Civil Services Prep

UPSC Prelims MCQs

Art and Culture

  1. A large number of spindles and spindle whorls have been found in Harappan houses. The whorls were made from…
  2. Arrange the following artistic developments in chronological order: 1. Bharhut’s low-relief, linear narratives…
  3. Arrange the following developments in chronological order: 1. Paintings in Badami under the early Chalukyas 2.…
  4. Arrange the following developments in chronological order, from earliest to latest: 1. Mahendravarman I’s…
  5. Arrange the following developments in their most appropriate chronological sequence: 1. The stupa at Sanchi…
  6. Arrange the following monuments or developments in chronological order, from earliest to latest: 1. Deogarh…
  7. Arrange the following stages associated with Amaravati in chronological order: 1. Evidence of construction…
  8. Assertion (A): Badami painters could create an impression of facial volume through relatively simple line…
  9. Assertion (A): Commanding heights gave medieval forts both strategic and symbolic advantages. Reason (R):…
  10. Assertion (A): Establishing a precise chronology for the Ajanta paintings is difficult. Reason (R): Known…
  11. Assertion (A): Folded hands and feet in early Bharhut reliefs sometimes appear flat or awkward. Reason (R):…
  12. Assertion (A): Gol Gumbad’s enormous dome covers a single uninterrupted square chamber without internal…
  13. Assertion (A): In many developed Nagara temples, the central tower appears like the tallest peak within a…
  14. Assertion (A): The Brihadeswara temple is a major example of monumental Chola architectural planning. Reason…
  15. Assertion (A): The later elaboration of stupas provided expanded surfaces for sculptural representation.…
  16. Assertion (A): Vijayanagara architecture is appropriately described as a cultural synthesis rather than a…
  17. Assertion (A): Yaksha and Yakshini imagery became part of Buddhist and Jaina visual traditions. Reason (R):…
  18. Assertion: Amaravati reliefs create a more complex impression of movement and three-dimensional pictorial…
  19. Assertion: Buddhist visual art developed from symbolic evocation of the Buddha toward the narration of his…
  20. Assertion: From the first century CE, Mathura and Gandhara gave human form to the Buddha through different…
  21. Assertion: Harappan beadmaking was a developed and technically specialised craft. Consider the following…
  22. Assertion: Later Indian mural traditions developed through continuity with earlier styles combined with…
  23. Assertion: The visual effect of the Taj Mahal depends substantially on symmetry, proportion and architectural…
  24. At which site was the largest rock-cut chaitya hall excavated?
  25. Bharhut reliefs generally employ low relief, linearity and fewer figures, whereas Sanchi Stupa-1 uses high…
  26. Consider the following Assertion and Reason: Assertion (A): Harappan perforated pottery was probably used for…
  27. Consider the following Assertion and Reason: Assertion (A): The adoption of arcuate construction facilitated…
  28. Consider the following comparison: | No. | Feature | Harappan seals | Copper tablets | |---:|---|---|---| | 1…
  29. Consider the following comparisons: | No. | Centre and period | Characteristic | |---|---|---| | 1 | Mathura,…
  30. Consider the following entries based on inscriptional evidence: | No. | Entry | |---|---| | 1 | Kanha —…
  31. Consider the following features of a Harappan artefact: 1. A cross-legged human figure occupies the centre. 2.…
  32. Consider the following features of a prehistoric rock-painting site: 1. Its paintings include human figures,…
  33. Consider the following pairs: | No. | Patron | Cave or caves | |---|---|---| | 1 | Varahadeva | Cave No. 16 |…
  34. Consider the following pairs: | No. | Temple | Ruler associated with its construction | |---|---|---| | 1 |…
  35. Consider the following stages in the Harappan lost-wax casting process: 1. A wax figure is coated with clay…
  36. Consider the following statements about Ajanta: | No. | Statement | |---|---| | 1 | The site contains…
  37. Consider the following statements about early temple shrine types: 1. A sandhara shrine has a path for…
  38. Consider the following statements about Hoysala temples: 1. Their plans often develop numerous angular…
  39. Consider the following statements about Kerala mural painting: | No. | Statement | |---|---| | 1 | Its…
  40. Consider the following statements about the Dravida temple tradition: 1. The temple complex is generally…
  41. Consider the following statements about the great relief at Mahabalipuram: 1. A natural cleft in the rock was…
  42. Consider the following statements about the Mara Vijaya panel: | No. | Statement | |---|---| | 1 | It is…
  43. Consider the following statements about the original Sarnath Lion Capital composition: | No. | Statement |…
  44. Consider the following statements about the seated Buddha from Katra Mound, Mathura: | No. | Statement |…
  45. Consider the following statements about the Shore temple at Mahabalipuram: 1. It contains two Shiva shrines…
  46. Consider the following statements about the Sun temple at Konark: 1. The temple was conceived as a colossal…
  47. Consider the following statements: 1. The present Mahabodhi temple largely reflects a Colonial-period…
  48. Consider the following statements: 1. The Srirangam complex has seven concentric rectangular enclosures with…
  49. Consider the following statements: | No. | Statement | |---|---| | 1 | Guntapalle combines structured stupas,…
  50. Consider the following statements regarding Nalanda art: 1. It initially depended heavily on the Sarnath Gupta…
  51. Consider the following statements regarding the Didarganj Yakshini: 1. It was discovered near Patna and is…
  52. Consider the following statements regarding the Lomas Rishi Cave: 1. It is situated in the Barabar Hills near…
  53. Consider the following statements regarding the planned placement of images in temples: 1. Ganga and Yamuna…
  54. Ellora contains Buddhist, Brahmanical and Jaina caves, while sculptor guilds came from regions such as…
  55. How many of the following rows correctly describe Odisha temple architecture? | Feature | Description |…
  56. How many rows in the following comparison are correct? | Feature | Nagara | Dravida | |---|---|---| |…
  57. How many rows in the following table are correctly matched? | Architectural term | Description | |---|---| |…
  58. How many rows in the following table are correctly matched? | Decorative element | Description | |---|---| |…
  59. How many rows in the following table are correctly matched? | Dravida form | Shape | |---|---| | Kuta or…
  60. How many rows in the following table are correctly matched? | Element | Position or function | |---|---| |…
  61. How many rows in the following table are correctly matched? | Feature | Description | |---|---| | Primary…
  62. How many rows in the following table are correctly matched? | Monument | Associated feature | |---|---| |…
  63. How many rows in the following table are correctly matched? | Relief at Deogarh | Location on the temple |…
  64. How many rows in the following table are correctly matched? | Site | Associated feature | |---|---| | Sirpur |…
  65. How many rows in the following table are correctly matched? | Structure | Principal function | |---|---| |…
  66. In a Hindu temple, which architectural component houses the principal icon and forms the focus of ritual…
  67. In which group of Ajanta caves have substantial paintings particularly survived?
  68. Inscriptions from about the second century BCE record donations by lay devotees, gahapatis, kings, guilds and…
  69. Match List I with List II: | List I: Artefact | List II: Distinguishing feature | |---|---| | A. Dancing Girl…
  70. Match List I with List II: | List I | List II | |---|---| | a. Imperial Style | 1. Delhi, Agra and Lahore | |…
  71. Match List I with List II: | List I | List II | |---|---| | a. Latina | 1. Rectangular form with a…
  72. Match List I with List II: | List I | List II | |---|---| | a. Pandrethan | 1. Temple built on a plinth in the…
  73. Match List I with List II: | List I | List II | |---|---| | a. Rashtrakutas | 1. Kailashnath temple at Ellora…
  74. Match List I with List II: | List I | List II | |---|---| | a. Sarai | 1. Shrine containing a saint’s grave |…
  75. Match List I with List II: | List I | List II | |---|---| | A. Sarnath Lion Capital | 1. Rock-cut elephant…
  76. Match List I with List II: | List I: Literary figure | List II: Association | |---|---| | A. Kanchan Nambiar |…
  77. Match List I with List II: | List I: Site | List II: Feature | |---|---| | A. Badami | 1. Traces depicting…
  78. Match List I with List II: | List I | List II | |---|---| | A. Badami | 1. Profile faces, large frontal eyes…
  79. Match List I with List II: | List I | List II | |---|---| | A. Karla | 1. Maheshmurti in the main Shaivite…
  80. Match List I with List II: | List I | List II | |---|---| | A. Katra Mound Buddha | 1. Chunar sandstone and…
  81. Stupas, viharas and chaityas occur in both Buddhist and Jaina monastic complexes, but the largest number of…
  82. The late fifth-century seated Buddha from Sarnath represents which event?
  83. The Lion Capital erected at Sarnath primarily commemorates which event in the life of the Buddha?
  84. The Maheshmurti shows a central Shiva face, an angry Bhairava face and a feminine Uma face. A sculptural text…
  85. Vijayanagara figures commonly appear in profile with large frontal eyes, while Nayaka paintings retain profile…
  86. What was the ordinary functional use of a minar in the context of a mosque?
  87. Which conclusion is best supported by the architectural character of Mandu?
  88. Which conclusion is best supported by the regional development of Indo-Islamic architecture?
  89. Which feature most clearly creates the dramatic contrast between disturbance and divine composure in the…
  90. Which feature most directly connects the eastward orientation of the Modhera Sun temple with its solar…
  91. Which one of the following best describes a panchayatana temple plan?
  92. Which one of the following best describes Harappan terracotta representations of the human form?
  93. Which one of the following best distinguishes arcuate construction from the earlier trabeate system?
  94. Which one of the following best distinguishes Mauryan pillars from Achaemenian pillars as described in the…
  95. Which one of the following correctly describes the discovery of paintings in the Brihadeswara temple?
  96. Which one of the following correctly describes the standard Harappan seal?
  97. Which one of the following correctly distinguishes Mauryan pillars from Achaemenian pillars?
  98. Which one of the following is identified as a distinctive feature of Sanchi Stupa-1?
  99. Which one of the following pairs is incorrectly matched?
  100. Which one of the following pairs is incorrectly matched?
  101. Which one of the following pairs is incorrectly matched?
  102. Which one of the following pairs is incorrectly matched?
  103. Which one of the following pairs is incorrectly matched?
  104. Which one of the following pairs is incorrectly matched?
  105. Which one of the following pairs is incorrectly matched?
  106. Which one of the following pairs is incorrectly matched?
  107. Which one of the following pairs is incorrectly matched?
  108. Which one of the following pairs is incorrectly matched?
  109. Which one of the following pairs is incorrectly matched?
  110. Which one of the following pairs is incorrectly matched?
  111. Which one of the following statements correctly describes Badami Cave No. 4?
  112. With reference to the Nagara and Dravida orders of temple architecture, consider the following table: | No. |…