TEST-74- INSIGHTS IAS REVISION PLAN FOR PRELIMS 2019 – DAILY REVISION TESTS: 27 May 2019

Solution: C

Rani- ki- vav was built by the Solanki dynasty’s queen Udayamati in the 11th century as a memorial to her deceased husband Bhimdev I. Rani-ki-Vav was built in the complex Maru-Gurjara architectural style..

Solution: C

UNESCO has named the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro as the World Capital of Architecture for 2020. Rio has a mix of modern and colonial architecture. It will be the first city to receive the title under a programme launched together by UNESCO and the International Union of Architects (UIA) in November 2018..

Solution : B

Vajrayana is form of Tantric Buddhism that developed in India and neighbouring countries, notably Tibet.. The chief divinities of this new sect were the Taras. It became popular in eastern India, particularly Bengal and Bihar.

Solution: D

Ajanta Caves are on an almost perpendicular cliff, while Ellora caves are on a slopping hillock and hence Ajanta caves have no courtyards. Ellora caves are more in number – 34, as compared to Ajanta caves which are 29. A unique achievement of architect at Ellora caves is 3 storey caves, while at Ajanta only one or two 2 storey caves are there.

All the caves at Ellora were plastered and painted but nothing visible is left, but caves at Ajanta have many murals which are still surviving.  Buddhist caves at Ellora mostly belong to Mahayana sect, but Ajanta caves also have Hinyana art as they are older.

Answer: C

Badshahi Ashoorkhana is a Shia Muslim mourning place, near Charminar in Hyderabad, India. It was constructed in memory of martyrdom of Imam Hussain in the battle of karbala, and is used during the festival of Moharram. It was built by Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah in 1611, three years after building the Charminar. Ashoorkhana is famous for its resplendent tile work that have retained their lustre and vibrant colours even after four centuries.

Answer: C

Bhakti movement said that the path to God lay in devotion and Bhakti to Him and not in any rituals. They disputed the role of middlemen – priestly class – in meeting the god. They rejected the Vedic gods like Indra, Varuna and Yama and instead focused on gods like – Shiva, Vishnu and Shakti. They condemned rituals and sacrifices. It preached of oneness of god and universalism. They welcomed the ideas of equality and brotherhood which the Sufi saints also preached. It broke caste and gender barriers. The Bhakti saints belonged to various backgrounds but mainly from the lower castes.

Answer: D

Maduraikanji is a Tamil poetic work in the Pathinenmaelkanakku anthology of Tamil literature, belonging to the Sangam period. Mathuraikkanci contains 583 lines of poetry in the Achiriyappa meter. The poems were written by the poet Mangudi Maruthanaar in praise of the Pandya king Nedunjeliyan II on the occasion of his victory at the battle of Talayanankanam. It describes the city of Kaveripattanam and is the most important source on the trade and commerce in Deep South.

Solution: B

• Harmika – It is built on the top of the oval shaped stupa.
• Medhi – It is an elevated circular path around the stupa used for Pradhikshina
• Torana – It is the Gateway to the stupa. Sculptures can be seen on both Toranas and Medhi.
• Vedica – It is a railing meant for the protection of the holy place.
• Chatras – They are umbrella like structures on top of a Stupa and are three in number representing ‘Tri-ratnas’ of Buddhism viz – Buddha the enlightened one, Dham or doctrine and Sangha or order.
• Pradakshina Path – Often, a path, known as the pradakshina patha, was laid around the stupa. This was surrounded with railings. Entrance to the path was through gateways.

Answer: D

Kabir was a 15th-century Indian mystic poet and saint, whose writings influenced Hinduism’s Bhakti movement and his verses are found in Sikhism’s scripture Guru Granth Sahib. His early life was in a Muslim family, but he was strongly influenced by his teacher, the Hindu bhakti leader Ramananda. Kabir is known for being critical of both Hinduism and Islam.

Kabir’s legacy survives and continues through the Kabir panth, a religious community that recognizes him as its founder. His Teachings are in the form of couplets known as Dohas. Questioned dogmas and rituals in both Hinduism and Islam, preached monism and Nirguna Brahma. During his lifetime, he was threatened by both Hindus and Muslims for his views. When he died, both Hindus and Muslims had claimed him as theirs. His teachings openly ridiculed all forms of external worship of both Brahmanical Hinduism and Islam, the pre-eminence of the priestly classes and the caste system.

Answer: D

Brihadisvara Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva located in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu. It follows Dravidian architecture. It is called as Dhakshina Meru (Meru of south). Built by Raja Raja Chola I between 1003 and 1010 AD, the temple is a part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site known as the “Great Living Chola Temples”, along with the Chola dynasty era Gangaikonda Cholapuram temple and Airavatesvara temple that are about 70 kilometres. Built out of granite, the vimana tower above the sanctum is one of the tallest in South India.

Answer: D

Tholu Bommalata is the shadow puppet theatre tradition of the state of Andhra Pradesh. Tholu Bommalata literally means “the dance of leather puppets”. The puppeteers make up some of the various entertainers who perform all night and usually re-enact various stories from Hindu epics such as the Ramayana and Mahabharata. Its performers the part of a group of wandering entertainers and peddlers who pass through villages during the course of a year and offer to sing ballads, tell fortunes, sell amulets, perform acrobatics, charm snakes, weave fishnets, tattoo local people and mend pots.

Answer: D

Kyongnosla Alpine Sanctuary is a wildlife sanctuary in East Sikkim, India Rich in both flora and fauna, rare, endangered ground orchids and rhododendrons interspersed among tall junipers and taller silver firs are among the important plants present. Rhododendron niveum (the State Tree of Sikkim) and Cypripedium tibeticum (the ground slipper orchid), which is on the verge of extinction, have also been introduced here. Kyongnosla Alpine Sanctuary is part of the Sacred Himalayan Landscape.

Answer: D

The Chief Minister of Assam has announced a PRANAM Commission to look after the issues related to the Parents Responsibility and Norms for Accountability and Monitoring (PRANAM) Bill. The bill makes it mandatory for state government employees to look after their parents and unmarried differently abled siblings who do not have their. If any complaints related to ignorance towards parents or unmarried differently abled siblings, then 10 or 15 per cent of the employee’s salary will deducted by the government and paid to the parents or differently abled siblings.

Answer: D

The ‘Parmanu Tech 2019’ conference was recently organised by the Ministry of External Affairs and Department of Atomic Energy (DAE). The conference discussed issues related to Nuclear Energy and Radiation Technologies.

Answer: C

Uttar Pradesh has launched ‘Sarthi Sandesh Vahini’ mission. The ‘Sarthi Sandesh Vahini’ is a mission started by the state family welfare department with an aim to spread awareness regarding family planning in urban and rural areas. Under this campaign, vehicles will provide family planning information to the viewers through various documentaries and films.

Answer: B

HAM is a mix of the Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) and Build, Operate, Transfer (BOT) models. HAM combines 40% EPC and 60% BOT-Annuity. It was introduced in January 2016 to recover investments in road infrastructure projects. About 30 highways projects have been awarded under HAM by the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI). The private player has no role in the road’s ownership, toll collection or maintenance. It helped to have a better financial mechanism for road development. It is a good trade-off, spreading the risk between developers and the Government.

Answer: D

Sattriya dance was introduced by the great Vaishnava saint and reformer of Assam, Mahapurusha Sankaradeva. Sattriya Nritya is accompanied by musical compositions called borgeets. The costumes are usually made of pat – a silk produced in Assam which is derived from the mulberry plant. There are 2 types of costumes: the male costume comprising the dhoti and chadar and the female costume comprising the ghuri and chadar.  Sattriya is combination of Music, Dance and drama.

Answer: D

Explanation:

8places of Bhuddha’s life

• Lumbini : Nepal
• Kapilavastu : Uttar Pradesh
• Bodh gaya : Bihar
• Sarnath : Uttar Pradesh
• Rajgir : Bihar
• Sravasti : Uttar Pradesh
• Vaishali : Bihar
• Kushinagar : Uttar Pradesh

Solution : C

The Department of School Education & Literacy has initiated Bhasha Sangam Programme to provide multilingual exposure to students in Indian Languages. The Bhasha Sangam is an initiative under the ‘Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat’ which aims to make the students aware about the unique cultural, ethnic and linguistic diversity of our country.

Answer: D

Indus river dolphins are one of only four river dolphin species and subspecies in the world that spend all of their lives in freshwater. Four river dolphin species: ‘Susu’ of Ganges Dolphin, Yangtze River Dolphin (China), ‘bhulan’ of the Indus (Pakistan) and the ‘boto’ of the Amazon River (Latin America).  IUCN Status is Endangered (EN). They have adapted to life in the muddy river and are functionally blind like Ganges River dolphin. They rely on echolocation to navigate, communicate and hunt prey including prawns, catfish and carp. It is national mammal of Pakistan. It is the state aquatic animal of Punjab. The main threat is the construction of numerous dams and barrages that split the population into small groups, degraded their habitat and impeded migration.

Answer: A

Answer: A

Answer: A

Answer: B

Answer: D