UPSC Essentials | Daily subject-wise quiz: History and Culture MCQs on freedom fighter’s autobiography, historic road, and more (Week 108)

QUESTION 1

With reference to padavali literature, consider the following statements:

1. It is written in Awadhi emerged during the medieval period. 

2. It comprised lyrical poems focused on the divine play of Krishna and the love of Radha.

Which of the above given statement is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Explanation

The evolution and convergence of Bengali

The body of literature that followed is broadly categorised by the Chakrabartis into two chronological phases: the medieval (1350–1800) and the modern (post-1800) periods. By the 15^th century, the diverse versions of Bengali had begun to converge into a more cohesive literary language. Many of the defining features of modern standard Bengali were already in place by the close of the Mughal era.

Medieval Bengali literature, according to the Chakrabartis, coalesced around four major genres. The Mangalakavya, or celebratory narrative poems devoted to regional deities, remained popular until the 18^th century. Alongside these were Bengali adaptations of the Sanskrit epics, the Ramayana and Mahabharata. The third genre, padavali literature, comprised lyrical poems focused on the divine play of Krishna and the love of Radha. Finally, there were poetic biographies of Chaitanya, rooted in the Gaudiya Vaishnava movement and its devotional fervour.

Therefore, b is the correct answer.

(For more, refer: Bengali through the ages: from Islamic rule to the colonial era and beyond, Research, IE)

QUESTION 2

Sinhavalokan is an autobiography of which of the following freedom fighters?

(a) Vinayak Damodar Savarkar

(b) Taanguturi Prakasham

(c) Sukhdev Thapar

(d) Yashpal

Explanation

In his autobiography Sinhavalokan (1951-55), Bhagat Singh’s comrade Yashpal wrote: “Gandhi considered it moral to put government pressure on the people for prohibition [of alcohol] but he considered it immoral to put people’s pressure on a foreign government to commute the sentence of Bhagat Singh…”

Therefore, d is the correct answer.

(For more, refer: Could Gandhi have done more to save Bhagat Singh? Explained, IE)

QUESTION 3

The historic Tea Horse Road connected:

(a) Myanmar to India via Moreh

(b) India to Afghanistan 

(c) China to India via Tibet

(d) India to Europe via Central Asia

Explanation

China’s Ambassador to India Xu Feihong on February 23 posted on X about the historic Tea Horse Road which spanned more than 2,000 km, and connected China to India via Tibet. “The Ancient Tea-Horse Road witnesses the exchanges and interaction between China and India throughout the long river of history,” he wrote.

Although not as well-known as the Silk Road, which linked China and Europe, the Tea Horse Road was a crucial commercial pathway for centuries.

“Tea from across China was transported to Xizang [Tibet], then shipped to Kolkata via the Himalayan passes, and sold in Europe and Asia on a massive scale,” the Ambassador wrote.

The Tea Horse Road does not refer to a single road but a network of branching paths that began in southwest China and ended in the Indian subcontinent.

The two main pathways passed through cities like Dali and Lijiang in Yunnan province, and reached Lhasa in Tibet, before entering the Indian subcontinent where they branched into present-day India, Nepal, and Bangladesh. These routes were perilous to travel on, passed through difficult terrain, and reached an elevation of up to 10,000 feet.

Therefore, c is the correct answer.

(Refer: How the historic Tea Horse Road connected India to China, through Tibet, Explained, IE)

QUESTION 4

With reference to the first Asia-Africa summit held in 1955, consider the following statements:

1. The conference marked a significant moment for the developing Global South, recently freed from colonial rule.

2. The conference served as a precursor to the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM).

3.  The summit concluded with the signing of Brioni Declaration. 

Which of the above given statements is/are true?

(a) 1 only

(b) 1 and 2 only

(c) 2 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

Explanation

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the first Asia-Africa summit, which took place in Bandung, Indonesia from April 18 to 24, 1955.

— Twenty-nine newly independent Asian and African countries came together in a historic gathering.

— The conference marked a significant moment for the developing Global South, recently freed from colonial rule.

— Held in Bandung (Indonesia), it sparked a new wave of South-South cooperation and solidarity.

— The conference served as a precursor to the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM).

— Conveners aimed to chart a new path of sovereign, independent, and collective action.

— The goal was to address pressing challenges as newly independent nations.

— Participants shared dissatisfaction with their marginalization on the global stage.

— The countries signed a 10-point declaration or that co-opted the Five Principles or Panchsheel. — A 10-point “declaration on promotion of world peace and cooperation”, called Dasasila Bandung (Bandung’s Ten Principles, or Bandung Spirit, or Bandung Declaration).

NAM was officially founded with the Brioni (Brijuni) Declaration on July 19, 1956, signed by:

• Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru
• Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser
• Yugoslav Prime Minister Josip Broz Tito
  

The declaration, signed on the Brioni Islands (now in Croatia), stated:

“Peace cannot be achieved via division, but via striving for collective security on the global scale… by the expansion of the area of freedom, as well as through the ending of domination of one country over another.”

Therefore, b is the correct answer.

(For more, refer: Knowledge Nugget | Bandung Conference at 70: Key facts for UPSC Exam)

QUESTION 5

Henry Francis Blanford, Sir John Eliot, and Sir Gilbert Walker are known in Indian history for their contributions to the field of:

(a) Archaeology 

(b) Linguistics

(c) Law and Order

(d) None of the above

Explanation

A systematic effort to forecast monsoon rainfall began in 1877, two years after the IMD was established with the British meteorologist and palaeontologist Henry Francis Blanford as the first Meteorological Reporter to the Government of India.

Blanford was succeeded by Sir John Eliot, who was appointed the first Director General of Indian Observatories, equivalent to the position of the head of the IMD today, in May 1889 at its Calcutta headquarters.

The first colonial official who sought to incorporate the influence of global factors on the Indian monsoon was the physicist and statistician Sir Gilbert Walker, who succeeded Eliot in 1904.

Therefore, d is the correct answer.

(For more, refer: The history and evolution of monsoon forecasting in India, Explained, IE)

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