Music, Dance, Literature and Philosophy MCQs

Natabhairavi uses a different set of pitches from Bilawal, including the lower varieties of ga, dha and ni in the corresponding scale comparison. Sharing seven notes does not make two ragas equivalent: the intervals matter.

Kamavardhini, commonly associated with Pantuvarali, has a different scale from the all-natural-note Bilawal framework. In particular, its prati madhyama distinguishes it from Shankarabharanam’s shuddha madhyama.

Hanumatodi is another seven-note melakarta, but its rishabha, gandhara, dhaivata and nishada pattern differs from Shankarabharanam. The similar name “Todi” should not be used to infer the Bilawal correspondence.

Agra is a distinct Hindustani vocal tradition, but it is not Mansur’s principal gharana identification in this question. A musician’s place of birth also does not supply the name of his stylistic lineage.

Mansur did receive early training from Neelkanth Bua of the Gwalior tradition, which makes this a plausible distractor. His mature reputation and the official pairing here are Jaipur-Atrauli, after training with Manji Khan and Burji Khan.

Patiala is another major khyal gharana, but it is not the lineage for which Mansur is identified here. The answer requires his artistic training and mature style, not simply recognition of a famous gharana name.

Delhi was not the site of the first Gandharva Mahavidyalaya; Paluskar later had associations with Mumbai and other cities but the first school opened in Lahore.

Gwalior is associated with the Gwalior gharana of Hindustani music and was Paluskar's place of training under Balkrishnabuwa Ichalkaranjikar, but not where he opened the first school.

Ujjain has cultural significance but was not the location of the first Gandharva Mahavidyalaya.

Tilak wrote Gita Rahasya while imprisoned in Mandalay, not Songs from Prison.

Nehru wrote The Discovery of India and Glimpses of World History from prison but not Songs from Prison.

Sarojini Naidu was a poet known for The Golden Threshold and The Bird of Time but not for Songs from Prison.

Pingali Venkayya designed the national flag but he hailed from Bhatlapenumarru, not Madanapalle.

Pattabhi Sitaramaiah was a Congress leader from Andhra but is not specifically associated with Madanapalle in relation to Quit India.

The Theosophical Society's Indian headquarters were established at Adyar, Chennai, not Madanapalle.

This is a correct statement — Tansen composed dhrupad compositions dedicated to Hindu deities including Shiva and Ganesha before he joined Akbar's court.

This is a correct statement — Tansen composed for his various patrons including Raja Ramchandra Baghela of Rewa and later Emperor Akbar.

This is a correct statement — Tansen is credited with creating several ragas including Miyan ki Malhar, Miyan ki Todi, and Darbari Kanada.

Only pair 1 is partially correct but pair 2 is also correct, so this option is incomplete.

Thang-Ta is a martial art and dance form of Manipur, not Sikkim; so pair 3 is incorrect.

Thang-Ta belongs to Manipur, not Sikkim, making pair 3 incorrect.

Statement 1 is wrong (Tyagaraja's kritis praise Rama, not Krishna), and statement 3 is wrong (Annamacharya lived in the 15th century while Tyagaraja lived in the 18th–19th century).

Statement 1 is incorrect — Tyagaraja's compositions primarily praise Lord Rama, and statement 3 is also incorrect as they were not contemporaries.

Statement 3 is incorrect — Annamacharya (c. 1408–1503) and Tyagaraja (1767–1847) lived nearly 300 years apart.

Statement 2 is incorrect — Sankirtana uses multiple instruments including the pung (barrel drum) and kartal (cymbals), not cymbals alone.

Statement 2 is wrong; cymbals (kartal) are used alongside the pung drum and other instruments.

Statements 1 and 3 are both correct, making this option incomplete.

Nanda Raj Jaat Yatra belongs to the Kumaoni/Garhwali communities of Uttarakhand, not the Gonds. Wari-Warkari is a pilgrimage tradition of Maharashtra's Varkari sect, not associated with Santhals.

The Wari-Warkari tradition belongs to Maharashtra's Varkari bhakti movement, not the Santhals of Jharkhand and West Bengal.

Pair 1 is correctly matched — Chaliha Sahib is indeed a Sindhi festival.

Konkani has not been granted Classical Language status; it is one of the 22 scheduled languages of India.

Bhojpuri is not a scheduled language and has not received Classical Language status.

Assamese had not received Classical Language status at the time of the 2015 examination (it was granted in 2024).

Martial arts in North-East India are associated with communities practising Thang-Ta (Manipur) or Chhau traditions, not the Manganiyars.

Classical vocal music of South India is associated with the Carnatic tradition; Manganiyars are from Rajasthan and perform folk music.

Pietra dura is a decorative stone inlay art associated with Mughal architecture, unconnected to the Manganiyar community.