UPSC Essentials | Daily subject-wise quiz : History, Culture and Social Issues MCQs on Majuli Mask, classical language and more (Week 57)

1. These masks are made of bamboo.

2. These masks are traditionally used to depict characters in bhaonas, or theatrical performances.

3. These masks have been given a geographical indication (GI) tag.

How many of the statements given above are correct?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) All three

(d) None

QUESTION 2

Consider the following statements about Uttaramerur inscription:

1. The inscription is present on the walls of the Vaikunda Perumal Temple.

2. It provides details of local self-governance.

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

QUESTION 3

Which of the following personalities is related with Indian Home Rule Society?

(a) Gopal Krishna Gokhale

(b) Annie Besant

(c) Bal Gangadhar Tilak

(d) Shyamji Krishna Varma

QUESTION 4

Kondaveedu Fort was recently in news. The fort is located in:

(a) Andhra Pradesh

(b) Tamil Nadu

(c) Karnataka

(d) Maharashtra

QUESTION 5

Consider the following guidelines:

1. The language and literature should be distinct from modern.

2. The language should have early texts/recorded history over a period of 1500-2000 years.

3. The language should be considered as a valuable heritage by generations of speakers.

How many of the above are the guidelines for declaring a language as ‘Classical’?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) All three

(d) None

ANSWERS TO THE MCQs

1. (c)

FYI:

— The traditional Majuli masks in Assam were given a Geographical Indication (GI) tag by the Centre. Majuli manuscript painting also got the GI label. Hence, statement 3 is correct.

— A GI tag is conferred upon products originating from a specific geographical region, signifying unique characteristics and qualities. Essentially, it serves as a trademark in the international market.

— Majuli, the largest river island in the world and the seat of Assam’s neo-Vaishnavite tradition, has been home to the art of mask-making since the 16th century.

— Handmade masks are typically used to depict characters in bhaonas, or theatrical plays with spiritual teachings, as part of the neo-Vaishnavite tradition established by the 15th-16th century reformist saint Srimanta Sankardeva. Hence, statement 2 is correct.

— The masks portray gods, goddesses, demons, animals, and birds, including Ravana, Garuda, Narasimha, Hanuman, and Varaha Surpanakha.

— These masks are made of bamboo, clay, dung, cloth, cotton and wood. Hence, statement 1 is correct.

— They can range in size from those that only cover the face (mukh mukha), which take about five days to manufacture, to those that cover the performer’s entire head and body (cho mukha), which can take up to one and a half months to make.

Therefore, option (c) is the correct answer.

2. (c)

FYI:

— Uttaramerur is located in the Kanchipuram district, about 90 kilometres southeast of Chennai. It is a small town with a population of around 25,000 according to the 2011 census. It is well-known for its historic temples constructed during the Pallava and Chola periods.

— The Uttaramerur inscription gives details of local self-governance. The inscription gives details of the functioning of the local sabha, i.e. the village assembly. Hence, statement 2 is correct.

— The inscription describes a number of important sabha committees, each with its own distinct function. The garden committee, tank committee, annual committee (an executive committee that required prior experience and knowledge to be a part of), committee for supervision of justice (for supervising appointments and wrongdoing), gold committee (in charge of all the gold in the village temple), and five-fold committee (its role is unclear in the inscription) are among them.

— The Uttaramerur inscription details how members were selected, the required qualifications, their roles and responsibilities, and even the circumstances in which they could be removed.

— The famous inscription from Parantaka I’s reign is found on the walls of the Vaikunda Perumal Temple. Hence, statement 1 is correct.

Therefore, option (c) is the correct answer.

3. (d)

FYI:

— Shyamji Krishna Varma was considered as a staunch nationalist, who founded the Indian Home Rule Society, India House and The Indian Sociologist in London.

— The monthly Indian Sociologist became an outlet for nationalist ideas and through the Indian Home Rule Society, he criticised the British rule in India.

— Shyamji Krishna Varma became the first President of Bombay Arya Samaj, was an admirer of Dayanand Saraswati, and he inspired Veer Savarkar who was a member of India House in London.

— He also served as the Divan of a number of states in India.

— In the face of criticism by the British, Varma, shifted his base from England to Paris and continued his movement. After the outbreak of the Second World War, however, he moved to Geneva in Switzerland and spent the rest of his life there. He died on March 30, 1930.

Therefore, option (d) is the correct answer.

4. (a)

FYI:

— Kondaveedu Fort is a historically significant old hill castle in Kondaveedu village, Chilakaluripet constituency, Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh, India.

— The Kondaveedu Fort was built by Prolaya Vema Reddi. The Reddi dynasty used it as their capital from 1328 until 1482, replacing their previous headquarters at Addanki.

— Krishnadevaraya, a monarch of Vijayanagara, took it in 1516.

— The French colonists took control of the fort in 1752, and it was significantly strengthened. It passed to the British East India Company, which took control of the fort in 1788 but abandoned it in the early nineteenth century in preference of Guntur.

Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer.

(Source: aptourism.gov.in)

5. (c)

FYI:

— Currently, six languages enjoy the ‘Classical’ status: Tamil (declared in 2004), Sanskrit (2005), Kannada (2008), Telugu (2008), Malayalam (2013), and Odia (2014).

— On July 25, 2024, the Linguistic Experts Committee (LEC) unanimously revised the criteria for classical status. The criteria now include:

(i) High antiquity of early texts, and recorded history over a period of 1500- 2000 years;

(ii) A body of ancient literature/ texts, which is considered a heritage by generations of speakers;

(iii) Epigraphic and inscriptional evidence;

(iv) Knowledge texts, especially prose texts in addition to poetry; and

(v) The classical languages and literature could be distinct from their current form or could be discontinuous with later forms of its offshoots.

Therefore, option (c) is the correct answer.

Previous Daily Subject-Wise-Quiz

Daily subject-wise quiz — Polity and Governance (Week 57)

Daily Subject-wise quiz — History, Culture, and Social Issues (Week 56)

Daily subject-wise quiz — Environment, Geography, Science and Technology (Week 56)

Daily subject-wise quiz — Economy (Week 56)

Daily subject-wise quiz – International Relations (Week 55)

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