UPSC Civil Services · Previous Year Questions
Art & Culture
4 UPSC Art & Culture questions from past papers (2023–2024), each with the answer and a full solution. Art, culture, festivals, literature and heritage.
UPSC 20243 questions
- Q1
Which one of the following was the latest inclusion in the Intangible Cultural Heritage List of UNESCO?
- AChhau dance
- BDurga puja
- CGarba dance
- DKumbh mela
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Correct answer: (C) Garba dance
Among the options, 'Garba of Gujarat' was the most recent inscription on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, added in December 2023. Chhau dance was inscribed in 2010, Kumbh Mela in 2017, and Durga Puja of Kolkata in 2021, all earlier than Garba. Hence Garba dance is the latest inclusion.
- Q2
Which one of the following is a work attributed to playwright Bhasa?
- AKavyalankara
- BNatyashastra
- CMadhyama-vyayoga
- DMahabhashya
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Correct answer: (C) Madhyama-vyayoga
Madhyama-vyayoga is one of the thirteen Sanskrit plays attributed to the dramatist Bhasa (others include Svapnavasavadatta and Pancharatra). The other options belong to different authors: Kavyalankara is by Bhamaha, the Natyashastra by Bharata, and the Mahabhashya (a grammar commentary) by Patanjali. Hence Madhyama-vyayoga is the work by Bhasa.
- Q3
Consider the following properties included in the World Heritage List released by UNESCO: (1) Shantiniketan (2) Rani-ki-Vav (3) Sacred Ensembles of the Hoysalas (4) Mahabodhi Temple Complex at Bodhgaya How many of the above properties were included in 2023?
- AOnly one
- BOnly two
- COnly three
- DAll four
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Correct answer: (B) Only two
Of the listed properties, Santiniketan and the Sacred Ensembles of the Hoysalas were both inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2023, so exactly two were added that year. Rani-ki-Vav (Patan) was inscribed in 2014 and the Mahabodhi Temple Complex at Bodhgaya in 2002, so they do not belong to 2023. Hence only two were included in 2023.
UPSC 20231 question
- Q4
Consider the following pairs (Site - Well known for): Besnagar - Shaivite cave shrine ; Bhaja - Buddhist cave shrine ; Sittanavasal - Jain cave shrine. How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?
- AOnly one
- BOnly two
- CAll three
- DNone
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Correct answer: (B) Only two
Only two pairs are correctly matched. Bhaja (Maharashtra) is a genuine Buddhist rock-cut cave complex, and Sittanavasal (Tamil Nadu) is a well-known Jain cave shrine with famous frescoes, so both are correct. Besnagar (Vidisha, Madhya Pradesh) is famous for the Heliodorus Pillar, a Vaishnavite (Garuda) pillar dedicated to Vasudeva, not a Shaivite cave shrine, so that pair is wrongly matched.