'Ottamthullal' is a dance associated with the state of:

The correct answer is A, Greece. The Gandhara School of Art, which grew in the north west around Taxila and Peshawar between the first and fifth centuries, was shaped by Greek or Hellenistic sculpture that had reached the region after Alexander's campaign and stayed on through the Indo Greek and Kushana rulers. That is why its Buddha figures have wavy hair, sharp features, a halo without decoration and heavy robes with deep folds, carved mostly in blue grey schist. The school also produced the first images of the Buddha in human form, alongside the Mathura school. Kanishka was its best known patron. B is wrong because Roman influence came later and in small measure, mainly through trade. C and D are wrong because Hungary and Belgium had no contact with ancient India. Exam tip: Gandhara Greek and grey schist, Mathura Indian and red sandstone, Amaravati white marble.

The correct answer is D, Assam. The Ambubachi Mela is held every year at the Kamakhya temple on Nilachal hill in Guwahati, Assam. It falls in the month of Ahaar, around the middle of June, and marks the belief that the goddess goes through her yearly cycle of menstruation, so the temple doors stay shut for three days and open on the fourth with the distribution of red cloth as prasad. Thousands of sadhus, tantriks and pilgrims gather for it, which is why the fair is sometimes called the Mahakumbh of the East. Kamakhya is counted among the Shakti Peethas. A is wrong because Kerala is known for the Thrissur Pooram and the Nehru Trophy boat race. B is wrong because Gujarat is known for the Rann Utsav and Tarnetar fair. C is wrong because Sikkim holds festivals such as Losar and Pang Lhabsol. Exam tip: Ambubachi, Kamakhya temple, Guwahati, June.

The correct answer is D, Chandela Dynasty. The Khajuraho temples in Chhatarpur district of Madhya Pradesh were built between about 950 and 1050 CE by the Chandela rulers of Bundelkhand, among them Yashovarman, who built the Lakshmana temple, and Dhanga and Vidyadhara, under whom the large Kandariya Mahadeva temple came up. About twenty five of the original eighty five temples survive, built in the Nagara style on high platforms with rising spires and famous carved figures, and the group has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1986. A is wrong because the Gurjara Pratiharas ruled from Kannauj and are linked with temples at Osian. B is wrong because the Rashtrakutas built the rock cut Kailasa temple at Ellora. C is wrong because the Palas of Bengal and Bihar built Buddhist monasteries such as Vikramshila. Exam tip: Khajuraho, Chandelas, Nagara style, Madhya Pradesh, World Heritage Site 1986.

The correct answer is B, Sarangi. Ustad Sultan Khan was one of the best known sarangi players of recent times. He belonged to the Sikar gharana of Rajasthan, learnt from his father Ustad Gulab Khan, and played the instrument both in classical concerts and in film music, where his voice and bow were heard in songs such as Albela Sajan and Piya Basanti. He was a founder member of the group Tabla Beat Science with Zakir Hussain and was given the Padma Bhushan. The sarangi is a short necked bowed instrument whose sound is said to come closest to the human voice, which is why it long accompanied vocalists. A is wrong because drums are struck, not bowed, and no drum tradition names him. C is wrong because the tabla is linked with players such as Zakir Hussain and Alla Rakha. D is wrong because the flute is linked with Hariprasad Chaurasia. Exam tip: sarangi, Sultan Khan, closest to the human voice.

The correct answer is D, Guler Paintings – Karnataka, because this pair is the wrong one. Guler painting belongs to Himachal Pradesh, not Karnataka. Guler, a small hill state in the Kangra valley, is where the Pahari school took its gentle new form in the eighteenth century under artists of the Seu family, and from there it grew into the famous Kangra style of soft lines and green hill landscapes. A is a correct pair, since Phad is the long cloth scroll painting of Rajasthan that tells the story of folk gods such as Pabuji and Devnarayan. B is a correct pair, as Saura painting is the wall art of the Saura tribe of Odisha, close in look to Warli. C is a correct pair, because the Bagh paintings are the cave murals near the Bagh caves in Madhya Pradesh. Exam tip: Guler and Kangra are both Pahari schools of Himachal Pradesh.