UPSC Prelims 2019 · GS Paper I
Question 13: History and Culture
Consider the following statements :
- 1.Saint Nimbarka was a contemporary of Akbar.
- 2.Saint Kabir was greatly influenced by Shaikh Ahmad Sirhindi.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
AnswerUPSC’s answer is (d).
Neither statement is correct. Nimbarka was an early Vaishnava saint, founder of the Dvaitadvaita school, who lived centuries before the Mughals (traditionally the 12th century, though some date him earlier), so he was not Akbar's contemporary. Kabir lived in the 15th century, while Shaikh Ahmad Sirhindi lived from 1564 to 1624, so Kabir could not have been influenced by him. Always check chronology in such questions; Tulsidas and Surdas, not Nimbarka, were Akbar's contemporaries among bhakti poets.
- 1. Nimbarka lived centuries before Akbar.
- 2. Kabir (15th century) died before Sirhindi was born.
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: Nimbarka lived centuries before Akbar.
- Then, if you were sure statement 2 is not correct, (b) goes: it includes 2.
What you needed to know: Kabir (15th century) died before Sirhindi was born.
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) Nimbarka lived long before Akbar, so statement 1 is false.
- (b) Kabir came before Sirhindi, so statement 2 is false.
- (c) Both statements fail on chronology.
- (d) Correct: both statements are wrong.
Answer: UPSC’s key. Explanation: written by UPSC Grade, not by UPSC.
Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2019, General Studies Paper I, Series A. The paper on upsc.gov.in.