UPSC Indian Art and Culture – Chapter 20: UNESCO Heritage of India (21 MCQs)

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UPSC Indian Art and Culture – Chapter 20: UNESCO Heritage of India (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.

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1.  

The World Heritage Convention was adopted by UNESCO in:

Correct Answer: A [1972]

Explanation:

UNESCO's General Conference adopted the World Heritage Convention in 1972; India ratified it in 1977.

2.  

Which of the following was among India's first World Heritage Sites in 1983?

Correct Answer: D [Ellora caves]

Explanation:

The Ellora caves were inscribed in 1983 with Agra Fort, the Taj Mahal and the Ajanta caves – India's first four sites.

3.  

India's only mixed World Heritage Site is:

Correct Answer: B [Khangchendzonga National Park]

Explanation:

Khangchendzonga National Park in Sikkim, inscribed in 2016, meets both cultural and natural criteria – India's only mixed site.

4.  

The Moidams of Charaideo, inscribed in 2024, are associated with the:

Correct Answer: B [Ahoms]

Explanation:

The Moidams are the royal mound-burials of the Ahom dynasty at Charaideo, Assam, inscribed at the 2024 New Delhi session.

5.  

Sarnath was inscribed on the World Heritage List at the session held in:

Correct Answer: D [Busan]

Explanation:

Sarnath was inscribed on 25 July 2026 at the 48th session of the World Heritage Committee in Busan, Republic of Korea.

6.  

Which of the following is a natural World Heritage Site?

Correct Answer: A [Keoladeo National Park]

Explanation:

Keoladeo National Park in Rajasthan, a wetland home to migratory birds, was inscribed in 1985 as a natural site.

7.  

The Kakatiya Rudreshwara (Ramappa) Temple is in:

Correct Answer: C [Telangana]

Explanation:

The Ramappa temple at Palampet in Mulugu district, Telangana, was inscribed in 2021 as the Kakatiya Rudreshwara (Ramappa) Temple.

8.  

The UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage was adopted in:

Correct Answer: A [2003]

Explanation:

UNESCO adopted the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2003.

9.  

Consider the following statements:

1. Kutiyattam was among the first Indian elements of Intangible Cultural Heritage.
2. Yoga was inscribed as Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2016.
3. Durga Puja in Kolkata was inscribed before the Kumbh Mela.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Correct Answer: B [1 and 2 only]

Explanation:

Kutiyattam was among India's 2008 elements and Yoga was inscribed in 2016; Durga Puja (2021) came after the Kumbh Mela (2017).

10.  

Assertion (A): A site cannot be nominated for the World Heritage List unless it is on the country's Tentative List.

Reason (R): The Tentative List is the inventory of sites a country intends to nominate.

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

Explanation:

Nominations must come from the Tentative List precisely because it is the inventory of sites a country intends to nominate.

11.  

Ramman, an ICH element, is a ritual theatre of:

Correct Answer: D [Garhwal]

Explanation:

Ramman, inscribed in 2009, is the religious festival and ritual theatre of the Saloor-Dungra villages in Garhwal, Uttarakhand.

12.  

The Thatheras of Jandiala Guru, whose craft is on the ICH list, work in:

Correct Answer: D [brass and copper]

Explanation:

The Thatheras of Jandiala Guru, Punjab, hand-make brass and copper utensils; the craft was inscribed in 2014.

13.  

Which Indian city is a UNESCO Creative City of Literature?

Correct Answer: C [Kozhikode]

Explanation:

Kozhikode in Keralam was designated a UNESCO Creative City of Literature in 2023, India's first in that field.

14.  

Cultural nominations to the World Heritage List are evaluated by:

Correct Answer: D [ICOMOS]

Explanation:

ICOMOS, the International Council on Monuments and Sites, is the advisory body that evaluates cultural nominations.

15.  

Which site was on the List of World Heritage in Danger from 1992 to 2011?

Correct Answer: B [Manas]

Explanation:

Manas Wildlife Sanctuary in Assam was on the List of World Heritage in Danger from 1992 until 2011.

16.  

Arrange the following inscriptions in chronological order:

1. Dholavira
2. Taj Mahal
3. Khangchendzonga National Park
4. Sarnath

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

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

Explanation:

1983, 2016, 2021, 2026.

17.  

The Bhagavad Gita and the Natyashastra were added in 2025 to UNESCO's:

Correct Answer: A [Memory of the World Register]

Explanation:

In April 2025 the Bhagavad Gita and Bharata's Natyashastra were added to UNESCO's Memory of the World Register of documentary heritage.

18.  

Santiniketan was inscribed on the World Heritage List in:

Correct Answer: B [2023]

Explanation:

Santiniketan was inscribed in September 2023 at the 45th session of the World Heritage Committee in Riyadh.

19.  

Gingee Fort is part of which World Heritage Site?

Correct Answer: C [Maratha Military Landscapes of India]

Explanation:

Gingee Fort in Tamil Nadu is one of the twelve forts of the Maratha Military Landscapes of India, inscribed in 2025.

20.  

The Great Living Chola Temples site includes:

Correct Answer: A [Thanjavur, Gangaikonda Cholapuram and Darasuram]

Explanation:

The property comprises the Brihadisvara temple at Thanjavur (1987) and the temples at Gangaikonda Cholapuram and Darasuram (added 2004).

21.  
UPSC Prelims 2024

Which one of the following was the latest inclusion in the Intangible Cultural Heritage List of UNESCO?

Correct Answer: C [Garba dance]

Explanation:

inscribed in December 2023.

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