1. Castle Naggar heritage site is located in __:
[A] Himachal Pradesh
[B] Punjab
[C] Odisha
[D] Haryana
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Himachal Pradesh]
Notes:
Naggar Castle is a medieval castle, located in Kullu, Himachal Pradesh. It was Built by Raja Sidh Singh of Kullu in around 1460 A.D. It was the official seat of kings for centuries.
2. The festival Baisakhi or Vaisakhi is commemorates which among the following important event of Sikh History?
[A] Establishment of Akal Takht
[B] Establishment of Khalasa Panth
[C] Establishment of Guru Granth Sahib as permanent guru of Sikhs
[D] Foundation of Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple) in Amritsar
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Establishment of Khalasa Panth]
Notes:
The festival of Baisakhi is to commemorate Establishment of Khalasa Panth . The term ‘Khalsa’ means sovereign or free. It was on this day in 1699, when the tenth Guru of Sikhs, Guru Gobind Singh Ji established the Khalsa Panth.
3. Which among the following is the main feature of Dravida Style of Temple architecture?
[A] Gopuram
[B] Garbha Griha
[C] Vimana & Shikhara
[D] Manastambha
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Vimana & Shikhara]
Notes:
Vimana and Shikara are the man features of Dravida style of temple architecture. Unlike the nagara temple, the dravida temple is enclosed within a compound wall. The vimana is like a stepped pyramid that rise up geometrically rather than the curving shikhara of north India.
4. Who was the first individual of Indian origin to be canonized as a saint by the Catholic Church?
[A] Mother Teresa
[B] Saint Alphonsa
[C] Saint Paulina
[D] Gemma Galgani
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Saint Alphonsa]
Notes:
Saint Alphonsa became the first person of Indian origin to be canonized as a saint by the Catholic Church in 2008. She was known for her severe ascetism and spiritual suffering. A commemorative coin was issued by the Government of India in her memory in 2009, highlighting her significance and contribution to Indian Christian history. She is the second Indian to be elevated to sainthood, following Gonsalo Garcia, a 16th-century martyr who was canonized in 1862.
5. Who among the following was the poets composed Sur Sagar?
[A] Surdas
[B] Mira Bai
[C] Jagjivan Das
[D] Kabir Das
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Surdas]
Notes:
Saint Surdas ji was an ardent devotee of Lord Krishna and Radha, known for his devotional songs dedicated to Lord Krishna. He composed Sur Sagar (Ocean of Melody), Sur Saravali and Sahitya Ratna. He was blind from birth belong to saguna school of Bhakti Kal.
6. Who among the following was the disciple of Vallabhacharya?
[A] Surdas
[B] Dhanna
[C] Raidas
[D] Kabir Das
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Surdas]
Notes:
Saint Surdas ji was a 15th-century blind saint and an ardent devotee of Lord Krishna, known for his devotional songs dedicated to Lord Krishna. He being a disciple of guru Vallabhacharya was a advocator of the Shuddhadvaita school of Vaishnavism (also known as Pushti Marg).
7. Who among the following said “Truth is the ultimate reality and it is God” ?
[A] Radhakrishnan
[B] MK Gandhi
[C] Rabindra Nath Tagore
[D] Swamy Vivekananda
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [MK Gandhi]
Notes:
Mahatma Gandhi has said that the truth is the ultimate reality and it is God. Gandhi’s conception of truth has obviously not the common meaning attributed to it for there were divine and philosophical dimensions to it.
8. Kathak is classical dance of which of the following region?
[A] Jharkhand
[B] Tamil Nadu
[C] Kerala
[D] North India
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [North India]
Notes:
Kathak is the Hindi name for one of the eight major forms of Indian classical dance. The origin of Kathak is traditionally attributed to the traveling bards of ancient northern India known as Kathakars or storytellers.
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. Who among the following is associated with a film on Mahatma Gandhi? (UPSC Prelims 1982)
[A] Richard Attenborough
[B] Satyajit Ray
[C] George Baker
[D] None of these
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Richard Attenborough]
Notes:
The film on Mahatama Gandhi was written by John Briley and produced and directed by Richard Attenborough. It stars Ben Kingsley in the title role of Gandhiji.
