International Organizations, Defence, Books & Authors, World History

Notes:
The storming of the Bastille occurred in Paris, France on the morning of 14 July 1789. The medieval fortress and prison in Paris known as the Bastille represented royal authority in the centre of Paris. While the prison only contained seven inmates at the time of its storming, its fall was the flashpoint of the French Revolution. The storming of the Bastille and the subsequent Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen was the third event of this opening stage of the revolution. The first had been the revolt of the nobility, refusing to aid King Louis XVI through the payment of taxes. The second had been the formation of the National Assembly and the Tennis Court Oath.

Notes:
The Cold War is referred to the competition, the tensions and a series of confrontations between the United States and Soviet Union, backed by their respective allies. Thus, a is the correct answer.

Notes:
Newton (1642-1727) concluded that the movements of all celestial bodies were controlled by gravitation. With the new astronomical knowledge that was available, the old Julian calendar was reformed in 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII.

Notes:
The term ‘Industrial Revolution’ was used by European scholars – Georges Michelet in France and Friedrich Engels in Germany.

Notes:
The immediate cause was the assassination of Arch Duke Francis Ferdinand who was heir to the Austrian throne. Arch Duke Francis Ferdinand and his wife were assassinated by Serbians in the Bosnian capital Sarajevo when they paid a visit to this city on 28th June 1914. The news of this murder shocked many countries. Austria-Hungary was already sick of Serbia and she decided to take advantage of the new situation to crush her. The murder of their crown prince and his wife resulted in an ultimatum being sent to Serbia for immediate compliance of certain terms. Serbia’s reply did not pacify Austria-Hungary. Hence, Austria-Hungary backed by Germany declared war on Serbia. Russia mobilised her forces in favour of Serbia.

Notes:
Russia was a big and powerful country. Even Napoleon Bonaparte could not conquer Russia in 1812. However, during the beginning of the 20th Century Russia was no longer a powerful country. During this time Russia was ruled by the Romanov dynasty. Tsar Nicholas II ruled Russia at the time of the Revolution.

Notes:
Metamorphoses by Ovid is a collection of mythological tales. Odysseus, primarily known from Homer’s works, is not a prominent figure in this narrative, which features many other mythological characters.

Notes:
‘Annihilation of Caste’ is an undelivered speech written in 1936 by B.R. Ambedkar, an Indian social reformer who criticized the caste system and inspired the Dalit Buddhist movement.

Notes:
‘The Inheritance of Loss’ is the second novel by Indian author Kiran Desai, published in 2006. Desai won the Man Booker Prize for Fiction for this work which deals with struggle and disillusionment amid globalization in modern India.

Notes:
Jhumpa Lahiri is the acclaimed author of ‘The Namesake.’ The novel, which explores the complexities of identity and the immigrant experience, follows the life of Gogol Ganguli, a first-generation American of Indian descent. Lahiri’s narrative delves into themes of cultural assimilation, familial expectations, and the search for individual identity. Her insightful portrayal of the immigrant experience in the United States, drawn from her own background and observations, has been widely praised for its authenticity and emotional depth.