Question Discussion & Solution

The correct answer is Takshashila 

• Gandhara was an ancient kingdom situated along the Kabul and Swat rivers of Afghanistan and Pakistan.
• The capital of Gandhara was Takshashila also known as Taxila.
• 16 kingdoms were included in Mahajanapadas.
• Ancient Buddhist Literature, Anguttara Nikaya text gives the list 16 Mahajanapadas.
• They are - Kashi, Kosala, Anga, Magadha, Vajji, Malla, Chedi, Vatsa, Kuru, Panchala, Machcha, Surasena, Assaka, Avanti, Gandhara and Kamboja.
• These Mahajanpadas are either Monarchy or a Republics (Ganasanghas).
• The important Republics of this period were the Sakyas of Kapilavastu and the Licchavis of Vaishali.
• The important monarchical Mahajanpadas of this period were Kaushambi (Vatsa), Magadha, Kosala, and Avanti.

The correct answer is option 3.

Key Points

• Poona Pact (September 1932):
  • It was an agreement between Gandhi and Ambedkar.
  • Madan Mohan Malviya signed the pact on behalf of Gandhi.
  • According to this pact:
    • Separate electorates were replaced by joint electorates for depressed classes.
    • As against 71 seats announced by MacDonald, this pact reserved 148 seats in the Provincial legislature.
    • About 18% of the total seats were also reserved for the pressed classes in the central legislature.
• August Offer (August 1940)
  • The Viceroy of India, Lord Linlithgow, issued a statement from Shimla on 8 August 1940 known as the August Offer.
  • It was an attempt to secure the cooperation of the Indians in WW II.
  • Winston Churchill was the Prime Minister of England at the time.
  • Some of the provisions of the August Offer were:
    • Dominion status as the objective for India.
    • The number of Indians in the Viceroy’s Executive council will be increased.
    • A representative “Constitution Making Body” shall be appointed immediately after the war.
  • The Indian National Congress rejected the August Offer as Pt. Nehru said, “Dominion status concept is dead as a doornail”, As well as Mahatama Gandhi said that the declaration had widened the gulf between the nationalists and the British rulers.
• Cripps Mission (1942):
  • In order to get the support of India in world war II, Cripps Mission was sent to India in 1942.
  • Few proposals of this mission are:
    • Dominion status to India after the war.
    • Constitution-making body after the war.
    • Constitution so framed would be acceptable by the British Government only if certain province desires to stay away from the Union of India.
    • Any province which wouldn't accept the new constitution would have the right to sign a separate agreement with the British.
    • Gandhi called Cripps Mission 'A post-dated cheque drawn on a failing bank' due to the Cripps offer of Dominion Status after the war.
• Wavell plan/Shimla Conference (1945):
  • It was named after the Viceroy of India, Lord Wavell.  
  • Few proposals in this plan are:
    • With the exception of the Viceroy and Commander in chief, all the members of the Viceroys executive council will be Indians.
    • A kind of interim government was suggested.
    • Transfer of foreign affairs portfolio from the Governor-General to an Indian member.
    • Congress rejected the Wavell plans because of the actions of the Muslim league.

The correct answer is Abdul Gaffar Khan.

Key Points

• George Yule became the president of INC in 1888 (Allahabad).
• He was the founder of George Yule and Co.
• Alfred Webb became the president of INC in 1894 at the Madras session.
• Nawab Syed Mohammed became the president of INC in 1913 (Karachi).

Additional Information

• In 1885, WC Bannerjee became the first president of INC at the Bombay session.
• In 1886, Dadabhai Naroji became the second president of INC at the Calcutta session.
• In 1887, Badruddin Taiyabji became the third president of INC and also became the first Muslim president of INC at Madras Session.

The Upanishads are ancient Sanskrit texts that contain some of the central philosophical concepts and ideas of Hinduism, some of which are shared with religious traditions like Buddism and Jainism.

The Katha Upanishad is one of the primary Upanishads which was embedded in the last short eight sections of Katha school of the Krishna Yajurveda.

The well-known dialogue between Nachiketa and Yama is mentioned in Kathopanishad.

The Correct Answer is Option 1.

• Harappan culture planned its towns with their chessboard system, streets, drainage pipes, and chess pits.
• Rectangular houses with brick-line bathrooms and wells together with their stairways are found in all Harappan sites.
• Harappans have well connected central drainage system.
• Harappa is known as the city of granaries.
• The extraordinary uniformity of Harappa Civilization of artecrafts is evident in pottery, seals, bricks and weights. Hence, Statement 1 is correct.

• The late Harappa sites did not maintain the same construction techniques as were used in mature Harappa sites. Hence, Statement 2 is NOT correct.