The correct answer is Sri Lanka.

In News

• Sri Lanka approves visa-free entry for 7 nations, including India.

Key Points

• Sri Lanka has approved the issuance of free visas to tourists from India, China, Russia, Malaysia, Japan, Indonesia, and Thailand.
• The pilot project began immediately on October 25, 2023, and will continue until March 31, 2024.
• This is a significant change, as tourists from these countries previously had to pay a visa fee to enter Sri Lanka.
• India has historically been Sri Lanka's primary source of inbound tourism.
• The Sri Lankan government is hoping that this measure will help to revive the country's tourism industry, which has been struggling since the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings and the COVID-19 pandemic.

The correct answer is Ektara.

Key Points

• The word chimaera means tongs.
• It is mostly used in popular Punjabi folk songs, Bhangra music, and the Sikh religious music known as Gurbani Kirtan.
• Some popular chimaera players are Alam Lohar, Arif Lohar, and Kamal Heer.
• Drums are the oldest in the world and the most ubiquitous musical instrument.
• The basic design of the drum has remained virtually unchanged for thousands of years.
• Hand drums are often used in music therapy because of their easy use and tactile nature by a wide variety of people.
• Ashiko, Bedug, Chenda, Dhimay, Ewe drums, Frame drum, Goblet drum, Hand drum, Idakka, Kendang, Log drum, Madal, Pahu, Repinique, Slit drum. Tapan etc are some of the types of drums.
• A small two-headed drum used in Hinduism and Tibetan Buddhism is called Damru.
• The damru is known as the instrument of Lord Shiva in Hinduism associated with Tantric traditions.
• Iktar is also known as actara, Ektara, Ektar, Yaktaro, gopichand, gopichant, golki, gopijiantra and tun tuna.
• It is a musical instrument with a single string attached to a Bamboo piece.
• It is mostly used in the traditional music of South Asia and used in the modern-day music of Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan.
• It originated in Bengal.

Image of Iktara:

Additional Information

• Ghatam
  • The Ghatam is an ancient Indian percussion instrument that plays a significant role in South Indian Carnatic classical music.
  • It is also known as bada, ghara, matka, and noot, the ghatam is an earthenware pot with a narrow mouth.
  • Musicians create sound by tapping and striking the surface of the ghatam, producing a rich and resonant tone.
• Ekkalam
  • The Ekkalam is an aerophone instrument primarily used in Tamil Nadu, India.
  • It consists of a large brass tube with one end flaring into a bell shape. When played, the ekkalam produces sound through the vibration of air injected by the player. By altering lip tension and controlling the airflow, the pitch can be adjusted. It is commonly played during temple festivals and celebrations.
• These distinct instruments each contribute to the rich musical heritage of their respective regions, offering unique sounds and cultural significance.

The correct answer is 14%.

Important Points

The Lok Sabha is the lower house of the Indian Parliament, and it is composed of members who are directly elected by the people of India.

• However, the percentage of women representation in the Lok Sabha has always been low in India. 
• As of April 2023, the current percentage of women representation in Lok Sabha is 14%.
• This means that out of the total 543 seats in Lok Sabha, only 78 are currently held by women.
• This is much lower than the global average for women's representation in parliaments, which is currently around 25%.
• There have been various efforts to increase women's representation in Indian politics, such as the Women's Reservation Bill, which proposes to reserve 33% of all seats in the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies for women.
• However, the bill has not yet been passed due to various political and social challenges.
• The under-representation of women in Indian politics is a matter of concern, as it indicates a lack of gender equality and hinders the country's progress towards inclusive development.
• Increasing women's representation in elected positions is therefore crucial to ensure that the voices and concerns of women are heard and addressed in policymaking.

The correct answer is Ganga and Son.

Key Points

• Magadha Mahajanapada was an ancient kingdom located in the eastern part of India during the 6th century BCE.
• The kingdom was surrounded by several rivers, but the correct answer is Ganga and Son.
• The Ganga river flows from the Himalayas in the north to the Bay of Bengal in the east and passes through the middle of Magadha Mahajanapada.
• The Son river, on the other hand, is a tributary of the Ganga and flows through the southern part of the kingdom.

Additional Information

• The Jhelum river is located in the northwestern region, and flows through present-day Pakistan.
• The Yamuna river is another major tributary of the Ganga, but it does not flow through Magadha Mahajanapada.
• The Ghaghara river is also a tributary of the Ganga, but it is located in the northern part of India.
• The Magadha Mahajanapada was one of the most powerful and prosperous kingdoms during the ancient period and was ruled by several prominent dynasties such as the Haryanka and the Maurya.
  • The kingdom was known for its rich culture, art, literature, and trade, and played a significant role in shaping the political and social landscape of ancient India.

The correct answer is Sattriya

Key Points

• Sattriya dance is a classical form of dance of  Assam.​
• The word ‘Sattriya’ is derived from ‘Sattra’ which means ‘monastery’.
• Sattriya dance tradition is governed by strictly laid-down principles in respect of hasta mudras, footwork, acharyas, music, etc.

Additional Information

Other Classical dance forms and Related State-

The correct answer is Fundamental Rights

Key Points

• Habeas Corpus which literally means “to produce the body” is a protection against illegal and arbitrary detention of a person. 

• The petitions for habeas corpus determine whether the individual has been arrested according to the procedure established by law. 

• Habeas Corpus is one of the five writs through which an individual can approach the Supreme Court or the High Courts for the implementation of his Fundamental Rights. 

Hence, the correct answer is - Fundamental Rights.

Additional Information

• The Supreme Court of India is the defender of the Fundamental Rights of the citizens. For that, it has original and wide powers. It issues five kinds of writs for enforcing the fundamental rights of the citizens. The five types of writs are:
  1. Habeas Corpus
  2. Mandamus
  3. Prohibition
  4. Certiorari
  5. Quo-Warranto

The correct answer is Deva Raya II.

Key Points

• Abdur Razzaq:-
  • Abdur Razzaq the great Iranian scholar came to India in the 15th century.
    He was born in 1413 and was appointed the Qazi of Samarqand under Shah Rokh Khan.
  • Abdur Razzaq stayed in the court of the Vijayanagara empire Diva Raya II from 1442-1443 and gave a vind description of the Vijayanagara kingdom.
  • Duarte Barbosa was a Portuguese official in south India, who traveled Vijayanagara Empire during the reign of Krishna Deva Raya in 1518.
  • Among the other important travelers who came to India in the medieval period were Antonio Monserrate, Peter Mundy, Jean Baptisite Tavernier, Franciso Pelesart, and Nikolo Muncci.
• Deva Raya II:-
  • Deva Raya II was an emperor of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1425 to 1446 CE.
  • During his rule, the Vijayanagara Empire saw significant prosperity and growth, turning it into one of the leading empire of the southern part of the Indian subcontinent.

Additional Information

• Bukka Raya I:-
  • It is more commonly known as Bukka I.
  • He was the founder of the Vijayanagara Empire in the Deccan region of South India.
  • He ruled as the empire's first king from around 1356 to 1377 CE.

The correct answer is Nandini Das.

In News

• The India-born author who won the 2023 British Academy Book Prize for Global Cultural Understanding is Nandini Das.

Key Points

• Nandini Das won the award for her book ‘Courting India: England, Mughal India and the Origins of Empire'.
• She is a Professor of English literature at the University of Oxford.
• Her winning book has been described by critics as the “true origin story of Britain and India told through England's first diplomatic mission to the Mughal courts”.
• The book presents a new perspective on the origins of empire through the story of the arrival of the first English ambassador in India, Sir Thomas Roe, in the early 17th century.

The correct answer is Novak Djokovic.

Key Points

• Novak Djokovic became the first player in history to win 80 matches in all four Grand Slams. He achieved this feat on June 27, 2023, when he defeated Kwon Soon-woo in the first round of Wimbledon.
• Daniil Medvedev, Roger Federer, and Rafael Nadal have all won more than 80 matches at individual Grand Slams, but none of them have won 80 matches in all four Grand Slams.

Here is a breakdown of the number of matches each player has won at each Grand Slam:

The correct answer is The balance of Trade.

Key Points

Balance of Trade (BOT):

• Balance of Trade (BOT) is the difference between the value of exports and value of imports of goods of a country in a given period of time.
• Export of goods is entered as a credit item in BOT, whereas import of goods is entered as a debit item in BOT.
  • It is also known as Trade Balance.
• BOT is said to be in balance when exports of goods are equal to the imports of goods.
• Surplus BOT or Trade surplus will arise if country exports more goods than what it imports.
• Whereas, Deficit BOT or Trade deficit will arise if a country imports more goods than what it exports.
• Net Invisibles is the difference between the value of exports and value of imports of invisibles of a country in a given period of time.
  • Invisibles include services, transfers and flows of income that take place between different countries.
• Services trade includes both factor and non-factor income.
  • Factor income includes net international earnings on factors of production (like labour, land and capital).
  • Non-factor income is net sale of service products like shipping, banking, tourism, software services, etc.

Additional Information

The Balance of Payment:

• The balance of payments (BoP) record the transactions in goods, services and assets between residents of a country with the rest of the world for a specified time period typically a year.
• There are two main accounts in the BoP:
  • The current account.
  • The capital account.