[MISSION 2024] RTM(Revision through MCQs)- 26 February 2024

Ans: (b)

Explanation:

• Statements 1 and 3 are correct.
• In early Indian Buddhism, the term bodhisattva was primarily used to refer specifically to Gautama Buddha in his former life.
• From these Jataka tales, Bodhisattva originally meant the Buddhism practitioner of austerities.
• In later Theravada literature, the term “bodhisattva” is used fairly frequently in the sense of someone on the path to liberation.
• According to some Mahayana sources a bodhisattva is someone on the path to full Buddhahood. Others speak of bodhisattvas renouncing Buddhahood.
• However, under the new tradition the most accepted definition is the one who aspires to become buddha as soon as possible and then help sentient beings.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2024/02/26/makha-bucha/

Ans: (b)

Explanation:

• S1: They were Theravadins.
• S2:The Mahāsāṃghikas school was first located in the area of Vaiśālī and spread also to southern India, with centres at Amarāvatī and Nāgārjunakoṇḍ Its texts were written in Prākrit. It further divided into several subsects, of which the best known was the Lokottaravāda (so called because of its views on lokottara).
• The Lokottaravāda was one of the early Buddhist schools according to Mahayana doxological sources compiled by Bhāviveka, Vinitadeva and others
• S3:The Mahāsaṅghikas believed in a plurality of buddhas who are supramundane (lokottara) and held that what passed for Gautama Buddha in his earthly existence was only an apparition

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2024/02/26/makha-bucha/

Ans: (c)

Explanation:

• All three are major features.
• Buddhas and bodhisattvas are central elements of Mahāyāna. Mahāyāna’s vastly expanded cosmology, with various Buddhas and bodhisattvas residing in different worlds and buddha-fields.
• This is shown through the depiction of buddhas and bodhisattvas through image worship and rituals in monasteries and viharas.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2024/02/26/makha-bucha/

Ans: (b)

Explanation:

• Administration: The Chalukya administration was highly centralized unlike that of the Pallavas and the Cholas. Village autonomy was absent under the Chalukyas. Architecture: The Chalukyas were great patrons of art. They developed the vesara style in the building of structural temples. However, the vesara style reached its culmination only under the Rashtrakutas and the Hoysalas. Cave temple architecture was also famous under the Chalukyas. Their cave temples are found in Ajanta, Ellora and Nasik. The best specimens of Chalukya paintings can be seen in the Badami.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2024/02/26/badami-chalukya-temples/

Ans: (b)

Explanation: Badami cave painting

• Badami was the capital of the early Chalukyan dynasty which ruled the region from 543 to 598 With the decline of the Vakataka rule, the Chalukyas established their power in the Deccan. The Chalukya king, Mangalesha, patronised the excavation of the Badami caves. He was the younger son of the Chalukya king, Pulakesi I, and the brother of Kirtivarman I.
• Stylistically speaking, the painting represents extension of the tradition of mural painting from Ajanta to Badami in South
• The inscription in Cave 4 mentions the date 578–579 CE, describes the beauty of the cave and includes the dedication of the image of Vishnu. Thus, it may be presumed that the cave was excavated in the same era and the patron records his Vaishnava affiliation. Therefore, the cave is popularly known as the Vishnu Cave.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2024/02/26/badami-chalukya-temples/

Ans: (b)

Explanation:

• Context: Sugar mills in India are now permitted to sell Potash Derived from Molasses (PDM) to fertilizer companies, offering them an additional revenue source.
• PDM contains 14.5% potash content and can be sold at a price of Rs 4,263 per tonne, allowing sugar mills to potentially manufacture 10-12 LMT of potash over the next three years.
  • PDM is derived from ash in molasses-based distilleries, a by-product of the sugar-based ethanol industry, and can be used as a potassium-rich fertilizer alternative to Muriate of Potash (MOP).
  • This initiative aims to reduce India’s dependency on imported potash fertilizers.
  • Potash is a common name for a group of minerals and chemicals that contain potassium. Potassium is a basic nutrient for plants and an important ingredient in fertilizer.
• S2&3: India currently imports all of the potash required as fertilisers. PDM has 14.5% potash content.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2024/02/26/potash-derived-from-molasses/

• S1: True. Gamma rays have the shortest wavelength and highest frequency of all electromagnetic waves, making them highly energetic.
• S2: True. Due to their high energy and short wavelength, gamma rays have the ability to penetrate most materials, including dense substances like lead and concrete.
• S3: True. Gamma rays are commonly emitted during the radioactive decay of unstable atomic nuclei and during various nuclear reactions, such as those occurring in nuclear reactors or during nuclear fusion processes.
• S4: True. Like all electromagnetic waves, gamma rays travel at the speed of light (approximately 299,792 kilometers per second) in a vacuum.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2024/02/24/positronium/

Ans: (d)

Explanation:

• The Energy Charter Treaty (ECT) is an international agreement that establishes a framework for cross-border cooperation in the energy industry. It was founded in 1991 and covers all aspects of commercial energy activities, including trade, transit, investments, and energy efficiency.
• The ECT’s purpose is to promote long-term cooperation in the energy field, based on complementarities and mutual benefits.
• It provides its member states with a unique legal framework for cooperation through its comprehensive provisions on investment protection and technology transfer.
• The ECT also aims to protect foreign investments in energy and allows foreign investors to claim compensation through arbitration for unfair losses due to government regulation.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2024/02/26/energy-charter-treaty/

Ans: (c )

Explanation:

• The Indian gharial, also known as the fish-eating crocodile or gavial, is a crocodilian that lives in the Indian Subcontinent. It is one of the largest crocodilians.
• The gharial has a uniquely long and thin snout, with a large bulb at the tip called the “ghara”.
• The gharial is the most aquatic of all crocodilians, as it never moves far from the water.
• India has three species of Crocodilians namely:
  • Gharial (Gavialis gangeticus): IUCN Red List- Critically Endangered
  • Mugger crocodile (Crocodylus palustris): IUCN- Vulnerable.
  • Saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus): IUCN- Least Concern.
• All three are listed on Appendix I of CITES and Schedule I of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.

Refer; https://www.insightsonindia.com/2024/02/26/indian-gharial/

Ans: (d)

Explanation:

• Kala-azar, also known as visceral leishmaniasis, is a disease characterized by a slow progression caused by a protozoan parasite of the genus Leishmania.
• The term “kala-azar” originates from India, meaning “black disease,” referring to the dark discolouration of the skin during infection.
• In India, Leishmania donovani is the primary parasite causing this disease. The parasite predominantly infects the reticuloendothelial system and is commonly found in high concentrations in the bone marrow, spleen, and liver.
• Post Kala-azar Dermal Leishmaniasis (PKDL) is a condition where the parasite invades skin cells, leading to dermal lesions.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2024/02/26/kala-azar-3/

Ans: (a)

Explanation:

• Context: NASA images show Badwater Basin in Death Valley, North America’s driest place, hosting a lake for 6 months due to increased precipitation since August 2023.
• About Badwater Basin in Death Valley National Park, California:
  • It is North America’s and the United States’ lowest point, reaching 282 ft (86 m) below sea level. It features a spring-fed pool of “bad water,” surrounded by salt flats, making the water undrinkable. Despite its inhospitable conditions, the pool sustains some animal and plant life. Named after its brackish pool, Badwater Basin was once believed to be the lowest spot in the Western Hemisphere until Laguna del Carbón in Argentina was discovered. Additionally, the Badwater crater on Mars shares similarities with this terrestrial basin.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2024/02/26/badwater-basin-in-death-valley-usa/