Mock Test-4 (Paper-1) (Question 1-50)

In medieval India, the land given to religious persons for spiritual purposes was called Jata.

Ziyarat is used to refer to a form of pilgrimage to sites associated with Muhammad and his family members and descendants. Sites of pilgrimage include mosques, graves, battlefields, mountains, and caves.
Sufism

• The word derives from the Arabic word for wool (suf), which refers to the rough wool garments worn by ascetics and even prophets.
  Sufism is sometimes traced back to the root word saf, which means purity in Arabic.
• Early asceticism, the creation of a classical mysticism of divine love, and the establishment and multiplication of fraternal orders of mystics were all milestones in the evolution of Islamic mysticism.
• Despite these broad stages, the history of Islamic mysticism is mostly a storey of personal mystic experience.
• The earliest stage of Sufism arose in religious societies as a reaction to the early Umayyad period's (661-749) worldliness.
• The ascetics were known as "those who continually weep" and "those who consider this world a home of sorrows" because of their practice of always meditating on the verses in the Quran (the Islamic holy book) about Doomsday.
• They were known for their meticulous observance of the Quran's and tradition's injunctions, numerous acts of devotion, and a preference for night prayers.

The battle of Balkh was fought in the period of Shahjahan in 1646.
Shah Jahan’s Balkh Campaign

• The conquest of Qandahar, however, was only a means to an end. Shah Jahan was more concerned about the serious threat posed by recurring Uzbek attacks on Kabul, as well as their intrigues with Baluch and Afghan tribes.
• Nazr Muhammad had taken control of both Bokhara and Balkh at the time. Nazr Muhammad and his son, Abdul Aziz, were ambitious and had launched a series of attacks against Kabul and Ghazni with the help of Afghan tribesmen.
• However, soon after, Abdul Aziz led a rebellion against his father, and only Balkh remained under the control of Nazr Muhammad, who sought assistance from Shah Jahan.
• With the Persians on his side, Shah Jahan accepted the appeal quickly.
• He moved from Lahore to Kabul and dispatched a large army under the command of Prince Murad to assist Nazr Muhammad.

Rabia Durrani Ka Makbra or Bibi Ka Mkbara or Taj Mahal of Deccan was built by Auranzeb in memory of his wife Dilrus Banu Begum in 1660.

Tomb of Sher Shah was built completed on 16th August 1545. However, it is said that construction started even when Sher Shah was alive but it was his son who finally completed it after his death.

Humayuun tomb is the first Garden Tomb to be built in Indian subcontinent and was built in 1570. In 1408 A.D., Ibrahim Shah Sharki built the Atala Masjid.

Foundation of Agricultural Research Institute was laid by Lord Curzon, The institute was established in 1905 at Pusa, Bihar, with the financial assistance of Henry Phipps, Jr., an American philanthropist.

Phipps was a family friend of Lady Curzon, the daughter of an American millionaire, and the wife of Lord Curzon, the Viceroy of India. Phipps stayed as a guest of the Curzons during his visit to India. More importantly, Phipps left behind with them a donation of $30,000, which was used to establish the institute.

He laid the foundation stone of the Agricultural Research Institute and college on 1 April 1905. The Institute was originally called the Agricultural Research Institute (ARI).

The correct chronological order is:

The August Offer – 1940

The Cripps Mission Plan – 1942

The Wavell Plan – 1945

The Cabinet Mission Plan – 1946

Partition of Bengal (1905)
Implemented by Lord Curzon.
Officially to improve administrative efficiency in Bengal, but largely aimed at weakening the base of Indian nationalism by dividing Hindus and Muslims.

• Impact: Triggered massive protests, protests, and the Swadeshi Movement (boycott of British goods).
  Foundation of the Indian Muslim League (1906)
• Founded by Nawab Salimullah Khan and others to safeguard Muslim political rights and promote loyalty to the British government.
• It was a direct response to the rising political consciousness
  among Indian Muslims, partly influenced by the divide created by the Bengal partition.
  Surat Split (1907)
• Purpose: The Indian National Congress split into two factions: the Moderates (led by Gokhale) and the Extremists (led by Lal-Bal-Pal).
• Cause: Disagreements over the method of protest against the British, particularly the refusal of Moderates to endorse the Extremists' aggressive push for Swaraj (self-rule) and widespread boycotts.
  Transfer of Capital from Calcutta to Delhi (1911)
• Announced by King George V during the Delhi Durbar in December 1911.
• Purpose: To gain better administrative control and move away from the intense revolutionary activities present in Calcutta.
• Simultaneously, the British annulled the Partition of Bengal in 1911, largely due to intense, long-term nationalist pressure

India's first census was conducted in 1872 during the viceroy ship of Lord Mayo but this census was unofficial. India's first official census was conducted in 1881during the Voiceroy ship of Lord Rippan.

Under Lord Mayo’s direction, India conducted its first systematic census in 1871. This exercise generated population, occupational and demographic data, laying the foundation for modern statistical governance and long term administrative planning in British India.

Lord Mayo, formally known as Richard Southwell Bourke, was a British statesman and colonial administrator. He served as the fourth Viceroy of India from January 1869 to February 1872.

His tenure was short but marked a decisive phase in administrative reorganisation, financial decentralisation and data driven governance in colonial India. He was the first and only Viceroy of India to be assassinated while in office. He is widely considered as the father of Financial Decentralization in India.

Bal Gangadhar Tilak was given the epithet 'Lok-Manya' during the Home Rule Movement. He was one of the popular leaders of the Indian Independence Movement.

The British colonial authorities called him "Father of the Indian unrest." He was also conferred with the honorary title of "Lokmanya", which literally means "Accepted by the people" (as their leader).

• Tilak’s contribution to the Home Rule Movement, launched in 1916 with Annie Besant, was another landmark in his political career.
• The movement sought self-government
  within the British Empire and intensified nationalist fervour nationwide.
• Tilak also played a significant role in bridging the divide between the Congress Party’s moderates and extremists, particularly after the Surat Split of 1907.
• His efforts in uniting diverse factions within the freedom struggle underscored his strategic acumen and deep commitment to India’s independence

Kisan Sabha was organised in 1922 by Mohammad Zubair and Sri Krishna Singh in Munger, Bihar. Provincial Kisan Sabha was formed in 1929 by Swami Shajanand Saraswati to mobilise peasant’s grievance against Zamindars’ atrocities of occupancy rights.