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Which one of the following Carnatic music ragas is similar to Raga Bilawal in Hindustani music?
- (a) Nat Bhairavi
- (b) Kamavardhini
- (c) Hanumatodi
- (d) Dheera Shankarabharanam
Answer: (d) Dheera Shankarabharanam
Explanation: Dheera Shankarabharanam (often referred to simply as Shankarabharanam) is the 29th Melakarta raga in Carnatic music. It uses the exact same interval scale—all shuddha notes (natural notes)—as Raga Bilawal (specifically Alhaiya Bilawal) in the Hindustani classical music tradition. It corresponds structurally to the Western Major scale (C major scale).
Other Options:
- Nat Bhairavi is equivalent to Hindustani Asavari Thaat.
- Kamavardhini is equivalent to Hindustani Purvi Thaat.
- Hanumatodi is equivalent to Hindustani Bhairavi Thaat.
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The artificially fixed rupee-sterling exchange rate prescribed by the Hilton-Young Commission (1926) was adopted by the British Government for which one of the following reasons?
- (a) Aiding the flow of remittances from India and maintaining India’s creditworthiness
- (b) Providing support to Indian importers
- (c) Encouraging export of cotton produce from India
- (d) Preventing depreciation of the Rupee in terms of gold
Answer: (a) Aiding the flow of remittances from India and maintaining India’s creditworthiness
Explanation: The Hilton-Young Commission (1926) recommended artificially fixing the exchange rate of the Indian Rupee at a high value of 1s. 6d. sterling (1 shilling 6 pence), up from its traditional ratio of 1s. 4d. The British Government adopted this overvalued rate primarily to ensure a seamless and high-value flow of official financial remittances (Home Charges) from India to Great Britain, alongside securing India’s international debt and credit obligations in the interest of British investors.
Other Options: The high rate actually penalised Indian exporters (especially of raw material like cotton) and encouraged British imports into India, sparking widespread protests from Indian nationalists and industrialists.
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Consider the following statements:
- I. Pali texts contain the first definite references to coins, e.g., kahapana, nikkha, kamsa, and kakanika.
- II. The literary evidence from Pali texts is corroborated by archaeological evidence from many sites, of punch-marked coins of silver.
The above statements have been associated with which of the following?
- Emergence of urban life
- Transition to money economy
Select the answer using the code given below:
- (a) 1 only
- (b) 2 only
- (c) Both 1 and 2
- (d) Neither 1 nor 2
Answer: (c) Both 1 and 2
Explanation: Emergence of Urban Life (Second Urbanisation): The age of Buddha (c. 6th–4th century BCE) marked the Second Urbanisation in India. The appearance of cities and expanding trans-regional trade routes required standardized modes of transaction.
Transition to Money Economy: The introduction of punch-marked metal coins like kahapana, nikkha, and kakanika recorded in Buddhist texts signifies a clear leap from primitive barter systems toward a functional currency and credit system. Thus, these literary and archaeological validations directly trace both urban growth and monetisation.
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Which of the following temples has/have a Nagara-style shikhara?
- Malegitti Shivalaya, Badami
- Huchimalligudi Temple, Aihole
- Dashavatara Temple, Deogarh
- Virupaksha Temple, Pattadakal
Select the answer using the code given below:
- (a) 1 and 2
- (b) 2 and 3
- (c) 3 only
- (d) 3 and 4
Answer: (b) 2 and 3
Explanation: Huchimalligudi Temple, Aihole: This Early Chalukyan temple features a curvilinear tower that marks one of the earliest experimental transitions into the Nagara-style shikhara in southern-central India.
Dashavatara Temple, Deogarh (3): This famous early 6th-century Gupta-period temple in Uttar Pradesh is historically celebrated as one of the earliest prototypical examples of northern Nagara style architecture, featuring a classic tiered shikhara superstructure.
Other Options: Malegitti Shivalaya (Badami) and Virupaksha Temple (Pattadakal) are built in the Dravida style (featuring a tiered, pyramidal Vimana instead of a curvilinear Shikhara).
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Among the four main forms of existence of life recognized in Jainism, which one of the following is not included?
- (a) Deva (gods)
- (b) Yaksha (demi-gods)
- (c) Manushya (humans)
- (d) Tiryancha (animals and plants)
Answer: (b) Yaksha (demi-gods)
Explanation: Jain philosophy divides the cycle of worldly migration (Samsara) into four main destinies or realms of life existence, known as the Four Gatis (Chaar Gati). These four strictly include:
- Deva Gati (Celestial/Heavenly beings)
- Manushya Gati (Human beings)
- Tiryancha Gati (Animals, plants, and microscopic life)
- Naraki/Infernal Gati (Hellish/Infernal beings)
Why Yaksha is incorrect: While Yakshas and Yakshinis are acknowledged in Jain iconography and folklore as guardian deities, they are a sub-classification within the celestial sphere (Deva) and are not recognized as one of the four principal existential destinies (Gatis).
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The Hallisalasya painting in the Bagh Caves represents:
- (a) A joyous folk dance
- (b) Buddha in a meditative pose
- (c) The depiction of Shiva and Parvati on Kailasha
- (d) Samudramanthan (Churning of the Ocean)
Answer: Direct Answer: (a) A joyous folk dance
Explanation: The Bagh Caves (located in Dhar district, Madhya Pradesh) are famous for their 5th–6th century CE Gupta-period mural paintings. Cave 4 (known as the Rang Mahal) features a celebrated fresco depicting the Hallisalasya (or Hallisaka), which represents a joyous group folk dance. The painting vividly illustrates a group of female dancers and musicians moving in a circular formation, playing hand drums (mridanga) and sticks, capturing a lively, rhythmic secular performance.
Other Options: While Buddhist themes (like the Bodhisattvas) are present in other parts of the Bagh complex, the Hallisalasya scene itself is entirely secular and celebratory, not a depiction of meditating Buddha, Shiva-Parvati, or the Samudramanthan.
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Consider the following statements relating to the use of the place-value system in India:
- The earliest epigraphic use of the place-value system in India is found in the Mankani plates from Gujarat (AD 595 – 596).
- In the ninth century, place-values become general in inscriptions all over India.
- The place-values have been found in Sanskrit inscriptions in South-east Asia as early as the seventh century.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
- (a) 1 and 2 only
- (b) 1 and 3 only
- (c) 2 and 3 only
- (d) 1, 2 and 3
Answer: (d) 1, 2 and 3
Explanation: Statement 1 is correct: The earliest universally cited epigraphic (inscriptional) evidence of the decimal place-value system with a zero in India is found in the Mankani copper plates from Gujarat, dated to AD 595–596, where the numeral 346 is written using place-value notations.
Statement 2 is correct: By the 9th century CE, the utilization of the decimal place-value system and zero became a standardized, ubiquitous convention across inscriptions throughout the Indian subcontinent.
Statement 3 is correct: Due to early maritime trade and cultural expansion, the Indian place-value system spread rapidly. It was recorded in Sanskrit inscriptions across Southeast Asia (such as in Cambodia and Sumatra) as early as the 7th century CE (e.g., the Sambor inscription of 683 CE uses an early zero).
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Consider the following statements about the archaeological findings in Harappan towns:
- I. There is wide occurrence of spindle-whorls in the houses but absence of spinning wheels.
- II. Weights and measurement scales, complete with graduations have been discovered.
- III. There are houses built in large part with baked bricks, around relatively spacious courtyards, with their own wells, bathing platforms, and large rooms.
Which of the following inferences can be drawn from the above statements?
- Statement I suggests that spinning was a laborious activity done at home.
- Statement II suggests the extent of the scientific knowledge that the Harappans possessed.
- Statement III suggests the emergence of a common property system.
Select the answer using the code given below:
- (a) 1 and 2 only
- (b) 2 and 3 only
- (c) 1 and 3 only
- (d) 1, 2 and 3
Answer: (a) 1 and 2 only
Explanation: Inference I is correct: The abundant find of terracotta and stone spindle-whorls in ordinary houses indicates that spinning yarn was a decentralized, manual household chore. The absence of mechanized spinning wheels implies it was entirely hand-spun and labor-intensive.
Inference II is correct: The discovery of highly precise chert weights (following strict binary and decimal ratios) and ivory/shell measuring scales with accurate graduations demonstrates a sophisticated, uniform grasp of scientific and mathematical knowledge across the civilization.
Inference III is incorrect: The presence of large private houses with individual courtyards, private wells, and dedicated bathing platforms strongly reflects private ownership and social stratification (wealth disparity), rather than a “common property system” or communal living.
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Which one of the following statements about the Eka Movement and Bardoli Satyagraha is correct?
- (a) The Eka Movement was throughout supported and organized by the Congress while Bardoli Satyagraha was initially independent of Congress influence and was only in the last stages supported by the Congress.
- (b) The Eka Movement was provided leadership by the taluqdars of Awadh, whereas the Bardoli Satyagraha was a movement of the landless labourers.
- (c) The Bardoli Satyagraha was a campaign against the enhancement of land revenue, while the Eka Movement was a protest against excessive extraction of rents.
- (d) The Eka Movement was located in the Varanasi and Mirzapur districts of the present-day U.P., while the Bardoli Satyagraha took place in Saurashtra.
Answer: (c) The Bardoli Satyagraha was a campaign against the enhancement of land revenue, while the Eka Movement was a protest against excessive extraction of rents.
Explanation: The Bardoli Satyagraha (1928) in Gujarat was a classic no-tax campaign led by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel specifically targeting a 30% arbitrary enhancement of land revenue imposed by the British colonial government.
The Eka Movement (1921–1922) in northern Awadh (U.P.) was a peasant movement primarily directed against excessive, illegal extractions of rent (lagan and cesses) by local taluqdars/landlords, rather than direct government land revenue.
Why other options are incorrect: The Eka movement was initially backed by Congress/Khilafat leaders but quickly became independent under Madari Pasi. Bardoli was thoroughly organized by the Congress framework from the start. Furthermore, Eka occurred in northern Awadh districts (Hardoi, Bahraich, Sitapur), not Varanasi/Mirzapur.
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Consider the following statements about the Rigvedic period:
- I. Irrigation from wells allowed agriculture to expand away from flood plains and strips on river margins into the present Punjab and Haryana plains having underground water levels reasonably close to the surface.
- II. Draught-animal power was employed to draw up water out of the wells.
Which of the following information support/supports the above statements?
- There is evidence in the Rigveda of the use of ashma chakra (stone pulley wheel) and ahava (strapped wooden pails) to draw up water.
- Mention has been made in the Rigveda of the use of implements like parashu/kulisha (axe) and datra/sreni (sickle).
- There is a history of the use of ox, even before the Rigveda, for ploughing the land and pulling the carts.
Select the answer using the code given below:
- (a) 1 and 2 only
- (b) 1, 2 and 3
- (c) 1 and 3 only
- (d) 3 only
Answer: (c) 1 and 3 only
Explanation: Information 1 supports the statements: The Rigveda contains explicit references to ashma-chakra (a stone pulley wheel or ring-stone) and ahava (wooden buckets or pails bound with leather straps) used to haul water up from deep dug-out wells (kupa or avat). This explicitly shows mechanical adaptation for well irrigation.
Information 3 supports the statements: Archaeological and historical data prove that oxen were trained and deployed for pulling heavy carts and ploughing the land long before the Rigvedic era (originating in the Indus Valley Civilization). This established history of domesticating cattle power explains how draft-animal power was easily adapted to pull water ropes at the well site.
Why Information 2 does not support: While the mention of axes (parashu) and sickles (datra) proves that clearing forests and harvesting crops took place, these tools are related to manual clearing and reaping—they provide no evidence regarding the mechanism of well irrigation or drawing up underground water.
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Consider the following assertion:
In the Pleistocene period either the Yamuna once flowed into the Indus, or the Sutlej flowed into the Yamuna and one major tributary of either had shifted from the Ganga to the Indus or vice versa.
Which of the following is/are the basis of the above assertion?
- The Nadi-Sukta of the Rigveda
- The explorations of the Sutlej and the Yamuna by Robert Bruce Foote
- The presence of the same species of dolphins in both the Indus and the Ganga river systems
Select the answer using the code given below:
- (a) 1 only
- (b) 2 only
- (c) 1 and 2
- (d) 3 only
Answer: (d) 3
Explanation: The biological basis for this geological assertion is the presence of closely related/the same species of freshwater dolphins (Platanista gangetica) in both the disconnected Indus and Ganga-Yamuna river systems. Because these river dolphins are strictly freshwater mammals that cannot survive or migrate through salt water (the sea), their presence in both separate basins proves that the Indus and Ganga-Yamuna basins were physically connected through an ancient river channel switch or river-capture event during the Pleistocene epoch.
Why other options are incorrect: Neither the Nadi-Sukta of the Rigveda (which is a textual hymn naming rivers) nor the archaeological field surveys of Robert Bruce Foote (who is the father of Indian prehistory focused on Paleolithic stone tools) provide the scientific, empirical basis for this specific inter-basin hydrological linking assertion.
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What does an empty seat represent in early Buddhist iconography?
- (a) The meditation of the Buddha
- (b) The Buddha’s First Sermon
- (c) The Buddha’s Mahaparinibbana
- (d) The Buddha’s Mahabhinishkramana
Answer: (a) The meditation of the Buddha
Explanation: Early Buddhist art (such as the reliefs at Sanchi, Bharhut, and early Amaravati) was strictly aniconic, meaning the physical form of the Buddha was never directly represented. Instead, key events were depicted using symbols.
