Indian Culture Questions and Answers

Answer: B

It is the Natyashastra.

Bharata's treatise sets out the theory of rasa, the classification of hand gestures and body movement, and the rules of stagecraft on which every classical form draws. It is the authority a dance must trace itself to in order to be counted classical.

Answer: D

It was an unknown Indian.

The Bakhshali manuscript and the Gwalior inscription of 876 show zero as a place-holder and a number, but no individual can be credited with it. Brahmagupta first set out its arithmetic in 628; Aryabhata used the place-value system without a symbol for zero.

Answer: C

It is in Jammu and Kashmir.

The Central Institute of Buddhist Studies at Choglamsar near Leh was founded in 1959 to preserve Buddhist learning and the Ladakhi language, and is a deemed university.

Answer: A

1 and 2 may fall in the same Gregorian month.

Mahavir Jayanti falls in March or April and Buddha Purnima in April or May, so both can fall in April. Guru Nanak Jayanti falls in November.

Answer: A

It is held every twelve years at each site.

The Purna Kumbh returns to any one of the four cities once in twelve years, so with the rotation between Haridwar, Prayagraj, Ujjain and Nashik a Kumbh falls somewhere roughly every three. The Ardh Kumbh comes at six-year intervals.

Answer: A

It originated in Odisha.

Ghumura takes its name from the earthen ghumura drum slung from the dancer's neck, and belongs to the Kalahandi region. It was once a war dance, and is now performed at the Nuakhai and Dussehra festivals.

Answer: C

It is Christianity.

Christians number roughly 2.4 billion, about 31 per cent of the world's people; Muslims about 1.9 billion and Hindus about 1.2 billion. Islam is growing faster and is projected to close the gap later this century.

Answer: C

Maach is not on it.

The folk theatre of Malwa in Madhya Pradesh has no UNESCO listing. Kalbelia of Rajasthan was inscribed in 2010, Ramlila in 2008 and yoga in 2016.

Answer: A

Ikebana is flower arrangement.

The Japanese art dates from the sixth century and treats arrangement as a discipline of line, space and asymmetry rather than of mass and colour, the stems and leaves counting as much as the blooms.

Answer: A

It honours weavers.

The Sant Kabir Award, given by the Ministry of Textiles, is the highest national recognition for a master handloom weaver, and is named after the poet-saint who was a weaver by trade.