UPSC Essentials : Daily Subject-wise quiz | History, Culture, and Social Issues (Week 33)

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.

1. Advocated inter-caste marriages and widow remarriage

2. Advocated eradication of child marriage

3. Started the Balhatya Pratibandhak Griha (‘Home for the Prevention of Infanticide’) for pregnant widows facing discrimination.

4. Formally recognised as India’s first woman teacher.

The above-mentioned statements refer to which women social reformer?

(a) Kadambini Ganguly

(b) Usha Mehta

(c) Ramabai Ranade

(d) Savitribai Phule

QUESTION 2

Consider the following event:

1. Formation of Hunter Committee

2. Jallianwala Bagh massacre

3. Rowlatt Act

What is the correct chronological order of these events?

(a) 1—2—3

(b) 2—1—3

(c) 3—2—1

(d) 2—3—1

QUESTION 3

Consider the following statements about “Seethakali”

1. It is a modern folk art form that originated in Kollam.

2. The art was first performed by the people of the Ezhava community.

3. It is inspired by scenes from the Indian epic Ramayana.

How many of the statements given above are correct?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) All three

(d) None

QUESTION 4

Yakshagana is a traditional folk theatre-dance form that is immensely popular in

(a) Andhra Pradesh

(b) Karnataka

(c) Kerala

(d) Telangana

QUESTION 5

He was a creative thinker, author, poet, dramatist, educator, and advocate for freedom. He was an avid reader who studied the finest western philosophies before returning to India to develop “integral yoga,” a distinctly Indian method of spiritual transformation. The cover of his weekly journal, Karmayogin, featured a picture of Krishna and Arjuna in the Kurukshetra.

The above-mentioned lines refer to:

(a) Bal Gangadhar Tilak

(b) Barindra Kumar Ghosh

(c) Aurobindo Ghosh

(d) Lala Lajpat Rai

ANSWERS TO THE MCQs

1. (d)

FYI:

— Savitribai Phule was a Dalit woman from the Mali community, Savitribai was born on January 3, 1831, in Maharashtra’s Naigaon village.

— Jyotirao admitted Savitribai to a teacher training school in Pune. The couple supported each other throughout their lives, breaking down many social barriers.

— The Phules opened more such schools for girls, Shudras and Ati-Shudras (the backward castes and Dalits, respectively) in Pune, leading to discontent among Indian nationalists.

— Savitribai herself faced great animosity from the upper castes, including instances of physical violence.

— Along with Jyotirao, Savitribai started the Balhatya Pratibandhak Griha (‘Home for the Prevention of Infanticide’) for pregnant widows facing discrimination.

— Savitribai Phule also advocated inter-caste marriages, widow remarriage, and eradication of child marriage, sati and dowry systems, among other social issues.

— In 1873, the Phules set up the Satyashodhak Samaj (‘Truth-seekers’ society’), a platform open to all, irrespective of their caste, religion or class hierarchies, with the sole aim of bringing social equity.

Therefore, option (d) is the correct answer.

2. (c)

FYI:

— On April 13, 1919, what was planned as a protest gathering of Indians in a compound called Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar, Punjab, in then British-ruled India, witnessed violence that would become one of the most lasting memories of the barbarity of colonial rule.

— A British Colonel named Reginald Edward Harry Dyer ordered troops to surround the compound, which was located between houses and narrow lanes, and opened fire on the assembled men, women, and children who had no way of escaping. To avoid the bullets, some of them jumped into a well on the premises. According to the British, around 400 people were killed in the shooting, with the youngest being nine years old and the oldest being 80. Indian historians estimate the death toll at over 1,000.

— Baisakhi, the Sikh festival that marks the arrival of Spring and the harvest of winter crops, was celebrated on April 13. Simultaneously, the independence movement had been steadily gaining ground in recent years, and an event was held at Jallianwala Bagh to defy colonial orders and protest the recently passed Rowlatt Bills.

— As part of the Hunter Committee report, statements from Dyer given to it show that he did not show particular regret for his action on April 13, believing them to be justified to quell the crowd.

— The report said that his actions were excessive in terms of the force used, but also attempted to explain them through a sense of duty.

— Rowlatt Act – March 1919

— Jallianwala Bagh incident – April 1919

— Formation of Hunter Committee – October 1919

Therefore, option (c) is the correct answer.

3. (b)

FYI:

— Seethakali is a centuries-old traditional art form that is thought to have started in Perinad in the Kollam region of Kerala. Hence, statement 1 is correct.

— Seethakali is inspired by scenes from the Indian epic Ramayana. Seethakali performances bring mythic characters like Rama, Seetha, Ravana, and Hanuman to life, telling the story of Seetha’s journey from the time she followed Rama to the forests until her ascension to the skies. Hence, statement 3 is correct.

— This art form was first performed some 150 years back by the people of Vedar and Pulayar communities. Hence, statement 2 is not correct.

— Seethakali was performed as part of the harvest festival Onam.

Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer.

(Source: http://www.keralatourism.org)

4. (b)

FYI:

— Yakshagana, which comes from two words: ‘yaksha’ meaning celestial and ‘gana’ meaning music, is a traditional folk theatre-dance form that is immensely popular in the districts of coastal Karnataka.

— According to Karnataka Tourism, “A trip to the coastal state would be incomplete without watching the Yakshagana – an elaborate dance-drama performance unique to Karnataka. It is a rare combination of dance, music, song, scholarly dialogues and colourful costumes.”

— The stories depicted are usually from Mahabharata and Ramayana, and are usually performed by men dressed in elaborate costumes.

— Yakshagana troupes travel from village to village, spreading their theatrical magic wherever they go, to entertain people living in remote villages of coastal Karnataka.

— The traditional art form presents a unique blend of dance, music, song, scholarly dialogues, and colorful costumes.

— The performance is an elaborate dance-drama that is accompanied by loud singing, striking costumes, and music (with the most commonly used instruments being chande (drums), taala (mini metal clappers), flute, harmonium, maddale.

Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer.

5. (c)

FYI:

— Aurobindo has a multifaceted personality. He was an original thinker, writer, poet, playwright, teacher and freedom fighter.

— He was a voracious reader who learnt the best of Western philosophies and returned to India to create something uniquely Indian for spiritual transformation through his “integral yoga”.

— It is befitting that India is marking 150 years of his birth anniversary this year.

— Aurobindo was inspired by the persona of Sri Krishna, the Yadava king, who was multifaceted — a king, diplomat, strategist, friend, and advisor.

— Karmayogin, his weekly journal in English that he brought out after the Alipore Bomb Case, had Krishna and Arjuna in the Kurukshetra being pictorially represented on the cover.