Art & Culture MCQs for UPSC Prelims
Q1. The seat from which the rulers of the former Bastar princely state administered their territory, and which lies just south of the Indravati river, is which present-day city?
- A. Dantewada, the shrine town of the ruling house's tutelary goddess
- B. Kanker, the headquarters of a separate princely state to the north
- C. Jagdalpur, an upland town encircled by dense forest
- D. Kondagaon, a craft centre on the plateau's northern approach
Q2. In accounts of the founding of the Bastar ruling house, the term 'Danteshwari Mai' denotes which one of the following?
- A. The hereditary office of diwan through which the ruling house administered its forest tracts
- B. The mother goddess installed by the Kakatiya rulers who moved to Bastar from Warangal
- C. The tract of upland forest reserved for the exclusive hunting use of the ruling house
- D. The assembly of village headmen that confirmed each new ruler of the Bastar house
Q3. The over-a-century-old red heritage hall in Lalbagh, built in the Indo-Classical colonial style and later pulled down by the horticulture department, had how many granite-cored Ionic columns at its front?
- A. Two
- B. Four
- C. Six
- D. Eight
Q4. Which one of the following, a Kew Gardens-trained botanist of German birth who died in Bengaluru in 1956, served as Superintendent of Lalbagh from 1908 to the early 1930s?
- A. John Cameron
- B. William New
- C. M. H. Marigowda
- D. Gustav Hermann Krumbiegel
Q5. In the framework under which India and Uzbekistan cooperate on conservation of their shared Buddhist-era and Silk Road heritage, the expression 'State Party' to the World Heritage Convention denotes which one of the following?
- A. A country that has ratified or acceded to the Convention and thereby undertakes to identify and protect the heritage situated in its own territory
- B. A country elected for a fixed term to the intergovernmental committee that administers the Convention and decides on nominations received
- C. A country that has secured the inscription of at least one property in its territory and is therefore bound by the Convention's obligations
- D. A country that pays an annual compulsory contribution to the Heritage Fund in proportion to its assessed dues to the parent organisation
Q6. The Prime Minister Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana, cleared by the Union Cabinet for a six-year period covering 100 agricultural districts, commences from which financial year?
- A. 2024-25
- B. 2025-26
- C. 2026-27
- D. 2027-28
Q7. With reference to India's climate-resilient agriculture research effort, consider the following statements:
1. More than 2,900 climate-resilient crop varieties were released during 2014-2025 under the National Agricultural Research System led by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research.
2. Location-specific climate-resilient technologies have been demonstrated through Krishi Vigyan Kendras in more than 400 model Climate Resilient Villages.
3. District Agriculture Contingency Plans have been prepared only for those districts categorised as 'very high' in climate vulnerability, and not for the full set of districts assessed.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- More than 2,900 climate-resilient crop varieties were released during 2014-2025 under the National Agricultural Research System led by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research.
- Location-specific climate-resilient technologies have been demonstrated through Krishi Vigyan Kendras in more than 400 model Climate Resilient Villages.
- District Agriculture Contingency Plans have been prepared only for those districts categorised as 'very high' in climate vulnerability, and not for the full set of districts assessed.
- A. 1 and 2 only
- B. 1 and 3 only
- C. 2 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3
Q8. With reference to soil health management in India, consider the following statements:
1. Since 2022-23, the Soil Health Card Scheme has been implemented as the 'Soil Health & Fertility' component of the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana.
2. Village Level Soil Testing Labs under the scheme may be set up by rural youth entrepreneurs, Self Help Groups and schools, besides agricultural universities.
3. Soil Health Management is one of the components with which the National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture was initially approved.
4. Soil testing under the scheme is now carried out exclusively in static laboratories run by State agriculture departments, mobile and mini laboratories having been discontinued.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- Since 2022-23, the Soil Health Card Scheme has been implemented as the 'Soil Health & Fertility' component of the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana.
- Village Level Soil Testing Labs under the scheme may be set up by rural youth entrepreneurs, Self Help Groups and schools, besides agricultural universities.
- Soil Health Management is one of the components with which the National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture was initially approved.
- Soil testing under the scheme is now carried out exclusively in static laboratories run by State agriculture departments, mobile and mini laboratories having been discontinued.
- A. 1 and 3 only
- B. 2 and 4
- C. 1, 2 and 3
- D. 3 and 4
Q9. Since its inception, approximately how much area has been brought under micro-irrigation through the 'Per Drop More Crop' scheme?
- A. About 62 lakh hectares
- B. About 85 lakh hectares
- C. About 111 lakh hectares
- D. About 140 lakh hectares
Q10. The 'Per Drop More Crop' scheme is implemented by which one of the following?
- A. Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Ministry of Jal Shakti
- B. Department of Land Resources, Ministry of Rural Development
- C. Department of Agricultural Research and Education, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare
- D. Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare
Q11. 'National Innovations in Climate Resilient Agriculture' is best described as which one of the following?
- A. A centrally sponsored mission under the National Action Plan on Climate Change, implemented through State agriculture departments for rainfed area development and on-farm water management
- B. A network research project launched by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research in 2011, built on strategic research, technology demonstration and capacity building
- C. A component of the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana that subsidises drip and sprinkler systems to raise water-use efficiency on farmers' fields
- D. A component of the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana that finances village-level soil testing laboratories and issues nutrient recommendations to farmers
Q12. The National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture was initially approved for implementation with how many major components?
- A. Two
- B. Three
- C. Five
- D. Eight
Q13. In accounts of the origin of Vande Mataram, the term 'Bangadarshan' refers to which one of the following?
- A. The standalone edition, brought out in 1882, of the novel in which the song appears
- B. The literary journal in which the novel containing the song first appeared in serialised form
- C. The musical setting given to the song by Rabindranath Tagore for a session of the Indian National Congress
- D. The statement made by the President of the Constituent Assembly in 1950 on the status of the song
Q14. With reference to the framework governing feeder-level solarisation under PM-KUSUM, which one of the following is correct?
- A. The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy issued separate implementation guidelines for it, extending the Component-C guidelines that had first been issued in 2019
- B. The Central Electricity Authority issued the implementation guidelines for it, extending the Component-C framework that had first been notified in 2015
- C. It was added to the scheme as a fourth component, distinct from Components A, B and C, by the Ministry of Power at the time of the scheme's launch
- D. Its central financial assistance is fixed at 30 per cent uniformly across all States, no higher rate being available for hilly, north-eastern or island regions
Q15. PM-KUSUM 2.0 is being formulated as a fresh scheme rather than an extension of the existing one. Which one of the following ministries is formulating it?
- A. The Ministry of Power, which oversees distribution reform and the functioning of state distribution companies
- B. The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare, which administers central schemes for farm mechanisation and micro-irrigation
- C. The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, which administers the existing PM-KUSUM scheme and its three components
- D. The Ministry of Jal Shakti, which is responsible for groundwater assessment and command area water use efficiency
Q16. In the design of PM-KUSUM 2.0 currently under formulation, which one of the following has been identified as the most critical and scalable element of the next phase?
- A. Feeder-level solarisation under Component-C, to secure daytime agricultural power and ease the subsidy burden on distribution companies
- B. Standalone off-grid solar pumps under Component-B, to complete the replacement of diesel pumps on holdings away from the distribution network
- C. Decentralised ground-mounted plants under Component-A, made bankable through access to the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund for participating farmers
- D. Agro-photovoltaic installations permitting cultivation beneath elevated solar structures, so that cropped land is not lost to generation
Q17. With reference to the reported component-wise achievement of PM-KUSUM as of the latest available data, which one of the following statements is correct?
- A. Within Component-C, feeder-level solarisation accounts for the overwhelming majority of the pumps covered so far
- B. Component-A alone accounts for the entire solar capacity so far reported as installed under the scheme
- C. Component-B has installed standalone pumps in every block notified as over-exploited for groundwater
- D. Component-C has already achieved its full target of grid-connected pumps ahead of the scheme's closing date
Q18. Consider the following statements regarding the implementation status of PM-KUSUM:
1. Installed capacity under Component-A had crossed 640 MW by August 2025.
2. More than 9 lakh standalone solar pumps had been installed under Component-B by October 2025.
3. The scheme's overall solar capacity target is 34,800 MW, with central financial support of about Rs 34,422 crore.
4. Within Component-C, the number of pumps covered through feeder-level solarisation is smaller than the number covered through individual pump solarisation.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- Installed capacity under Component-A had crossed 640 MW by August 2025.
- More than 9 lakh standalone solar pumps had been installed under Component-B by October 2025.
- The scheme's overall solar capacity target is 34,800 MW, with central financial support of about Rs 34,422 crore.
- Within Component-C, the number of pumps covered through feeder-level solarisation is smaller than the number covered through individual pump solarisation.
- A. 1 and 2 only
- B. 1, 2 and 3 only
- C. 2, 3 and 4 only
- D. 3 and 4 only
Q19. In the context of PM-KUSUM's Component-C, 'feeder-level solarisation' refers to which one of the following arrangements?
- A. Setting up a solar power plant to serve a dedicated agricultural feeder of the distribution network, so that pumps on that feeder run on solar power without panels on each pump
- B. Fitting solar panels on each grid-connected agriculture pump individually, the pump retaining its existing connection to the distribution network for night-time use
- C. Supplying standalone off-grid solar pumps to farmers located in pockets where the agricultural feeder has not yet been energised by the distribution company
- D. Separating agricultural feeders from domestic and industrial feeders so that the hours of farm power supply can be rationed by the distribution company
Q20. Under Component-B of PM-KUSUM, central financial assistance for standalone solar agriculture pumps is available for pumps up to which one of the following capacities?
- A. 3 horsepower
- B. 5 horsepower
- C. 7.5 horsepower
- D. 10 horsepower
Q21. Consider the following entities:
1. Water User Associations
2. Farmer Producer Organisations
3. Panchayats
4. Distribution companies setting up plants on their own land as project developers
Which of the above are correctly identified as entities eligible to install solar power plants under Component-A of PM-KUSUM?
- Water User Associations
- Farmer Producer Organisations
- Panchayats
- Distribution companies setting up plants on their own land as project developers
- A. 1 and 2 only
- B. 2, 3 and 4 only
- C. 1, 2 and 3 only
- D. 1, 3 and 4 only
Q22. Under the revised component-wise targets of PM-KUSUM, which one of the following carries the largest target in terms of the number of agricultural pumps to be covered?
- A. Component-A, covering decentralised ground-mounted grid-connected solar plants of up to 2 MW set up on barren, fallow or marshy land
- B. Component-B, covering standalone off-grid solar-powered agriculture pumps supported through central financial assistance on benchmark cost
- C. Component-C, covering solarisation of existing grid-connected agriculture pumps, including through feeder-level solarisation of agricultural feeders
- D. Component-C, but restricted to individual pump solarisation, feeder-level solarisation being counted under a separate capacity-based target
Q23. In the procedure of the World Heritage Convention, what does a State Party's 'Tentative List' consist of?
- A. Inscribed properties facing serious and specific danger, for which assistance may be sought from the World Heritage Fund
- B. Nominations forwarded by the Advisory Bodies to the World Heritage Committee for a final decision at its annual session
- C. An inventory of properties in its territory that it intends to consider for nomination in the coming years, inclusion in which is a prerequisite for any nomination
- D. Properties inscribed on a provisional basis, subject to the State Party completing boundary demarcation within a fixed period
Q24. Which one of the following was the most recent Indian property to be inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, becoming the country's 44th World Heritage property?
- A. Santiniketan
- B. Dholavira: A Harappan City
- C. Sacred Ensembles of the Hoysalas
- D. Maratha Military Landscapes of India
Q25. The improper use of the State Emblem of India, which is adapted from the Lion Capital erected at Sarnath, is prohibited and regulated by which one of the following enactments?
- A. The Emblems and Names (Prevention of Improper Use) Act, 1950
- B. The Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971
- C. The Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958
- D. The State Emblem of India (Prohibition of Improper Use) Act, 2005
Q26. Which one of the following was the first language to be accorded the status of a Classical Language by the Government of India?
- A. Sanskrit, which alone among Indian languages satisfies the antiquity requirement of 1500–2000 years
- B. Tamil, declared when the Classical Languages category was created in 2004
- C. Telugu, the earliest of the Dravidian languages to be recognised in this category
- D. Odia, the only language recognised on the basis of an entirely original literary tradition
Q27. Consider the following statements about the Jantar Mantar observatories:
1. The Jantar Mantar at Jaipur was built by Sawai Jai Singh II and completed in 1738.
2. It was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List under cultural criteria (iii) and (iv).
3. The Rashivalaya Yantra at the site is a group of twelve instruments, one corresponding to each sign of the zodiac.
4. Sawai Jai Singh II built such masonry observatories at five places — Delhi, Jaipur, Ujjain, Mathura and Puri.
Which of the above is/are NOT correct?
- The Jantar Mantar at Jaipur was built by Sawai Jai Singh II and completed in 1738.
- It was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List under cultural criteria (iii) and (iv).
- The Rashivalaya Yantra at the site is a group of twelve instruments, one corresponding to each sign of the zodiac.
- Sawai Jai Singh II built such masonry observatories at five places — Delhi, Jaipur, Ujjain, Mathura and Puri.
- A. 1 and 3
- B. 2 only
- C. 2 and 4
- D. 4 only
Q28. Consider the following statements comparing the Jantar Mantar at Jaipur with the other masonry observatories built by Sawai Jai Singh II:
1. The Jaipur observatory is the most comprehensive and best preserved of these observatories, comprising some twenty main fixed instruments.
2. The instruments at Jaipur are masonry constructions designed for observation of astronomical positions with the naked eye, that is, they are pre-telescopic in conception.
3. Among these observatories it is the one at Delhi that stands inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, the Jaipur observatory being only a nationally protected monument.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- The Jaipur observatory is the most comprehensive and best preserved of these observatories, comprising some twenty main fixed instruments.
- The instruments at Jaipur are masonry constructions designed for observation of astronomical positions with the naked eye, that is, they are pre-telescopic in conception.
- Among these observatories it is the one at Delhi that stands inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, the Jaipur observatory being only a nationally protected monument.
- A. 1 only
- B. 1 and 2 only
- C. 2 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3
Q29. In the guidelines of centrally sponsored agricultural missions such as the National Food Security Mission and the Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture, the stipulation relating to women farmers requires that:
- A. at least 30 per cent of the beneficiaries selected in each district be women, whatever the amount actually spent on them
- B. women farmers be given a rate of subsidy 30 per cent higher than the rate applicable to other categories of farmers
- C. at least 30 per cent of the land brought under mission-supported cultivation be recorded in the names of women
- D. at least 30 per cent of the expenditure be earmarked for women farmers by States and implementing agencies
Q30. With reference to the position of women in Indian agriculture, consider the following:
1. Women form roughly one-third of the country's cultivators.
2. Women form more than 40 per cent of the country's agricultural labourers.
3. Women's share in operational holdings is roughly equal to their share among cultivators.
4. Women's share among agricultural labourers is larger than their share among cultivators.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- Women form roughly one-third of the country's cultivators.
- Women form more than 40 per cent of the country's agricultural labourers.
- Women's share in operational holdings is roughly equal to their share among cultivators.
- Women's share among agricultural labourers is larger than their share among cultivators.
- A. 1 and 3
- B. 1, 2 and 4
- C. 2, 3 and 4
- D. 3 and 4 only