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Art & CultureEasyAsked in: UPSC CAPF · CAPF 2017, Paper I

Padma Shri Sudarsan Pattnaik is well known as a

  1. A.novelist
  2. B.golfer
  3. C.classical dancer
  4. D.sand artist

Correct answer

D. sand artist

Explanation

The correct answer is D, sand artist. Sudarsan Pattnaik is a sand artist from Puri, Odisha, known for large sculptures on the beach that carry social messages.

Born in 1977, Pattnaik taught himself sand art on Puri beach and went on to set up the Golden Sand Art Institute there. He has represented India at many international sand sculpture championships and won several of them, and his works often mark festivals, national events and causes such as climate change and public health. The Government of India honoured him with the Padma Shri in 2014 for his contribution to the arts. Puri's beach, near the Jagannath temple, is the home of his art.

A is wrong: Pattnaik is not a writer; his art is sculpture made of sand.

B is wrong: he has no link with golf; India's well-known golfers include Jeev Milkha Singh and Anirban Lahiri.

C is wrong: although Odisha is the home of Odissi dance, Pattnaik is a sculptor, not a dancer.

Exam tip: Sudarsan Pattnaik: sand artist of Puri, Odisha; Padma Shri 2014.

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Q1.Art & CultureAsked in: UPSC CAPF · CAPF 2017, Paper IMedium

In which one of the following buildings the first extant true arch is found?

  1. A.Arhai din ka Jhonpra
  2. B.Quwwat ul Islam Mosque
  3. C.Tomb of Sultan Balban
  4. D.Alai Darwaza
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Tomb of Sultan Balban

The tomb in Mehrauli, Delhi, built in the late 13th century, has the earliest surviving true arch in India. A true arch is built from wedge-shaped stones (voussoirs) held in place by a keystone at the top, so it spreads weight sideways.

Q2.Art & CultureAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2023, GS Paper IMedium

In which one of the following regions was Dhanyakataka, which flourished as a prominent Buddhist centre under the Mahasanghikas, located?

  1. A.Andhra
  2. B.Gandhara
  3. C.Kalinga
  4. D.Magadha
Show answer
Correct answer: A. Andhra

Dhanyakataka is the ancient Dharanikota, beside Amaravati on the Krishna river in present-day Andhra Pradesh. Dhanyakataka was a capital of the Satavahanas, who ruled the Deccan around the beginning of the Common Era, and the great Amaravati stupa stood close by.

Q4.Art & CultureEasy

The Rock Garden at Chandigarh, built out of industrial and urban waste, was created by whom?

  1. A.Le Corbusier
  2. B.Nek Chand
  3. C.M. S. Randhawa
  4. D.Pierre Jeanneret
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Nek Chand

Nek Chand Saini, a roads inspector in Chandigarh, began building figures and courtyards out of broken tiles, bangles, sockets and other waste in a gorge near the Sukhna Lake, and the work he did largely alone became the Rock Garden, now one of the best known sights of the city.