1. Who among the following has written “Bharat Durdasha”?
[A] Maithili Sharan Gupt
[B] Munshi Prem Chand
[C] Swami Sahajanand Saraswati
[D] Bharatendu Harishchandra
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [Bharatendu Harishchandra]
Notes:
Bharatendu Harishchandra (1850 – 1885) lived only for 34 years but he was such a great writer that he is known as father of modern Hindi literature as well as Hindi theatre. His pen name was “Rasa”. The title “Bharatendu” was conferred on him at a public meeting by scholars of Kashi in 1880 for his role in the development of Hindi Literature. Government of India confers the Bharatendu Harishchandra Awards since 1983 to promote original writings in Hindi mass communication.
2. Who among the following had written the Novel “Pather Panchali”, which was base of the film of same name by Satyajit Ray?
[A] Bankimchandra Chatterjee
[B] Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay
[C] Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay
[D] Shambhunath Pandit
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay]
Notes:
Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay (1894-1950) is best known for his autobiographical novel, Pather Panchali (The Song of the Road), which was later adapted (along with Aparajito, the sequel) into the Apu Trilogy films, directed by Satyajit Ray. Pather Panchali is considered Bibhutibhushan masterpiece and is included in the CBSE syllabus for students choosing to study Bengali.
3. Who among the following has written the famous Bangla book “Agni Vina”?
[A] Rabindra Nath Tagore
[B] Kazi Nazrul Islam
[C] Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay
[D] Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Kazi Nazrul Islam]
Notes:
Kazi Nazrul Islam was a famous Bengali poet, musician and revolutionary who pioneered poetic works invoking powerful spiritual rebellion against fascism and oppression. Accomplishing a plethora of highly praised works through his life, Nazrul is officially known as the ‘National poet of Bangladesh’ and celebrated in India.
4. Singhey Khababs Festival is celebrated in which among the following states / UTs of India?
[A] Himachal Pradesh
[B] Jammu & Kashmir
[C] Uttarakhand
[D] Punjab
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Jammu & Kashmir]
Notes:
Singhey Khababs Sindhu festival was started in 2001 by Union government to promote Lakakh as tourists’ destination in the country. Since then it is organised annually. It is celebrated to endorse the Indus River (Sindhu River) as a symbol of the communal harmony and unity of India. It also promotes cultural values and tourism in the region
5. The Saraswati Samman is an annual award for outstanding prose or poetry literary works in which of the following languages?
[A] Hindi Only
[B] Any Indian language or Dialect
[C] Any Indian Language included in 8th schedule of Indian Constitution
[D] Any Indo-Aryan language
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Any Indian Language included in 8th schedule of Indian Constitution]
Notes:
The Saraswati Samman is awarded for outstanding literary works in any Indian language included in the 8th Schedule of the Indian Constitution. This schedule recognizes 22 languages, including Hindi, Bengali, Tamil, and others, reflecting India’s linguistic diversity. Established in 1991 by the K. K. Birla Foundation, the award aims to promote and honor literary excellence across various Indian languages.
6. The word “El Niño” comes from which among the following languages?
[A] Arabic
[B] French
[C] Spanish
[D] Portuguese
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Correct Answer: C [Spanish]
Notes:
The term “El Niño” comes from Spanish, meaning “the boy.” It originally referred to the Christ child, as the phenomenon typically peaks around Christmas. El Niño is characterized by the warming of ocean surface temperatures in the central and eastern Pacific, impacting global weather patterns.
7. Who among the following authors wrote “Akbarshahi Srigardarpan”?
[A] Siddhichandra Upadhayaya
[B] Bhimsen
[C] Padma Shankar
[D] Jagannatha Pandit
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Padma Shankar]
Notes:
The Jain scholar, Padma Shankar wrote Akbar-Shahi Srinagar Darpan.
8. Taittriya Aranyakas and Taittriya Upanishad are associated to _?
[A] Rig-Veda
[B] Sama-Veda
[C] Krishna-Yajurveda
[D] Atharva-Veda
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Krishna-Yajurveda]
Notes:
Each Veda has its own Aranyakas and Upanisads. Aranyakas were mainly meant for ascetics who lived in forest. Kaushitaki Aranyakas and Aitareya Aranyakas are parts of Rig-Veda. Taittriya Aranyaka and Taittriya Upanisads are parts of Krishna-Yajurveda.
9. The doctrine of Advaita advocated that:
[A] God is Unique
[B] God is Immortal
[C] God is Knowledge
[D] God is Formless
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [ God is Unique]
Notes:
The doctrine of Advaita, or non-dualism, was advocated by Adi Shankaracharya. The doctrine states that there is no difference between the individual soul and Brahman, or the Supreme God. Shankara believed that the soul merges with Brahman and that liberation is achieved through self-realization.
Shankara was born in Kerala in the eighth century. He was a prominent Hindu philosopher who started a Hindu revivalist movement in the ninth century. However, his doctrines were too abstract for the general public to understand.
Advaita is a school of Hinduism. All Vedanta schools state that Brahman is both the efficient and material cause of all existence.
10. Which of the following is not among the six branches of Indian painting (shadanga)?
[A] Lavanya
[B] Sadrsya
[C] Varnikabhanga
[D] Khams
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [Khams]
Notes:
Shadanga or six limbs of Indian Painting are as follows:
Rupabheda: The knowledge of appearances.
Pramanam: Correct perception, measure and structure/proportion.
Bhava: Action of feelings on forms.
Lavanya Yojanam: Infusion of grace, artistic representation.
Sadradhyam: likeness or verisimilitude.
Varnikabhanga: Artistic manner of using the brush and colors.