Sarhul, the best known festival of Jharkhand, is associated with the worship of which tree?

The correct answer is C, 15 November 2000. Jharkhand was created on that day under the Bihar Reorganisation Act, 2000, becoming the twenty-eighth state of India, and the date was chosen because it is the birth anniversary of the tribal leader Birsa Munda, now observed nationally as Janjatiya Gaurav Divas. Option A is wrong because 1 November 2000 is the formation day of Chhattisgarh, carved out of Madhya Pradesh. Option B is wrong because 9 November 2000 is the formation day of Uttarakhand, then called Uttaranchal, carved out of Uttar Pradesh. Option D is wrong because 2 October is Gandhi Jayanti and has no connection with the reorganisation. The three new states of that year are almost always asked together, so hold the order as Chhattisgarh first, Uttarakhand second and Jharkhand third.

The correct answer is B, Bihar. The southern, largely tribal plateau districts of Bihar were separated to form Jharkhand under the Bihar Reorganisation Act, 2000, after a demand that had been pressed since the days of the Chhotanagpur Unnati Samaj and the Adivasi Mahasabha led by Jaipal Singh Munda. Option A is wrong because Odisha lies to the south of Jharkhand and lost no territory to it. Option C is wrong because West Bengal borders Jharkhand on the east but was not divided. Option D is wrong because Madhya Pradesh was the parent state of Chhattisgarh, not of Jharkhand, and this is the most frequently chosen wrong answer. The word Jharkhand itself means the land of forests, a name used for this plateau country long before the state existed.

The correct answer is C, Dumka. Ranchi is the capital of Jharkhand and the seat of its High Court, while Dumka, the headquarters of the Santhal Pargana division in the east of the state, was named the sub-capital so that administration would not be concentrated entirely in one city. Option A is wrong because Jamshedpur is the largest city and the industrial centre of the state, built around the Tata iron and steel works, but it holds no capital status. Option B is wrong because Dhanbad is the coal city, sitting on the Jharia coalfield, again without capital status. Option D is wrong because Hazaribagh is known for its wildlife sanctuary and for Sohrai and Khovar painting. The pairing to carry is Ranchi as capital, Dumka as sub-capital and Jamshedpur as the largest city.

The correct answer is B, Parasnath Hill. Standing in the Giridih district on the Chhotanagpur plateau, Parasnath is the highest point in Jharkhand and is revered by Jains as Sammed Shikhar, the place where a number of their Tirthankaras are believed to have attained liberation, which makes it one of the most important Jain pilgrimage sites in India. Option A is wrong because Netarhat in Latehar district is called the Queen of Chhotanagpur and is famous for its sunrise and sunset points, but it is not the highest. Option C is wrong because Dalma Hill near Jamshedpur gives its name to a wildlife sanctuary. Option D is wrong because Trikut Hill near Deoghar is a pilgrimage spot of modest height. Papers often combine the highest point with the faith it is sacred to, so learn the two together.

The correct answer is A, Ulgulan. The word means the great tumult, and it is the name given to the movement Birsa Munda led in the Chhotanagpur region in 1899 and 1900 against landlords, moneylenders, missionaries and the colonial administration, demanding the restoration of tribal land rights; Birsa died in Ranchi jail in June 1900, and the agitation contributed to the passing of the Chhotanagpur Tenancy Act in 1908. Option B is wrong because Hul is the name of the Santhal rebellion of 1855 and 1856. Option C is wrong because Fituri refers to tribal risings in the Andhra region. Option D is wrong because the Kol Uprising of 1831 and 1832, led by figures such as Buddhu Bhagat, came earlier and involved the Kol tribes. Keep Hul with the Santhals and Ulgulan with the Mundas.