Art & Culture Test 8

Solution: a)

• Statement 1: This division became the basis for caste discrimination later. Brahamanas were awarded with the highest occupations whereas the shudras with menial jobs which was socially and economically exploitative.
• Statement 2: Kshatriyas were to engage in warfare, protect people and administer justice, study the Vedas, get sacrifices performed, and make gifts.
• The Vaishyas were expected to engage in agriculture, pastoralism and trade.

Solution: a)

• Mimamsa philosophy is basically the analysis of interpretation, application and the use of the text of the Samhita and Brahmana portions of the Veda.
• According to Mimamsa philosophy, Vedas are eternal and possess all knowledge, and religion means the fulfilment of duties prescribed by the Vedas.
• This philosophy encompasses the Nyaya-Vaisheshika systems and emphasizes the concept of valid knowledge.

Solution: d)

• Kashmir’s Gulraj is usually a folklore and Pandyani of Madhya Pradesh is a narrative put to music
• Rajasthani folksongs such as Mand and Bhatiali of Bengal are popular all over India.

Solution: b)

• The Delhi Iron pillar of the Gupta period is still free from rust though completely exposed to sun and rain for so many centuries.
• The paintings of the Gupta period are seen at Bagh caves near Gwalior.
• Moreover, the mural paintings of Ajantha mostly illustrate the life of the Buddha as depicted in the Jataka stories.
• There was little influence of Gandhara style on Gupta art. But the beautiful statue of standing Buddha at Mathura reveals a little Greek style. The Buddha statue unearthed at Saranath was unique piece of Gupta art.

Solution: c)

• Under Krishnadevaraya, Vijaynagara emerged as the strongest military power in the south. Vijaynagara was more a confederacy rather than a centralized empire with the local governors having considerable autonomy.
• Amaram – territory with fixed revenue were given to Military chiefs called Palaiyagar or Nayaks who had to maintain a fixed number of horses, elephants and foot soldiers for the service of the state

Solution: b)

• The Paramahansa Mandali and the Prarthana Samaj is in Maharashtra and the Arya Samaj in Punjab and North India were some of the prominent movements among the Hindus.
• There were several other regional and caste movements’ like the Kayasth Sabha in Uttar Pradesh and the Sarin Sabha in Punjab.
• The backward castes also started the work of reformation with the Satya Sodhak Samaj in Maharashtra and the Sri Narayana Dharma Paripalana Sabha in Kerala.

Solution: d)

• In this art, the representation of deities like Kali and Lord Ayyappa, are made on the floor. Various factors need to be considered when deciding the nature or figure on the ‘Kalam’, which include the presiding deity of the temple or sacred grove, the religious purpose that calls for the ritual of Kalamezhuthu and the particular caste that does it.
• In each case the patterns, minute details, dimensions and colour choice are decided in observance with strict rules. The patterns vary considerably depending on the occasion, but rarely by the choice of the artist.
• Kalamezhuthu is practiced using natural pigments and powders, usually in five colours.
• The drawing is done with bare hands without the use of tools. The pictures are developed from the centre, growing outwards, patch by patch.
• The powder is spread in the floor, letting it in a thin stream between the thumb and the index finger.
• The figures drawn usually have an expression of anger or other emotions. The powders and pigments are all extracted from plants.

Solution: d)

It is one of the intangible heritages of India as accorded by UNESCO.

• It is performed for purification and rejuvenation of the community.
• It is the enactment of the mythological tale of a battle between the goddess Kali and the demon Darika.
• The ritual is a part of the Bhagwati cult. It is performed in just 4 districts of Kerela during the four day festival dedicated to Goddess Kali after the summer harvest.

Solution: d

• It is practiced since the 7th century.
• ‘Togalu Gombeyaata’, which translates as ‘the play of leather dolls’, is a unique form of tribal art from South India.
• It uses puppets made out of animal leather to narrate mythological stories like the ‘Ashwamedha’s tale’ from the Ramayana or the episode from Mahabharata when Arjuna battled his own son Babruvahana.
• The performance occurs on a temporary stage made out of wooden sticks, across which is strung a semi-white transparent cloth that serves as the screen on which the shadows of the puppets are projected.
• A ‘Togalu Gombeyaata’ performance typically begins at night and continues till the break of dawn.

Solution: c

• Varadharaja and Ekamparanatha temples at Kanchipuram stand as examples for the magnificence of the Vijayanagara style of temple architecture.
• The Raya Gopurams at Thiruvannamalai and Chidambaram speak the glorious epoch of Vijayanagar. They were continued by the Nayak rulers in the later period.

Solution: c)

Paitkar Painting

Practiced by the tribal people of Jharkhand, Paitkar paintings or scroll paintings are considered one of the ancient schools of painting in the country.

These paintings are linked to the social and religious customs including giving alms and holding yajnas. The common theme of Paitkar paintings is ‘What happens to human life post death’.

Although an ancient art, it is on the verge of extinction given the rate of its decline.

Solution: d)

Dhrupad

It is one of the oldest and grandest forms of Hindustani classical music and finds it mention even in Natyashastra (200 BC–200 AD). Although Dhrupad consolidated its position as a classical form of music in the 13th century, it reached its zenith in the court of Emperor Akbar. Dhrupad includes use of sanskrit syllables and is of temple origin.

Solution: d)

• Remnants of pre historic paintings have been found in Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Bihar. They are not been found in Maharashtra.

Solution: b)

Sariputraprakarana by Ashvaghosh, an eminent philosopher, is considered the first example of classical Sanskrit drama.

B.C. Sudraka was the first to introduce the essence of conflict in his play Mricchakatika.

 Solution: d) 

• The poems belonging to the Sangam literature were composed by Tamil poets, both men and women, from various professions and classes of society.
• Sangam Poems falls into two categories: the ‘inner field’ (Agam), and the ‘outer field'(Puram) as described even in the first available Tamil grammar, the Tolkappiyam.
• The ‘inner field’ topics refer to personal or human aspects, such as love and sexual relationships, and are dealt with in a metaphorical and abstract manner.
• The ‘outer field’ topics discuss all other aspects of human experience such as heroism, valour, ethics, benevolence, philanthropy, social life, and customs.

Solution: a)

Rath Yatra – This is one of the biggest festivals of the state of Odisha. The Rath Yatra or the Chariot festival of Lord Jagannath takes place once in a year in the holy town of Puri. 

Paryushana – The annual festival of Jains is called Paryushana. It is celebrated for eight days in the month of Bhadrapada (August/September) by the Svetambara sect. The Digambara sect celebrates the festival for ten days.

Losar – It is one of the main festivals celebrated across Arunachal Pradesh as it marks the Tibetan New year that resonated with the large Tibetan and Buddhist communities that inhabit the region.

Cheti Chand – This is the occasion of Sindhi New Year and it is celebrated all around the world. It is celebrated on the first day of Chaitra. Cheti Chand is celebrated in honour of the birth of Jhulelal, the patron saint of the Sindhis.

Solution: d)

Other components include Praṇayama, Pratyahara, Dharaṇa, Dhyana and Samadhi.

• These are a part of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali which was the most translated ancient Indian text in the medieval era, having been translated into about forty Indian languages and two non-Indian languages: Old Javanese and Arabic.

Solution: d)

• Kashmir’s Gulraj is usually a folklore
• Rajasthani folksongs such as Mand and Bhatiali of Bengal are popular all over India.

Solution: b)

• The stupa at Sarnath was built to mark the place where the Buddha first taught his message.

Solution: c)

According to the Manusmriti, the paternal estate was to be divided equally amongst sons after the death of the parents, with a special share for the eldest. Women could not claim a share of these
The Manusmriti laid down the “duties” of the chandalas. They had to live outside the
village, use discarded utensils, and wear clothes of the dead and ornaments of iron.
They could not walk about in villages and cities at night. They had to dispose of the bodies of those who had no relatives and serve as executioners