Indian Panorama (UPSC) Part-III

Total Questions: 50

21. Match List-1 with List-II and select the correct answer using the code given below the Lists: [2008]

BoardHeadquarters
A. Coffee Board1. Bengaluru
B. Rubber Board2. Guntur
C. Tea Board3. Kottayam
D. Tobacco Board4. Kolkata

OptionABCD
(a)2431
(b)1342
(c)2341
(d)1432
Correct Answer: (b)
Solution:(A) Coffee Board - Bengaluru

(B) Rubber Board - Kottayam

(C) Tea Board - Kolkata

(D) Tobacco Board - Guntur

22. How can the height of a person who is six feet tall be expressed (approximately) in nanometers? [2008]

Correct Answer: (c) 183 107 nanometres
Solution:1 feet = 30.5 cm

6 feet 6×30.5 = 183.0 cm

1 meter 10º nanometer

So, 183 cm (183/100)×10° = 183 × 107 nanometers

23. EbrahamAlkazi is an eminent personality in which one of the following areas? [2008]

Correct Answer: (c) Theatre training
Solution:Ebrahim Alkazi is one of the most influential Indian theatre directors and Drama teachers in 20th-century Indian theatre.

24. India is a member of which of the following? [2008]

1. Asian Development Bank

2. Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation

3. Colombo Plan

4. Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

Correct Answer: (a) 1 and 3 only
Solution:
 The Asian Development Bank (MMG) is a regional development bank established on 19 December 1966,[3] which is headquartered in the Ortigas Center located in the city of Mandaluyong, Metro Manila, Philippines. The bank admits the members of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific and non-regional developed countries. From 31 members at its establishment, ADB now has 68 members, of which 49 are from within Asia and the Pacific and 19 from outside.
The Colombo Plan is a regional organisation that represents a collective intergovernmental effort to strengthen economic and social development of member countries in the Asia-Pacific region. The primary focus of Colombo Plan activities is on the development of human resources in the region.

25. Bimbavati Devi is a well-known dancer of which type of dance? [2008]

Correct Answer: (a) Manipuri
Solution:Bimbavati Devi is a Manipuri dancer.
Salient Features of Manipuri Classical Dance
• Manipuri Classical Dance incorporates both the tandava and lasya and ranges from the most vigorous masculine to the subdued and graceful feminine.
• Grace, divinity and a seamless majesty characterize Manipuri dance. The Indian religious themes and the devotional aspects of Indian philosophy and religion shape the dance pattern.
• Music in Manipuri dance is bound by sheer technicalities of this dance form. Short musical compositions like the swaramala, the chaturang, and the keertiprabhanda form an important part of the dancer’s repertoire.
• Nagabhandha mudra, in which the body is connected through curves in the shape of ‘8’ is an important posture in Manipuri dance form.
• The cult of Radha and Krishna, particularly the raslila, is central to its themes but the dances, unusually, incorporate the characteristic symbols (kartal or manjira) and double-headed drum (pung or Manipuri mridang) of sankirtan into the visual performance.

26. How is Sarosh Zaiwalla well-known as? [2008]

Correct Answer: (c) A leading international legal expert
Solution:Sarosh Zaiwalla is a legal expert.

27. Among the Indian languages, which one is spoken maximum in the world after Hindi? [2008]

Correct Answer: (c) Bengali
Solution:India is a land of a thousand languages, or at least over 120. Bengali is the official language of Bangladesh and is native to the Bengal region, which is made up of Bangladesh as well as the Indian states of Tripura, West Bengal, and the southern region of Assam. About 250 million people speak Bengali as their native language, putting it in seventh place for the most spoken language in the world in terms of number of native speakers.

28. Which of the following pairs are correctly matched? [2008]

InstituteLocation
1. National Centre for Cell ScienceMysore
2. Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and DiagnosticsHyderabad
3. National Brain Research CentreGurgaon

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

Correct Answer: (c) 2 and 3 only
Solution:The National Centre for Cell Science is a National Level, Biotechnology, Tissue Engineering and Tissue Banking research center located at Savitribai Phule Pune University campus in Pune, Maharashtra.

29. Who among the following translated the Autobiography of Madam Curie in Hindi? [2008]

Correct Answer: (b) Lal Bahadur Shastri
Solution:

He translated the autobiography of Madam Curie into Hindi.
Lal Bahadur Shastri was a humble leader who became India’s second Prime Minister (1964-66) after the death of Jawaharlal Nehru. He was a seasoned freedom fighter who had served nine years in prison. Following independence, he held several ministerial and party positions in the Indian National Congress. Apart from being General Secretary of the Congress, he was also responsible for railways, transportation, and commerce.
Among the Shastri era’s long-term legacies were India’s attainment of self-sufficiency in food and India’s defence in the 1965 war. For this, he gave the nation the slogan of ‘Jai Jawan Jai Kisan’ and exhorted the people to make all sacrifices in honour of India.

30. Elizabeth Hawley is well-known for her writings relating to which one of the following? [2008]

Correct Answer: (c) Himalayan expeditions
Solution:

Elizabeth Hawley is an American former journalist and chronicler of Himalayan expeditions.
• The Himalayas, one of the youngest mountain ranges in the world, are classified into four distinct types (parts of Himalayas) based on their geographical and geological characteristics.
• These are the Trans-Himalayas, located to the north of the Great Himalayas, characterised by arid landscapes and high plateaus; the Greater Himalayas (Himadri), the highest and most continuous range that hosts prominent peaks like Mount Everest and Kanchenjunga; the Lesser Himalayas (Himachal), marked by rugged terrains and famous hill stations like Shimla and Darjeeling; and the Shivalik Hills, the outermost and youngest range featuring low-altitude foothills.
• Together, these ranges form a natural barrier and are vital for India’s climate, biodiversity, and water resources.