In which year was the Garba of Gujarat inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity?

The correct answer is B, Kerala. Kutiyattam is performed in temple theatres called kuttampalam, uses the Sanskrit drama repertoire, and is counted among the oldest living theatre traditions in the world; UNESCO recognised it as a Masterpiece in 2001 and it moved to the Representative List in 2008. Option A, Tamil Nadu, is wrong, though the state has its own classical form in Bharatanatyam, which is not on the list. Option C, Karnataka, is wrong; Yakshagana of that state is a famous theatre form but has not been inscribed. Option D, Andhra Pradesh, is wrong as well, and Kuchipudi of that state is often confused with Kutiyattam because the names begin alike. Kerala holds two Indian elements, Kutiyattam and Mudiyettu, and that is the fact to store.

The correct answer is B, Yoga. Yoga was inscribed in 2016, and in the same year India joined the multinational element Nawrouz, the spring new year celebrated across a belt of countries, so 2016 carries two entries for India. Option A, the Kumbh Mela, was inscribed in 2017, and its citation described it as the largest peaceful congregation of pilgrims in the world. Option C, Durga Puja in Kolkata, came in 2021 and was noted as the first element of its kind from Asia, an urban festival recognised for its public art and community organisation. Option D, Chhau dance, belongs to 2010 along with Kalbelia and Mudiyettu, which makes that year the busiest in India's list. Year questions are set from exactly these four, so keep them in a single chain.

The correct answer is B, Odisha, Jharkhand and West Bengal. Chhau is a masked dance built on martial movement and episodes from the epics, and it has three recognised styles: Seraikella in Jharkhand, Purulia in West Bengal and Mayurbhanj in Odisha, the last of which is danced without masks. Option A names north-eastern states, where Sankirtana of Manipur is the inscribed element, not Chhau. Option C is wrong; the Ramlila of northern India is on the list, but that is a theatrical performance of the Ramayana rather than a dance. Option D is wrong, and the western element on the list is the Garba of Gujarat, inscribed in 2023. The three Chhau styles and their states are the detail papers test, so learn the pairings rather than the dance alone.

The correct answer is A, Rajasthan. The Kalbelia are a community of the Thar region traditionally associated with handling snakes, and their dance, performed by women in flowing black skirts, imitates the movement of a serpent while the men play the been and the khanjari. Option B, Haryana, has no element on the Representative List. Option C, Punjab, does have one, but it is the brass and copper utensil craft of the Thatheras of Jandiala Guru, inscribed in 2014, and not a dance. Option D, Gujarat, is represented by the Garba of 2023. Kalbelia was inscribed in 2010, the same year as the Chhau dance and Mudiyettu, so the three can be asked together in a single matching question. One more marker helps: Kalbelia was nominated in the domain of performing arts, and its songs are composed on the spot during a performance, which the citation singled out as the mark of a living oral tradition.

The correct answer is B, Uttarakhand. Ramman is celebrated in the twin villages of Saloor Dungra in Chamoli district, in the Garhwal Himalayas, in honour of the local deity Bhumiyal Devta, and it combines masked dances, recitation and episodes from the Ramayana over several days. It was inscribed in 2009 and is the only Indian element of that year. Option A, Himachal Pradesh, has no element on the Representative List, though its fairs are often offered as a plausible answer. Option C, Sikkim, is wrong as well. Option D is wrong, but the neighbouring Ladakh region does hold an element, the Buddhist chanting of Ladakh, inscribed in 2012, which is the distractor a careless reader picks. Remember Ramman with the year 2009 and the district Chamoli.