CGPSE Prelims Paper 1 Mock Test - 3 - CGPSC (Chhattisgarh) MCQ

• Special features of Mahajanpadas Administration Forts were probably built because people were afraid of attacks from other kings and needed protection.

• Some rulers wanted to show how rich and powerful they were by building really large,

• tall and impressive walls around their cities.

• The land and the people living inside the fortified area could be controlled more easily by the king by building forts.

• Building such huge walls required a great deal of planning including resources, labours etc. The new rajas now began maintaining armies.

• Soldiers were paid regular salaries and maintained by the king throughout the year.

• The Mahajanapadas started to collect regular taxes.

• Changes took place in agriculture like the use of iron ploughshares and transplanting paddy.

• Generally, slave men and women, (dasas and dasis) and landless agricultural labourers (kammakaras) had to do agricultural work.

The Climate Change Conclave aims to address the severe impacts of climate change, including irregular rainfall and prolonged droughts. The Chief Minister emphasized the need for strategies to protect natural resources and greenery, highlighting the urgency of tackling climate change challenges.

The Foundation for Ecological Security (FES) offered technical support for the conclave. FES focuses on sustainable development and conservation of ecological resources, aligning with the goals of the conclave.

The Chhattisgarh State Action Plan on Climate Change was unveiled during the conclave. This plan outlines strategies and actions to mitigate the adverse effects of climate change in the state.

The State Investigation Agency (SIA) is established to investigate terrorism, naxalism, and left extremism in Chhattisgarh. It serves as the nodal agency for coordinating with the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

Under the Mahtari Vandan scheme, eligible married women receive financial assistance of ₹1000 per month. This initiative aims to promote economic empowerment and financial security for women.

The Paris Agreement is a legally binding international treaty that aims to limit global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels. It represents a significant step in global efforts to combat climate change.

Under the Krishak Unnati Yojana, farmers will be provided grants of ₹19,257 per acre, linked to the quantity of paddy procured during the Kharif year 2023. This initiative aims to support farmers financially.

The Direct Benefit Transfer scheme aims to simplify and expedite the delivery of government funds to beneficiaries, reducing fraud in the process. It allows for direct transfers to the bank accounts of eligible individuals.

Eligible women for the Mahtari Vandan scheme must be married and at least 21 years old as of January 1, 2024. This scheme also includes widows, divorced, and deserted women to ensure financial support.

Countries are required to submit and update their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) every 5 years under the Paris Agreement. This framework helps countries plan and commit to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

The Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA) granted the government broad powers, including preventive detention without trial, to address civil unrest and threats to national security during a time of political turmoil.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is responsible for investigating and prosecuting terrorism-related crimes in India. It has the authority to take over investigations from state police and operates at a national level.

The National Education Mission is not a component of the Krishonnati Yojana. The Krishonnati Yojana focuses on enhancing agricultural productivity and includes various schemes aimed at improving the agricultural sector.

The Chief Minister emphasized the serious concerns of irregular rainfall and prolonged droughts as manifestations of climate change that affect both the nation and the world, underscoring the need for proactive measures.

Individuals detained under the Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA) during the Emergency period are entitled to a monthly pension based on their duration of detention, providing financial support for their past hardships.

The 'Krishak Unnati Yojna' primarily aims to offer input assistance to paddy cultivators. It provides financial support to farmers based on the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for paddy, helping them manage their agricultural costs effectively. This initiative underscores the government's commitment to enhancing the agricultural sector in Chhattisgarh.

The Chhattisgarh Government released ₹13,320 crore under the 'Krishak Unnati Yojna' to assist approximately 2.472 million farmers. This significant funding is intended to support farmers, particularly those cultivating paddy, reinforcing the state's investment in agriculture.

The MSP for common grade paddy during the 2023-24 kharif season was ₹2,183 per quintal. This pricing is crucial for ensuring that farmers receive a fair compensation for their produce, helping to stabilize their income.

The term, which Indo-Persian sources of the Mughal period most frequently used to denote a peasant, was raiyat (plural, riaya) or muzarian. In addition, the terms kisan or asami were also used. Sources of the seventeenth century refer to two kinds of peasants – khud-kashta and pahi-kashta.

Khud-kashta were residents of the village in which they held their lands. Pahi- Kashta were non-resident cultivators who belonged to some other village, but cultivated lands elsewhere on a contractual basis. People became pahi-kashta either out of choice, for example, when terms of revenue in a distant village were more favourable or out of compulsion, for example, forced by economic distress after a famine.

• Statement 1 is correct: Magadha was one of the most important ahajanapada. Magadha was a monarchy as there was rule of one person. Vajji was under a different form of government, known as gana or sangha. This was different from Magadha as here there were not one but many rulers, sometimes thousands of men ruled together and each one was called as raja. Vajji was a united republic of eight smaller kingdoms including Lichhavis, Janatriks and Videhas.

• Statement 2 is correct: Both the Buddha and Mahavira belonged to ganas or sanghas. The Buddha belonged to the Sakya gana and Mahavira belonged to Jantrica clan which belonged to Vajji Sangha.

Trabeate style was used in the construction of temples, mosques, tombs and in buildings attached to large stepped-wells (baolis) between the eighth and thirteenth centuries in India.

Trabeate style of architecture refers to where the roofs, doors and windows are made by placing a horizontal beam across two vertical columns”.

Statement 2 is correct. There are two technological and stylistic developments are noticeable from the twelfth century (since the medieval age) -

• Limestone cement was increasingly used in construction. This was very high-quality cement, which, when mixed with stone chips hardened into concrete. This made construction of large structures easier and faster.

Arcuate style of architecture- In this type of architecture, the weight of the superstructure above the doors and windows was carried by arches.

• Satavahanas became prominent in the Indian political scene sometime in the middle of the first century BC. Gautamiputra Satakarni (first century AD) is considered to be the greatest of the Satavahana rulers.
• He is credited with the extension of Satavahana dominions by defeating Nahapana, the Shaka ruler of
• Western India. Simuka was the founder of the Satavahana Dynasty. Hence, statement 3 is not correct
• His kingdom is said to have extended from river Krishna in the south to river the Godavari in the north. The Satavahanas had their capital at Pratishthana (modern Paithan) near Aurangabad in Maharashtra. The Satavahana kingdom was wiped out in the first quarter of the third century AD and the Satavahanas kings were succeeded by the Kings of the lkshvaku dynasty.
• Satavahana Society:
  • The Satavahanas originally seems to have been a Deccan tribe. They however were so brahmanized that they claimed to be Brahmanas. Their most famous king, Gautamiputra Satakarni, described himself as a brahmana and claimed to have established the fourfold varna system which had fallen into disorder. He boasted that he had put an end to the intermixture between the people of different social orders. He considered it their primary duty to uphold the varna system i.e. the fourfold division of social structure. Hence, statement 2 is not correct.
  • Indigenous tribal people were increasingly acculturated by the Buddhist monks who were induced by land grants to settle in western Deccan. It is suggested that traders too supported the Buddhist monks, for the earliest caves seem to have been located on the trade routes.
  • Satavahanas kings were the first in Indian history to make tax-free land grants to Buddhists and Brahmanas to gain religious merit. This practice became more prominent in succeeding periods. Hence, statement 1 is correct.

• During the second millennium B.C. several regional cultures sprang up in different parts of the Indian subcontinent. These were non-urban, non-Harappan and were characterized by the use of stone and copper tools. Hence, these cultures are termed chalcolithic cultures. The chalcolithic cultures are identified on the basis of their geographical location.
  • The Jorwe culture is the most important and characteristic chalcolithic culture of Maharashtra, extending almost all over the present state, excepting the coastal strip on the west and Vidarbha in the northeast. The culture is named after the type site of Jorwe in the Ahmednagar district, of Maharashtra. Hence option (c) is the correct answer.
  • Kayatha culture was named after the type site Kayatha, in the Ujjain district of Madhya Pradesh. Over forty settlements of the Kayatha culture have been so far discovered in the Malwa region of Madhya Pradesh, most of them being located on the tributaries of the Chambal River.
  • The Ahar culture is among the earliest Chalcolithic cultures of India. This is seen from the calibrated radio-carbon dates available from many of the sites. The culture has been named after the type site Ahar, in District Udaipur, Rajasthan.
     

• Ghiyas-ud-din Balban (1266 to 1287 AD), the ninth Sultan of the Mamluk dynasty of Delhi, was one of the most powerful Sultans. He was a member of Iltutmish's famed group of 40 Turkic slaves. He adopted a policy of consolidation rather than expansion. So, Statement 1 is not correct.
• The silver and copper coins were mainly in circulation for cash transactions during the period of the Delhi Sultanate. Iltutmish and not Balban introduced the two coins, the Tanka (silver coin) and the Jital (copper coin), which became the basis for the subsequent coinage of the Delhi Sultanate. The value of coinage fluctuated with the change in the prices of metals. So, Statement 2 is not correct.
• Qutub-ud-din Aibak and not Balbun was referred to as Lakh Baksh. Lakh Baksh is usually referred to as those who give away property and wealth to the needy and poor. Because of his generosity and gave liberal donations, Qutub-ud-din Aibak was called Lakh Baksh. So, Statement 3 is not correct.
• Balban ruled in an autocratic manner and worked hard to elevate the position of the Sultan. He introduced a new theory of kingship and redefined the relations between the Sultan and nobility. He did not allow any noble to assume great power. So, Statement 4 is correct.

• Statement 1 is not correct: Balban stood forth as the champion of Turkish nobility. He refused to entertain for important government posts anyone who did not belong to a noble family. He excluded Indian Muslims from all positions of power and authority.
  • To emphasise that the nobles were not his equals, he insisted on the ceremony of sijada and paibos. These ceremonies were Iranian in origin and were considered un-Islamic.
• Statement 2 is correct: To keep himself well informed, Balban appointed spies in every department. He also organized a strong centralized army, both to deal with internal disturbances, and to repel the Mongols who had entrenched themselves in Punjab and posed a serious danger to the Delhi Sultanat.
• Statement 3 is not correct: Muhammad bin Tughlaq launched a scheme to extend and improve cultivation in the doab. He set up a separate department called diwan-i-amir-i-kohi. The area was divided into development blocs headed by an official whose job was to extend cultivation by giving loans to the cultivators and to induce them to cultivate superior crops—wheat in place of barley, sugarcane in place of wheat, grapes and dates in place of sugarcane,etc.
  • Balban organised a strong centralized army, both to deal with internal disturbances and to repel the Mongols. For this purpose, he reorganized the military department (diwan-i-arz) and pensioned off those soldiers who were no longer fit for service.

Jagannath Puri Temple:

• Devasnana Purnima – The annual bathing ritual, where the holy trinity is brought out from their sanctum seated in a raised platform and bathed with purified water drawn from a well within thetemple premises.

• Chariot Festival – This happens during the month of June/July. During the festival, the Lord comes out to the street to greet his devotees, people irrespective of caste, creed & colour can seek his blessings.

• Maulvi Ahmadullah Shah was one of the many maulvis who played an important part in the revolt of 1857. In 1856, he was seen moving from village to village preaching Jihad (religious war) against the British and urging people to rebel. He moved in a palanquin, with drumbeaters in front and followers at the rear. He was therefore popularly called Danka Shah – the maulvi with the drum (danka). In 1857, he was jailed in Faizabad. When released, he was elected by the mutinous 22nd Native Infantry as their leader. He fought in the famous Battle of Chinhat in which the British forces under Henry Lawrence were defeated. He came to be known for his courage and power. Many people in fact believed that he was invincible, had magical powers, and could not be killed by the British. It was this belief that partly formed the basis of his authority.

• Shah Mal was a rebel at the time of the Indian Rebellion of 1857, based out of the village of Bijrol, Uttar Pradesh. He led the Jats of Baraut in rebellion against the East India Company. Maulvi Liaquat Ali was a Muslim religious leader from Prayagraj (Allahabad), in the state of Uttar Pradesh in present-day India. He was one of the leaders in the revolt against the British in 1857. Maulvi captured the Khusro Bagh and declared the independence of India. Khusro Bagh became the headquarters of the sepoys under Maulvi Liaquat Ali who took charge as the Governor of liberated Allahabad. However, the Mutiny was swiftly put down and Khusro Bagh was retaken by the British in two weeks.

• He escaped from Allahabad after the British recaptured the city, but was caught after 14 years in September 1871 at Byculla railway station in Surat. He was tried and sentenced to death, but died in captivity in Rangoon on 17 May 1892.

• Bakht Khan (1797–13 May 1859) was commander-in-chief of the Indian rebel forces in the region of Delhi during the Indian Rebellion of 1857 against the East India Company.

These comparisons are as follows:

• Statement 1 is correct. The stated objective this time was complete independence and not just remedying two specific wrongs and a vaguely-worded Swaraj. The Civil Disobedience Movement had the objective of Poorna Swaraj.

• The methods involved violation of law from the very beginning and not just non-cooperation with foreign rule.

• There was a decline in forms of protests involving the intelligentsia, such as lawyers giving up practice, students giving up government schools to join national schools and colleges.

• Statement 2 is incorrect. Muslim participation was nowhere near that in the Non-Cooperation Movement level.

• No major labour upsurge coincided with the movement.

• The massive participation of peasants and business groups compensated for the decline of other features.

• The number of those imprisoned was about three times more this time.

• The Congress was organizationally stronger.