2000 GE Exam 3 Questions and Answers
Latest Updated
What is the world's highest mountain range? What made it? Where is the Deccan
plateau? - CORRECT ANSWER-Himalayas, world's highest mountain range. Made
from the crash of Indian and Eurasian plates.
The Deccan plateau is in Southern India and is surrounded by Ghats (smaller mnt
ranges).
What technically is the monsoon? How do winds flow in the winter? In the summer?
Which one is the rainy season for most of the sub-continent? - CORRECT ANSWER-
Monsoon is technically a seasonal wind pattern, but in effect means super dry and
super wet seasons.
- Winter = cool air flows outward from Asia high pressure mass towards ocean (SW
India, NE Sri Lanka get rain).
- Summer = hot, rising, low pressure Siberia air sucks in moist tropical air, brings the
rain (Aided by ITCZ moisture). Considered the rainy season.
How have villages in Bangladesh adapted to the flood? Does the monsoon happen
without fail? - CORRECT ANSWER-In Bangladesh, villages are built on artificial
mounds, but occasionally the monsoon fails causing devastation in rural India.
What areas of South Asia are particularly vulnerable to sea level rise? Who gets hurt
when India diverts the Ganga River? What are causes of deforestation in South Asia?
What was Bhopal? - CORRECT ANSWER-- Sea Level Rise:
Bangladesh 17 million or so people living at sea level, Mumbai like Miami also has
almost no elevation, 80% of Maldives < 3ft above sea level.
- India diverts 60 % of Ganga, esp. for Kolkatta:
This leaves rural Bangladesh w/ less water for irrigation & advancing salt water.
-Deforestation:
There is a long history of deforestation from early Hindu kingdoms through the British,
Organized wood cutting is to supply urban areas, with little input from local people who
use forest resources for other purposes, "Chipko movement," which has slowed
deforestation and increased ecological awareness, began as a way to protect sacred
groves, However, much cutting is done locally for fuel, animal fodder.
- Bhopal diaster, where Union Carbide subsidy had a gas leak that killed 3000, injured
50000.
What was special about the Indus Valley civilization? Who were the Mughals, and what
did they bring in terms of religion and language? - CORRECT ANSWER-Indus Valley
Civilization amongst first settled agricultural civilizations in the world; had town planning
and plumbing.
,-Mughals (Turko-Persian) in 1526:
Gave Islam prestige, most powerful in North.
Even of amongst non-Muslims, changed aesthetics, gender roles
Brought Hindustani language (Urdu and Hindi)
What was the British East India Company? When did the British take full control of
India? - CORRECT ANSWER-THE BRITISH EAST INDIA COMPANY WAS A
TRADING COMPANY DURING THE 1780's.The Company though entered to do
business but finding the people and the rulers of India divided, the Company managed
to get the approval and blessings of the the British parliament to mischievously manage
control over the states and finally rule over India with their policy of Divide and Rule.
1857
How did Britain view South Asia? What happened to the cloth industry in Bengal? What
happened to workers? What killed 10 million in the 1800s? What were some benefits of
British colonialism? - CORRECT ANSWER-...- Britain looked to South Asia as a market
and source of raw materials
- Undermined world's largest cloth industry in Bengal in late 1700's through forbidding
import tariffs and banning looms
-Many workers became landless peasants, moved to cities or elsewhere in Empire
-Taxes, droughts killed 10 mil. in 1800's
- British cities (Bom, Cal, Mad) boom
British build New Delhi 17 years b4 leaving
• Decent rail network
• English as unifying language
• Bureaucracy and democratic tradition
• Cricket
What was the Indian National Congress? What is it called now? What is Partition? What
countries came out of partition? How does Bangladesh come about? - CORRECT
ANSWER-- Indian National Congress begins in 1885, leads independence movement
-To divide into parts
- India (predominantly Hindu) and Pakistan (East + West, predominantly Muslim)
- Eventually East Pakistan becomes independent Bangladesh
How large is India's middle class? Which country in the region is the densest? What is
the missing female problem? Which areas have stabilized populations and why? -
CORRECT ANSWER--Has a middle class of 50 million.
-Bangladesh is one of densest countries on earth, due to constant water supply.
- Strong preference in many areas for boys, even among some of middle class, has led
to missing female problem.
- Sri Lanka, Kerala population has stabilized due to health care, women's education
Where did the Indian diaspora spread under the British and through what type of work?
After Independence? - CORRECT ANSWER-Includes all areas of South Asia:
, - Plantations in Guyana/Trinidad, Malaysia, Fiji
- Railroads, Army, Merchants in South, East Africa
After independence to UK, Canada, US, Australia, Persian Gulf
Do most people live in villages or cities? Do urban dwellers remain connected to
villages? Are villages diverse? What is the commonly spoken second language in India?
- CORRECT ANSWER--Many workers became landless peasants, moved to cities or
elsewhere in Empire.
-Villages are diverse in culture and religion.
-English as unifying language
Is Hinduism complex? How does it vary? What is the difference between the Great
Tradition and Little Tradition? - CORRECT ANSWER--Is incredibly complex, looks very
different depending on location, caste
-There is the Great Tradition and the Little Tradition
- GT is centered around Brahma/Shiva/Vishnu and their various manifestations of the
divine
- L.T. has hundreds of Gods, some only belonging to a single village
Where are most of the world's Hindus located? What river do they consider scared?
Which countries in South Asia have a Muslim majority? What is Sikhism? - CORRECT
ANSWER--Most of world's nearly 1 billion Hindus in India
-Ganga River plain is considered hearth
- Muslim majority in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and the Maldives
• 120 million Muslims in India
-Sikhism, a combination of Hindu and Islam, centered on Punjab
Sikhs big in military, police
Have Hindus and Muslims generally coexisted? Has there been communal violence
recently? Have whole villages switched religion and why? - CORRECT ANSWER-In
general, Hindus and Muslims have co-existed:
• Participate in each others festivals in villages
• In urban areas, upper classes work live together
In urban areas, occasional communal violence has broken out between Muslims and
Hindus:
• Strict Hindus don't like that Muslims work with leather, eat beef; also treat Muslims with
suspicion b/c of hostility towards Pakistan
Muslims tend to be poorer/less well connected in areas in India where they are the
minority
Sometimes whole villages of low caste Hindus convert to escape caste system:
• Although a small number of Muslims in India still participate in caste system
What is the caste system? What are the major divisions and what type of jobs did each
have? - CORRECT ANSWER-A rigidly hierarchical system of roles and privileges which
