UPSC Essentials : Daily Subject-wise quiz | History, Culture, and Social Issues (Week 28)

1. The Pala period witnessed the last great phase of Buddhism and of the Buddhist art in India.

2. The Pala painting is characterised by sinuous line and subdued tones of colour.

3. The surviving examples of the Pala illustrated manuscripts mostly belong to the Theravada School of Buddhism.

How many of the statements given above are correct?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) All three

(d) None

QUESTION 2

With reference to the Toto Community, consider the following statements:

1. It is a non-tribal community having a small population.

2. They live near the India-Nepal border.

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

With reference to the Mukkuvar coastal Fisher folk community, consider the following statements:

1. The community played a special role in the victory of Kathiawar.

2. The community is known to have delayed Dutch reinforcements from reaching Colachel.

3. The community is socially and economically backward and has been categorized as a Most Backward Community.

How many of the statements given above are correct?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) All three

(d) None

QUESTION 4

Consider the following places:

1. Kotturu

2. Baavikonda

3. Sankaram

4. Thotlakonda

How many of the places given above are Buddhist sites?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) Only three

(d) All four

QUESTION 5

With reference to the Ngotekherh, consider the following statements:

1. It is a popular traditional cloth of the Ladakhi people.

2. It is woven in two pieces lengthwise and are sewn together in the middle forming a complete puan.

3. The distinctive features of the Ngotekherh is that the white weft is almost completely hidden by the black warp in which it intersects.

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. (b)

FYI:

— The Pala period (750 A.D. to the middle of the 12th century) witnessed the last great phase of Buddhism and of the Buddhist art in India. Hence, statement 1 is correct.

— The Buddhist monasteries (mahaviharas) of Nalanda, Odantapuri,Vikramsila and Somarupa were great centres of Buddhist learning and art.

— The surviving examples of the Pala illustrated manuscripts mostly belong to the Vajrayana School of Buddhism. Hence, statement 3 is not correct.

— The Pala artwork is distinguished by sinuous line and subtle hue tones. It is a realistic style that recalls the ideal shapes of current bronze and stone sculpture while also reflecting some of the mood of Ajanta’s ancient art. Hence, statement 2 is correct.

— The Pala art came to a sudden end after the destruction of the Buddhist monasteries at the hands of Muslim invaders in the first half of the 13th century.

Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer.

(Source: ccrtindia.gov.in)

2. (d)

FYI:

— Toto is a small tribal community having a population of only 1,632 people. Hence, statement 1 is not correct.

— They live in Alipurduar district, on the edge of north Bengal near the India-Bhutan border, and speaking the eponymous language. Hence, statement 2 is not correct.

— Dhaniram Toto, a Toto (Dengka) language preserver, whose name was announced as one of the recipients of Padma Shri award in the field of Literature & Education on the eve of Republic Day.

Therefore, option (d) is the correct answer.

3. (b)

FYI:

— There is a special role that the fishermen community in the region, locally known as the ‘Mukkuvar’, played in the victory of Travancore. Hence, statement 1 is not correct.

— De Lannoy in his work has explained that the Dutch needed the Mukkuvar’s help to build fortifications, trenches, makeshift sheds and storerooms to be able to continue with the war.

— The non-cooperation of the fisherman owing to their steadfast loyalty to the Travancore king is what led to the ultimate defeat of the Dutch.

— The community is socially and economically backward and has been categorized as a Most Backward Community (MBC) by the Government of India. At present, the total number of Mukkuvar people living in the coast of Kannyakumari in 44 villages is 148,539, living as 37,211 families. Hence, statement 3 is correct.

— This community of marine fisher people professing Catholic religion is living in Kanyakumari district [in Tamil Nadu state] and Thiruvananthapuram district [in Kerala state].

— Members of the Mukkuvar community are also known to have delayed Dutch reinforcements from reaching Colachel. Hence, statement 2 is correct.

Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer.

4. (d)

FYI:

Therefore, option (d) is the correct answer.

(Source: tourism.ap.gov.in)

5. (b)

FYI:

— Ngotekherh is a popular traditional cloth of the Mizo people. Mizoram has received a Geographical Indication (GI) tag for Ngotekherh under Sub-section (1) of Section 13 of the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999. Hence, statement 1 is not correct.

— It is either draped or wrapped around the waist by women.

— The traditional color and design of the Ngotekherh has remained the same over the years.

— The distinctive features of the Ngotekherh is that the white weft is almost completely hidden by the black warp in which it intersects. Hence, statement 3 is correct.

— Ngotekherh is woven in two pieces lengthwise and are sewn together (called Zungthui, meaning sewn together or stitched by hand) in the middle forming a complete puan. Hence, statement 2 is 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 28)

Daily Subject-wise quiz — History, Culture, and Social Issues (Week 27)

Daily subject-wise quiz — Environment, Geography, Science and Technology (Week 27)

Daily subject-wise quiz — Economy (Week 27)

Daily subject-wise quiz – International Relations (Week 27)

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