History & Culture chapter practice
Practise 100+ Visual Arts, Architecture and Painting MCQs for UPSC Prelims in History & Culture, including 25+ previous year questions. The sample set below is shown with correct answers and explanations.
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Who among the following Mughal Emperors shifted emphasis from illustrated manuscripts to album and individual portrait?
Explanation
Correct. Jahangir had a pronounced connoisseur's taste for refined naturalism, portraiture and muraqqa (albums of individual paintings). His reign marks the decisive shift away from narrative manuscript illustration.
The well-known painting 'Bani Thani' belongs to the:
Explanation
Correct. Bani Thani is the iconic work of the Kishangarh school of Rajput miniature painting, associated with court painter Nihal Chand and the poet-king Sawant Singh, noted for its idealized elongated feminine features.
With reference to the cultural history of India, consider the following statements: 1. White marble was used in making Buland Darwaza and Khankah at Fatehpur Sikri. 2. Red sandstone and marble were used in making Bara Imambara and Rumi Darwaza at Lucknow. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Explanation
Correct. Both statements are inaccurate. Buland Darwaza and the Fatehpur Sikri complex are built primarily of red sandstone, not white marble. The Bara Imambara and Rumi Darwaza in Lucknow are built in lime plaster (lakhauri brick), not red sandstone and marble.
Consider the following pairs: Craft — Heritage of 1. Puthukkuli shawls — Tamil Nadu 2. Sujni embroidery — Maharashtra 3. Uppada Jamdani saris — Karnataka Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?
Explanation
Correct. Puthukkuli shawls are associated with the Toda tribal people of the Nilgiri Hills in Tamil Nadu. Sujni embroidery belongs to Bihar (not Maharashtra), and Uppada Jamdani saris are from Andhra Pradesh (not Karnataka).
Which of the following is/are famous for Sun temples? 1. Arasavalli 2. Amarakantak 3. Omkareshwar Select the correct answer using the code given below:
Explanation
Correct. Arasavalli in Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh is home to the Suryanarayana temple, a well-known Sun temple site. Amarakantak is famous as the source of the Narmada river and for Shaiva shrines, not Sun temples. Omkareshwar on the Narmada is a Jyotirlinga Shiva site, not a Sun temple.
What is/are common to the two historical places known as Ajanta and Mahabalipuram? 1. Both were built in the same period. 2. Both belong to the same religious denomination. 3. Both have rock-cut monuments. Select the correct answer using the code given below.
Explanation
Correct. Only statement 3 is common to both — Ajanta consists of Buddhist rock-cut caves and Mahabalipuram contains Hindu rock-cut rathas and cave temples. They differ in period and religion.
Kalamkari painting refers to:
Explanation
Correct. Kalamkari is the South Indian tradition of hand-painting or block-printing designs on cotton fabric using natural dyes, especially associated with Srikalahasti and Machilipatnam in Andhra Pradesh.
With reference to the term 'Panchayatan' in the cultural history of India, it refers to:
Explanation
Correct. Panchayatan denotes a style of temple construction in which a central main shrine is surrounded by four subsidiary shrines at the corners of the platform, creating a group of five (pancha = five) shrines.
Consider the following pairs: Famous work of sculpture — Site 1. A grand image of Buddha's Mahaparinirvana with numerous celestial musicians above and the sorrowful figures of his followers below — Ajanta 2. A huge image of Varaha Avatar of Vishnu sculpted on rock — Mount Abu 3. 'Arjuna's Penance' / 'Descent of Ganga' sculpted on the surface of huge boulders — Mamallapuram Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?
Explanation
Correct. Pair 1 (Ajanta Mahaparinirvana) and pair 3 (Arjuna's Penance at Mamallapuram) are correctly matched. The Varaha in pair 2 is at Udayagiri, not Mount Abu.
Consider the following places: 1. Chanderi 2. Kancheepuram 3. Bhadrachalam 4. Karnal Which of the above are famous for the production of traditional sarees/fabric?
Explanation
Correct. Chanderi in Madhya Pradesh is renowned for its fine Chanderi silk-cotton sarees, and Kancheepuram (Kanjivaram) in Tamil Nadu is celebrated for its heavy silk sarees with zari work. Bhadrachalam is a temple town in Telangana, not a textile centre, and Karnal in Haryana is an agricultural city not known for traditional sarees.
Consider the following places: 1. Ajanta 2. Lepakshi 3. Sanchi stupa Which of the above places is/are also known for mural paintings?
Explanation
Correct. Ajanta is world-famous for its Buddhist mural paintings (2nd century BCE–5th century CE), and Lepakshi in Andhra Pradesh has outstanding Vijayanagara-period wall paintings. Sanchi is celebrated primarily for its stupa and sculptural narrative panels on its gateways, not for mural painting.
Lord Buddha's image is sometimes shown with the hand gesture called 'Bhumisparsha Mudra'. It symbolizes:
Explanation
Correct. The Bhumisparsha Mudra (earth-touching gesture) refers to the moment of enlightenment when the Buddha touched the earth to call it as witness to his long accumulation of merit and purity in the face of Mara's temptations.
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