PRELIMS 2017 REVISION TEST 20

Solution: b)

NCERT Class XI, Art & Culture, Page 5

The artists of Bhimbetka used many colours, including various shades of white, yellow, orange, red ochre, purple, brown, green and black. But white and red were their favourite colours. The paints were made by grinding various rocks and minerals. They got red from haematite (known as geru in India). The green came from a green variety of a stone called chalcedony. White might have been made out of limestone. The rock of mineral was first ground into a powder. This may then have been mixed with water and also with some thick or sticky substance such as animal fat or gum or resin from trees.

Solution: d

NCERT Class XI, Art & Culture, Page 9

It’s a long list

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Indus_Valley_Civilisation_sites

Solution: a)

NCERT Class XI, Art & Culture, Page 10 – 11

The standard Harappan seal was a square plaque 2×2 square inches, usually made from the soft river stone, steatite

Solution: c)

NCERT Class XI, Art & Culture, Page 19

Yaksha are a broad class of nature-spirits, usually benevolent, but sometimes mischievous and sexually aggressive or capricious caretakers of the natural treasures hidden in the earth and tree roots. They appear in Hindu, Jain and Buddhist texts, as well as ancient and medieval era temples of South Asia and Southeast Asia as guardian deities. The feminine form of the word is yakṣī or Yakshini (yakṣiṇī). In Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist texts, the yakṣa has a dual personality. On the one hand, a yakṣa may be an inoffensive nature-fairy, associated with woods and mountains; but there is also a darker version of the yakṣa, which is a kind of ghost (bhuta) that haunts the wilderness and waylays and devours travelers, similar to the rakṣasas

Solution: c)

NCERT Class XI, Art & Culture, Page 20, 23 and 26

It refers to his first sermon.

Solution: a)

NCERT Class XI, Art & Culture, Page 37

The most famous cave site is Ajanta. It is located in Aurangabad District of Maharashtra State. Ajanta has twenty-nine caves. It has four chaitya caves datable to the earlier phase, i.e., the second and the first century BCE (Cave Nos. 10 and 9) and the later phase, i.e., the fifth century CE (Cave Nos. 19 and 26). It has large chaityaviharas and is decorated with sculptures and paintings. Ajanta is the only surviving example of painting of the first century BCE and the fifth century CE. The caves at Ajanta as well as in western Deccan in general have no precise chronology because of the lack of known dated inscriptions.

Solution: d)

NCERT Class XI, Art & Culture, Page 44

The Elephanta Caves located near Mumbai, were originally a Buddhist site which was later dominated by the Shaivite faith. It is contemporary with Ellora, and its sculptures show slenderness in the body, with stark light and dark effects. The other noteworthy cave site is Bagh located near Indore in Madhya Pradesh.

Solution: c)

NCERT Class XI, Art & Culture, Page 57

The theme of Mara Vijaya has been painted in the caves of Ajanta. This is the only sculptural representation sculpted on the right wall of Cave No. 26. It is sculpted near the colossal Buddha image of Mahaparinibbana. The panel shows the image of the Buddha in the centre surrounded by Mara’s army along with his daughter. The event is part of the enlightenment. It is a personification of the commotion of mind which the Buddha went through at the time of enlightenment. Mara represents desire. According to the narrative, there is a dialogue between the Buddha and Mara, and the Buddha is shown with his right hand indicating towards earth as a witness to his generosity. This relief sculptural panel is highly animated and shows a very matured sculptural style at Ajanta.

Solution: a)

NCERT Class XI, Art & Culture, Page 66

Pithoro called Babo Pithoro by the tribals is one of the many deities worshipped in the region and this Pithoro style of folk painting is a way of appeasing the Gods and not a decorative wall piece. The walls of the houses are painted by professional artists belonging to the Rathawa caste. The owner of the house prays for deliverance from evil and bad times (be it illness, lack of rains, low harvest yields) with the promise of getting a pithoro painted.

Solution: d)

NCERT Class XI, Art & Culture, Page 82

Unlike the nagara temple, the dravida temple is enclosed within a compound wall. The front wall has an entrance gateway in its centre, which is known as a gopuram. The shape of the main temple tower known as vimana in Tamil Nadu is like a stepped pyramid that rises up geometrically rather than the curving shikhara of North India. In the South Indian temple, the word ‘shikhara’ is used only for the crowning element at the top of the temple which is usually shaped like a small stupika or an octagonal cupola— this is equivalent to the amlak and kalasha of North Indian temples. Whereas at the entrance to the North Indian temple’s garbhagriha, it would be usual to find images such as mithunas and the river goddesses, Ganga and Yamuna, in the south you will generally find sculptures of fierce dvarapalas or the door-keepers guarding the temple. It is common to find a large water reservoir, or a temple tank enclosed within the complex. Subsidiary shrines are either incorporated within the main temple tower, or located as distinct, separate small shrines beside the main temple. The North Indian idea of multiple shikharas rising together as a cluster was not popular in South India. At some of the most sacred temples in South India, the main temple in which the garbhagriha is situated has, in fact, one of the smallest towers. This is because it is usually the oldest part of the temple. With the passage of time, the population and size of the town associated with that temple would have increased, and it would have become necessary to make a new boundary wall around the temple. This would have been taller that the last one, and its gopurams would have been even loftier. So, for instance, the Srirangam temple in Tiruchirapally has as many as seven ‘concentric’ rectangular enclosure walls, each with gopurams. The outermost is the newest, while the tower right in the centre housing the garbhagriha is the oldest.

Solution: a)

NCERT Class XI, Art & Culture, Page 92

Most of the information about Nalanda is based on the records of Xuan Zang—previously spelt as ‘Hsuan-tsang’— which states that the foundation of a monastery was laid by Kumargupta I in the fifth century CE; and this was carried forward by the later monarchs who built up a fantastic university here. There is evidence that all three Buddhist doctrines— Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana—were taught here and monks made their way to Nalanda and its neighbouring sites of Bodh Gaya and Kurkihar from China, Tibet and Central Asia in the north and Sri Lanka, Thailand, Burma and various other countries from the south-eastern parts of Asia. Monks and pilgrims would take back small sculptures and illustrated manuscripts from here to their own countries. Buddhist monasteries like Nalanda, thus, were prolific centres of art production that had a decisive impact on the arts of all Buddhist countries in Asia.

Solution: a)

NCERT Class XI, Art & Culture, Page 126

It is a Ribbed, lenticular or globoid part resembling the amalaka (Indian gooseberry fruit) crowning the top of the North Indian style shikhara.

Solution: c)

Insights Current Affairs, Feb 2017, Page 90

It is a transportation system where a pod-like vehicle is propelled through a near-vacuum tube connecting cities at speeds matching that of an aircraft. The hyperloop concept is a brainchild of Tesla founder Elon Musk. US-based Hyperloop Transport Technology (HTT) claimed it costs $40 million per kilometre to build a hyperloop system while building a high-speed train line would cost almost twice. The hyperloop system is being designed to transport passengers and freight.

Solution: b)

Insights Current Affairs, Feb 2017, Page 115

TAMRA portal was recently simultaneously launched across 12 mineral rich states.  The portal is developed by the ministry of Mines.  TAMRA is a step to speed up mining activity in India and facilitate all the stakeholders to track the status of the statutory clearances associated with blocks for getting mines to reach till operationalisation for the same.  It will be an interactive platform for all the stakeholders to compress the timeline for statutory and other clearances as it is expected to help minimise the gestation period for starting production.  TAMRA covers block-, state- and mineral-wise information of the blocks to be auctioned, monitors various statutory clearances and also highlights the additional resources generated through e-auction.  In case of delay in obtaining any clearances, TAMRA will send out triggers to the authority concerned so that the remedial steps can be taken immediately.  The mines ministry will also receive triggers generated by TAMRA, which will facilitate expediting clearances in case the timelines set against each of the statutory clearances are not met.

Solution: d)

Insights PT Module on Art and Culture, Page 7

Rumba is a rhythmic dance with Spanish and African elements, originating in Cuba

Solution: b)

Insights PT Module on Art and Culture, Page 7

Salihundam is a historically noted village and panchayat in Gara Mandal of Srikakulam district in Andhra Pradesh, India. It is a famous Buddhist Remnants site situated on the south bank of River Vamsadhara at a distance of 5 kilometers west of Kalingapatnam and 18 kilometers from Srikakulam town. It was known as “Salivatika” (meaning rice emporium). But many called it “Salyapetika” (meaning box of bones or relics). There are a number of Buddhist stupas and a huge monastic complex on a hillock amidst scenic surroundings. The site was second rediscovered by Ponnana Simhachalam in 2013 During excavations relic caskets, four stupas, a Chaityagriha, structural temples and a number of sculptures reflecting the three phases of Buddhism – Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana were found dating back to about 2nd century BC to 12th century AD. The statues of ‘Tara'[1] and Marichi were discovered at this site and from here Buddhism spread to Sumatra and other far-eastern countries through River Vamsadhara and Kalingapatnam Port.

Solution: b)

Insights PT Module on Art and Culture, Page 8

Khangchendzonga National Park (KNP): o KNP was added in the ’mixed’ heritage site category of the UNESCO list i.e. it exhibits qualities of both natural and cultural significance. o It becomes the first ‘mixed’ heritage site from India to make it to the list. o KNP covers 25% of Sikkim and is home to a significant number of endemic, rare and threatened plant and animal species including large number of bird and mammal species. o The park combines the religious and cultural practices of Buddhism as well as the ecological significance of the region. o It signifies an outstanding example of traditional knowledge and environmental preservation. o It is home to the world’s third highest peak, Mt. Khangchendzonga. o The park also has few Lepcha tribal settlements. Lepcha is an indigenous tribal community of Sikkim.

• Solution: a)

  Insights PT Module on Art and Culture, Page 10

  Humayun’s tomb is the tomb of the Mughal Emperor Humayun in Delhi, India. The tomb was commissioned by Humayun’s first wife and chief consort, Empress Bega Begum (also known as Haji Begum),in 1569-70, and designed by Mirak Mirza Ghiyas, a Persian architect chosen by her.[9][10] It was the first garden-tomb on the Indian subcontinent, and is located in Nizamuddin East, Delhi, India, close to the Dina-panah Citadel, also known as Purana Qila (Old Fort), that Humayun founded in 1533. It was also the first structure to use red sandstone at such a scale. The tomb was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993, and since then has undergone extensive restoration work, which is complete.Besides the main tomb enclosure of Humayun, several smaller monuments dot the pathway leading up to it, from the main entrance in the West, including one that even pre-dates the main tomb itself, by twenty years; it is the tomb complex of Isa Khan Niyazi, an Afghan noble in Sher Shah Suri’s court of the Suri dynasty, who fought against the Mughals, constructed in 1547 CE.

Solution: b)

Insights PT Module on Art and Culture, Page 14

He joined the Arya Samaj founded by Swami Dayanand Saraswati.  He founded the Indian Home League Society of America and wrote a book called “Young India”.  Lala Lajpat Rai led the Punjab protests against the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre and the Non-Cooperation Movement.  He became Congress President in 1920.  In 1921, He founded Servants of the People Society, a non-profit welfare organisation, in Lahore.  Lala Lajpat Rai died on November 17, 1928 due to lathi charge in the procession against Simon Commission.

Solution: d)

Insights PT Module on Art and Culture, Page 15

The arms movement against the British Raj gained momentum in the late 1870s with the Ramoshi movement, spearheaded by Vasudev Balwant Phadke in and around Pune district.  Maharashtra was the first state in India to start militant revolutionary activities in order to overthrow the British rule.  Long before the foundation of Anusilan Samity in Calcutta a secret society was formed in Maharashtra under the leadership of Vasudev Balwant Phadke

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/education/story/vasudev-balwant-phadke/1/598114.html