedic scriptures. In other words,

Sankara confirmed Vedas as the

fountainhead of true knowledge.

He propounded that God, soul & the created

world are both one. At the practical level,

there may appear to be differences but at

the 'parmarthik' level there are no realdifferences.



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It is based on the interpretation of the

upanishads which comprise of dialogue

between teacher and student & believed in

the knowledge or Gyan marg for salvation.

Bhakti marg is accepted by Ramanuja.

Q.55 :b

Major eighteen works were called as

Melkannakku .18 Minor works were called

Kilkanakku. Many of the social events are

presented in this literature like economy in

ancient time etc. showing social evolution.

Tolkapiyyam, Silppadikaram and Manimeklai

were also written during this time.

Tolkkappiyam deals with grammar and

Poetics.

Silappadikarm deals with love story in which

a dignatory called Kovalan prefers acourtesan called Madhavi of kaveripattanam

to his noble wedded wife Kannagi and

Manimekalai is another story which deals

with adventures of the daughter born out of

union of Kovalan and Madhavi.

Q.56 :b

The sufi orders are broadly divided into two:

Ba-shara, that is, those which followed the

Islamic law(shara) and be-shara, that is those

which were not bound by it. Both types of orders were significant in India, the later

being followed more by wandering saints.

Although the saints didn't established an

order some of them became figures of populr

veneration for Both Hindus and Muslims.

Of the ba-shara movements, two acquired

significant influence. These were Chisti and

Suharwadi silsilahs. The Chisti and

Suharwardi silsilahs which followed Ba-shara

tradition acquired significance influence in

India. Hence, statement 1 is wrong and

statement 2 is correct.

Q.57 :b

The movement that emerged in Karnataka in

twelfth century was led by a brahamana

named Basavanna. Hence, statement 1 is

correct.

The followers of the movement known as

Virashaivas or Lingayats worship Shiva in his

manifestation as a linga. Hence, statement 2

is wrong.

The Lingayats encouraged certains practices

that were disapproved in the Dharmashastra,

such as post- puberty marriage and theremarriage of widows. Hence, statement 3 is

correct.

Q.58 :d

The system of Amara Nayakas was major

political innovation of the Vijayanagaraempire. The amara nayakas were military

commanders who were given territories to

govern by the raya. Hence, statement 1 is

correct.

They collected taxes and other dues from the

peasants, craftpersons and traders in the

area. They retained part of the revenue for

personnel use and for maintaining a

stipulated contingent of horses and

elephants.

During the course of the seventeenth

century, many of these nayaks established

independent kingdoms. This hastened thecollapse of the central imperial structure.

Hence, statement 4 is correct.

Q.59 :b

Under the dahsala system , the average

produce of different crops as well as the

average prices prevailing over the last

ten(dah) years were calculated. The revenue

was not fixed for ten years. Hence,

statement 1 is wrong.

Under the ghalla- bakshi system, the producefrom land was divided between the peasants

and the state in fixed proportion.

Q.60 :c

Statement 1 and 2 are incorrect because

Hsuan Tsang visited during Harsha's rule . He

came to India to study in the Buddhist

University of Nalanda and to collect Buddhist

texts from India. Under his influence, Harsha

became supporter of Buddhism. Whereas

Chandragupta II period or during Gupta Age,

Buddhism no longer received royal

patronage and the Chinese traveller who

visited was Fa-Hsien . Chandragupta

received education at Taxila University.

Hence,Statement 3 is correct.

Hsuan Tsang translated mostly Mahayana

Buddhist works written in Sanskrit in

Chinese.

Q.61 :b

Theory of karma means that a person in his

present birth has to bear the consequencesof his actions performed in his previous birth.



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It is associated with Vedanta chool of

philosphy.

Q.62 :d

"Pradakshinapatha refers to thecircumbulatory or pathway around the main

shrine. In earlier temple architecture,

basically in Nagara style there were three

kinds of shrines which were classified on the

basis of patway around the main shrine.

In sandhara type there were no

pradakshinapath around the main shrine

whereas in nirandhara type there is pathway

to do 'parikrama' around the main shrine.

In saravatobhadra the shrine can be

accessed from all sides as it has multiple

gods and godesses facing different direction,

there is particular sequence for placing thesedeities in circular manner. Example of

sarvatobhadra shrine is Vishnu temple at

Deogarh".

Hence D is the correct answer.

Q.63 :b

The Milindapanho, Buddhist text which dates

from approximately 100 BC is record of

dialogue between Indo-Greek king Milinda's

questions on Buddhism to the sage

Nagasena therefore it is non-canonical.Canonical literature are the one which lay

down the basic tenets of religion or sect.

There stories of Buddha in Jataka tales

contains the teachings and principles of

Buddhism there fore it is canonical. It is the

part of Suttapitaka.

Therigatha literature contains the songs for

Buddhist nuns and one of the earliest

literature created by women.

Suttapitaka contains teachings by Buddha

himself in a dialogue form.

Q.64 :c

Akbar abolished both jizyah and pilgrimage

tax. Hence, statement 1 is wrong.

Akbar treated Rajput and Mughal officials

equally for e.g Man Singh and Bhagwant Das

rose to mansab ranks of 7000 and 5000

respectively. Hence, statement 2 is correct.

Akbar did not treat matrimonial alliances as

test of loyalty and submission. No

matrimonial relations were established with

the Hadas of Ranthambhor, yet Surjan Hada

was allotted jagirs in Garh-Katanga, served in

Gujarat and elsewhere and rose to the rank2000. Again, when the rulers of Sirohi and

Banswara submitted, no matrimonial

relations were established with them. Neither

were the matrimonial alliances forced upon

the Rajputs, it was more the force of

circumstances and a realisation on the part

of the rajas the benefits these marriages

might confer on them.Hence, statement 3 is wrong.

Q.65 :c

The Central Board of Film Certification is a

statutory censorship and classification body

under the Ministry of Information and

Broadcasting, Government of India. It is

tasked with "regulating the public exhibition

of films under the provisions of the

Cinematograph Act 1952" It assigns

certifications to films, television shows,television ads, and publications for

exhibition, sale or hire in India. Films can be

publicly exhibited in India only after they are

certified by the Board.

Q.66 :a

Regional Comprehensive Economic

Partnership (RCEP) is a proposed free trade

agreement (FTA) between the ten member

states of the Association of Southeast Asian

Nations (ASEAN) (Brunei, Burma (Myanmar),Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the

Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam)

and the six states with which ASEAN has

existing FTAs (Australia, China, India, Japan,

South Korea and New Zealand). RCEP

negotiations were formally launched in

November 2012 at the ASEAN Summit in

Cambodia. RCEP is viewed as an alternative

to the TPP trade agreement, which includes

the United States but excludes China.

Q.67 :b

Ugadi is celebrated as New Year’s Day in

Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. The name

Ugadi is derived from the name “Yuga Adi”,

which means ‘the beginning of a new age’. It

is celebrated on the first day of the Hindu

month Chaitra, which marks the onset of

spring.

The festival of Losar marks the beginning of

New Year in Ladakh region of Jammu and

Kashmir. Losar is Tibetan word for ‘new

year’.

Gudi Padwa is celebrated as New Year’s Day

in Maharashtra. It is celebrated on the sameday as Ugadi i.e., the first day of the month



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Chaitra. Lord Brahma is worshipped on this

day and the gudi, Brahma’s flag (also called

Brahmadhvaj), is hoisted in every house as a

symbolic representation of Rama’s victory

over Ravana.

Vishu is celebrated as New Year’s Day in

Kerala. It is celebrated on the first day of theMalayalam month of Medam (mid-April on

the Gregorian calendar). Offerings to the

divine called Vishukanni are neatly arranged

on the eve of the festival and consist of rice,

linen, cucumber, betel leaves, holy texts,

coins and yellow flowers called konna (Cassia

fistula). It is considered auspicious to see the

Vishukanni first thing in the morning. On this

day, people read the Ramayana and go to

temples, Hindu places of worship. Children

burst crackers, people wear new clothes and

prepare special dishes and the elders of the

house give out money to the children,servants and tenants. The money given is

called Vishukaineetam.

Q.68 :d

Bhagvatism originated in post Maurya times.

Vishnu was a minor god in Vedic times who

represented sun and the fertility cult. Later

he was merged with a non-Vedic tribal god

Narayana and came to be known as Narayan-

Vishnu. Narayan was called bhagavat and his

worshippers were called bhagvatas. AlsoVishnu came to be identical with a legendary

hero of the Vrishni tribe of western India

known as Krishna-Vasudeva. By 200 B.C.

three streams of worshippers and their gods

merged into one and resulted into creation of

Bhagavatism or Vaishanavism. Bhagvatism

was marked by bhakti and ahimsa. The

ahimsa doctrine suited the agricultural

society, and was in keeping with the old cult

of life giving fertility associated with vishnu.

Q.69 :c

Stupa represents 'Mahaparinibba', while

empty seat indicates meditation. The wheel

is also called the dharma chakra. It has eight

spokes, which represent Buddha’s Eightfold

Path. The Eight-Spoked Dharma Wheel or

'Dharmachakra' (Sanskrit) symbolises the

Buddha's turning the Wheel of Truth or Law.

Q.70 :d

The three faces of Maheshmurti in Elephanta

cave are with different expressions on theirfaces and different crowns as per their

iconographic prescription. The central head

is the main Shiva in a calm, peaceful and

meditating state. In the left of main Shiva

there is the face of Uma with all feminine

characters. The right face is of Bhairav

clearly shown in profile in anger with bulging

eyes and moustache.

Q.71 :a

Pictorial mosaic work work using semi

precious stones on walls is called Pietradura.

A work or an object composed of many

colours is called Polychrome.

A square or rectangular hall in front of

sanctury or main temple is called Jagmohan.

Arabesque is an ornamental design having

interwind flowing line, leaves and flowers.

Q.72 :d

Rajatarangini, written by Kalhan in 1150 CE,

gives a connected account of the kings of

Kashmir from the early ones of the legend to

the historical rulers of the 12th century.

Hence, statement 1 is wrong. In

Rajatarangini, Kalhan not only has praised

various kings, but is often critical about

rulers and their policies. Hence, statement 2

is wrong.

Q.73 :a

Early Buddhist and Jaina texts mention,

amongst other things, sixteen states known

as mahajanapadas. Although the lists vary,

some names such as Vajji, Magadha,

Koshala, Kuru, Panchala, Gandhara and

Avanti occur frequently.

Most mahajanapadas were ruled by kings

(monarchies). But some of them, known as

ganas or sanghas, were oligarchies, where

power was shared by a number of men, often

collectively called rajas.

Both Mahavira and the Buddha belonged to

sanghas.

Q.74 :d

Chadar Badar, also known as Santhal

Puppetry, is a tribal performing art of the

Santhal people, mainly found in the Indian

states of Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha,

Bihar and Assam. An ancient way of telling

stories of ‘Santhal way’ of life and migration;

Chadar Badar is a rare and unique set-up of asmall wooden box, inside which 7 to 9 inches



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long puppets are made to dance

accompanied by the artiste on traditional

songs and hand-made crude musical

instruments.

Unfortunately, only handful of Chadar-Badar

puppeteers are alive today.

Q.75 :a

The Mesolithic sites are found in good

numbers in Rajasthan, Southern U.P, central

and eastern India. Polished stone tools,

especially Stone axe are the features of

Neolithic Age (the age of food producers).

The Mesolithic age used microliths.

Q.76 :c

Diwan-i-insha was the department that dealt

with state correspondence, while Diwan-i-

risalat, dealt with religious matters.

Q.77 :a

Acc to Samkhya school, world owes its

creation and evolution mote to nature than

to God. Later, the creation of world was

attributed to both nature and spirit. Thus in

the beginning this school was materialistic

and later becomes spiritualistic.Whereas, according to Vedanta philosophy,

brahma is reality and everything else is

unreal. By the knowledge of self, one can

attain salvation. Hence statement (a) is not

correct.

Vaisheshika school also put forward the

materialistic view of life. According to

vaisheshika school, material objects are

made up of atoms. Hence it propounded the

atom theory.

Nyaya school was developed as a system of

logic. According to Nyaya school, salvation

can be attained through the acquisition of

knowledge.

Q.78 :d

Underground Coal Gasification (UCG) is a process for

exploiting coal that cannot be mined because the

seams are too deep, thin or fractured. Air or a

combination of oxygen and steam are injected into

the gasification panel within the coal seam. The coal

is then heated and controlled reactions convert solid

coal into product gas, known as "syngas", which is

extracted at the surface. The syngas is mixture of

hydrogen, carbon monoxide, methane, CO2 andhigher hydrocarbons.

Benefits of Underground coal gasification:

Syngas can be directly supplied to end- user,

reducing the need of rail/road infrastructure.

Lowers emissions, because gasification in

UCG is underground thereby reducing

environmental management costs.UCG may not require an external water

source to operate, a major environmental

advantage over water intensive coal mining.

Q.79 :d

The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of

Children) Bill, 2015 that will replace the

Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of

Children) Act, 2000 states that any person

aged between 16 and 18 years and accused

of a heinous offence - defined as a crime forwhich there is a sentence of seven years or

more under the Indian Penal Code - may be

tried under the IPC and not the JJ Act if, after

a preliminary inquiry, the Juvenile Justice

Board feels that the crime was committed

with full knowledge and understanding of the

consequences.

Juvenile Justice Boards (JJB) and Child Welfare

Committees (CWC) will be constituted in

each district. The JJB will conduct a

preliminary inquiry to determine whether a

juvenile offender is to be sent for

rehabilitation or be tried as an adult. TheCWC will determine institutional care for

children in need of care and protection.

Q.80 :d

Chhau dance is a tradition from eastern India

that enacts episodes from epics including the

Mahabharata and Ramayana, local folklore

and abstract themes. Its three distinct styles

hail from the regions of Seraikella, Purulia

and Mayurbhanj, the first two using masks.

Chhau dance is intimately connected to

regional festivals, notably the spring festival

Chaitra Parva. Steps and techniques of Pari-

khanda, a form of martial art are used in

Chhau. It is performed exclusively by men.

The dance is performed at night in an open

space to traditional and folk melodies, played

on the reed pipes ''mohuri'' and ''shehnai.''

This dance form is included in the UNESCO's

Representative List of the Intangible Cultural

Heritage of Humanity.

Q.81 :b

Cire perdu or lost wax process was used for



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casting metal sculptures, particularly of

bronze in ancient India.

Q.82 :d

The Indus Valley people were acquainted with thearts of:

Measurement: Sticks inscribed with measure

marks found in IVC.

Spinning: Spindle whorls found in

settlements of IVC.

Navigation: This helped them in distant trade

with Mesopotamia.

Potter wheel: for making potteries.

Canal irrigation is not historically verified to be

known to IVC. hence, statement 3 is incorrect.

Q.83 :a

Gandhara School of Art: It was based on

Greco-Roman norms encapsulating foreign

techniques and an alien spirit. It is also

known as Graeco-Buddhist School of art. The

foreign influence is evident from the

sculptures of Buddha in which they bear

resemblance to the Greek sculptures. Grey

sandstone (Blue-grey Mica schist to be

precise) is used in Gandhara School of Art.

The Bamyan Buddha of Afghanistan were theexample of the Gandhara School. The other

materials used were Mud, Lime, Stucco.

However, Marble was NOT used in Gandhara

art. Terracotta was used rarely. Bimaran

Casket has yielded the earliest specimen of

the Gandhara Art.

Mathura School of Art: The material used in

this school was the spotted red sandstone.

The Mathura School of Art, noted for its

vitality and assimilative character, was a

result of the religious zeal of Brahmanism,

Jainism and Buddhism. Images of Vaishnava

and Shaiva faiths are also found at Mathura

but Buddhist images are found in large

numbers. The images of Vishnu and Shiva

are represented by their weapons. Images of

the Buddha, Yakshas, Yakshinis, Shaivite and

Vaishnavite deities and portrait statues are

profusely sculpted.

Amaravati School of Art: The third type of

sculpture art that Flourished during the

Kushana time was Amaravati School of art in

the Andhra Pradesh. White Marble was used

in this art and the themes were Buddha’s life

and Jatakas tales. The curly hairs of Buddha

is a feature that is influenced by the Greeks.

In this school, the Kings, Princes, Palaces etc.have got prominence.

Q.84 :d

Bahamani kingdom was a contemporary of

Vijayanagar empire in Deccan. Both the

empires ruled Deccan from fourteenth to

sixteenth century A.D. Hence, statement 1 iswrong.

One of the most remarkable step taken by

Firuz shah Bahmani, a Bahamani ruler was

the induction of Hindus in the administration

on a large scale. Hence, statement 2 is

wrong.

The decline of Bahamani kingdom is

attributed to the strife among the nobles,

who became independent after the death of

Mahmud Gawan in fifteenth century and

divide the kingdom into five principalities of:

Golconda, Bijapur, Ahmadnagar, Berar and

Bidar. The absorption of these principalitiesin Mughal empire was done during

seventeenth century. Hence, statement 3 is

wrong.

Q.85 :a

Mahabhasya written by Patanjali in the

second century B.C., is a commentary on

Panini's Asthadhyayi.

Q.86 :b

Pithoro, Mithila paintings and warli are

traditional form of murals.

Pithoro is practised in parts of Rajasthan and

Gujarat.

Mithila paintings is regional mural type of

Mithila region

Warli is traditional form of mural of

Maharashtra.

Q.87 :d

The basic ingredient of rasas or flavours from

which aesthetic sense of reader was aroused

were of 8 types

They could be used individually or in

combination of other rasas in a poem

8 types of rasas/flavours of poetry are:

1. Love

2. Courage

3. Mirth

4. Loathing

5. Surprise

6. Anger

7. Pity8. Terror.



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Q.88 :b

Antibiotic resistance is the ability of a micro-

organism to withstand the effects of an

antibiotic. It is a specific type of drug

resistance.Statement 1, 2 and 4 are correct.

Factors causing resistance:

Overuse of antibiotics

Incorrect diagnosis

Unnecessary prescriptions

Improper use of antibiotics by

patients

Reduction in useful bacteria may affect some

biological processes. But, it has not been

established that it affects antibiotic

resistance.

Q.89 :a

The major objective of PMKSY is to achieve

convergence of investments in irrigation at

the field level, expand cultivable area under

assured irrigation, improve on-farm water

use efficiency to reduce wastage of water,

enhance the adoption of precision-irrigation

and other water saving technologies (More

crop per drop), enhance recharge of aquifers

and introduce sustainable water

conservation practices by exploring the

feasibility of reusing treated municipal wastewater for peri-urban agriculture and attract

greater private investment in precision

irrigation system.

PMKSY has been conceived amalgamating

ongoing schemes viz. Accelerated Irrigation

Benefit Programme (AIBP) of the Ministry of

Water Resources, River Development &

Ganga Rejuvenation (MoWR,RD&GR),

Integrated Watershed Management

Programme (IWMP) of Department of Land

Resources (DoLR) and the On Farm Water

Management (OFWM) of Department of

Agriculture and Cooperation (DAC). The

scheme will be implemented by Ministries of

Agriculture, Water Resources and Rural

Development.

Ministry of Rural Development is to mainly

undertake rain water conservation,

construction of farm pond, water harvesting

structures, small check dams and contour

bunding etc.

MoWR, RD &GR, is to undertake various

measures for creation of assured irrigation

source, construction of diversion canals, field

channels, water diversion/lift irrigation,

including development of water distribution

systems. Ministry of Agriculture will promoteefficient water conveyance and precision

water application devices like drips,

sprinklers, pivots, rain-guns in the farm “(Jal

Sinchan)”, construction of micro-irrigation

structures to supplement source creation

activities, extension activities for promotion

of scientific moisture conservation and

agronomic measures.Programme architecture of PMKSY will be to

adopt a ‘decentralized State level planning

and projectised execution’ structure that will

allow States to draw up their own irrigation

development plans based on District

Irrigation Plan (DIP) and State Irrigation Plan

(SIP).

Q.90 :d

Varahamitra wrote Panca Siddhantika which

gives summary of five astronomical bookscurrent in his time.

Brahmagupta wrote Brahmasphuta

Siddhanta and Khanda Khadyaka both of

which were translated into Arabic and

influenced Arabic Astronomy. Bhaskara II

wrote Siddhanta Siromani.

Apart from these, Surya Siddhanta whose

writers are not known is regarded as the best

known book on Hindu Astronomy.

Q.91 :d

Rajas mentioned in the Rigveda did not have

capital cities, palaces or armies, nor did they

collect taxes. Generally, sons did not

automatically succeed fathers as rajas. Some

of the rajas were probably chosen by the

jana, the people.

Some men now became recognised as rajas

by performing very big sacrifices. They

became rajas of janapadas rather than janas.

The word janapada literally means the land

where the jana set its foot, and settled down.

About 2500 years ago, some janapadas

became more important than others, and

were known as mahajanapadas. Most of

them had a capital city, many of these were

fortified. The new rajas now began

maintaining armies. Due to this, they started

collecting regular taxes.

Taxes on crops (this was fixed at 1/6 of what

was produced) and goods that were bought

and sold through trade was collected. Taxes

on crafts person, herders, hunters and

gatherers was also there.

Q.92 :a

The Vishnu Temple based on Dashavatara



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theme is located at Deogarh. This temple is

also a good resource for examining Gupta

style sculptures and art.

The Elephanta caves contain rock cut stone

sculptures, representing the Shaiva Hindu

sect, dedicated to the Lord Shiva.

The Kailasa temple is rock-cut architecture. The temple was commissioned and

completed between 757-783 CE, when

Krishna I ruled the Rashtrakuta dynasty. It is

designed to recall Mount Kailash, the home

of Lord Shiva.

The Udayagiri Caves carved and completed

under the patronage of Chandragupta II,

Emperor of the Gupta Empire, in the late 4th

and 5th century CE. The site is notable for its

ancient monumental relief sculpture of Hindu

god Vishnu, in his incarnation as the boar-

headed Varaha, rescuing the earth.

Q.93 :d

Huge land owners were called 'Gopati'.

'Setthis' and 'Jetthaka' were the people in the

ancient times who headed the trade unions

or guilds and also acted as bankers and

financers.

Q.94 :b

The inscriptions of Ashoka were firstdeciphered by James Princep in 1837.

They are written in pali language and in

some places prakrit was used. In parts like

Kandahar, Greek and Aramaik language is

used as well.

13th rock edict deals with war with kalinga.

The 7th edict gives a summary of his efforts

to promote the dhamma within his kingdom.

Q.95 :b

The first Buddhist Council was held soon

after the death of the Buddha, dated by the

majority of recent scholars around 400 BCE,

under the patronage of king Ajatashatru with

the monk Mahakasyapa presiding, at

Sattapanni caves Rajgriha (now Rajgir).

the second Buddhist Council was held at

Vaishali under the Patronage of Kalasoka.

3rd Buddhist Council was held at Patliputra

under the Patronage of Ashoka.

4th Buddhist Council was held in Kashmir

under the patronage of Kanishka.

Q.96 :a

The Farzad B gas field is a Iranian natural gas

field that was discovered in 2012.

Government of India want to complete the

procedures for India's participation in the

Farzad-B gas field in the Persian Gulf.

The International North-South Transport

Corridor is the ship, rail, and road route formoving freight between India, Russia, Iran,

Europe and Central Asia. The route primarily

involves moving freight from India, Iran,

Azerbaijan and Russia via ship, rail and road.

The objective of the corridor is to increase

trade connectivity between major cities such

as Mumbai, Moscow, Tehran, Baku, Bandar

Abbas, Astrakhan, Bandar Anzali and etc.

The Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India

Pipeline (TAPI) is a natural gas pipeline being

developed by the Asian Development Bank.

The pipeline will transport Caspian Sea

natural gas from Turkmenistan throughAfghanistan into Pakistan and then to India.

There is a separate talk with Iran regarding

Iran-Pakistan-India Gas pipeline; however

nothing concrete has happened as of now.

Q.97 :b

90-90-90 strategy: An ambitious treatment

target to help end the AIDS epidemic by

UNAIDS By 2020, 90% of all people living

with HIV will know their HIV status (90%

diagnosed).By 2020, 90% of all people with diagnosed

HIV infection will receive sustained

antiretroviral therapy (90% on HIV

treatment).

By 2020, 90% of all people receiving

antiretroviral therapy will have viral

suppression (90% suppressed).

Q.98 :a

Kanishka's court was adorned by the

presence of such scholars as Parsva,

Vasumitra, Ashvaghosha, Charaka, and

Nagarjuna. Charaka and Sushruta were the

contempo -raries of Kushana king Kanishka.

Q.99 :b

Mahmud made no attempt to annexe any

area in India. His only motive behind the

raids and plunder was to exploit the riches of

Indian temples and cities so that he can

continue his struggle against his enemies in

Central Asia.



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Q.100 :c

Alauddin Khalji was known for his world class

market control and agrarian policies, which

were considered great wonders of the world

by the contemporary historians. For the

purpose of controlling market he set up threemarkets, one each for foodgrains, cloth and

slaves and cattle. Register was maintained

and strict regulations were imposed on

traders.



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