UPSC Essentials | Daily subject-wise quiz: History, Culture and Social issues MCQs on life of Buddha, languages and more (Week 98)

QUESTION 1

Arrange the following places in chronological order of the life events of Buddha:

1. Lumbini

2. Bodhgaya

3. Sarnath

4. Kushinagar

Select the correct order using the code below:

(a) 1, 2, 3, 4

(b) 1, 3, 2, 4

(c) 3, 1, 2, 4

(d) 2, 1, 3, 4

Explanation: 

The chronological order of events related to the life of Buddha:

1. Lumbini – Birthplace of Buddha

2. Bodhgaya – Site of Buddha’s Enlightenment

3. Sarnath – Place of Buddha’s First Sermon

4. Kushinagar – Final Resting Place of Buddha

Therefore, (a) is the correct answer. 

QUESTION 2

Consider the following statements with reference to Buddhism:

1. Emperor Ashoka erected a pillar with an elephant capital at Sankisa.

2. King Bimbisara was contemporary with Gautam Buddha.

3. It was in Rajgir that women were ordained into the Sangha for the first time.

Which of the above given statements is/are true?

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 1 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3 

Explanation: 

Statement 3 is not correct. It was in Vaishali, that women were ordained into the Sangha for the first time. According to the Ministry of Tourism, “These included the Buddha’s foster mother Mahaprajapati Gautami, who was one of 500 Sakyan women who came all the way from Kapilavastu to Vaishali, in order to join the Order. The Buddha was hesitant at first, but finally, admitted the women as bhikshunis or nuns.”

Therefore, (a) is the correct answer. 

(Source: Buddhist Tourism Circuit in India, tourism.gov.in)

QUESTION 3

Consider the following statements with reference to how the states were first formed in India

1. The Nagpur Congress of 1920 had accepted linguistic provinces and submitted to the British government of India a memoranda for the recognition of nationalities along linguistic lines.

2. The Language Committee of the Constituent Assembly, chaired by Moturi Satyanarayana, recommended the reorganization of 16 states and 3 union territories along linguistic lines after two years of examination.

Which of the above given statements is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only 

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Explanation: 

The agitation for a language identity

The Nagpur Congress of 1920 had accepted linguistic provinces and submitted to the British government of India a memoranda for the recognition of nationalities of Kannada, Odiyas, Andhras, Tamils, Bengalis and Jharkhandis along linguistic lines. The report submitted said the following:

“If those who speak the same language form a compact and self- contained area, so situated and endowed as to be able to support its existence as a separate province, there is no doubt that the use of a common speech is a strong and natural basis for provincial individuality.” Hence, statement 1 is correct.

The appeal to linguistic identities was a crucial factor in creating national consciousness during the freedom struggle. Gandhi had in fact advocated the reorganisation of the Indian National Congress along linguistic lines rather than along the lines drawn by the British administration. When a few provinces were created by dividing the Bengal Presidency in early twentieth century, it was just one among many such instances of territorial reorganisation along linguistic lines which came to follow decades latter. The agitation for recognition of linguistic identities intensified after the Constitution of India came into effect in 1950. Under constant pressure to reformulate the territories of states in India, the States Reorganisation Commission (SRC) came into existence in 1953. After two years of examination, the SRC recommended the rebordering of 16 several states and 3 union territories along linguistic lines. A newly formed unified territory of Malayalam speakers was a result of this institutional reorganisation. Hence, statement 2 is not correct. 

Therefore, (a) is the correct answer. 

QUESTION 4

Consider the following languages:

1. Marathi

2. Pali

3. Prakrit

4. Assamese

5. Bengali

6. Punjabi 

7. Hindi

Which of the above given languages are Classical languages of India?

(a) 2, 3, 6 and 5 only

(b) 2, 3, 4 and 7 only

(c) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 only

(d) 1, 2, 3, 4 and 7 only

Explanation: 

The Union Cabinet last year extended the “classical language” tag to Marathi, Pali, Prakrit, Assamese, and Bengali. Tamil, Sanskrit, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, and Odia already enjoy this status.

Therefore, (c) is the correct answer. 

QUESTION 5

Which of the following novels was the subject of obscenity trials in many countries, including India:

(a) The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan 

(b) Lady Chatterley’s Lover by DH Lawrence

(c) The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

(d)  Emma by Jane Austen

Explanation: 

The most important early ruling on obscenity laws involved the book Lady Chatterley’s Lover, written by English author D H Lawrence. The book was considered scandalous for the times with its depictions of sexual encounters, and faced obscenity trials in several countries, including the United Kingdom and India

It was published in 1928 in Italy and 1929 in France, although in England, the book was unavailable in an unexpurgated edition until 1960. In 1964, the Supreme Court of India held that the book was obscene under Section 292 of the IPC in the case of Ranjit D Udeshi v. State of Maharashtra (1964). It did so by borrowing from a British case called Queen v. Hicklin (1868) which laid down the “Hicklin test” for determining if a work is obscene.

Therefore, (b) is the correct answer. 

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