1. Sangai Festival is celebrated in which among the following states of India?
[A] Assam
[B] Manipur
[C] Bihar
[D] Karnataka
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Manipur]
Notes:
The Manipur Sangai Festival is an annual calendar mega-event of the Government of Manipur spearheaded by the Tourism Department that seeks to showcase and promote the finest of Manipur’s arts & culture, adventure sports, indigenous cuisines, handloom & handicrafts, fine arts, indigenous games & music and various other niche products to a regional, national and global audience.
2. Yājñavalkya Smrti was written in which among the following era?
[A] Vedic Period
[B] Later Vedic Period
[C] Maurya Period
[D] Gupta Period
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [Gupta Period]
Notes:
The Yājñavalkya Smrti is a Dharma-related texts of Hinduism composed in Sanskrit. It is dated to between the 3rd to 5th-century CE, and belongs to the Gupta period.
3. Earth, Water, Fire, Air, and Ether (sky) these are the panchtatvas (5 elements) and when they combine they give rise to new objects. This is a principle of which of the Vedic philosophies?
[A] Sankhya
[B] Yoga
[C] Vaisheshika
[D] Advita
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Vaisheshika]
Notes:
Vaisheshika is one of the six schools of Indian philosophy from ancient India. It is the theory of logic. In its early stages, the Vaiśeṣika was an independent philosophy with its own metaphysics, epistemology, logic, ethics, and soteriology.
4. Which among the following sub-school of Vedanta is followed by ISCON?
[A] Shuddhādvaita
[B] Achintya Bhedābheda
[C] Purnādvaita or Integral Advaita
[D] Modern Vedānta
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Achintya Bhedābheda]
Notes:
The correct answer is Achintya Bhedābheda. This sub-school of Vedanta, founded by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in the 16th century, emphasizes the simultaneous oneness and difference between the individual soul (jiva) and the Supreme (Brahman). ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness) follows this philosophy, promoting devotion (bhakti) to Lord Krishna while acknowledging the unique relationship between the divine and the individual. This approach is distinct from other Vedantic schools, which may emphasize either non-dualism or dualism more strictly.
5. Who citicized the Moderate politics through a series of articles titled “New Lamps for Old”?
[A] Bipin Chandra Pal
[B] Aurobindo Ghosh
[C] Bal Gangadhar Tilak
[D] Ashwani Kumar
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Aurobindo Ghosh]
Notes:
Rishi Aurobindo was a philosopher, yogi, guru, poet, and nationalist of India. He studied Indian Civil Service at King’s College, England. New Lamps for Old was written by him and published in 1893. He citicized the Moderate politics through a series of articles.
6. Which among the following is true about the Saint Jnaneswar ?
[A] He wrote Jnaneswari
[B] He wrote commentary on Bhagwad Gita
[C] He was the pioneer Bhakti saint of Maharashtra
[D] All of these
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [All of these]
Notes:
Saint Jnaneswar was a famous poet-saint of Maharashtra was born in 1275 AD in Alandi, Maharashtra. He was an ardent devotee of Lord Vishnu who wrote Jnaneswari (a commentary on the Bhagavad Gita) and translated Bhagwad Gita into the Marathi language. Excerpts of his works are Amrutanubhava, Commentary on Yoga Vashishtha, Changdev Pasashti, etc.
7. Who among the following poet was the author of the Tamil version of the Valmiki’s Ramayana known as “Ramavataram”?
[A] Kamban
[B] Arinjaya
[C] Uttamchola
[D] Kudal
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Kamban]
Notes:
Kamban was author of the Tamil version of the Valmiki’s Ramayana known as Kamba Ramayana (or Ramavataram).
8. Who wrote the Novel ‘Pather Dabi’in Bengali?
[A] Saratchandra Chattopadhay
[B] Kazi Nazrul Islam
[C] Bankimchandra
[D] Rabindranath Tagore
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Saratchandra Chattopadhay]
Notes:
Saratchandra Chattopadhay wrote the Novel ‘Pather Dabi’in Bengal. It was banned by the British because it was a rebellious book which stirred anger in the hearts of Indian people for the British.
9. In which Indian city, would you find the mosque with “Shaking Minarets”?
[A] Hyderabad
[B] Ahmedabad
[C] Lucknow
[D] Allahabad
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Ahmedabad]
Notes:
Sidi Bashir Mosque is a former mosque in the city of Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India. Only the central gateway and two minarets survive; they are known as the Jhulta Minar or Shaking Minarets.
10. At which of the following places Gautam Buddha attained Nirvana? (UPSC Prelims 1985)
[A] Bodh Gaya
[B] Sarnath
[C] Kushi Nagar
[D] Lumbini
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Bodh Gaya]
Notes:
Bodh Gaya is a religious site and place of pilgrimage associated with the Mahabodhi Temple Complex in Gaya. It is famous as it is the place where Gautama Buddha is said to have obtained Enlightenment under what became known as the Bodhi Tree.
