Rajasthan 2017 Previous Year GK Questions with Answers

The correct answer is C, Gross investment - Depreciation. Net investment is gross investment minus depreciation, that is, the addition to the stock of capital left after making good the wear and tear of existing machines, buildings and equipment. Gross investment is the whole spending on capital goods in a year, while depreciation, also called consumption of fixed capital, is the fall in the value of capital through normal use and age. The same subtraction turns gross figures into net figures elsewhere in national accounts: gross domestic product minus depreciation gives net domestic product. If net investment is positive the economy's capital stock is growing, and if it is negative the stock is shrinking. A and B are wrong because sudden destruction of capital by accident or by a flood or earthquake is a capital loss and is not counted as depreciation. D is wrong because only one of the three statements is correct. Exam tip: net equals gross minus depreciation, the same rule for investment, GDP and national product.

The correct answer is B, Gurjar-Pratihara. Both temples belong to the Gurjara-Pratihara style, the western Indian form of the Nagara tradition that grew under Pratihara rule between the eighth and the eleventh centuries. The Someshwar temple at Kiradu in Barmer district is the finest of a group of five temples, so richly carved that Kiradu is called the Khajuraho of Rajasthan. The Harshat Mata temple at Abhaneri in Dausa district stands on a high platform beside the famous Chand Baori stepwell and shows the same curved shikhara, carved pillars and sculptured panels. A is wrong because Gupta temples, like the Dashavatara temple at Deogarh, are earlier and plainer. C is wrong because Mauryan work survives as pillars, stupas and rock-cut caves, not temples. D is wrong because the Dravida style of the south has a pyramidal vimana and a gopuram. Exam tip: Kiradu in Barmer and Abhaneri in Dausa, both Gurjara-Pratihara, Nagara family.

The correct answer is B, American independence was declared. On 4 July 1776 the Second Continental Congress, meeting at Philadelphia, adopted the Declaration of Independence, by which thirteen colonies broke away from British rule. The Declaration was drafted mainly by Thomas Jefferson and set out the idea that all men are created equal and that governments draw their authority from the consent of the governed. The day is kept every year as Independence Day in the United States, though the war went on until the British surrender at Yorktown in 1781 and the Treaty of Paris of 1783. A is wrong because George Washington became the first President in 1789. C is wrong because the French alliance was signed in 1778, after the victory at Saratoga. D is wrong because slavery ended in 1865 with the Thirteenth Amendment. Exam tip: fix the sequence, 1776 Declaration, 1781 Yorktown, 1783 Treaty of Paris.

The correct answer is A, June 3, 1947. Lord Mountbatten, the last Viceroy, announced his partition plan on 3 June 1947, which is why it is also called the June Third Plan. It offered the provinces a choice: British India would be divided into India and Pakistan, both as Dominions, the legislatures of Bengal and Punjab would vote on splitting those provinces, a referendum would be held in the North-West Frontier Province and Sylhet, and the princely states were left free to join either Dominion. The plan was given legal shape by the Indian Independence Act, passed on 18 July 1947. B is wrong because the All India Congress Committee accepted the plan on 14 June 1947, which was not the date of its announcement. C is wrong because no such announcement was made on that date. D is wrong because 20 February 1947 is Prime Minister Attlee's statement that Britain would leave India by June 1948. Exam tip: 20 Feb 1947 Attlee statement, 3 June 1947 Mountbatten Plan, 18 July 1947 Indian Independence Act.

The correct answer is D, Afghanistan. SAARC was founded at Dhaka on 8 December 1985 by seven countries: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Afghanistan was admitted as the eighth member at the fourteenth summit, held in New Delhi in 2007, and no country has joined since, so it remains the newest member of the grouping. The secretariat works from Kathmandu and the chair rotates among the members in alphabetical order. A is wrong because Mauritius is not a member of SAARC at all; it has only observer status, as do China, Japan, the United States and the European Union among others. B is wrong because Sri Lanka was present at the founding in 1985. C is wrong because Nepal too was a founding member, and it hosts the secretariat. Exam tip: remember 1985 Dhaka with seven founders, the 2007 New Delhi summit for Afghanistan and Kathmandu for the secretariat.

The correct answer is A, Amber-Jaipur School. Gopal, Udai, Hukma and Jiwan were court painters of the Amber-Jaipur school, which grew first in the ateliers of Amber and then in the new capital after Sawai Jai Singh II founded Jaipur in 1727. The school reached its height under Sawai Pratap Singh, whose karkhana employed dozens of artists; its best known master, Sahibram, painted life-size portraits, and Krishna subjects such as the Ragamala and Bhagavata sets were favourites. Very large paintings, life-size portraits and green and yellow backgrounds mark the style. Option B is wrong because the Bikaner school is identified with Ruknuddin, Shahdin and Ustad Ali Raza, artists trained in the Mughal manner. Option C is wrong because Jodhpur or Marwar painting is associated with Shivdas, Kishandas and Dalchand. Option D is wrong because the Mewar school of Udaipur is led by Sahibdin and Manohar, who painted the Rasikapriya and Ramayana series. Exam tip: Sahibram belongs to Jaipur, Sahibdin to Mewar.