IAS Art & Culture Test - Set 3

ANSWER: Shataka cloth type

Explanation:
Patola fabrics were produced in Gujarat. Kantha is a term used for embroidery silk which was used to make embroidery quilts of Bengal. Mekhalas of Assam were fine specimen of cloth worn by women.

ANSWER: Bhasa

Explanation:
The oldest complete plays are those of Bhasa’s : Svapnavasavadatta and Pratijnayaughandharayana

ANSWER: Mathura

Explanation:
Mathura school was indigenous and created sculptures of Mahavira, Shiva, Vishnu and his forms and Buddha seated in padmasan. Gandhara and Amravati were mainly influenced by Buddhism

ANSWER: Ellora Caves

Explanation:
Rest of the three have Buddhist caves. Ellora has 34 caves - 17 associated with Hinduism, 12 Buddhism and 5 Jainism. Ajanta has 29, Bagh has 9 and Nashik has 23 Buddhist caves.

ANSWER: Vesara Style

Explanation:
Vesara style has two principle components – Vimana and Mandap. These are joined by Antrala. The pillars, door frames and ceilings are intricately carved. E.g. Lad Khan Temple at Aihole, Temples at Badami, etc.

ANSWER: Only 1, 2 and 3

Explanation:
The higher 3 varnas were entitled to upanayana or investiture with the sacred thread according to the Vedic mantras. Hence they are called dvija or twice born.

ANSWER: Chhandogya and Brihadaranyaka

Explanation:
The Chhandogya Upanishad mentions such subjects as the study of Vedas, Mathematics,
Mineralogy, Logic, Ethics, Military Science, Astronomy, Science dealing with poisons, Fine Arts and Crafts, Music, and Medical Sciences. The oldest among these are the Brihadaranyaka and Chhandogya which contain bold speculations about the eternal problems of human thought concerning God, man and the universe etc. King Janak of Videha organized conference of the learned, which is mentioned in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad. The participants in this conference were Yajnavaikya, Uddalaka Aruni, Sakalya, Gargi and a number of other scholars. The details of this conference and various topics discussed there are given in Brihadaranyaka Upanishad. Only 11 Upanishad’s are important - Isa, Katha, Kena, Prasna, Mundaka, Mandukya, Taittiriya, Aitareya, Chhandogya, Brihadaranyaka and Svetasvatara. Sometimes a twelfth one is also considered important - Maitraya.

ANSWER: Copper

Explanation:
During the period of Rig Veda we find the mention of only ayas which has been taken as copper/bronze. With the introduction of a new metal i.e., iron in later vedic period we get the terms syam ayas or krishna ayas (iron) and lohit ayas (copper).

ANSWER: All of the above

Explanation:
The most distinct was the Painted grey Ware. Red Ware was most popular among them and has been found almost all over western Uttar Pradesh.

ANSWER: All of the above

Explanation:
Point 1 was practiced earlier. Gupta and post Gupta period enlarged the scope of these gifts by including 2, 3 and 4 too. Katyayana, a law giver of sixth century, holds that she could sell and mortgage her immovable property along with her stridhana.

ANSWER: Alberuni

Explanation:
Alberuni stayed in Mahmud of Ghazni’s court and wrote the famous Kitab-ul-Hind, an account on India. Al-Biruni’s Kitab-ul-Hind, written in Arabic, is simple and lucid. It is a voluminous text, divided into 80 chapters on subjects such as religion and philosophy, festivals, astronomy, alchemy, manners and customs, social life, weights and measures, iconography, laws and metrology.

ANSWER: Firdausi

Explanation:
Firdausi was the poet-laureate in the court of Mahmud. He was the author of Shah Namah.

ANSWER: Iltutmish

Explanation:
Apart from completing the construction of Qutub Minar at Delhi, the tallest stone tower in India (238 ft.), he built a magnificent mosque at Ajmir. The most magnificent building of the 13th century was the Qutub Minar which was founded by Aibek and completed by Iltutmish.

ANSWER: Arabic

Explanation:
Iltutmish introduced the Arabic coinage into India and the silver tanka weighing 175 grams became a standard coin in medieval India. The silver tanka remained the basis of the modern rupee.

ANSWER: Balban

Explanation:
Balban also introduced the Persian festival of Nauroz to impress the nobles and people with his wealth and power.

ANSWER: Self-immolation

Explanation:
In 1303 Alauddin Khalji stormed the Chittor fort. Raja Ratan Singh and his soldiers fought valiantly but submitted. The Rajput women including Rani Padmini performed jauhar or self-immolation. It was performed by women to protect themselves from the atrocities of the enemy. It was a kind of mass suicide.

ANSWER: Alauddin Khalji

Explanation:
Alauddin Khalji added an entrance to the Qutub Minar called Alai Darwaza. The dome of this arch was built on scientific lines.

ANSWER: Firoz Tughlaq

Explanation:
The Sultan collected 1300 Sanskrit manuscripts from the Jawalamukhi temple library and got them translated into Persian.

ANSWER: Upper Class women

Explanation:
The seclusion of women and the wearing of purdah became common among the upper class women. The Arabs and Turks brought the purdah system into India and it became widespread among the Hindu women in the upper classes of north India.

ANSWER: A Sufi Saint

Explanation:
It was dedicated to the Sufi saint Qutbuddin Bakthiyar Kaki. The balconies of this tower were projected from the main building and it was the proof of the architectural skills of that period.

ANSWER: All of the above

Explanation:
The art and architecture of the Delhi Sultanate period was distinct from the Indian style. The Turks introduced arches, domes, lofty towers or minarets and decorations using the Arabic script. They used the skill of the Indian stone cutters. They also added color to their buildings by using marbles, red and yellow sand stones.

ANSWER: Only 2 and 3

Explanation:
Amir Khusrau introduced many new ragas such as ghora and sanam. He evolved a new style of light music known as Qawwaalis by blending the Hindu and Iranian systems. The invention of sitar was also attributed to him.

ANSWER: Ghyiasuddin Tughlaq

Explanation:
Amir Khusrau’s Khazain-ul-Futuh speaks about Alauddin’s conquests. His famous work Tughlaq Nama deals with the rise of Ghyiasuddin Tughlaq.

ANSWER: Ziauddin Barani

Explanation:
Barani’s Tarikh-i-Firoz Shahi contains the history of Tughlaq dynasty.

ANSWER: Shaikh Ismail

Explanation:
Sufism was a liberal reform movement within Islam. It had its origin in Persia and spread into India in the eleventh century. The first Sufi saint Shaikh Ismail of Lahore started preaching his ideas.