Day 30- 16 Dec - UPSC Prelim English Quiz Solution

Day 30- 16 Dec - UPSC Prelim English Quiz Solution

Based on UPSC Syllabus and Current Affairs

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Q 1. Which among the following was/were factors responsible for decline of Indian Handicraft industry in the 19th century?

1. One-way free trade policy of British.

2. Loss of patronage by princes and nobility.

3. Competetion from machine made goods imported from Britain.

Which of the statements given above is/are not correct?

a) 2 and 3 only
b) 1 and 3 only
c) 1, 2 and 3 only
d) 1 and 2
Solution:   c Explaination   

In the 19th century there was a rapid decline in artistic excellence and economic importance of indian handicrafts because of the following reasons:

The newly introduced rail network helped the european products to reach the remotest corner of the country.

Indian artisans and handicraftsman were feeling the crunch due to loss of patronage by princes and nobility who were now under influence of new western taste and values.

On one hand, there was competition of highly developed form of machine industry and on other hand lack of development of modern machine industry in India.

Charter Act of 1813 allowed the one way free trade for the British citizens which in turn made Indian markets flooded with cheap and machine made imports. In addition, Indian products founded more and more difficult to penetrate the European markets, after 1820 European market were virtually closed to Indian export. Now, India from being a net exporter, became a net importer.

Q 2. Consider the following statements regarding Zamindars, who emerged due to the changed economic relations during British rule:

1. They were landowners who collected revenue on behalf of the company.

2. They made investment in agriculture to increase their own share of revenue.

3. They were never disposed off from their land ownership rights under any condition.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

a) 1 only
b) 1 and 2 only
c) 2 and 3 only
d) 1, 2 and 3
Solution:   a Explaination   

Statement 1 is correct: The economic impact was felt hard as new land relations and Zamindars emerged who were landowners as well as collected revenue on behalf of the company. By 1815, half of the total land in Bengal had passed into new hands—merchants, moneylenders and other moneyed classes living in towns.

Statement 2 is not correct: Increase in number of intermediaries to be paid gave rise to absentee landlordism and increased the burden on the peasant. Since the demand for land was high, prices went up and so did the liabilities of the peasant. With no traditional or benevolent ties with the tenants, the zamindar had no incentive to invest in the improvement of agriculture.

Statement 3 is not correct: Once British policy in the mid-nineteenth century changed to one of reform and intervention in custom, the zamindars were vocal in their opposition. The Permanent Settlement had the features that state demand was fixed at 89% of the rent and 11% was to be retained by the Zamindars. The state demand could not be increased but payment should be made on the due date, before sunset and so it is also known as the 'Sunset Law'. Failure to pay led to the sale of land to the highest bidder.

Q 3. A. O. Hume, a retired British civil servant, was accepted as the chief organizer of the Indian National Congress by the leaders of that time. What is the most appropriate reason for this?

a) To utilize the administrative knowledge of A. O. Hume.
b) Indian Leaders had little organisational experience.
c) To avoid the official hostility at the early stage.
d) Differences of opinion among the Indian leaders.
Solution:   c Explaination   

A. O. Hume was a man of high ideals with whom the Indian leaders did not find dishonour to co-operate. However, the main reason for selecting him as the chief organiser lies in the conditions of the time. Considering the size of the subcontinent, there were very few political persons in the early 1880s and the tradition of open opposition to the rulers was not yet firmly entrenched. The Indian leaders decided to cooperate with A. O. Hume because they did not want to arouse the official hostility at such an early stage of their work. They assumed that the rulers would be less suspicious if its chief organizer was a retired British Civil servant.

Q 4. Kerch strait links

a) Java sea and Indian Ocean
b) Adriatic and Ionian Sea
c) Bering sea and Chukchi Sea
d) Sea of Azov and Black Sea
Solution:   d    https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-46345697?intlink_from_url=https://www.bbc.com/news/topics/crr7mlg0d21t/ukraine-conflict&link_location=live-reporting-story

Russian forces fired on, boarded and captured three of Kiev’s ships on Sunday off the coast of Crimea, sparking the most dangerous crisis between the ex-Soviet neighbours in years. The incident was the first major confrontation at sea in the long-running conflict pitting Ukraine against Moscow and Russian-backed separatists in the country’s east.

Q 5. Largest reserves of thorium in India is located in

a) Gujarat
b) Jharkhand
c) Andhra Pradesh
d) Goa
Solution:   c Explaination   http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20181016-why-india-wants-to-turn-its-beaches-into-nuclear-fuel

Thorium-bearing mineral monazite occurs in association with other Beach Sand Minerals (BSM) such as ilmenite, rutile, zircon, garnet and sillimanite in unconsolidated form along the coastal and inland placer sands of the country. Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research (AMD), a constituent unit of Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) has identified and evaluated 128 BSM deposits in the coastal beach placer sands in parts of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat and in the inland riverine placer sands in parts of Jharkhand and West Bengal. State-wise details of in situ monazite resource established by AMD.