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Art & CultureMediumAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2021, GS Paper I

With reference to India, the terms 'Halbi, Ho and Kui' pertain to

  1. A.dance forms of Northwest India
  2. B.musical instruments
  3. C.pre-historic cave paintings
  4. D.tribal languages

Correct answer

D. tribal languages

Explanation

The correct answer is D, tribal languages. Halbi, Ho and Kui are languages spoken by tribal communities of central and eastern India. Halbi is an Indo-Aryan language used by the Halba tribe and as a link language among many tribes of the Bastar region of Chhattisgarh and nearby parts of Odisha and Maharashtra. Ho is a Munda language of the Austroasiatic family spoken by the Ho people mainly in the Kolhan region of Jharkhand and in Odisha, and it has its own script, Warang Citi. Kui is a Dravidian language of the Kandha (Khond) people of Odisha. Together they show how India's tribal languages come from three different families. None of them is in the Eighth Schedule, which lists 22 languages; among tribal languages only Santali and Bodo are included. Option A is wrong because they are not dance forms, and in any case the communities live in central and eastern India, not the north-west. Option B is wrong because they are not musical instruments. Option C is wrong because they are not cave painting sites. Exam tip: Halbi = Indo-Aryan, Ho = Munda (Austroasiatic), Kui = Dravidian; Santali and Bodo are the tribal languages in the Eighth Schedule.

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Q1.Art & CultureAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2024, GKHard

Which of the following is/are the correct components of the "Lion Capital" at Sarnath ? 1. The shaft (stambha-yashti) or the tall tapering column 2. An elliptical top part - the abacus, devoid of any carvings 3. Overflowing inverted petals below the abacus Select the answer using the code given below :

  1. A.1 only
  2. B.1 and 3 only
  3. C.2 and 3 only
  4. D.1, 2 and 3
Show answer
Correct answer: B. 1 and 3 only

Statements 1 and 3 describe real parts of the Sarnath pillar, while the abacus is neither elliptical nor plain. The Mauryan pillar at Sarnath, set up by Ashoka, had a tall, smooth, tapering shaft of polished Chunar sandstone.

Q2.Art & CultureAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2019, GKHard

Who designed the Bombay Secretariat in the 1870s?

  1. A.H. St. Clair Wilkins
  2. B.Sir Cowasjee Jehangir Readymoney
  3. C.Purushottamdas Thakurdas
  4. D.Nusserwanji Tata
Show answer
Correct answer: A. H. St. Clair Wilkins

Henry St. Clair Wilkins, an officer of the Royal Engineers, designed the Bombay Secretariat, completed in 1874 as part of the grand row of public buildings that rose along the Oval in Bombay after the old fort walls were pulled down in the 1860s. The building is in the Venetian…

Q3.Art & CultureAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2023, GKEasy

Manav is planning to visit all UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Delhi. He will be visiting

  1. A.Red Fort, Qutab Minar, Jama Masjid
  2. B.Red Fort, India Gate, Qutab Minar
  3. C.Red Fort, Qutab Minar, Humayun Tomb
  4. D.Red Fort, Humayun Tomb, India Gate
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Red Fort, Qutab Minar, Humayun Tomb

Delhi has three UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and they are exactly these three. Humayun's Tomb was inscribed in 1993; built in the 1560s at the wish of his widow Bega Begum, it was the first garden-tomb on the Indian subcontinent and a model for the Taj Mahal.

Q4.Art & CultureAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2016, GS Paper IHard

With reference to the cultural history of India, the memorizing of chronicles, dynastic histories and epic tales was the profession of who of the following?

  1. A.Shramana
  2. B.Parivraajaka
  3. C.Agrahaarika
  4. D.Maagadha
Show answer
Correct answer: D. Maagadha

In ancient India the Magadhas were professional bards. Along with the Sutas, they memorised and recited genealogies of kings, dynastic histories and heroic tales, and sang the praises of rulers at court and on ceremonial occasions.