Daily Quiz #5 UPSC Prelims Marathon – October 7, 2019

Explanation: Number of additional members in Imperial Legislative Councils and the Provincial Legislative Councils was raised. In Imperial Legislative Council, now the governor-general could have ten to sixteen non-officials (instead of six to ten previously).
•The non-official members of the Indian legislative council were to be nominated by the Bengal Chamber of Commerce and provincial legislative councils. The members could be recommended by universities, municipalities, zamindars and chambers of commerce. So the principle of representation was introduced.
•Budget could be discussed.
•Questions could be asked.

Explanation: Bengal National College, inspired by Tagore’s Shantiniketan, was set up with Aurobindo Ghosh as its principal. Soon national schools and colleges sprang up in various parts of the country. On August 15, 1906, the National Council of Education was set up to organise a system of education— literary, scientific and technical—on national lines and under national control.

Explanation: Jainism is a very ancient world religion with a history of over 3000 years, which originated in the Indian subcontinent, like Hinduism and Buddhism. Although it has some similarities with both traditions, Jainism is different from them with its own unique and distinguishing features. It is also older than Buddhism and is truly one of the most ancient and living religions of the world, besides Hinduism and Judaism. Jaina Dharma, as it is known popularly, is a truly ascetic religion which places heavy emphasis upon ethical conduct, personal purity for the liberation of the individual Souls. Jainism does not believe in a Creator God. It accepts the material universe as a self-existing system. Everything in it, including the individual Soul, is an aspect of matter. Each Soul is eternal but it has states, shapes and sizes. In the bound state (bandha) it is subject to karma and rebirth. It attains liberation only when it is able to completely get rid of karma. Jainism was founded by 24 Perfect Beings, known as Tirthankaras, who appeared upon earth in the past and laid the foundation for its doctrine. Mahavira was the last and the most popular of the Tirthankaras. Since it is a difficult and austere religion, from the earliest times, Jainism enjoyed popularity only among certain sections of Indian society, especially merchant communities. It is a predominantly Indian religion, with some following abroad. In this section we included information on the history, beliefs, practices, philosophy, and ethics of Jainism, and comparison with other faiths.

Explanation: The period for Gupta age is in between 320-540 AD. In this time actually in India rapid development took place in different fields like in the field of art, architecture literature, philosophy, trade, science, and agriculture. Therefore, this age is called the golden age of Indian history. Sri Gupta is the founder of Gupta dynasty. However, Chandragupta was the first powerful ruler. In 320 AD he ascended the throne. He had the matrimonial alliance with Lichchhavi princess. So, in the history of Gupta Empire, this was the main turning point. Famous astronomers and mathematicians like Aryabhatta and Varahmihira wrote their work. Vishnu temple at Tigwa, Shiva temple at Bhumara, and Parvati temples were built at that time. The Buddhist cave in Ajanta and Bagh caves at Gwalior were of that period which is excellent for Indian art. Under the time of Guptas, Buddhism and Hinduism flourished well. At that time, the Sanskrit language reached its excellence.

Explanation: The Ghadr Party was a revolutionary group organized around a weekly newspaper The Ghadr with its headquarters at San Francisco and branches along the US coast and in the Far East. These revolutionaries included mainly ex-soldiers and peasants who had migrated from the Punjab to the USA and Canada in search of better employment opportunities. They were based in the US and Canadian cities along the western (Pacific) coast.