Raja Parba, also known as Mithuna Sankranti, is a _______ -day-long festival of womanhood celebrated in Odisha, India.

The correct answer is C, Kathakali. Kathakali, which means 'story play', is the classical dance-drama of Kerala, performed traditionally by men, in which stories from the Ramayana and Mahabharata are told through hand gestures (mudras), eye movements and facial expressions. Its most striking feature is the heavy, colourful makeup and towering headgear: green (pacha) for noble heroes, a red-streaked face (kathi) for villains, and beard (thadi) types for demons and monkeys. The vigorous body training comes from Kalaripayattu, Kerala's ancient martial art. Performances are accompanied by the chenda and maddalam drums and go on through the night. A is wrong because Mohiniyattam, also from Kerala, is a gentle solo dance by women, the 'dance of the enchantress', with simple makeup and no masks. B is wrong because Kuchipudi is the classical dance of Andhra Pradesh. D is wrong because Odissi belongs to Odisha and is known for its tribhangi posture. Exam tip: Kerala has two classical dances, Kathakali (masks, makeup, martial vigour) and Mohiniyattam (graceful, feminine).

The correct answer is D, Delhi. The Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque, "Might of Islam", stands in the Qutub complex at Mehrauli in Delhi, next to the Qutub Minar and the Iron Pillar. Qutb-ud-din Aibak began it in 1192-93, right after the Turkish conquest, making it the first mosque built in Delhi and the earliest surviving example of Indo-Islamic architecture in India. Its pillars were taken from twenty-seven demolished Hindu and Jain temples, which is why they still carry bells, chains and floral carvings, and Iltutmish and Alauddin Khalji later enlarged it. The complex is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A, Panipat, has the Kabuli Bagh mosque built by Babur after the first battle of Panipat in 1526. B, Lahore, has the Badshahi mosque of Aurangzeb. C, Ajmer, has Aibak's other mosque, the Adhai Din ka Jhonpra, which is the usual trap in this question. Exam tip: Aibak built Quwwat-ul-Islam in Delhi and Adhai Din ka Jhonpra in Ajmer.

The correct answer is A, Brihadisvara Temple. The Brihadisvara (Brihadeeswarar) Temple at Thanjavur was built by Rajaraja Chola I and completed around 1010 CE, which is why it is also called Rajarajeswaram or the Big Temple. It is the finest example of Dravidian temple architecture: a granite vimana about 66 metres high, a single-stone capstone said to weigh around 80 tonnes, and a huge monolithic Nandi facing the shrine of Shiva. Along with Gangaikonda Cholapuram and the Airavatesvara Temple at Darasuram, it forms the UNESCO World Heritage listing called the Great Living Chola Temples. B is wrong because the Naganathaswamy Temple is at Thirunageswaram near Kumbakonam and is famous as the Ketu shrine among the Navagraha temples. C is wrong because the Thirumananjeri Temple is a wedding-blessing shrine near Kumbakonam, not Rajaraja's temple. D is wrong because the Murugan temples such as Palani and Swamimalai are not Chola royal temples in Thanjavur. Exam tip: Rajaraja I built Thanjavur's Brihadisvara; his son Rajendra I built Gangaikonda Cholapuram.