[DAY 40] 60 DAY RAPID REVISION (RaRe) SERIES for UPSC Prelims 2023 – HISTORY, ART AND CULTURE, CURRENT AFFAIRS & CSAT TEST SERIES!

Solution (d)

Explanation:

• Dhrupad is one of the oldest and grandest known forms of Hindustani classical music and finds mention even in Natyashastra (200 BC-200 AD). It is said that dhrupad owes its roots to older forms such as Prabhanda and Dhruvapada. Dhrupad consolidated its position as a classical form of music in the 13th century, it reached its zenith in the court of Emperor Akbar. (Hence statement 1 is correct)
• Akbar employed and patronised musical masters including Swami Haridas and Mian Tansen. Tansen (one of the Navaratna or nine gems in Akbar’s court) and Baiju Bawra were the students of Swami Haridas and were major proponents of dhrupad music during the 15th-16th centuries.
• Dhrupad is essentially a poetic form that is incorporated into an extended presentation style that is marked by precise and overt elaboration of a raga.(Hence statement 2 is correct)
• Dhrupad starts with alap which is sung without words. The tempo rises gradually, and it is the major part of the performance. The alap evokes a mood in the audience that coincides with the mood of the raga that is being performed. Alap is a pure music without the distraction of words. Then, after some time, Dhrupad begins and Pakhawaj is played. (Hence statement 3 is correct)

Solution (b)

Explanation:

• Purandara dasa is referred to as the father of Carnatic music but all other are considered as Trinity of Carnatic music.

TRINITY OF CARNATIC MUSIC

Thyagarajan (1767-1847)

• Most compositions in Telugu and few in Sanskrit and in praise of Lord Rama.
• His very famous composition is Pancharatna Kritis.
• A crater on planet Mercury is named Thyagaraja.
• Thyagaraja created several new ragas

Muthuswamy Dikshitar (1775-1835)

• Most compositions are in Sanskrit and relate to Hindu gods and temples.
• He emphasised the use of Gamaka (ornamentation).
• His signature name was Guruguha which is also his mudra.
• He was also a Veena player.

Syama Sastri (1762-1827)

• Older than the other two. Compositions mainly in Telugu in praise of Goddess Kamakshi.
• He composed less kritis as compared to the other two.
• His signature or mudra was Syama Krishna.
• The Svarajati musical genre can be attributed to him.

Solution (b)

Explanation:

Major differences between Hindustani and Carnatic music are as follows:

• Hindustani Music Influenced by Arab, Persian and Afghan whereas Carnatic Music is developed Indigenously. (Hence statement 1 is incorrect)
• Major instruments used in Hindustani Music are Tabla, sarangi, sitar and santoorwhereas In Carnatic Music used Veena, mridangam and mandolin(Hence statement 2 is correct)
• Hindustani Music mainly associated in Northern part of India whereas Carnatic Music associated in southern India(Hence statement 3 is correct)

Solution (a)

Explanation:

• Panihari: This musical form is from the state of Rajasthan and is thematically related to water. The songs are generally about women fetching water from a nearby well and carrying the water back to their households in matkas over their heads. The songs usually describe the scarcity of water and the long distance between the well and the village. Sometimes the songs also talk about the daily concerns of the village women who are clustered around the village well.(Hence option a) is correct answer)
• Baul: This is not only a type of music, but also a Bengali religious sect. The music of the Bauls, Baul Sangeet, is a particular type of folk song. Its lyrics carry influences of the Hindu Bhakti movements and the Sufi, a form of Sufi song exemplified by the songs of Kabir, and is called the ‘Baul Gaan’ or Baul song.
• Wanawan: This is the folk music from Jammu and Kashmir. It is most commonly sung during wedding ceremonies and is considered auspicious.
• Pandavani: This type of folk music is based on the grand epic Mahabharata, with Bhima as the hero.

Solution (a)

Explanation:

Type of Rasa                     Mood, It Evokes

Shringara             –              Love

Hasya                   –              Humour/laughter

Karuna                 –              Pathos

Raudra                 –              Anger

Bhayanak             –              Horror

Bravery                –              Veer

Adbhuta               –              Wonder

Bibhatsya             –              Disgust

Shant                    –              Peace or calm

Solution (c)

Explanation:

• Abhanga: It originated in Maharashtra; Main purpose is praise of the god Vithoba. Songs composed and sung by Tukaram and Namdev.
• Bhatiali: It is originated in West Bengal; it is about nature and daily life and sung by boat drivers.
• Tevaram: It is originated in Tamil Nadu; it was sung by the Saivite community, such as the Oduyars

Solution (c)

Explanation:

• Presently, as per the Sangeet Natak Akademi, there exists eight classical dance forms in India, which include Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi, Kathakali, Mohiniyattam, Odissi, Manipuri, Kathak and Sattriya. (Hence option c) is correct)
• Bihu and Garba are Folk dances of India not considered as Classical dance forms in India

Solution (d)

Explanation:

Kuchipudi is Originally performed by a group of actors going from village to village, known as Kusselavas, Kuchipudi derives its name from the village of Kusselavapuri or Kuchelapuram in Andhra Pradesh. (Hence statement 1 is correct)

Some of the features of Kuchipudi dance are as follows:

• It involves difficult foot movements, and is generally a team performance.
• Most of the Kuchipudi recitals are based on stories of the Bhagavata Purana but have a secular theme. There is a predominance of Shringara rasa. (Hence statement 2 is correct)
• Each principal character introduces itself on the stage with a ‘daaru’, which is a small composition of dance and song, specifically choreographed for the revelation of each character.
• The dance involves all three components of classical dances: Nritta, Natya and Nritya. It is similar to Bharatanatyam but has its own features. (Hence statement 3 is correct)

Solution (c)

Explanation:

• Bharatanatyam is often referred to as the ‘fire dance’, as it is the manifestation of fire in the human body. Most of the movements in Bharatanatyam resemble that of a dancing flame.
• In this dance form, equal emphasis is given to both the Tandava and Lasya aspects of dance, with major emphasis on ‘mudras’.
• One of the principal mudras is ‘Katakamukha Hasta’ in which three fingers are joined to symbolise ‘Om’. (Hence option c) is correct)
• In a Bharatanatyam recital, the knees are mostly bent, and the weight is equally distributed across both the feet.
• It is also characterised by the ‘Ekcharyalasyam’ style in which one dancer plays many different roles.

Solution (d)

Explanation:

• Bagurumba is a folk dance performed by the Bodo tribe of Assam and is related to nature and the environment. Musical instruments that accompany Bagurumba performance are sifung, kham and serja, among others. (Hence pair 1 is correctly matched)
• Dandiya Raas is an energetic, lively dance form in which polished sticks or dandiyas are used it is famous in Gujarat. It represents a mock fight between Durga and Mahishasura. (Hence pair 2 is correctly matched)
• Charba is the popular folk dance of Himachal Pradesh, performed during the Dussehra festivities. (Hence pair 3 is correctly matched)

Solution (a)

Explanation:

Bhutharadhana

• Bhuta, which means spirit, is a traditional practise of worshipping divine beings (ancestors, different avatars of Hindu Gods, local folklore heroes, etc). (Hence statement 1 is correct)
• It is prevalent in coastal Karnataka. (Hence statement 2 is incorrect)
• Kola is the chief form of Bhuta worship and it is a ritualistic theatre.
• Themes of Vaishnavism, Shaktism and Shaivism are now common.
• The actors wear elaborate headgear and colourful costumes. (Hence statement 3 is correct)

Solution (c)

Explanation:

Some of the features of shadow puppetry are as follows:

• India has a rich tradition in shadow puppetry, which has survived to date.
• Shadow puppets are flat figures cut out of leather.(Hence statement 1 is correct)
• The figures are painted identically on both sides of the leather.(Hence statement 2 is correct)
• The puppets are placed on a white screen with light falling from behind, creating shadow on the screen.
• The figures are manipulated so that the silhouettes created on the blank screen c telling imagery.
• Examples for shadow puppetry are Tolpavakuthu, Togalu gombeyatta, Tolu Bommalata etc
• Kathputli is an example for String Puppetry. (Hence statement 3 is incorrect)

Solution (c)

• Thang- ta and Sarit Sarak: Created by the Meitei people of Manipur, Thang- ta is an armed martial art that finds its mention as one of the most lethal combat forms. Sarit Sarak, on the other hand, is an unarmed art form that uses hand-to-hand combat.
• Cheibi Gad-Ga: One of the most ancient martial arts of Manipur, Cheibi Gad-Ga involves fighting using a sword and a shield.

Solution (d)

Explanation:

• Yoga, included in 2016: It consists of a series of poses, meditation, controlled breathing, word chanting and other techniques to help a person attain self-realisation. Traditionally, it was taught through Guru-Shishya parampara.
• Kumbh Mela, included in 2017: Kumbh Mela is a mass Hindu pilgrimage to bathe in a sacred river. It is held at four places: Prayagraj, Haridwar, Nashik and Ujjain. At any of the above places, it is held after every 12 years. In Nashik and Ujjain, it is called Simhastha.
• Nowrouz, included in 2016: It indicates the beginning of the New Year for the Parsis and is also celebrated as the spring festival by the Kashmiri community. It denotes Zoroastrian respect for the environment.

Solution (c)

Explanation:

Among languages of the Dravidian group, the four major languages are as follows:

• Telugu is numerically the largest of all Dravidian group
• Tamil is the oldest and purest form of Dravidian group
• Malayalam is the smallest and the youngest of Dravidian group

Solution (a)

Explanation:

• There is no national language of India. Hindi is not a national language. Neither the Constitution nor any Act defines the word ‘national language.
• The Constitution does not specify an official language for the States for conduct of their official functions. States are free to adopt an official language. (Hence statement 1 is correct)
• The language to be adopted by the States need not be one of those listed in the Eighth Schedule. Several States have adopted an official language which is not listed in the Eighth Schedule. (Hence statement 2 is incorrect)
• English is not in the list of 22 scheduled languages as per the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution.
• Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland are the only states which have English as their only official language.

Solution (a)

Explanation:

Hinayana Buddhism

• It means the lesser vehicle.
• The school includes the followers of the original preaching of the Buddha. It is more of an orthodox school. (Hence statement 1 is correct)
• They did not believe in idol or image worship of Buddha. (Hence statement 2 is incorrect)
• They believe in individual salvation and try to attain it through self-discipline and meditation. The ultimate aim of Hinayana is Nirvana. (Hence statement 3 is correct)
• One of the sub-sects of Hinayana is Sthaviravada or Theravada. The Hinayana scholars used the Pali language to interact with the masses.
• Emperor Ashoka patronised the Hinayana sect as the Mahayana school came into being much later.
• Hinayana school in its original form is almost non-existent in the present age.

Solution (b)

Explanation:

Yemshe Festival, it is a harvest festival celebrated mainly by the Pochuri tribe in Nagaland. Catching of frogs is prohibited during this festival. It is celebrated in September. (Hence option b) is correct)

Solution (b)

Explanation:

• The National Academy of Art or the Lalit Kala Academy was set up by the Government of India in 1954 with the sole objective of promoting fine arts in India.
• The academy is an autonomous body that is funded by the Ministry of Culture.(Hence statement 1 is incorrect)
• It focuses on the encouragement and understanding of fine arts. Although it deals with national and international art, its focus is on the promotion and preservation of Indian art. (Hence statement 2 is correct)
• Its main centre is in Delhi, and it has regional centres in Chennai, Kolkata, Lucknow, Shimla, Shillong and Bhubaneswar.(Hence statement 3 is correct)

Solution (c)

Explanation:

Charvaka School

• They argued against Gods and their representatives on the earth – the priestly class. They argued that a Brahman manufactures false rituals so as to acquire gifts (dakshina) from the followers.
• Man is the centre of all activities and he should enjoy himself as long as he lives. He should consume all earthly goods and indulge in sensual pleasure.
• The Charvakas do not consider ‘ether’ as one of the five essential elements because it cannot be experienced through perception. Hence, they say that the Universe consists of only four elements: fire, earth, water and air. (Hence statement 1 is correct)
• This school argues that there is no other world after this one, hence death is the end of a human being and pleasure should be the ultimate objective of life. Hence, they propounded the theory of ‘eat, drink and be merry’. (Hence statement 2 is correct)

Solution (c)

Explanation:

• Digi Yatra is conceived to achieve contactless, seamless processing of passengers at airports based on Facial Recognition Technology (FRT). To use this facility, one-time registration on Digi Yatra app is required using Aadhar based validation and a self-image capture. Statement 1 is correct
• There is no central storage of Personally Identifiable Information (PII). Passenger’s ID and travel credentials are stored in a secure wallet in the passenger’s smartphone itself. The uploaded data will utilise blockchain technology and all the data will be purged from the servers within 24 hours of use. Statement 2 is incorrect
• The project is being implemented by the DigiYatra Foundation — a joint-venture company whose shareholders are the Airports Authority of India (26% stake) and Bengaluru Airport, Delhi Airport, Hyderabad Airport, Mumbai Airport and Cochin International Airport. These five shareholders equally hold the remaining 74% of the shares. Statement 3 is correct

Source: CLICK HERE

Solution (b)

Explanation:

• The summit aims to raise awareness on groundwater conservation at the global stage will mark the completion of the “Groundwater: Making the invisible visible” campaign run by UN-Water throughout 2022. The campaign highlighted the role of groundwater in alleviating poverty, food and water insecurity and other socio-economic development hurdles. Statement 1 is incorrect
• The conference was organised by UN-Water, UNESCO and the International Groundwater Resources Assessment Centre. Statement 2 is correct

Source: CLICK HERE

Solution (d)

Explanation:

• GRBs are powerful astronomical cosmic bursts of high-energy gamma-ray. GRB emits more energy in a few seconds than our Sun will emit in its lifetime and has two distinct emission phases: the short-lived prompt emission (the initial burst phase that emits gamma-rays), followed by a long-lived multi-wavelength afterglow phase. Statement 1 is correct
• In recent years, scientists have discovered a special phenomenon called a kilonova of visible and infrared light with short-period GRBs, also known as a potential source of gravitational waves. It has been hypnotized that the heat produced by the radioactive decay of heavier elements may emit kilonova. This process also produces heavier elements, such as gold and platinum. Statement 2 is correct
• The spectral energy distribution of GRB afterglow is usually explained in terms of non-thermal emission (due to synchrotron radiation). However, in this event, both thermal and non-thermal emissions were included in the spectral energy distribution of the afterglow, modeled using the magnificent and dim observations of the 3.6 m Devasthal Optical Telescope. Statement 3 is correct

Source: CLICK HERE

Solution (d)

Explanation:

• India’s first dedicated platform for innovation, curation and venture development for the blooming space entrepreneurial ecosystem. The SPIN platform would create a level playing field for various stakeholders to collaborate and contribute to the space ecosystem in the country. Statement 1 is correct
• SpIN has launched its first innovation challenge for developing solutions in areas of maritime and land transportation, urbanization, mapping, and surveying. The selected start-ups and innovators will be able to access both Social Alpha’s and ISRO’s infrastructure and resources as per the prevailing guidelines. Statement 2 is correct

Source: CLICK HERE

Solution (a)

Kaundinya Wildlife Sanctuary is a wildlife sanctuary and an elephant reserve situated in Andhra Pradesh, India. It is the only sanctuary in Andhra Pradesh with a population of Asian elephants, which migrated after 200 years from neighbouring regions. The habitat of Kaundinya sanctuary is rugged with high hills and deep valleys. The sanctuary has dry deciduous forests with thorny scrubs interspersed with trees. These forests have small ponds, tanks and the Kaindinya and Kaigal tributaries of Palar River.

Source: CLICK HERE

Solution (a)

In the diagram, Circle shows the female, square shows the male, vertical lines show the

generation, single horizontal line shows the brother/sister and double horizontal lines show

the couple.

From the above diagram, we can see that S is the son of U.

Solution (b)

Following the final family tree we can say that M is sister in law of K.

Solution (c)

E is the daughter of A and F is the mother of E So, A is the father of E and hence the husband of F. Now, D is the daughter of F So. D and E are the daughters of A and F Also. A is the son of C. Now, only B remains Thus. B and C are the parents of A. Therefore, B and C are the parents of the couple.

Solution (d)

Father of my daughter implies it is her husband. Father in law of her husband happens to be her own father. Son of her father is sushma’s brother.

Solution (a)

The answer is hidden in the first two lines. The cities of developing countries have not actually made use of the concept of urbanisation.

Hence, option a is the correct answer.