Social Studies PYQs

The correct answer is Chandragupta.

• Sudarshan Lake is situated in Saurashtra in the middle of a hill called Girnaar.
• This lake was constructed by the order of Chandragupta Maurya, the founder of the Maurya dynasty by the Governor ‘Pushyagupta Vaishya’ appointed in his Girnaar.

Additional Information Following are the rulers who reconstruct Sudarshan lake-

• By the order of Emperor Ashoka, his great master Tushasp had rebuilt this lake and strengthened it.
• In the post-Mauryan period, Suvishakh the Governor of Saurashtra rebuilt the lake on the orders of the Shaka ruler Rudradaman.
• In the Gupta period by the order of Skandagupta, Chakrapalit rebuilt the lake. Skandagupta spent money with great generosity and got a dam built on this lake.

The correct answer is Naravardhana.

Key Points

• The Genealogy of the Pushyabhuti dynasty begins with the name King Naravardhana.
• After the decline of the Gupta Empire (3^rd-century CE-6^th century CE) in the 6^th century CE in northern India, the Pushyabhuti Dynasty (c. 500 CE-647 CE) grew.
• Also known as the Vardhana or Pushpabhuti Dynasty, the core area of their kingdom was situated in what is now the state of Haryana in India with the capital at Sthanishvara or Thaneshvara (present-day Thanesar), and later at Kanyakubja (modern-day Kannauj, Uttar Pradesh state).
• Its last king, Emperor Harshavardhana or Harsha (r. 606-647 CE), was the most notable king of this dynasty.

Important Points

• The Pushyabhutis built a strong kingdom vying for political dominance in India with other regional powers and gained imperial status under Harsha.
• It was short-lived, however, and Kannauj eventually came to be regarded as the base kingdom for future empires.
• Bana describes Prabhakaravardhana (r. 580-605 CE, also known as Pratapashila) as "a proud man, vexed by his proud aspirations".

The correct answer is Ahar Culture.

Key Points

• The Ahar culture is an archaeological Chalcolithic culture on the banks of the Ahar River in the southeastern state of Rajasthan in India, lasting from c. 3000 to 1500 BCE, modern and adjacent to the Civilization of the Indus Valley.
• The Ahar-Banas individuals were exploiting the copper ores of the Aravalli Range to make axes and other artefacts along the Banas and Berach Rivers, as well as the Ahar River.
• In the river valleys of Banas and its tributaries, the main distribution appears to be concentrated.
• From Jawad, Mandsaur, Kayatha and Dangwada in Madhya Pradesh state, a number of sites with Ahar culture level are also found.

Important Points

• The Jorwe culture was an archaeological Chalcolithic culture that existed in large areas of what is now Western India's Maharashtra state and reached Madhya Pradesh's Malwa region to the north as well.
• The culture of Malwa was an archaeological Chalcolithic culture that existed on the Deccan Peninsula in the Malwa region of Central India and parts of Maharashtra.
• The Kayatha Culture is located in Chambal and its tributaries are the main feature of solid red slipped ware with chocolate designs.

The correct answer is Sixteen Mahajanpadas and Republics.

• Northern India was divided into Sixteen Mahajanpadas and Republics before rising of Maurya's Empire.
• The Mahajanapadas were the 16 kingdoms or oligarchic republics that flourished in northern ancient India from the 16^th to 14^th century BC during the second phase of urbanisation.
• The 6^th–5^th century BCE is often seen as an important turning point in early Indian history; during this period, the first major cities of India arose after the decline of the Indus Valley Civilization.
• It was also the time of the emergence of the Sramana movements (including Buddhism and Jainism) that questioned the religious orthodoxy of the Vedic period.
• Archaeologically, this period was described as referring in part to the community of the Northern Black Polished Ware.

Important Points

• The Maurya Empire was a geographically massive historical entity of the Magadha Iron Age.
• It was founded by Chandragupta Maurya, which ruled the Indian subcontinent between 322 and 185 BCE.
• The Kingdom of Maurya was centralised by the conquest of the Indo-Gangetic Plain and its capital city was situated in Pataliputra (modern Patna).

The correct answer is Babur.

Key Points

• Aaram Bagh was originally built by the Mughal Emperor Babur in 1528.
• The Aaram Bagh is the oldest Mughal Garden in India, located in Agra, five kilometres northeast of the Taj Mahal.
• Before being interred in Kabul, Babur was temporarily buried there.
• The garden is a Persian garden, where the garden is divided by paths and canals to represent the Islamic ideal of paradise, a plentiful garden through which rivers flow.
• Two viewing pavilions face the Jamuna river and include an underground 'tahkhana' that was used to provide visitors with relief during the hot summers. There are numerous watercourses and fountains in the garden.

Important Points

• Babur was the founder of the Mughal Empire on the Indian subcontinent and the first emperor of the Mughal dynasty (r. 1526–1530).
• In Agra, Babur died in 1530 and was succeeded by Humayun.
• He wrote the Baburnama in Chaghatai Turkic; it was translated into Persian during the reign (1556-1605) of his grandson, Emperor Akbar,

Additional Information 

Mughals:

• The Mughals were descendants of two great lineages of rulers.
• From their mother’s side, they were descendants of Genghis Khan (died 1227), the Mongol ruler who ruled over parts of China and Central Asia.
• From their father’s side, they were the successors of Timur (died 1404), the ruler of Iran, Iraq and modern-day Turkey.
• However, the Mughals did not like to be called Mughal or Mongol. This was because Genghis Khan’s memory was associated with the massacre of innumerable people.
• It was also linked with the Uzbeks, their Mongol competitors.
• On the other hand, the Mughals were proud of their Timurid ancestry, not least of all because their great ancestor had captured Delhi in 1398.

The correct answer is Bal Gangadhar Tilak.

Key Points

• The Indian Home Rule movement was a movement in British India along the lines of the Irish Home Rule movement and other home rule movements.
• Between 1916-1918, the movement lasted around two years and the educated English-speaking upper-class Indians are believed to have set the stage for the independence movement under the leadership of Annie Besant and Bal Gangadhar Tilak.
• In 1921, its name was changed to Swarajya Sabha by the All India Home Rule League.
• In the context of World War I, India's home rule movement began in India. The Government of India Act (1909) failed to meet the national leaders' demands.
• The division in the Congress, however, and the absence of leaders such as Tilak, who was imprisoned in Mandalay, meant that the nationalist reaction was tense.

Important Points

• Bal Gangadhar Tilak was one-third of the triumvirate at Lal Bal Pal.
• The first leader of the Indian Independence Movement was Tilak.
• He was one of Swaraj's ("self-rule") first and strongest advocates and a strong radical in the consciousness of India.

The correct answer is A-III, B - I, C - IV, D - II.

Key Points

• The Ramakrishna Mission is a religious and philosophical Hindu organisation that forms the centre of a spiritual movement known worldwide as the Ramakrishna Movement or the Vedanta Movement.
• The mission was named after and inspired by the Indian saint Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and was established by Ramakrishna's chief disciple, Swami Vivekananda, on 1 May 1897.
• The organisation propagates primarily the Hindu philosophy of Vedanta-Advaita Vedanta and four yogic ideals-jnana, bhakti, karma, and Raja Yoga.
• Prarthana Samaj was a movement for religious and social reform focused in Bombay.
• In 1867, when Keshub Chandra Sen visited Maharashtra, Prarthana Samaj was founded by Dadoba Pandurang and his brother Atmaram Pandurang, with the intention of making people believe in one God and worship only one God.
• Arya Samaj is a monotheistic Hindu reform movement that advocates principles and practises founded on the belief in the infallible authority of the Vedas.
• The Samaj was founded on 10 April 1875 by the Sannyasi (ascetic) Dayanand Saraswati.
• Arya Samaj members believe in one God and oppose idol worship.
• Brahmo Samaj is the social aspect of Brahmoism, which originated as the Hindu religion's monotheistic reformist movement that emerged during the Bengal Renaissance.
• On 20 August 1828 in Calcutta, Raja Ram Mohan Roy and Debendranath Tagore began the reformation of the prevalent Brahmanism of the time (specifically Kulin practises) and began the Bengal Renaissance of the 19^th century, pioneering all the religious, social and educational advances of the Hindu community in the 19^th century.

The correct answer is Madam Bhikaji Cama.

Key Points

• Madam Cama is known as the Mother of the Revolutionaries of India.
• Bhikaji Cama is also known as Madam Cama and, because of her contributions to the Indian freedom movement, is recognised as the mother of the Indian revolution.
• She holds a significant position in the struggle for Indian independence. Her name symbolises bravery, loyalty and perseverance.
• The Indian Posts and Telegraphs Department issued a commemorative stamp on 26 January 1962**, India's 11^th Republic Day, in her name.**

Important Points

• Kalpana Datta was an activist for the Indian independence movement and a member of the Surya Sen-led armed independence movement that carried out the Chittagong armoury raid in 1930.
• Annie Besant was a British socialist and women's rights activist. In India, she also became involved in politics, entering the National Indian Congress.
• She helped establish the Home Rule League to fight for independence in India, and dominion status within the British Empire, when World War I broke out in 1914.
• Pritilata Waddedar from the Indian subcontinent was a Bengali revolutionary nationalist who was active in the Indian independence movement.
• She joined a revolutionary party led by Surya Sen.
• In the 1932 armed assault on the Pahartali European Club, she was known for leading fifteen revolutionaries,

The correct answer is Kalhana.

Key Points

• Kalhana furnishes the details of the history of the Kashmir during twelfth century A.D.
• Historical chronicle of early India, written in Sanskrit verse by the Kashmiri Brahman Kalhana in 1148, Rajatarangini, (Sanskrit: "River of Kings"), which is rightfully regarded as the best and most authentic work of its kind.
• It covers the entire period of history from the earliest times until the date of its composition in the Kashmir region.
• Eight books are divided into Rajatarangini, which consists of 7,826 chapters.
• The book I attempt to weave fictional storeys of Kashmir kings into epic legends.
• Gonanda was the first king, a contemporary and an opponent of Krishna, the Hindu deity.

Important Points

• Kavi Bilhana was a Kashmiri poet from the 11^th century.
• He is famous for the Caurapancasika, his love poem.
• Suktimuktavali is an anthology of verses in the Sanskrit language composed in the kingdom of present-day India, Seuna (Yadava).
• It was either written or commissioned by General Yadava Jalhana.
• Kalidasa was a Classical Sanskrit author.
• The Vedas, the Ramayana, the Mahabharata and the Puranas are mainly the basis of his plays and poems.

The correct answer is Alauddin Khilji.

Key Points.

• The title Sikandar-i-Sani (Alexander the Second) was adopted by Alauddin, whose original name was Ali Gurshap, and Delhi was declared as Dar-ul-Khilafa (Caliphate's Seat).
• Using the title Sikander Sani, Khalji minted coins.
• Though Sani is 'Second' in Arabic. In appreciation of his military achievement, the coin legend (Sikander - e - Sani) translates to 'The Second Alexander'.

Important Points

• Alauddin Khilji was the most powerful emperor of the Khilji dynasty that ruled the Delhi Sultanate on the subcontinent of India.
• The ninth sultan of Delhi's Mamluk dynasty was Ghiyas ud din Balban. Ghiyas ud Din was the Wazir of Nasiruddin Mahmud, the last Shamsi sultan.
• Between 1489 and 1517**, Sikandar Lodi** was the Sultan of Delhi. After the death of his father, Bahlul Lodi, in July 1489, he became the next ruler of the Lodi dynasty.
• Shams ud-Din Iltutmish was the third of the Mamluk kings who ruled the former Ghurid territories in northern India. He was Delhi's first Muslim sovereign to rule, and is thus considered the powerful founder of the Sultanate of Delhi.

The correct answer is Nasik.

Key Points

• Godavari river originates from Nasik.
• It rises at an elevation of 1,067 m from Trimbakeshwar (Nasik district of Maharashtra), 80 km from the Arabian Sea.
• Godavari's total length from its origin to its outfall into the Bay of Bengal is 1,465 km.
• It is joined from the beginning by Dharna on its right bank and the Kadana joins it from the left a short distance downstream.

​

• The Godavari basin stretches over states of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Odisha in addition to smaller sections in Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, and Union territories of Puducherry.
• The river is having a total area of 3,12,812 Sq.km with a maximum length and width of around 995 km and 583 km respectively.

The correct answer is the Mediterranean Sea - Red Sea.

Key Points

• The Suez Canal is a man-made waterway that connects the Mediterranean Sea through the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean.
• It makes for a more direct shipping path between Europe and Asia, essentially facilitating the passage from the North Atlantic to the Indian Ocean without having to circumnavigate the continent of Africa.
• The waterway is crucial for international trade and, since it began in 1869, has been at the centre of controversy as a result.

Important Points

• The Suez Canal extends 120 miles southward from Port Said on the Mediterranean Sea in Egypt to the town of Suez (located on the northern shores of the Suez Gulf).
• The canal divides the majority of Egypt from the Peninsula of the Sinai.
• It took 10 years to build, and on November 17, 1869, it was officially opened.

The correct answer is B only.

Key Points

• The Ideal conditions for temperature inversion are:
• Long hours, so that it is greater than the incoming radiation than the outgoing radiation.
• Clear skies that allow radiation to escape unhindered.
• Calm and stable air, such that, at lower speeds, there is no vertical mixing.
• A temperature inversion is the reversal of the natural temperature activity in the troposphere, where a layer of cool air on the surface is replaced by a layer of warmer air. (The temperature normally decreases with height under normal conditions).

Additional Information

• An inversion serves as a limit on the airflow from the layers below upwards. As a consequence, the convection produced by air heating from below is limited to levels below the inversion stage.
• Likewise, the diffusion of dust, smoke, and other air contaminants is reduced.
• Convective clouds do not rise high enough to create showers in regions where a pronounced low-level inversion is present.
• Owing to the accumulation of dust and smoke particles, visibility can be significantly diminished under the inversion. Since the air at the base of inversion appears to be cold, there is sometimes fog.

The correct answer is Peninsular Plateau.

Key Points

• Meghalaya Plateau is an extension of Indian Peninsular Plateau.
• Traditionally, the Meghalaya plateau is divided into Garo, Khasi and Jaintia Hills.
• The region east of the Dhansiri River and west of the Singimari River is approximately 400 km long with an average width of 40 km, covering an area of 35,291 km².
• From the South-West monsoon, this region receives maximum rainfall.

Important Points

• The Karbi Anglong Plateau and Meghalaya Plateau are an extension of the main Indian peninsular plateau and are originally two distinct plateaus.
• The Karbi Plateau is pear-shaped and has an area of 7000 square kilometres and via a patch of highly denuded and subdued senile land, its relation with the Meghalaya plateau proper is towards the south.
• At the time of the Himalayan origin, a huge fault was formed between the Rajmahal hills and the Karbi-Meghalaya plateau by the force exerted by the northeastward movement of the Indian plate.
• The plateau of Meghalaya and Karbi Anglong remains isolated from the main Peninsular block.

The correct answer is Wind.

Key Points 

• The wind is an agent for erosion which is responsible for the formation of sand dunes.
• Wind erosion (named after Aeolus, the Greek god of winds) is known as aeolian (or eolian) erosion and occurs almost always in deserts.
• The creation of sand dunes is partly responsible for the Aeolian erosion of sand in the desert. The wind's strength erodes rock and sand.
• Erosion is the removal of solids from the natural environment (sediment, dirt, rock, and other particles). It typically occurs due to wind, water, or ice transport; to the down-slope creep of soil and other material under the force of gravity; or, in the case of bioerosion, to living species, such as burrowing animals.

Important Points

• Erosion is distinct from weathering, which is the chemical or physical breakdown process of the minerals in the rocks, although both processes may occur simultaneously. Water, wind, ice, and waves are the main agents of erosion.
• The most effective erosion agent is water, which most generally erodes in streams as flowing water.
• In fact, the erosive power of moving ice is a bit greater than the power of water, but because water is far more prevalent, it is responsible for more erosion on the surface of the earth.
• Coastal erosion is generated by waves in the oceans and other large bodies of water.

The correct answer is Troposphere.

• The Troposphere is the lower-most layer of the earth's atmosphere.

• Most of our weather is there - clouds, rain, snow.

• The temperature gets cooler in this part of the atmosphere as the distance above the ground increases by around 6.5° C per kilometer.

• There is about 75 percent of all the air of the atmosphere in the troposphere, and almost all the water vapour (which forms clouds and rain).

• The decrease in height and temperature is due to the decrease in pressure.

Important Points

• The Stratosphere stretches from the tropopause upwards to approximately 50 km. Most of the ozone in the atmosphere is contained in it. Owing to the absorption of ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun by this ozone, the temperature rises with height.
• The area is called the mesosphere, above the stratosphere. The temperature here decreases again with height and at the mesopause, it reaches a minimum of about -90°C.
• The thermosphere is situated above the mesopause, which is an area where temperatures rise with height again. This rise in temperature is caused by the absorption from the sun of energetic ultraviolet and X-Ray radiation.

The correct answer is Kuroshio current.

Key Points

• Kuroshio current is a warm current.
• A north-flowing ocean current on the west side of the North Pacific Ocean is the Kuroshio current, also known as the Japan current. It transports the warm water north to the area of Polar.
• The warm waters of the Kuroshio Current sustain the coral reefs of Japan, the northernmost coral reefs in the world.
• It is the western boundary current of the subtropical North Pacific gyre.
• It originates from the Pacific North Equatorial Current, which divides into two on the east coast of Luzon, Philippines, to form the southward-flowing Mindanao Current and the more important northward-flowing Kuroshio Current.

Important Points

• The Canary Current is a surface current powered by wind that is part of the Gyre of the North Atlantic. This eastern boundary current branches south from the North Atlantic Current and flows southwest about as far as Senegal where it turns west and later joins the Atlantic North Equatorial Current. The current is named after the Canary Islands.
• Labrador Current is a cold current that runs south from the Arctic Ocean around the Labrador coast and travels through Newfoundland, heading south down the eastern coast of Canada near Nova Scotia.
• The Oyashio current in the western North Pacific Ocean is a cold subarctic ocean current that runs south and circulates counterclockwise.

The Correct Answer is Water transport.

Important Points

​Waterways are the cheapest means of transport.

• They are most suitable for carrying heavy and bulky goods.
• It is a fuel-efficient and environment-friendly mode of transport.
• The amount for loading and unloading goods is much cheaper if it has to travel a long distance.

Key Points 

Railways are the principal mode of transportation for carrying huge loads and bulky goods for long and short distances in India.

• Railways have become more important in India’s economy.
• However, rail transport suffers from certain problems as well, which are mentioned below:
• Construction of bridges is required across rivers’ wide beds for laying down the railway lines.
• In the hilly terrains of the peninsular region, railway tracks are laid through low hills, gaps or tunnels.
• The Himalayan mountainous regions are also unfavourable for the construction of railway lines due to the highest elevation points on the surface, sparse population and lack of economic opportunities.
• It is difficult to lay railway lines on sandy plains.

Additional Information

• Road transport is a form of transport which uses roads. It can be roughly categorized into transporting goods and transporting people.
• Air transport is an essential enabler for industrial growth and prosperity to be accomplished.

The correct answer is Satluj.

• Antecedent river is Satluj.

Key Points

• Some of the important antecedent rivers originating from outside the Greater Himalayas are the Indus, Satluj, Sarju (Kali), Arun (a tributary of Kosi), Tista and Brahmaputra.
• The rivers that existed before the upheaval of the Himalayas are known as the antecedent rivers and cut their courses southward by building gorges in the mountains.
• An antecedent stream is a stream that, considering the changes in the underlying rock topography, retains its original course and pattern.
• In Wyoming, Devil's Gate is a remarkable view of antecedent drainage stream.

Additional Information

• The Satluj originates in the Rakas lake near Mansarovar at an altitude of 4,555 m.
• It goes across the Himalayan ranges of Shipki La and reaches the plains of Punjab.
• Consequent River is the Godavari.

The correct answer is Lithosphere.

 

• The lithosphere is the outer rocky portion of the Earth.

• It consists of a delicate layer and the outer portion of the upper mantle.

• The coolest and most rigid portion of the Planet is the lithosphere.

• There are two types of lithosphere: oceanic lithosphere and continental lithosphere.

• Oceanic lithosphere is associated with oceanic crust and is slightly denser than continental lithosphere.

• The most well-known feature associated with Earth's lithosphere is tectonic activity.

• The Earth is composed of layers. The layers would look kind of like the inside of onion if the world could be sliced in half.

• The hydrosphere is the planet's cumulative quantity of water. Water that is on the surface of the earth, underwater and water in the air constitutes the hydrosphere.

• The troposphere is the lowest layer of the atmosphere of the Earth, and it is also where virtually all atmospheric phenomena exist. It comprises 75% of the density of the atmosphere and 99% of the cumulative density of water vapour and aerosols.

• The crust of a rocky planet, dwarf planet, or natural satellite is the outermost rigid shell.