UPPCS Prelims 2024 · GS Paper I: Consider the following statements with respect to Ashoka :1. The definition of Dhamma given…
Consider the following statements with respect to Ashoka :
- 1. The definition of Dhamma given by Ashoka is taken from "Rahulovada-sutta".
- 2. In the 14th year of his coronation, Ashoka appointed a new type of official called Dhamma-mahamatras.
Which of the above statements is/are correct ?
Answer (a) & explanation
Option (a), both, is the key. Statement 1 is accepted: many textbooks say Ashoka's definition of Dhamma draws on the Buddhist Rahulovada-sutta, in which the Buddha teaches his son Rahula about truthfulness and right conduct; the Bhabru edict lists a Rahulovada among texts Ashoka recommended. Statement 2 is right: Rock Edict V says that when he had been consecrated 13 years, that is in his 14th regnal year, Ashoka created the new post of Dhamma-mahamattas to spread Dhamma. Note: the link between his definition of Dhamma and that sutta is a textbook view rather than a settled fact, so statement 1 is somewhat doubtful. Concept: Rock Edict XIII describes the Kalinga war and remorse.
Dhamma-mahamattas were created in the 14th regnal year (Rock Edict V).
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Question as printed in UPPSC's official question booklet. Source: uppsc.up.nic.in
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Related questions from other years
Consider the following statements about the Rigvedic period :
- I. Irrigation from wells allowed agriculture to expand away from flood plains and strips on river margins into the present Punjab and Haryana plains having underground water levels reasonably close to the surface.
- II. Draught-animal power was employed to draw up water out of the wells.
Which of the following information support/supports the above statements ?
- 1. There is evidence in the Rigveda of the use of ashma chakra (stone pulley wheel) and ahava (strapped wooden pails) to draw up water.
- 2. Mention has been made in the Rigveda of the use of implements like parashu/ kulisha (axe) and datra /sreni (sickle).
- 3. There is a history of the use of ox, even before the Rigveda, for ploughing the land and pulling the carts.
Select the answer using the code given below :
Answer (c) & explanation
Information 1 and 3 support the statements (c). Item 1 is right: the ashma chakra (stone pulley wheel) and ahava (strapped wooden pails) of the Rigveda show water being lifted from wells, which supports Statement I. Item 3 is right: the ox was already used for ploughing and pulling carts before the Rigveda, so animal power was available to lift water, which supports Statement II. Item 2 is wrong: axes and sickles are farm tools, but they say nothing about wells or irrigation.
Notice the method: in such questions, ask whether each fact directly supports the claim, not just whether it is true. The Rigvedic economy was mainly pastoral, with cattle as wealth (gavishti, the search for cows, meant war). Iron and big farming came later.
Statement 2 is true, but it does not support either statement. "Supports" questions test relevance, not truth.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Consider the following assertion :
In the Pleistocene period either the Yamuna once flowed into the Indus, or the Sutlej flowed into the Yamuna and one major tributary of either had shifted from the Ganga to the Indus or vice versa.
Which of the following is/are the basis of the above assertion ?
- 1. The Nadi-Sukta of the Rigveda
- 2. The explorations of the Sutlej and the Yamuna by Robert Bruce Foote
- 3. The presence of the same species of dolphins in both the Indus and the Ganga river systems
Select the answer using the code given below :
Answer (d) & explanation
Only the dolphin evidence is a basis (d). Item 3 is right: the Indus and Ganga river dolphins are so close that they were long treated as one species, which only makes sense if the two river systems were once joined. Item 1 is wrong: the Pleistocene ended about 12,000 years ago, long before the Rigveda, so the Nadi-Sukta cannot be evidence for it. Item 2 is wrong: Robert Bruce Foote worked on the stone ages of South India, not these rivers.
Notice the Ganges river dolphin is India's national aquatic animal, and is nearly blind, using echolocation. Project Dolphin (2020) protects it. The Indus dolphin lives mainly in Pakistan, with a small group in the Beas in Punjab.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Which of the following pairs of ancient and modern names of rivers is/are correctly matched ?
- 1. Vitasta : Chenab
- 2. Asikni : Jhelum
- 3. Parushni : Ravi
- 4. Yavyavati : Beas
Select the answer using the code given below :
Answer (c) & explanation
Only pair 3 is correctly matched (c). In the Rigveda, Parushni = Ravi, so pair 3 is right. Pairs 1 and 2 are swapped: Vitasta = Jhelum, and Asikni = Chenab. Pair 4 is wrong: Yavyavati is usually taken as the Zhob, a western river; the Beas is the Vipas. So options (a), (b) and (d) fail.
Notice the full list: Shutudri = Sutlej, Sindhu = Indus, Kubha = Kabul, Gomati = Gomal, and Sarasvati, often linked to the Ghaggar-Hakra. The Battle of Ten Kings (Dasarajna), won by Sudas of the Bharatas, was fought on the Parushni. These rivers form the "Sapta Sindhu" region.
Pairs 1 and 2 swap the right names, which catches a hurried reader.
Fell for this one? Most aspirants do. The PYQ Book puts every UPSC trap side by side, so the pattern finally clicks. Try the free sample
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
What does an empty seat represent in early Buddhist iconography ?
Answer (a) & explanation
An empty seat represents the Buddha's meditation (a). Early Buddhist art at Bharhut and Sanchi does not show the Buddha in human form. Symbols stand in for him: an empty seat, often under the Bodhi tree, for his meditation and enlightenment. Option (b) is wrong: a wheel stands for the First Sermon at Sarnath. Option (c) is wrong: a stupa stands for the Mahaparinibbana, his death. Option (d) is wrong: a horse stands for the Great Departure (Mahabhinishkramana).
Notice the later change: the Gandhara and Mathura schools, under the Kushanas, first showed the Buddha as a human. Other symbols: a lotus or elephant for his birth, and footprints for his presence. This early stage is called aniconic.
The key follows UPSC's provisional key. The usual symbol table pairs each event with a different sign, so learn all four together.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.