UPSC Prelims 2008 · General Studies
Question 17: History and Culture
Recently, the manuscripts of which one of the following have been included in the UNESCO's Memory of World Register?
AnswerThe answer is (d).
UNESCO's Memory of the World Register recognised the Rig-Veda manuscripts held at the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, Pune, in 2007. The Rig-Veda is the oldest of the four Vedas, a collection of hymns that form the earliest layer of Vedic literature. The question asks which manuscripts were inscribed, so remember the Pune Rig-Veda collection as an Indian entry on the register.
Why each option is right or wrong
- (a) The Abhidhamma Pitaka is a Pali Buddhist text, not the Indian manuscript set inscribed in 2007.
- (b) The Mahabharata manuscripts were not the set inscribed then.
- (c) The Ramayana manuscripts were not the set inscribed then.
- (d) The Pune Rig-Veda manuscripts were inscribed in 2007.
Explanation: written by UPSC Grade, not by UPSC.
Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2008, General Studies. UPSC's own paper isn't online; the words are from a published compilation. The paper on upsc.gov.in.