Where is the famous pilgrim spot of Sikhs, Sri Harmandir Sahib located?

The correct answer is B, Seventh. Prophet Muhammad was born at Mecca in about 570 CE and began preaching the faith of Islam after his first revelation in about 610 CE, so the religion was founded in the seventh century. His migration from Mecca to Medina in 622 CE, called the Hijra, marks the start of the Islamic calendar, and he died in 632 CE. The revelations were later compiled as the Quran. Islam reached the Indian subcontinent within decades, first through Arab traders on the Malabar and Konkan coasts and then with the Arab conquest of Sind under Muhammad bin Qasim in 712 CE. A is wrong because the sixth century ended before the Prophet began his mission. C is wrong because by the ninth century Islam had already spread from Spain to Central Asia. D is wrong because the eighth century saw the expansion of Islam, not its founding. Exam tip: Prophet Muhammad born about 570 CE, Hijra 622 CE, death 632 CE, Arab conquest of Sind 712 CE.

The correct answer is B, Kumbhalgarh. The Hill Forts of Rajasthan were inscribed in 2013 as a serial site of six forts: Chittorgarh, Kumbhalgarh, Ranthambore, Amber, Jaisalmer and Gagron. Kumbhalgarh in the Rajsamand district stands in the Aravalli range, was built in the fifteenth century by Rana Kumbha of Mewar, and is known for a perimeter wall that is among the longest of any fort in the world. Maharana Pratap was born here.

Option A, Mehrangarh at Jodhpur, is one of the grandest forts of Rajasthan but is not part of the inscribed group. Option C, Junagarh at Bikaner, is a plains fort and is also outside the group. Option D, Lohagarh at Bharatpur, the mud fort the Jats held against attack, is likewise not inscribed. Only the six named forts count.

The correct answer is C, Darjeeling Himalayan Railway. This narrow gauge line in West Bengal, opened in the late nineteenth century and famous for its loops and zig zag reverses as it climbs to Darjeeling, was inscribed in 1999 and became the first railway property of India on the list. The Mountain Railways of India were then extended twice, and the site is counted as one serial property with three components.

Option A, the Nilgiri Mountain Railway in Tamil Nadu, the only rack railway in India, was added in 2005. Option B, the Kalka Shimla Railway in Himachal Pradesh, with its long tunnels and arched bridges, was added in 2008. Option D, the Matheran Hill Railway in Maharashtra, is on India's Tentative List but has not been inscribed, so it is the distractor here.

The correct answer is B, ICOMOS, the International Council on Monuments and Sites. When a country nominates a monument, a city or an archaeological site, ICOMOS studies the file, sends experts to the place and recommends to the World Heritage Committee whether it should be inscribed, referred back or rejected. The third advisory body named in the Convention is ICCROM, which works on the conservation and restoration of cultural property and on training.

Option A, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, is the advisory body for natural sites, so it handles national parks and biodiversity nominations, not monuments. Option C, the United Nations Environment Programme, is a UN body for the environment and has no role in inscription. Option D, the World Wide Fund for Nature, is a conservation organisation but not an advisory body under the Convention.

The correct answer is B, one-horned rhinoceros. Kaziranga National Park lies on the floodplain of the Brahmaputra in Assam and holds the largest population of the Indian one-horned rhinoceros. It was inscribed in 1985, the same year as Manas Wildlife Sanctuary in Assam and Keoladeo National Park in Rajasthan. Kaziranga is also a tiger reserve and its tall wet grassland supports wild buffalo, swamp deer and elephants, the group often called the big five of the park.

Option A, the Asiatic lion, survives only in the Gir forest of Gujarat, which is not a World Heritage Site. Option C, the snow leopard, belongs to the high Himalaya, in parks such as Khangchendzonga and the Great Himalayan National Park. Option D, the Nilgiri tahr, is a mountain goat of the Western Ghats, so it is linked to that serial site rather than to Kaziranga.