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Art & CultureMediumAsked in: UPSC CAPF · CAPF 2020, Paper I

Dardic group of language belongs to which language family?

  1. A.Indo European
  2. B.Austric
  3. C.Sino-Tibetan
  4. D.Dravidian

Correct answer

A. Indo European

Explanation

The correct answer is A, Indo European. The Dardic languages form a branch of the Indo-Aryan group, which is part of the Indo-European family.

Dardic languages are spoken in the north-west of the subcontinent: in Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan, Chitral and parts of Afghanistan. Kashmiri is the best-known Dardic language and the only one with a large literary tradition; Shina and Khowar are others. In India the Indo-European family, through its Indo-Aryan branch, is the largest, spoken by about three-quarters of the people, and it includes Hindi, Bengali, Marathi and Gujarati.

B is wrong: the Austric family covers the Munda languages such as Santhali and Mundari and the Khasi language.

C is wrong: the Sino-Tibetan family covers the Tibeto-Burman languages of the Himalaya and the North-East, such as Bodo, Manipuri and Lepcha.

D is wrong: the Dravidian family covers Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Brahui, not the Dardic tongues.

Exam tip: Kashmiri is Dardic, and Dardic is Indo-Aryan, which belongs to the Indo-European family.

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Q1.Art & CultureAsked in: UPSC CAPF · CAPF 2017, Paper IMedium

In which one of the following buildings the first extant true arch is found?

  1. A.Arhai din ka Jhonpra
  2. B.Quwwat ul Islam Mosque
  3. C.Tomb of Sultan Balban
  4. D.Alai Darwaza
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Tomb of Sultan Balban

The tomb in Mehrauli, Delhi, built in the late 13th century, has the earliest surviving true arch in India. A true arch is built from wedge-shaped stones (voussoirs) held in place by a keystone at the top, so it spreads weight sideways.

Q2.Art & CultureAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2023, GS Paper IMedium

In which one of the following regions was Dhanyakataka, which flourished as a prominent Buddhist centre under the Mahasanghikas, located?

  1. A.Andhra
  2. B.Gandhara
  3. C.Kalinga
  4. D.Magadha
Show answer
Correct answer: A. Andhra

Dhanyakataka is the ancient Dharanikota, beside Amaravati on the Krishna river in present-day Andhra Pradesh. Dhanyakataka was a capital of the Satavahanas, who ruled the Deccan around the beginning of the Common Era, and the great Amaravati stupa stood close by.

Q4.Art & CultureEasy

The Rock Garden at Chandigarh, built out of industrial and urban waste, was created by whom?

  1. A.Le Corbusier
  2. B.Nek Chand
  3. C.M. S. Randhawa
  4. D.Pierre Jeanneret
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Nek Chand

Nek Chand Saini, a roads inspector in Chandigarh, began building figures and courtyards out of broken tiles, bangles, sockets and other waste in a gorge near the Sukhna Lake, and the work he did largely alone became the Rock Garden, now one of the best known sights of the city.