Which of the following is a ghan, that is a solid or idiophonic, folk instrument of Rajasthan?
- A.Khartal
- B.Surnai
- C.Jantar
- D.Nagara
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is A, Khartal. Ghan instruments are solid bodies that sound when struck or shaken, without a stretched skin or a vibrating string, and the khartal, a pair of wooden blocks clapped together by Manganiyar performers, is the classic Rajasthani example, as are the manjira, the jhanjh, the thali, the chimta, the ghungroo and the morchang. B, Surnai is a sushir or wind instrument, a reed pipe played by the Langas. C, Jantar is a tat or string instrument of the veena family, plucked by the Bhopas of Devnarayan. D, Nagara is an avanaddh instrument, a large kettledrum with a stretched hide, beaten with sticks at temples and on ceremonial occasions. Learning the four classes with two or three examples each answers almost every instrument question in the Rajasthan papers.
Read the full article: Folk Music and Instruments of Rajasthan: Facts and PYQs
Practice Questions
View allThe kamayacha, a bowed string instrument, is traditionally played by which community of Rajasthan?
- A.Langa
- B.Manganiyar
- C.Kalbelia
- D.Kamad
Show answer
The kamayacha is the signature instrument of the Manganiyar musicians of Jaisalmer and Barmer: a large bowl of mango wood covered with goat skin, with gut and steel strings played with a horsehair bow, giving the deep drone that accompanies Manganiyar singing.
Read the full explanation →The ravanhatta is the instrument of the Bhopas who narrate the epic of which folk deity?
- A.Pabuji
- B.Devnarayan
- C.Gogaji
- D.Ramdevji
Show answer
A Bhopa of Pabuji unrolls the painted scroll called the phad and sings the epic of Pabuji through the night, accompanying himself on the ravanhatta, a bowed instrument of a half coconut or gourd with a bamboo neck, a skin face and a row of jingling bells.
Read the full explanation →Kesariya Balam Aavo Hamare Desh belongs to which style of Rajasthani singing?
- A.Panihari
- B.Maand
- C.Kurja
- D.Jachcha
Show answer
Maand is the most refined style of Rajasthani singing, close enough to classical music to be treated as a raga in its own right, and Kesariya Balam Aavo Hamare Desh, made famous by Allah Jilai Bai of Bikaner, is its best known composition and effectively the state's signature song.
Read the full explanation →Kalbelia folk songs and dances of Rajasthan were inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in which year?
- A.2003
- B.2008
- C.2010
- D.2016
Show answer
The Kalbelia folk songs and dances of Rajasthan were inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2010.
Read the full explanation →The algoza, a folk instrument of Rajasthan, is a
- A.Pair of flutes played together
- B.Bowed string instrument
- C.Drum with a plucked string
- D.Pair of wooden clappers
Show answer
The algoza is a double flute: the player holds two pipes at once, blowing a drone on one while playing the melody on the other, and a shepherd or a Langa musician can keep this up for long stretches using circular breathing.
Read the full explanation →