APPSC Group-I Prelims 1987

145 questions from the 1987 papers, each with the official answer and an explanation.

A question repeated across years is listed once, under one of the years it appeared.

1. Q1Prehistory, the Harappan Civilisation and archaeological finds

   What is famous for Betamcherla in Andhra Pradesh?

   • aKakatiya Temples
   • bBirth place of poet Potana
   • cRiver Dam
   • dPrehistoric Caves of PrakAnswer
   ›Explanation

   Option D is correct because Betamcherla in Kurnool district is renowned for its prehistoric limestone cave systems, including Billa Surgam, which contain significant Palaeolithic deposits and rock art. Option A: Kakatiya temples are architectural monuments situated primarily in Telangana, especially around Warangal and Palampet. Option B: Poet Bammera Potana was born at Bammera in Telangana, not Betamcherla. Option C: Betamcherla is known for limestone quarries and prehistoric caves, not for a river dam.

2. Q2Prehistory, the Harappan Civilisation and archaeological finds

   In which district of Andhra Pradesh is Bavikonda Buddhist was temple recently discovered?

   • aGuntur
   • bAnantapur
   • cVisakhapatnamAnswer
   • dSrikakulam
   ›Explanation

   Option C is correct because Bavikonda is a prominent Buddhist complex located on a hill overlooking the Bay of Bengal, about 15 km from Visakhapatnam city. Option A: Guntur is known for major Buddhist sites like Amaravati, Nagarjunakonda, and Bhattiprolu, not Bavikonda. Option B: Anantapur hosts Vijayanagara and Jain heritage sites such as Lepakshi, not the Bavikonda Buddhist site. Option D: Srikakulam contains sites like Salihundam and Danavulapadu, but Bavikonda lies in Visakhapatnam district.

3. Q3Vedic Age and the Mahajanapadas

   The Nanda dynasty were followers of which dynasty?

   • aShishunaga dynastyAnswer
   • bHaryanka dynasty
   • cAchaemenid dynasty
   • dMaurya dynasty
   ›Explanation

   Option A is correct because the Nanda dynasty succeeded the Shishunaga dynasty to rule the Magadha Empire, meaning they came chronologically after the Shishunagas. Haryanka dynasty came first in Magadha. Shishunaga dynasty succeeded the Haryankas. Nanda dynasty succeeded the Shishunagas. Maurya dynasty succeeded the Nandas. Option B: The Haryanka dynasty preceded the Shishunaga dynasty, not immediately prior to the Nandas. Option C: The Achaemenid dynasty ruled in Persia, not in the imperial succession line of Magadha. Option D: The Maurya dynasty succeeded the Nanda dynasty rather than preceding it.

4. Q4Vedic Age and the Mahajanapadas

   Pratityasamutpada (Law of causation) is whose philosophical contribution?

   • aGautama BuddhaAnswer
   • bMahavira
   • cAdi Shankara
   • dAjita Kesakambalin
   ›Explanation

   Option A is correct because Pratityasamutpada, or dependent origination, is the core causal theory of Buddhism formulated by Gautama Buddha to explain the origin of suffering. Option B: Mahavira was the 24th Tirthankara of Jainism and propounded Anekantavada and Syadvada, not Pratityasamutpada. Option C: Adi Shankara was an exponent of Advaita Vedanta philosophy, not the Buddhist law of causation. Option D: Ajita Kesakambalin was an ancient materialist philosopher of the Charvaka or Lokayata school who rejected karmic causality.

5. Q5Post-Mauryan India and the foreign invasions

   Which is the famous trap stele showing the raised hand of emperor Mandhata?

   • aSimhachalam
   • bKondapuram
   • cJaggaiyapetAnswer
   • dBasara
   ›Explanation

   Option C is correct because the famous upright carved slab (stele) portraying King Mandhata as a universal monarch showering square coins from the clouds with an upraised hand belongs to the early Buddhist site of Jaggayyapeta. Option A: Simhachalam houses medieval Hindu temple architecture dedicated to Lord Narasimha. Option B: Kondapuram is a well-known Satavahana urban habitation site lacking this carved stele. Option D: Basara in Telangana is celebrated for its Saraswati temple on the banks of the Godavari.

6. Q6Post-Mauryan India and the foreign invasions

   Which Ikshavaku king is a wife of the princess of Ujjain?

   • aSanthamula
   • bVeera Purusha DattaAnswer
   • cEhuvula Santhamula
   • dRudra Purusha Datta
   ›Explanation

   Option B is correct because King Mathariputra Virapurushadatta entered into a matrimonial alliance with the Western Kshatrapas of Ujjain by marrying Princess Rudradhara-bhattarika, who was the daughter of the ruler of Ujjain. Option A: Chantamula I founded the dynasty and followed indigenous matrimonial ties without an recorded Ujjain alliance. Option C: Ehuvula Chantamula was the son of Virapurushadatta and Queen Bhatideva. Option D: Rudra Purusha Datta was the last known Ikshvaku ruler and did not contract this marriage.

7. Q7Post-Mauryan India and the foreign invasions

   The famous Uchchaitra stone slab depicting Emperor Mandhata with his hand raised is from where?

   • aSimhachalam
   • bKondapuram
   • cJaggayyapetaAnswer
   • dBanar
   ›Explanation

   Option C is correct because the famous white limestone bas-relief depicting the Universal Monarch (Chakravartin) Mandhata raising his right hand to cause a shower of gold coins was unearthed at the Buddhist stupa site of Jaggayyapeta in the Krishna district. Option A: Simhachalam is an ancient Vaishnavite temple centre in Visakhapatnam dedicated to Varaha Narasimha. Option B: Kondapuram is an early historic site in Telangana known for terracotta and coins, not the Mandhata slab. Option D: Banar is not associated with ancient Andhra Buddhist stupa reliefs.

8. Q8Post-Mauryan India and the foreign invasions

   The princess of Ujjayini was the wife of which Ikshvaku king?

   • aVantamula
   • bVirapurushadattaAnswer
   • cEhuvula Chantamula
   • dRudrapurushadatta
   ›Explanation

   Option B is correct because Virapurushadatta entered into a matrimonial alliance with the Western Kshatrapas of Ujjayini by marrying their princess, Rudradhara Bhattarika. Option A: Vantamula, also known as Chantamula, was the founder of the dynasty and the father of Virapurushadatta. Option C: Ehuvula Chantamula was the son and successor of Virapurushadatta. Option D: Rudrapurushadatta was a later monarch who was the grandson of Virapurushadatta.

9. Q9Gupta and post-Gupta India

   Where are the achievements of Samudragupta mentioned?

   • aHathigumpha rock inscriptions
   • bAllahabad pillar inscriptionsAnswer
   • cGirnar rock inscriptions
   • dSarnath rock inscriptions
   ›Explanation

   Option B is correct because the Allahabad Pillar inscription (Prayag Prashasti), composed in classical Sanskrit by court poet Harishena, provides an official and exhaustive panegyric of Samudragupta's military expeditions and personal qualities. Option A: Hathigumpha rock inscription at Udayagiri records the biographical achievements of King Kharavela of Kalinga. Option C: Girnar rock inscriptions preserve records of the Maurya emperor Ashoka, Western Satrap Rudradaman I, and Gupta ruler Skandagupta. Option D: Sarnath rock and pillar inscriptions belong primarily to the reign of Ashoka and later Buddhist monastic records.

10. Q10Early medieval South Indian dynasties

    Whose contemporary was Pampakavi

    • aVishnu Gopudu
    • bIndra Bhattaraka Varma
    • cKubja Vishnuvardhana
    • dImmadi ArikesariAnswer
    ›Explanation

    Option D is correct because Adikavi Pampa, the celebrated classical Kannada poet who authored Vikramarjuna Vijaya, was the court poet and commander of Immadi Arikesari, the ruler of the Vemulawada Chalukya dynasty. Option A: Vishnu Gopudu was an early Pallava monarch who lived centuries before Pampa. Option B: Indra Bhattaraka Varma was a Vishnukundina king from the sixth century CE, long preceding Pampa. Option C: Kubja Vishnuvardhana was the seventh-century founder of the Eastern Chalukya dynasty, centuries before the tenth-century poet.

11. Q11Early medieval South Indian dynasties

    Panchakavi was a contemporary of whom?

    • aVishnu Gopa
    • bIndra Bhattaraka Varma
    • cKubja Vishnuvardhana
    • dJammadi ArakesariAnswer
    ›Explanation

    Option D is correct because the question refers to Adikavi Pampa, who lived in the court of Arikesari II, also known as Immadi or Jammadi Arikesari, of the Vemulawada Chalukyas. Option A: Vishnu Gopa was a fourth-century Pallava king mentioned in the Allahabad pillar inscription, centuries before the poet. Option B: Indra Bhattaraka Varma was a sixth-century Vishnukundina monarch with no temporal overlap with Pampa. Option C: Kubja Vishnuvardhana established the Eastern Chalukya line in the early seventh century, centuries prior to Pampa.

12. Q12Vijayanagara and the Deccan Sultanates

    The Portuguese traveler who wrote about the Vijayanagara Empire

    • aAbdur Razzaq
    • bFa Hien
    • cNiccolò de' Conti
    • dFernãoAnswer
    ›Explanation

    Option D is correct because Fernao Nuniz was a Portuguese traveler and horse trader who spent several years in the Vijayanagara Empire during the reign of Achyuta Devaraya and chronicled its history. Option A: Abdur Razzaq was a Persian ambassador sent by the Timurid ruler Shah Rukh, not a Portuguese traveler. Option B: Fa Hien was a Chinese Buddhist monk who visited northern India during the Gupta period. Option C: Niccolo de Conti was an Italian merchant from Venice, not Portuguese.

13. Q13Vijayanagara and the Deccan Sultanates

    Capital of Aravidu dynasty

    • aVijayanagaram
    • bAddanki
    • cAnantapuram
    • dPenukondaAnswer
    ›Explanation

    Option D is correct because following the destruction of Hampi after the Battle of Talikota in 1565, Tirumala Raya shifted the seat of power to Penukonda, making it the primary capital of the newly founded Aravidu dynasty. Option A: Vijayanagaram is a city in northern Andhra Pradesh and was never an imperial seat of the Aravidu kings. Option B: Addanki served historically as a capital for the Reddi dynasty, not the Aravidu dynasty. Option C: Anantapuram is a district and town in the region, but Penukonda was the specific fortified royal capital chosen by Tirumala Raya.

14. Q14Advent of the Europeans and the struggle for supremacy

    The year the Battle of Chandurti took place

    • a1657
    • b1750
    • c1758Answer
    • d1792
    ›Explanation

    Option C is correct because the Battle of Chandurti (or Condore) was fought on 9 December 1758 between the British forces under Colonel Francis Forde and the French troops under Marquis de Conflans. Battle of Chandurti date: 9 December 1758 Opposing commanders: Colonel Forde (British) and Marquis de Conflans (French) Option A: 1657 predates the presence of significant European rivalries and military campaigns in coastal Andhra. Option B: 1750 was during the Second Carnatic War, long before Forde's Northern Circars expedition. Option D: 1792 was the year of the Treaty of Seringapatam in the Third Anglo-Mysore War.

15. Q15Advent of the Europeans and the struggle for supremacy

    The military leader who stabilized French power in Hyderabad from 1751 to 1758

    • aFrench
    • bLally
    • cFord
    • dBussyAnswer
    ›Explanation

    Option D is correct because the French commander Bussy remained stationed at Hyderabad from 1751 to 1758 to protect Nizam Salabat Jang, during which he established French supremacy in the Deccan and acquired the Northern Circars. 1751: Bussy escorted Salabat Jang to Hyderabad and established French military presence 1753: Bussy secured the cession of the Northern Circars to pay for French troops 1758: Count de Lally recalled Bussy from Hyderabad to assist at Madras Option A: French is a collective national term rather than the specific name of the military commander. Option B: Lally was the French governor-general who arrived in 1758 and undermined French power by recalling Bussy from Hyderabad. Option C: Ford refers to Colonel Francis Forde, an English officer dispatched by Robert Clive to capture the Northern Circars from the French in 1758.

16. Q16Advent of the Europeans and the struggle for supremacy

    Before Company rule, Srikakulam was developed for which industry?

    • aMuslinAnswer
    • bCarpets
    • cChintz
    • dSilk
    ›Explanation

    Option A is correct because Srikakulam, historically known as Chicacole, was famed prior to British rule for its specialized production of high-grade, fine-spun muslin textiles. Option B: points to carpet weaving, which was famous in Eluru and Masulipatnam. Option C: refers to chintz, a patterned calico predominantly manufactured around Masulipatnam and Kalahasti. Option D: refers to the silk weaving industry, which flourished mainly in Dharmavaram, Peddapuram, and Berhampur.

17. Q17Advent of the Europeans and the struggle for supremacy

    The last Governor General under East India Company rule

    • aCanningAnswer
    • bDalhousie
    • cWarren Hastings
    • dRipon
    ›Explanation

    Option A is correct because Lord Canning assumed office as the Governor-General of India in 1856 under the East India Company and remained in that role until the Government of India Act 1858 ended Company rule, making him the last Governor-General under the Company and the first Viceroy under the British Crown. Option B: Dalhousie served until 1856 and handed over the administration to Lord Canning prior to the 1857 revolt. Option C: Warren Hastings was the very first Governor-General of Bengal under the Regulating Act of 1773. Option D: Ripon served as Crown Viceroy decades later, from 1880 to 1884, long after the East India Company was dissolved.

18. Q18British rule: administration, economy and society

    When was the battle of Padmanabha in Andhra?

    • aA.D. 1700
    • bA.D. 1761
    • cA.D. 1794Answer
    • dA.D. 1798
    ›Explanation

    Option C is correct because the Battle of Padmanabham was fought on July 10, 1794, between the British forces under Colonel Prendergast and the Raja of Vizianagaram, Pusapati Chinna Vijayarama Raju, who died in the battle. Option A: In A.D. 1700, the Northern Circars were under the rule of the Mughals and the Golconda Sultanate successors, not British conflict. Option B: In A.D. 1761, British authority in the Northern Circars was still evolving and this specific battle did not occur. Option D: A.D. 1798 is after the Vizianagaram estate had already been subdued and fragmented into smaller zamindaris.

19. Q19Socio-religious reform movements

    The social reformer known as 'Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar of the South'

    • aRaghupathi Venkataratnam Naidu
    • bE.V. Ramasamy Naicker
    • cAnan
    • dKandukuri VeeresalingamAnswer
    ›Explanation

    Option D is correct because Kandukuri Veeresalingam was hailed as the Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar of the South, most notably by Mahadev Govind Ranade, due to his uncompromising crusade for widow remarriage and women education. Option A: Raghupathi Venkataratnam Naidu was known by the title Brahmarshi for his pure life and moral teachings, not as Vidyasagar of the South. Option B: E.V. Ramasamy Naicker led the Self-Respect Movement in Tamil Nadu and was known as Periyar. Option C: Anan is not a recognised historical figure associated with the social reform movement in South India.

20. Q20The Indian National Movement

    First President of Indian National Congress

    • aA.O. Hume
    • bW.C. BanerjeeAnswer
    • cSurendranath Banerjee
    • dPherozeshah Mehta
    ›Explanation

    Option B is correct because Womesh Chandra Bonnerjee presided over the inaugural session of the Indian National Congress held at Bombay in December 1885. Option A: Allan Octavian Hume was the founder and General Secretary of the Congress, not its first President. Option C: Surendranath Banerjee did not attend the first session due to the concurrent Indian National Conference, and presided later in 1895 and 1902. Option D: Pherozeshah Mehta presided over the 6th session of the Congress in 1890, not the first.

21. Q21The Indian National Movement

    When did the Partition of Bengal take place?

    • a1911
    • b1904
    • c19.5Answer
    • d1906

    Explanation coming soon.

22. Q22The Indian National Movement

    The person who designed the tricolor flag for the Indian National Congress

    • aDuggirala Gopalakrishnayya
    • bBhogaraju Pattabhi Sitaramayya
    • cPingali VenkayyaAnswer
    • dMahatma Gandhi
    ›Explanation

    Option C is correct because Pingali Venkayya, an educationalist and freedom fighter from Andhra Pradesh, designed the tricolor flag with the spinning wheel that was presented to Mahatma Gandhi at the 1921 Vijayawada Congress session. Option A: Duggirala Gopalakrishnayya was famous for leading the Chirala-Perala struggle and the Ramadandu cadre, not for flag design. Option B: Bhogaraju Pattabhi Sitaramayya was a prominent Congress historian and founder of Andhra Bank, not the designer of the flag. Option D: Mahatma Gandhi suggested adding the white stripe and charkha to the design, but he was not the flag designer.

23. Q23The Indian National Movement

    Stanam Narasimha Rao is a famous Telugu

    • aThe poet
    • bPainter
    • cA stage actorAnswer
    • dSocial reformer
    ›Explanation

    Option C is correct because Sthanam Narasimha Rao was an iconic Telugu stage actor renowned for his portrayal of female characters such as Satyabhama, Chintamani, and Chandramati in theatrical plays. Option A: He did not establish his fame as a poet but as a versatile dramatist and actor. Option B: He was not a painter; his primary artistic medium was theatre. Option D: Though theatre often aided social reform themes, he is specifically remembered as a legendary stage actor.

24. Q24The Indian National Movement

    Gudavalli Ramabraham is famous

    • aPeasant leader
    • bMusician
    • cTelugu film directorAnswer
    • dEntrepreneur
    ›Explanation

    Option C is correct because Gudavalli Ramabrahmam was a prominent Telugu filmmaker, screenwriter, and producer who directed landmark socially conscious Telugu movies such as Malapilla (1938) and Raithu Bidda (1939). Option A: Peasant leader misidentifies him; though his film Raithu Bidda championed farmers' causes, he was not a political peasant leader. Option B: Musician is incorrect because he did not achieve prominence as a musical artist or composer. Option D: Entrepreneur is incorrect as his historical acclaim rests firmly on his pioneering contributions to Telugu realistic cinema.

25. Q25The Indian National Movement

    The director of the 'Tamas' story series on Doordarshan

    • aBhisham Sahni
    • bManohar S. Joshi
    • cGovind NihalaniAnswer
    • dRamanand Sagar
    ›Explanation

    Option C is correct because Govind Nihalani directed and shot the critically acclaimed 1987-1988 Doordarshan television series Tamas, based on the partition of India. Option A: Bhisham Sahni was the author who wrote the original Sahitya Akademi Award-winning novel Tamas, not the director. Option B: Manohar Shyam Joshi was a prominent television writer who scripted Hum Log and Buniyaad, not the director of Tamas. Option D: Ramanand Sagar was the producer and director of the epic television serial Ramayan.

26. Q26World history: revolutions, the world wars and the modern world

    Perestroika means

    • aFree trade sector
    • bSocialist trade sector
    • cCooperative effort
    • dReconstructionAnswer
    ›Explanation

    Option D is correct because Perestroika is a Russian term meaning reconstruction or restructuring, which referred to the reform program launched by Mikhail Gorbachev to decentralize and modernize the Soviet political and economic system. Option A: Free trade sector is incorrect because the term signifies overall restructuring rather than just a free trade zone. Option B: Socialist trade sector describes a commercial category rather than the reform concept of system overhaul. Option C: Cooperative effort misstates the definition; the complementary policy of openness and transparency was known as glasnost.

27. Q27World history: revolutions, the world wars and the modern world

    Arab Gulf War means

    • aWar between Iran and Saudi Arabia
    • bWar between Israel and Syria
    • cWar between Iran and IraqAnswer
    • dNone of the above
    ›Explanation

    Option C is correct because the prolonged conflict between Iran and Iraq fought from September 1980 to August 1988 over territorial disputes and regional dominance in the Persian Gulf is historically known as the Iran-Iraq War or the First Persian Gulf War. Option A: War between Iran and Saudi Arabia has never taken place as an open direct military confrontation termed the Arab Gulf War. Option B: War between Israel and Syria forms part of the Arab-Israeli conflicts, including the 1967 Six-Day War and 1973 Yom Kippur War, not the Gulf wars. Option D: None of the above is incorrect because the 1980 to 1988 war between Iran and Iraq is widely referenced by this designation.

28. Q28World history: revolutions, the world wars and the modern world

    The term Iran Gate means

    • aA sea route to Iran
    • bAn alleged rumor that weapons were secretly supplied to IranAnswer
    • cA peace zone between Iran and Iraq
    • dNone of the above
    ›Explanation

    Option B is correct because the term Iran-Gate refers to the political scandal in the 1980s involving secret US government arrangements that facilitated the sale of arms to Iran while it was subject to an arms embargo. Option A: It does not denote a geographical waterway or nautical transit route. Option C: It was not a demilitarized or peace zone between Iran and Iraq. Option D: It is incorrect because option B accurately describes the event.

29. Q29The Andhra Movement and the formation of Andhra State

    Name of the village established by Duggirala Gopala Krishnayya during the Chirala-Perala movement ?

    • aRamapur
    • bRama Raopet
    • cRamanagarAnswer
    • dSrirampur
    ›Explanation

    Option C is correct because Duggirala Gopalakrishnayya led the mass exodus of people from Chirala and Perala to establish a new settlement outside municipal limits, which he named Ramanagar. Option A: Ramapur is an incorrect settlement name. Option B: Rama Raopet is not the township founded during the Chirala-Perala struggle. Option D: Srirampur is an incorrect settlement name.

30. Q30The Andhra Movement and the formation of Andhra State

    The first Chief Minister of Andhra State

    • aNeelam Sanjeeva Reddy
    • bB. Gopala Reddy
    • cB. Ramakrishna Rao
    • dT. PrakasamAnswer
    ›Explanation

    Option D is correct because Tanguturi Prakasam Pantulu, widely known as Andhra Kesari, was sworn in as the first Chief Minister of Andhra State on October 1, 1953. Option A: Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy served as the first Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh formed in 1956, not Andhra State in 1953. Option B: B. Gopala Reddy was the second Chief Minister of Andhra State, taking office in 1955. Option C: B. Ramakrishna Rao was the first elected Chief Minister of Hyderabad State, not Andhra State.

31. Q31Post-independence consolidation and reorganisation

    Expedition India is

    • aA program designed for tourism development in India
    • bA program undertaken to promote Indian unity
    • cSunil Dutt's foot march
    • dA program designed for the development of Indian trade and tourism in the United States of AmericaAnswer
    ›Explanation

    Option D is correct because Expedition India was a specific promotional initiative organized to foster Indian trade, business partnerships, and tourism outreach directly in the United States of America. Option A: This option is incomplete as it misses the core aspect of targeting American markets and bilateral trade. Option B: Indian unity promotion relates to domestic integration initiatives rather than the trade-focused Expedition India campaign. Option C: Sunil Dutt's famous foot march was the Mahashanti Padyatra for communal harmony, entirely unrelated to Expedition India.

32. Q32Firsts in India: the first university, bank, dam, railway and budget

    The newspaper that celebrated its centenary in 1988

    • aHitavada
    • bMalayala ManoramaAnswer
    • cTimes of India
    • dAnandabazar Patrika
    ›Explanation

    Option B is correct because the Malayalam-language daily Malayala Manorama was founded in 1888 by Kandathil Varghese Mappillai, completing its 100 years of publication in 1988. Option A: Hitavada was founded in 1911 by Gopal Krishna Gokhale and marked its centenary in 2011. Option C: Times of India was founded in 1838 and celebrated its sesquicentennial (150 years) in 1988, not its centenary. Option D: Anandabazar Patrika was founded in 1922 and reached its centenary in 2022.

33. Q33History of science, mathematics and medicine in India

    Baudhayana's teachings are found in what?

    • aDance
    • bTheatre
    • cMedicine
    • dMathematicsAnswer
    ›Explanation

    Option D is correct because Baudhayana was an ancient Indian mathematician and Vedic priest whose Baudhayana Sulbasutra contains foundational geometric principles, square root approximations, and early statements of the Pythagorean theorem. Option A: Ancient Indian dance traditions are codified in texts such as the Natyashastra, not the Sulbasutras of Baudhayana. Option B: Classical theatrical treatises stem from dramatic traditions established by scholars like Bharata Muni. Option C: Ancient Indian medical knowledge is compiled in foundational Ayurvedic texts by Charaka and Sushruta.

34. Q34Telugu language and literature, from the Kavitrayam to the moderns

    The first Andhra Pradesh poet to use colloquial Telugu in poetry ?

    • aUnava Lakshminarayana
    • bSri SriAnswer
    • cKandukuri Veereshalingam
    • dRallapalli Ananthakrishna Sharma
    ›Explanation

    Option B is correct because Sri Sri (Srirangam Srinivasa Rao) pioneered modern progressive and revolutionary poetry in Telugu by breaking away from rigid metrical conventions and using vigorous, colloquial language in his magnum opus Maha Prasthanam. Option A: Unnava Lakshminarayana was primarily a novelist and freedom fighter known for his prose work Malapalli rather than modern poetry. Option C: Kandukuri Veeresalingam modernised Telugu prose and essay writing, but he largely adhered to traditional metrics in his verse. Option D: Rallapalli Ananthakrishna Sharma was a classical scholar, musicologist, and literary critic who favoured traditional aesthetics.

35. Q35Telugu language and literature, from the Kavitrayam to the moderns

    The Telugu Novelist of Malapally?

    • aUnava LakshminarayanaAnswer
    • bGurujada Apparao
    • cJashuva
    • dP. Seetharamaiah
    ›Explanation

    Option A is correct because Unnava Lakshminarayana was the pioneer who authored Malapally in 1922, depicting rural socio-economic conditions and the freedom struggle. Option B: Gurujada Apparao was a playwright and poet renowned for the social drama Kanyasulkam. Option C: Jashuva was a celebrated Telugu poet famous for works such as Gabbilam and Firadausi. Option D: P. Seetharamaiah (Bhogaraju Pattabhi Sitaramayya) was a freedom fighter and historian of the Indian National Congress.

36. Q36Telugu language and literature, from the Kavitrayam to the moderns

    Naukacharitra is a musical treatise written by?

    • aTalpaka Annamacharyas
    • bTyagarajaAnswer
    • cKshetraiah
    • dBhadrachalam Ramadasu
    ›Explanation

    Option B is correct because Tyagaraja, one of the Trinity of Carnatic music, composed the famous Telugu musical dance-drama (Geya Natakam) titled 'Nauka Charitram'. Option A: Tallapaka Annamacharya is renowned for his thousands of devotional Sankeertanas dedicated to Lord Venkateswara, not Nauka Charitram. Option C: Kshetrayya is celebrated for his Muvva Gopala Padas in the sringara bhakti tradition. Option D: Bhadrachalam Ramadasu composed devotional Keerthanas dedicated to Lord Rama and Dasarathi Satakam.

37. Q37Telugu language and literature, from the Kavitrayam to the moderns

    The Telugu novel ' Rajasekhara Charitra ' was written by ?

    • aAdavi Bapi Raja
    • bViswanatha Satyanarayana
    • cKandukuri VeereshalingamAnswer
    • dNori Narasimhasastri
    ›Explanation

    Option C is correct because Kandukuri Veeresalingam wrote Rajasekhara Charitra, published in 1878, which is regarded as one of the earliest social novels in Telugu literature. Option A: Adavi Bapi Raju authored acclaimed historical and social novels like Himabindu, Narayana Rao, and Gonaganna Reddy. Option B: Viswanatha Satyanarayana wrote monumental works including Veyi Padagalu and Ramayana Kalpavrukshamu. Option D: Nori Narasimhasastri is recognized for historical novels like Rudramadevi and Kavi Sarvabhowma.

38. Q38Telugu language and literature, from the Kavitrayam to the moderns

    Palkuriki Somana's book ?

    • aManu Charitra
    • bAmuktamalyada
    • cPanditadhya CharitraAnswer
    • dKeyurabahu Charitra
    ›Explanation

    Option C is correct because Panditaradhya Charitra is a landmark dvipada kavya composed by the celebrated twelfth-century Veerashaiva poet Palkuriki Somana, detailing the life of Mallikarjuna Panditaradhya. Option A: Manu Charitra is a classical prabandha composed by the Ashtadiggaja poet Allasani Peddana. Option B: Amuktamalyada is an epic Telugu kavya composed by the Vijayanagara emperor Sri Krishnadevaraya. Option D: Keyurabahu Charitra is a poetic narrative composed by Manchana.

39. Q39Living traditions: temples, communities and social custom

    Among which one the following is Amaravati?

    • aPancharamsAnswer
    • bShakti Pitam
    • cSurya Kshetras
    • dNarasimha Kshetras
    ›Explanation

    Option A is correct because Amaravati is home to the Sri Amareswara Swamy temple, which constitutes Amararama, one of the five Pancharama Kshetras dedicated to Lord Shiva in Andhra Pradesh. Option B: Amaravati is not enumerated among the primary fifty-one Shakti Peethas. Option C: Amaravati is a Shaivite holy place, whereas Surya Kshetras are temples dedicated to the Sun God. Option D: The presiding deity of Amaravati is Amareswara Swamy (Lord Shiva), not Lord Narasimha.

40. Q40Living traditions: temples, communities and social custom

    Amaravati is one of the following

    • aPancharamasAnswer
    • bShakti Peethas
    • cSurya Kshetras
    • dNarasimha Kshetras
    ›Explanation

    Option A is correct because Amaravati houses the Amareswara Swamy temple, which is one of the five sacred Pancharama Kshetras of Lord Shiva in Andhra Pradesh. Option B: Amaravati is primarily an abode of Lord Shiva rather than one of the classical Shakti Peethas. Option C: Amaravati is a Shaiva Kshetra, unlike Surya Kshetras such as Arasavalli. Option D: The presiding deity at Amaravati is Amareswara Swamy (Lord Shiva), not Lord Narasimha.