2013 GS Paper I, all questions

UPSC Prelims 2013 · GS Paper I

Question 4: History and Culture

With reference to the history of Indian rock-cut architecture, consider the following statements :

  1. 1.The caves at Badami are the oldest surviving rock-cut caves in India.
  2. 2.The Barabar rock-cut caves were originally made for Ajivikas by Emperor Chandragupta Maurya.
  3. 3.At Ellora, caves were made for different faiths.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

a1 only
b2 and 3 only
c3 only
d1, 2 and 3

AnswerUPSC’s answer is (c).

Rock-cut architecture in India begins under the Mauryas. The Barabar caves in Bihar are the oldest surviving ones, and they were given to the Ajivikas by Ashoka (the nearby Nagarjuni caves by his grandson Dasharatha), not by Chandragupta. The Badami caves belong to the 6th century CE under the Chalukyas, so they cannot be the oldest. Ellora is the site where Buddhist, Hindu and Jain caves stand side by side, so only statement 3 is correct.

  • 1. Badami caves are 6th century CE; the Mauryan Barabar caves are older.
  • 2. The Barabar caves were donated to the Ajivikas by Ashoka, not Chandragupta Maurya.
  • 3. Ellora has Buddhist, Hindu and Jain caves.

How you could have got this

  1. If you were sure statement 1 is not correct, (a) and (d) go: each of them includes 1.

    What you needed to know: Badami caves are 6th century CE; the Mauryan Barabar caves are older.

  2. Then, if you were sure statement 2 is not correct, (b) goes: it includes 2.

    What you needed to know: The Barabar caves were donated to the Ajivikas by Ashoka, not Chandragupta Maurya.

Only (c) is left. You didn’t need statement 3.

Which options go is worked out from UPSC’s key and the options, not by a model.

Why each option is right or wrong
  • (a) Wrong. Statement 1 is false; Badami is 6th century CE, much later than the Mauryan caves.
  • (b) Wrong. Statement 2 is false because the Barabar caves were made under Ashoka, not Chandragupta.
  • (c) Correct. Only the Ellora statement is true.
  • (d) Wrong. Statements 1 and 2 are both false.

Answer: UPSC’s key. Explanation: written by UPSC Grade, not by UPSC.

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Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2013, General Studies Paper I, Series A. The paper on upsc.gov.in.