UPSC CSE Prelims
Miscellaneous & Current Affairs Previous Year Questions (PYQs)
Showing solved Previous Year Questions for Chapter: Miscellaneous & Current Affairs
Topic Breakdown: Scroll →
Consider the following statements with regard to the film 'Boong':
- The film has recently won the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Award in the Children's and Family Film category.
- The film is directed by Lakshmipriya Devi.
- This is the first Indian film to win a BAFTA award in the Children's and Family Film category.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Detailed Explanation:
Boong is a Manipuri-language coming-of-age film that achieved a historic milestone at the BAFTA Awards.
-
Statement 1 is Correct: Boong won the BAFTA Award for Best Children's and Family Film.
-
Statement 2 is Correct: The film was written and directed by Lakshmipriya Devi.
-
Statement 3 is Correct: It became the first Indian film to win a BAFTA award in the Children's and Family Film category.
-
Therefore, all three statements are correct, making Option A the correct answer.
A recent movie titled The Man Who Knew Infinity is based on the biography of
Detailed Explanation:
Answer: Option 1 — S. Ramanujan
The 2015 biographical film The Man Who Knew Infinity depicts the life of mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan and his collaboration with G.H. Hardy at Cambridge University during 1914-1919.
The film is based on Robert Kanigel's 1991 biography of the same name, chronicling Ramanujan's journey from poverty in Madras to becoming a Fellow of the Royal Society.
Chaitra 1 of the national calendar based on the Saka Era corresponds to which one of the following dates of the Gregorian calendar in a normal year of 365 days?
Detailed Explanation:
The Saka Era calendar (Indian National Calendar) is a solar calendar synchronized with the Gregorian calendar.
Chaitra 1 (the first month) coincides with March 22 in a normal year (365 days) and March 21 in a leap year (366 days), ensuring alignment with the spring equinox.
🧐 Not Sure What to Study Next?
Get a personalised study plan based on your goals, time and revision needs.
Which one of the following pairs does not form part of the six systems of Indian Philosophy?
Detailed Explanation:
The six orthodox (Astika) systems of Indian Philosophy are Nyaya, Vaisheshika, Sankhya, Yoga, Mimamsa, and Vedanta.
Lokayata (Charvaka) is a heterodox (Nastika) materialistic school rejecting Vedic authority, and Kapalika is a Tantric Shaivite sect, not a philosophical system—neither belongs to the six systems.
With reference to India’s culture and tradition, what is ‘Kalaripayattu’?
Detailed Explanation:
Kalaripayattu is an ancient martial art that originated in Kerala (South India), considered one of the oldest fighting systems in the world.
It combines physical combat techniques, strikes, kicks, grappling, and weaponry, and is still practiced as a living tradition in parts of South India.
The national motto of India, ‘Satyameva Jayate’ inscribed below the Emblem of India is taken from
Detailed Explanation:
The national motto 'Satyameva Jayate' (Truth alone triumphs) is taken from the Mundaka Upanishad (3.1.6), one of the ancient Vedic texts.
It was adopted as the national motto on 26 January 1950 and inscribed in Devanagari script below the Lion Capital of Ashoka on India's national emblem, which appears on all currency notes and official documents.
With reference to the history of philosophical thought in India, consider the following statements regarding Sankhya school:
- Sankhya does not accept the theory of rebirth or transmigration of the soul.
- Sankhya holds that it is the self-knowledge that leads to liberation and not any exterior influence or agent.
Which of the statements given above is /are correct?
Detailed Explanation:
❌ Statement 1 – Incorrect: Sankhya school accepts the theory of rebirth and transmigration of the soul (Purusha). The cycle of samsara continues due to ignorance of the distinction between Purusha (consciousness) and Prakriti (matter).
✅ Statement 2 – Correct: Sankhya holds that liberation (kaivalya) is achieved through self-knowledge (viveka-jnana) – the discriminative knowledge distinguishing Purusha from Prakriti. Being an atheistic school, it denies the role of any external agent or God in liberation.