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