Search Previous Year Questions

The correct answer is ​Northern India.

Key Points Nathpanthis

• Nathpanthis, also known as the Nath Sampradaya, is a religious and philosophical tradition in India that is associated with the worship of Lord Shiva.
• This tradition is often considered a sect within Hinduism and has a rich history that dates back many centuries. The term "Nath" is derived from the Sanskrit word "natha," which means "lord" or "master."
• The Nathpanthis emphasize the importance of a guru (spiritual teacher) in guiding the disciple on their spiritual journey.
• The tradition places a strong emphasis on yoga, meditation, and various ascetic practices as a means to attain spiritual realization and union with the divine.
• The tradition employs various symbols and iconography related to Lord Shiva, such as the trident (trishul), the snake, and the sacred ash (vibhuti), as part of their religious practices.
• One of the most well-known figures associated with the Nath tradition is Gorakhnath, who is believed to be an important historical figure and guru.

Siddhas:

• The term "Siddhas" refers to accomplished or enlightened beings in various Indian religious and spiritual traditions, including Hinduism and Jainism.
• The word "Siddha" is derived from the Sanskrit language and means "one who is perfected" or "one who has attained spiritual realization."
• Siddhas are often associated with extraordinary powers and deep spiritual insight.
• In Hinduism, Siddhas are considered to be individuals who have reached a high level of spiritual realization and have gained mastery over their physical and mental faculties.

Yogis:

• Yogis are individuals who practice yoga, a spiritual and physical discipline that originated in ancient India.
• Yoga is a holistic system that encompasses various techniques and practices aimed at achieving physical, mental, and spiritual well-being.
• Yogis, or practitioners of yoga, are often associated with a variety of physical postures (asanas), breathing exercises (pranayama), meditation, and ethical principles that guide their way of life.
• Yogis can range from beginners to advanced practitioners, and they may follow various paths of yoga, such as Hatha, Vinyasa, Ashtanga, Kundalini, and many others.
• Some yogis incorporate yoga into their daily routines as a means of maintaining overall well-being, while others may dedicate their lives to the pursuit of deeper spiritual insights and self-discovery through the practice of yoga.

The Correct answer is Both 1 and 2.

Key Points

• Wood's Dispatch of 1854, also known as the Magna Carta of Indian education, was a significant policy statement and educational reform proposed by Sir Charles Wood, who was the President of the Board of Control in the British East India Company.
• This dispatch had a profound impact on the development of education in India during the colonial period.
• The dispatch recognized the importance of female education and proposed measures to encourage the education of girls. Hence statement 1 is correct.
• It recommended English as the medium of instruction for higher studies. Wood's Dispatch emphasized the importance of promoting education in vernacular languages to reach a wider audience.
• It recognized the need to provide education in languages spoken by the local population rather than imposing English. Hence statement 2 is correct.
• Wood's Dispatch stressed the need for training teachers and improving the quality of education. It recommended the establishment of teacher training institutions.

The correct answer is Karnat dynasty.

Key Points

• Maithili language started to develop during the reign of the Karnāta dynasty, which dates back to the 14^th century (around 1327 AD).
• The Karnāta dynasty was established after the fall of Pala rule, disappearance of Buddhism, and patronage of Maithili under Harisimhadeva (1226–1324).
• The Senas of Makawanpur also played a major role in the development of Maithili language.
• Nath Thakur became the first Maithil ruler in 1325, following the collapse of the Karnat dynasty in 1324.
• Maithili was included in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution as a recognized Indian language in 2003, which allows it to be used in education, government, and other official contexts in India.

The correct answer is ​Rajagriha.

Key Points

• The capital of Magadha was Girivraj (modern Rajgir, Bihar). This city was sorrounded by rings of mountains and was, therefore, difficult to lay siege.
• The capital of Magadha was shifted from Rajagriha to Pataliputra by King Udayin.

Additional Information

• In Ancient history, in the 6^th century BC, North Indian provinces were divided into seven kingdoms out of which Avanti, Kosla, Vatsa, and Magadha.
• Among which Magadha rose as an emerging power defeating other surrounding provinces.
• Also, Magadha was a good centre for trade and fertile land.
• The first dynasty ruled over Magadha was the Haryanaka Dynasty whose prominent rulers were Bimbisara and Ajatshatru.
• Bimbisara made Rajagriha as the capital.

The correct answer is 1, 2 and 3.

Key Points

• Vernacular Press Act
• It was passed in 1878 during the time of Lord Lytton.
• It was enacted to curb the highly critical nature of the vernacular press.
• Vernacular Press Act of 1878, proposed by Lytton the then Viceroy of India (1876-80) was also known as the Gagging Act, and it was meant only for vernacular/ native language newspaper not for English ones.
• The Act was repealed by Lord Ripon.

Hence all the statements are correct.

Additional Information 

• Other important press-related acts during British time are as follows:
• The Press act of 1799
• Licensing Regulations of 1823
• The Newspaper Act, 1908
• Indian Press Act, 1931
• Defence of India Rules

The Correct answer is 1, 2, 3 and 4.

Key Points

• Its resolution pertained to financial decentralization that was a legislative devolution inaugurated by the Indian Council Act of 1861.
• Apart from the annual grant from the imperial government, the provincial governments were authorized to resort to local taxation to balance their budgets.
• It focussed on the actual needs of the provinces.
• This was done in the context of the transfer of certain departments of administration such as medical services, education, and roads to the control of provincial governments.
• It did not attempt to rectify existing imparity. It had never focused on the actual needs of the provinces. Hence all the statements are correct.

Additional Information Lord Mayo:

• Lord Mayo did indeed serve as the 4^th Viceroy of India from January 12, 1869, to February 8, 1872.
• He was also known as Richard Southwell Bourke, and he was the 6^th Earl of Mayo.
• Lord Mayo is credited with initiating the decentralization of finance in India, which gave more power to provincial governments in the financial administration.
• He followed a non-interventionist foreign policy during his tenure, focusing on internal reforms rather than external military conflicts.
• Lord Mayo was assassinated in the Andaman Islands on February 8, 1872, by a convict named Sher Ali.

Contributions:

• Lord Mayo made numerous significant contributions to India's socioeconomic and politico-administrative growth.
• In 1871, he gave the first census of India.
• The Statistical Survey of India, which "gave a written record of each district, town, and hamlet," was overseen by him.
• It was skillfully crafted in response to local inquiries and presented the complete economic and social truths affecting people's lives.
• Financial decentralisation, implemented in 1870 due to a resolution, is one of Mayo's most important accomplishments.
• He gave the provinces the authority to control and levy local taxes to fund their budgets.
• The passage of the Indian Evidence Act in 1872 was Lord Mayo's administration's most significant legal reform.
• The legislation removed the inequalities and established consistent laws for all Indians.
• Historically, caste, community, and ethnicity influenced how the legal system was divided and applied.
• To educate Indian princes in politics, he founded Mayo College in Ajmer in 1875, followed by Rajkot College in Kathiawar.

The correct answer is Kamandaka.

Key Points

• Nitisara, an ancient Indian treatise on politics and statecraft, was authored by Kamandaka.
• Kamandaka was a disciple of Chanakya, who is known for his work on political science, the Arthashastra.
• It is based on the Arthasastra of Kautilya and deals with various social elements such as theories of social order, structure of the state, obligations of the ruler, governmental organization, principles and policies of the government, interstate relationships, ethics of envoys and spies, application of different political expedients, varieties of battle arrays, attitude towards morality, and so forth.
• The Nitisara contains 19 sections and is traditionally dated to the 4^th-3^rd century BCE, though modern scholarship variously dates it to between the 3^rd and 7^th centuries CE between Gupta and Harsha period.
• Nitisara shares several common aspects with Arthasastra including mastering of control over the senses including practicing of ahimsa; maintaining balance among dharma, artha and kama; emphasizing the importance of knowledge and intelligence; the seven prakrits and twelve vijigisus in a circle of kings or mandala theory; six measures of foreign policy.

The correct answer is Ishwardas Nagar.

Key Points

• The book Futuhat-i-Alamgiri was written by Ishwardas Nagar who was a Mughal officer in the district of Jodhpur for a long time.
• This work contains some significant events of the reign of Aurangzeb up to 1698.
• It also throws ample light on the provincial rule of Malwa and Rajputana.It contains keen insights into the mystique surrounding the reign which has been projected as partial, orthodox, obscurantist, communal, sectarian, and even anti-people.
• The Futuhat-i-Alamgiri represents the emperor as either a champion of Islam or oppressor of Hinduism. Moreover, neither the conflict with Shivaji nor the events following the detah of Jaswant Singh are put forward in a religious light.

The correct answer is Samudragupta.

Key Points

• Meghavarman sent a missionary to Samudragupta for permission to build a Buddhist temple at Gaya.
• Samudragupta granted permission to Buddhist king of Ceylon Meghavarman to build a monastery at Bodh Gaya.

Additional Information

• The Gupta kingdom was enlarged enormously by Chandragupta's son and successor Samudragupta (A.D. 335-380).
• He was the opposite of Ashoka. Ashoka believed in a policy of peace and non-aggression, but Samudragupta delighted in violence and conquest.
• His court poet Harishena wrote a glowing account of the military exploits of his patron.
• In a long inscription the poet enumerates the peoples and countries that were conquered of Samudragupta. The inscription is engraved at Allahabad on the same pillar which carries the inscriptions of the peace-loving Ashoka.
• The places and the countries conquered by Samudragupta can be divided into five groups.
• Group one includes princes of the Ganga-Yamuna doab who were defeated and whose kingdoms were incorporated into the Gupta Empire.
• Group two includes the rulers of the eastern Himalayan states and some frontier states such as princes of Nepal, Assam, Bengal etc., who were made to feel the weight of Samudragupta's arms. It also covers some republics of Punjab.
• The republics, which flickered on the ruins of the Maurya empire, were finally destroyed by Samudragupta.
• Group three includes the forest kingdoms situated in the Vindhya region and known as Atavika rajyas; they were brought under the control of Samudragupta.
• Group four includes twelve rulers of the eastern Deccan and south India, who were conquered and liberated.
• Samudragupta's arms reached as far as Kanchi in Tamil were compelled to recognize his suzerainty.
• Group five includes the names of the Shakes and Kushans, some of them ruling in Afghanistan. It is said that Samudragupta swept them out of power and received the submission of the rulers of distant lands.
• The prestige and influence of Samudragupta spread even outside India.
• If we believe the eulogistic inscription from Allahabad, it would appear that Samudragupta never knew any defeat, and because of his bravery and generalship he is called the Napoleon of India.

The correct answer is 1912.

Key Points

• Bihar was separated from Odisha and Bengal in 1912.
• It was once a part of the Bengal Presidency which was the largest British province in India to exist at that time.
• In March 1936, Bihar and Odisha were made into separate provinces after the declaration of the Government Of India 1935.

Additional Information

• The Government of India Act of 1935:
• The Act divided legislative powers between the Centre and Provinces.
• Dyarchy was abolished in the provinces, but it was introduced at the federal level.
• It provided for the establishment of a Reserve Bank of India to control the currency and credit of the country.
• It provided for the establishment of a Federal Public Service Commission and Joint Public Service Commission for two or more provinces.