When did the Maharashtra government launch the 'Jail Tourism' initiative?

The correct answer is C, five. Maharashtra has five of the twelve Jyotirlingas, which is more than any other state: Bhimashankar in Pune district, Trimbakeshwar near Nashik, Grishneshwar near the Ellora caves, Aundha Nagnath in Hingoli and Parli Vaijnath in Beed. Trimbakeshwar is also one of the four sites of the Kumbh Mela and the source of the Godavari, while Grishneshwar stands beside the Ellora caves, so the two great sites of the state sit together.

Option A, two, and option B, three, understate the number and are the usual guesses. Option D, seven, overstates it. For comparison, Madhya Pradesh has two, Mahakaleshwar at Ujjain and Omkareshwar, while Gujarat has Somnath and Nageshwar, Uttarakhand has Kedarnath, Uttar Pradesh has Kashi Vishwanath and Jharkhand has Baidyanath, which together with Maharashtra's five make up the twelve.

The correct answer is A, Gharapuri. The island in Mumbai harbour that holds the Elephanta Caves is called Gharapuri locally, and the Portuguese named it Elephanta after a stone elephant found there. The caves are dedicated mainly to Shiva, and the great Trimurti bust in the main cave is their best known sculpture. UNESCO inscribed them on the World Heritage List in 1987.

Option B, Salsette, is the large island on which much of Mumbai and Thane stand. Option C, Butcher Island, is an oil terminal island in the same harbour. Option D, Madh, is a coastal locality in the north of Mumbai. All are places in or around the harbour, which is why they make good distractors, but Gharapuri is the island of the caves.

The correct answer is A, Amravati. Melghat lies in the Satpura hills of the Amravati district in Vidarbha, and it was among the first group of tiger reserves notified when Project Tiger began in 1973. The Gugamal National Park forms its core, the Tapi drains part of it, and the Korku people live in and around the forest. Melghat means the meeting of the ghats, a name that describes the folded hills of the reserve.

Option B, Chandrapur, is the district of the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve, the oldest national park of the state, and it is the strongest distractor here. Option C, Gadchiroli, is heavily forested but is not the seat of Melghat. Option D, Nagpur, is close to the Pench reserve, which is shared with Madhya Pradesh. Hold the pairing as Melghat with Amravati and Tadoba with Chandrapur.

The correct answer is B, Jyotirao Phule. Phule founded the Satyashodhak Samaj, the society of seekers of truth, at Pune in 1873, to work against caste discrimination and priestly authority and for the education of the lower castes and of women. With Savitribai Phule he opened some of the first schools for girls in the region, and his book Gulamgiri argued the case against caste bondage.

Option A, Gopal Krishna Gokhale, founded the Servants of India Society in 1905 and was the political guru of Gandhi. Option C, Dhondo Keshav Karve, worked for widow remarriage and founded a women's university. Option D, Vitthal Ramji Shinde, founded the Depressed Classes Mission. All four are reformers from the same state, so the exact organisation decides the answer.

The correct answer is C, Raigad. Shivaji was crowned Chhatrapati at Raigad in 1674, and the fort served as the capital of the Maratha kingdom, with its market street, the Jagadishwar temple and his samadhi still standing on the hill. Raigad district today takes its name from the fort, and the coronation of 1674 is remembered as the formal beginning of Maratha sovereignty.

Option A, Shivneri, near Junnar, is the fort where Shivaji was born, and it is the commonest wrong choice because both facts concern the same person. Option B, Pratapgad, is remembered for the encounter with Afzal Khan in 1659. Option D, Sinhagad, near Pune, is remembered for Tanaji Malusare, who died taking it. Every option is a genuine Shivaji fort, so the question turns on which one saw the coronation.