10. Andi and Oportipi are forms of marriage associated with which community?
[Jharkhand PSC Preliminary Examination, 2016]
(A)Ho
(B)Paharia
(C)Munda
(D)Oraon
Answer: (A) Ho
Explanation: Andi and Oportipi are marriage forms described for the Ho community of Jharkhand and neighbouring eastern regions. Different forms reflect the diverse customary processes by which marriage may be arranged or recognised. The terms are specific to the community’s ethnographic traditions.
9. Match the tribes Toda, Lepcha, Birhor and Garo with Tamil Nadu, Sikkim, Jharkhand and Meghalaya, respectively. Which option gives the correct sequence?
[UPPSC PCS Preliminary Examination, 2015]
(A)Tamil Nadu–Meghalaya–Sikkim–Jharkhand
(B)Tamil Nadu–Sikkim–Jharkhand–Meghalaya
(C)Meghalaya–Tamil Nadu–Jharkhand–Sikkim
(D)Jharkhand–Meghalaya–Sikkim–Tamil Nadu
Answer: (B) Tamil Nadu–Sikkim–Jharkhand–Meghalaya
Explanation: Toda communities live in the Nilgiris of Tamil Nadu; Lepcha are strongly associated with Sikkim; Birhor are found in Jharkhand; and Garo communities with Meghalaya. This is a straightforward state–tribe matching question from the UPPSC examination.
8. Match the communities Birhor, Bhutia, Toda and Sentinelese with their principal regions. Choose the correct order.
[UPPSC PCS Preliminary Examination, 2014]
(A)Jharkhand–Sikkim–Tamil Nadu–Andaman and Nicobar Islands
(B)Tamil Nadu–Jharkhand–Andaman and Nicobar Islands–Sikkim
(C)Sikkim–Tamil Nadu–Jharkhand–Andaman and Nicobar Islands
(D)Jharkhand–Andaman and Nicobar Islands–Sikkim–Tamil Nadu
Answer: (A) Jharkhand–Sikkim–Tamil Nadu–Andaman and Nicobar Islands
Explanation: Birhor are associated with Jharkhand; Bhutia with Sikkim; Toda with the Nilgiris of Tamil Nadu; and Sentinelese with North Sentinel Island in the Andamans. The Sentinelese are an uncontacted indigenous community whose protection requires strict avoidance of outside contact.
7. Consider these tribe–state pairs:
1. Limboo–Sikkim;
2. Karbi–Himachal Pradesh;
3. Dongria Kondh–Odisha;
4. Bonda–Tamil Nadu.
Which pairs are correctly matched?
[UPSC CSE Preliminary Examination, 2013]
(A)1 and 3 only
(B)2 and 4 only
(C)1, 3 and 4 only
(D)1, 2, 3 and 4
Answer: (A) 1 and 3 only
Explanation: Limboo communities are associated with Sikkim, and Dongria Kondh with the Niyamgiri hills of Odisha. Karbi are primarily found in Assam rather than Himachal Pradesh, and Bonda communities inhabit Odisha rather than Tamil Nadu.
6. Among the following, who are the Agaria community?
[UPSC CSE Preliminary Examination, 2009]
(A)Traditional toddy tappers of Andhra Pradesh
(B)Traditional fishers of Maharashtra
(C)Traditional silk weavers of Karnataka
(D)Traditional salt-pan workers of Gujarat
Answer: (D) Traditional salt-pan workers of Gujarat
Explanation: In the context of this UPSC question, Agaria refers to salt producers working in the Little Rann of Kutch in Gujarat. The term also resembles the name of distinct central Indian communities associated with traditional iron smelting, so geography matters.
5. In which Union Territory do members of the Onge community live?
[UPSC CSE Preliminary Examination, 2004]
(A)Andaman and Nicobar Islands
(B)Dadra and Nagar Haveli
(C)Daman and Diu
(D)Lakshadweep
Answer: (A) Andaman and Nicobar Islands
Explanation: The Onge traditionally inhabit Little Andaman Island. Their small community is one of the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. They are distinct from the Sentinelese and Jarawa, who inhabit other parts of the archipelago.
4. Who first popularised the use of the word “Adivasi” to refer to tribal people, according to this PYQ?
[UPSC CSE Preliminary Examination, 1995]
(A)Mahatma Gandhi
(B)Thakkar Bappa
(C)Jyotiba Phule
(D)B. R. Ambedkar
Answer: (B) Thakkar Bappa
Explanation: The answer traditionally accepted for this UPSC Prelims item is Thakkar Bappa, a social worker associated with tribal welfare. Adivasi means original inhabitant. Modern scholarship distinguishes the political and historical use of this term from the constitutional designation Scheduled Tribe.
3. The Santhal community is predominantly associated with which region of India?
[RPSC RAS/RTS Preliminary Examination, 1995]
(A)Central India
(B)Southern India
(C)Western India
(D)Eastern India
Answer: (D) Eastern India
Explanation: Santhal communities have long been concentrated in eastern India, including present-day Jharkhand, West Bengal, Bihar and Odisha. Their history includes the Santhal rebellion of 1855–56. These regional associations do not mean that Santhal people live exclusively within those states.
2. The Toda community is primarily associated with which geographical region?
[UPPSC PCS Preliminary Examination, 1993]
(A)Aravalli Hills
(B)Madhya Pradesh
(C)Nilgiri Hills
(D)Vindhyachal Hills
Answer: (C) Nilgiri Hills
Explanation: The Toda are an indigenous pastoral community of the Nilgiri Hills in Tamil Nadu. Their buffalo-centred traditional culture, distinctive embroidery and architecture are commonly studied in Indian ethnography. The Nilgiris belong to the Western Ghats rather than the Aravallis.
1. According to the classification approach used in this 1992 paper, what is the main basis for identifying tribes in India?
[UPPSC PCS Preliminary Examination, 1992]
(A)Cultural distinctiveness and separate habitation
(B)Language and dialect alone
(C)Differences in social customs alone
(D)Economic status alone
Answer: (A) Cultural distinctiveness and separate habitation
Explanation: The historical answer key emphasised cultural distinctiveness and geographic habitation. This reflects older administrative and anthropological criteria, not an exhaustive modern definition. Today, Scheduled Tribe recognition is legally governed through constitutional provisions and state- or Union-Territory-specific notified lists.Tribes in India · 100 exam-attributed previous-year questions · chronological order: most recent to oldest
