QUIZ – 2017: Insights Current Affairs Quiz, 17 September 2018

Solution: b.

Likir, a Village about 50kms from Leh has a monastery, the Likir Monastery. It is also known for its pottery, a craft that is believed to have come from Tibet.

TH;

Solution: c.

Kutiyattam, Sanskrit theatre: Kutiyattam, Sanskrit theatre, which is practised in the province of Kerala, is one of India’s oldest living theatrical traditions. Originating more than 2,000 years ago, Kutiyattam represents a synthesis of Sanskrit classicism and reflects the local traditions of Kerala. In its stylized and codified theatrical language, neta abhinaya (eye expression) and hasta abhinaya (the language of gestures) are prominent. They focus on the thoughts and feelings of the main character.

TH;

Solution: a.

The city of Hyderabad boasts of some fine examples of Qutab Shahi architecture – the Jami Masjid, the Mecca Masjid, Toli Masjid, and of course, the impressive symbol of Hyderabad, the Charminar.

The Charminar is a massive arch built by Mohammed Quli Qutab Shah, in 1591 to commemorate the end of the plague in the city. The symbol of the city, the Charminar, is an impressive square monument with four minarets. The monument is a magnificent square edifice of granite, built upon four grand arches facing North, South, East and West. These arches support two floors of rooms and gallery of archways. Each minar stands on a lotus-leaf base, a special recurrent motif in Qutub Shahi buildings.

The first floor was used as a madarasa (college) during the Qutub Shahi period. The second floor has a mosque on the western side.

Knowindia.gov.in;

Improvisation: Image of Charminar in newspaper along with THIS article.

Solution: b.

Booming guns do not break the calm of the meadows of Tosa Maidan in Kashmir anymore. For seven decades, the lush meadows in Budgam district had lost their serenity as the Army used to practise artillery fire in the grass, leaving them out of bounds for locals and tourists. The Army’s decision in 2014 to relocate its 1,809-hectare firing range, where soldiers simulated battlefield conditions, have now left behind a rare island of peace in the Valley. Since the Army moved in, 63 civilians, mainly shepherds and children, lost their limbs during crossfire practice.

The local population is hoping for the good days to return as the government forms the Tosa Maidan Development Authority to add these meadows to the tourist map of the Valley.

Tosa Maidan pastures once hosted Mughal entourages complete with horses and elephants that entered the Kashmir Valley from Poonch. A seven-storey log structure, locally called Dam-Dam, is a bow to the Mughal era.

TH;

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Solution: d.

The Nizam wanted an independent status for Hyderabad. He entered into what was called the Standstill Agreement with India in November 1947 for a year while negotiations with the Indian government were going on. In the meantime, a movement of the people of Hyderabad State against the Nizam’s rule gathered force. The peasantry in the Telangana region in particular, was the victim of Nizam’s oppressive rule and rose against him. Women who had seen the worst of this oppression joined the movement in large numbers. Hyderabad town was the nerve centre of this movement.

The Communists and the Hyderabad Congress were in the forefront of the movement. The Nizam responded by unleashing a para-military force known as the razakars on the people. The atrocities and communal nature of the razakars knew no bounds. They murdered, maimed, raped and looted, targeting particularly the non-Muslims. The central government had to order the army to tackle the situation. In September 1948, Indian army moved in to control the Nizam’s forces. After a few days of intermittent fighting, the Nizam surrendered. This led to Hyderabad’s accession to India.

Class XII, Politics in India Since Independence (NCERT)

Improvisation: TH;

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