UPSC Prelims 2023— Question 42

This question tests Stupa Tradition under Buddhism. The central point is Stupas are Buddhist in origin, commonly preserve relics and serve commemorative/votive purposes. Option A: capital cities. This distractor is not the keyed answer because it conflicts with the specific factual relationship, chronology, institutional role, geographic association or conceptual distinction tested in the question. Option B: ports. This distractor is not the keyed answer because it conflicts with the specific factual relationship, chronology, institutional role, geographic association or conceptual distinction tested in the question. Option C: centres of iron-and-steel making. This is the keyed answer because it matches the governing fact or concept: Stupas are Buddhist in origin, commonly preserve relics and serve commemorative/votive purposes. Option D: shrines of Jain Tirthankaras (. This distractor is not the keyed answer because it conflicts with the specific factual relationship, chronology, institutional role, geographic association or conceptual distinction tested in the question. The question should be approached by checking each statement independently rather than accepting a familiar phrase at face value. This is particularly important in UPSC questions where a single incorrect institutional attribution, location, chronology, absolute word or causal link can invalidate an otherwise plausible option. The broader revision takeaway is to connect the keyed answer with the underlying concept rather than memorizing only the letter. The options also illustrate how UPSC constructs distractors by mixing correct facts with one altered detail. In revision, candidates should therefore retain both the positive fact and the nearest contrasting fact so that the same concept can be recognized when the framing changes in another year.