MCQ
upsc-p1-history-art-painting MCQ - Practice Questions with Answers
Solve 10 upsc-p1-history-art-painting questions for RAS/RPSC preparation.
Practice questions
Q1Consider the following statements about mural and miniature painting in India: 1. A mural is generally fixed to a wall, cave, rock or ceiling surface. 2. Miniature painting denotes only one school of Indian painting. 3. A miniature is generally a movable object made on supports such as palm leaf, paper, cloth or an album folio. Select the correct answer using the code given below.
Statements 1 and 3 are correct. A mural is site-bound, whereas a miniature is normally movable and may be made on palm leaf, paper, cloth or an album folio. Statement 2 is incorrect because Pala, Jain, Mughal, Deccan, Rajput and Pahari are among the distinct streams that used the miniature format.
Q2Match List I with List II: List I (tradition) A. Pala manuscript painting B. Western Indian Jain painting C. Mughal album culture D. Warli painting List II (feature) 1. Geometric village-life figures, commonly white on an earthy ground 2. Buddhist palm-leaf manuscripts of eastern India 3. Single portraits, studies and calligraphic pages collected as folios 4. Strong line, flat colour, angular figures and large projecting eyes Select the correct answer using the code given below.
Option A is correct. Pala painting is associated with eastern Indian Buddhist palm-leaf manuscripts; western Indian Jain painting with strong line, angular figures and projecting eyes; Mughal album culture with collected portrait, study and calligraphic folios; and Warli with geometric village figures.
Q3Consider the following statements: 1. Pahari painting and Rajasthani painting are identical because Krishna themes occur in both. 2. Deccan painting developed distinct sultanate court idioms and is not merely a branch of Mughal painting. Select the correct answer using the code given below.
Statement 1 is incorrect. Rajasthani schools belong to Rajasthan courts, whereas Pahari schools belong to Himalayan hill states; a shared Krishna theme does not erase geography or visual treatment. Statement 2 is correct because Deccan painting had its own sultanate courts, rich colour, fantasy landscapes, textiles and elongated figures.
Q4Consider the following statements about conservation of paintings: 1. Digitisation can improve access and documentation, but it cannot replace physical conservation. 2. Speculative repainting is a sound conservation method because it restores the original evidence on a faded surface. Select the correct answer using the code given below.
Statement 1 is correct: a digital record cannot protect a wall from seepage or a folio from poor storage. Statement 2 is incorrect because conservation stabilises and preserves original evidence; speculative repainting can destroy historical information rather than restore it.
Q5Arrange the following in the correct chronological sequence, from the earliest visual tradition to the latest court tradition: A. Mughal imperial atelier under Akbar B. Pala Buddhist palm-leaf manuscript painting C. Prehistoric rock painting at Bhimbetka D. Early and later Buddhist mural phases at Ajanta Select the correct answer using the code given below.
Option C gives the correct sequence: prehistoric Bhimbetka rock painting comes first, followed by Ajanta's Buddhist mural phases, Pala Buddhist palm-leaf manuscript painting, and finally Akbar's organised Mughal imperial atelier.
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6Consider the following statements about Mughal painting: 1. Humayun's contact with Persian masters helped prepare its foundation. 2. Akbar's imperial atelier produced illustrated projects such as the Hamzanama, Razmnama and Akbarnama. 3. Jahangir favoured portraiture and naturalistic studies of flora and fauna. 4. Mature Mughal painting remained purely Persian and did not absorb Indian artists or selected European devices. Select the correct answer using the code given below.
7Consider the following statements about living and market-linked painting traditions: 1. Warli commonly uses simple geometric figures, often in white on an earthy background. 2. Phad combines a painted scroll with oral performance and can function as a mobile shrine. 3. Kalighat painting connected pilgrimage, the urban market and colonial-city themes. 4. Tanjore painting is known for a rich surface, gold foil and iconic deities. Select the correct answer using the code given below.
8Arrange the following developments in Mughal painting in chronological order: A. Jahangir's emphasis on naturalism, portraiture and studies of flora and fauna B. Humayun's contact with Persian masters C. Shah Jahan's more formal, luxurious and ceremonial phase D. Akbar's large organised imperial atelier and illustrated manuscript projects Select the correct answer using the code given below.
9Consider the following statements about the legal treatment of painted heritage in India: 1. The 1958 monuments law is relevant to painted caves protected as monuments. 2. The 1972 antiquities law is relevant to old movable painted manuscripts and album folios. 3. A newly made painting protected through a geographical indication automatically becomes an antiquity. Select the correct answer using the code given below.
10Match List I with List II: List I (painted site) A. Ajanta B. Sittanavasal C. Badami D. Ellora List II (religious range) 1. Jain mural memory in the Tamil region 2. Multi-religious cave complex 3. Major Buddhist mural corpus 4. Hindu mural tradition linked with early Chalukya art Select the correct answer using the code given below.