DAY – 62 (InstaTest-62): Insta 75 Days Revision Plan-2023: Topic – ART & CULTURE, PREVIOUS YEAR UPSC PAPER 2010, January 2022 CA

Solution: B

Global Tiger Forum is an international intergovernmental body exclusively set up for the conservation of tigers in the wild in the range countries. Out of the 13 tiger range countries, seven are currently members of GTF: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, India, Myanmar, Nepal and Vietnam besides non-tiger range country U.K. The secretariat is based in New Delhi, India. GTF’s goal is to highlight the rationale for tiger preservation and provide leadership and a common approach throughout the world in order to safeguard the survival of the tiger, its prey, and its habitat.

Chairman-GTF

The Hon’ble Lyonpo Yeshey Penjor is the present Minister for the Ministry of Agriculture and Forests.

Solution: D

Biofilms are a collective of one or more types of microorganisms that can grow on many different surfaces. Microorganisms that form biofilms include bacteria, fungi and protists.

One common example of a biofilm dental plaque, a slimy buildup of bacteria that forms on the surfaces of teeth. Pond scum is another example. Biofilms have been found growing on minerals and metals. They have been found underwater, underground and above the ground. They can grow on plant tissues and animal tissues, and on implanted medical devices such as catheters and pacemakers.

Each of these distinct surfaces has a common defining feature: they are wet.

Sometimes, biofilms are useful. “Bioremediation, in general, is the use of living organisms, or their products — for example, enzymes — to treat or degrade harmful compounds,”. It is noted that biofilms are used in treating wastewater, heavy metal contaminants such as chromate, explosives such as TNT and radioactive substances such as uranium. “Microbes can either degrade them, or change their mobility or their toxic state and therefore make them less harmful to the environment and to humans.

Nitrification using biofilms is one form of wastewater treatment.

Solution: D

The National Mission for Manuscripts was established in February 2003, by the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, Government of India. A unique project in its programme and mandate, the Mission seeks to unearth and preserve the vast manuscript wealth of India. India possesses an estimate of ten million manuscripts, probably the largest collection in the world. These cover a variety of themes, textures and aesthetics, scripts, languages, calligraphies, illuminations and illustrations.

The Mission has the mandate of identifying, documenting, conserving and making accessible the manuscript heritage of India. We see a national effort in the form of a mission for manuscripts as a logical, radical and urgent response to a very contemporary challenge- of reclaiming the inheritance contained in manuscripts, often in a poor state of preservation.

National Mission for Manuscripts is a National level comprehensive initiative which caters to the need of conserving manuscripts and disseminating knowledge contained therein. NMM is working towards fulfilling its motto, ‘conserving the past for the future’. It has emerged as a movement, undoubtedly the most popular and effective among all the heritage conservation initiatives in the country.

Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) is the nodal agency for the execution of this project. It creates bibliographic databases of Indian manuscripts and is involved in the conservation and preservation of the manuscripts.

Solution: B

The Chips to Startup (C2S) Programme aims to train 85,000 number of high-quality and qualified engineers in the area of Very large-scale integration (VLSI) and Embedded System Design as well as result in development of 175 ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits), Working Prototypes of 20 System on Chips (SoC) and IP Core repository over a period of 5 years. This will be a step towards leapfrogging in the Electronics System Design & Manufacturing (ESDM) space by way of inculcating the culture of SoC/ System Level Design at Bachelors, Masters and Research level and act as a catalyst for growth of Start-ups involved in fabless design.

The programme would be implemented at about 100 academic institutions/R&D organisations across the Country (including IITs, NITs, IIITs, Government/Private Colleges and R&D Organisations). Startups and MSMEs can also participate in the programme by submitting their proposals under Academia- Industry Collaborative Project, Grand Challenge/ /Hackathons/RFP for development of System/SoC/IP Core(s).

C-DAC (Centre for Development of Advanced Computing), a scientific society operating under MeitY, will serve as the nodal agency for the programme.

Solution: B

The BiodiverCities by 2030 is a joint initiative of the World Economic Forum and the Alexander von Humboldt Institute, championed by the Government of Colombia.

BiodiverCities by 2030 is a multistakeholder initiative that supports city governments, businesses and citizens to reimagine urban development with nature and people at its core. Its vision is to create nature-positive and climate resilient cities, where every urban activity leaves the Earth enriched and not depleted, by 2030.

BiodiverCities can restore the balance between urban development and nature by advancing biodiversity in the built environment; healing urban-rural linkages; developing circular economy models and innovative actions for economic competitiveness; improving governance schemes that promote nature-based solutions; and promoting a new mindset and set of values.

Solution: C

The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) is a multilateral development bank headquartered in Beijing. Like other development banks, its mission is to improve social and economic outcomes in its region, Asia, and beyond. The bank opened in January 2016 and now has 105 approved members worldwide, as of Jul. 30, 2022.

What is AIIB?

Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) is a multilateral development bank with a mission to improve social and economic outcomes in Asia and beyond.

The Parties (57 founding members) to agreement comprise the Membership of the Bank.

• It is headquartered in Beijing.
• The bank started operation after the agreement entered into force on 25 December 2015, after ratifications were received from 10 member states holding a total number of 50% of the initial subscriptions of the Authorized Capital Stock.

Aim:

By investing in sustainable infrastructure and other productive sectors today, it aims to connect people, services and markets that over time will impact the lives of billions and build a better future.

Membership:

• There are more than 100 members now.

Voting Rights:

• China is the largest shareholder with 26.61 % voting shares in the bank followed by India (7.6%), Russia (6.01%) and Germany (4.2 %).
• The regional members hold 75% of the total voting power in the Bank.

Solution: D

Pradhan Mantri Virasat ka Samvardhan

The Ministry of Minority Affairs (MoMA) seeks to facilitate opportunities for minority communities in education, skilling, and employment to ensure their inclusive development in the national fabric.

MoMA has designed an integrated scheme, called the Pradhan Mantri Virasat Ka Samvardhan (PM VIKAS), combining five (5) existing schemes of MoMA viz. Seekho aur Kamao, USTTAD, Hamari Dharohar, Nai Roshni and Nai Manzil.

PM VIKAS is aligned to the 15th Finance Commission cycle period up to 2025-26 and is a Central sector (CS) scheme under the Ministry of Minority Affairs.

Solution: D

Who is a service voter ?

Ans. Service voter is a voter having service qualification. According to the provisions of sub – section (8) of Section 20 of Representation of People Act, 1950, service qualification means –
(a)    Being a member of the armed Forces of the Union ; or
(b)    Being a member of a force to which provisions of the Army Act, 1950 (46 of 1950), have been made applicable whether with or without modification ;
(c)    Being a member of an Armed Police Force of a State, and serving outside that state; or
(d)    Being a person who is employed under the Government of India, in a post outside India.

Solution: A

Committee of Privileges:

• This committee consists of 15 members in Lok Sabha ( 10 in case of Rajya Sabha) nominated by the Speaker (Chairman in case of Rajya Sabha).
• In the Rajya Sabha, the deputy chairperson heads the committee of privileges.

• Powers and Functions:
• The committee examines every question involving a breach of privilege of the House or of the members or of any Committee thereof referred to it by the House or by the Speaker/Chairman.
• It also determines with reference to the facts of each case whether a breach of privilege is involved and makes suitable recommendations in its report.
• It also states the procedure to be followed by the House in giving effect to its recommendations.
• When a question of privilege is referred to the Committee by the House, the report of the Committee is presented to the House by the Chairman or, in his absence, by any member of the Committee.
• Where a question of privilege is referred to the Committee by the Speaker, the report of the Committee is presented to the Speaker who may pass final orders thereon or direct that it be laid on the Table of the House.
• The Speaker/Chairman may refer to the Committee any petition regarding the disqualification of a member on the ground of defection for making a preliminary inquiry and submitting a report to him.
• The procedure to be followed by the Committee in these cases is so far as may be the same as in applicable to questions of breach of privilege.

Solution: B

Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Limited

• Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Limited (IREDA) is a Mini Ratna (Category – I) Government of India Enterprise under the administrative control of Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE). IREDA is a Public Limited Government Company established as a Non-Banking Financial Institution in 1987 engaged in promoting, developing and extending financial assistance for setting up projects relating to new and renewable sources of energy and energy efficiency/conservation with the motto: “ENERGY FOR EVER”
• IREDA has been notified as a “Public Financial Institution” under section 4 ‘A’ of the Companies Act, 1956 and registered as Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC) with Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
• IREDA’s mission is “Be a pioneering, participant friendly and competitive institution for financing and promoting self-sustaining investment in energy generation from Renewable Sources, Energy Efficiency and Environmental Technologies for sustainable development.”
• IREDA’s Motto is “Energy for Ever.”

Solution: A

Sugar Development Fund (SDF) was established in the year 1982, through an act of Parliament. It is being utilized presently to grant loans to the sugar mills for facilitating the rehabilitation and modernization/ Bagasse based co-generation power projects/ production of anhydrous alcohol or ethanol from alcohol/ conversion of existing ethanol plant into Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) plant and development of Sugar cane. The loans are provided at a concessional rate of 2% below the prevailing bank rate).

The schemes of financial assistance as loans to sugar factories under the Sugar Development Fund Act, 1982 have been closed forthwith. However, the SDF loan cases where Administrative Approval has been issued are being considered by the Department.

Solution: A

EXERCISE SEA DRAGON 23

The Exercise aims to achieve high levels of synergy and coordination between the friendly navies, which is based on their shared values and commitment to an open, inclusive Indo-Pacific.

Participating Countries: India, USA, Japan, Canada and South Korea.

Solution: A

Madhubani Paintings

One of the most celebrated styles of Indian art is, Madhubani which originated in the Mithila region of Bihar as a form of wall art. This spectacular folk art style was unknown to the outside world until discovered by the British colonial William G. Archer in 1934 while inspecting the damage after the massive Bihar earthquake. Archer was amazed by the beautiful illustrations on the exposed interior walls of the house. The beauty of Madhubani lies in its simple and evocative portrayal of culture and traditions.

The designs are characterised by eye-catching geometrical patterns, symbolic images, and scenes from mythology. The balance between the vibrancy of colors and simplicity in its patterns make Madhubani different from other painting styles. Bharni, Katchni, Tantrik, Godna, and Kohbar are the five distinct styles of Madhubani painting.

Warli Paintings

Warli art with its linear and monochromatic hues resembles the execution of pre-historic cave paintings.

Solution: C

Goswami Tulsidas:

• Tulsidas, a Brahmin whose original name was Ram Bola Dubey, composed the Ramcharitmanas on the bank of the Ganga in Varanasi.
• Tulsidas was a contemporary of Emperor Akbar, and it is believed that he was in touch with Abdurrahim Khan-e-Khanan, the son of Akbar’s commander Bairam Khan.
• Tulsidas made the story of Lord Ram popular among the masses because he wrote in the regional dialect that most people understood.
• This attracted the wrath of ancient Sanskrit scholars, and Tulsidas recorded his pain in his Kavitawali.

The Ramcharitmanas:

• The poem was written in the 16th century in the Awadhi
• It is divided into seven chapters (Kand) that tell the story of Lord Ram from birth to his becoming King of Ayodhya.
• The Ramcharitmanas is based on the Ramayana – sage Valmiki’s great epic.

Solution: C

Wetlands International’s largest annual water bird census named “Asian Water Bird Census” (AWC) 2023” began on January 7, 2023, across Asia and Australasia simultaneously and will conclude on January 22, 2023

About AWC:

• AWC (started in 1987) is part of the International Waterbird census coordinated by Wetland International
• In India, AWC is coordinated by the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) (founded in 1883, an NGO) and Wetland International (NGO).

 The AWC is an integral part of the global waterbird monitoring programme, the International Waterbird Census (IWC), coordinated by Wetlands International.

The AWC was initiated in 1987 in the Indian subcontinent and since has grown rapidly to cover major region of Asia, from Afghanistan eastwards to Japan, Southeast Asia and Australasia. The census, thus covers the entire East Asian – Australasian Flyway and a large part of the Central Asian Flyway.

Solution: D

The sixteen mahajanapadas

Early Buddhist and Jaina texts mention, amongst other things, sixteen states known as mahajanapadas. Although the lists vary, some names such as Vajji, Magadha, Koshala, Kuru, Panchala, Gandhara and Avanti occur frequently. Clearly, these were amongst the most important mahajanapadas.

While most mahajanapadas were ruled by kings, some, known as ganas or sanghas, were oligarchies, where power was shared by a number of men, often collectively called rajas. Both Mahavira and the Buddha belonged to such ganas. In some instances, as in the case of the Vajji sangha, the rajas probably controlled resources such as land collectively. Although their histories are often difficult to reconstruct due to the lack of sources, some of these states lasted for nearly a thousand years. Each mahajanapada had a capital city, which was often fortified. Maintaining these fortified cities as well as providing for incipient armies and bureaucracies required resources

Solution: D

All the statements given above are correct.

Brahmo Samaj:

• It was founded by Raja Rammohan Roy in 1828
• It emphasised human dignity, opposed idol worship
• It supported widow remarriage

Solution: D

The Second Afghan War (1878-80)

Annexation of Burma in 1885

Invasion of Tibet under Curzon in 1903

Solution: D

A parsi social reformer, Beharmji M. Malabari has campaigned against evils of child marriage and enforced widowhood all his life. For these social evils, he placed the blame on greedy priestly class for the inaccurate interpretation of scriptures and main Hindu superstition of considering a girl to be a serpent in the house after age of 10.

Therefore, he founded Seva Sadan in 1885 with an aim to look after socially discarded and exploited women from all castes and providing welfare services such as education and medical treatment.

Solution: C

The Indian League was started Ghosh with the object of “stimulating the sense of nationalism amongst the people” and of encouraging political education.

Solution: D

Solution: D

Ziauddin Barani (1285–1358 CE) was a Muslim political thinker of the Delhi Sultanate located in present-day North India during Muhammad bin Tughlaq and Firuz Shah’s reign. He was best known for composing the Tarikh-i-Firoz Shahi, a work on  medieval India, which covers the period from the reign of Ghiyas ud din Balban to the first six years of reign of Firoz Shah Tughluq.

Abu Rayhan al-Biruni (973 – after 1050) was an Iranian scholar. His work Tarikh-Al-Hind (Indian Philosophy and Religion) was written in Arabic.

Amīr Khusrau was a Sufi musician, poet and scholar from the Indian sub-continent. He was an iconic figure in the cultural history. Khusrau wrote the Khaza’in ul-Futuh (The Treasures of Victory) recording Ala ud-Din’s construction works, wars and administrative services. He is regarded as the ‘father of qawwali’ and pioneer of the ghazal style of songs.

Solution: B

Who was Ramanujacharya?

Born in 1017 in Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu, Ramanujacharya is revered as a Vedic philosopher and social reformer. He travelled across India, advocating equality and social justice.

Ramanuja revived the Bhakti movement, and his preaching inspired other Bhakti schools of thought. He is considered to be the inspiration for poets like Annamacharya, Bhakt Ramdas, Thyagaraja, Kabir, and Meerabai.

From the time he was a young budding philosopher, Ramanuja appealed for the protection of nature and its resources like air, water, and soil. He went on to write nine scriptures known as the navaratnas, and composed numerous commentaries on Vedic scriptures.

He took education to those who were deprived of it. His greatest contribution is the propagation of the concept of “vasudhaiva kutumbakam”, which translates as “all the universe is one family”.

Major Works of Adi Shankaracharya are:

• Brahmasutrabhasya (Bhashya or commentary on the Brahma Sutra).
• Bhajagovinda Stotra.
• Nirvana Shatakam.
• Prakaran Granths.

Solution: B

The Message of Mahavira

• The basic philosophy of the Jainas was already in existence in north India before the birth of Vardhamana, who came to be known as Mahavira, in the sixth century BCE.
• According to Jaina tradition, Mahavira was preceded by 23 other teachers or tirthankaras – literally, those who guide men and women across the river of existence.

• The most important idea in Jainism is that the entire world is animated: even stones, rocks and water have life.
• According to Jaina teachings, the cycle of birth and rebirth is shaped through karma.
  • Asceticism and penance are required to free oneself from the cycle of karma.
  • This can be achieved only by renouncing the world; therefore, monastic existence is a necessary condition of salvation.
  • Jaina monks and nuns took five vows: to abstain from killing, stealing and lying; to observe celibacy; and to abstain from possessing property.

Uttaradhyayana or Uttaradhyayana Sutra is one of the most important sacred books of the Svetambara Jains. It consists of 36 chapters, each of which deals with aspects of Jain doctrine and discipline. It is believed by some to contain the actual words of Bhagwan Mahavira (599/540 – 527/468 BCE).

Solution:  D

TAXILA VS NALANDA

• Both Nalanda and Taxila universities were renowned ancient institutions of higher learning.
• However, while Nalanda was a formal university in the modern sense of the word, Taxila functioned under more informal conditions.
• Nalanda had almost all the infrastructure we associate with a good university in today’s time, namely, multiple classrooms, extensive library, dormitories for students, accommodation for professors, etc.
• On the other hand, Taxila University did not have any lecture halls nor did it provide residential quarters for its teachers or students.
  • There was no centralized system of schooling or syllabus in Taxila. Taxila followed no system of examinations, and did not award degrees to its students.
  • The education system there was flexible, and was modified according to a student’s capabilities.
  • Also, the teachers of Taxila worked with complete autonomy, forming their own school of learning with their specific set of rules and manner of functioning.
  • Most of these schools were run by teachers in their private houses, and received no formal infrastructural support from the Taxila University, unlike Nalanda.

As far as the objective of imparting knowledge is concerned, both Taxila and Nalanda universities were very effective institutions, but their manner of functioning differed drastically, with Nalanda University being more structured than Taxila.

Ans. C.

The above passage indicates that now that women have started speaking up about the crimes they have faced, it is becoming abundantly clear that gender inequality is pervasive.

Correct Answer: D

Correct Answer: B

Solution: a

Justification:

Reena and Beena stand in sixth and seventh positions respectively from the left.

_ _ _ _ _ R B

Meena and Neena stand in the fourth and fifth positions respectively from the right.

N M _ _ _

When Beena and Meena exchange their positions, then Beena will be fifteenth from the left. That means Meena is fifteenth from the left. Then, Neena is fourteenth from the left. Hence, the arrangement will become:

_ _ _ _ _ R B _ _ _ _ _ N M _ _ _

Now, if Neena and Reena also exchange their positions, the arrangement will become:

_ _ _ _ _ N B _ _ _ _ _ R M _ _ _

Hence, Neena’s position will be 6th from the left.

Solution: c

Justification:

The original arrangement:

_ _ _ _ _ R B _ _ _ _ _ N M _ _ _

After exchange of positions between Beena and Meena, the arrangement will become:

_ _ _ _ _ R M _ _ _ _ _ N B _ _ _

Hence, Meena’s position will be 12th from the right.