[DAY 28] 60 DAY RAPID REVISION (RaRe) SERIES for UPSC Prelims 2023 – HISTORY, CURRENT AFFAIRS & CSAT TEST SERIES!

Solution (d)

Explanation:

• Sangam Poems falls into two categories: the ‘inner field’ (Agam), and the ‘outer field'(Puram) as described even in the first available Tamil grammar book Tolkappiyam.
  • The ‘inner field’ topics refer to personal or human aspects, such as love and sexual relationships, and are dealt with in a metaphorical and abstract manner.
  • The ‘outer field’ topics discuss all other aspects of human experience such as heroism, valour, ethics, benevolence, philanthropy, social life, and customs. (Hence statement 1 is correct)
• The poems belonging to the Sangam literature were composed by Tamil poets, both men and women, from various professions and classes of society. Women had respect and were allowed intellectual pursuits. There were women poets like Avvaiyar, Nachchellaiyar, and Kakkaipadiniyar who flourished and contributed to Tamil literature. (Hence statement 2 is correct)
• These poems were later collected into various anthologies, edited, and with colophons added by anthologists and annotators around 1000 AD.
• Muvendar is a Tamil word mentioned in Sangam poems meaning three chiefs; used for the heads of three ruling families, the Cholas, Cheras and Pandyas. (Hence statement 3 is correct)

Solution (d)

Explanation:

• The Dhyana mudra is the gesture of meditation and of the concentration of the Good Law. In this mudra, two hands are placed on the lap, right hand on left hand with fingers fully stretched and palms facing upwards. It is also called samadhi. (Hence statement 1 is correct)
• Dharmachakra Mudra was exhibited by Lord Buddha while preaching the first sermon. (Hence statement 2 is incorrect)
• Abhaya mudra is used to dispel fear and develop courage, highlighted by the name abhaya which is Sanskrit for “fearlessness.” (Mudra of no-fear) represents protection, peace, benevolence, and dispelling of fear. (Hence statement 3 is correct)
• Bhumisparsha mudra, formed with all five fingers of the right hand extended to touch the ground, symbolizes the Buddha’s enlightenment under the Bodhi tree, when he summoned the earth goddess, Sthavara, to bear witness to his attainment of enlightenment.

Solution: c)

Explanation:

• Upasampada, Buddhist rite of higher ordination, by which a novice becomes a monk, or bhikhu. Ordination is not necessarily permanent and in some countries may be repeated in a monk’s lifetime. It is an initial conversion to Buddhism.
• A candidate for ordination must be at least 20 years old, have the permission of his parents, be exempt from military service, be free from debt and from contagious disease, and have received at least some elementary instruction in Buddhism. (Hence option c) is correct answer)

Solution (a)

Explanation:

• Mahavira regarded all objects, both animate and inanimate, have souls and various degrees of consciousness. They possess life and feel pain when they are injured. (Hence statement 1 is correct)
• Even the practice of agriculture was considered sinful as it causes injury to the earth, worms and animals. (Hence statement 2 is incorrect)

Solution (c)

Explanation:

• Mahavira organized the Sangha to spread his teachings. He admitted both men and women in the Sangha. It consisted of both monks and lay men. The rapid spread of Jainism was due to the dedicated work of the members of the Sangha. (Hence statement 1 is correct)
• The First Jain Council was organized in Pataliputra and the chief patron was Chandragupta Maurya. It was organized in 300 BC and Sthulabhadra presided over the council. (Hence statement 2 is incorrect)
• The second council was held simultaneously at Mathura (now in Uttar Pradesh, India) under auspices of Skandila and at Vallabhi (now in Gujarat, India) under auspices of Nagarjuna to continue the transmission of sacred knowledge after famines. The final compilation of Jain literature called Twelve Angas was completed in this council. (Hence statement 3 is correct)

Solution (d)

Explanation:

• A Reclining Buddha statue or image represents the Buddha during his last illness, about to enter Parinirvana (483 BC), the stage of great salvation after death that can only be attained by enlightened souls. (Hence statement 1 is correct)
• This popular iconographic depiction shows that all beings can be awakened and be released from the cycle of death and rebirth. (Hence statement 2 is correct)
• It was first depicted in Gandhara art, which began in the period between 50 BC and 75 AD and peaked during the Kushana period from the 1st to 5th centuries AD. (Hence statement 3 is correct)
• Statues and images of the Reclining Buddha show him lying on his right side, his head resting on a cushion or relying on his right elbow, supporting his head with his hand. (Hence statement 4 is correct)
• The World’s largest Reclining Buddha is the 600-foot Winsein Tawya Buddha built in 1992 in Mawlamyine, Myanmar.
• India’s largest Reclining Buddha to be installed at the Buddha International Welfare Mission temple, Bodh Gaya was delayed due to Covid-19 pandemic.

Solution (b)

Explanation:

• The Hinayana sect, meaning ‘Small Vehicle’ in Sanskrit, did not believe in the divinity of the Buddha and also not believed in Idol worship, whereas the Mahayana sect, which means ‘Great Vehicle’ in Sanskrit, believed in the divinity of the Buddha. The sect encouraged idol worship in Buddhism. (Hence statement 1 is correct)
• The Hinayana sect, believed in Individual Salvation through self-discipline and meditation, Ultimate aim of Hinayana is thus nirvana, whereas the Mahayana sect believed in Universal liberation from suffering for all beings, believed in the divinity of the Buddha, heavenliness of Buddha and Bodhisattvas embodying Buddha Nature. Ultimate aim of Mahayana is ‘spiritual upliftment’. (Hence statement 2 is incorrect)
• Hinayana Buddhism scriptures have been composed in Pali Language whereas Mahayana Buddhism scriptures in Sanskrit Language. (Hence statement 3 is correct)

Solution (b)

Explanation:

Bodhisattvas are enlightened beings who have put off entering paradise in order to help others attain enlightenment. There are many different Bodhisattvas, but the most famous in China is Avalokitesvara, known in Chinese as Guanyin. Bodhisattvas are usually depicted as less austere or inward than the Buddha. Bodhisattas were perceived as deeply compassionate beings who accumulated merit through their efforts but used this not to attain nibbana and thereby abandon the world, but to help others. (Hence option b) is correct answer)

Solution (a)

Explanation:

• 500 BCE – Ashtadhyayi of Panini, a work on Sanskrit grammar
• 200 BCE – 200 CE – Tamil Sangam Literature
• 300 CE – Natyashastra of Bharata, a work on dramaturgy in Sanskrit
• 400 – 500 CE – Compilation of Jaina works in Prakrit at Vallabi.

Solution (c)

Explanation:

• It was founded by Goshala Maskariputra (also called Gosala Makkhaliputta), (He is considered to be friends with Mahavira) (Hence statement 1 is incorrect)
• The Ajivika was an unorthodox sect which emerged at the same time as the rise of Buddhism and Jainism. (Hence statement 2 is correct)
• The sect was founded by Gosala Maskariputra in the 5th century BC.
• Ajivikas led a simple ascetic life, without clothes and any material possession. They practiced complete nudity. (Hence statement 3 is correct)
• The school revolves around the Niyati (destiny) doctrine of absolute determinism. It believes that there is no free will and whatever has happened, is happening, or will happen is entirely pre-ordained or pre-decided and is based on cosmic principles. Hence there was no use of Karma. (Hence statement 4 is correct)
• They opposed Buddhism and Jainism and were atheists. They did not believe in Karma doctrine, unlike Jainism and Buddhism. They consider Karma a fallacy.
• They also rejected the authority of Vedas like Buddhism and Jainism. However, they believed in the existence of the soul (atman) in every living being like Jainism. But they believed in the existence of the soul in a material form whereas Jainism propounds formless soul.

Solution (b)

Explanation:

Significance of Bhakthi movement

• It promoted the growth of regional languages. (Hence statement 1 is correct)
• It initiated the reform process in major religions to get rid of its social practices.
• It created a platform for unification of India under national consciousness.
• It also contributed to the development of music, dance, literature in India. (Hence statement 2 is correct)
• It faced stern opposition from orthodox classes in the society, and persecution by royal classes. (Hence statement 3 is incorrect)
• It created a positive environment for emancipation of the vulnerable sections in the society.
• Improvement in the social relation between the Hindus and Muslims. (Hence statement 4 is correct)
• Promotion of social service.

Solution (d)

Explanation:

Doctrine of Fanaa

• Fanaa in Sufism is the “passing away” or “annihilation” (of the self).
• Fanaa means ‘to die before one dies’, a concept highlighted by famous notable Persian mystics such as Rumi and later by Sultan Bahoo.
• Early interpretation of Fana was recognition of the will of God, or the abandonment of being conscious of one’s self, replacing this with contemplation on God alone
• Later interpretation is that of Fana as being united with the One or the Truth, in what some contend as in a “Hindu fashion”.(Hence option d) is correct answer)

Solution (b)

Explanation:

• In the 12th century, Ramanuja, who was born at Sriperumbudur near modern Chennai, preached Visishtadvaita. (Hence statement 1 is correct)
• According to him God is Sagunabrahman. The creative process and all the objects in creation are real but not illusory as was held by Sankaracharya. Therefore, God, soul, matter are real. But God is inner substance and the rest are his attributes. (Hence statement 2 is incorrect)
• He also advocated prabattimarga or path of self-surrender to God. (Hence statement 3 is correct)
• He invited the downtrodden to Vaishnavism and advocated salvation by Bhakti. (Hence statement 4 is correct)

Solution (a)

Explanation:

• The seeds for the birth and growth of this religion were present in the Bhakti movement, in its nirguna The Sikhs basically believe in a formless God, equality of all mankind, need of a guru and the pahul tradition. (Hence statement 1 is correct)
• The orthodox Sikhs believe that their religion was revealed by God to Guru Nanak, whose spirit entered the second and the subsequent guru still the tenth Guru. Guru Gobind Singh, ordained the Sikhs to treat the Adi Granth, popularly known as the Guru Granth Sahib, as their Guru. (Hence statement 2 is incorrect)
• The fifth guru, Guru Arjun Dev (not Ranjit Singh), gave the Sikhs three things. The first was in the shape of the Adi Granth, which contains the sayings of five gurus and other allied saints. The second was the standardised script for Gurmukhi in which the AdiGranth was first written. And finally, the site and the foundation of the Har Mandir sahib or the Golden Temple and the Akal Takht at Amritsar, the highest seat from where the dictats for the entire Sikh community are issued. (Hence statement 3 is incorrect)

Solution (c)

Explanation:

• The Alvars and Nayanars were some of the earliest proponents of bhakti movement (c. sixth century) of Tamil Nadu. (Hence statement 1 is correct)
• Nayanars were devoted to Lord Shiva and his avatars, whereas Alvars were devoted to Lord Vishnu and his avatars. They travelled from place to place singing hymns in Tamil in praise of their gods. (Hence statement 2 is incorrect)
• During their travels, the Alvars and Nayanars identified certain shrines as abodes of their chosen deities. Very often large temples were later built at these sacred places. These developed as centers of pilgrimage. Singing compositions of these poet-saints became part of temple rituals in these shrines, as did worship of the saints‘images. (Hence statement 3 is incorrect)
• The Nalayira Divyaprabandham is one of the major anthologies of compositions by the Alvars. It was frequently described as the Tamil Veda, thus claiming that the text was as significant as the four Vedas in Sanskrit that were cherished by the Brahmanas. (Hence statement 4 is correct)

Solution (d)

Explanation:

• Ramanuja was from the South and he taught in the language of the common people. His disciple was Ramananda who took his Guru‘s message to the northern parts of India. (Hence statement 1 is correct)
• The followers of Ramananda belonged to diferent walks of life. For example, Kabir was a weaver, Sadhana was a butcher, Ravidasa was a cobbler and Sena was a barber. (Hence statement 2 is correct)
• Chaitanya was a saint from Bengal. He was a devotee of Lord Krishna. Though he was a Brahman he condemned the caste system and emphasized on the equality of all. He wanted the people to know that true worship lay in love and devotion. He used to go into a trance singing devotional songs in praise of Lord Krishna. (Hence statement 3 is correct)

Solution (a)

Explanation:

• The Saints had much in common with the Sufis, so much so that it is believed that they adopted many ideas of each other. Sufis were Muslim mystics. They rejected outward religiosity and emphasized love and devotion to God and compassion towards all fellow human beings. (Hence statement 1 is correct)
• The Sufis often rejected the elaborate rituals and codes of behavior demanded by Muslim religious scholars. They sought union with God much as a lover seeks his beloved with a disregard for the world. (Hence statement 2 is incorrect)
• Like the saint-poets, the Sufis too composed poems expressing their feelings, and a rich literature in prose, including anecdotes and fables, developed around them. (Hence statement 3 is correct)

Solution (d)

Explanation:

• Samkhya, literally meaning ‘count’, seems to have originated first.
• According to the early Samkhya philosophy, the presence of divine agency is not essential to the creation of the world. The world owes its creation and evolution more to Nature or prakriti than to God. (Hence statement 1 is incorrect)
• This was a rational and scientific view. Around the fourth century AD, in addition to prakriti, purusha or spirit was introduced as an element in the Samkhya system, and the creation of the world was attributed to both. According to the new view, Nature and the spiritual element together create the world. Thus, at the outset the Samkhya School of philosophy was materialistic, but later it tended to become spiritualistic. (Hence statement 2 is incorrect)

Solution (c)

Explanation:

Science and Technology during Gupta period

• In A.D. 499, Aryabhatta was the first astronomer to pose the more fundamental astronomical problems. It was largely due to his efforts that astronomy was recognised as a distinct discipline from mathematics.
• Aryabhatta calculated pi (π) to be 3.1416 and the length of the solar year to be 365.3586805 days, both of which are remarkably close to recent estimates. (Hence statement 3 is incorrect)
• Aryabhatta believed that the earth was a sphere that rotated on its axis, and that eclipses were caused by the earth’s shadow falling on the moon. He is also the author of Aryabhattiyam, which deals with algebra, arithmetic, and geometry. (Hence statement 1 is incorrect)
• Varahamihira, who lived near the end of the fifth century, wrote several treatises on astronomy and horoscopy. His Panchasiddhantika addresses five schools of astronomy, two of which reflect a thorough understanding of Greek astronomy. His other major works include the Laghu-Jataka, BrihatJataka, and Brihat Samhita. (Hence statement 2 is correct)
• In A.D 628, Brahmagupta was the first mathematician to provide the formula for the area of a cyclic quadrilateral. His contributions to geometry are significant. He is the first person to discuss the method of finding a cyclic quadrilateral with rational sides.

Solution (a)

Explanation:

Kaviratna Kalidasa

• The Kavya showcases the genuine beauty and majesty of Gupta Era literature. Kalidasa, who lived in the 4th century AD and was a contemporary of Chandragupta-II, is the most famous of all the names. Ritusamhara was his mini-epic or long poem; however, Malvikagnimitram was a drama. In Sanskrit literature, Meghaduta is a kavya. (Hence statement 1 is correct)
• Malavikagnimitram: It’s a Sanskrit play about the love romance of Sunga king Agnimitra and a woman servant named Malvika. The Rajya Yajna performed by Pushyamitra Sunga is also mentioned in this drama. (Hence statement 2 is incorrect)
• Abhijnanasakuntalam: Dushyanta, king of Hastinapur, and Shakuntala, daughter of the sage Vishwamitra and the apsara Menaka, are depicted in this Sanskrit play.
• Vikramorvasiyam: It’s a Sanskrit drama about Puruvas, a Vedic king, and Urvashi’s love tale. Puruvas was chosen to represent Chandragupta Vikramaditya’s attributes. (Hence statement 3 is correct)
• Kumarasambhava: The epic poem Kumrasambhava depicts the birth of Kartikeya, the son of Shiva and Parvati. (Hence statement 4 is incorrect)
• Meghaduta: Meghaduta translates to “Cloud Messenger.”At Mount Kalidasa, his wife is waiting for him. Kubera exiled the Yaksha somewhere in central India, and he sought to communicate with his wife. He accomplishes this by persuading a cloud to accept his message and deliver it to his wife. The poem describes the lovely views and sensory experiences he will encounter while travelling north to deliver this message to his bride.

Solution (a)

Explanation:

• 50 UNESCO World Heritage sites are home to glaciers representing almost 10% of the Earth’s total glacierized area. They include the highest (next to Mt. Everest), the longest (in Alaska), and the last remaining glaciers in Africa, amongst others, giving a representative overview of the general situation of glaciers in the world.
• The Khumbu Glacier located in the Mount Everest base camp in Sagarmatha National Park (Nepal), is part of the world’s highest glacier system.

Source: CLICK HERE

Solution (a)

Explanation:

• The Shilp Guru Awards are given to legendary master craftspersons in recognition of excellent craftsmanship, product excellence and the role played by them as gurus in the continuance of crafts to other trainee artisans as a vital part of traditional heritage.
• The Office of the Development Commissioner (Handicrafts) has been implementing the scheme of National Awards for master craftspersons since 1965 and Shilp Guru Awards was introduced in 2002.It is an office under the Ministry of Textiles
• The Awards were started in 2002, to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of the resurgence of Handicrafts in India.

Source: CLICK HERE

Solution (b)

Explanation:

• The Mother Tongue Survey of India is a project that surveys the mother tongues which are returned consistently across two and more Census decades. It also documents the linguistic features of the selected languages.
• It was recently completed by the Ministry of Home Affairs. The report states that the NIC and the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) will be documenting and preserving the linguistic data of the surveyed mother tongues in audio-video files.

Source: CLICK HERE

Solution (c)

Explanation:

• LOFTID mission is a partnership between NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate and United Launch Alliance (ULA).
• It could potentially be used for bringing back rocket assets after they are launched. It could be used to bring back massive objects back from Earth’s orbit, like items from the International Space Station.
• when a spacecraft or anything else enters a planet’s atmosphere, drag acts upon the body and slows it down-converting kinetic energy into heat. The large size of the HIAD device means that it creates more drag and starts the deceleration process higher in the atmosphere than traditional aeroshells.

Source: CLICK HERE

Solution (b)

Explanation:

A new species of endemic honeybee named Apis karinjodian or Indian black honeybee, has been discovered in the Western Ghats, taking the species of honeybees in the world to 11. The distribution of Apis karinjodian ranges from the central Western Ghats and Nilgiris to the southern Western Ghats, covering the States of Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu

Source: CLICK HERE

Solution (a)

Explanation:

You have to select 2 cards from 5.

Since the order in which they are drawn matters,

There are 5P2 = 5!/3! = 20 elementary events from which there are 4 favourable numbers of

cases: 10 before 9, 9 before 8, 8 before 7 and 7 before 6.

Hence, probability = 4/20 = 1/5

Solution (a)

Explanation:

Total biscuits in basket A = 18

Total biscuits in basket b = 16

Probability of selecting Brittania biscuit from basket A = (1/2)*10C1 /18C1 = 5/18

Probability of selecting Brittania biscuit from basket B = (1/2)* 8C1 /16C1 = 1/4

nC r = n! / (n-r)!* r!

The probability of taking out Brittania biscuit from any of the 2 bags = 5/18 + 1/4 = 19/36

Solution (a)

Explanation:

Given that,

Originally the possibility to win by picking the bag R was one third (1/3). By knowing the fact the

bag Q is empty, its chance of having gift is transferred to bag R. so the chance to win gets

increased to (1/2).

Solution (c)

Explanation:

Out of total 36 possible outcomes,

1/6 +5/6*1/6 = 11/36

1/6 you get 1 in first hit , 5/6 * 1/6 you dont get it in first but get a 1 in second hit.

Getting 1 on either draw can happen in 11/36 ways = ( 1/6 + 1/6 * 5/6)

Reqd. Probability = 1 – (Probability of Getting one on either draw) = 1 – 11 / 36 = 25 / 36

Solution (a)

Explanation:

Option a – High-level mathematical expertise and basic number sense share common roots in a non-linguistic brain circuit. This option seems to convey all the three key ideas in the paragraph, summarising it well. High level mathematical thinking uses a non-linguistic circuit, and shares common roots with basic number sense.

Option b – Regardless of domain- algebra, analysis, geometry or topology- mathematicians recognizes and manipulates numbers mentally. This is not an idea that features in the paragraph.

Option c – Classic left-hemisphere regions involved in verbal semantics are not as well developed in mathematicians as the brain areas involving number and space. The paragraph does not suggest that mathematicians do not have good language abilities. It merely states that language ability is not required for high level mathematics.

Option d – The mathematical achievement of an individual can be predicted based on his knowledge of number, space and language during childhood. Option d includes language capability along with ‘knowledge of number and space’ as an indicator of mathematical achievement in adult life, whereas the paragraph clearly states that mathematical achievement is not dependant on language.

So, option a is the best option to summarize the paragraph.