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Indian HistoryMediumAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2022, GS Paper I

"Yogavasistha" was translated into Persian by Nizamuddin Panipati during the reign of :

  1. A.Akbar
  2. B.Humayun
  3. C.Shahjahan
  4. D.Aurangzeb

Correct answer

A. Akbar

Explanation

The correct answer is A, Akbar. Nizamuddin Panipati rendered the Yogavasistha into Persian in Akbar's time, as part of the emperor's large programme of translating Sanskrit works. Akbar set up a translation bureau (Maktab Khana) at Fatehpur Sikri, where the Mahabharata was translated as the Razmnama, and the Ramayana, Atharvaveda, Lilavati and Rajatarangini were also put into Persian. The Yogavasistha is a philosophical dialogue between sage Vasistha and Rama on the nature of mind and liberation; the Persian version was prepared for Prince Salim, the later Jahangir. Option B is wrong because Humayun's troubled reign saw no such translation programme. Option C is wrong because the best-known translation of Shahjahan's period is Dara Shikoh's Sirr-i-Akbar, the Persian Upanishads, not this work. Option D is wrong because Aurangzeb did not sponsor translations of Sanskrit philosophy. Exam tip: Akbar's Maktab Khana produced the Razmnama (Mahabharata); Dara Shikoh translated the Upanishads as Sirr-i-Akbar.

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Q1.Indian HistoryAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2017, GS Paper IEasy

With reference to Indian freedom struggle, consider the following events :

1. Mutiny in Royal Indian Navy

2. Quit India Movement launched

3. Second Round Table Conference

What is the correct chronological sequence of the above events ?

  1. A.1-2-3
  2. B.2-1-3
  3. C.3-2-1
  4. D.3-1-2
Show answer
Correct answer: C. 3-2-1

The Second Round Table Conference came in 1931, the Quit India Movement in 1942 and the Royal Indian Navy mutiny in 1946.

Q2.Indian HistoryAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2018, GS Paper IHard

Consider the following events :

1. The first democratically elected communist party government formed in a State in India.

2. India's then largest bank, 'Imperial Bank of India', was renamed 'State Bank of India'.

3. Air India was nationalised and became the national carrier.

4. Goa became a part of independent India.

Which of the following is the correct chronological sequence of the above events ?

  1. A.4-1-2-3
  2. B.3-2-1-4
  3. C.4-2-1-3
  4. D.3-1-2-4
Show answer
Correct answer: B. 3-2-1-4

The events run Air India's nationalisation (1953), the birth of the State Bank of India (1955), the Kerala communist government (1957) and Goa's liberation (1961).

Q3.Indian HistoryAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2018, GS Paper IHard

With reference to educational institutions during colonial rule in India, consider the following pairs :

Institution — Founder

1. Sanskrit College at Benaras — William Jones

2. Calcutta Madarsa — Warren Hastings

3. Fort William College — Arthur Wellesley

Which of the pairs given above is/are correct ?

  1. A.1 and 2
  2. B.2 only
  3. C.1 and 3
  4. D.3 only
Show answer
Correct answer: B. 2 only

Warren Hastings founded the Calcutta Madarsa, but the other two institutions are linked with the wrong founders. Hastings set up the Calcutta Madrasa in 1781 to train Muslim scholars in Arabic and Persian learning and in Islamic law, which the Company courts needed.

Q4.Indian HistoryAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2022, GS Paper IMedium

Which one of the following statements about Sangam literature in ancient South India is correct ?

  1. A.Sangam poems are devoid of any reference to material culture.
  2. B.The social classification of Varna was known to Sangam poets.
  3. C.Sangam poems have no reference to warrior ethic.
  4. D.Sangam literature refers to magical forces as irrational.
Show answer
Correct answer: B. The social classification of Varna was known to Sangam poets.

Sangam texts mention Brahmanas, kings and traders, showing that the poets knew of the varna order even though Tamil society was not organised strictly by it.

Q5.Indian HistoryAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2022, GS Paper IHard

Consider the following pairs :

King — Dynasty

1. Nannuka — Chandela

2. Jayashakti — Paramara

3. Nagabhata II — Gurjara-Pratihara

4. Bhoja — Rashtrakuta

How many pairs given above are correctly matched?

  1. A.Only one pair
  2. B.Only two pairs
  3. C.Only three pairs
  4. D.All four pairs
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Only two pairs

Nannuka–Chandela and Nagabhata II–Gurjara-Pratihara are correct; the other two kings are given the wrong dynasty. Nannuka founded the Chandela line of Jejakabhukti (Bundelkhand) in the ninth century, and his successors built the temples of Khajuraho.