UPSC Essentials | Daily Subject-wise quiz : History, Culture, and Social Issues (Week 11)

QUESTION 1

With reference to Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, consider the following statements:

1. He was the ruler of the Malwa kingdom.

2. He had a great interest in Mathematics, Architecture and Astronomy.

3. Bahadur Shah gave him the title of Saramad-I-Rajah-I-Hind.

How many of the above statements are correct?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) All three

(d) None

QUESTION 2

“Juna Khatiya”, one of the sites of Harappan Civilisation is located in which state?

(a) Haryana

(b) Gujarat

(c) Rajasthan

(d) Uttar Pradesh

QUESTION 3

With reference to the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI), consider the following statements:

1. It is responsible for reviewing and accrediting National Human Rights Institutions in compliance with the Paris Principles every five years.

2. The Sub Committee on Accreditation (SCA) to the Global Alliance for National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI) had granted ‘A’ status of accreditation to NHRC in 2023.

Which of the above statement(s) is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

QUESTION 4

Mangalagiri Sarees and Fabric, a geographical indication (GI) tag product is associated with which state?

(a) Madhya Pradesh

(b) Maharashtra

(c) Andhra Pradesh

(d) Tamil Nadu

QUESTION 5

With reference to the Sexual Harassment of Women at the Workplace Act, consider the following statements:

1. It is commonly known as the PoSH Act.

2. It was passed in the year 2017.

3. Showing pornography is not included in the act.

How many of the above statements are correct?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) All three

(d) None

ANSWERS TO MCQs

1. (a)

FYI:

— Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, the ruler of the Amber Kingdom, was born in Amber. Amber then was the capital city of the Kachwaha Rajputs. Hence, statement 1 is not correct.

— Jai Singh had a great interest in Mathematics, Architecture and Astronomy. Hence, statement 2 is correct.

— Muhammad Shah gave him the title of Saramad-I-Rajah-I-Hind on April 21, 1721. Hence, statement 3 is not correct.

— On June 2, 1723, Shah gave him the titles of Raj Rajeshvar, Shri Rajadhiraj and Maharaja Sawai.

Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer.

Source: (jaipur.rajasthan.gov.in)

2. (b)

FYI:

— The dry, arid soil on a 16-hectare expanse on the outskirts of Khatiya village in Gujarat’s Kutch district has thrown up several surprises — a shell bangle, pottery shards, stone blades, even human skeletal remains. Since 2018, a multi-disciplinary international team of archeologists has discovered 500 graves.

— The excavation has been Led by Rajesh S V, Assistant Professor in the Department of Archaeology at the University of Kerala, the researchers say that while it is established that the cemetery, believed to be 5,000 years old, belonged to the ‘pre-urban’ phase of the Harappan civilisation.

— The soil in Khatiya is acidic, facilitating the faster decomposition of bodies. Therefore, researchers are finding it hard to extract DNA from samples excavated from this site.

Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer.

3. (a)

FYI:

— The GANHRI is responsible for reviewing and accrediting National Human Rights Institutions in compliance with the Paris Principles every five years. Hence, statement 1 is correct.

— As part of this process, the review of NHRC, India was due in March 2023, for its re-accreditation, which has been deferred for a year, meaning, thereby no final decision has been taken as yet.”

— For the second time in a row, an organisation affiliated to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and representing more than a hundred national human rights institutions, has deferred re-accreditation of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) of India for a year.

— The Sub Committee on Accreditation (SCA) to the Global Alliance for National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI) had granted ‘A’ status of accreditation to NHRC in 2017. Hence, statement 2 is not correct.

— The NHRC got ‘A’ status of accreditation for the first time in 1999, which it retained in 2006, 2011, and in 2017 after it was deferred for a year. 

Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer.

4. (c)

FYI:

— Mangalagiri Sarees and fabrics are made of pure cotton fabric.

— The material is durable and produced in the Mangalagiri region near the Guntur region of Andhra Pradesh.

Therefore, option (c) is the correct answer.

Source: (search.ipindia.gov.in)

5. (a)

FYI:

— An investigation revealed that more than half — 16 — of India’s 30 national sports federations do not have an Internal Complaints Committee (ICC), a legal requirement under the Prevention of Sexual Harassment (PoSH) Act, 2013.

— The government’s committee headed by boxer M C Mary Kom that looked into the allegations of the wrestlers who have been protesting at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, the BJP MP who runs wrestling in India, has flagged the absence of the ICC at the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) as a “major finding”.

— The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, is commonly known as the PoSH Act. Hence, statement 1 is correct.

— It was passed in 2013. It defined sexual harassment, lay down the procedures for complaint and inquiry, and the action to be taken in cases of sexual harassment.

— The Vishaka Guidelines defined sexual harassment and imposed three key obligations on institutions — prohibition, prevention, and redress. Hence, statement 2 is not correct.

— The PoSH Act subsequently mandated that every employer must constitute an Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) at each office or branch that had 10 or more employees.

— Under the 2013 law, sexual harassment includes “any one or more” of the following “unwelcome acts or behaviour” committed directly or by implication:

(i) Physical contact and advances

(ii) A demand or request for sexual favours

(iii) Sexually coloured remarks

(iv) Showing pornography (Hence, statement 3 is not correct)

(v) Any other unwelcome physical, verbal or non-verbal conduct of sexual nature.

Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer.

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