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

Multiple choice general knowledge
  1. Tanpura

  2. Sitar

  3. Trombone

  4. Cello

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
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.

Multiple choice
  1. Tabla and dholak

  2. Guitar and sitar

  3. Flute and trumpet

  4. Veena and tabla

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
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.

Multiple choice
  1. Sarod

  2. Sitar

  3. Tabla

  4. Flute

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
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.

Multiple choice
  1. violin

  2. tabla

  3. sarod

  4. sitar

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
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.

Multiple choice
  1. Shehnai

  2. Violin

  3. Flute

  4. Sarod

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
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.

Multiple choice
  1. Sarod

  2. Tabla

  3. Sitar

  4. Veena

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
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).

Multiple choice
  1. Pakhawaj

  2. Kartal

  3. Mandolion

  4. Jaltarang

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
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.

Multiple choice
  1. shehnai

  2. tabla

  3. flute

  4. violin

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
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.

Multiple choice
  1. A musical instrument

  2. A river

  3. A mountain range

  4. A style of music

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
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.