UPSC Indian Art and Culture – Chapter 19: Festivals, Fairs and Calendars (24 MCQs)

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UPSC Indian Art and Culture – Chapter 19: Festivals, Fairs and Calendars (24 MCQs) – 24 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.

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1.  

Nuakhai is a harvest festival of:

Correct Answer: D [Odisha]

Explanation:

Nuakhai, the 'eating of the new rice', is the harvest festival of Odisha, celebrated especially in western Odisha.

2.  

Bohag Bihu marks the new year of:

Correct Answer: A [Assam]

Explanation:

Bohag or Rongali Bihu, in mid-April, marks the Assamese new year and the start of the farming season.

3.  

Wangala is a post-harvest festival of the:

Correct Answer: C [Garos]

Explanation:

Wangala is the post-harvest festival of the Garos of Meghalaya, offered to the sun god Saljong.

4.  

The Hornbill Festival is held in:

Correct Answer: B [Nagaland]

Explanation:

The Hornbill Festival, a showcase of the Naga tribes, is held every December at Kisama near Kohima, Nagaland.

5.  

Sarhul, the worship of the sal tree, is a festival of:

Correct Answer: D [Jharkhand]

Explanation:

Sarhul is the spring festival of the Oraon, Munda and Ho of Jharkhand, centred on worship of the sal tree.

6.  

Medaram Jatara, devoted to Sammakka and Saralamma, is held in:

Correct Answer: B [Telangana]

Explanation:

The Medaram Jatara of the Koya tribe, honouring Sammakka and Saralamma, is held every two years in Telangana.

7.  

Bhagoria is a spring festival of the:

Correct Answer: B [Bhils]

Explanation:

Bhagoria is the spring fair of the Bhils of western Madhya Pradesh, held in the week before Holi.

8.  

Jhulelal is worshipped mainly by the:

Correct Answer: C [Sindhis]

Explanation:

Jhulelal is the patron deity of the Sindhis, honoured at Cheti Chand and in the forty-day Chaliha Sahib fast.

9.  

The Sonepur cattle fair is held in:

Correct Answer: B [Bihar]

Explanation:

The Sonepur Mela is held in Bihar at the confluence of the Gandak and the Ganga.

10.  

Consider the following statements:

1. The Kumbh Mela is held at Prayagraj, Haridwar, Ujjain and Nashik.
2. The Kumbh Mela is on UNESCO's list of Intangible Cultural Heritage.
3. The Pushkar Fair is held in Gujarat.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Correct Answer: B [1 and 2 only]

Explanation:

Statements 1 and 2 are correct; statement 3 is wrong because the Pushkar Fair is held in Rajasthan.

11.  

Assertion (A): Many Indian festivals are held at harvest time.

Reason (R): Indian society has long been based on agriculture.

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

Explanation:

Because Indian society is agrarian, festivals are timed to sowing and harvest, so R correctly explains A.

12.  

The National Calendar of India is based on the:

Correct Answer: C [Saka era]

Explanation:

The National Calendar adopted in 1957 on the Calendar Reform Committee's advice uses the Saka era, which began in 78 CE.

13.  

The Calendar Reform Committee of 1952 was headed by:

Correct Answer: D [Meghnad Saha]

Explanation:

The astrophysicist Meghnad Saha headed the Calendar Reform Committee set up in 1952, which recommended the National Calendar.

14.  

The Hijri era begins in:

Correct Answer: D [622 CE]

Explanation:

The Hijri era counts from 622 CE, the year of the Prophet's migration (hijra) from Mecca to Medina.

15.  

The Kollam era is associated with:

Correct Answer: A [Keralam]

Explanation:

The Kollam era, beginning in 825 CE, is the basis of the Malayalam calendar of Keralam.

16.  

The feast of St Francis Xavier is celebrated in Goa on:

Correct Answer: C [3 December]

Explanation:

St Francis Xavier died on 3 December 1552, and Goa keeps his feast on that day at the Basilica of Bom Jesus.

17.  

Arrange the following eras in chronological order of their starting year:

1. Saka era
2. Vikram Samvat
3. Hijri era
4. Gupta era

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

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

Explanation:

57 BCE, 78 CE, 319–320 CE, 622 CE.

18.  

The Wari foot pilgrimage of the Varkaris goes to:

Correct Answer: A [Pandharpur]

Explanation:

The Varkaris walk to Vithoba's temple at Pandharpur in Maharashtra, arriving for Ashadhi Ekadashi.

19.  

Masked cham dances are a feature of the festival at:

Correct Answer: C [Hemis]

Explanation:

Masked cham dances are performed at the Hemis Festival in the courtyard of Hemis monastery, Ladakh.

20.  

The Kumbh Mela, inscribed by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2017, rotates among:

Correct Answer: A [Prayagraj, Haridwar, Ujjain and Nashik]

Explanation:

The Kumbh Mela rotates among Prayagraj, Haridwar, Ujjain and Nashik, on the Ganga–Yamuna, Ganga, Shipra and Godavari.

21.  
UPSC Prelims 2017

Consider the following pairs:

1. Chaliha Sahib Festival – Sindhis
2. Nanda Raj Jaat Yatra – Gonds
3. Wari-Warkari – Santhals

Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?

Correct Answer: A [1 only]

Explanation:

Only pair 1 is right: Chaliha Sahib is Sindhi; Nanda Raj Jaat belongs to Uttarakhand and the Wari to the Varkaris.

22.  
UPSC Prelims 2014

Every year, a month-long ecologically important campaign/festival is held during which certain communities/tribes plant saplings of fruit-bearing trees. Which of the following are such communities/tribes?

Correct Answer: B [Gond and Korku]

Explanation:

the Hari Jiroti festival of Madhya Pradesh.

23.  
UPSC Prelims 2014

Chaitra 1 of the national calendar based on the Saka Era corresponds to which one of the following dates of the Gregorian calendar in a normal year of 365 days?

Correct Answer: A [22nd March (or 21st March)]

Explanation:

22 March, or 21 March in a leap year.

24.  
UPSC Prelims 2021

Consider the following statements:

1. St. Francis Xavier was one of the founding members of the Jesuit Order.
2. St Francis Xavier died in Goa and a church is dedicated to him there.
3. The Feast of St. Francis Xavier is celebrated in Goa each year.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

Correct Answer: C [1 and 3 only]

Explanation:

he died on Shangchuan Island off China in 1552.

➤ 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

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