Q14 · UPSC Prelims 2026 · Set A · Art and Culture

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Which of the following statements on the Amaravati Stupa and its relief sculpture is/are correct?1.It was located in the lower Krishna valley.2.In India, it was next only to the Sanchi Stupa in size.3.The Amaravati school of sculpture made a lasting impact on the later South Indian sculpture, and its products were carried to Sri Lanka and South-east Asia.Select the answer using the code given below:

Page facts
Exam
Union Public Service Commission — Civil Services Examination (UPSC)
Board
UPSC
Stage
Prelims
Year
2026
Paper
UPSC Prelims — Prelims General Studies Paper I (General Studies)
Booklet
Set A
Question
Q14
Topic
Art and Culture
Syllabus
Indian art, architecture, culture — Prelims GS Paper I.
A 1 only
B 1 and 3 only
C 2 and 3 only
D 1, 2 and 3

Correct answer: (b) 1 and 3 only

Explanation

  1. A

    1 only

    1 only. Incomplete. Location in the lower Krishna valley is correct, but statement 3 on the lasting sculptural influence and overseas reach is also correct.

  2. B

    1 and 3 only

    1 and 3 only. Correct. Amaravati belongs to the lower Krishna valley, and the Amaravati school shaped later South Indian sculpture with products carried to Sri Lanka and South-east Asia. Statement 2 is not accepted as correctly worded.

  3. C

    2 and 3 only

    2 and 3 only. Incorrect. It keeps the doubtful size comparison with Sanchi and drops the secure location fact.

  4. D

    1, 2 and 3

    1, 2 and 3. Incorrect because statement 2 does not stand as a reliably correct claim in the standard reading.

Summary. Official key is (b): statements 1 and 3 hold; the “next only to Sanchi in size” claim does not.

Same topic · past papers

UPSC has asked this before

These previous-year questions sit on the same topic. Open one to practise the earlier ask.

  1. 2026 · Q7 · General Studies · 2 marks

    Consider the following statements relating to the use of the place-value system in India: 1. The earliest epigraphic use of the place-value system in India is found in the Mankani plates from Gujarat (AD 595-596). 2. In the ninth century, place-values become general in inscriptions all over India. 3. The place-values have been found in Sanskrit inscriptions in South-east Asia as early as the seventh century. Which of the statements given above are correct?

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