DAY – 71 : Insta 75 Days Revision Plan-2026 : Polity Full Syllabus

Answer:    (b)

Explanation:

• Statement 1 is correct: Unlike most Indus Valley Civilization sites (such as Harappa and Mohenjo-daro) which were divided into two parts—the Citadel and the Lower Town—Dholavira in Gujarat was unique for its tripartite division. It consisted of an unbelievably fortified Citadel, a Middle Town, and a Lower Town. It is also renowned for its sophisticated water harvesting system and reservoirs.
• Statement 2 is incorrect: The direct evidence of a massive tidal dockyard was excavated at Lothal in Gujarat, not Kalibangan. Lothal was a crucial maritime trade hub connected to the Arabian Sea. Kalibangan (located in Rajasthan) is instead famous for discovering the earliest ploughed agricultural field and fire altars.
• Statement 3 is correct: The Pasupati Seal (Proto-Shiva) found at Mohenjo-daro depicts a three-faced deity sitting in a yogic posture wearing a horned headdress. He is surrounded by four directional animals: an elephant, a tiger, a rhinoceros, and a buffalo. Additionally, two antelopes or deer are depicted beneath his throne/seat.

Answer:    (d)

Explanation:

• Pair 1 is correctly matched: The Sulvasutras (part of the Kalpasutras in Vedic literature) are the oldest extant texts on Indian mathematics. They deal primarily with the complex geometric principles and measurements required to accurately construct sacrificial fire altars (Yajna Vedis).
• Pair 2 is correctly matched: Milinda Panha (The Questions of King Milinda) is a famous non-canonical Buddhist text written in Pali. It records a deep philosophical dialogue between the Indo-Greek King Menander I (Milinda) and the Buddhist sage Nagasena, leading to the king’s conversion to Buddhism.
• Pair 3 is correctly matched: Written by Tolkappiyar, the Tolkaappiyam is the earliest surviving work of Sangam literature. It is a monumental and comprehensive treatise that outlines the rules of Tamil grammar, sentence structure, and poetics, while also providing rich insights into the socio-economic life of the period.
• Pair 4 is correctly matched: Mattavilasa Prahasana (The Farce of Drunken Sport) is a short Sanskrit play written by the prominent Pallava King Mahendravarman I in the early 7th century. It is a sharp, satirical comedy that mocks the corruption and eccentricities of contemporary ascetic sects like the Kapalikas, Pasupatas, and even Buddhists in Kanchipuram.

Answer:   (d)

Explanation:

• Statement 1 is correct: The Samkhya school, founded by the sage Kapila, is widely regarded as the oldest of the six orthodox (Astika) systems. It posits a dualistic philosophy based on two eternal realities: Purusha (pure consciousness) and Prakriti (matter/nature). It strongly asserts that salvation or liberation (Kaivalya) is achieved through the acquisition of real, discriminative knowledge between consciousness and matter, explicitly rejecting the efficacy of Vedic sacrificial rituals.
• Statement 2 is correct: The Vaisheshika school, founded by Kanada (also known as Uluka), is celebrated for its insights into physics and metaphysics. It introduced an early form of atomic theory (Paramanuvada), proposing that the physical universe is composed of indivisible, eternal atoms (paramanus) belonging to four elements: earth, water, fire, and air.
• Statement 3 is correct: The Lokayata or Charvaka school is a classic unorthodox (Nastika) system of ancient Indian philosophy. It was uncompromisingly materialistic and heterodox, recognizing perception (Pratyaksha) as the only valid source of knowledge. It famously rejected the infallible authority of the Vedas, denied the existence of an immortal soul (Atman), dismissed the concept of life after death or karma, and advocated for living happily in the present physical world.

Answer:    (a)

Explanation:

• Shunga Dynasty (c. 185 BCE – 73 BCE): Established by Pushyamitra Shunga after assassinating Brihadratha, the last Mauryan emperor. This marked the immediate political transition in Magadha and central India following the fall of the Mauryas.
• Kanva Dynasty (c. 73 BCE – 28 BCE): Founded by Vasudeva Kanva after overthrowing Devabhuti, the last Shunga ruler. They ruled over a highly diminished Magadhan territory for a relatively short period.
• Satavahana Dynasty (c. late 1st Century BCE/early 1st Century CE): While their origins trace back slightly earlier as feudatories, their consolidation as a paramount power in the Deccan and central India peaked after they overthrew the remnants of the Kanva dynasty under the leadership of rulers like Simuka.
• Kushana Dynasty (c. 1st Century CE – 3rd Century CE): A clan of the Yuezhi nomadic confederation that entered the northwestern frontier of India. They consolidated a massive transcontinental empire stretching from Central Asia to the Gangetic plains, reaching their zenith under Emperor Kanishka in the 2nd Century CE.

Answer:    (c)

Explanation:

• Pair 1 is correctly matched: In the Gupta administrative hierarchy, the empire was divided into provinces called Bhuktis. The administrative head of a Bhukti was the Uparika, a provincial governor appointed directly by the King.
• Pair 2 is correctly matched: Vishti refers to the practice of forced or unpaid labor rendered by peasants to the state or feudal lords. During the Gupta period, Vishti became increasingly institutionalized as a legitimate source of state sovereignty and taxation, especially in Central and Western India.
• Pair 3 is incorrectly matched: In Gupta land classification inscriptions, Kshetra referred to cultivable land. Uncultivable wasteland or barren land was known as Khila or Aprahata.
• Pair 4 is correctly matched: The Pustapala was a critical junior administrative official at the district (Vishaya) level. They were the official record-keepers responsible for managing, recording, and certifying all local land transactions, properties, and measurements.

Answer:    (a)

Explanation:

• Statement 1 is correct: The Ellora Caves (located in the Aurangabad district of Maharashtra) are globally renowned as a symbol of ancient Indian religious tolerance and coexistence. The site features 34 primary caves excavated side-by-side along the Charanandri hills, housing monuments dedicated to three major faiths: Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jainism.
• Statement 2 is correct: The monumental Kailashnath Temple (Cave 16) is a supreme engineering marvel of ancient Indian architecture. It is the largest monolithic rock-cut structure in the world, carved top-down (from the summit of the cliff downward) out of a single basalt hill. This extraordinary project was patronized by the Rashtrakuta King Krishna I in the 8th century CE.
• Statement 3 is incorrect: The Jain caves at Ellora were actually the last to be excavated, dating roughly between the 9th and 10th centuries CE (under Rashtrakuta patronage). The chronological order of excavation at Ellora begins with the Buddhist caves (earliest, c. 5th–7th centuries CE), followed by the Hindu caves (c. 7th–9th centuries CE), and ends with the Jain group. The late Vakataka period is archeologically associated with the later phases of the Ajanta Caves, not Ellora.

Answer:   (b)

Explanation:

• Statement 1 is incorrect: The department of Diwan-i-Amir-Kohi was created by Muhammad bin Tughlaq, not Alauddin Khalji. It was established to tackle agrarian distress, expand the area under cultivation, and provide state loans (sondhar) directly to peasants to improve crop yield.
• Statement 2 is correct: To build a highly efficient, centralized, and loyal standing army, Alauddin Khalji introduced the Dagh (branding of horses with the imperial royal mark) and Chehra / Huliya (maintaining a detailed descriptive roll of every individual soldier). This successfully prevented corruption, such as proxy soldiers or the substitution of high-quality cavalry horses with inferior ones.
• Statement 3 is correct: Driven by the need to maintain a massive standing army at low cost without raising soldiers’ salaries, Alauddin Khalji implemented his famous Market Control Regulations. He strictly fixed the prices of essential commodities, food grains, cloth, horses, cattle, and slaves in Delhi. He set up specialized markets governed by dedicated officers (Shahna-i-Mandi) and severely punished any merchant who under-weighed goods.

Answer:   (a)

Explanation:

The Nayamkara system was the structural backbone of the Vijayanagara military and territorial administration, sharing several similarities with the Iqta system of the Delhi Sultanate.

• Statement 1 is correct: The Amara-Nayakas were military commanders who were assigned specific territories or land revenues called Amaram by the ruler (the Raya). Their primary responsibility was to govern these territories, maintain law and order, and collect land revenue and other taxes from the peasantry and merchants.
• Statement 2 is correct: Out of the collected revenue, the Amara-Nayakas were legally obligated to maintain a stipulated military contingent (consisting of infantry, cavalry, and elephants) to aid the Raya during external wars. Additionally, they had to pay a fixed annual financial tribute directly to the central imperial treasury as a token of subordination.
• Statement 3 is incorrect: While the system granted significant localized administrative and fiscal autonomy to the military commanders, it was not completely decentralized. The central authority remained powerful, especially during the reigns of strong monarchs like Krishnadevaraya. The Rayas asserted supreme sovereignty and maintained the constitutional authority to transfer Amara-Nayakas from one geographic territory to another, or even dismiss them entirely to curb rebellions.

Answer:    (a)

Explanation:

• Statement 1 is correct: Sher Shah Suri was a visionary administrator who revolutionized land revenue assessment. He introduced the Rai system, which was a standardized schedule of crop rates. Under this system, lands were classified into three categories based on productivity: good, middling, and bad. An average of these three was taken, and the state’s demand was fixed at one-third of the average yield. This structural framework was later adopted and refined by Emperor Akbar into the Dahsala system.
• Statement 2 is incorrect: The construction of the Purana Qila (Old Fort) complex in Delhi was initiated by the Mughal Emperor Humayun in 1533 as part of his new city, Dinpanah. After defeating Humayun in 1540, Sher Shah Suri captured the site, heavily fortified it, added structures inside like the beautiful Qila-i-Kuhna mosque and the Sher Mandal pavilion, and renamed the area Shergarh. He did not entirely initiate or complete the fort from scratch.
• Statement 3 is correct: Sher Shah Suri systematically reformed the chaotic monetary system of the period by abolishing debased coins. He introduced a new, standardized, high-purity silver coin called the Rupiya, which weighed approximately 178 grains (about 11.5 grams). This coin was so well-designed and stable that it became the foundational precursor to the currency systems of the Mughals, the Marathas, the East India Company, and ultimately the modern Indian Rupee.

Answer:    (c)

Explanation:

• The Concept: The Uttarapatha (literally meaning “The Northern Route”) was the most critical transcontinental overland trade highway of ancient India. It stretched from the northwestern frontiers (connecting through Afghanistan and Central Asia) across the fertile Indo-Gangetic plains.
• The Route and Terminal Node: The northern highway ran from Taxila (a major junction in the northwest) through cities like Mathura, Kanyakubja, Prayag, and Pataliputra (the imperial capital of the Mauryas). However, its ultimate eastern terminal node and major maritime gateway was the ancient port city of Tamralipti (located in modern-day West Bengal).
• Geopolitical Significance: At Tamralipti, the vast overland trade network of the Uttarapatha converged with international sea-lanes. Goods traveling down from the silk routes of Central Asia were loaded onto ships here bound for Sri Lanka, Myanmar, and Southeast Asia (Suvarnabhumi).

Correct Answer: (b) 18 m

Explanation:

Take the starting point of A as the origin.

A walks 20 m towards East.
B joins him.
Both walk another 10 m East.

Thus, both reach the point:

(30, 0)

Movement of A

Facing East, A turns left, i.e., towards North.

A then walks 12 m.

So A’s office is at:

(30, 12)

Movement of B

Facing East, B turns right, i.e., towards South.

B walks 4 m South.

Then B turns right again, i.e., towards West.

B walks 8 m West.

So B’s office is at:

(22, –4)

Shortest distance between the two offices:

Horizontal difference = 30 – 22 = 8

Vertical difference = 12 – (–4) = 16

Distance
= √(8² + 16²)
= √(64 + 256)
= √320
= 8√5
≈ 17.89 m

Therefore, the shortest distance is approximately 18 m.

Hence, the correct answer is:

(b) 18 m

Correct Answer: (d) 30 units

Explanation:

The three single-digit odd prime numbers are:

3, 5 and 7

Average = (3 + 5 + 7) / 3

= 15 / 3

= 5

So,

First piece = 5 units

Let third piece = x units

Then,

Second piece = 5 + x/3

Given:

Third piece = sum of first and second pieces

x = 5 + (5 + x/3)

x = 10 + x/3

3x = 30 + x

2x = 30

x = 15

Thus:

Third piece = 15

Second piece = 5 + 15/3 = 10

Total length of sheet:

= 5 + 10 + 15

= 30 units

Hence, the correct answer is:

(d) 30 units

Correct Answer: (b) S2 alone is sufficient to answer the question

Explanation:

We need to determine whether pq is odd.

Using S1 alone

p and q are prime numbers.

Possible cases:

• 2 and 3 → product = 6 (even)
• 3 and 5 → product = 15 (odd)

Hence S1 alone is not sufficient.

Using S2 alone

p + q is odd.

Sum of two integers is odd only when one is even and the other is odd.

Among prime numbers, only 2 is even.

Therefore one of the numbers must be 2.

Hence pq must be even.

So the answer to “Is pq odd?” is definitely NO.

Thus S2 alone is sufficient.

Hence, the correct answer is:

(b) S2 alone is sufficient to answer the question

Correct Answer: (b) 10

Explanation:

Each of the 6 faces can independently be painted either black or white.

Without considering symmetry:

Total ways = 2⁶ = 64

However, many arrangements become identical after rotating the cube.

Distinct colour-pattern arrangements of a cube using two colours reduce to:

10 unique patterns.

Hence, the correct answer is:

(b) 10

Correct Answer: (a) Supporting small farmers in adaptation plans and investment is a major developmental strategy.

Explanation:

The passage highlights that:

• Small farmers are highly vulnerable to climate change.
• Extreme weather affects their livelihood and production.
• A very large population depends upon them for food security.
• Small-holder farmers significantly contribute to India’s food grain production.

Therefore, strengthening and supporting small farmers through adaptation measures and investment naturally follows as the most logical developmental strategy.

Option (b) is too broad and not supported directly.

Option (c) is an overstatement.

Option (d) is extreme because food security depends on multiple factors, not only small farmers.

Hence, the correct answer is:

(a) Supporting small farmers in adaptation plans and investment is a major developmental strategy.