UPSC Essentials brings to you its initiative of daily subject-wise quizzes. These quizzes are designed to help you revise some of the most important topics from the static part of the syllabus. Each day, we cover one new subject. Attempt today’s subject quiz on History, Culture, and Social Issues to check your progress. Come back tomorrow to solve the Environment, Geography, Science and Technology MCQs. Don’t miss checking the answers and explanations at the end of the quiz.

Consider the following statements:

1. She was one of the earliest women who led anti-colonial struggles known as the Kittur revolt.

2. Her valour forms a significant part of Karnataka’s political imagination.

3. British East India Company refused to recognise her successor of the kingdom under the ‘doctrine of lapse’.

The above mentioned statements refer to:

(a) Rani Chennamma

(b) Rani Abbakka Chowta

(c) Bellari Siddamma

(d) Nagamma Patil

Consider the following statements about Marathas:

1. Chhatrapati Shivaji belonged to the Holkar Maratha clan.

2. The non-Brahmin movement of the late 19th century defines the Maratha identity in opposition to the Brahmins.

Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Consider the following statements:

1. These handmade masks are traditionally used to depict characters in bhaonas, or theatrical performances with devotional messages under the neo-Vaishnavite tradition.

2. They were introduced by the 15th-16th century reformer saint Srimanta Sankardeva.

3. These masks are made of bamboo,clay, dung, cloth, cotton and wood.

The above mentioned statements refer to:

(a) Chamoli Wooden Ramman Mask

(b) Purulia Chau Mask

(c) Monpa Wooden Mask

(d) Majuli Mask of Assam

Consider the following: statements with respect to the

1. Many lawyers gave up their practice.

2. Imports of foreign cloth increased.

3. Students stopped going to schools and colleges run by the government.

How many of the above are consequences of the Non-cooperation Movement?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) All three

(d) None

With reference to the Chola Empire, consider the following statements:

1. The Chola kingdom stretched only across present-day Tamil Nadu.

2. The empire was at its most expansive under Arulmozhivarman.

3. The Bridheshwara Temple is one of the finest examples of artistic brilliance.

How many of the statements given above are correct?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) All three

(d) None

FYI:

— A fleet of twenty thousand British soldiers attempted to conquer the former princely state of Karnataka, positioning themselves on the Kittur fort’s foothills. However, in retaliation, Rani Chennamma, the Queen of Kittur, assassinated a British officer in order to defend and preserve her country.

— This came to be known as the Kittur revolt of 1824, one of the earliest woman-led anti-colonial struggles. Rani Chennamma’s valour forms a significant part of Karnataka’s political imagination.

— Chenamma was born on October 23, 1778, in Kagati, a small village in present-day Belagavi district in Karnataka. At the age of 15, she married Raja Mallasarja of Kittur, who ruled the province until 1816.

— The British East India Company refused to recognise Shivalingappa as the successor of the kingdom under the ‘doctrine of lapse’.

— Under the doctrine, any princely state without a natural heir would collapse and would be annexed by the Company, and John Thackery, the British official at Dharwad, launched an attack on Kittur in October 1824.

Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer.

FYI:

— Political debates on whether or not the Marathas are a “backward” community date back to the early 1980s. For a considerable time, historians have concurred that the term “Maratha” refers to a group or caste that is comprised of families from multiple different castes, the majority of which belonged to the lower caste hierarchy and included the Kunbi, Lohar, Sutar, Bhandari, Thakar, and Dhangar.

— The story of the Marathas begins sometime around the 14th century with the Muslim invasions of Maharashtra. The initial raid into the Deccan was carried out by Alauddin Khilji in the late 13th century.

— The Maratha category comprised several castes. The Maratha identity acquired further currency with the emergence of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, who himself belonged to the Bhonsle Maratha clan. Hence, statement 1 is not correct.

— In the late 17th century, Shivaji carved out his own independent Maratha Empire that expanded its control over large parts of the Indian subcontinent through the 18th century.

— It is the non-Brahmin movement of the late 19th century that really defines the Maratha identity in opposition to the Brahmins. Hence, statement 2 is correct.

— By the 19th century, most of the princely states, particularly in Western Maharashtra, came to be ruled by Maratha aristocracy, who then became involved in the non-Brahmin movement.

Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer.

FYI:

— The traditional Majuli masks in Assam were given a Geographical Indication (GI) tag by the Centre. Majuli manuscript painting also got the GI label.

— A GI tag is conferred upon products originating from a specific geographical region, signifying unique characteristics and qualities. Essentially, it serves as a trademark in the international market.

— Majuli, the largest river island in the world and the seat of Assam’s neo-Vaishnavite tradition, has been home to the art of mask-making since the 16th century.

— Handmade masks are typically used to depict characters in bhaonas, or theatrical plays with spiritual teachings, as part of the neo-Vaishnavite tradition established by the 15th-16th century reformist saint Srimanta Sankardeva.

— The masks portray gods, goddesses, demons, animals, and birds, including Ravana, Garuda, Narasimha, Hanuman, and Varaha Surpanakha.

— These masks are made of bamboo,clay, dung, cloth, cotton and wood.

— They can range in size from those that only cover the face (mukh mukha), which take about five days to manufacture, to those that cover the performer’s entire head and body (cho mukha), which can take up to one and a half months to make.

Therefore, option (d) is the correct answer.

FYI:

— The Non-Cooperation Movement gained momentum through 1921-22 which led to:

(i) Thousands of students left government-controlled schools and colleges. Hence, statement 3 is correct.

(ii) Many lawyers such as Motilal Nehru, C.R. Das, C. Rajagopalachari and Asaf Ali gave up their practices. Hence, statement 1 is correct.

(iii) British titles were surrendered and legislatures boycotted.

(iv) People lit public bonfires of foreign cloth. The imports of foreign cloth fell drastically between 1920 and 1922. Hence, statement 2 is not correct.

— In Kheda, Gujarat, Patidar peasants organised nonviolent campaigns against the high land revenue demand of the British.

— In coastal Andhra and interior Tamil Nadu, liquor shops were picketed.

— In the Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh, tribals and poor peasants staged a number of “forest satyagrahas”.

— In Sind (now in Pakistan), Muslim traders and peasants were very enthusiastic about the Khilafat call.

— In Bengal too, the Khilafat-Non-Cooperation alliance gave enormous communal unity and strength to the national movement.

— In Punjab, the Akali agitation of the Sikhs sought to remove corrupt mahants – supported by the British – from their gurdwaras.

Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer.

(Source: ncert.nic.in)

FYI:

— The Chola kingdom stretched across present-day Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and parts of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. Hence, statement 1 is not correct.

— During the period of the Cholas’ rise and fall (around 9th to 12th century AD), other powerful dynasties of the region would also come and go, such as the Rashtrakutas of the Deccan who defeated the Cholas, and the Chalukyas of the Andhra Pradesh region whom the Cholas frequently battled.

— The dynasty was founded by the king Vijaylaya, described as a “feudatory” of the Pallavas by historian Satish Chandra in the book ‘The History of Medieval Era’.

— The empire was at its most expansive under Arulmozhivarman. Hence, statement 2 is correct.

— Rajendra was one of the only Indian monarchs to conquer territory outside the Indian subcontinent.

— One of the biggest achievements of the Chola dynasty was its naval power, allowing them to go as far as Malaysia and the Sumatra islands of Indonesia in their conquests.

— The gigantic Bridheshwara Temple is one of the finest examples of artistic brilliance. Hence, statement 3 is correct.

Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer.

Daily subject-wise quiz — Polity and Governance (Week 49)

Daily Subject-wise quiz — History, Culture, and Social Issues (Week 48)

Daily subject-wise quiz — Environment, Geography, Science and Technology (Week 48)

Daily subject-wise quiz — Economy (Week 48)

Daily subject-wise quiz – International Relations (Week 48)

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