Which of the following dances is in UNESCO's Intangible Heritage List?

The correct answer is D, Kolkali. Kolkali is a popular folk dance of Lakshadweep, and it is also seen in the Malabar region of Kerala, with which the islands share much of their language and custom. Twelve or more dancers move in a circle, each holding a short wooden stick in either hand, and strike their neighbours' sticks in time with the song; the circle widens and closes in as the beat quickens. It is danced by men at weddings and festivals, and the rhythm comes from the clash of the sticks as much as from the drum. Lakshadweep's other well known forms are Parichakali and Lava. A is wrong because Kathak is a classical dance of north India. B is wrong because Kuchipudi is a classical dance of Andhra Pradesh. C is wrong because Koli is the dance of the fishing community of Maharashtra. Exam tip: Lakshadweep has Kolkali, Parichakali and Lava; Koli belongs to Maharashtra.

The correct answer is C, Marwar. The Marwar school, the painting of the Jodhpur region, is the one credited with the illustrated Panchatantra series, a set painted at Pali in the early eighteenth century in which the animal fables are told frame by frame. Marwar work is known for its folk strength rather than courtly polish: bold flat colours, large staring eyes, sturdy figures and plenty of horses and camels. Alongside the Panchatantra, the school also illustrated the Dhola Maru romance and the Ragamala series. A is wrong because Bundi painting is famous for lush green landscapes, monsoon skies, lotus tanks and elephant scenes. B is wrong because Kota, which grew out of Bundi, is best known for its hunting scenes set in thick forest. D is wrong because Dhundhar, the Jaipur and Amber school, is known for large portraits, court scenes and its Ragamala and Bihari Satsai sets. Exam tip: Panchatantra and Dhola Maru go with Marwar, monsoon and greenery with Bundi, shikar with Kota.

The correct answer is A, Assam. Bodo is the language of the Bodo people of the Brahmaputra valley and is spoken mainly in the Bodoland Territorial Region of western Assam. It belongs to the Tibeto-Burman group, is written in the Devanagari script and is an associate official language of Assam. Bodo was added to the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution by the 92nd Amendment of 2003, along with Dogri, Maithili and Santhali. Option B is wrong because Jharkhand's main tongues are Hindi along with Santhali, Mundari and Ho. Option C is wrong because Himachal Pradesh speaks Hindi and Pahari dialects such as Kangri and Mandeali. Option D is wrong because Karnataka's official language is Kannada, a Dravidian language. Exam tip: the 92nd Amendment, 2003 added four languages — Bodo, Dogri, Maithili and Santhali — taking the Eighth Schedule to 22.

The correct answer is D, Punjabi. The Jammu and Kashmir Official Languages Act, 2020 gives the union territory five official languages: Kashmiri, Dogri, Urdu, Hindi and English. Punjabi is spoken in parts of the region, but it was not put on that list, so it is the odd one out. Before this law Urdu alone was the official language of the old state, even though hardly any household used it as a mother tongue, and the change was made so that the languages people actually speak would be used in government work. Option A is wrong because Hindi is one of the five named in the Act. Option B is wrong because Dogri, spoken mainly in the Jammu division, is both an official language of the union territory and a language of the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution. Option C is wrong because Urdu is official and was in fact the only official language earlier. Exam tip: remember the five as Kashmiri, Dogri, Urdu, Hindi and English.

The correct answer is A, Mizoram. Chapchar Kut is the best known festival of the Mizo, held in March once the jhum fields have been cleared and burnt and the villagers wait for the sowing rains. Men and women in thangchhuah puan and vakiria headgear dance to drums, and the Cheraw, in which dancers step between bamboo staves clapped together on the ground, is its signature performance. Mim Kut and Pawl Kut are the other two Mizo festivals.

Option B, Sikkim, observes Losar, Losoong and Saga Dawa. Option C, Arunachal Pradesh, holds Mopin of the Galo, Solung of the Adi and Nyokum of the Nyishi. Option D, Assam, celebrates Bihu and Ali Ai Ligang. The bamboo dance itself is the clue, because Cheraw is Mizoram's own and is often confused with the similar dances of the region.