DAY – 31( INSTA REVISION TEST – 31)INSTA REVISION PLAN 3.0, 2021

Solution: A

Bronze Casting

The art of bronzecasting was practised on a wide scale by the Harappans. Their bronze statues were made using the ‘lost wax’ technique in which the wax figures were first covered with a coating of clay and allowed to dry. Then the wax was heated and the molten wax was drained out through a tiny hole made in the clay cover. The hollow mould thus created was filled with molten metal which took the original shape of the object. Once the metal cooled, the clay cover was completely removed. In bronze we find human as well as animal figures, the best example of the former being the statue of a girl popularly titled ‘Dancing Girl’.

DANCING GIRL

One of the best known artefacts from the Indus Valley is this approximately fourinchhigh copper figure of a dancing girl. Found in Mohenjodaro, this exquisite casting depicts a girl whose long hair is tied in a bun. Bangles cover her left arm, a bracelet and an amulet or bangle adorn her right arm, and a cowry shell necklace is seen around her neck. Her right hand is on her hip and her left hand is clasped in a traditional Indian dance gesture. She has large eyes and flat nose. This figure is full of expression and bodily vigour and conveys a lot of information.

Solution: C

Both the statements are correct.

Satavahanas rule started after 232 BC and lasted up to 227 AD. The Satavahana kings mostly used lead as a material for their coins.

Silver coins were rare. Next to lead, they used an alloy of silver and copper called ‘potin’. Many copper coins are also available.

Although the Satavahana coins are devoid of any beauty or artistic merit, they constitute a valuable source-material for the dynastic history of the Satavahanas.

Solution: C

Both the statements are correct.

King Ashoka made great efforts to propagate Buddhism outside India. He sent his son Mahendra and daughter Sanghamitra to Sri Lanka to spread the message of the Buddha.

Buddhism went to Korea through China. Sundo was the first Buddhist Monk who entered Korea, carrying a Buddha image and sutras in AD 352. He was followed by Acharya Mallananda, who reached there in AD 384. Out of devotion to wisdom, Buddhist texts were printed by the Koreans in six thousand volumes.

Solution: A

The founder of the Imperial Chola line was Vijayalaya. He captured Tanjore from Muttaraiyars in 815 A.D. and built a temple for Durga. His son Aditya put an end to the Pallava kingdom by defeating Aparajita and annexed Tondaimandalam. Parantaka I was one of the important early Chola rulers. He defeated the Pandyas and the ruler of Ceylon. But he suffered a defeat at the hands of the Rashtrakutas in the famous battle of Takkolam. Parantaka I was a great builder of temples. He also provided the vimana of the famous Nataraja temple at Chidambaram with a golden roof. The two famous Uttiramerur inscriptions that give a detailed account of the village administration under the Cholas belong to his reign.

Solution: B

Rajatarangini is a metrical legendary and historical chronicle of the north-western Indian subcontinent, particularly the kings of Kashmir. It was written in Sanskrit by Kashmiri historian Kalhana in the 12th century CE. The work consists of 7826 verses, which are divided into eight books called Tarangas.

The Harshacharita, is the biography of Indian emperor Harsha by Banabhatta, also known as Bana, who was a Sanskrit writer of seventh-century CE India.

Mushikavamsha is a Sanskrit-language epic poem (mahakavya) composed by Atula, who is believed to have lived in the 11th century. It narrates the legendary history of the Mushika dynasty of Kerala.

Solution: A

Egypt civilization and Mesopotamian civilization were contemporary to Harappan Civilization. Ancient Greek civilization came into existence much later after the decline of Harappan civilization.

At Lothal, a brick structure has been identified as a dockyard meant for berthing ships and handling cargo. This suggests that Lothal was an important port and trading centre of the Harappan people.

Bead-making also was an important craft. Beads were made of precious and semiprecious stones such as agate and carnelian. Steatite was used for making beads.
The evidence of beadmakers’ shops have been found at Chanhudaro and Lothal. Gold and silver beads have also been found. Ivory carving and inlaying used in beads, bracelets and other decorations were also in practice.

Solution: D

Mahendravarman I (600 – 630 A.D.)

The long-drawn Pallava – Chalukya Conflict began during his period. Pulakesin II marched against the Pallavas and captured the northern part of their kingdom. Although a Pallava inscription refers to the victory of Mahendravarman I at Pullalur, he was not able to recover the lost territory.

Narasimhavarman I (630-668 A.D.)

Narasimhavarman I was also known as Mamalla, which means ‘great wrestler’. He wanted to take avenge the defeat of his father at the hands of Chalukyan ruler Pulakesin II. His victory over Pulakesin II in the Battle of Manimangalam near Kanchi is mentioned in Kuram copper plates. The Pallava army under General Paranjothi pursued the retreating Chalukya army, entered Chalukya territory, captured and destroyed the capital city of Vatapi. Narasimhavarman I assumed the title ‘Vatapikonda’. He regained the lost territory.

Another notable achievement of Narasimhavarman I was his naval expedition to Sri Lanka. He restored the throne to his friend and Sri Lankan prince Manavarma.

During his reign, Hiuen Tsang visited the Pallava capital Kanchipuram. His description of Kanchi is vivid. He calls it a big and beautiful city, six miles in circumference.

Solution: A

‘Indra’ was considered to be the most important divinity in early Vedic period.

Soma was the famous plant used by the Vedic priests to make juice for the fire sacrifice. The whole of Ninth Mandala of Rig Veda (RV) is devoted to its praise.

Rig Veda mentions many female deities but none of them is central to the text. Usha is the most celebrated goddess along with Aditi, Prithvi, Rathri, Sarasvathi and Vac.

The female deities  in  Rig Veda form the basis for the emergence of the later Hindu goddesses such as Shakthi, Devi and other mother goddesses glorified in the puranas.

In the Vedic lore the female power Shakthi was not seen as independent but as a force residing within the gods. They are treated with curiosity and love for the powerful natural phenomena and abstract forces they represent.

Solution: C

Kautilya’s Arthasastra

This book in Sanskrit was written by Kautilya, a contemporary of Chandragupta Maurya. Kautilya was also called ‘Indian Machiavelli’. The manuscript of Arthasastra was first discovered by R. Shama Sastri in 1904.

The Arthasastra contains 15 books and 180 chapters but it can be divided into three parts: the first deals with the king and his council and the departments of government; the second with civil and criminal law; and the third with diplomacy and war. It is the most important literary source for the history of the Mauryas.

Solution: C

Bimbisara (546 – 494 B.C.)

Bimbisara belonged to the Haryanka dynasty. He consolidated his position by matrimonial alliances. His first matrimonial alliance was with the ruling family of Kosala. He married Kosaladevi, sister of Prasenajit. He was given the Kasi region as dowry which yielded large revenue. Bimbisara married Chellana, a princess of the Licchavi family of Vaisali. This matrimonial alliance secured for him the safety of the northern frontier. Moreover, it facilitated the expansion of Magadha northwards to the borders of Nepal. He also married Khema of the royal house of Madra in central Punjab. Bimbisara also undertook many expeditions and added more territories to his empire. He defeated Brahmadatta of Anga and annexed that kingdom. He maintained friendly relations with Avanti. He had also efficiently reorganized the administration of his kingdom.

Bimbisara was a contemporary of both Vardhamana Mahavira and Gautama Buddha. However, both religions claim him as their supporter and devotee. He seems to have made numerous gifts to the Buddhist Sangha.

Solution: A

Under Harshavardhana’s rule, some important administrative posts were now
hereditary. This means that sons succeeded fathers to these posts. For example, the poet Harishena was a maha-danda-nayaka, or chief judicial officer, like his father.

Sometimes, one person held many offices. For instance, besides being a maha-danda-nayaka, Harishena was a kumar-amatya, meaning an important minister, and a sandhi-vigrahika, meaning a minister of war and peace.

Besides, important men probably had a say in local administration. These included the nagarashreshthi or chief banker or merchant of the city, the sarthavaha or leader of the merchant caravans, the prathama-kulika or the chief craftsman, and the head of the kayasthas or scribes.

Solution: D

The political fight among these mahajanapadas led ultimately to one of them namely Magadh to emerge as the most powerful state and the centre of a vast empire. The earliest important rulerofMagadh was the king Bimbisara, who ruled for 52 years from 544 BC to 492 BC. It seems that he was either killedorforcedto commitsuicide by his son Ajatasatru, who was eager to take over the throne himself.

Ajatashatru shifted the capital of Magadha from Girivraj (Rajgir) to Pataliputra (modern Patna, Bihar). Ever since, Pataliputra has remained the capital of that province, down to this day.

Solution: A

According inscriptions, the Gupta kings assumed titles like Paramabhattaraka, Maharajadhiraja, Parameswara, Samrat and Chakravartin. The king was assisted in his administration by a council consisting of a chief minister, a Senapati or commander-in-chief of the army and other important officials. A high official called Sandivigraha was mentioned in the Gupta inscriptions, most probably minister for foreign affairs.

Solution: C

The Iron Age of the southern peninsula is often related to Megalithic Burials. Megalith means Large Stone. The burial pits were covered with these stones. Such graves are extensively found in South India. Some of the important megalithic sites are Hallur and Maski in Karnataka, Nagarjunakonda in Andhra Pradesh and Adichchanallur in Tamil Nadu. Black and red pottery, iron artifacts such as hoes and sickles and small weapons were found in the burial pits.

Solution: A

The Mauryas maintained a huge standing army and employed a large number of state officials. These soldiers and officials were paid in cash.

As the normal taxes were not considered sufficient to meet all the needs of the state and hence the state undertook and regulated numerous economic activities to generate more and more resources.

The mainstay of economy in this period was agriculture. The Mauryan state founded new agricultural settlements to bring virgin land under cultivation. People from overpopulated areas and prisoners of war were brought to these new settlements to work on the fields.

These villages belonged to king and were looked after by government official called sitadhyaksha or superintendent of agriculture.

Solution: D

Global Environment Facility (GEF):

• The Global Environment Facility was established on the eve of the 1992 Rio Earth Summit to help tackle our planet’s most pressing environmental problems.
• It is an international partnership of 183 countries, international institutions, civil society organizations and the private sector that addresses global environmental issues.
• GEF funds are available to developing countries and countries with economies in transition to meet the objectives of the international environmental conventions and agreements.
• The World Bank serves as the GEF Trustee, administering the GEF Trust Fund.

It is a FINANCIAL MECHANISM for five major international environmental conventions: 

• Minamata Convention on Mercury,
• Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs),
• United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (UNCBD),
•  United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)
• United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

Solution: A

Bad Bank:

• A bad bank is a bank set up to buy the bad loans and other illiquid holdings of another financial institution.
• The entity holding significant nonperforming assets will sell these holdings to the bad bank at market price.
• By transferring such assets to the bad bank, the original institution may clear its balance sheet—although it will still be forced to take write-downs.
• The bad bank is not involved in lending and taking deposits, but helps commercial banks clean up their balance sheets and resolve bad loans.

Why be concerned about bad loans?

• Indian banks’ pile of bad loans is a huge drag on the economy.
• It’s a drain on banks’ profits. Because profits are eroded, public sector banks (PSBs), where the bulk of the bad loans reside, cannot raise enough capital to fund credit growth.
• Lack of credit growth, in turn, comes in the way of the economy’s return to an 8% growth trajectory. Therefore, the bad loan problem requires effective resolution.

Benefits:

• This helps banks or FIs clear-off their balance sheets by transferring the bad loans and focus on its core business lending activities.
• Large debtors have many creditors. Hence bad bank could solve the coordination problem, since debts would be centralised in one agency.
• It can affect speedier settlements with borrowers by cutting out individual banks.
• It can drive a better bargain with borrowers and take more stringent enforcement action against them.
• It can raise money from institutional investors rather than looking only to the Government.

Solution: D

Purchasing Managers’ Index:

• The Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) is a measure of the prevailing direction of economic trends in manufacturing.
• The PMI is based on a monthly survey of supply chain managers across 19 industries, covering both upstream and downstream activity.
• The Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) is an economic indicator of business activity, is published by IHS Markit Limited.

Solution: C

Electoral bonds:

• Electoral Bond is a financial instrument for making donations to political parties.
• The bonds are issued in multiples of Rs. 1,000, Rs. 10,000, Rs. 1 lakh, Rs. 10 lakh and Rs. 1 crore without any maximum limit.
• State Bank of India is authorised to issue and encash these bonds, which are valid for fifteen days from the date of issuance.
• These bonds are redeemable in the designated account of a registered political party.
• The bonds are available for purchase by any person (who is a citizen of India or incorporated or established in India) for a period of ten days each in the months of January, April, July and October as may be specified by the Central Government.
• A person being an individual can buy bonds, either singly or jointly with other individuals.
• Donor’s name is not mentioned on the bond.
• Only registered political parties, that have secured not less than 1% of votes polled in last election of Lok Sabha or legislative assembly of state, will be eligible to receive electoral bonds

Solution: B

Hunar Haat:

• Organised by ministry of minority affairs under “USTTAD” scheme at different parts of the country.
• It is an exhibition of handicrafts and traditional products made by artisans from the minority communities.
• These Haat aim to provide market exposure and employment opportunities to artisans, craftsmen and traditional culinary experts.
• Significance:
• “Hunar Haat” have become a successful mission to provide employment and employment opportunities at national as well international markets for thousands of master artisans, craftsmen and culinary experts.

 USTTAD SCHEME

• USTTAD (Upgrading the Skills and Training in Traditional Arts/Crafts for Development) scheme aims to preserve heritage of traditional arts and crafts of minority communities and build capacity of traditional craftspersons and artisans and establish linkages of traditional skills with the global market.

Solution: A

Payment Bank:

• A payment bank is similar to any other bank operating on a smaller scale.
• RBI introduced it in 2014 to increase the scope of financial inclusion.
• Its main focus is on small savings account holders, low-income households, small businesses, unorganized sector entities and migrant labour force.
• It can accept a restricted deposit of up to Rs. 1 lakh per customer and will pay interest on those balances just like savings bank account.

What they can do

• Offer internet banking
• Sell mutual funds, insurance, pensions
• Offer bill payment service for customers
• Have ATMs and business correspondents
• Can function as BC of another bank

What they can’t do

• Offer credit cards
• Extend loans
• Handle cross-border remittances
• Accept NRI deposits

Solution: D

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) released the 23rd issue of its Financial Stability Report (FSR). The FSR which is published biannually reflects the collective assessment of the Sub-Committee of the Financial Stability and Development Council (FSDC – headed by the Governor of RBI) on risks to financial stability and the resilience of the financial system.

Solution: D

PM CARES Fund:

• The Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund (PM CARES Fund) were created on 28 March 2020 following the COVID-19 pandemic in India.
• The fund will be used for combat, containment and relief efforts against the coronavirus outbreak and similar pandemic like situations in the future.
• The PM is the chairman of the trust. Members will include the defence, home and finance ministers.
• The fund will also enable micro-donations. The minimum donation accepted for the PM CARES Fund is ₹10 (14¢ US).
• The donations will be tax-exempt and fall under corporate social responsibility.
• Both PMNRF and PM CARES do not receive budgetary support.

Solution: A

About QRSAM:

• DRDO has successfully test-fired indigenously developed Quick Reaction Surface-to-Air missiles (QRSAM) from a test range off the Odisha coast.
• It has been developed to replace the ‘Akash’ missile defence system, and has 360-degree coverage.
• It uses solid fuel propellant and has a strike range of 25-30 km with capability of hitting multiple targets.
• It is capable of hitting the low flying objects.

Correct Answer: A

Explanation:

Let the power of the terms be x and y.

6^x – 11^y = 95

Put x = 3, y = 2 (By trial and error)

216 – 121 = 95

Hence satisfied.

Score of team A = 6^3 = 216

Correct Answer: C

Explanation:

Let the number of tigers be x and the number of peacocks be y, then:

x + y = 60

4x + 2y = 200

So, x = 40 and y = 20

Correct Answer: C

Explanation:

Suppose three people have been given a, b and c number of items.

Then, a × b × c = 30

Now, there can be 5 cases:

Case I: When one of them is given 30 items and rest two 1 item each.

So, the number of ways for (30 × 1 × 1) = 3! / 2! = 3

(As two of them have same number of items)

Case II: Similarly, number of ways for (10 × 3 × 1) = 3! = 6

Case III: Number of ways for (15 × 2 × 1) = 3! = 6

Case IV: Number of ways for (6 × 5 × 1) = 3! = 6

Case V: Number of ways for (5 × 3 × 2) = 3! = 6

Here, either of these 5 cases are possible.

Hence, total number of ways = 3 + 6 + 6 + 6 + 6 = 27

Correct Answer: B

Explanation:

Let us take books A and B as one i.e., they are always

continuous.

Now, number of books = 4 – 2 + 1 = 3

These three books can be arranged in 3! ways and also

A and B can be arranged in 2 ways among themselves.

So, the number of ways when books A and B are always continuous = 2 × 3!

Total number of ways of arrangement of A, B, C and D = 4!

Hence, number of ways when A and B are never continuous

= Total number of ways – number of ways when A and B always continuous

= 4! – 2 × 3! = 12

Solution-D

The Action given above are justified by the author in the passage and implied as what should be the moral act so passage itself is explanatory of the answer.