UPSC Essentials | Daily subject-wise quiz: History and Culture MCQs on Indian infantry, rivers in Vedas, translations in colonial India (Week 111)

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QUESTION 1

Why is October 27 in India observed as Infantry day?

(a) Victory of India in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 which led to the creation of Bangladesh.

(b) INA, led by Subhas Chandra Bose, was formed.

(c) Some units of the Bengal Native Infantry and Cavalry mutinied against the British East India Company.

(d) The first military action by an Indian regiment against external aggression in Jammu and Kashmir.

Explanation

Infantry Day, observed on October 27, commemorates the first military action by an Indian regiment against external aggression. On October 27, 1947, the First Battalion of the Sikh Regiment arrived at Srinagar to defend Jammu and Kashmir from external aggression.

Therefore, (d) is the correct answer.

(For more, refer: Infantry Day 2024: Recalling the first Indian military action, on this date in 1947 in J&K, Explained, the Indian Express.)

QUESTION 2

This inscription gives details of the functioning of the local sabha, i.e. the village assembly. A sabha was an assembly exclusively of brahmans and had specialised committees tasked with different things. The inscription details how members were selected, the required qualifications, their roles and responsibilities, and even the circumstances in which they could be removed.

The inscription referred to in the above lines is:

(a) Aihole inscription

(b) Uttaramerur 

(c) Mandsaur inscription

(d) Lumbini pillar inscription

Explanation

—  Uttaramerur lies in present-day Kanchipuram district, approximately 90 km southeast of Chennai. Today, it is a small town and had a population of roughly 25,000 in the census of 2011. It is known for its historic temples built during Pallava and Chola rule.

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

—  The inscription gives details of the functioning of the local sabha, i.e. the village assembly. A sabha was an assembly exclusively of brahmans and had specialised committees tasked with different things. 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.

Therefore, (b) is the correct answer.

(For more, refer: What the Uttaramerur inscription, recently referred to by PM Modi, says; Explained, The Indian Express.)

QUESTION 3

With reference to books and their translations in the colonial period, consider the following statements:

1. Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar’s English translation of his Bengali work, Marriage of Hindu Widows, influenced the passage of the Hindu Widows’ Remarriage Act in 1856.

2. Orientalist Charles Wilkins, influenced by his judicial engagement with legal texts like the Manusmriti, published his translation titled Institutes of Hindu Law.

3. In Balidaan (Sacrifice), his Hindi translation of Victor Hugo’s Quatre-vingt-treize, Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi enriched the text with contextual details about the French Revolution to emphasize its message of self-sacrifice for Indian readers.

Which of the above given statements is/are not true?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 1 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

Explanation

— Orientalist William Jones, influenced by his judicial engagement with legal texts like the Manusmriti, published his 1794 translation titled Institutes of Hindu Law. As Tejaswini Niranjana observes in her article Translation, Colonialism and the Rise of English (1990), Jones’s work embodied a broader colonial impulse—the belief that translation should be carried out by Europeans rather than Indians, in order to codify local laws and “purify” Indian culture. Siddiqi concurs, “For the British, translation was a project of control.” Hence, statement 2 is incorrect. 

— Another turning point in colonial translation came with English Orientalist Charles Wilkins’ 1785 translation of the Bhagavad Gita. This, according to Jones, as cited by Kothari in her book Translating India (2014), was the “event that made it possible for the first time to have a reliable impression of Indian literature.”

— Indian social reformers played a pivotal role in legal reform. Gargi Bhattacharya highlights how Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar’s English translation of his Bengali work, Marriage of Hindu Widows, directly influenced the passage of the Hindu Widows’ Remarriage Act in 1856.

— Translation also served as a mode of resistance. A powerful example is Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi’s Hindi translation of Victor Hugo’s Quatre-vingt-treize, retitled Balidaan (sacrifice), which he enriched with contextual details about the French Revolution to underscore its message of self-sacrifice for Indian readers.

Hence, statement 1 and 3 are correct.

Therefore, (b) is the correct answer.

(For more, refer: From Ashokan edicts and Manusmriti to modern novels: deciphering the art and politics of translation in multilingual South Asia by Nikita Mohta, The Indian Express.)

QUESTION 4

Match the following:

Explanation

— The Dargah in Ajmer is the mausoleum of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti (also spelt Muinuddin or Mu’in al-din), one of the most pivotal figures for the spread of Sufism in the subcontinent.

— The Dargah of Sufi Shah Sharif is located near Hirnigan in Firozabad, Uttar Pradesh.

— The Dargah of Salim Chishti, located within the historic Fatehpur Sikri complex, is one of the most iconic Sufi shrines in India. Salim Chishti was a revered Sufi saint of the Chishti order, known for his spirituality and miracles. Emperor Akbar, in his desire to have a son, sought blessings at the dargah and vowed to build a city in the saint’s honour.

Therefore, (a) is the correct answer.

(For more, refer: Who was Moinuddin Chishti, the most important figure in the spread of Sufism in India? Explained, The Indian Express; uptourism.gov.in)

QUESTION 5

Match the following:

Select the correct codes:

(a) A-3, B-1, C-4, D-2, E-5

(b) A-1, B-5, C-5, D-4, E-1

(c) A-2, B-5, C-3, D-4, E-1

(d) A-3, B-2, C-4, D-1, E-5

Explanation

— Geologically, the Indus is among Asia’s oldest rivers. It likely began forming during the early Eocene Epoch, shaped by the tectonic uplift of the Tibetan Plateau following the collision of the Indian and Asian continental plates. This set the stage for one of humanity’s earliest and most advanced civilisations: the Indus Valley Civilisation (c. 3000-1500 BCE).

— In Vedic times, the Indus Basin was known as the Sapt Sindhu, or “land of seven rivers,” which included the Saraswati.

— The Rigveda’s Book 6 describes the Saraswati as surpassing in majesty and might all other rivers. By Book 10, Sinha notes, the Indus had emerged as the dominant river. During this period, the rivers of the Indus region were referred to by various names: the Indus as Sindhu, the Chenab as Asikni, the Jhelum as Vitasta, the Ravi as Purushni, the Sutlej as Shutudri, and the Beas as Vipas.

Therefore, (c) is the correct answer.

(For more, refer: Terror, treaties, and civilisations: Indus through the centuries by Nikita Mohta, The Indian Express.)

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Vikas Sharma is working as an intern with indianexpress.com.