Social Studies PYQs

The correct answer is 1878.

• The Vernacular Press Act was passed in 1878 by Viceroy Lord Lytton (1876-1880).
• This Act allowed Magistrates to collect security deposits from Regional Language/Native language/Vernacular newspapers and confiscate their printing press if they published anything against the crown.
• However, these same rules are not applied to English Language Printing Press.

The correct answer is WC Bannerjee.

• Indian National Congress (INC) was formed on 28^th Dec 1885 in Mumbai and Womesh Chunder Bannerjee became its first president.

Key Points

• The Indian National Congress (INC) was founded in 1885, and in pre-independence India it grew to become one of the most powerful and prominent political parties.
• The First Session of the Indian National Congress (INC) was held in Bombay on 28 December 1885 and continued until 31 December.
• The First session of INC was attended by 72 members.
• It was initiated by Allan Octavian Hume, a former British civil servant, with Dadabhai Naoroji and Dinshaw Wacha.
• The first INC president was Womesh Chandra Bonnerjee. 
• He was born in Calcutta (now Kolkata), in the current state of West Bengal, on 29 December 1844.
• Lord Dufferin was the Viceroy of India during the foundation of INC.

For a country that is demographically young, this bhoodan took place as a movement when India was just four years old. Then, it meant a gift from landed people, assumed rich, to the landless.

Important Points  Bhoodan Movement was started by Mahatma Gandhi’s disciple Vinoba Bhave in April 1951.

• Born spontaneously at an evening meeting in an Andhra Pradesh village, the movement saw landowners gifting land to the landless.
• Within six years, about 1.9 million ha were collected. Over the next two decades, the movement took shape of a law called the Bhoodan Act and put the government in charge of distributing land from the land bank.
• The movement later transformed into the Gramdan (village in gift) movement, under which the whole or a major part of village land was donated by not less than 75 percent of the residents for equal distribution among all village residents.
• Tribal areas, currently under vigorous land acquisition, were major participants in the Gramdan movement.
• Both the movements died eventually but left behind the land bank.

Thus, we can conclude that Vinoba Bhave had started the Budan movement.

The correct answer is Bhagat Singh.

Key Points 

• Kakori Conspiracy is also known as Kakori Kand, Kakori Conspiracy Case, or The Kakori Train Robbery.
• It was an armed robbery that took place on August 9, 1925, on a train in central Uttar Pradesh.
• The robbery occurred at the town of Kakori, about 16 km from Lucknow which was where the train was headed.
• Ram Prasad Bismil, Ashfaqulla Khan, Rajendra Lahiri, Chandrashekhar Azad, Sachindra Bakshi, Keshab Chakravarty, Manmathnath Gupta, Murari Lal Gupta (Murari Lal Khanna), Mukundi Lal (Mukundi Lal Gupta), and Banwari Lal were the main revolutionaries involved in the Kakori Train Robbery.

Therefore, we can say that Bhagat Singh was not associated with the Kakori case.

Vikramaditya was a legendary emperor, who ruled from Ujjain; he is generally identified with the Gupta emperor Chandragupta II. According to folk tradition, his court had 9 famous scholars.

• According to the early text, the following 9 scholars (including Kalidasa himself) attended Vikramaditya's court:​​
• Amarasimha
• Dhanvantri
• Ghatkharpar
• Kalidasa
• Kshapanaka
• Shanku
• Varahamihira
• Vararuchi
• Vetala-Bhatta
• In his records, we find the names of the five following chief officers -
• This feudal of Chandragupta is mentioned in the Sankanik - Udayagiri inscription.
• Amarkardava - was the commander of Vikramaditya in Sanchi. He was a follower of Buddhism.
• Virsen Shab - Minister of External Affairs and War. He was Shaiva.
• Shikhar Swamy was a minister and a virgin.
• Maharaja Shri Govind Gupta - Prince Govindagupta was the governor of the arrowhead (Tirhut).

Thus, we can conclude that the similarity between Subandhu, Ghatkharpar, Shapnak, Veersen was that all of them were in the court of Chandragupta Vikramaditya.

Confusion Points Vasavadatta is a classical Sanskrit romantic tale written in an ornate style by Subandhu, whose time period isn't precisely known.

• He is generally taken to have written the work in the second quarter of the 7^th century.
• However, scholar Maan Singh has stated that he was a courtier of the Gupta emperors Kumaragupta I (414-455) and Skandagupta (455-467), dating him between 385 and 465 AD.

Important Points

• The Battle of Chousa was fought on 26 June 1539 between Humayun and Sher Shah Suri.
• The Battle of Ghaghra was fought in 1529 AD between Babur and Sultan Nusrat Shah.
• The Battle of Kannauj was fought between Sher Shah Suri Suri and Humayun on 17 May 1540
• The Battle of Haldighati was fought on 18 June 1576 between Maharana Pratap and Mughal Emperor Akbar.

Thus, the correct answer is A - 2, B - 4, C - 1, D - 3.

The Governors-General were originally the head of the British administration in India during Colonial rule.

• The office was created in 1773, with the title of Governor-General of the Presidency of Fort William.
• The officer had direct control only over Fort William but supervised other British East India Company officials in India.
• Complete authority over all of British India was granted in 1833, and the official came to be known as the "Governor-General of India".

Important Points

British Officials in Chronological order: ​

**Robert Clive (**1757 to 1760) and (1765 to 1767)

• Layed the foundations of British power in India.
• The Governor of Bengal twice from 1757 to 1760 and then from 1765 to 1767.
• Administered Bengal under the dual government system till his return to England where he allegedly committed suicide in 1774.

Warren Hastings 1773-1785

• Regulating Act of 1773.
• Act of 1781, under which the powers of jurisdiction between the governor-general-in-council and the Supreme court at Calcutta were clearly divided.
• Pitt’s India Act of 1784.
• The Rohilla War of 1774.
• The First Maratha War in 1775-82 and the Treaty of Salbaiin 1782.
• Second Mysore War in 1780-84.
• Strained relationships with Chait Singh, the Maharaja of Benaras, led to Hastings’ subsequent impeachment in England.
• Foundation of the Asiatic Society of Bengal (1784).

Lord Cornwallis 1786-1793

• Third Mysore War (1790-92) and Treaty of Seringa-patam (1792).
• Cornwallis Code (1793) incorporates several judicial reforms, and separation of revenue administration and civil jurisdiction.
• Permanent Settlement of Bengal, 1793.
• Europeanisation of administrative machinery and introduction of civil services.

Lord Wellesley 1798-1805

• Introduction of the Subsidiary Alliance System (1798); first alliance with Nizam of Hyderabad.
• Fourth Mysore War (1799).
• Second Maratha War (1803-05).
• Took over the administration of Tanjore (1799), Surat (1800), and Carnatic (1801).
• Treaty of Bassein (1802).

Sundarbans are the mangrove forest.

Important Points

• Sundarbans are found on the Ganga-Brahmaputra delta on the coast of West Bengal and Bangladesh.
• It is a vast tract of forest and saltwater swamp.
• The area of the forest is approximately 3,860 square miles including land and water.
• The forest was named so because the area has abundant Sundari trees.
• The forest is subjected to erosion and sediments deposition along the coast.
• It is inhabited by Bengal tigers, spotted dears, wild boars, otters, river dolphins, water buffalo, pythons, storks, etc.

Hence, we can conclude that Sundarbans are found in West Bengal.

Additional Information

• Sundarban forest area was created Sundarbans Tiger Reserve in 1973.
• The Sundarbans National Park was established in 1984.
• It was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1987.
• It is also demarcated as a biosphere reserve.

The correct answer is Mahanadi.

Key Points

• Hirakud Dam Project is a multipurpose project for flood control, irrigation, and power generation.
• It is built across the river Mahanadi in Odisha.
• It is the longest earthen dam in the world.
• ​Mahanadi is the longest river in Odisha.
• The Mahanadi river originates from the Maikala range in Chattisgarh.
• The Mahanadi river is known as the sorrow of Odisha.
• Paradeep port is located at the mouth of the Mahanadi river.

Additional Information 

Major dams built across the river Mahanadi are:

• Dudhawa Dam
• Gangrel Dam
• Sondur Dam

Major dams built across the Chambal river are:

• Gandhi Sagar Dam,
• Jawahar Sagar Dam,
• Rana Pratap Sagar dam

Major dams built across the Sutlej river are:

• Bhakra dam
• Nathpa Jhakri Dam
• Ropar barrage

Major dams built across the Yamuna river are:

• Lakhwar-Vyasi Dam
• Vyasi Dam, Hathiari Power Station, and Katapathar Barrage

Sahara is the world's largest hot desert.

Important Points

• It covers a large part of North Africa.
• It accounts for 8.54 million sq. km.
• The Sahara Desert encompasses eleven countries which are Algeria, Chad, Egypt, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Sudan, Tunisia, and Western Sahara.
• Sahara comprises vast stretches of sand, gravel plains, and elevated plateaus with a rocky surfaces.
• The temperature of the Sahara rises to 50 degrees Celcius during the day and reaches zero degrees at night.
• Plants like cactus, date palms, acacia grows here with various animal species like camels, hyenas, jackals, scorpions, snakes, and lizards.
• The Gobi ranks second among the deserts of the world.

Hence, we can conclude that the Sahara is the largest desert in the world.

Madhubani folk art is the traditional art of Bihar.

Key PointsMadhubani painting:

• Mithila painting, popularly known as Madhubani art.
• It is from the district of the same name in Bihar and is now well-known all over the world.
• The colours used in Madhubani paintings are usually derived from plants and other natural sources.
• Women usually paint their homes to celebrate festivals and the theme of the painting can be varied from nature to myths.
• Women decorate the nuptial chamber and the inner walls of their homes to celebrate festivals.
• The return of Ram from exile and Krishna playing with gopis are the preferred subject matter.
• Artists often show scenes of nature, an abundant harvest, tantric images of snake worship, and even city scenes if they have visited one.
• The United Nations in India decided to display Indian folk paintings for the eighth Millenium Development Goals program.
• For which Madhubani artists Satya Narain and Moti Karn created a beautiful expression of prevention of child mortality.
• They showed it by showing how elephants and other animals protect their young ones.

Additional Information

The correct answer is Zinc deficiency.

• Because of Zn deficiency in rice plants affected with the Khaira disease.
• Symptoms: Initially yellow color spots appear on leaves which later on turn to brown spots.
• These spots will appear on the upper side of the leaves.
• This disease will appear both in the nursery and main field.

Important Points

• Khaira disease of Rice first appeared in India at Pantnagar, Uttarkhand, and was reported by Y. L. Nene.

Hence, Zinc deficiency leads to Khaira disease in rice which affects the plants and will also have an effect on the yield.

The correct answer is Modified stem.

• Potato is a Modified stem.
• Potato is a modified stem that is developed on the underground stems which are named stolons.
• Potato tubers have buds that sprouts leaves and stems from tubers while roots do not possess these properties.

Additional Information

• 2008 was celebrated as International Year of the Potato.
• Round Revolution was done for the Potato.
• Pitcher Plants and Venus Fly Traps are examples of a modified leaf.
• Carrots and beets are examples of a modified root.
• Rhizomes, stolons, tubers, bulbs are examples of a modified bulb.

There are three cropping seasons in India, Rabi, Kharif, and Zaid.

Key PointsKharif Crop:

• The crops which are sown in the rainy season are called Kharif crops.
• The Kharif crops are harvested in the month of September-October
• Important crops grown during this season are paddy, maize, jowar, bajra, tur (arhar), moong, urad, cotton, jute, groundnut and soybean.
• Kharif crop requires high temperature and high humidity.

Hence, Paddy is a Kharif crop.

Additional Information

• Rabi crops are sown in the winter season from October to December and harvested in the summer season from April to June.
• Wheat, Barley, Peas, Gram, and Mustard-produced during Rabi.
• Zaid season is a short season In between the Rabi and the Kharif seasons.
• Cucumber and watermelon are produced during Zaid.

Origin place of maize is America.

Key PointsMaize:

• The primary centre of origin of maize is considered by most authorities to be the Central America and Mexico, where many diverse types of maize are found.
• The discovery of fossil maize pollen with other archaeological evidence in Mexico indicates Mexico to be the native of maize.
• Maize is cultivated throughout the world.
• From 58°N latitude to 40°S latitude, the crop spreads and cultivated over 139 million ha of area and around 600 million tonnes of maize is produced.
• Crop occupies the third position next to rice and wheat in area and production.
• USA, China, Brazil, Mexico, India, Romania, Philippines, Indonesia are some of important countries cultivate maize crop.
• In India, Rajasthan, UP, MP, Bihar, Karnataka, Gujarat, AP, J&K, HP and Maharashtra are important states produce maize.
• Regional names:
• Bhutta (Bengali),
• Makai (Gujarati),
• Maka (Hindi, Marathi,
• Oriya), Musikinu jola (Kannada),
• Makaay (Kashmiri),
• Cholam (Malayalam),
• Makka Cholam (Tamil),
• Mokka jonnalu (Telugu)
• It is staple human food, feed for livestock, for fermentation and many industrial uses.
• Deep, fertile, rich in organic matter and well drained soils are the most preferred ones for the crop; however, maize can be grown on a variety of soil types.
• The soil should be medium textured with good water holding capacity.

Hence, America is the correct answer.

The correct answer is Blue.

Key Points

• The colours to Breeder Seeds, Foundation Seeds and Certified Seeds tags are as follow:
• The breeder seeds have a golden yellow tag.
• The Foundation Seeds have a white tag.
• The Registered seeds have a purple tag.
• The Certified seeds have a blue tag.
• They are labelled with a different colour tag as per Section 5 of the Seeds Act, 1966.

​

Additional Information

• Breeder Seeds-The progeny of the nucleus seed multiplied in a large area as per the indent of the Department of Agriculture and Cooperation, Ministry of Agriculture.
• Foundation Seed-The progeny of breeder seed produced by recognized seed producing agencies in the public and private sector, under supervision of agencies to maintain seed standards.
• Registered Seed- Registered seed shall be the progeny of foundation seed which is handled in accordance with standard specified for the particular crop being certified.

The correct answer is Vegetable Science

Key PointsOlericulture:

• Olericulture is a branch of horticulture that deals with the production, storage, processing, and marketing of vegetables.
• It is the production of plants for the use of their edible parts.
• Vegetable crops are classified into nine categories.
• It also includes organic gardening and organic farming and biotechnology.

Additional Information

Other Important types of cultures involved with the growth of different plants or organisms:

• Pisciculture: Production of Fish.
• Apiculture: Production of honey from bees, also called beekeeping.
• Sericulture: Production and cultivation of silkworms to produce silk.
• Horticulture is the science and art of the development, sustainable production, marketing, and use of high-value, intensively cultivated food and ornamental plants including crops, vegetables, and flowers.
• Floriculture or flower farming is a branch of horticulture that deals with the cultivation of flowering and ornamental plants for gardens and for floristry, comprising the floral industry.

The Chemical used for the ripening of fruits is Ethylene.

Key PointsRipening of fruits:

• Most fruits produce a gaseous compound called ethylene that starts the ripening process.
• Its level in under-ripe fruit is very low, but as the fruits develop, they produce larger amounts of the chemical that speeds up the ripening process or the stage of ripening known as the “climacteric.”
• The most commonly used chemical is called ethephon (2-chloroethyl phosphonic acid).
• It penetrates into the fruit and decomposes ethylene.
• Another chemical that is regularly used is calcium carbide, which produces acetylene, which is an analog of ethylene.

Ethylene (C2H4) is a colorless gas that causes fruit to ripen when exposed to it. This occurs because ethylene reacts with the oxygen gas in the air to form carbon dioxide and water. These products help speed the ripening process of fruit.

Key Points

Papine:

• Papain is a plant proteolytic enzyme for the cysteine proteinase family cysteine protease enzyme in which enormous progress has been made to understand its functions.
• Papain is found naturally in papaya (Carica papaya L.) manufactured from the latex of raw papaya fruits.
• The enzyme is able to break down organic molecules made of amino acids, known as polypeptides, and thus plays a crucial role in diverse biological processes in physiological and pathological states, drug designs, industrial uses such as meat tenderizers, and pharmaceutical preparations.
• Proteolytic enzymes help break proteins down into smaller protein fragments called peptides and amino acids.
• This is why papain is a popular ingredient in meat tenderizers.
• Papain may help relieve sore throat symptoms, such as swelling, pain, and redness.
• It is also used for insect bites, wound healing, diarrhea, and many other conditions, but there is no good scientific evidence to support these uses.
• In manufacturing, papain is used in cosmetics, toothpaste, contact lens cleaners, meat tenderizers, and meat products.

Hence, Papain is a proteolytic enzyme extracted from the raw fruit of the papaya plant.

Litchi chinensis belongs to the Sapindaceae family and is well-known in the Indian traditional system for its traditional uses. The parts of the plant used are leaves, flowers, fruits, seed, pulp, and pericarp. 

Key PointsEdible part of Litchi:

• Aril is the accessory covering of certain seeds that commonly develops from the seed stalk.
• It is found in both angiosperms and gymnosperms.
• It is often a bright-colored fleshy envelope.
• The fleshy edible part of litchi is that fleshy plant structure that may be a modification of the outer layer of the episperm referred to as episperm.
• The fleshy edible part of litchi is the fleshy aril which is a modification of the outer layer of the seed coat known as a testa.

Hence, the Fleshy Aril is the edible part of litchi.