Prelims Daily MCQs - Art and Culture + Ancient + Medieval History (1 May)

1. In the context of various travellers who visited India during the reign of different dynasties, consider the following pairs:

Travellers   Dynasty

1. Ibn-Batuta   Tughlaqs
2. Marco Polo   Vijayanagar
3. Niccolò de' Conti  Kakatiyas

How many of the above-given pairs are/are correctly matched?

a) Only one pair

b) Only two pairs

c) All three pairs

d) None of the pairs

Ans: a

Exp: Ibn Battuta arrived in India during the time when the Tughlaq dynasty was at its height. Hence, pair 1 is correctly matched.

Marco Polo visited India around 1289-1293 during the reign of the Kakatiya Dynasty. Hence, pair 2 is incorrectly matched.

Niccolo Conti visited the Vijayanagar Kingdom during the time of Dev Raya II and led an account in the Travels of Nicolo Conti. Hence, pair 3 is incorrectly matched.

2. Consider the following popular court art (court initiative) in Mauryan Art and Architecture

1. Palaces
2. Caves
3. Stupas

Select the correct code from below:

a) 1 and 2

b) 2 and 3

c) 1 and 3

d) 1, 2 and 3

Ans: c

Exp: Mauryan Art: Court Art: Palaces, pillars, and stupas; Individual Art: Caves, pottery, and sculptures.

3.  With reference to medieval Indian society, the term mlechchha refers to:

a) Artisans who worked in the court of Delhi Sultanate rulers.

b) Migrant communities who spoke languages that were not derived from Sanskrit.

c) Gentlemen troopers were recruited directly by the Mughal emperor.

d) People of the Muslim community visited the holy shrines of Mecca and Medina.

Ans: b

Exp: A general term for the migrant communities was mlechchha, indicating that they did not observe the norms of caste society and spoke languages that were not derived from Sanskrit. Hence, option b is correct.

4.  What could have been the possible reasons for the Delhi Sultans to cover the Gujarat and Malwa region?

1. Fertility of the land
2. The accumulated wealth of local rulers
3. Supply of horses

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

a) 1 and 2

b) 2 and 3

c) 1 and 3

d) 1, 2 and 3

Ans: d

Exp: The overseas trade from Gujarat ports brought in a lot of gold and silver wealth which has been accumulated by the local rulers of the area. Another reason for the sultans of Delhi to establish their rule over Gujarat was that it could secure them better control over the supply of horses for their armies. With the rise of Mongols in Central and West Asia and their struggle with the rulers of Delhi, the supply of horses of good quality to Delhi from this region had been beset with difficulties.

5. Consider the following about Bhimbetka Rock Paintings:

1. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2020.
2. The paintings generally portray pre-historic men's everyday life, oen in stick-like human figures.

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

a) 1 only

b) 2 only

c) Both 1 and 2

d) Neither 1 nor 2

Ans: b

Exp: It is located South of Bhopal in the Vindhya ranges of Madhya Pradesh. The rock shelters have more than 500 rock paintings. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2003. Hence, statement 1 is incorrect.

The paintings generally portray pre-historic men's everyday life, oen in stick-like human figures. Various animals like elephants, bison, deer, peacock, and snake are depicted. Hence, statement 2 is correct.

6. Passage – 1

A December 2017 study by McKinsey Global Institute (‘Jobs Lost, Jobs Gained: Workforce Transitions in a Time of Automation)’, estimates up to 800 million jobs could be displaced by robotic automation by 2030 worldwide.

In about a decade, governments may have to find ways to deal with mass unemployment previously unseen. Workers will grapple with this in two ways.

Some will become the idle poor, while others will reskill themselves to fit in. In the work environment of tomorrow, jobs will no longer be white collar or blue collar, but ‘new collar’ reshaped by data, computing and robotics.

Which of the following is the most logical and accurate corollary to the above passage?

a) Widespread unemployment from technology changes can no longer be dismissed as an alarmist theory.

b) In the near future, technological advancements will weed out the dull, dangerous and dirty jobs.

c) Labour-cost arbitrage, the kind that made developing countries attractive as manufacturing hubs, will be stamped out by robotic manufacturing.

d) Workers in India will have to adapt themselves to the new skill demand.

Ans: (d)

Exp: Workers in India will have to adapt themselves to the new skill demand.

7. Passage – 2

If you want to increase jobs and investment, increase demand. If there’s demand, investors will invest to meet it. If you want to increase investment, give money to the poor and the working people who spend it, not on expensive yachts and vacations in the Caribbean. They have to keep alive, so they spend their incomes. That stimulates production, stimulates investment, leads to job growth, and so on.

Which of the following, according to the passage, is the most dependable way to enhance employment?

1. Increasing investment in Economy
2. Universal Basic Income
3. Increasing demand for Luxury goods.

Which of the following is correct?

1. Only 2
2. Only 3
3. Both 2 and 3
4. All the above.
   

Ans: (a)

Exp: Only 2. The passage states that if jobs are to be increased in the economy there needs to be greater spending power amongst the poor which can be done through Universal Basic Income.

Cover the entire CSAT syllabus in 70 hours.

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