UPSC Essentials | Daily subject-wise quiz : History, Culture and Social Issues MCQs on Buddhist sites, Jallianwala Bagh massacre and more (Week 58)

The Buddha was born as the prince Siddhartha Gautama in c. 563 BC in ‘A’, and he lived until the age of 29 with his parents in the Shakya capital of ’B’. He attained enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree in Bodh Gaya, and gave his first sermon at ‘C’. He taught in the area around Rajgir, where he was built a forest monastery by king Bimbisara of Magadha, and he lived the largest part of his life as The Buddha in Shravasti. He delivered his last sermon in ‘D’.

Which of the following pairs with reference to the above passage is not correctly matched?

(a) A : Lumbini

(b) B : Magadha

(c) C : Sarnath

(d) D : Vaishali

 QUESTION 2

Born in 1902, her work as a lawyer and politician in Travancore influenced her arguments in the Constituent Assembly Debates greatly. She fought to integrate the princely state of Travancore into the newly independent India and became the first woman to hold a ministerial and legislative assembly position in Travancore.

Who is referred to in the above given lines?

(a) Begum Aziaz Rasul 

(b) Dakshayani Velayudhan

(c) Annie Mascarene

(d) Hansa Jivraj Mehta

QUESTION 3

One notable feature of this dynasty’s architecture is the use of soapstone, a malleable stone that is easy to carve. This is one of the reasons behind the abundance of intricate sculptures one can see on the temple walls. The sculptures include animals, scenes of daily life, as well as depictions from the epics and the Puranas. The Kesava temple built in Somanathapura and The Chennakeshava temple in Belur are two examples of temples during the reign of this dynasty.

Which is the dynasty referred to in the above given lines?

(a) The Western Chalukyas

(b)  The Pandyas

(c) The Cholas

(d) The Hoysalas

QUESTION 4

Consider the following lines and answer the question below:

This pillar has a 12th-Century inscription by Chauhan king Vigraharaja IV, boasting of his conquests of the Vindhyas and how he defeated the outsiders (Turkish invaders) and “restored Aryan dominance” over his land.

Which is the pillar referred to in the above lines?

(a) Delhi-Topra pillar

(b) Rummindei Pillar

(c) Nigalisagar Pillar

(d) Sankissa Pillar

QUESTION 5

With reference to Jallianwala Bagh massacre, consider the following statements:

1. The Report of Disorders Inquiry Committee condemned the incident but did not impose any punishment on General Dyer. 

2. Wartime British Prime Minister Winston Churchill went on to describe the day as “monstrous” and an inquiry was set up to probe General Dyer’s orders.

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

(a) Only 1

(b) Only 2

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

ANSWERS TO THE MCQs

1. (b)

FYI:

— The ministry’s map of the Buddhist Circuit includes Bodh Gaya, Vaishali, and Rajgir in Bihar, Kushinagar, Sarnath, and Shravasti in UP, and Lumbini in Nepal.

— The Buddha was born as the prince Siddhartha Gautama in c. 563 BC in Lumbini, and he lived until the age of 29 with his parents in the Shakya capital of Kapilavastu.

— He attained enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree in Bodh Gaya, and gave his first sermon at Sarnath near Varanasi.

— He taught in the area around Rajgir, where he was built a forest monastery by king Bimbisara of Magadha, and he lived the largest part of his life as The Buddha in Shravasti. He delivered his last sermon in Vaishali.

Therefore, (b) is the correct answer. 

2. (c)

FYI:

— Born in 1902, Annie Mascarene’s work as a lawyer and politician in Travancore influenced her arguments in the Constituent Assembly Debates greatly. She fought to integrate the princely state of Travancore into the newly independent India and became the first woman to hold a ministerial and legislative assembly position in Travancore.

— Mascarene in the Constituent Assembly Debates firmly believed in the centralisation of power for a smooth functioning of a democracy. She also warned against complete centralisation which would negatively affect the nature of democratic institutions. She said that the task of the Assembly was to lay down the rudimentary principles of democracy for generations to come and not just for the near future.

Therefore, (c) is the correct answer.

3. (c)

FYI:

— The Chennakeshava temple, dedicated to Lord Vishnu, was consecrated around 1117 AD by the mighty Hoysala king Vishnuvardhana, to mark his victories against the Cholas. It is thus also called the Vijaya Narayana temple.

— The other Vaishnava shrine, the Kesava temple, was built in Somanathapura around 1260 by Somanatha, a general of Hoysala King Narasimha III.

— The Hoysaleswara temple in Halebidu is believed to be the largest Shiva temple built by the Hoysalas, and is dated to the 12th century.

What makes Hoysala architecture stand out?

— One notable feature of Hoysala architecture is the use of soapstone, a malleable stone that is easy to carve. This is one of the reasons behind the abundance of intricate sculptures one can see on the temple walls. The sculptures include animals, scenes of daily life, as well as depictions from the epics and the Puranas. The jewellery, headgear, clothes, etc. of the detailed sculptures give an idea of the society of the times.

Therefore, (c) is the correct answer.

4. (a)

FYI:

— In the heart of South Delhi, near Kalkaji temple in East of Kailash, one can find a piece of history that pre-dates the Chahamanas, Lodhis, and  Khiljis, by several centuries. The rock edict, one among several scattered in different parts of the country, narrates emperor Ashoka’s policy of Dhamma, which he began to disseminate after embracing Buddhism and ahimsa (non-violence) following his conquest in the bloody battle for Kalinga.

— The other two spots where one can find Ashokan edicts in Delhi are on two pillars — one near Hindu Rao Hospital, and the other at Feroz Shah Kotla. However, these pillars were not originally established in Delhi. Originally from Topra (near Haryana) and Meerut, respectively, the columns were brought to the capital by Feroz Shah Tughlaq, who ruled Delhi in the 14th Century.

— The Topra pillar has a 12th-Century inscription by Chauhan king Vigraharaja IV, boasting of his conquests of the Vindhyas and how he defeated the outsiders (Turkish invaders) and “restored Aryan dominance” over his land.

Therefore, (a) is the correct answer. 

5. (c)

FYI:

What happened to Dyer after Jallianwala Bagh?

— The Hunter Committee (also called The Report of Disorders Inquiry Committee) condemned the incident but did not impose any punishment on Dyer. Ultimately, the Commander-in-Chief of the Army directed Brig Gen Dyer to resign his appointment as Brigade Commander and informed him that he will receive no further employment in India.

— However, Dyer remained a divisive figure at the time. Imperialists at home lauded Dyer for his actions against what they termed as unrest in India. Conservative newspapers and organisations in the UK later arranged for a fund for Dyer and collected a significant amount.

— Then MP and later Prime Minister Winston Churchill said that Dyer’s actions could not be repeated or justified, stating in the UK Parliament, “Our reign in India or anywhere else has never stood on the basis of physical force alone, and it would be fatal to the British Empire if we were to try to base ourselves only upon it.”

— Dyer would go on to retire and live in Britain. Incidentally, Michael O’Dwyer, the officer to order martial law, was later assassinated in 1940 in his retirement by Sardar Udham Singh, an Indian man who was present at Jallianwala Bagh and escaped the atrocities. Reports suggest that in his personal diary he frequently referred to O’Dwyer as Dyer, possibly because he confused the two.

Therefore, (c) is the correct answer. 

Previous Daily Subject-Wise-Quiz

Daily subject-wise quiz — Polity and Governance (Week 58)

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

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

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