UPSC Essentials: Daily Subject-wise quiz — History, Culture, and Social Issues (Week 7)

Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer.

2. (c)

FYI:

— There are eight classical dance styles in India:

 Bharatnatyam

— Bharatanatyam of Tamil Nadu in southern India has grown out of the art of dancers dedicated to temples and was earlier known as Sadir or Dasi Attam.

— It rests on principles of performance and aesthetics set down in classics such as Bharata’s Natyashastra.

— It has a rich repertoire of songs in Telugu, Tamil and Sanskrit.

Manipuri Dance

— It evolved in Manipur in north-eastern India and is anchored in the Vaishnava faith of the Meiteis, or people of the Manipur valley. The temples of Manipur are still among the principal staging venues of the dance.

— Manipuri dance is introverted and restrained compared to most other dances in India – the artist never establishes eye contact with the audience.

— The movements are circular and continuous, each merging into the other. Mudras or hand gestures are subtly absorbed in the flow of the movement overall.

— The facial expression is subdued and never exaggerated. These features are evident even in the more vigorous masculine dances.

Kathak

— Kathak is the principal dance of northern India and is widely practiced in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, and even parts of western and eastern India today.

— It is believed to be connected with the narrative art of Kathakaras or story-tellers who have expounded the scriptures, the epics Ramayana and Mahabharata, and puranic literature to the lay masses since ancient times.

Odissi Dance

— Odissi dance originates in Orissa in eastern India, where in its rudimentary form it was performed as part of temple service by ‘maharis’ or female temple servants.

— The traditional dance was remolded as a theatre art towards the middle of the twentieth century with reference not only to the existing dance art but also to the representation of dance in Orissa’s medieval sculpture, painting, and literature.

Kathakali

— Kathakali or ‘story play’ took shape in Kerala in southern India in the seventeenth century under the patronage of the prince of Karnataka, who wrote plays for performance drawn from the epic Ramayana in Malayalam, the language of the region.

— Stories from the Ramayana and Mahabharata provide the content of most Kathakali plays, which have come down to us in a steady stream over three centuries.

Mohiniattam

— Mohiniattam, which belongs to Kerala in southern India, takes its name from the mythic enchantress Mohini. It is a dance of feminine grace and has grown out of performances connected with Kerala’s temples.

Kuchipudi

— Kuchipudi, one of the major dance forms of India originated from Andhra Pradesh, where it grew largely as a product of the Bhakti movement beginning in the 7th Century AD.

Sattriya Dance

— Sattriya dance refers to the body of dance and danced drama developed in the sattras or monasteries of Assam since the sixteenth century

— It is a distinct genre within the fold of classical Indian dance, with an evolved language of hand gesture (hasta), footwork (pada karma), movement and expression (Nritta and Abhinaya), and a repertoire centered on devotion to Krishna.

Therefore, option (c) is the correct answer

Source: (http://www.indiaculture.nic.in)

3. (d)

FYI:

— The famous Basohli Painting from the Kathua district of Jammu division has received the Geographical Indication (GI) Tag.

— The Pahari School of Art developed in the mountainous regions of Basohli, Kulu, Guler, Kangra, Jammu, and Garhwal between the 17th and 19th centuries.

— The first centre of the Pahari school materialized at Basohli with its own bold and flamboyant style.

— The style is toned down in the Guler paintings with its finer drawings and calmer colours.

— Subsequently, the paintings from Jammu portrayed more clarity and simplicity of individualisation and ultimately transformed into rhythmic, graceful paintings from Kangra.

— Basohli, nevertheless, gave birth to the Pahari style and paved the way for other centres to flourish.

Therefore, option (d) is the correct answer.

Other Source: (indianculture.gov.in, newsonair.gov.in)

4. (d)

FYI:

— The Kongthong village is located in the East Khasi Hills in Meghalaya. Hence, statement 1 is not correct.

— It is popularly known as the ‘whistling village’ due to its unique tradition of ‘Jingrwai Lawbei’ under which mothers create a tune for their newborns. These tunes are often used as names. Hence, statement 2 is correct.

— Kongthong people belong to the Seng Khasi Tribe and speak the Khasi language. Hence, statement 3 is correct.

Therefore, option (d) is the correct answer.

5. (a)

FYI:

— Jhum Cultivation is an important practice in Mizoram. It includes slashing down the jungles, burning the leaves and cultivating the lands. All the major agricultural activities and festivals in Mizoram rotate around the operations of Jhum

— Kut are the traditional festivals of Mizoram. Some of those important ones celebrated with great pomp and show are namely:

— Chapchar Kut is one of the most important spring festival. After the clearing of the forests for jhum cultivation, this festival is celebrated with great fervor by the people of Mizoram.

— Mim Kut is celebrated after the harvest of the maize crop is over. For this very reason, Mim Kut is also called the Maize Festival.

— Pawl Kut is the greatest of all the festivals celebrated in the state of Mizoram. Once all the harvests are over, this Harvest Festival is celebrated with great fun.

— Lyuva Khutla (festival) is celebrated after completion of arduous jhumming task (slash and burn). It is celebrated as thanksgiving to the almighty for his helps and blessings.

— The Anthurium Festival is held to promote farmers, flowers and horticulture in Mizoram.

— Khuado Kut (festival) is celebrated by the Paite community . It is a festival of symbolic expression of thanksgiving to the Almighty for having blessed and given a bountiful harvest.

— The Hlukhla Kut is a festival of Lai people. It is celebrated during March after completion of their most arduous task of jhum operation i.e., jungle-clearing (clearing of the remnants of burning).

Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer.

Source: (tourism.mizoram.gov.in)

6. (c)

FYI:

— Indo-Islamic architecture begins with the Ghurid occupation of India at the close of the 12 century A.D. The Muslims having inherited a wealth of varied designs from Sassanian and Byzantine empires and being naturally endowed with good taste for buildings, never failed to adapt to their own requirements the indigenous architecture of almost every foreign country that they conquered.

— The most important factors common to both forms of architecture, especially in respect of mosques and temples, were that to both styles, ornamental decoration was very vital and that the open court in many cases was surrounded by colonnades. 

— The prayer chamber of the mosque was spacious, whereas the shrine of the temple was comparatively small.

— The mosque was light and open, whereas the temple was dark and closed.

— The difference between the lay-out of a temple and a mosque is explained by the essential difference between the Hindu and Muslim forms of worship and prayer. 

— The Muslim style of construction was based on arches, vaults and domes, on columns and pyramidal towers or slender spires, called trabeate.

— A tower or minaret, originally intended for the muazzin to call the faithful to the prayer, later assumed a mere architectural character.

— A gallery or compartment of the prayer hall or some other part was screened off to accommodate the ladies who observed purdah

— The main entrance to a mosque is on the east, and the sides are enclosed by cloisters (liwans).

— A tank is provided for ablutions usually in the courtyard of a mosque.

— In the Hindu style of construction spaces were spanned corbels, held together by making courses project, each further than the one below, so that the open span was gradually reduced to a size which could be covered with a single slab or brick.

Therefore, option (c) is the correct answer.

Source: (ccrtindia.gov.in)

7. (c)

FYI:

— Three heritage sites from India were added to the tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites, Vadnagar- A multi-layered historic town, Gujarat,  Sun Temple, Modhera and its adjoining monuments and Rock-cut Sculptures, and Reliefs of the Unakoti, Tripura.

— The Modhera temple was built in 1026-27 CE during the reign of Bhima I of the Chaulukya dynasty. Hence, statement 1 is correct.

— The Sun Temple of Modhera is situated along the backdrop of River Pushpavati and is surrounded by a terra-formed garden of flowering trees.

— As you enter this historical complex, you will first come across the splendid kund, known as Ramakund. It is built in a rectangular shape and contains 108 shrines of various gods and demi-goals. On the three sides of the kund are the three main shrines, dedicated to Ganesh, Vishnu and Shiva. Hence, statement 2 is correct.

— The twelve representations carved on the pillars represent the sun according to the twelve month.

Therefore, option (c) is the correct answer.

8. (c)

FYI:

— Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar was born in 1820 in a Brahmin family. He studied Sanskrit grammar, literature, Vedanta philosophy, logic, astronomy, and Hindu law for more than 12 years at Sanskrit College in Calcutta, and received the title of Vidyasagar.

— He was a polymath who reconstructed the modern Bengali alphabet and initiated pathbreaking reform in traditional upper caste Hindu society.

— He spent his life’s energies trying to ensure an end to the practice of child marriage and initiate widow remarriage. 

— Vidyasagar followed in the great reformist tradition of Raja Ram Mohun Roy (1772-1833), and argued, on the basis of scriptures and old commentaries, in favour of the remarriage of widows in the same way as Roy did for the abolition of Sati.

Therefore, option (c) is the correct answer.