QUIZ – 2020: INSIGHTS STATIC , 9 July 2021 – History – INSIGHTSIAS

Solution: c)

Mesolithic or Middle Stone Age

The next stage(Old Stone Age) of human life is called Mesolithic or Middle Stone Age which falls roughly from 10000 B.C. to 6000 B.C. It was the transitional phase between the Paleolithic Age and Neolithic Age. Mesolithic remains are found in Langhanj in Gujarat, Adamgarh in Madhya Pradesh and also in some places of Rajasthan, Utter Pradesh and Bihar. The paintings and engravings found at the rock shelters give an idea about the social life and economic activities of Mesolithic people. In the sites of Mesolithic Age, a different type of stone tools is found. These are tiny stone artifacts, often not more than five centimeters in size, and therefore called microliths. The hunting-gathering pattern of life continued during this period.

However, there seems to have been a shift from big animal hunting to small animal hunting and fishing. The use of bow and arrow also began during this period. Also, there began a tendency to settle for longer periods in an area. Therefore, domestication of animals, horticulture and primitive cultivation started. Animal bones are found in these sites and these include dog, deer, boar and ostrich. Occasionally, burials of the dead along with some microliths and shells seem to have been practiced.

Solution: c)

Ashoka’s death in 232 B.C. was followed by the division of the Mauryan Empire into two parts – western and eastern. The western part was ruled by Kunala, son of Ashoka and the eastern part by Dasaratha, one of the grand sons of Ashoka. Due to the Bactrian invasions, the western part of the empire collapsed. The eastern part was intact under Samprati successor of Dasaratha. The last Mauryan king was Brihatratha, who was assassinated by Pushyamitra Sunga.

Solution: b)

Lachit Borphukan

• He was a commander in the Ahom kingdom.
• Known for his leadership in the 1671 Battle of Saraighat that thwarted a drawn-out attempt by Mughal forces under the command of Ramsingh I to take over Ahom kingdom.
• The battle of Saraighat was fought on the banks of the Brahmaputra in Guwahati.
• The National Defence Academy (NDA), ever since 1999 has been conferring the best passing out cadet with the Lachit Borphukan gold medal.

During the last phase of the Battle of Saraighat, when the Mughals attacked the Assamese forces through the river in Saraighat, many Assamese soldiers began losing their will to fight. It was Lachit’s clarion call to all the soldiers that made them fight till their last breath, ultimately resulting in the defeat of the Mughals.

Solution: d)

The Mapilla rebellion or Moplah Rebellion (Moplah Riots) of 1921 was the culmination of a series of riots by Moplahs (Muslims of Malabar) in the 19th and early 20th centuries against the British and the Hindu landlords in Malabar (Northern Kerala).

• The year 2021 will mark the 100th year anniversary of the uprising.
• The resistance which started against the British colonial rule and the feudal system later ended in communal violence between Hindus and Muslims.

Solution: d)

• Madan Mohan Malaviya was a freedom fighter and social reformer.
• He had served as the President of the INC on four occasions.
• He was awarded the Bharat Ratna posthumously in 2014.
• He was the editor of a Hindi magazine, ‘Hindosthan’.
• He became the editor of the ‘Indian Opinion’ in 1889. He also started a Hindi weekly ‘Abhyudaya’, an English daily ‘Leader’, a Hindi newspaper ‘Maryada’.
• Pandit Malaviya was instrumental in founding the Benares Hindu University in 1916. He also became its Vice-Chancellor till 1939.
• He was opposed to separate electorates to Muslims and the Lucknow Pact.
• He was a participant in the Second Round Table Conference in 1931.
• He was also a social reformer who opposed untouchability.He worked for the temple entry of Dalits at the Kalaram Temple at Nashik, Maharashtra.