UPSC Prelims 2020 · GS Paper I
Question 22: History and Culture
With reference to the religious history of India, consider the following statements :
- 1.Sthaviravadins belong to Mahayana Buddhism.
- 2.Lokottaravadin sect was an offshoot of Mahasanghika sect of Buddhism.
- 3.The deification of Buddha by Mahasanghikas fostered the Mahayana Buddhism.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?
AnswerUPSC’s answer is (b).
The Buddhist order split into the Sthaviravadins (the elders, forerunners of the Theravada school) and the Mahasanghikas (the great assembly). Sthaviravada belongs to the older tradition, not Mahayana. The Lokottaravadins grew out of the Mahasanghikas, and the Mahasanghika view of the Buddha as a transcendent, near-divine being helped prepare the way for Mahayana.
- 1. Sthaviravadins are the elders, ancestors of Theravada, not Mahayana.
- 2. Lokottaravada was a branch of the Mahasanghika sect.
- 3. Mahasanghika deification of the Buddha fed the rise of Mahayana.
How you could have got this
- If you were sure statement 1 is not correct, (a) and (d) go: each of them includes 1.
What you needed to know: Sthaviravadins are the elders, ancestors of Theravada, not Mahayana.
- Then, if you were sure statement 2 is correct, (c) goes: it leaves 2 out.
What you needed to know: Lokottaravada was a branch of the Mahasanghika sect.
Only (b) 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; Sthaviravadins are linked to Theravada, not Mahayana.
- (b) Right: statements 2 and 3 are correct.
- (c) Wrong: statement 2 is also correct.
- (d) Wrong: statement 1 is false.
Answer: UPSC’s key. Explanation: written by UPSC Grade, not by UPSC.
Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2020, General Studies Paper I, Series A. The paper on upsc.gov.in.