"Indian Art, Culture & Heritage" — Practice

Question 1

The Nagara style of temple architecture, associated with North India, is characterised by:
(a) a curvilinear shikhara and typically no elaborate gateway tower (b) a pyramidal vimana with an elaborate gopuram (c) exclusively rock-cut monolithic structures (d) an absence of any tower structure

Accepted Answer

(a) a curvilinear shikhara and typically no elaborate gateway tower.

This contrasts with the Dravida style of South India, which features a pyramidal vimana and an elaborate gopuram gateway enclosed within a boundary wall.

Question 2

The Sun Temple at Konark, built in the form of a colossal stone chariot, was constructed under which dynasty?
(a) Eastern Ganga dynasty (b) Chola dynasty (c) Chandela dynasty (d) Hoysala dynasty

Accepted Answer

(a) Eastern Ganga dynasty.

Located in Odisha, it exemplifies the Nagara architectural style; the Chandelas built the Khajuraho temples, and the Cholas built the Brihadeeswarar Temple in the Dravida style.

Question 3

The Vesara style of temple architecture, a hybrid of Nagara and Dravida elements, is associated with which region and dynasties?
(a) Deccan (Karnataka) — Chalukya and Hoysala dynasties (b) North India — Chandela dynasty (c) Tamil Nadu — Chola dynasty (d) Odisha — Eastern Ganga dynasty

Accepted Answer

(a) Deccan (Karnataka) — Chalukya and Hoysala dynasties.

Examples include the Hoysaleswara Temple at Halebidu and the temples at Belur, combining features of both northern and southern styles.

Question 4

The Ellora Caves are unique among India's major rock-cut sites because they contain:
(a) Buddhist, Hindu and Jain structures side by side (b) exclusively Buddhist mural paintings (c) only Hindu temple architecture (d) exclusively Jain monastic cells

Accepted Answer

(a) Buddhist, Hindu and Jain structures side by side.

This includes the monolithic Kailasa Temple, carved from a single rock under Rashtrakuta patronage — distinct from the Ajanta Caves, which are exclusively Buddhist.

Question 5

Bharatanatyam is the classical dance form associated with which state?
(a) Tamil Nadu (b) Kerala (c) Odisha (d) Assam

Accepted Answer

(a) Tamil Nadu.

Each of the eight recognised classical dance forms is rooted in a specific state, with Kerala uniquely having two (Kathakali and Mohiniyattam).

Question 6

Sattriya, the most recently added classical dance form (2000), originates from the Vaishnavite monasteries of which state, associated with saint Srimanta Sankardeva?
(a) Assam (b) Manipur (c) Odisha (d) Andhra Pradesh

Accepted Answer

(a) Assam.

Unlike most classical dance forms rooted in royal court traditions, Sattriya developed within monastic (sattra) institutions.

Question 7

Which state uniquely has TWO officially recognised classical dance forms?
(a) Kerala (Kathakali and Mohiniyattam) (b) Tamil Nadu (c) Odisha (d) Uttar Pradesh

Accepted Answer

(a) Kerala (Kathakali and Mohiniyattam).

Kathakali is a vigorous dance-drama form with elaborate costumes and makeup; Mohiniyattam is a graceful, lyrical solo form — a frequently tested exception to the one-state-one-form pattern.

Question 8

The 'Trinity of Carnatic Music' consists of Tyagaraja, Syama Sastri and:
(a) Muthuswami Dikshitar (b) Amir Khusrau (c) Tansen (d) Baiju Bawra

Accepted Answer

(a) Muthuswami Dikshitar.

All three composers were active in the late 18th/early 19th century and form a fixed, frequently tested set distinct from Hindustani music's Gharana tradition.

Question 9

Which of the following best distinguishes Hindustani classical music from Carnatic classical music?
(a) Hindustani shows greater Persian/Central Asian influence and is organised around Gharanas; Carnatic has a more continuous Southern classical lineage tied to the Trinity (b) Carnatic uses the sitar and tabla; Hindustani uses the veena and mridangam (c) Hindustani is practised only in Kerala; Carnatic only in Punjab (d) There is no meaningful distinction between the two traditions

Accepted Answer

(a) Hindustani shows greater Persian/Central Asian influence and is organised around Gharanas; Carnatic has a more continuous Southern classical lineage tied to the Trinity.

Hindustani instruments include the sitar, sarod and tabla; Carnatic instruments include the veena, mridangam and adapted violin.

Question 10

Madhubani (Mithila) painting, traditionally practised by women using natural dyes, originates from:
(a) Bihar (b) Maharashtra (c) Rajasthan (d) West Bengal

Accepted Answer

(a) Bihar.

This is distinct from Warli painting, a tribal folk art tradition from Maharashtra using white pigment on a mud/red-ochre background.

Question 11

Warli painting, characterised by simple geometric shapes in white pigment on a mud background, is a tribal art tradition from:
(a) Maharashtra (b) Bihar (c) Rajasthan (d) Odisha

Accepted Answer

(a) Maharashtra.

Practised by the Warli tribe, this monochrome geometric style is visually and regionally distinct from the colourful Madhubani tradition of Bihar.

Question 12

Mughal miniature painting, characterised by fine detail and realistic portraiture, flourished chiefly under the patronage of:
(a) Akbar, Jahangir and Shah Jahan (b) the Delhi Sultanate rulers (c) the Vijayanagara emperors (d) the Chola dynasty

Accepted Answer

(a) Akbar, Jahangir and Shah Jahan.

This tradition blended Persian techniques with Indian subject matter, distinct from the later Rajput and Pahari miniature schools it influenced.

Question 13

India's first Geographical Indication (GI) tagged product was:
(a) Darjeeling Tea (b) Basmati Rice (c) Banarasi Sarees (d) Mysore Silk

Accepted Answer

(a) Darjeeling Tea.

Registered in 2004-05 under the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999, it established the starting point of India's GI tagging system.

Question 14

The Geographical Indications Registry of India is located at:
(a) Chennai (b) New Delhi (c) Mumbai (d) Kolkata

Accepted Answer

(a) Chennai.

GI tags are administered under the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999, with the Registry based in Chennai.

Question 15

The 'Great Living Chola Temples,' a UNESCO World Heritage Site including the Brihadeeswarar Temple, are located in:
(a) Tamil Nadu (b) Karnataka (c) Odisha (d) Madhya Pradesh

Accepted Answer

(a) Tamil Nadu.

Built under Raja Raja Chola I at Thanjavur, this exemplifies the Dravida architectural style with its distinctive pyramidal vimana.

Practice — "Indian Art, Culture & Heritage"

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