According to an early Indian philosopher, everything is made up of _________ basic elements.
- A.2
- B.4
- C.3
- D.5
Correct answer
D. 5
Explanation
The correct answer is D, 5. Early Indian thinkers held that everything in the world is made of five basic elements, the panchamahabhuta: earth, water, fire, air and space or ether. The idea runs through the Upanishads, the Samkhya school and Ayurveda, where each element is linked to one of the senses, space to hearing, air to touch, fire to sight, water to taste and earth to smell. Ayurveda builds its three doshas, vata, pitta and kapha, out of pairs of these elements, and the body is said to return to the five elements after death. A, B and C are wrong because two, four and three do not match this scheme. Four elements, leaving out space, belong to the Greek account of matter and to the Charvaka school in India, which accepted only what the senses could show. Exam tip: panchamahabhuta means five elements, prithvi, jal, agni, vayu and akash.
Practice Questions
View allWhich of the following styles of paintings are also known for Panchatantra Paintings?
- A.Bundi
- B.Kota
- C.Marwar
- D.Dhundhar
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Marwar
Explanation
The correct answer is C, Marwar. The Marwar school, the painting of the Jodhpur region, is the one credited with the illustrated Panchatantra series, a set painted at Pali in the early eighteenth century in which the animal fables are told frame by frame. Marwar work is known for its folk strength rather than courtly polish: bold flat colours, large staring eyes, sturdy figures and plenty of horses and camels. Alongside the Panchatantra, the school also illustrated the Dhola Maru romance and the Ragamala series. A is wrong because Bundi painting is famous for lush green landscapes, monsoon skies, lotus tanks and elephant scenes. B is wrong because Kota, which grew out of Bundi, is best known for its hunting scenes set in thick forest. D is wrong because Dhundhar, the Jaipur and Amber school, is known for large portraits, court scenes and its Ragamala and Bihari Satsai sets. Exam tip: Panchatantra and Dhola Maru go with Marwar, monsoon and greenery with Bundi, shikar with Kota.
Bodo language is spoken mainly in which of the following states of India?
- A.Assam
- B.Jharkhand
- C.Himachal Pradesh
- D.Karnataka
Show answer
Correct answer: A. Assam
Explanation
The correct answer is A, Assam. Bodo is the language of the Bodo people of the Brahmaputra valley and is spoken mainly in the Bodoland Territorial Region of western Assam. It belongs to the Tibeto-Burman group, is written in the Devanagari script and is an associate official language of Assam. Bodo was added to the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution by the 92nd Amendment of 2003, along with Dogri, Maithili and Santhali. Option B is wrong because Jharkhand's main tongues are Hindi along with Santhali, Mundari and Ho. Option C is wrong because Himachal Pradesh speaks Hindi and Pahari dialects such as Kangri and Mandeali. Option D is wrong because Karnataka's official language is Kannada, a Dravidian language. Exam tip: the 92nd Amendment, 2003 added four languages — Bodo, Dogri, Maithili and Santhali — taking the Eighth Schedule to 22.
Which is not an official language of Jammu and Kashmir?
- A.Hindi
- B.Dogri
- C.Urdu
- D.Punjabi
Show answer
Correct answer: D. Punjabi
Explanation
The correct answer is D, Punjabi. The Jammu and Kashmir Official Languages Act, 2020 gives the union territory five official languages: Kashmiri, Dogri, Urdu, Hindi and English. Punjabi is spoken in parts of the region, but it was not put on that list, so it is the odd one out. Before this law Urdu alone was the official language of the old state, even though hardly any household used it as a mother tongue, and the change was made so that the languages people actually speak would be used in government work. Option A is wrong because Hindi is one of the five named in the Act. Option B is wrong because Dogri, spoken mainly in the Jammu division, is both an official language of the union territory and a language of the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution. Option C is wrong because Urdu is official and was in fact the only official language earlier. Exam tip: remember the five as Kashmiri, Dogri, Urdu, Hindi and English.
Chapchar Kut, the spring festival at which the Cheraw bamboo dance is performed, is celebrated in which state?
- A.Mizoram
- B.Sikkim
- C.Arunachal Pradesh
- D.Assam
Show answer
Correct answer: A. Mizoram
Explanation
The correct answer is A, Mizoram. Chapchar Kut is the best known festival of the Mizo, held in March once the jhum fields have been cleared and burnt and the villagers wait for the sowing rains. Men and women in thangchhuah puan and vakiria headgear dance to drums, and the Cheraw, in which dancers step between bamboo staves clapped together on the ground, is its signature performance. Mim Kut and Pawl Kut are the other two Mizo festivals.
Option B, Sikkim, observes Losar, Losoong and Saga Dawa. Option C, Arunachal Pradesh, holds Mopin of the Galo, Solung of the Adi and Nyokum of the Nyishi. Option D, Assam, celebrates Bihu and Ali Ai Ligang. The bamboo dance itself is the clue, because Cheraw is Mizoram's own and is often confused with the similar dances of the region.
Which Constitutional Amendment Act inserted Article 338A to provide for a separate National Commission for Scheduled Tribes?
- A.73rd Amendment
- B.86th Amendment
- C.89th Amendment
- D.97th Amendment
Show answer
Correct answer: C. 89th Amendment
Explanation
The correct answer is C, the 89th Amendment. Until 2003 a single National Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes worked under Article 338. The 89th Constitutional Amendment Act of 2003 split it, leaving Article 338 with the National Commission for Scheduled Castes and inserting Article 338A to create a separate National Commission for Scheduled Tribes, with a chairperson, a vice-chairperson and other members appointed by the President.
Option A, the 73rd Amendment of 1992, added Part IX and gave panchayats constitutional status. Option B, the 86th Amendment of 2002, inserted Article 21A and made free and compulsory education for children a fundamental right. Option D, the 97th Amendment of 2011, dealt with cooperative societies. Only the 89th Amendment concerns the tribal commission, so C is correct.