SOLVED PAPER 2024 (CDS) (I) (General Knowledge)

Total Questions: 120

91. Consider the following statements about Rana Kumbha of Mewar.

Correct Answer: (a) 1, 2 and 3
Solution:All the statements are correct regarding Rana Kumbha of Mewar. He wrote a commentary on Jayadeva's Gita Govinda. Jayadeva was an Indian author of the Sanskrit poem Gita Govinda ('Song of the Cowherd [Krishna]'). Rana Kumbha also wrote an explanation on Chandisatkam.

Rana Kumbha was the author of four dramas in which he used Sanskrit, Prakrit, and local Rajasthani dialects. He also wrote treatises on music called 'Sangeet raj', 'Sangeet mimansa', 'Sangeet ratnakar' and 'Shudprabandha'. Rana Kumbha erected Kirti Stambha in Chittor in 1448 to commemorate his victory over the combined armies of Malwa and Gujarat led by Mahmud Khilji.

92. Who among the following Chola kings encouraged the Sailendra ruler of Sri Vijaya to build a Buddhist Vihara in Nagapatnam?

Correct Answer: (b) Rajaraja I
Solution:Rajaraja I, the Chola king, encouraged Sri Mara Vijayottungavarman, the Sailendra ruler of Sri Vijaya, to build a Buddhist Vihara at Nagapattinam. It was named as Chudamani Vihara monastery.

The Shailendra dynasty was the name of a notable Indianised dynasty that emerged in 8th-century Java, whose reign signified a cultural renaissance in the region.

93. Who among the following was not a court poet of king Krishnadevaraya?

Correct Answer: (d) Siddheshvara
Solution:Siddheshvara was not a court poet of king Krishnadevaraya. Timmana, Dhurjati and Mallana were the court poets of King Krishnadevaraya. The court of poets was also called Bhuvana Vijayam (Conquest of the World).

Siddheshvara (also known as Siddharameshwar or Siddharama) was one among the five acharya (saint) of the Veerashaiva faith.

94. The royal portraits of Simhavishnu and Mahendravarman are found in which cave temple at Mamallapuram?

Correct Answer: (c) Adivaraha Cave
Solution:The royal portraits of Simhavishnu and Mahendravarman are found in Adivaraha cave temple at Mamallapuram, in Kancheepuram district of Tamil Nadu. It is an example of Indian rock-cut architecture from the late 7th century. The temple is a UNESCO World Heritage Site as inscribed in 1984.

The most prominent sculpture in the cave is that of the Hindu god Vishnu in the incarnated form of a Varaha or boar lifting Bhudevi, the mother Earth goddess from the sea.

95. How many of the following statements about Bhakti poet Namdev is/are correct?

1. He seems to have a part in transmitting the Southern Bhakti to Northern India.
2. He was a rigorous monotheist and opposed caste distinctions.
3. He was a devout follower to Kabir.

Select the correct answer using the codes given below.

Correct Answer: (b) 2
Solution:Two Statements 1 and 2 about Bhakti poet Namdev are correct. He is also recognised in the North Indian traditions of the Dadu Panthis, Kabir Panthis and Sikhs.

Namdev was a Marathi Vaishnava saint from Narsi, Maharashtra. He was as a devotee of the deity Vithoba.

His philosophy contains both nirguna brahman and saguna brahman elements, with monistic themes.

His hymns reflected a belief in a universal God, one that did not discriminate based on caste, creed or gender.

Statement 3 is incorrect as he was contemporary of Kabir but not his follower. He was a follower of Pandharpur's Sri Purandara Vittala.

96. How many of the following statements regarding medicine and related practices in Medieval India is/are correct?

1. Indian medicine of the Graeco-Arabic traditon (Tibb-i-Yunani) was almost identical in its practice with contemporary Persian medicine.
2. Harvey's discovery of the 'circulation of blood' was explained to a scholarly noble by European traveller Francois Bernier.
3. The practice of smallpox inoculation was described in contemporary Yunani and Ayurvedic texts.

Select the correct answer.

Correct Answer: (c) 3
Solution:All three statements regarding medicine and related practices in Medieval India are correct.

Unani-tibb or Unani Medicine is a tradition of Graeco-Arabic medicine based on the teachings of Greek physician Hippocrates and Roman physician Galen. It developed into an elaborate medical system in middle age era by Arabian and Persian physicians.

Unani medicine first arrived in India around 12th or 13th century with establishment of Delhi Sultanate (1206-1527) and Islamic rule over North India and subsequently flourished under Mughal Empire.

Hence, statement 1 is correct.

Harvey's discovery of the circulation of the blood was explained to a scholarly noble by European traveller Francois Bernier. Hence statement 2 is correct.

The practice of smallpox inoculation was described in contemporary Yunani and Ayurvedic texts. Hence, statement 3 is correct.

97. Which of the following statements about Virashaivism is/are correct?

1. To Virashaivism traces its origin to the five great religious teachers - Renuka, Daruka, Ghantakarna, Dhenukarna and Vishvakarna.
2. The Virshaiva Philosophy is called Shaktivishishtadvaita the non-duality of God.
3. Ashtavarana are the eight rules of the Virashaivism to be observed by the followers.

Select the correct answer using the codes given below.

Correct Answer: (b) 1, 2 and 3
Solution:All the given statements about Virashaivism are correct. Virashaivism is a sect within the Shaivism fold of Hinduism. According to tradition, it was transmitted by Panchacharyas, or five acharyas: Renukacharya, Darukacharya, Ekorama, Panditharadhya, Vishwaradhya. Virashaivism acknowledges four entities Prakriti, Purusha, Para-prakriti and Para-Brahman that is Matter, Self, Will and Spirit.

There is an integral association between these four entities is clear enough from Shakti VishistaAdvaita which is the Virashaiva designation of philosophy of non-duality of god. The Virashaiva takes recourse to initiation by following Ashtavarana or 'eight aids to faith'.

98. Who propounded Kashmir Shaivism?

Correct Answer: (b) Abhinavagupta
Solution:Abhinavagupta propounded Kashmir Shaivism (also called Trika Shaivism). It is a non-dualist branch of Shaiva-Shakta Tantra Hinduism that originated in Kashmir after 850 CE. It later spread beyond Kashmir, with its great scholar Abhinavagupta calling it 'Trika' (meaning 'the Trinity').

99. Which one among the following is not under the jurisdiction of the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993?

Correct Answer: (d) The Human Rights Council
Solution:The Human Rights Council (UNHRC) is not under the jurisdiction of the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993. It is a United Nation's body whose mission is to promote and protect human rights around the world. The Council has 47 members elected for three-year terms on a regional group basis.

The headquarters of the Council is at the United Nations Office at Geneva in Switzerland. The Council was established by the United Nations General Assembly on 15th March, 2006, to replace the United Nations Commission on Human Rights.

100. According to Dr. BR Ambedkar, which one among the following articles is the 'Heart and Soul' of the Constitution of India?

Correct Answer: (d) Article 32
Solution:According to Dr. BR Ambedkar,-Article 32 is referred as 'Heart and Soul' of the Constitution of India. Article 32 Constitution (Right to Constitutional Remedies) is a fundamental right, which states that individuals have the right to approach the Supreme Court (SC) seeking enforcement of other fundamental rights recognised by the Constitution.