1. Chakan Gaan-Ngai, a post-harvest festival is celebrated in __:
[A] Manipur
[B] Sikkim
[C] Meghalaya
[D] Arunachal Pradesh
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Manipur]
Notes:
Celebration of the biggest post-harvest festival of the Zeliangrong community, Chakan Gaan-Ngai, also popularly known as Gaan-Ngai was kick-started in Manipur recently with different organizations celebrating the festival in their own manner with traditional gaiety and religious fervour. The State Level celebration of the festival was organized by State Level Gaan Ngai-2013 Committee at Langol Tarung village with Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh as Chief Guest.
2. After a defeat in prolonged debate on Vedic philosophies, who among the following is known to have become disciple of Adi Sankara and later became first head of Sringeri Mutt?
[A] Hastamalaka
[B] Totakacharya
[C] Padmapada
[D] Madana
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [Madana]
Notes:
Madana Misra was defeated in a debate by his contemporary ,Adi Shankara. He is said to have become a disciple of Adi Sankara. Maṇḍana Miśra’s wife was Ubhaya Bharati.
3. 1996 was UN’s fiftieth anniversary year and this year was declared by United nations as “Year for Tolerance”. The same time frame also coincided with 125th anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. In this connection, UNESCO had established a new award in the name of an Indian philanthropist for Promotion of Tolerance and Non-Violence. Who is this Indian philanthropist?
[A] Aga Khan III
[B] Dinshah Irani
[C] Ghanshyam Das Birla
[D] Madanjeet Singh
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [Madanjeet Singh]
Notes:
The correct answer is Madanjeet Singh. In 1995, UNESCO established the “Madanjeet Singh Prize for the Promotion of Tolerance and Non-Violence” to honor his contributions to peace and tolerance. Singh was an Indian diplomat and a prominent advocate for non-violence, aligning with the UN’s declaration of 1995 as the “Year for Tolerance” and the 125th anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, who is renowned for his philosophy of non-violence.
4. What is the official name of the women’s branch of the Vishva Hindu Parishad?
[A] Sewa Bharti
[B] Durga Vahini
[C] VHP Mahila Morcha
[D] Hindu Shakti
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Durga Vahini]
Notes:
Durga Vahini is the women’s wing of the Vishva Hindu Parishad, a right-wing Hindu nationalist organisation in India. The wing was founded in 1991 by Sadhvi Rithambara as a part of a larger movement to mobilize Hindu women for the protection and promotion of Hindu culture. The group trains women in self-defense and other tactical skills as part of its ideology to build a Hindu nation.
5. “Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health” is located in:
[A] Kerala
[B] Tamilnadu
[C] West Bengal
[D] Goa
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Tamilnadu]
Notes:
The Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health, also known as the “Vailankanni Shrine,” is a famous Catholic pilgrimage site located in Vailankanni, Tamil Nadu, India. It is dedicated to the Virgin Mary and is renowned for its healing miracles and religious significance.
6. “Paika Akhada” is also known as sword fighting. This martial art is predominantly practised in which state of India?
[A] Rajasthan
[B] Maharashtra
[C] Odisha
[D] Tamil Nadu
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Odisha]
Notes:
Paika Akhada is a traditional martial art that originated in the ancient Kalinga kingdom in Odisha, India. It’s still practiced in the state capital of Bhubaneshwar, Khurda, and Puri. Paika Akhada is a combination of dance and martial arts. The term “paika” comes from the Sanskrit word “padatika” which means foot soldiers. The term “akhada” refers to a place in rural Odisha where military training is given.
7. 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.
8. The craft of carpet making was first introduced in India in which of the following states?
[A] Himachal Pradesh
[B] Kashmir
[C] West Bengal
[D] Sikkim
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Kashmir]
Notes:
Carpet making was first introduced in India in Kashmir in the 15th Century. Sultan Zain ul-Abadin is believed to have brought carpet weavers from Persia and Central Asia to train local weavers.
9. “Females are inferior to males,” said Aristotle. Actually, it is not true. The true statement would be that females are different from males. More research is required in this regard. What conclusions can be obtained from the above lines? (UPSC Prelims 1986)
[A] Aristotle was a male chauvinist
[B] Females may be inferior to males
[C] Nothing can be said about the superiority of males unless research is done
[D] Research is required to clearly tell the differences between the males and the females
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [Research is required to clearly tell the differences between the males and the females]
Notes:
In his Politics, Aristotle saw women as subject to men, but as higher than slaves, and lacking authority; he believed the husband should exert political rule over the wife. Among women’s differences from men were that they were, in his view, more impulsive, more compassionate, more complaining, and more deceptive. He gave the same weight to women’s happiness as to men’s, and in his Rhetoric stated that society could not be happy unless women were happy too. Whereas Plato was open to the potential equality of men and women, stating both that women were not equal to men in terms of strength and virtue, but were equal to men in terms of rational and occupational capacity, and hence in the ideal Republic should be educated and allowed to work alongside men without differentiation, Aristotle appears to have disagreed.
10. Match the following:
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A. Ravi Shanker
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1. Painter
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B. Ravi Verma
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2. Tabla
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C. Alla Rakha
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3. Sarod
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D. Ali Akbar Khan
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4. Sitar
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The correct match is
A B C D (UPSC Prelims 1983)
[A] 1 3 2 4
[B] 2 3 1 4
[C] 3 1 2 4
[D] 4 1 2 3
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [4 1 2 3]
Notes:
Ravi Shankar is known as Sitar maestro. He was an Indian musician and a composer of Hindustani classical music. Raja Ravi Varma was a celebrated Indian Malayali painter and artist. Alla Rakha, was an Indian tabla player. Ali Akbar Khan was an Indian Hindustani classical musician of the Maihar gharana. H e was expert at sarod playing.