UPSC 2022: Nexus 91—100

Official Verdict: (b) Only two pairs

The Core Concept: Nannuka was the 9th-century founder of the Chandela dynasty in Bundelkhand/Jejakabhukti (Pair 1 is true). Jayashakti (also called Jeja) was his grandson and another Chandela ruler after whom the region was named 'Jejakabhukti'; he was not a Paramara (Pair 2 is false). Nagabhata II was an imperial Gurjara-Pratihara ruler who famously defeated Dharmapala of Bengal and took Kannauj (Pair 3 is true). Bhoja refers either to the celebrated polymath King Bhoja of the Paramara dynasty of Malwa or Mihira Bhoja of the Gurjara-Pratiharas; neither was a Rashtrakuta (Pair 4 is false). Only pairs 1 and 3 are correct.

Tethered to: REALM 05: Gurjara-Pratiharas

Official Verdict: (a) Akbar

The Core Concept: As part of his syncretic cultural vision and Sulh-i Kul philosophy, Emperor Akbar established the Maktab Khana (Imperial Translation Bureau) at Fatehpur Sikri. Under Akbar's direct imperial patronage in the late 16th century, the celebrated scholar Nizamuddin Panipati translated the philosophical Advaita Sanskrit treatise Yogavasistha into Persian under the title Jug-Basisht.

Tethered to: REALM 97: Languages & Literature

Official Verdict: (a) 1 and 2 only

The Core Concept: Located at Prabhas Patan near Veraval, Somnath is traditionally venerated as the premier among the twelve sacred Jyotirlinga shrines of Shiva (Statement 1 is true). Persian polymath Al-Biruni visited India in the 11th century and provided a vivid eyewitness account of Somnath's immense wealth, pilgrims, and its raid by Mahmud of Ghazni in his Kitab al-Hind (Statement 2 is true). Statement 3 is false: Following the reconstruction championed by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the historic Pran Pratishtha of the modern temple sanctum was performed on May 11, 1951, by India's first President, Dr. Rajendra Prasad, not S. Radhakrishnan.

Tethered to: REALM 18: Gujarat & Rajasthan (Temple Architecture)

Official Verdict: (d) 2 and 3

The Core Concept: Statement 1 makes an absurd extreme claim: nanoparticles exist abundantly in nature (volcanic ash, oceanic sea spray, desert dust, and forest fire smoke generate trillions of nanoscale particles). Statement 2 is true: nanoscale Titanium Dioxide ($TiO_2$) and Zinc Oxide ($ZnO$) are widely formulated into transparent sunscreens and anti-aging cosmetic creams to block UV rays without leaving a chalky residue. Statement 3 is true: bioaccumulative nanoparticles in the environment can cross pulmonary barriers and cell membranes, posing serious cytotoxic and nanotoxicological hazards to human health.

Tethered to: REALM 521: Adverse Effects & Nanotech in India

Official Verdict: (b) 2 and 4 only

The Core Concept: Acid rain ($pH < 5.6$) occurs when gaseous emissions of Sulphur Dioxide ($SO_2$) and Nitrogen Oxides ($NO_x$) react with atmospheric water vapor, oxygen, and oxidants. $SO_2$ oxidizes to form sulfuric acid ($H_2SO_4$), while $NO_x$ forms nitric acid ($HNO_3$). These strong acids precipitate down in rain, snow, or dry deposition. Carbon monoxide (CO) and Ozone ($O_3$) are dangerous air pollutants, but they are not the chemical precursors that cause acid rain.

Tethered to: REALM 223: Acid Rain