Q120. In which year was the Sangeet Natak Akademi established?
[WBCS Mains GK – 2017]
(A) 1951
(B) 1953
(C) 1954
(D) 1956
Answer: (B) 1953
Explanation: The Sangeet Natak Akademi, India’s national academy of music, dance and drama, was established in 1953. It recognises practitioners, supports artistic traditions and contributes to the preservation of the performing arts.
Q119. Which musician among Ali Akbar Khan, Vilayat Khan, Bismillah Khan and Ahmad Jan Thirakwa was a leading tabla player?
[WBCS Mains GK – 2017]
(A) Ali Akbar Khan
(B) Vilayat Khan
(C) Bismillah Khan
(D) Ahmad Jan Thirakwa
Answer: (D) Ahmad Jan Thirakwa
Explanation: Ahmad Jan Thirakwa was a renowned tabla maestro of Hindustani classical music. The other names refer respectively to noted performers of sarod, sitar and shehnai, making the percussion exponent readily distinguishable.
Q118. Which city in India was recognised by UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network as a City of Music?
[WBCS Mains GK – 2017]
(A) Kolkata
(B) Varanasi
(C) Jaipur
(D) Lucknow
Answer: (B) Varanasi
Explanation: Varanasi entered UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network as a City of Music in 2015. Its musical culture embraces Hindustani classical traditions, devotional performance, gharanas and a long history of artistic patronage.
Q117. Which Kerala temple suffered a devastating fireworks accident on 10 April 2016?
[SSC CGL Tier I – 2016]
(A) Chottanikkara Temple
(B) Puttingal Temple
(C) Vishnuvira Temple
(D) Mannarasala Temple
Answer: (B) Puttingal Temple
Explanation: Puttingal Devi Temple in Paravur, Kerala, was the site of the April 2016 fireworks disaster. The accident occurred during a temple festival and prompted a nationwide discussion about safety rules surrounding large ceremonial firework displays.
Q116. Sattriya is a classical dance originating in which state?
[SSC CGL Tier I – 2016]
(A) Manipur
(B) Uttar Pradesh
(C) Assam
(D) Andhra Pradesh
Answer: (C) Assam
Explanation: Sattriya originated in Assam’s Vaishnavite monastic institutions and is associated with Srimanta Sankardeva. It integrates devotion, music and expressive dance-drama and gained recognition as one of India’s classical dance traditions in 2000.
Q115. Ragini is a regional folk-song tradition particularly associated with which state?
[SSC CGL Tier I – 2016]
(A) Kashmir
(B) Kerala
(C) Haryana
(D) Manipur
Answer: (C) Haryana
Explanation: Ragini is a popular form of folk singing in Haryana, frequently performed in open-air community settings. Its verses may express love, heroism or social themes, and they form an important part of the region’s oral artistic heritage.
Q114. India’s famous Konark Sun Temple is located in which state?
[SSC CGL Tier I – 2016]
(A) Rajasthan
(B) Andhra Pradesh
(C) Odisha
(D) Tamil Nadu
Answer: (C) Odisha
Explanation: The thirteenth-century Sun Temple at Konark is in Odisha. Commissioned under the Eastern Ganga dynasty, it was designed as Surya’s enormous stone chariot with carved wheels and horses and is recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Q113. Jallikattu, a traditional bull-taming event, is associated with which festival?
[SSC CGL Tier I – 2016]
(A) Onam
(B) Pongal
(C) Bihu
(D) Hornbill
Answer: (B) Pongal
Explanation: Jallikattu takes place during the Pongal festival season in Tamil Nadu, especially around Mattu Pongal. It is a traditional sport involving locally bred bulls and is distinct from Karnataka’s Kambala buffalo races.
Q112. Which faculty was NOT offered at Indira Kala Sangeet University in Khairagarh in the cited examination?
[CGPSC Prelims – 2016]
(A) Dance
(B) Music
(C) Painting
(D) Education
(E) None of these
Answer: (D) Education
Explanation: Indira Kala Sangeet University at Khairagarh was founded in 1956 to provide specialised education in the visual and performing arts. Its principal artistic faculties include music, dance and painting. The exam asked which listed faculty lay outside this grouping.
Q111. Which historical name has been associated with the Chhattisgarhi language?
[CGPSC Prelims – 2016]
(A) Halbi
(B) Awadhi
(C) Kosali
(D) Mahakantriya
(E) None of these
Answer: (C) Kosali
Explanation: Kosali is used in historical descriptions of the regional language and cultural speech forms of the Chhattisgarh area. The present Chhattisgarhi language belongs to the Indo-Aryan branch and supports a rich oral and folk-song heritage.
