JKPSC Prelims Paper 1 Mock Test - 3 - JKPSC KAS (Jammu and Kashmir) MCQ

Greeks who came through the northwest about 2500 years ago and were familiar with the Indus, called it the Hindos or the Indos, and the land to the east of the river was called India. The name Bharata was used for a group of people who lived in the northwest, and who are mentioned in the Rigveda.

Sweden officially joined NATO on March 7, 2024, becoming the alliance's 32nd member. This decision followed nearly two years of deliberation and was influenced by security concerns stemming from regional tensions, particularly regarding Russia.

Yashasvi Jaiswal achieved the remarkable feat of surpassing 700 runs in Test matches, marking him as the second Indian to do so. This milestone highlights his growing prominence in international cricket and showcases his talent at a young age.

Panama became the 97th member of the International Solar Alliance, which aims to promote solar energy technology and encourage cooperation among solar-rich countries. The alliance is pivotal in addressing climate change and fostering sustainable energy solutions worldwide.

International Women's Day, observed on March 8, focuses on gender equality, reproductive rights, and combating violence and abuse against women. It serves as a reminder of the ongoing struggles women face and the need for continued advocacy for their rights.

Star dunes are pyramid-shaped sand formations that appear star-like from above, formed in areas with complex wind patterns. One of the largest star dunes is located in the Badain Jaran desert in China, showcasing unique geological processes.

Sweden's decision to formally join NATO was significantly influenced by security concerns arising from Russia's invasion of Ukraine. This geopolitical climate prompted Sweden to seek stronger military alliances for national security.

The CSIR launched the Phenome India Health Initiative, which aims to enhance health research and promote better healthcare practices across India. This initiative is crucial for advancing the country's health infrastructure and research capabilities.

Ravichandran Ashwin marked his 100th Test match recently, making him only the 14th Indian cricketer to achieve this milestone. He is recognized for his exceptional bowling skills, having taken over 500 wickets in his career.

The 'NITI For States' platform aims to serve as a digital public infrastructure for good governance, providing access to innovative practices and resources for state functionaries. It is designed to improve governance at the district and block levels.

The Chandrayaan 4 mission is targeted for completion in 2027 and aims to collect various lunar samples to bring back to Earth for further analysis. This mission continues India's commitment to lunar exploration and scientific research.

Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay played a significant role in uplifting rural artisans and promoting indigenous industries, contributing to the economic empowerment of women and communities during India's struggle for independence.

Maldives signed a defense agreement with China to obtain non-lethal weapons. This agreement reflects the strategic military partnerships developing in the region and highlights the Maldives' position in international defense relations.

Article 371 provides special provisions for certain states in India to protect their cultural identity and governance practices. It aims to address the unique needs of backward regions and safeguard the interests of tribal populations.

The 'Sahityotsav' is the world's largest literary festival, focusing on celebrating literary achievements from various cultures and encouraging discussions on literature, art, and creativity, making it a significant event in the literary calendar.

Jan Aushadhi Diwas is observed to raise awareness about the benefits of generic medicines, highlighting their importance in making healthcare accessible and affordable for the population, especially in a country with a vast pharmaceutical industry like India.

Statement 2 is incorrect. It has four beautifully decorated toranas depicting various events from the life of the Buddha and the Jatakas. About Sanchi Stupa: Narratives get more elaborated, however, the depiction of the dream episode remains very simple showing the reclining image of the queen and the elephant at the top. Carving techniques appear more advanced than Bharhut.

Symbols continue to be used representing the Buddha and the Manushi Buddhas or the past Buddhas (according to the textual tradition, there are twenty-four Buddhas but only the first one, Dipankar, and the last six are pictorially represented).

Statement 1: Correct. In the Pre-Mauryan period, the village headman was indeed called "Gramini." The Gramini was responsible for managing village affairs and acted as a link between the villagers and higher authorities.
Statement 2 is incorrect. The use of iron began in the subcontinent around 3000 years ago. It was after the Indus Valley Civilization. In the prehistory of the Indian subcontinent, an "Iron Age" is recognized as succeeding the Late Harappan culture.
Thus, the correct answer is A: 1 only.

• Delhi first became the capital of a kingdom under the Tomara Rajputs, who were defeated in the middle of the twelfth century by the Chauhans (also referred to as Chahamanas) of Ajmer.
• It was under the Tomaras and Chauhans that Delhi became an important commercial centre.
• Coins minted here, called dehliwal, had a wide circulation.
• The transformation of Delhi into a capital that controlled vast areas of the subcontinent started with the foundation of the Delhi Sultanate in the beginning of the thirteenth century.

Hence, option (b) is correct.
 

• Peasants formed the overwhelming majority of the population in medieval India. It was, however, not a homogenous group. One end of the spectrum was represented by rich peasants (khuts & muqaddams during Delhi Sultanate and khudkasht during the Mughal period), having large holdings and cultivated their lands with the help of hired labour.
• Statement 1 is correct: Khudkashts were the rich/prosperous peasants who owned tracts of land and tools of agriculture.
• Statement 2 is not correct: They paid land revenue at customary rates. Some of them had many ploughs and bullocks which they let out to their poorer brethren, the tenants or muzarian who generally paid land revenue at a higher rate. These two groups were the largest section among the cultivators in the village.
• Statement 3 is not correct: The khudkasht who claimed to be the original settlers of the village often belonged to a single dominant caste or castes. These castes not only dominated the village society, they exploited the other or weaker sections. In turn, they were often exploited by the zamindars.
  • Muzarian belonged to the same village but did not have either land or implements and hence were dependent on the Khud-kasht for their supply.
     

• Sri Vallabhacharya (c. 1479 – 1531 CE) was a devotional philosopher who founded the Pushtimarg sect in India, following the philosophy of Shuddha Advaita (Pure Non-dualism). Shuddadvaita is the purely non-dual philosophy propounded by him. It was a Hindu Vaishnava tradition that focused on the worship of Krishna. Hence statement 1 is not correct.
• Dadu Dayal (c. 1544-1603 CE) was a significant representative of the Nirguna Saint tradition in North India (Gujarat & Rajasthan). Nirgun is a form of aniconic worship of the formless as opposed to the saguna tradition, which is the worship of religious icons and deities with form. Hence statement 2 is correct.
  • Dadu means brother, and Dayal means the compassionate one; later, his followers came to be known as the Dadupanthis, who set up ashrams known as Thambas.
• Surdas (c. 1483-1563 CE) was a disciple of the Vallabhacharya. He was a blind poet whose songs were centered around Krishna. His Sursagar recounts the exploits of Krishna during his childhood and youth with gentle affection and delightfulness. Hence statement 3 is correct.

• Statement 1 is not correct: 'Latina' or the rekha-prasada type buildings have simple shikhara which is square at the base and whose walls curve or slope inward to a point on top. Another major type of architectural form in the nagara order is the phamsana. Phamsana buildings tend to be broader and shorter than latina ones. Their roofs are composed of several slabs that gently rise to a single point over the centre of the building, unlike the latina ones which look like sharply rising tall towers.
• Statement 2 is correct: In many North Indian temples you will notice that the phamsana design is used for the mandapas while the main garbhagriha is housed in a latina building. Later on, the latina buildings grew complex, and instead of appearing like a single tall tower, the temple began to support many smaller towers, which were clustered together like rising mountain-peaks with the tallest one being in the centre, and this was the one which was always above the garbhagriha.
• Statement 3 is correct: These are rectangular buildings with a roof that rises into a vaulted chamber. The edge of this vaulted chamber is rounded, like the bamboo or wooden wagons that would have been drawn by bullocks in ancient times. They are usually called ‘wagon- vaulted buildings’.

• During the Vedic period, women were given equal opportunities as men for their spiritual and intellectual development. There were women poetesses like Apala, Viswavara, Ghosa and Lopamudra during the Rig Vedic period. Women could even attend the popular assemblies. There was no child marriage and the practice of sati was absent.

• However, with the transition to the later Vedic period, the position of women declined, as the society became more patriarchal. Women also lost their political rights of attending assemblies. Child marriages had become common. According the Aitreya Brahmana, a daughter has been described as a source of misery. However, the women in the royal household enjoyed certain privileges. The social divisions were not rigid during the Rig Vedic period, as it was in the later Vedic period. Larger kingdoms were formed during the later Vedic period.

• The four divisions of society (Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaisyas and Sudras) or the Varna system was thoroughly established during the Later Vedic period. The two higher classes - Brahmana and Kshatriya enjoyed privileges that were denied to the Vaisya and Sudra. Many sub- castes, on the basis of their occupation appeared in this period. The two outstanding Rig Vedic gods, Indra and Agni, lost their former importance. On the other hand, Prajapati, the creator, came to occupy the supreme position in the later Vedic period.

Statement 1 is incorrect. The village panchayat was an assembly of elders, usually important people of the village with hereditary rights over their property. In mixed-caste villages, the panchayat was usually a heterogeneous body. The panchayat being an oligarchy represented various castes and communities in the village, though the village menial-cum-agricultural worker was unlikely to be represented there. The decisions made by these panchayats were binding on the members.

Statement 2 is correct. A headman known as muqaddam or mandal headed the panchayat. According to some sources, the headman was chosen through the consensus of the village elders, and this choice had to be ratified by the zamindar. Headmen held office as long as they enjoyed the confidence of the village elders, failing which they could be dismissed by them. Statement 3 is correct. The chief function of the headman was to supervise the preparation of village accounts, assisted by the accountant or patwari of the panchayat.

Statement 3 is incorrect. In the Supreme Court, the English language replaced Persian. KB) Under Cornwallis, The District Faujdari Courts were abolished and, instead, circuit courts were established at Calcutta, Dacca, Murshidabad and Patna. These circuit courts had European judges and were to act as courts of appeal for both civil and criminal cases.

Before reforms by William Bentinck, Persian was the official language in courts. Now, the suitor had the option to use Persian or a vernacular language, while in the Supreme Court, English language replaced Persian

• Robert Clive concluded two important treaties at Allahabad in August 1765 - one with the Nawab of Awadh and the other with the Mughal Emperor, Shah Alam II.

• Statement 1 is incorrect: Under the treaty Nawab of Awadh Shuja-ud-Daula agreed to surrender Allahabad and Kara to Emperor Shah Alam II.

• Statement 2 is incorrect: Under the treaty Nawab of Awadh Shuja-ud-Daula agreed to pay Rs 50 lakh to the Company as war indemnity.

• Most of the Indian princes had not only remained loyal to the British but had actively aided the latter in suppressing the Revolt. Moreover, the experience of the Revolt had convinced the British authorities that the princely states could serve as useful allies and supporters in case of popular opposition or revolt. The Revolt of 1857 led the British to reverse some aspects of their policy towards the Indian States.

• Some of the relaxation announced by the British to the princely states were:

  • Before 1857, the British availed every opportunity to annex princely states. This policy was now abandoned. Hence statement 1 is correct.

  • The right of princes to adopt heirs would be respected and the integrity of their territories guaranteed against future annexation.

• On the other hand, some of the old policies were applied even after the revolt of 1857:

  • Princes were made to acknowledge Britain as the paramount power as the price of their continued existence. In 1876, Queen Victoria assumed the title of the Empress of India to emphasize British sovereignty over the entire Indian subcontinent. Hence statement 3 is correct.

  • British claimed the right to supervise the internal government of the princely states.

  • They not only interfered in the day-to-day administration through the Residents but insisted on appointing and dismissing ministers and other high officials. Sometimes the rulers themselves were removed or deprived of their powers. Hence statement 2 is not correct.

• Their perpetuation was only one aspect of the British policy towardé the princely state. Complete integration of princely states with British India was another aspect of the British policy towardé the princely states.

• Subhas Chandra Bose reorganized and revitalized the Indian National Army under Mohan Singh and Major-General Shah Nawaz Khan in Singapore in May 1943. So, Option (a) is not correct.
• On October 17, 1940, Mahatma Gandhi chose Acharya Vinoba Bhave as the first satyagrahi (proponent of satyagraha) to start personal satyagraha (a movement that meant holding to the truth) and Jawaharlal Nehru as the second. The British Colonial government had committed India to the Second World War without the consent of the Indian leaders. To oppose this decision by the foreign government, the Congress party launched individual satyagraha. So, Option (b) is correct.
• Chittaranjan Das formed the Congress-Khilafat-Swaraj Party within the Congress on 31 December 1922. He was aided by Motilal Nehru and Malaviya from UP, Lajpat Rai from Punjab, M. R. Jayakar and VithalbhaiPatel from Gujarat, the ‘Tilak group’ from Bombay and some leaders from south India. It became both a minority faction within the Congress and an independent organization ‘running candidates for legislatures  outside the purview of the Congress. The plan, program and constitution of the Swaraj Party (Swarajya Party) were drawn up at its first conference in Allahabad in 1924. Chittaranjan Das became the President of this new party, and Motilal Nehru was one of its secretaries. So, Option (c) is not correct.
• Cripps Mission was sent to India to discuss the British Government’s Draft Declaration on the Constitution of India with representative Indian leaders from all parties. Cripps arrived in Delhi on 22 March 1942, where they discussed the Draft Declaration with many Indian leaders. The Cripps Mission failed, and the issue of India’s constitution was postponed until the  end of the war.

Thus, Viceroy Linlithgow announced the Cripps Mission to offer dominion status to India on behalf of British
Parliament in 1942. So, Option (d) is not correct.
 

• Before the Indian nationalist intelligentsia began to associate itself with working-class agitations, there were also some early attempts at organized efforts to improve the condition of the workers. These efforts were made as early as the 1870s by philanthropists. 
• In 1878, Sorabjee Shapoorji Bengalee tried unsuccessfully to introduce a Bill in the Bombay Legislative Council to limit the working hours for labour. Hence, statement 1 is correct. 
• In Bengal, Sasipada Banerjea, a Brahmo Social reformer, set up a Workingmen’s Club in 1870 and published a monthly journal called Bharat Sramjeebi (Indian Labour), with the primary idea of educating the workers. Hence, statement 2 is not correct.
• In Bombay, Narayan Meghajee Lokhanday brought out an Anglo-Marathi weekly called Dina Bandhu (Friend of the Poor) in 1880, and started the Bombay Mill and Millhands’ Association in 1890. Lokhanday held meetings of workers and in one instance sent a memorial signed by 5,500 mill workers, to the Bombay Factory Commission, putting forward some minimum workers’ demands. Hence, statement 3 is not correct.