UPSC Essentials : Daily Subject-wise quiz | History, Culture, and Social Issues (Week 25)

2. It was an organised war against colonialism.

3. The rebellion was led by two brothers Sidhu and Kanhu.

4. The rebellion took place in the Damin-i-Koh region.

How many of the statements given above are correct?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) Only three

(d) All four

QUESTION 2

Consider the following statements:

1. Wajid Ali Shah was the first Nawab to sit on the throne of Awadh.

2. The deposition of Wajid Ali Shah contributed to the Revolt of 1857.

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

Consider the following temples:

1. Chennakeshava Temple

2. Hoysaleswara Temple

3. Achyutraya Temple

4. Keshava Temple

How many of the temples given above are part of Hoysala temples that have made it to UNESCO’s World Heritage List?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) Only three

(d) All four

QUESTION 4

With reference to the Adi Shankaracharya, consider the following statements:

1. He was a proponent of Jainism.

2. The Statue of Oneness dedicated to Adi Shankaracharya has been unveiled at Ujjain.

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 5

Consider the following statements about Koftgari Metal Craft:

1. It is used in making ornamental weaponry.

2. It can be both an inlay and overlay art.

3. Karnataka has got a Geographical Indication (GI) tag for Koftgari Metal Craft.

How many of the statements given above are correct?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) All three

(d) None

ANSWERS TO THE MCQs

1. (c)

FYI:

— The Santal rebellion or ‘Hul’ – literally, revolution – began in 1855, two years before the the uprising of 1857. Hence, statement 1 is not correct.

— It was an “organised war against colonialism” led by the Santals, standing against the myriad forms of oppression – economic and otherwise – they were subjected to by the British and their collaborators. Hence, statement 2 is correct.

— The rebellion was led by two brothers Sidhu and Kanhu, it saw the participation of as many as 32 caste and communities rallying behind them. Hence, statement 3 is correct.

— The rebellion took place in the lush Damin-i-Koh region – ‘Damin-i-Koh’ meaning the ‘skirts of the hills’ – and took the British by complete surprise. This region falls in present-day Jharkhand, more specifically, around the Rajmahal Hills of eastern Jharkhand’s Sahibganj district. Hence, statement 4 is correct.

— The Santal people – or Santalis – were not the original inhabitants of modern day Santhal Pargana – which includes the six districts of Dumka, Pakur, Godda, Sahibganj, Deoghar and parts of Jamtara.

Note: The popular spelling of ‘Santhals’ today is the one used by the British, and experts say ‘Santal’ is a more accurate way of documenting how the community identified itself.

Therefore, option (c) is the correct answer.

2. (b)

FYI:

— July 30, 2023, was the 201st birth anniversary of Wajid Ali Shah. He was the last Nawab to sit on the throne of Awadh. Hence, statement 1 is not correct.

— He was a man of many contradictions — a king who never had much power but who managed to maintain a ‘court’ to his dying day.

— The deposition of Wajid Ali Shah contributed to the Revolt of 1857 but he never showed any inclination to fight the British. Hence, statement 2 is correct.

— The Nawab had tried to reform his administration but was hamstrung by the British.

— After he was deposed as the ‘king’ of Lucknow — a title given by the British — Wajid Ali Shah.

Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer.

3. (c)

FYI:

— Three Hoysala-era temples in Karnataka recently made it to UNESCO’s World Heritage List, under the collective entry of ‘Sacred Ensembles of the Hoysalas’.

— The three temples include the Chennakeshava temple in Belur, the Hoysaleswara Temple in Halebidu, and the Keshava Temple in Somanathapura.

— The temples were built in the 12th and 13th centuries, the three temples selected for the UNESCO list are important not just because they demonstrate their builders’ superior skill, but also because they narrate the tale of the politics that shaped them.

— The Hoysalas held power in Karnataka from the 10th century to the 14th century.

— The dynasty began as provincial governors under the Western Chalukyas, but as the two dominant empires of the South, the Western Chalukyas and the Cholas, crumbled, the Hoysalas established themselves as rulers.

Therefore, option (c) is the correct answer.

4. (d)

FYI:

— Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan unveiled the 108-foot-tall ‘Statue of Oneness’ of Adi Shankaracharya at Omkareshwar. Hence, statement 2 is not correct.

— The statue depicts Shankaracharya as a 12-year-old child when he is said to have visited Omkareshwar.

— Adi Shankara, who is believed to have lived between 788 and 820 AD, was born in Kerela’s Kaladi, situated on the bank of the Periyar River.

— He studied under his guru Govinda Bhagavatpada and soon became a proponent of Advaita Vedanta, challenging prevailing philosophical traditions – including Buddhism and Jainism. Hence, statement 1 is not correct.

— The Mandhata Island is dotted with Shaivite, Vaisnavite, and Jain temples dating back to the 14th and 18th centuries. The name ‘Omkareshwar’ is derived from the shape of the island, which resembles the sacred syllable ‘Om’, and its name means ‘the Lord of Omkara’.

Therefore, option (d) is the correct answer.

5. (b)

FYI:

— The Udaipur Koftgari Metal craftsmen practice the ancient art of Koftgari used in making ornamental weaponry at Udaipur. Hence, statement 1 is correct.

— The Koftgari Metal craftsmen use base metal and at first, the selected item for Koftgari is scratched with a knife (chirni) in a very close cross-hatch pattern. Then fine silver wire is inlaid with the help of a pointed tool called “salai” in the etched grooves to make an outline for the patterns.

— This craft can be seen in Udaipur and Chittorgarh nowadays.

— Mewar region of Rajasthan is a historical place of great warriors of Rana Sanga (Sangram Singh) and Rana Pratap who fought against the Mughals in the 16th century.

— Koftgari/Koftgiri princely daggers as a part of rituals in marriages and other cultural family functions.

— It can be both an inlay and overlay art. It refers to the action of “beating” the pattern into the iron, an art of inlaying light metal on a dark one to provide a surface with an ornamental appearance with elaborate and lavish chiseling gold or silver leaf. Hence, statement 2 is correct.

— Rajasthan has got a Geographical Indication (GI) tag for Koftgari Metal Craft under Sub-section (1) of Section 13 of the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999. Hence, statement 3 is not correct.

Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer.

(Source: search.ipindia.gov.in)

Previous Daily Subject-Wise-Quiz

Daily subject-wise quiz — Polity and Governance (Week 25)

Daily Subject-wise quiz — History, Culture, and Social Issues (Week 24)

Daily subject-wise quiz — Environment, Geography, Science and Technology (Week 24)

Daily subject-wise quiz — Economy (Week 24)

Daily subject-wise quiz – International Relations (Week 24)

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