UPSC Essentials | Daily subject-wise quiz : History, Culture and Social Issues MCQs on British India at the Olympics, Lahore Resolution (Week 73)

Statement 1: Till the early 1930s, many Muslims had been agitating for better representation and safeguarding of their rights within the Indian Union.

Statement 2: The Lahore Resolution, adopted by the All-India Muslim League in March 1940, marked a significant turning point, seeking to elevate the status of the Indian Muslims from a minority group to a separate nation.

Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

(a) Both Statement 1 and Statement 2 are correct and Statement 2 is the correct explanation for Statement 1.

(b) Both Statement 1 and Statement 2 are correct and Statement 2 is not the correct explanation for Statement 1.

(c) Statement 1 is correct but Statement 2 is incorrect.

(d) Statement 1 is incorrect but Statement 2 is correct.

Explanation

— Pakistan National Day is observed on March 23, the day the Lahore Resolution was adopted in 1940 by the Muslim League.

— The Lahore Resolution, adopted by the All-India Muslim League during its general session in Lahore from March 22 to March 24, 1940, formally called for an independent state for India’s Muslims.

— Till the early 1930s, many Muslims had been agitating for better representation and safeguarding of their rights within the Indian Union. Hence, statement 1 is correct.

— The Lahore Resolution, adopted by the All-India Muslim League in March 1940, marked a significant turning point, seeking to elevate the status of the Indian Muslims from a minority group to a separate nation. It positioned Muhammad Ali Jinnah as the “Sole Spokesman” for Muslims, and the Muslim League’s demands became non-negotiable. Hence, statement 2 is correct.

— The resolution declared that “it is the considered view of this Session of the All India Muslim League that no constitutional plan would be workable in this country or acceptable to Muslims unless it is designed on the following basic principle, namely that geographically contiguous units are demarcated into regions which should be so constituted, with such territorial readjustments as may be necessary, that the areas in which the Muslims are numerically in a majority as in the North-Western and Eastern Zones of India, should be grouped to constitute “Independent States” in which the constituent units shall be autonomous and sovereign.”

— The resolution also demanded that “in other parts of India where the Mussalmans are in a minority, adequate, effective and mandatory safeguards shall be specially provided in the constitution for them and other minorities for the protection of their religious, cultural, economic, political, administrative and other rights and interests in consultation with them.”

Both Statement 1 and Statement 2 are correct and Statement 2 is the correct explanation for Statement 1.

Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 2

Leang Karampuang cave was in the news recently. Consider the following statements:

1. It is the world’s oldest known figurative cave.

2. The cave is situated in Meghalaya.

Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Explanation

— According to a recent study, researchers have determined that the world’s oldest known figurative cave painting dates back 51,200 years by using a new dating technique. Hence, statement 1 is correct.

— Leang Karampuang cave, located on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, the painting in red pigment shows a pig with its mouth partially open and three part-human, part-animal stick figures, or therianthrope. Hence, statement 2 is not correct.

— The researchers in the study wrote: “Our findings show that figurative portrayals of anthropomorphic figures and animals have a deeper origin in the history of modern human (Homo sapiens) image-making than recognised to date, as does their representation in composed scenes.”

— The finding is based on dating using uranium series (U-series) analysis of calcite deposits overlying rock art in the limestone caves. Laser beams were used during the process and by comparing the ratio between the parent isotope (uranium) and the daughter isotope (thorium) researchers were able to date the paintings.

Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 3

With reference to the British India at the Olympics, consider the following statements:

1. India’s association with the Olympics started with the 1900 Paris Olympics.

2. Norman Pritchard was the first Indian to participate in the Olympics.

3. The Indian football team won the country’s first gold medal in 1928.

How many of the statements given above are correct?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) All three

(d) None

Explanation

— Norman Pritchard has taken on an almost mythical quality in the history of Indian sport. Born to two British citizens on June 23, 1875, in Calcutta, Pritchard was a gifted runner. He visited London in 1900, presumably with no forthright knowledge that the relatively unknown Olympic games would be taking place in Paris later that year. Hence, statement 2 is correct.

— India’s Olympic history dates back to the second-ever modern Games, held in Paris in 1900. Hence, statement 1 is correct.

— India first sent a national delegation to the Olympics in 1920 and its first official Olympic association was formed only in 1927.

— The Indian hockey team won the country’s first gold medal in 1928. Hence, statement 3 is not correct.

— Between 1928 and 1960, the Indian hockey team won seven out of eight Olympic gold medals. Apart from K D Jadhav’s bronze in wrestling in 1952, India won its first medal outside of hockey in 1996, when Leander Paes won a bronze in men’s tennis doubles.

Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 4

Consider the following statements:

1. These people live in the jungles of Amazon and Southeast Asia.

2. The people of this tribe are nomadic hunter-gatherers.

3. The Peru government created the Madre de Dios Territorial Reserve to protect the territory of these people.

The above mentioned statements refer to:

(a) Chono people

(b) Puelche people

(c) Mashco Piro tribe

(d) Maasai people

Explanation

— Survival International, an indigenous rights NGO, has released rare images of the Mashco Piro tribespeople, one of the world’s 100-odd uncontacted tribes.

— The Mashco Piro, with a possible population of around 750, are thought to be the largest of such tribes.

— Almost all of them live in the jungles of Amazon and Southeast Asia. These nomadic hunters and gatherers reside in the Amazon jungles of Peru’s Madre de Dios Region, near the border with Brazil and Bolivia.

— Peru’s government has prohibited all contact with the Mashco Piro, fearing the spread of a sickness to which the populace is not immune. The tribe is quite secluded, only communicating with the natives on rare occasions, however they have contacted the Yine people.

— In 2002, the Peruvian government established the Madre de Dios Territorial Reserve to protect the Mashco Piro territory.

Therefore, option (c) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 5

Which of the following Vedas mostly contains spells for domestic purposes such as health and good fortune?

(a) Rig Veda

(b) Yajur Veda

(c) Sama Veda

(d) Atharva Veda

Explanation

— Vedic poetry, also known as mantra, occurs in the form of compilations called Samhitas. The Rig Samhitas are the earliest collections of Vedic poetry. There are around 1,000 poems organised into ten books, or mandalas. Ninety majority of them are invocations to gods who reside in the sky, inviting them to a dinner in exchange for worldly achievement, such as having children, good health, victory in combat, and so on. Ten percent are associated with various world-related ideas and speculations.

— A component of the Rig Vedic poetry is included into the Sama Veda, which is a musical adaptation of the Rig Veda. There are two sorts of melodies: the first is sung in the town known as Grama Gan, and the second is sung in the forest known as the Aranya Gan.

— The Yajur Veda also includes numerous Rig Vedic poetry. It also features a few original ones. But some poems are specifically about conducting rituals. Yajus are particular poetry or mantras that are intended to be said when conducting specific ritual tasks.

— The Trayi, or basic Vedas, are made up of three parts: the Rig Veda, the Sama Veda, and the Yajur Veda.

— The Atharva Veda is also a collection of poetry, but they were mostly spells used for domestic purposes such as health, good fortune, and warding off malicious spirits, jealousy, and rage.

Therefore, option (d) is the correct answer.

Previous Daily Subject-Wise-Quiz

Daily subject-wise quiz — Polity and Governance (Week 72)

Daily Subject-wise quiz — History, Culture, and Social Issues (Week 72)

Daily subject-wise quiz — Environment, Geography, Science and Technology (Week 72)

Daily subject-wise quiz — Economy (Week 72)

Daily subject-wise quiz – International Relations (Week 71)

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