Indian Culture General Studies MCQs - Set 9

1)   Which of the following popularised the Sankirtan/Kirtan system?

a. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu
b. Narsingh Mehta
c. Saint Tyagaraja
d. Tulsidas
Answer  Explanation 

ANSWER: Chaitanya Mahaprabhu

Explanation:
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was a well-known saint, ascetic Hindu monk, and social reformer of Bengal. He popularised the Krishna cult in the 16th century. He also popularised the Sankirtan/Kirtan system.


2)   Which of the following composed the famous Pancharatna Kritis?

a. Tyagaraja
b. Narsingh Mehta
c. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu
d. Vallabacharya
Answer  Explanation 

ANSWER: Tyagaraja

Explanation:
Saint Tyagaraja was one of the greatest composers of Carnatic music. He composed thousands of devotional compositions, most of them in Telugu in the praise of Lord Ram. He also composed the famous Pancharatna Kritis.


3)   Which of the following established the Qadiri order?

a. Shah NimatuIlah Wali
b. Shaikh Abdul Qadir Jilani
c. Shihabuddin Suhrawardi
d. Shah Nurullah
Answer  Explanation 

ANSWER: Shaikh Abdul Qadir Jilani

Explanation:
The Qadiri order which was popular in Punjab was established during the Mughal rule by Shaikh Abdul Qadir Jilani in the mid-fifteenth century. The Qadiris were orthodox Sufis who zealously followed the Shariah.


4)   Which of the following popularized the Qadiri traditions in Srinagar?
1) Mir Nazuk
2) Mir Muhammad Ali
Select the correct option from the codes given below:


a. Only 1
b. Only 2
c. Both 1 & 2
d. Neither 1 & 2
Answer  Explanation 

ANSWER: Both 1 & 2

Explanation:
Srinagar was a prominent Qadiri centre in the 16th century. The sultan of Kashmir became the disciple of Shaikh Ahmad Qadiri. He also enrolled his friend Dawud Khaki in the order. Dawud was succeeded by Mir Nazuk and his grandson, Mir Muhammad Ali, who popularized the Qadiri traditions in Srinagar.


5)   Which of the following subjects were included in the Company school of art?
1) Landscapes and views of nature
2) Monuments
3) Indian People, dancers, fairs and festivals, and costumes.
Select the correct answer from the codes given below:


a. Only 1
b. Only 3
c. Only 1 & 3
d. 1, 2 & 3
Answer  Explanation 

ANSWER: 1, 2 & 3

Explanation:
The subjects included in the company school of art were:
1) Landscapes and views of nature
2) Monuments – The Delhi paintings especially had Mughal monuments as subject matter.
3) Indian People, dancers, fairs and festivals, and costumes.
4) Figures of different castes and trades.


6)   How many nastika philosophies did exist in ancient times, rejecting the authority of the Vedas?

a. Five
b. Three
c. Six
d. Four
Answer  Explanation 

ANSWER: Four

Explanation:
Nastika philosophies in ancient and medieval India rejected the authority of Vedas, and these philosophies were also known as heterodox or non-orthodox Indian philosophies. There were four major nastika Indian philosophies prevalent in ancient and medieval India which included Buddhism, Jainism, Charvaka, Ajivika.


7)   Who said,”in Hinduism ideas about all the major issues of faith and lifestyle – vegetarianism, nonviolence, belief in rebirth, even caste – are subjects of debate, not dogma.”?

a. Gavin Flood
b. Doniger
c. Raja Ram Mohan Roy
d. Mahatma Gandhi
Answer  Explanation 

ANSWER: Doniger

Explanation:
The very positive fact about Hinduism is that it has a diversity of ideas on spirituality and traditions without any ecclesiastical order, religious authorities, or any binding holy book. A Hindu can be polytheistic, pantheistic, monotheistic, agnostic, atheistic or humanist and still be a Hindu which makes it most humane religion.


8)   How many vows do Jains take while practicing Jainism?

a. Five
b. Four
c. Six
d. Seven
Answer  Explanation 

ANSWER: Five

Explanation:
A practicing Jain takes five main vows while adhering to the core belief of Jain Dharma which include ahi?sa (non-violence), satya (truth), asteya (not stealing), brahmacharya (sexual continence), and aparigraha (non-possessiveness).


9)   What is the most common and basic prayer of Jainism?

a. Satkara
b. Puruskar
c. ?amokara
d. Parishkaar
Answer  Explanation 

ANSWER: ?amokara

Explanation:
Parasparopagraho Jivanam is the motto of Jainism which implies that the function of souls is to help one another and the ?amokara mantra is its most common and basic prayer practiced by Jains across the world.


10)   What is Vajrayana?

a. A branch of Mahayana Buddhism
b. teachings attributed to Indian adepts
c. Tibetan Buddhism practiced in Mongolia
d. All of the above
Answer  Explanation 

ANSWER: All of the above

Explanation:
Vajrayana is a body of teachings attributed to Indian adepts. It is viewed as a separate branch of Mahayana Buddhism. Tibetan Buddhism which is practiced in Mongolia, and Kalmykia preserves the Vajrayana teachings of eighth-century India.


11)   What are the religious texts of Jainism called?

a. Agamas
b. Tripitak
c. Both of the above
d. None of the above
Answer  Explanation 

ANSWER: Agamas

Explanation:
Jainism is an ancient Indian religion. Followers of Jainism are called “Jains” who believe that Jainism is an eternal dharma and the tirthankaras are the guiding lights for every cycle of the Jain cosmology. Their major religious texts are Agamas and Paramagamas.


12)   The root of “Yoga” is found in hymn of which of the following Vedas?

a. Rig Veda
b. Atharveda
c. Yajurveda
d. Samveda
Answer  Explanation 

ANSWER: Rig Veda

Explanation:
The root of “Yoga” is mentioned in hymn 5.81.1 of the Rig Veda, symbolizing a dedication to rising Sun-god in the morning (Savitri), interpreted as yoke .


13)   Which of the following school of philosophies proposes two metaphysical realities?

a. Nyay school of Hindu thought
b. Samkhya school of Hindu thought
c. Vedanta school of Hindu thought
d. Yoga school of Hindu thought
Answer  Explanation 

ANSWER: Vedanta school of Hindu thought

Explanation:
The Samkhya school of Hindu Philosophy postultes two metaphysical realities, namely Purusha (consciousness) and Prakriti (inert primal matter), adding that the Purusha is the root cause of all existence in the universe while Prakriti is its material cause.


14)   Which of the following emphasizes the idea of Jivanmukti?

a. Jainism
b. Buddhism
c. Advaita Vedanta
d. None of the above
Answer  Explanation 

ANSWER: Advaita Vedanta

Explanation:
Advaita Vedanta lays emphasis on Jivanmukti, the philosophy that moksha (liberation) can be attained in this life whereas most of other Indian philosophies emphasize on videhamukti, or moksha after death.


15)   In which of the following Upnishads is the practice of pratyahara mentioned ?

a. Chandogya Upanishad
b. Brihadaranyaka Upanishad
c. Shvetashvatara upanishad
d. Brahmasutra upanishad
Answer  Explanation 

ANSWER: Chandogya Upanishad

Explanation:
The practice of pratyahara (concentrating all of one’s senses on self) is mentioned in hymn 8.15 of Chandogya Upanishad (c. ~ 800-700 BCE).


16)   Which of the following ways was followed by Bhakti scholars/poets in imaging the nature of the divine?

a. Nirguna Brahman
b. Saguna Brahman
c. Both of the above
d. None of the above
Answer  Explanation 

ANSWER: Both of the above

Explanation:
The Bhakti movement of Hinduism imagined the nature of the divine (Brahman) in two forms – Nirguna and Saguna. Nirguna Brahman was conceived as the Ultimate Reality as formless whereas Saguna Brahman was developed as with form, attributes and quality.


17)   Who among the following is credited with the establishment of gurukul (Vedic schools ) in India?

a. Ramkrishna Parmahans
b. Ishvarchand Vidya sagar
c. Swami Vivekanand
d. Swami Dayananda Saraswati
Answer  Explanation 

ANSWER: Swami Dayananda Saraswati

Explanation:
Between 1869 and 1873, Dayanand Saraswati established Gurukul (Vedic schools) in India which emphasized Vedic values, culture, Satya (virtue), and Sanatana Dharma (the essence of living).


18)   Who among the following is credited with unifying and establishing the main currents of thought in Hinduism?

a. Raja Ram Mohan Roy
b. Swami Vivekananda
c. Kabir Das
d. Adi Shankaracharya
Answer  Explanation 

ANSWER: Adi Shankaracharya

Explanation:
Adi Shankaracharya consolidated the doctrine of Advaita Vedanta. His works in Sanskrit discuss the unity of the Atman and Nirguna Brahman “brahman without attributes”. He is credited with unifying and establishing the main currents of thought in Hinduism.


19)   Traditional Advaita Vedanta centers on which of the following for its elaboration and interpretation?

a. Sruti
b. Brahma
c. Bhagavad Gita
d. All of the above
Answer  Explanation 

ANSWER: All of the above

Explanation:
Traditional Advaita Vedanta focusses on the study of the Sruti, especially the Principal Upanishads, along with the Brahma Sutras and the Bhagavad Gita, which are collectively known as Prasthantrayi.