Ans: C

Exp:

Chandrababu Naidu’s return as Andhra Pradesh CM brings the spotlight back on Amaravati.

About Amaravati School of Art:

• The Amaravati School of Art flourished in India for approximately between the 2nd century BCE and the 3rd century CE.
• Statement 1 is correct: Patronage: The Satavahanas were the first patrons of this school and later the Ikshavaku.
• Development: It developed and thrived in the lower valleys of the Krishna and Godavari rivers in Andhra Pradesh.
• Sculpture Forms: The school produced both religious and secular images.
• Notable Locations: Amaravati, Nagarjunikonda, Goli, Ghantasala, and Vengi were key centers.
• Later Developments: The architectural styles of the Pallava and Chola dynasties evolved from this school.

Major Features:

• Narrative Art: A prominent feature of the Amaravati school was its focus on narrative storytelling through art.
• Medallions: Carved medallions depicted natural occurrences and stories.
• Statement 2 is incorrect: Symbolism: The art included symbolic depictions of Buddha’s life, often personified in various ways. Buddha is depicted both in human as well as in animal form.
• Statement 3 is correct: Material: The Amravati stupas were made of striking white marble, adding to their visual appeal. A special kind of limestone called Palnad marble is used which allows very fine and intricate carvings.
• Pradakshina Patha: The Amaravati Stupa featured a pradakshina patha (circumambulatory path) enclosed by a vedika (railings). It showcased narrative stories from the life of Buddha and bodhisattvas, with intricate structural details.

Ans: D

Exp: 

The Central government plans to start negotiations with Bangladesh for the renewal of the 1996 Ganga Water Sharing Treaty.

About Ganga Water Sharing Treaty:

Statement 1 is incorrect: A comprehensive bilateral treaty was signed by Indian Prime Minister H. D. Deve Gowda and Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed on 12 December 1996 in the Indian capital New Delhi.

Statement 2 is incorrect: The treaty established a 30-year water-sharing arrangement and recognised Bangladesh’s rights as a lower-level riparian.

Ans: B

Exp:

RBI has revised its priority sector guidelines to encourage banks to provide small loans in economically disadvantaged districts with low average loan sizes.

About Priority Sector Lending (PSL):

• PSL was formalised in 1972 to facilitate credit flow to sectors that, although creditworthy, face challenges accessing formal financial institutions.
• Allocation Targets: Banks are required to allocate a portion of their Adjusted Net Bank Credit (ANBC) or Credit Equivalent of Off-Balance Sheet Exposure (CEOBE) to PSL.
• The mandated targets vary for different types of banks:
  • Scheduled commercial banks and foreign banks (with 20 or more branches) have a 40% target.
  • Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) and Small Finance Banks (SFBs) have a 75% target.
  • Urban Cooperative Banks (UCBs): UCBs must allocate 65% of their credit to PSL in FY 2024-25. This allocation will increase to 75% in FY 2025-26.

Ans: A

Exp:

This year, India stepped on the threshold of the second stage of its nuclear power programme when engineers started the core-loading process of the prototype fast breeder reactor (PFBR) at the Madras Atomic Power Station, Kalpakkam.

India’s Nuclear Energy Program:

The goal of the three-stage nuclear programme is to use India’s enormous uranium deposits, which make up around 25% of the global total. 

Pair 1 is correctly matched: Stage I: Pressurized Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs): PHWRs burn natural uranium, which is primarily composed of uranium-238. In a reactor, uranium-238 can be transformed into plutonium-239.

Pair 2 is incorrectly matched: Stage II: Fast  Breeder Reactor (FBR): FBR uses plutonium-239 as fuel. FBRs are able to “breed” more fuel than they consume because uranium-238 in the mixed oxide fuel transmutes to more plutonium-239.

Pair 3 is incorrectly matched: Stage III: Thorium-Based Reactors: The main fuel used in the reactor is thorium-232, which is converted to uranium-233 to provide energy.

Ans: C

Exp:

Graffiti marks “resembling geometric symbols” were among the potsherds discovered during the archaeological excavations undertaken by the Tamil Nadu government’s Department of Archaeology at Perumbalai on the bank of the Nagavathi (ancient Palar), one of the tributaries of Cauvery river.

About Cauvery River: 

• The Cauvery River, often referred to as ‘Dakshi Bharat ki Ganga’ or ‘the Ganga of the South,’ holds significant cultural and geographical importance in South India. 
• This river originates at Talakaveri, situated at an altitude of 1,341 meters in the Brahmagiri range, near the village of Cherangala in the Kodagu (Coorg) district of Karnataka. 
• River flows eastward, emptying into the Bay of Bengal.

Tributaries of the Cauvery River

• Left Bank: the Harangi, the Hemavati, the Shimsha, and the Arkavati.
• Option 1, 3 and 4 are correct: Right Bank: Lakshmantirtha, the Kabbani, the Suvarnavati, the Bhavani, the Noyil, and the Amaravati joins from the right.