 - 1. How many verses does the Nāṭya Shāstra dedicate to non-Vedic songs?
A) Over 200 verses
B) Fewer than 50 verses
C) Over 130 verses
D) Exactly 100 verses
- 2. Which chapter of the Nāṭya Shāstra is entirely dedicated to poetry and the structure of a song?
A) Chapter 4
B) Chapter 31
C) Chapter 17
D) Chapter 28
- 3. According to Chapter 31 of the Nāṭya Shāstra, how many types of songs are there?
A) Five
B) Nine
C) Seven
D) Twelve
- 4. Which of the following is listed in the text as one of the seven types of songs?
A) Vedicantra
B) Mandraka
C) Natya
D) Sangeeta
- 5. How many melodic alankaras does the Nāṭya Shāstra elaborate on for songs?
A) 22
B) 108
C) 7
D) 33
- 6. Without melodic intonations, a song becomes like what, according to the text?
A) A night without the moon
B) A fire without smoke
C) A bird without wings
D) A tree without roots
- 7. How many basic architectural varna does a song have to empower its meaning?
A) Three
B) Five
C) Seven
D) Four
- 8. Which of the following is not one of the basic architectural varna of a song mentioned in the text?
A) Ascending line
B) Unsteady line
C) Circular line
D) Steady line
- 9. What does the ideal poem produce in the reader or listener, according to the Nāṭya Shāstra?
A) Moral confusion
B) Strict discipline
C) Bliss
D) Academic knowledge
- 10. Whose sentiments and ideas likely influenced the devotional songs and musical trends of the Bhakti movement?
A) Pingala Sutras
B) Greek enharmonic system
C) Nāṭya Shāstra
D) Markandeya Purana
- 11. What does the Nāṭya Shāstra define as the basic dance unit?
A) Karana
B) Shruti
C) Tana
D) Varna
- 12. A karana is a specific combination of hands and feet integrated with specific body posture and what else?
A) Facial paint
B) Singing voice
C) Costume design
D) Gait
- 13. In the Nāṭya Shāstra, body posture and gait are referred to as what terms respectively?
A) Tana and grama
B) Sthana and chari
C) Varna and shruti
D) Karana and sthana
- 14. Which chapter of the Nāṭya Shāstra describes 108 karanas?
A) Chapter 31
B) Chapter 17
C) Chapter 4
D) Chapter 28
- 15. According to Emmie te Nijenhuis, the Nāṭya Shāstra is the oldest surviving text that systematically treats what?
A) The grammar of the Sanskrit language
B) The philosophy of early Buddhism
C) The architecture of Hindu temples
D) The theory and instruments of Indian music
- 16. Apart from the Nāṭya Shāstra, where else are music theories found in the Hindu tradition?
A) Jain Agamas
B) Buddhist Jataka tales
C) Many Puranas
D) Only in the Vedas
- 17. Which Purana is specifically mentioned as containing music theories similar to the Nāṭya Shāstra?
A) Garuda Purana
B) Vishnu Purana
C) Markandeya Purana
D) Siva Purana
- 18. What is the acoustic principle term used for stringed instruments in the text?
A) Ghan
B) Avanaddha
C) Tat
D) Sushir
- 19. What is the acoustic principle term used for hollow instruments in the text?
A) Avanaddha
B) Sushir
C) Tat
D) Ghan
- 20. What is the acoustic principle term used for solid instruments in the text?
A) Ghan
B) Sushir
C) Tat
D) Avanaddha
- 21. What is the acoustic principle term used for covered instruments in the text?
A) Ghan
B) Sushir
C) Tat
D) Avanaddha
- 22. Which chapters of the Nāṭya Shāstra discuss Sanskrit prosody?
A) Chapters 15 and 16
B) Chapters 28 and 29
C) Chapters 31 and 32
D) Chapters 4 and 5
- 23. The Sanskrit prosody discussion in the Nāṭya Shāstra is similar to those found in which ancient Vedanga texts?
A) Yaska Sutras
B) Vashistha Sutras
C) Panini Sutras
D) Pingala Sutras
- 24. Which chapters of the Nāṭya Shāstra are dedicated to music?
A) Chapters 21 through 25
B) Chapters 15 through 20
C) Chapters 28 through 34
D) Chapters 1 through 10
- 25. What term does Chapter 28 of the Nāṭya Shāstra use for the unit of tonal measurement or audible unit?
A) Shruti
B) Varna
C) Tana
D) Karana
- 26. According to Maurice Winternitz, music theory in the Nāṭya Shāstra centers around sound, rhythm, and what else applied to musical texts?
A) Prosody
B) Dance
C) Aesthetics
D) Drama
- 27. How many shrutis or microintervals does the text assert that the octave has?
A) 22
B) 24
C) 108
D) 12
- 28. How many cents does the text state make up an octave or 22 shrutis?
A) 1000 cents
B) 1200 cents
C) 500 cents
D) 2400 cents
- 29. How many cents does each shruti compute to?
A) 54.5 cents
B) 55 cents
C) 60 cents
D) 50 cents
- 30. How many cents does the Greek enharmonic quartertone system compute to?
A) 45 cents
B) 55 cents
C) 60 cents
D) 54.5 cents
- 31. What two musical concepts does the text discuss alongside scales, mentioning three scales of seven modes?
A) Sthana and chari
B) Mandraka and rovindaka
C) Gramas and murchanas
D) Tat and sushir
- 32. How many total modes are mentioned when discussing the three scales of seven modes?
A) 21
B) 14
C) 33
D) 22
- 33. Which specific scale is only just mentioned in the Nāṭya Shāstra while others are focused on?
A) Gandhara-grama
B) Ullop-grama
C) Mandrak-grama
D) Aparant-grama
- 34. What is the primary focus of discussion regarding scales in the Nāṭya Shāstra?
A) Four scales and twenty-eight modes
B) Three scales and twenty-one modes
C) One scale and seven modes
D) Two scales and fourteen modes
- 35. What instrument is given as an example of a stringed instrument in the Nāṭya Shāstra?
A) Cymbal
B) Flute
C) Veena
D) Drum
- 36. What instrument is given as an example of a covered instrument in the Nāṭya Shāstra?
A) Flutes
B) Cymbals
C) Veena
D) Drums
- 37. What instrument is given as an example of a solid instrument in the Nāṭya Shāstra?
A) Veena
B) Flutes
C) Cymbals
D) Drums
- 38. What instrument is given as an example of a hollow instrument in the Nāṭya Shāstra?
A) Drums
B) Flutes
C) Cymbals
D) Veena
- 39. Which chapter of the Nāṭya Shāstra discusses team performance or orchestra?
A) Chapter 33
B) Chapter 15
C) Chapter 17
D) Chapter 28
- 40. What term does the Nāṭya Shāstra use for an orchestra or team performance?
A) Varna
B) Karana
C) Shruti
D) Kutapa
- 41. According to Chapter 33, a kutapa consists of how many singers?
A) One male and one female singer
B) Only a female lead singer
C) Two male singers
D) A choir of twelve singers
- 42. A kutapa is accompanied by how many musical instruments and players?
A) Nine to eleven
B) Four to six
C) Twenty-one
D) Fourteen to sixteen
- 43. Susan Schwartz suggests that the sentiments and ideas of the Nāṭya Shāstra influenced what movement?
A) Jain ascetic movement
B) Buddhist monastic movement
C) Vedic ritual movement
D) Bhakti movement
- 44. During what period did the Bhakti movement emerge in Hinduism?
A) Second half of the 1st millennium CE
B) Second half of the 2nd millennium CE
C) The Vedic period
D) First half of the 1st millennium BCE
- 45. According to the text, great songs do not instruct or lecture, but rather do what?
A) Provide historical records
B) Delight and liberate from within
C) Enforce strict moral codes
D) Teach arithmetic and grammar
- 46. The imaginative world created by an ideal poem transports the audience into a state of what?
A) Deep melancholy
B) Scientific inquiry
C) Political awareness
D) Godlike ecstasy
- 47. Which of the following is not one of the seven types of songs listed in Chapter 31?
A) Prakari
B) Sthana
C) Ullopyaka
D) Rovindaka
- 48. Which of the following songs is included in the list of seven types of songs in Chapter 31?
A) Tat
B) Ghan
C) Ovedaka
D) Sushir
- 49. What comparison does the Nāṭya Shāstra use to describe a song lacking melodic alankaras and intonations?
A) A bird without a nest
B) A mountain without snow
C) A river without water
D) A sun without heat
- 50. Which comparison is also used for a song without melodic tools of art?
A) A woman without an ornament
B) A warrior without a sword
C) A temple without a deity
D) A king without a crown
- 51. What is the third comparison used for a song without melodic alankaras?
A) A field without crops
B) A creeper without a flower
C) A garden without fruit
D) A tree without bark
- 52. Indian dance traditions of 'nritta' have their roots in what part of the Nāṭya Shāstra?
A) Political strategies
B) Economic principles
C) Architectural rules
D) Aesthetics
- 53. What building blocks of dance are described in Chapter 4 of the Nāṭya Shāstra?
A) 33 alankaras
B) 22 shrutis
C) 7 gramas
D) 108 karanas
- 54. What are used alongside facial states as means of articulating ideas and expressing emotions in dance?
A) Acoustic principles of instruments
B) Mathematical calculations of rhythm
C) Intonations of Vedic songs
D) Movements of major and minor limbs
- 55. Emmie te Nijenhuis notes that the Indian music system in the Nāṭya Shāstra is very close to which ancient system?
A) Greek system
B) Mesopotamian system
C) Egyptian system
D) Chinese system
- 56. How many tanas (notes) are mentioned in the musical discussion of the text?
A) Fourteen
B) Thirty-three
C) Twenty-one
D) Eight four (or eighty-four)
- 57. What does the text discuss regarding different scales and performance arts?
A) How to build a stage for theatrical plays
B) Which instruments are made of wood versus metal
C) The historical origins of the Vedic hymns
D) Which scales are best for different forms of performance arts
- 58. What ritual ceremony are performance arts compared to in the text?
A) A Vedic ritual ceremony
B) A royal coronation ceremony
C) An agricultural harvest festival
D) A Buddhist meditation retreat
- 59. Which of the following is NOT one of the eight sentiments mentioned in the text?
A) Pathetic
B) Peaceful
C) Odious
D) Erotic
- 60. How many architectural styles for the playhouse are discussed in the text?
A) Two
B) Three
C) Four
D) Five
- 61. What is the architectural term for an oblong playhouse?
A) Vikrista
B) Caturasra
C) Tryasra
D) Mandapa
- 62. What is the architectural term for a square playhouse?
A) Kuttampalam
B) Caturasra
C) Tryasra
D) Vikrista
- 63. What is the architectural term for a triangular playhouse?
A) Tryasra
B) Namghar
C) Vikrista
D) Caturasra
- 64. According to the text, which Veda provided elements of recitation?
A) Samaveda
B) Rigveda
C) Yajurveda
D) Atharvaveda
- 65. According to the text, which Veda provided elements of music?
A) Atharvaveda
B) Samaveda
C) Rigveda
D) Yajurveda
- 66. According to the text, which Veda provided elements of mimetic art?
A) Atharvaveda
B) Samaveda
C) Yajurveda
D) Rigveda
- 67. According to the text, which Veda provided elements of sentiments?
A) Atharvaveda
B) Yajurveda
C) Samaveda
D) Rigveda
- 68. Which god is mentioned as combining the elements of acting from the four Vedas?
A) Indra
B) Vishnu
C) Shiva
D) Brahma
- 69. How many poetic verses are in the most studied version of the Natya Shastra?
A) About 10,000
B) About 12,000
C) About 3000
D) About 6000
- 70. How many chapters are in the most studied version of the text?
A) 12
B) 38
C) 37
D) 36
- 71. How many verses did tradition believe the text originally contained?
A) 24,000
B) 36,000
C) 12,000
D) 6,000
- 72. What is the meter of the predominant number of verses in the text?
A) Vedic meter
B) Anustubh meter
C) Arya meter
D) Tristubh meter
- 73. How many syllables are in every shloka of the Anustubh meter?
A) 40
B) 24
C) 32
D) 16
- 74. What type of Sanskrit meter is the Arya meter?
A) Quantity-based
B) Morae-based
C) Syllable-based
D) Accent-based
- 75. Who mentions the role of different Hindu deities in various aspects of the arts?
A) Anustubh
B) Shiva
C) The text
D) Natalia Lidova
- 76. What ceremony is recommended for a stage for performance arts in the text?
A) Abhisheka
B) Vivaha
C) Puja
D) Yajna
- 77. Whose theory of Tāṇḍava dance is described by Natalia Lidova in the text?
A) Shiva
B) Brahma
C) Vishnu
D) Indra
- 78. How many kinds of play does the text list?
A) Twenty
B) Five
C) Twelve
D) Ten
- 79. Who is the sage that wrote the classic on Sanskrit grammar and mentioned the Natasutras?
A) Shilalin
B) Lewis Rowell
C) Krishashva
D) Panini
- 80. Around what year is Panini dated to?
A) 500 BCE
B) 800 BCE
C) 600 BCE
D) 1st millennium CE
- 81. What does the Nāṭya Shāstra refer to drama performers as?
A) Śhailālinas
B) Ganas
C) Vaidikas
D) Gandharvas
- 82. According to Richmond et al., when were the Natasutras composed?
A) Around 500 BCE
B) Around 600 BCE
C) Around the 1st century CE
D) Around 800-700 BCE
- 83. What is the term for syllabic recital in the earliest Indian artistic thought?
A) Gita
B) Vadya
C) Gana
D) Nrtta
- 84. What is the term for melos in the earliest Indian artistic thought?
A) Gita
B) Gandharva
C) Nrtta
D) Vadya
- 85. What is the term for dance in the earliest Indian artistic thought?
A) Gita
B) Vadya
C) Nrtta
D) Gana
- 86. Which musical genre implied formal, composed, and ceremonial music with celestial associations?
A) Vadya
B) Gandharva
C) Nrtta
D) Gana
- 87. Which musical genre was free form art that included informal, improvised entertainment music and singing?
A) Nrtta
B) Vadya
C) Gandharva
D) Gana
- 88. What makes it abundantly clear that a cultivated musical tradition existed in South India as early as the last few pre-Christian centuries?
A) Panini Sutras
B) Shatapatha Brahmana
C) Ancient Tamil classics
D) Kalpasutras
- 89. Approximately when was the Shatapatha Brahmana dated?
A) Mid 1st millennium CE
B) ~600 BCE
C) ~800–700 BCE
D) ~500 BCE
- 90. To which sage is the Nāṭya Shāstra attributed?
A) Sage Valmiki
B) Sage Abhinavagupta
C) Sage Bharata
D) Sage Vyasa
- 91. Which of the following is NOT covered by the treatise?
A) Dramatic composition
B) Naval warfare tactics
C) Makeup and costumes
D) Musical scales
- 92. Who wrote the 10th-century commentary Abhinavabharati?
A) PV Kane
B) Pramod Kale
C) Bharat Gupt
D) Abhinavagupta
- 93. What does the Sanskrit root 'Nata' mean?
A) Stage, platform
B) Music, sound
C) Act, represent
D) Precept, rules
- 94. What is the name of the alleged 36,000 verse Vedic composition linked to the text?
A) Abhinavabharati
B) Nāṭya Śāstra
C) Adibharata
D) Agni Purana
- 95. In which century was the text revised in Kashmir amid intense commercial interest?
A) 9th century
B) 5th century
C) 10th century
D) 2nd century
- 96. According to scholar Pramod Kale, by which century did the surviving version of Nāṭya Shāstra likely exist?
A) 10th-century CE
B) 5th-century BCE
C) 2nd-century BCE
D) 8th-century
- 97. How does an inferior play become beautiful to the audience?
A) When brilliantly performed
B) When shortened by the auditors
C) When read instead of acted
D) When rewritten by the director
- 98. What topic does the text state takes up a significant number of verses?
A) Costume making
B) Actor training
C) Stage design
D) Musical composition
- 99. According to the text, acting is more than physical techniques or what else?
A) Rote recitation
B) Costume fitting
C) Stage positioning
D) Vocal projection
- 100. Which school of Hindu philosophy do the guidelines in the Nāṭya Shāstra employ, according to Daniel Meyer-Dinkgräfe?
A) Nyaya school
B) Mimamsa school
C) Yoga school
D) Vedanta school
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