34 practice questions on Architecture from the Art & Culture section of the UPSC Prelims syllabus.
34 come with a written explanation and 5 are actual previous year questions.
Try the sample set below - the answer stays hidden until you ask for it.
4 Easy18 Medium12 Hard5 from past papers
Sample questions
Q1
Previous year questionmedium
What is/are common to the two historical places known as Ajanta and Mahabalipuram?
1. Both were built in the same period.
2. Both belong to the same religious denomination.
3. Both have rock-cut monuments.
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
A1 and 2 only
B3 only
C1 and 3 only
DNone of the statements given above is correct
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: B - 3 only
Ajanta's caves were largely created between the 2nd century BCE and the 6th century CE, whereas the Mahabalipuram monuments belong mainly to the 7th-8th century CE Pallava period, so they were not built in the same period and statement 1 is wrong. Ajanta is essentially Buddhist while Mahabalipuram is predominantly Hindu, so they do not share the same religious denomination, making statement 2 incorrect. Both sites, however, are celebrated for their rock-cut architecture, so statement 3 is correct, giving the answer (b). Options (a), (c) and (d) wrongly accept the false statements or deny the valid one.
Q2
Previous year questionmedium
Which one of the following statements is correct?
AAjanta Caves lie in the gorge of Waghora river.
BSanchi Stupa lies in the gorge of Chambal river.
CPandu-lena Cave Shrines lie in the gorge of Narmada river.
DAmaravati Stupa lies in the gorge of Godavari river.
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: A - Ajanta Caves lie in the gorge of Waghora river.
The Ajanta caves in Maharashtra are cut into a horseshoe-shaped cliff along the gorge of the Waghora (Waghur) river, so the first statement is correct. The Sanchi Stupa stands on a hilltop in Madhya Pradesh near the Betwa, not in any Chambal gorge. The Pandu-lena (Pandavleni) caves are near Nashik on the Trirashmi hills overlooking the Godavari basin, not the Narmada. The Amaravati Stupa lies on the banks of the Krishna river, not the Godavari, so the other three statements are incorrect.
Q3
Previous year questioneasy
Some Buddhist rock-cut caves are called Chaityas, while the others are called Viharas. What is the difference between the two?
AVihara is a place of worship, while Chaitya is the dwelling place of the monks
BChaitya is a place of worship, while Vihara is the dwelling place of the monks
CChaitya is the stupa at the far end of the cave, while Vihara is the hall axial to it
DThere is no material difference between the two
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: B - Chaitya is a place of worship, while Vihara is the dwelling place of the monks
A chaitya is a prayer or worship hall, typically housing a stupa at the apsidal end, whereas a vihara is the residential complex of cells where monks lived, so option (b) is correct. Option (a) reverses the two definitions and is therefore wrong. Option (c) confuses the architectural relationship because the vihara is a separate monastic dwelling, not a hall axial to the chaitya, and the stupa is the object of worship within the chaitya rather than a distinguishing label between the two. Option (d) is incorrect because the two structures served clearly distinct functions, worship versus residence.
Q4
Previous year questionhard
With reference to the history of Indian rock-cut architecture, consider the following statements:
1. The caves at Badami are the oldest surviving rock-cut caves in India.
2. The Barabar rock-cut caves were originally made for Ajivikas by Emperor Chandragupta Maurya.
3. At Ellora, caves were made for different faiths.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
A1 only
B2 and 3 only
C3 only
D1, 2 and 3
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: C - 3 only
Only statement 3 is correct: Ellora uniquely houses Buddhist, Hindu and Jain caves side by side. Statement 1 is wrong because the Barabar caves (Mauryan period) are the oldest surviving rock-cut caves, predating the 6th-century Badami caves. Statement 2 is wrong because the Barabar caves were excavated for the Ajivikas during the reign of Ashoka (and his grandson Dasharatha), not Chandragupta Maurya. Hence option (c).
Q5
Previous year questionmedium
Consider the following pairs:
Site - Well known for
1. Besnagar - Shaivite cave shrine
2. Bhaja - Buddhist cave shrine
3. Sittanavasal - Jain cave shrine
How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?
AOnly one
BOnly two
CAll three
DNone
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: B - Only two
Pairs 2 and 3 are correct. Bhaja in Maharashtra is famous for its early Hinayana Buddhist rock-cut chaitya and viharas of around the second century BCE, and Sittanavasal in Tamil Nadu is a celebrated Jain cave temple known for its early medieval murals. Pair 1 is wrong because Besnagar (Vidisha in Madhya Pradesh) is best known for the Heliodorus pillar, a Garuda column dedicated to Vasudeva, which is associated with the Bhagavata or early Vaishnava tradition, not with any Shaivite cave shrine.
Q6
hard
Consider the following statements about cave architecture in India:
1. The chaitya is a prayer or worship hall, typically housing a stupa, whereas the vihara served as a residence for monks.
2. The Ajanta caves are renowned primarily for their mural paintings, while the nearby Ellora caves are notable for housing Buddhist, Hindu and Jain rock-cut monuments together.
3. The Kailasa temple at Ellora is a monolithic structure carved out of a single rock.
How many of the statements given above are correct?
AOnly one
BOnly two
CAll three
DNone
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: C - All three
All three statements are correct. In Buddhist rock-cut architecture, the chaitya is the apsidal worship hall enshrining a stupa, while the vihara is the monastery/residence with cells for monks. Ajanta is celebrated chiefly for its murals (Jataka scenes), while Ellora is distinctive for containing Buddhist, Hindu and Jain caves side by side. The Kailasa temple (Cave 16) at Ellora is a remarkable monolithic temple excavated top-down from a single rock face under the Rashtrakutas. All three are accurate.
Q7
medium
The 'Stepwell' (baoli/vav) architecture reached an exceptional artistic peak in the structure known as 'Rani ki Vav', a World Heritage Site located at:
APatan, Gujarat
BAbhaneri, Rajasthan
CAdalaj, near Gandhinagar
DHampi, Karnataka
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: A - Patan, Gujarat
Rani ki Vav, an inverted-temple stepwell built by Queen Udayamati of the Solanki dynasty, is at Patan in Gujarat and was inscribed by UNESCO in 2014; it features over a thousand sculptures, many depicting Vishnu's avatars. Chand Baori is at Abhaneri, the Adalaj Vav is a separate well, and Hampi has tanks of a different character.
Q8
hard
Assertion (A): The rock-cut caves at Ellora are notable because they house shrines belonging to three different religious traditions at a single site.
Reason (R): The Ellora caves include Buddhist, Hindu and Jain excavations.
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
ABoth A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A
BBoth A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A
CA is true but R is false
DA is false but R is true
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: A - Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A
Both A and R are true, and R correctly explains A. The Ellora caves (a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Maharashtra) are remarkable precisely because they contain Buddhist, Hindu and Jain rock-cut shrines together at one location, reflecting religious co-existence. The Reason directly states this three-faith composition, which is exactly why the Assertion holds. Hence R is the correct explanation of A.
Practice all 34 Architecture questions free
Timed practice, instant scoring, and explanations for every question. Free forever - no card, no catch.