Daily Static MCQs for UPSC & State PSC Exams - History (09 October 2023)

Daily Static MCQs Quiz for UPSC, IAS, UPPSC/UPPCS, MPPSC. BPSC, RPSC & All State PSC Exams

Subject : History

1. Which of the following are the features of Apabhramsa School of painting?

1. Jainism was the main theme of these paintings.
2. Pointed nose and double chin in human depiction.
3. Absence of animals and birds

How many of the above statements is/correct?

(a) Only one
(b) Only two
(c) All three
(d) None

Answer: (B)

Explanation: This school traces its origin to Gujarat and Mewar region in Rajasthan. It was the predominant school of painting in western India during 11th to 15th century. The most common themes of these paintings were Jain and in the later period the Vaishanava School appropriated them too. The features of the human figures depicted in the paintings have fish-shaped bulging eyes; a pointed nose and a double chin. The animal and bird figurines in the paintings are represented as toys. The most famous example is of Kalpasutra and the Kalakacharya Katha from 15th century. Hence, statement 3 is incorrect.

2. Consider the following statements regarding Kuchipudi:

1. It is mentioned in Natya Shastra.
2. As per tradition, the dance must be accompanied by live vocals and not music.
3. It is recognized as an Indian classical dance.

How many of the above statements is/correct?

(a) Only one
(b) Only two
(c) All three
(d) None

Answer: (B)

Explanation: Kuchipudi has its roots in the ancient Hindu Sanskrit text of Natya Shastra. Like all major classical dances of India, it was also developed as a religious art linked to traveling bards, temples and spiritual beliefs. The Kuchipudi style was conceived by Siddhendra Yogi, a talented Vaishnava poet of 17th century. It begins with an invocation to Lord Ganesha followed by nritta (non-narrative and abstract dancing); shabdam (narrative dancing) and natya. The dance is accompanied by song which is typically Carnatic music. The singer is accompanied by musical instruments like mridangam, violin, flute and tambura. It is one of the major Indian classical dances. Hence, statement 2 is incorrect.

3. Consider the following statements:

1. During the end of the eighteenth century and the early nineteenth century, a class of rich peasants known as jotedars consolidated their position in the villages and acquired vast areas of land.
2. Jotedars were loyal to the zamindars and helped them collect revenue from the ryots.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer: (A)

Explanation: While many zamindars were facing a crisis at the end of the eighteenth century, a group of rich peasants were consolidating their position in the villages. These classes of rich peasants were known as jotedars. By the early nineteenth century, jotedars had acquired vast areas of land – sometimes as much as several thousand acres. They controlled local trade as well as moneylending, exercising immense power over the poorer cultivators of the region. A large part of their land was cultivated through sharecroppers (adhiyars or bargadars) who brought their own ploughs, laboured in the field, and handed over half the produce to the jotedars after the harvest. They fiercely resisted efforts by zamindars to increase the jama of the village, prevented zamindari officials from executing their duties, mobilised ryots who were dependent on them, and deliberately delayed payments of revenue to the zamindar. The jotedars were most powerful in North Bengal. In some places they were called haoladars, elsewhere they were known as gantidars or mandals. Their rise inevitably weakened zamindari authority. Hence, statement 2 is incorrect.

4. Arrange the following in the chronological order in which it was signed:

1. Treaty of Allahabad
2. Treaty of Bassein
3. Treaty of Srirangapatnam

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

(a) 3-1-2
(b) 1-2-3
(c) 1-3-2
(d) 3-2-1

Answer: (C)

Explanation:

  • The Treaty of Allahabad was signed on 12 August 1765, between the Mughal Emperor Shah Alam II, son of the late Emperor Alamgir II, and Robert Clive, of the East India Company, as a result of the Battle of Buxar of 22 October 1764.
  • The Treaty of Seringapatam was signed on 18 March 1792 at the end of the Third Anglo-Mysore War.
  • The Treaty of Bassein was a pact signed on 31 December 1802 between the British East India Company and Baji Rao II, the Maratha Peshwa of Pune in India after the Battle of Poona.

5. Consider the following statements regarding Raja Rammohan Roy and Brahmo Samaj:

1. Raja Rammohan Roy, the founder of Brahmo Samaj was called the father of Indian Renaissance.
2. Rammohan Roy translated into Bengali the Vedas and the five Upanishads.
3. Brahmo Samaj aimed to purify Hinduism, preach monotheism and establish a new religion.

How many of the above statements are correct?

(a) Only one
(b) Only two
(c) All three
(d) None

Answer: (B)

Explanation:

  • Raja Rammohan Roy (1772-1833), often called the father of Indian Renaissance and the maker of Modern India. Rammohan Roy believed in the modern scientific approach and principles of human dignity and social equality.
  • He put his faith in monotheism. He wrote Gift to Monotheists (1809) and translated into Bengali the Vedas and the five Upanishads to prove his conviction that ancient Hindu texts support monotheism.
  • Raja Rammohan Roy founded the Brahmo Sabha in August 1828; it was later renamed Brahmo Samaj. Rammohan Roy did not want to establish a new religion. He only wanted to purify Hinduism of the evil practices which had crept into it. Hence, statement 3 is incorrect.