General Awareness · Social Science
Indian Music and Instruments
2,130 Questions
Indian music and instruments encompass a rich variety of traditional percussion, string, and wind tools used across regional cultures. This collection features questions on folk drums, devotional instruments, and classical accompaniments. It is a crucial Art and Culture topic for SSC, UPSC, and State PSC exams.
Traditional folk drumsDevotional music instrumentsClassical dance accompanimentPercussion instrumentsRegional musical instruments
Indian Music and Instruments Questions
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Tanpura
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Sitar
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Trombone
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Cello
C
Correct answer
Explanation
String instruments produce sound through vibrating strings. Tanpura, Sitar, and Cello are all string instruments. Trombone is a brass instrument - it produces sound through the player's vibrating lips buzzing into a mouthpiece, not strings. This makes it the correct answer.
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Shehnai
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Tabla
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Sarod
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Sitar
D
Correct answer
Explanation
Amir Khusrau, a 13th-century Sufi poet and musician in India, is credited with inventing the sitar. He combined features of the veena and the Persian tambura to create this instrument. The shehnai, tabla, and sarod have different origin stories and attributions.
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Sitar
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Sarod
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Tabla
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Shehnai
A
Correct answer
Explanation
Amir Khusrau, the 13th-century Sufi poet and musician, is credited with inventing the sitar. He modified the existing veena to create this instrument, which became central to Hindustani classical music. The sarod and tabla have different origins.
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Tabla and dholak
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Guitar and sitar
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Flute and trumpet
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Veena and tabla
D
Correct answer
Explanation
Yes, this is correct answer as in veena the vibrating part that produces sound is the stretched string and in tabla it is the stretched membrane.
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Ektara
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Veena
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Tabla
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Manjira
A
Correct answer
Explanation
Ektara is a traditional single-string instrument commonly made using a coconut shell as the resonator. The coconut shell provides the acoustic chamber that amplifies the sound. Veena uses a wooden resonator, tabla uses drums, and manjira are cymbals.
B
Correct answer
Explanation
Pandit Ravi Shankar was the world's most renowned sitar player and is credited with popularizing Indian classical music globally. He influenced the Beatles, particularly George Harrison, and introduced the sitar to Western audiences in the 1960s.
C
Correct answer
Explanation
Ustad Ali Akbar Khan was one of the greatest sarod players in Indian classical music. He founded the Ali Akbar College of Music and popularized the sarod globally. Violin is associated with L. Subramaniam, tabla with Zakir Hussain, and sitar with Ravi Shankar.
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Shehnai
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Violin
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Flute
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Sarod
D
Correct answer
Explanation
Sharan Rani Mathur (1929-2008), also known as Sharan Rani Backliwal, was a pioneering Indian classical musician and one of the first women to master the Sarod, a string instrument predominantly played by men in the Hindustani classical tradition. She received training from the legendary Ustad Ali Akbar Khan and was often called the 'Sarod Queen' for her exceptional mastery of this difficult instrument.
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Rudra Veena
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Miyan ki Todi
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Darbari Kangra
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Tabla
D
Correct answer
Explanation
Veena is the most ancient among these instruments, with references dating back to the Vedas (1500-500 BCE) and Samaveda. Sarod, Tabla, and Sitar emerged much later in medieval India (17th-18th century).
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Khanjiri
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Tumba
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Been
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Dhol
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None of these
D
Correct answer
Explanation
Dhol is not made from dried gourd. It is made from hard wood.
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Pakhawaj
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Kartal
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Mandolion
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Jaltarang
C
Correct answer
Explanation
Mandolin is a stringed instrument belonging to the lute family, typically with 4 pairs of strings. Pakhawaj and Kartal are percussion instruments, while Jaltarang uses ceramic bowls filled with water to produce sound.
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Manjira
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Drum
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Ektara
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Tabla
C
Correct answer
Explanation
Ektara is a string instrument. Hence, it cannot be played by simply striking it.
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shehnai
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tabla
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flute
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violin
B
Correct answer
Explanation
Zakir Husain is one of the world's most renowned tabla players, known for his mastery of this classical Indian percussion instrument. The shehnai is famously associated with Ustad Bismillah Khan, while flute and violin are different instruments altogether. Husain has popularized tabla globally through his performances.
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A musical instrument
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A river
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A mountain range
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A style of music
A
Correct answer
Explanation
Ghatam is a traditional percussion instrument used in Carnatic music, made from clay with a narrow mouth. It is played by striking with hands and fingers to produce resonant, metallic tones. The other options are incorrect - it is not a river, mountain range, or music style itself, but rather a specific instrument intrinsic to South Indian classical music concerts.