UPSC Prelims 2018 · GS Paper I
Question 72: History and Culture
With reference to the cultural history of India, consider the following statements :
- 1.White marble was used in making Buland Darwaza and Khankah at Fatehpur Sikri.
- 2.Red sandstone and marble were used in making Bara Imambara and Rumi Darwaza at Lucknow.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?
AnswerUPSC’s answer is (d).
Buland Darwaza at Fatehpur Sikri is built of red sandstone, with white marble used only for inlay and trim; white marble is the material of Sheikh Salim Chishti's tomb, not of the gateway, so statement 1 is wrong. The Bara Imambara and Rumi Darwaza at Lucknow, built under the Nawab Asaf-ud-Daula in the late 18th century, are of small lakhauri bricks finished with lime plaster, not red sandstone and marble. Both statements are false.
- 1. Buland Darwaza is built in red sandstone with white marble inlay.
- 2. Lucknow's Bara Imambara and Rumi Darwaza are brick and lime plaster.
How you could have got this
- If you were sure statement 1 is not correct, (a) and (c) go: each of them includes 1.
What you needed to know: Buland Darwaza is built in red sandstone with white marble inlay.
- Then, if you were sure statement 2 is not correct, (b) goes: it includes 2.
What you needed to know: Lucknow's Bara Imambara and Rumi Darwaza are brick and lime plaster.
Only (d) is left. This one needs every statement.
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: Buland Darwaza is red sandstone, with marble only as inlay.
- (b) Wrong: the Lucknow buildings use lakhauri brick and lime plaster.
- (c) Wrong: both statements are false.
- (d) Right: neither statement holds.
Answer: UPSC’s key. Explanation: written by UPSC Grade, not by UPSC.
Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2018, General Studies Paper I, Series A. The paper on upsc.gov.in.