13 January 2024

Q1. Consider the following statements about Vanadium:

1. It is a noble gas with no known chemical reactions.
2. It is a transition metal commonly used in steel alloys.
3. It is a radioactive element with a half-life of 10,000 years.

How many of the above given statements are correct?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) Only three

(d) None

Ans: (a)

Q2. Consider the following statements about Adi Shankaracharya:

1. He grew up in the Tamil culture, in a stable society during the rule of the Chola dynasty.
2. He was a disciple of the scholar Yadava Prakasa.
3. He consolidated the doctrine of Advaita Vedanta.

How many of the above given statements are correct?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) Only three

(d) None

Ans: (a)

Explanation: About Adi Shankaracharya:

• Born in Kaladi village on the bank of the Periyar, the largest river in Kerala
• He was a disciple of the scholar
• He was constantly on the move — bearing the flag of Advaita Vedanta, challenging prevailing philosophical traditions including Buddhism and Jainism.
• He is believed to have established the ritual practices at the Badri and Kedar dhams.

Q3. With reference to cultural history of India, consider the following statements:

1. Sri Ramanujacharya is the chief proponent of Vishishtadvaita subschool of Vedanta.
2. Sri Ramanujacharya was initiated into bhakti spirituality by the poet-saint Sundaramurti.
3. Siant Chokhamela and Sri Ramanujacharya are contemporaries.

How many of the above given statements are correct?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) Only three

(d) None

Ans: (a)

Explanation:  About Sri Ramanujacharya:

• Born in 1017 CE in Tamil Nadu.
• He is the most respected Acharya in the philosophy of Sri Vaishnavism.
• He was also referred to as Ilaya Perumal which means the radiant one.
• His philosophical foundations for devotionalism were influential to the Bhakti movement.
• He is famous as the chief proponent of Vishishtadvaita subschool of Vedānta.
• He wrote influential texts, such as bhāsya on the Brahma Sutras and the Bhagavad Gita, all in Sanskrit.
• S2: Ramanuja’s guru was Yādava Prakāśa, a scholar who was a part of the more ancient Advaita Vedānta monastic tradition. Sri Vaishnava tradition holds that Ramanuja disagreed with his guru and the non-dualistic Advaita Vedānta, and instead followed in the footsteps of Tamil Alvārs tradition, the scholars Nāthamuni and Yamunāchārya.
• S3: Chokhamela was a saint in Maharashtra, India in the 14th century. He belonged to the Mahar caste, one of the untouchable castes in India. He wrote many Abhangas. He was one of the first low-cast poets in India.

Q4. Consider the following statements About Omkareshwar Temple:

1. It is one of the 12 revered Jyotirlinga shrines of Shiva.
2. It is located on the Mandhata island along the Narmada River.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Ans: (c)

Explanation:

• Omkareshwar, located on the Mandhata island along the Narmada River, is home to two of the 12 Jyotirlingas, sacred to Lord Shiva. It is also near the Mahakaleshwara Jyotirlinga in Ujjain. The island hosts Shaivite, Vaisnavite, and Jain temples dating back to the 14th and 18th centuries.

Q5. Which of the following is/are famous for Sun temples?

1. Arasavalli
2. Amarakantak
3. Omkareshwar

Select the correct answer using the code given below :

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 1 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

Ans: (a)

Explanation:

• Statement 1: Arasavalli Sun Temple is a 7th-century AD Sun Temple at Arasavalli in Andhra Pradesh.
• Statement 3: Omkareshwar is a temple dedicated to God Shiva.