National Museum of India - Quiz
National Museum of India
  • 1. How many manuscripts are held in the National Museum of India?
A) Over 20,000
B) Over 14,000
C) Over 130,000
D) About 1,000
  • 2. Roughly how many manuscripts in the collection are illustrated?
A) 14,000
B) 100
C) 1,000
D) 5,000
  • 3. What is the historical range of the manuscripts in the museum?
A) 1st to 15th centuries
B) 7th to 19th centuries
C) 12th to 18th centuries
D) 6th century BC to 21st century
  • 4. Which material was used for the Asthasahasrika Prajnaparamita manuscript?
A) Birch-bark
B) Palm Leaf
C) Cloth
D) Paper
  • 5. In what language is the Baburnama manuscript written?
A) Persian
B) Prakrit
C) Hindi
D) Sanskrit
  • 6. How many coins are held in the reserve of the Coins Gallery?
A) 1,669
B) 5,000
C) Over 14,000
D) Over 130,000
  • 7. How many coins are currently displayed in the Coins Gallery?
A) 500
B) 1,000
C) 130,000
D) 1,669
  • 8. When are coins believed to have first appeared in India?
A) 19th century AD
B) 15th century BC
C) 7th century AD
D) 6th century BC
  • 9. Who collected the materials for the Central Asian Gallery?
A) Jayadeva
B) The British East India Company
C) Sir Aurel Stein
D) Local archaeologists
  • 10. How many expeditions did Sir Aurel Stein carry out along the Silk Route?
A) Four
B) Two
C) One
D) Three
  • 11. In what year was the Maritime Heritage Gallery set up?
A) 1991
B) 1900
C) 1950
D) 2000
  • 12. What format is the Gita Govinda manuscript presented in?
A) Tablet
B) Codex
C) Accordion
D) Scroll
  • 13. Which language is the Jain Kalpa sutras manuscript written in?
A) Sanskrit
B) Persian
C) Arabic
D) Prakrit
  • 14. What is the Balabodhini manuscript written on?
A) Metal
B) Birch-bark
C) Palm leaf
D) Paper
  • 15. Which century does the Baburnama manuscript date to?
A) 16th century
B) 7th century
C) 12th century
D) 18th century
  • 16. Which three collections are showcased in Decorative Arts Gallery 1?
A) Ivory, Jade, and Ceramics
B) Paintings, Ivory, and Wood
C) Metalware, Jewellery, and Wood
D) Ceramics, Textiles, and Jade
  • 17. What kind of religious figures are found in the Ivory group?
A) Hindu and Christian
B) Jain and Buddhist
C) Islamic and Hindu
D) Sikh and Christian
  • 18. What is showcased in the Jade section of Decorative Arts Gallery 1?
A) Utilitarian objects
B) Religious figures
C) Miniature paintings
D) Ceramic tiles
  • 19. What types of items are included in the Ceramic group?
A) Ivory carvings and jade tools
B) Metal pitikas and wooden Vahana
C) Glazed tiles and blue-white pottery
D) Jewelled thrones and rattles
  • 20. What are the two themes presented in Decorative Arts Gallery 1?
A) Mughal Jewellery, and Metalware
B) Thrones of India, and Games and Leisure in the Past
C) Miniature Paintings, and Ivory Figures
D) Wooden Vahana, and Ceramic Pottery
  • 21. What does the theme 'Thrones of India' showcase?
A) Religious rituals in home shrines
B) The manufacturing of metalware
C) The history of the Mughal Empire
D) The evolution of the seat of power
  • 22. Which specific throne is highlighted as a prime example of power?
A) Jewel studded throne of the King of Varanasi
B) The wooden throne of the Mughal Emperor
C) The ivory seat of the Rajasthani kings
D) The marble throne of the Jain rulers
  • 23. What are 'pitikas' used for in the context of the gallery?
A) Playing games like Chess
B) Keeping idols for home shrines
C) Storing miniature paintings
D) Decorating jade utilitarian objects
  • 24. Which items are specifically mentioned in the Games section?
A) Ivory figures, Glazed tiles, and Pottery
B) Tops, Vahana, and Jewellery
C) Pitikas, Thrones, and Metalware
D) Rattles, Yo-Yo, Chess, and Chaupar
  • 25. Which period is the Jade Collection in the museum associated with?
A) Company School period
B) Proto-historic period
C) Mughal period
D) Sikh period
  • 26. What materials are exhibited in Decorative Arts Gallery 2?
A) Ivory, Jade, and Ceramics
B) Metalware, Jewellery, and Wooden objects
C) Thrones, rattles, and tops
D) Paper, cloth, and bark
  • 27. What are the most notable wooden objects in Decorative Arts Gallery 2?
A) Pitikas
B) Vahana
C) Rattles
D) Thrones
  • 28. What does the National Museum claim about its Miniature Paintings collection?
A) It is the world's most expensive
B) It is the world's oldest
C) It is the world's smallest
D) It is the world's largest
  • 29. How many years do the miniature paintings span?
A) 900 years
B) 17,000 years
C) 2,000 years
D) 100 years
  • 30. What materials are miniature paintings in the collection made on?
A) Leather, canvas, and plastic
B) Paper, cloth, bark, wood, and ivory
C) Ceramic, clay, and glass
D) Metal, jade, and stone
  • 31. Which of these painting styles is mentioned in the museum text?
A) Pop Art
B) Renaissance
C) Pala
D) Modern Impressionism
  • 32. What are the 'pitikas' made of?
A) Jade
B) Wood
C) Ceramic
D) Metal
  • 33. The Gandhara School of Art was heavily influenced by which style?
A) Persian Painting
B) Greek Iconography
C) Egyptian Sculpture
D) Roman Architecture
  • 34. The Standing Buddha in the Kushana Gallery is made of what material?
A) White marble
B) Terracotta
C) Bronze
D) Grey schist stone
  • 35. Kuber, the Hindu god of Fortune displayed in the Kushana Gallery, originated from where?
A) Ahichchhatra
B) Rajasthan
C) Sarnath
D) Mathura
  • 36. Which goddess is featured as a marble statue from Pallu, Rajasthan, in the Late Medieval gallery?
A) Lakshmi
B) Saraswati
C) Durga
D) Parvati
  • 37. Decorative Arts are primarily prized for what?
A) Spiritual power
B) Monetary value
C) Utility
D) Political status
  • 38. Which of the following is listed as an example of Decorative Arts?
A) Rock-cut temples
B) Cave paintings
C) Stone architecture
D) Textiles
  • 39. Which dynasty controlled the East during the Early Medieval period?
A) Vardhanas
B) Cholas
C) Palas
D) Maitrakas
  • 40. What is depicted on the fragments of railings found in the gallery?
A) Episodes from Buddha's life
B) The history of the Mauryan kings
C) Abstract geometric patterns
D) Battles of the Satvahana dynasty
  • 41. Who is depicted visiting baby Siddharta in one of the major objects in the gallery?
A) Sage Drona
B) King Ashoka
C) Sage Asita
D) Ananda
  • 42. The Bharhut railings in the gallery depict a story related to relics associated with Buddha by which sage?
A) Sage Drona
B) Sage Vishwamitra
C) Sage Asita
D) Sage Vasistha
  • 43. How is Buddha portrayed in the sculptures of this specific period?
A) In physical human form
B) As a king on a throne
C) He is not represented at all
D) Through symbols only
  • 44. Which of the following is used as a symbol for Buddha in these sculptures?
A) A sword
B) Dharmachakra
C) A lotus flower
D) A trident
  • 45. Which tree is mentioned as a symbol for Buddha in the gallery's sculptures?
A) Ashoka tree
B) Banyan tree
C) Bodhi tree
D) Mango tree
  • 46. Who designed the current building of the National Museum?
A) Jawaharlal Nehru
B) Ganesh Bikaji Deolalikar
C) Edwin L. Lutyens
D) Mortimer Wheeler
  • 47. When was the foundation stone of the National Museum building laid?
A) 12 May 1955
B) 15 August 1947
C) 18 December 1960
D) 18 December 2017
  • 48. Who inaugurated the National Museum on 18 December 1960?
A) Mortimer Wheeler
B) Jawaharlal Nehru
C) Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan
D) Ganesh Bikaji Deolalikar
  • 49. The National Museum building was planned to eventually have which shape?
A) Rectangular
B) Circular
C) Octagonal
D) Square
  • 50. In which year was the second phase of the museum building completed?
A) 2017
B) 1955
C) 1989
D) 1960
  • 51. Where has the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) building moved?
A) Central garden court
B) Noida
C) Dharohar Bhawan
D) Lahore
  • 52. Which institution with 'deemed to be university' status is located on the first floor of the museum?
A) Central Imperial Museum
B) Museum of Central Asian Antiquities
C) Archaeological Survey of India
D) National Museum Institute
  • 53. What material is the 'Dancing Girl' made of?
A) Terracotta
B) Steatite
C) Clay
D) Bronze
  • 54. From which site was the skeleton in the Harappan gallery excavated?
A) Rakhigarhi
B) Mohenjo Daro
C) Daimabad
D) Harappa
  • 55. What is the Pasupati seal often interpreted as?
A) A dancing girl
B) Proto-Shiva
C) Mother Goddess
D) A priest king
  • 56. Who moved the important finds of Mohenjo Daro from Lahore to Delhi?
A) Ganesh Bikaji Deolalikar
B) Mortimer Wheeler
C) Sir Aurel Stein
D) Jawaharlal Nehru
  • 57. Which site was NOT mentioned as a source for Harappan collections discovered after 1947?
A) Mohenjo Daro
B) Daimabad
C) Dholavira
D) Rakhigarhi
  • 58. Which of these is a department listed in the National Museum?
A) Wildlife Biology
B) Modern Architecture
C) Classical Music
D) Pre-History Archaeology
  • 59. Which of the following art disciplines is included in the museum's collection?
A) Industrial design
B) Digital art
C) Tanjore paintings
D) Pop art
  • 60. Which department handles items related to coins and inscriptions?
A) Numismatics & Epigraphy
B) Decorative Arts
C) Conservation
D) Anthropology
  • 61. Which of these is a department specifically listed for the preservation of items?
A) Anubhav
B) Publication
C) Conservation
D) Public Relations
  • 62. In what year was the National Museum in New Delhi established?
A) 1949
B) 1960
C) 1946
D) 1955
  • 63. Where is the National Museum located?
A) Rashtrapati Bhavan
B) Janpath
C) Burlington House
D) Kolkata
  • 64. Which committee prepared the blueprint for the National Museum?
A) Rajgopalachari Committee
B) Nehru Committee
C) Gwyer Committee
D) Wheeler Committee
  • 65. Where was the exhibition of Indian art held in 1947–48?
A) Janpath, New Delhi
B) Rashtrapati Bhavan
C) Burlington House, London
D) Kolkata
  • 66. Who inaugurated the first display of the National Museum at the Rashtrapati Bhavan?
A) C. Rajgopalachari
B) Grace Morley
C) Sir Maurice Gwyer
D) Jawaharlal Nehru
  • 67. Who was the first director of the National Museum?
A) C. Sivaramamurti
B) Sir Mortimer Wheeler
C) Grace Morley
D) Sir Maurice Gwyer
  • 68. In what year was the current building at Janpath completed?
A) 1949
B) 1960
C) 1946
D) 1955
  • 69. What type of display system did Grace Morley implement?
A) Digital cataloging
B) Interactive exhibits
C) Chronological storage
D) Visual storage
  • 70. The Deccani style of painting is a fusion of Islamic idiom and what else?
A) Modern abstract art
B) Chinese painting techniques
C) Indigenous art styles
D) Ancient Greek pottery
  • 71. Which city's miniature paintings are famous for hunting scenes?
A) Kishangarh
B) Kota
C) Bikaner
D) Mewar
  • 72. What is the famous painting from Kishangarh representing an idealised woman called?
A) Bani Thani
B) Mughal Portrait
C) Radha Krishna
D) Durbar Scene
  • 73. Which ruler's patronage made Kangra the prominent centre for Pahari style?
A) Maharaja Sansar Chand
B) Maharaja Ranjit Singh
C) Maharaja Suraj Mal
D) Maharaja Jai Singh
  • 74. Where were the sacred relics of Buddha unearthed?
A) Nalanda
B) Bharhut
C) Piprahwa
D) Sarnath
  • 75. What material were the two additional caskets discovered at Piprahwa made of?
A) Bronze
B) Terra-cotta
C) Gold
D) Soapstone
  • 76. The site of Piprahwa has been identified as which ancient town?
A) Sravasti
B) Vaishali
C) Kapilavastu
D) Lumbini
  • 77. What is the 'Laughing Boy Head' from the Kushana period made of?
A) Stucco
B) Red sandstone
C) Limestone
D) Bronze
  • 78. Which city is known for its expertise in portraiture within Rajasthani miniature painting?
A) Bikaner
B) Jaipur
C) Mewar
D) Bundi
  • 79. What material is the 'Adoration of Stupa' from Nagarjunkonda made of?
A) Dark grey schist
B) Pale Green Limestone
C) Stucco
D) Red sandstone
  • 80. The 'Scenes from Buddha’s Life' from the Gupta period originates from which site?
A) Nalanda
B) Piprahwa
C) Bharhut
D) Sarnath
  • 81. The 'Elephants carrying Buddha’s Relics' specimen belongs to which period?
A) Gupta
B) Pala
C) Sunga
D) Kushana
  • 82. What does the 'Evolution of Indian Scripts and Coins Gallery' use to narrate its subject?
A) Large sized well-lit transparencies
B) Stone inscriptions
C) Interactive digital screens
D) Audio recordings
  • 83. Who designed the Bronze Gallery?
A) Local metal smiths
B) The Archaeology Department
C) Ms. Matrika, Mumbai
D) Shri Tejpal Singh
  • 84. Which agency executed the work for the Bronze Gallery?
A) Ms. Matrika
B) Archaeological Survey of India
C) Ministry of Culture
D) CPWD
  • 85. From which location were the four Buddha images found?
A) Phophnar, Madhya Pradesh
B) Nalanda, Bihar
C) Chamba, Himachal Pradesh
D) Kashmir
  • 86. What is the primary theme of the Pala bronzes from Nalanda?
A) Jain
B) Buddhist
C) Shaivite
D) Secular
  • 87. The Svachchhanda Bhairavi bronze showcases the skill of metal smiths from which region?
A) Tamil Nadu
B) Kashmir
C) Nalanda
D) Chamba
  • 88. The Nataraja bronze in the collection originates from which region?
A) Himachal Pradesh
B) Tamil Nadu
C) Kashmir
D) Bihar
  • 89. Which dynasty is associated with the Nataraja bronze in the gallery?
A) Chola
B) Gupta
C) Utpala
D) Pala
  • 90. What is the origin of the Svachchhanda Bhairavi bronze?
A) Utpala Chamba, Himachal Pradesh
B) Phophnar, Madhya Pradesh
C) Srinagar, Kashmir
D) Nalanda, Bihar
  • 91. Which deity school focuses on forms of Shiva and Ganesha?
A) Buddhism
B) Shaivism
C) Vaishnavism
D) Jainism
  • 92. Where did the Mysore school of painting originate?
A) Andhra Pradesh
B) Tamil Nadu
C) South Karnataka
D) Kerala
  • 93. How many paintings are currently on show in the Tanjore and Mysore gallery?
A) 88
B) 120
C) 50
D) 35
  • 94. Who donated the Pre-Columbian art collection to the museum?
A) The British Museum
B) Mr & Mrs Heeramaneek
C) A private collector from Mexico
D) Maharaja Mummudi
  • 95. The Olmec culture is associated with which modern-day country?
A) Costa Rica
B) Peru
C) Panama
D) Mexico
  • 96. Which theme portrays images of Krishna, Rama, and Vishnu?
A) Shaktism
B) Shaivism
C) Vaishnavism
D) Tantrism
  • 97. What is exhibited on the floor of the Royal Chamber in the Textiles Gallery?
A) Embroidered silk carpet
B) Marble slabs
C) Wooden planks
D) Stone tiles
  • 98. Pre-Columbian art refers to objects made before whose discovery?
A) James Cook
B) Vasco da Gama
C) Christopher Columbus
D) Amerigo Vespucci
  • 99. Who donated the collection for the Musical Instruments Gallery?
A) A British collector
B) A local tribal chief
C) Sharan Rani Backliwal
D) Anamika Pathak
  • 100. What is Sharan Rani Backliwal's musical profession?
A) Sarod Maestro
B) Tabla percussionist
C) Flute virtuoso
D) Veena player
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