UPSC Indian Art and Culture – Chapter 15: Literature in the Indian Languages (21 MCQs)

← Back

UPSC Indian Art and Culture – Chapter 15: Literature in the Indian Languages (21 MCQs) – 21 questions, subject: History. Every question has the correct answer with a one-line explanation; tap "Show Answer". Free practice for TNPSC, UPSC, SSC, Bank and RRB exams – Shanmugam IAS Academy, Coimbatore.

Get daily current affairs & exam alerts – follow us YouTube WhatsApp Channel Telegram Channel Facebook Page Instagram
Share with friends & study groups
Link to this page from your website / blog (HTML code)
1.  

The oldest extant Tamil grammar is:

Correct Answer: C [Tolkappiyam]

Explanation:

The Tolkappiyam, a Sangam-age work on grammar and poetics, is the oldest surviving Tamil grammar.

2.  

The Periya Puranam, the Tamil account of the lives of the Shaiva Nayanar saints, was composed during the Chola period by:

Correct Answer: B [Sekkizhar]

Explanation:

Sekkizhar composed the Periya Puranam in the Chola period, as Table 15.1 records.

3.  

The Tevaram is a collection of hymns of the:

Correct Answer: C [Nayanars]

Explanation:

The Tevaram collects the Shaiva hymns of the Nayanars Appar, Sambandar and Sundarar.

4.  

The earliest extant work in Kannada is:

Correct Answer: B [Kavirajamarga]

Explanation:

Kavirajamarga, a 9th-century work on poetics from the Rashtrakuta court, is the earliest extant Kannada work.

5.  

Amuktamalyada was written by:

Correct Answer: D [Krishnadevaraya]

Explanation:

The Vijayanagara emperor Krishnadevaraya himself composed the Telugu poem Amuktamalyada.

6.  

The father of modern Malayalam literature is regarded as:

Correct Answer: A [Thunchaththu Ezhuthachan]

Explanation:

Thunchaththu Ezhuthachan, author of the Adhyatma Ramayanam Kilippattu, is called the father of modern Malayalam.

7.  

The Ramcharitmanas is written in:

Correct Answer: C [Awadhi]

Explanation:

Tulsidas composed the Ramcharitmanas in Awadhi, the eastern Hindi dialect of the Ayodhya region.

8.  

Padmavat was written by:

Correct Answer: C [Malik Muhammad Jayasi]

Explanation:

Malik Muhammad Jayasi composed the Awadhi Sufi romance Padmavat in 1540.

9.  

Surdas was a disciple of:

Correct Answer: A [Vallabhacharya]

Explanation:

Surdas, author of the Sursagar, was a disciple of Vallabhacharya, founder of the Pushtimarg.

10.  

Consider the following statements:

1. Jnaneshwar wrote a Marathi commentary on the Bhagavad Gita.
2. Tukaram is known for his abhangas.
3. Narsinh Mehta wrote in Bengali.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Correct Answer: B [1 and 2 only]

Explanation:

Jnaneshwar wrote the Jnaneshwari on the Gita and Tukaram composed abhangas; only statement 3 is wrong, as Narsinh Mehta wrote Gujarati.

11.  

Assertion (A): Bhakti saints helped the growth of regional literatures.

Reason (R): They composed their songs in the languages spoken by ordinary people.

Correct Answer: A [Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A]

Explanation:

Both are true, and composing in the people's spoken languages is precisely how the saints built up regional literatures.

12.  

Kirtan Ghosha was composed by:

Correct Answer: B [Sankaradeva]

Explanation:

Sankaradeva, the Assamese Vaishnava saint, composed the Kirtan Ghosha.

13.  

The Guru Granth Sahib was compiled in 1604 by:

Correct Answer: A [Guru Arjan]

Explanation:

Guru Arjan, the fifth Guru, compiled the Adi Granth in 1604 and installed it at Amritsar.

14.  

Lal Ded is a famous poet of:

Correct Answer: B [Kashmiri]

Explanation:

Lal Ded (Lalleshwari), the 14th-century mystic, composed her vakhs in Kashmiri.

15.  

Sirr-i-Akbar, a Persian translation of the Upanishads, was made by:

Correct Answer: D [Dara Shikoh]

Explanation:

Dara Shikoh had the Upanishads translated into Persian as Sirr-i-Akbar and also wrote Majma-ul-Bahrain.

16.  

The first Jnanpith Award was given in 1965 to:

Correct Answer: C [G. Sankara Kurup]

Explanation:

G. Sankara Kurup received the first Jnanpith Award in 1965 for his Malayalam poetry collection Odakkuzhal.

17.  

Arrange the following works in chronological order:

1. Ramcharitmanas
2. Jnaneshwari
3. Kavirajamarga
4. Gitanjali (English, Nobel Prize)

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

Correct Answer: C [3-2-1-4]

Explanation:

9th century, 1290, 16th century, 1913.

18.  

The Kamba Ramayanam was written during the period of the:

Correct Answer: D [Cholas]

Explanation:

Kambar composed the Kamba Ramayanam in Tamil under Chola rule, as Table 15.1 records.

19.  

Vachanas were composed by:

Correct Answer: A [Basavanna and Akka Mahadevi]

Explanation:

Basavanna and Akka Mahadevi composed Vachanas, the Virashaiva prose-poems of Kannada.

20.  

Anandamath, which contains the song Vande Mataram, was written by:

Correct Answer: D [Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay]

Explanation:

Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay wrote Anandamath (1882), which contains the song Vande Mataram.

21.  
UPSC Prelims 2014

Consider the following statements:

1. 'Bijak' is a composition of the teachings of Saint Dadu Dayal.
2. The Philosophy of PushtiMarg was propounded by Madhavacharya.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Correct Answer: D [Neither 1 nor 2]

Explanation:

Both statements are wrong: the Bijak holds Kabir's teachings and the Pushtimarg was founded by Vallabhacharya.

➤ Full notes, maps, tables, a reason for every option and Mains PYQs – U06 · Indian Art and Culture (UPSC book, ₹249): www.shanmugamiasacademy.in/study-materials/upsc-indian-art-culture

📘 U06 · Indian Art and Culture – UPSC Civil Services (Prelims & Mains)
Here you get the answer with a one-line explanation. 21 chapters · 473 MCQs incl. UPSC Prelims PYQs with a reason for every option · 106 Mains questions + Mains PYQs · maps, tables, revision cards
Get the book – ₹249 ₹499 →
Score: 0 Answered: 0 / 0