Classical Music, Puppetry & Theatre Quiz — 7 Free Questions

Question 1

Which secular folk theatre tradition of Uttar Pradesh, performed with musical accompaniment and traditionally associated with two distinct regional styles named after the towns of Hathras and Kanpur, developed largely around popular romantic and heroic ballads?

Question 2

Which actor, patriarch of a famous film family, founded a touring theatre company called Prithvi Theatres in 1944, staging socially conscious plays across India for many years?

Question 3

Which Kannada playwright, actor and filmmaker, awarded the Jnanpith Award in 1998, is known for plays such as 'Tughlaq' and 'Hayavadana', which often draw on history and mythology to explore contemporary political and psychological themes?

Question 4

Which member of the Carnatic Trinity composed mainly in Telugu, is especially remembered for his 'Pancharatna Kritis', or five gems, and is honoured every year at the Thyagaraja Aradhana festival at Thiruvaiyaru?

Question 5

Which ancient Sanskrit text, sometimes called the fifth Veda and traditionally attributed to a sage, lays down the foundational theory of Indian dramaturgy, dance and music?

Question 6

What is the name for the most common composed song form performed in a Carnatic music concert, typically consisting of a pallavi, anupallavi and charanam?

Question 7

What is the general term, also used in English for equivalent Western traditions, for a puppet of the kind used in Rajasthan's Kathputli tradition, controlled by strings from above?

📚 All Quizzes

Browse every category and see the full list of quizzes on BriskQuiz

→

About Classical Music, Puppetry & Theatre

This quiz is meant for students preparing for the IAS examination and other competitive tests, and for anyone who wants a wide-ranging survey of the classical music, puppetry and theatre traditions of India. It begins with the fundamentals of Hindustani classical music, its ragas, talas, thaats, gharanas and major vocal and instrumental forms, and then covers the Carnatic system of the south, its melakarta ragas, talas, the Carnatic Trinity of composers, and its principal instruments, along with the pioneers who systematised modern music education and the musicians honoured with the Bharat Ratna. It surveys the four main technical families of Indian puppetry -- string, shadow, rod and glove puppets -- and the many named regional traditions within each, from Rajasthan's Kathputli to Kerala's Tholpavakoothu. It then covers the classical Sanskrit theatre of the Natyashastra and its great playwrights, the living tradition of Kutiyattam, and a wide range of regional folk theatre forms across India. It closes with the Parsi Theatre movement, the Indian People's Theatre Association, the National School of Drama, and the major directors and playwrights who shaped modern Indian theatre. When complete it will have one hundred and fifteen carefully checked questions, arranged in five packs of twenty-three.

Every question has four options, and the correct option can be in any position. After each question there is a detailed explanation of more than five lines, in simple Indian English that a school student can follow, giving the important names, terms, dates and the points that examiners like to test.

Every fact has been checked against standard reference books on Indian music, puppetry and theatre.