UPSC Essentials | Daily subject-wise quiz : History, Culture and Social Issues MCQs on Hampi, Adi Shankara and more (Week 78)

1. The ruins at Hampi were brought to light in 1800 by Colonel Colin Mackenzie.

2. Much of the initial information was based on the memories of priests of the Virupaksha temple.

3. Literature from these sources is based on the Kannada language only.

How many of the statements given above are correct?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) All three

(d) None

Explanation

— The remains of Hampi were brought to light in 1800 by an engineer and antiquarian named Colonel Colin Mackenzie. Hence, statement 1 is correct.

— A large portion of the first information he was given was based on the memories of priests of the Virupaksha temple and the shrine of Pampadevi. Later, starting in 1856, photographers started to take pictures of the monuments, allowing researchers to examine them more closely. Hence, statement 2 is correct.

— Epigraphists started gathering several inscriptions from this and other Hampi temples as early as 1836. Historians compiled material from these sources with reports from foreign explorers and other literature published in Telugu, Kannada, Tamil, and Sanskrit in an attempt to reconstruct the history of the city and the empire. Hence, statement 3 is not correct.

Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer

(Other Source: ncert.nic.in)

QUESTION 2

With reference to the participation of women in the national movement, consider the following statements:

1. During the partition of Bengal, women were called upon to participate in the Swadeshi Movement.

2. Before the twentieth century, women’s involvement in national politics was at its peak.

Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Explanation

— Before the twentieth century, women’s involvement in national politics was minimal. However, during the movement against the partition of Bengal in 1905, women were called upon to participate in the Swadeshi Movement. Hence, statement 1 is correct and staement 2 is not correct.

— Ramendra Sundar Tribedi called for the observance of “Arandhan Day” on October 16, 1905, when women were to protest by not cooking in their homes and holding women-only protests.

— Women also attended mobilisation sessions and the Indian National Congress session in Calcutta, where individuals such as Kadambini Ganguly, one of India’s first female graduates, and Swarnakumari Devi, one of India’s first female novelists and Rabindranath Tagore’s sister, were in attendance.

— Organisations such as Bharat Stree Mahamandal (founded by Sarla Devi Chaudhrani in 1910) and Abanindranath Tagore’s iconic painting of Bharat Mata (a woman in saffron robes, with a serene face and halo around her head, beads and scriptures in her hands) acknowledged the presence of women in the movement, but their impact was far from revolutionary.

Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 3

Navjivan, a weekly newspaper was published by:

(a) Ram Mohun Roy

(b) B.R Ambedkar

(c) Bal Gangadhar Tilak

(d) Mahatma Gandhi

Explanation

— The rise of the nationalist movement in India was closely tied to challenging existing power structures within indigenous traditions, including gender norms in Indian society.

— Social reformers like Raja Ram Mohan Roy, D.K. Karve, Vishnu Shastri Pandit, and Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar called for a re-evaluation of traditional practices to help Indian women find their place in the modern world. Such efforts contributed to the emerging discourse on women’s rights.

— Mahatma Gandhi, one of the twentieth century’s most influential national leaders, challenged the dominant discourses. He opposed the widespread acceptance of Western culture, parliamentary democracy, and the English educational system, instead emphasising the importance of Indian traditions, spirituality, and moral principles.

— Gandhi’s vision for women’s empowerment was an unusual blend of fostering women’s political mobilisation, self-reliance, and economic independence while emphasising traditional feminine characteristics such as purity, sacrifice, and service. He frequently tackled these concerns in his various publications, particularly in his weekly newspaper, Navjivan.

Therefore, option (d) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 4

Which of the following works is not attributed to Adi Shankara?

(a) Siddhānta Shiromani

(b) Vivekachudamani

(c) Maneesha Panchakam

(d) Saundaryalahari

Explanation

— Adi Shankara is said to have been born in Kaladi village on the bank of the Periyar, the largest river in Kerala. His parents, the Brahmin couple Siva Guru and Arya Antharjanam, had fallen on difficult times. He left home very early in search of learning and to become a sanyasin.

— In a lifespan of just 32 years, he is said to have visited all the important spiritual centres of the time — from Kanchi (Kancheepuram) to Kamrup (Assam), and Kashmir and the Kedar and Badri dhams, as well as Sringeri, Ujjain, Kashi, Puri, and Joshimath. He is believed to have established the ritual practices at the Badri and Kedar dhams, and to have debated with tantrics in Srinagar.

— Adi Shankara is generally identified as the author of 116 works — among them the celebrated commentaries (bhashyas) on 10 Upanishads, the Brahmasutra and the Gita, and poetic works including Vivekachudamani, Maneesha Panchakam, and Saundaryalahiri.

Bhāskara II, an Indian mathematician, wrote Siddhānta Śiromaṇi.

Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 5

He was born in 973, in Khwarizm, an important centre of learning. He was well-versed in several languages: Syriac, Arabic, Persian, Hebrew and Sanskrit. In 1017, when Sultan Mahmud invaded Khwarizm, he took several scholars and poets back to his capital, he was one of them. His Kitab-ul-Hind, written in Arabic is divided into 80 chapters on subjects such as religion and philosophy, festivals, astronomy, alchemy, manners and customs, social life, weights and measures, iconography, laws and metrology.

The above mentioned lines refer to:

(a) Marco Polo

(b) Al-Biruni

(c) Abdur Razzak

(d) Ibn Battuta

Explanation

— Al-Biruni was born in 973 in Khwarizm, present-day Uzbekistan. Khwarizm was an important educational centre. He knew various languages, including Syriac, Arabic, Persian, Hebrew, and Sanskrit. Despite not knowing Greek, he was familiar with Plato’s and other Greek philosophers’ works, having read them in Arabic translations.

— When Sultan Mahmud stormed Khwarizm in 1017, he brought several intellectuals and poets to his capital, Ghazni, including Al-Biruni. He arrived in Ghazni as a hostage, but grew to enjoy the city, where he lived until his death at the age of 70.

— Al-Biruni spent years with Brahmana priests and academics, learning Sanskrit and studying religious and philosophical literature.

— Al-Biruni’s Kitab-ul-Hind, written in Arabic, is straightforward and understandable. It is a lengthy text divided into 80 chapters covering topics such as religion and philosophy, festivals, astronomy, alchemy, manners and customs, social life, weights and measures, iconography, laws, and metrology.

Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer.

(Other Source: ncert.nic.in)

Previous Daily Subject-Wise-Quiz

Daily subject-wise quiz — Polity and Governance (Week 77)

Daily Subject-wise quiz — History, Culture, and Social Issues (Week 77)

Daily subject-wise quiz — Environment, Geography, Science and Technology (Week 76)

Daily subject-wise quiz — Economy (Week 77)

Daily subject-wise quiz – International Relations (Week 77)

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