Indian Classical Music MCQs for UPSC Prelims

Correct answer: B - 2 and 4 only

Statements 2 and 4 are correct. Tyagaraja, one of the Carnatic music trinity, indeed composed in and created several new ragas, so statement 2 is right, and Annamacharya's kirtanas are devotional songs dedicated to Lord Venkateshwara of Tirumala, making statement 4 right. Statement 1 is wrong because most Tyagaraja kritis are in praise of Lord Rama, not Krishna. Statement 3 is wrong because Annamacharya lived in the 15th century while Tyagaraja belonged to the 18th-19th century, so they were not contemporaries. Hence the answer is 2 and 4 only.

Correct answer: A - Tansen was the title given to him by Emperor Akbar.

The title 'Tansen' was conferred on the musician Ramtanu Pande by Raja Vikramjit of Gwalior, not by Akbar; Akbar gave him the honorific 'Mian' after bringing him to the imperial court as one of his navaratnas, so option (a) is the incorrect statement the question seeks. He did compose dhrupads on Hindu deities such as Shiva and Vishnu, making option (b) accurate. He also composed pieces in praise of his patrons, including Akbar, so option (c) is accurate. He is credited with creating ragas like Miyan ki Malhar, Miyan ki Todi and Darbari Kanada, validating option (d).

Correct answer: B - musical tradition in North- West India

The Manganiyars are a hereditary community of professional folk musicians of the Thar desert region of Rajasthan and Sindh in north-west India, renowned for their soulful musical tradition, so option (b) is correct. They are not associated with north-east martial arts, South Indian classical vocal music, or the pietra dura inlay craft of central India, so the other options are wrong.

Correct answer: D - Lahore

Pandit Vishnu Digambar Paluskar established the first Gandharva Mahavidyalaya at Lahore on 5 May 1901 to take Hindustani classical music out of princely courts and teach it to the general public, so (d) is correct. Gwalior is a distractor because Paluskar belonged to the Gwalior gharana tradition, which misled many aspirants. A later branch was opened in Bombay in 1908, and the institution shifted after Partition, but Delhi and Ujjain were never the founding location. This question required a fairly obscure factual detail.

Correct answer: B - 2 and 3 only

Dhrupad is the oldest surviving form of Hindustani classical vocal music, austere and meditative in character. It is primarily devotional and spiritual, often dedicated to deities, so statement 2 is correct, and the Dhrupad alap is sung using sacred syllables drawn from mantras such as 'om antaran tvam, taran taaran tvam' rather than ordinary words, so statement 3 is correct. Statement 1 is wrong because Dhrupad did not originate and develop in the Rajput kingdoms during the Mughal period; its roots lie much earlier in temple and devotional traditions and it was nurtured at courts like Gwalior, so attributing its origin to Rajput kingdoms of the Mughal era is incorrect. Hence the answer is 2 and 3 only.

Correct answer: B - Only two

Pairs 1 and 2 are correct: the 72 melakarta ragas are the parent (janaka) scales with all seven notes in both arohana and avarohana, and janya ragas are derived from them. Pair 3 is wrong: the pallavi is the opening refrain/first section of a kriti (followed by anupallavi and charanam), not a concluding improvisation. Hence only two pairs are correctly matched.

Correct answer: A - An austere, devotional vocal style preceded by an elaborate alap and traditionally accompanied by the pakhawaj

Dhrupad is the oldest surviving genre of Hindustani vocal music, marked by a long, meditative alap, austere and grave presentation, and accompaniment on the pakhawaj. The light ornamented romantic form is Khayal/Thumri, the seasonal monsoon form alludes to Kajri, and the congregational Sikh devotional singing is Shabad Kirtan.

Correct answer: C - All four

Indian instruments are classified into four traditional categories. Tata Vadya are stringed instruments (sitar), Avanaddha Vadya are covered/drum instruments with a stretched membrane (mridangam), Sushira Vadya are wind instruments (shehnai), and Ghana Vadya are solid, non-tunable struck idiophones (jaltarang, where porcelain bowls filled with water are struck; manjira and ghatam also belong here). All four pairs are correctly matched.