UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — From lapis-laden trade routes to mass armies: the changing value of blue

Q1. With reference to the history of blue pigments, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above are correct?

1. Egyptian Blue is a calcium copper silicate compound and is regarded as one of the earliest known synthetic pigments.
2. Prussian Blue is a coordination compound containing iron and cyanide.
3. Natural ultramarine pigment is extracted from the copper-bearing mineral malachite.
4. Indigo is a plant-derived blue dye whose chemical structure was determined by Adolf von Baeyer.

• A. 1, 2 and 3 only
• B. 1, 2 and 4 only
• C. 2, 3 and 4 only
• D. 1, 3 and 4 only

Q2. The 'Cultural Landscape and Archaeological Remains of the Bamiyan Valley', associated with the early use of ultramarine in Buddhist art, is inscribed on the World Heritage List by which one of the following bodies?

• A. UNESCO World Heritage Committee
• B. UN General Assembly Cultural Affairs Wing
• C. International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) Bureau
• D. IUCN World Heritage Panel

Q3. Prussian Blue, regarded as the first modern synthetic blue pigment and the earliest known coordination compound, was accidentally synthesised by Johann Jacob Diesbach in approximately which year?

• A. 1704
• B. 1756
• C. 1827
• D. 1883

Q4. Consider the following regions historically or currently identified as significant sources of lapis lazuli: Which of the above is NOT correctly identified as a recognised source of lapis lazuli?

1. Badakhshan in north-eastern Afghanistan
2. Pamir Mountains in Tajikistan
3. Ovalle region in Chile
4. Atacama plateau in Bolivia

• A. 1 only
• B. 2 only
• C. 3 only
• D. 4 only

Q5. The principal blue-coloured mineral constituent of lapis lazuli, from which natural ultramarine pigment is extracted, is:

• A. Lazurite
• B. Azurite
• C. Sodalite
• D. Cuprorivaite