Question Discussion & Solution

1^st letter: Decrease by - 1

O - 1→ N – 1 → M - 1 → L – 1 → K

2^nd letter: increase by + 2

L + 2 → N + 2→ P + 2 → R + 2 → T

3^rd letter: Decrease by - 1

T - 1→ S – 1 → R - 1 → Q – 1 → P

The correct answer is Afforestation.

• Afforestation is not a cause of soil erosion.

Key Points

• Afforestation is planting trees on an area of land in order to form a forest.
• Removal of the top layer of soil when it is exposed to wind and rain is easily blown or washed away. This condition is known as soil erosion.
  • Basically, the soil cover is removed by two powerful agents– (i) Running water, (ii) Wind.
• Deforestation, overgrazing, floods, Landslides and heavy rainfall have led to soil erosion.

The correct answer is constitutional authority.

Key Points

• The State Election Commission is the Constitutional body responsible for conducting and supervising elections to the local bodies in the State.
• The State Election Commission of Rajasthan was constituted in July 1994 under Article 243K of the Constitution of India.
• The State Election Commission of Rajasthan is a single member Committee headed by the State Election Commissioner.
• It has a Secretary who is also the Chief Electoral Officer for the State.
• The Commission discharges its Constitutional duty by way of preparing electoral rolls and holding elections for Panchayati Raj Institutions as well as for Municipal bodies.
• Elections to Panchayati Raj Institutions are being held in Rajasthan since 1960. The first election was conducted in 1960 by the Panchayat Department.
• Elections to Municipal bodies are being held in Rajasthan since 1960 by the local self department.
• Praveen Gupta, IAS is the present Chief Electoral Officer for the Rajasthan State.

Additional Information

• There are basically two types of bodies,
  • Constitutional Bodies - Those bodies which are mentioned in the constitution of India are known as Constitutional Bodies, For example, Finance commission (Article 280), Election Commission (Article 324), UPSC & SPSC (Article 315).
  • Extra Constitutional Bodies - Those bodies which are not mentioned in the constitution of India but are established by our parliament. 
    • They are further divided into two categories,
      • Statutory Bodies - Those bodies are made by law through the parliament, and they are autonomous in their function, such as CBI, SSC, NHRC, SEBI etc.
      • Non-Statutory Bodies - Those bodies which run through cabinet resolutions are known as Non-Statutory Bodies. For example, NITI Aayog, NDC etc.

A mountain range is a group or chain of mountains that are near together and formed by orogenic forces.

Important Points

• The Aravalli Range (sometimes called Aravali) is a mountain range in Northern-Western India.
• It runs roughly 670 kilometers (430 miles) from Delhi to Gujarat, going through southern Haryana and Rajasthan.
• Guru Shikhar, at 1,722 meters, is the tallest summit (5,650 ft).
• The Aravalli Range, which dates back to the Proterozoic era, is considered the world's oldest fold mountain system.

Additional Information

• Vindhya and Satpura ranges run parallel to each other and separate peninsular India from the mainland. 
• The Himalayas protect the Indian subcontinent from the North East as a natural barrier providing geopolitical benefits to the country.
• Vindhya, Satpura, and Himalayas are all young-fold mountains.

Hence, Aravallis is the oldest folded mountain in India.

The correct answer is Sikandar Lodhi.

• The Mosque of Moth was constructed during the reign of Sikandar Lodi.

Key Points

• Moth Ki Masjid was built in 1505 by Wazir Miya Bhoiya who was a Prime Minister at the Royal Courts of Sultan Sikandar Lodhi.
• Sikandar Lodhi (1489 AD-1517 AD):
  • Sikandar Lodhi was the son of Bahlol Lodhi who conquered Bihar and western Bengal.
  • Noblest of the three Lodhi rulers, real name was Nizam Khan (son of Bahalul Lodhi).
  • He conquered Bihar and Bengal in 1504 AD. He built a new city named Agra and made it his capital.
  • He shifted his capital from Delhi to Agra, a city founded by him.
  • He broke the sacred images of the Jwalamukhi Temple at Nagarkot and ordered the temples of Mathura to be destroyed.
  • He introduced the Gaz-i-Sikandari (Sikandar’s yard) of 32 digits for measuring cultivated fields.
  • He was a poet and wrote verses in Persian under the pet name Gularukh.
  • He repaired Qutub Minar. 

Additional Information

• Muhammad Tughlaq set up a new department of agriculture Diwani-
  Kohi.
• Alauddin is credited to have built many forts and the most important of them is Ali Fort.
  • He also constructed the Alai Darwaja, the entrance gate of Qutub Minar.
• Qutbuddin Aibak constructed two mosques, Quwwat-ul- Islam in Delhi and Adhai din ka Jhonpra in Ajmer.
  • He also began the construction of Qutub Minar.