JPSC Prelims Paper 1 Mock Test - 4 - JPSC (Jharkhand) MCQ

Statement 1 is correct.

The seventh to ninth centuries saw the emergence of new religious movements, led by the Nayanars (saints devoted to Shiva) and Alvars (saints devoted to Vishnu) who came from all castes including those considered “untouchable” like the Pulaiyar and the Panars.

There were 63 Nayanars, who belonged to different caste backgrounds such as potters, “untouchable” workers, peasants, hunters, soldiers, Brahmanas and chiefs. The best known among them were Appar, Sambandar, Sundarar and Manikkavasagar. There were 12 Alvars, who came from equally divergent backgrounds, the best known being Periyalvar, his daughter Andal, Tondaradippodi Alvar and Nammalvar

Statement 2 is correct.

Nayanars and Alvars were sharply critical of the Buddhists and Jainas and preached ardent love of Shiva or Vishnu as the path to salvation. They drew upon the ideals of love and heroism as found in the Sangam literature (the earliest example of Tamil literature, composed during the early centuries of the Common Era) and blended them with the values of bhakti. The Nayanars and Alvars went from place to place composing exquisite poems in praise of the deities enshrined in the villages they visited, and set them to music.

Statement 3 is incorrect.

Tevaram and Tiruvacakam were compilations of songs composed by Nayanars and Divya Prabandham was a compilation of the songs composed by Alvars.

Statement 1 is incorrect.

The Mughal court chronicles were written in Persian. Under the Sultans of Delhi it flourished as a language of the court and of literary writings, alongside north Indian languages, especially Hindavi and its regional variants.

Statement 2 is correct.

Translations of Sanskrit texts such as the Mahabharata and the Ramayana into Persian were commissioned by the Mughal emperors. The Mahabharata was translated as the Razmnama (Book of Wars).

Statement 3 is correct.

Persian was elevated to a language of empire, conferring power and prestige on those who had a command of it. It was spoken by the king, the royal household and the elite at court. Further, it became the language of administration at all levels so that accountants, clerks and other functionaries also learnt it.

Statement 1 is correct.

The powerful Chola rulers (ninth to thirteenth centuries) supported Brahmanical and bhakti traditions, making land grants and constructing temples for Vishnu and Shiva.

Statement 2 is correct.

Some of the most magnificent Shiva temples, including those at Chidambaram, Thanjavur and Gangaikondacholapuram, were constructed under the patronage of Chola rulers. This was also the period when some of the most spectacular representations of Shiva in bronze sculpture were produced.

Statement 1 is incorrect.

The Mansabdari System was introduced by Mughal emperor Akbar. The system determined the rank and status of a government official and military generals. Every civil and military officer was given a mansab, which determined their salaries and allowances. The term manasabadar means a person having a mansab.

Statement 2 is correct.

All holders of government offices held ranks (mansabs) comprising two numerical designations: zat which was an indicator of position in the imperial hierarchy and the salary of the official (mansabdar), and sawar which indicated the number of horsemen he was required to maintain in service.

Statement 1 is incorrect.

The belief in the idea of devotion of Supreme God to attain salvation became so popular that it was accepted by Buddhists and Jains as well.

Statement 2 is incorrect.

Along with Vishnu and Shiva, Durga was also worshipped as a Supreme deity.

Evolution of the idea of Bhakti –

Before large kingdoms emerged, different groups of people worshipped their own gods and goddesses. As people were brought together through the growth of towns, trade and empires, new ideas began to develop. The idea that all living things pass through countless cycles of birth and rebirth performing good deeds and bad came to be widely accepted.

Similarly, the idea that all human beings are not equal even at birth gained ground during this period. The belief that social privileges came from birth in a “noble” family or a “high” caste was the subject of many learned texts.

Many people were uneasy with such ideas and turned to the teachings of the Buddha or the Jainas according to which it was possible to overcome social differences and break the cycle of rebirth through personal effort.

Others felt attracted to the idea of a Supreme God who could deliver humans from such bondage if approached with devotion (or bhakti). This idea, advocated in the Bhagavadgita, grew in popularity in the early centuries of the Common Era.

Shiva, Vishnu and Durga as supreme deities came to be worshipped through elaborate rituals. At the same time, gods and goddesses worshipped in different areas came to be identified with Shiva, Vishnu or Durga. In the process, local myths and legends became a part of the Puranic stories, and methods of worship recommended in the Puranas were introduced into the local cults. Eventually the Puranas also laid down that it was possible for devotees to receive the grace of God regardless of their caste status. The idea of bhakti became so popular that even Buddhists and Jainas adopted these beliefs.

Statement 1 is correct.

The agriculture remained largely rain-fed in Mughal period, though many nahrs were also built.

Statement 2 is incorrect.

Cultivation was based on the principle of individual ownership. Peasant lands were bought and sold in the same way as the lands of other property owners.

Statement 3 is correct.

Though, majorly food crops were grown, the rulers also encouraged production of commercial crops like cotton, sugarcane and oilseeds.

Statement 1 is correct.

Babur, the first Mughal emperor (1526- 1530), succeeded to the throne of Ferghana in 1494 when he was only 12 years old. He was forced to leave his ancestral throne due to the invasion of another Mongol group, the Uzbegs. After years of wandering, he seized Kabul in 1504. In 1526, Babur defeated the Sultan of Delhi, Ibrahim Lodi in the first battle of Panipat and captured Delhi and Agra.

Statement 2 is incorrect.

Cannons were an important addition in sixteenth-century warfare. Babur used them effectively in the first battle of Panipat. However, Gun powder technology was brought to India for warfare much before Babur in the 14th century. Fire arms were used for the first time in regions such as Gujarat, Malwa and Deccan, and was used by Babur in early 16th century.

Option a is correct.

There are several ways of finding out about the past. One is to search for and read books that were written long ago. These are called manuscripts, because they were written by hand (this comes from the Latin word ‘manu’, meaning hand). These were usually written on palm leaf, or on the specially prepared bark of a tree known as the birch, which grows in the Himalayas.

Option b is incorrect.

Over the years, many manuscripts were eaten away by insects, some were destroyed, but many have survived, often preserved in temples and monasteries. These books dealt with all kinds of subjects:

religious beliefs and practices, the lives of kings, medicine and science.

Option c is correct.

Many of the manuscripts were written in Sanskrit, others were in Prakrit (languages used by ordinary people) and Tamil.

Option d is correct.

Inscriptions are writings on relatively hard surfaces such as stone or metal. Sometimes, kings got their orders inscribed so that people could see, read and obey them. There are other kinds of inscriptions as well, where men and women (including kings and queens) recorded what they did. For example, kings often kept records of victories in battle.

Option a is correct

During Medieval times, towns emerged around temples such as those of Bhillasvamin (Bhilsa or Vidisha in Madhya Pradesh), and Somnath in Gujarat. Other important temple towns included Kanchipuram and Madurai in Tamil Nadu, and Tirupati in Andhra

Pradesh. Pilgrimage centres also slowly developed into townships. Vrindavan (Uttar Pradesh) and Tiruvannamalai (Tamil Nadu) are examples of two such towns. Ajmer (Rajasthan) was the capital of the Chauhan kings in the twelfth century and later became the suba headquarters under the Mughals.

• Brahmo Samaj was established by Raja Ram Mohan Roy in 1828. It was based on the twin pillars of reason and the Vedas and Upanishads. It discarded the faith in divine incarnation. It denounced polytheism and idol worship. It criticized the caste system. It took no definite stand on the doctrine of Karma and transmigration of the soul and left it to individual Brahmos to believe either way. Hence statement 1 is correct.

• Ram Mohun Roy was the initiator of the political questions in India. He protested against the imposition of taxes on tax-free lands. He demanded the abolition of the Company's trading rights and the removal of heavy export duties on Indian goods. He also raised the demand for the Indianisation of superior services and separation of executive and judiciary.

• In 1920, Roy wrote a book called Precepts of Jesus, in which he tried to separate the philosophical message of the New Testaments, which he praised for its miracle stories. He wanted the high moral message of christ to be inculcated in Hinduism. Hence statement 2 is correct.

• Tribal movements during the freedom struggle were the most frequent, militant, and violent of all the movements. There were Tribal movements in mainland India as well as in frontier states of the North-Eastern region. though these movements have the same characteristics as tribal identity there were different reasons for movements in these areas. the common goal, however, was the resentment against the imposition of laws by the foreign government.

• Statement 1 is correct: The movement of tribes especially in the northeast region was not largely emphasized on forest-based or agrarian revolts as tribes in these regions are generally in control of their lands. Their revolt was often in the favour of Independence and political autonomy.

• Statement 2 is correct: There was resentment against the activities of Christian missionaries. For example, Munda and Ho uprising during 1900 began as a religious movement against the activities of Christian missionaries and later gathered political force for the larger cause of distress.

• Statement 3 is correct: Frontier Tribal revolts continued for a long time then no frontier tribal movements. one of the aspects was de-Sanskritisation. Meities organised these movements during the rule of Maharaja Churachand (between 1891 and 1941) to denounce the practice of the Neo-Vaishnavite. However, Sanskritisation movements during British rule were absent in the Northeastern region.

• In the context of British Rule in India, Downward filtration theory is related to the spread of Modern Education.

• In case of paucity of funds, Govt. officials decided to spend money on education through English as medium of instruction. Vernacular languages were ignored.

• Since, the allocation of funds were less and the education couldn’t be provided at the mass level. It was decided that funds would be allocated to educate only a handful of Indians who are from Upper and Middle classes so that they could assume the responsibility of teaching the masses and spreading modern ideas among them.

• Education and modern ideas were thus supposed to filter or radiate downwards from the upper classes. This was the policy of downward filtration theory which was abandoned in 1854.

Hence option (d) is the correct answer.

• The revolt of 1857 highlighted the mismanagement by the East India Company in India. It provided an opportunity for the British government to transfer the administration of India from the company to the Crown.

• With this larger motive, a bill titled “An Act for the Better Government of India” was introduced and passed by the British Parliament in 1858.

  It provided for the following provisions:

  • India was to be governed directly and in the name of the crown.

    • The Crown will govern India directly through a Secretary of State for India.

    • He was to exercise the powers which were being enjoyed by the Court of Directors and Board of control.

    • The Secretary of state was vested with complete authority and control over Indian administration, thus he was now the political head of India.

    • He was also a member of the British cabinet and was responsible ultimately to the British Parliament.

    • Thus the ultimate power over India remained with the British Parliament. Hence statement is not correct.

  • It abolished the company rule, abolished the Court of directors and abolished the Board of control.

  • It abolished the Dual Government introduced by the Pitt’s India act.

  • The principle of Doctrine of Lapse was withdrawn.

  • It provided that the Governor-General would have an Executive Council whose members were to act as heads of different departments and as his official advisers.

    • The Council discussed all important matters and decided them by a majority vote; but the Governor-General had the power to override any important decision of the Council. Hence statement 2 is correct.

• The weakness of the Mughals and invasions of Ahmad Shah Abdali created a general confusion and anarchy in Punjab. These political conditions helped the organized Dal Khalsa to consolidate further. The Sikhs consolidated in misls which were military brotherhoods with a democratic set-up. Misl is an Arabic word that means equal or alike. Hence statement 1 is correct.

• Another meaning of Misl is State. During the period, 1763 to 1773, many misls started to rule the Punjab region under Sikh chieftains, from Saharanpur in the east to Attock in the west, from the mountainous regions of the north to Multan in the south.

• At the time of the birth of Ranjit Singh (November 2, 1780), there were 12 important misls—Ahluwaliya, Bhangi, Dallewalia, Faizullapuria, Kanhaiya, Krorasinghia, Nakkai, Nishaniya, Phulakiya, Ramgarhiya Sukharchakiya, and Shaheed. The central administration of a misl was based on Gurumatta Sangh which was essentially a political, social, and economic system. Hence statement 2 is correct.

• Ranjit Singh was the son of Mahan Singh, the leader of the Sukarchakiya misl. Hence statement 3 is not correct.