- What is the primary purpose of folk dances in Himachal Pradesh?
A) To attract tourists
B) To serve as an integral part of cultural life, performed at festivals, fairs, and social gatherings
C) To train professional dancers
D) To compete with other states’ dance forms
Answer: B - What magical effect are folk dances in Himachal Pradesh believed to possess?
A) To bring rain
B) To ensure good harvests
C) To possess magical effects and foster a strong sense of community
D) To ward off wild animals
Answer: C - Who participates in folk dances in Himachal Pradesh?
A) Only professional dancers
B) Only men
C) People of all social positions, economic statuses, and castes, including women in mixed dances
D) Only specific religious groups
Answer: C - What is a common format for group folk dances in Himachal Pradesh?
A) Solo performances on a stage
B) Performances involving hundreds of people in open spaces like temple courtyards
C) Small groups performing indoors
D) Competitive dance-offs
Answer: B - What is the general style of movement in Himachali folk dances?
A) Fast-paced and acrobatic
B) Involving movements and steps that are backward and forward, often forming a circle
C) Primarily stationary hand gestures
D) Individual freestyle movements
Answer: B - What influences the colorful dances in the Trans-Himalayan region of Himachal Pradesh?
A) Mughal architecture
B) Buddhist faith
C) British colonial rule
D) Industrial development
Answer: B - Which masked dance is performed by three, seven, or nine individuals dressed as demons in the Kinnaur area?
A) The Knyang
B) The Bakayang
C) The Demon (Rakshas) Dance or Chham
D) The Banyanchu
Answer: C - What is the significance of the masks used in the Demon (Rakshas) Dance or Chham?
A) They represent historical figures.
B) They are believed to offer a glimpse of dreaded entities souls encounter after death or are used to combat malignant spirits.
C) They are purely for entertainment.
D) They symbolize agricultural prosperity.
Answer: B - In which district is ‘The Knyang’ dance performed?
A) Chamba district
B) Lahaul area
C) Kinnaur district
D) Sirmaur district
Answer: C - Which variation of ‘The Knyang’ dance imitates the movement of a snake?
A) The Herki Kayang
B) The Chhamu Knyang
C) The Nagu Knyang
D) The Jataru Karang
Answer: C - Which dance in Kinnaur district is predominantly performed by women, involving two or three rows facing each other with forward and backward steps?
A) The Knyang
B) The Banyanchu
C) The Bakayang
D) The Chohara Dance
Answer: C - Which dance in Kinnaur district is generally a male, free-style performance where women sometimes provide vocal accompaniment?
A) The Bakayang
B) The Banyanchu
C) The Jataru Karang
D) The Chohara Dance
Answer: B - Which group dance is performed exclusively at festivals in Kinnaur district and is connected with ceremonial songs?
A) The Knyang
B) The Banyanchu
C) The Jataru Karang
D) The Bakayang
Answer: C - In which areas is ‘The Chohara Dance’ performed at all important festivals by both men and women?
A) Kullu and Mandi
B) Sirmaur and Shimla
C) Kinnaur and Mahasu area
D) Kangra and Una
Answer: C - What are ‘Shand’ and ‘Shabu’ dances, performed in the Lahaul area, in memory of?
A) Local heroes
B) Buddha
C) Ancient kings
D) Harvest seasons
Answer: B - What is the significance of the ‘Yellow Hats’ sect Lamas performing a dance on New Year’s Eve in Lahaul area monasteries?
A) It is purely for entertainment.
B) It is observed with deep religious devotion.
C) It is a competitive event.
D) It is a historical re-enactment.
Answer: B - Which well-known masked dance dramatizes the murder of the evil king Lang-dar-ma?
A) The Chham
B) The Knyang
C) Lang-dar-ma dance
D) The Shand
Answer: C - In which valley is ‘The Jhanjhan or Chhanjhan Dance’ performed on festive occasions by both male and female dancers?
A) Kullu Valley
B) Chamba Valley
C) Pangi-Prang Valley
D) Sirmaur Valley
Answer: B - In which valley is ‘The Japro Dance’ performed by both male and female dancers during fairs and festivals?
A) Chamba Valley
B) Pangi-Prang Valley of Kinnaur
C) Kullu Valley
D) Mahasu area
Answer: B - Which of the following is NOT listed as an important dance in the Kinnaur region?
A) Shon
B) Thati
C) Bhangra
D) Shumgyak
Answer: C - In which area do both people and gods dance to the tune of music in ‘The Dodra Kawar Dance’?
A) Kinnaur district
B) Lahaul area
C) Mahasu area
D) Sirmaur district
Answer: C - What is ‘The Nati’ dance form open to?
A) Only professional performers
B) Only men
C) People of all age groups
D) Only specific tribal communities
Answer: C - What is ‘Nati’ a collective term for?
A) A type of musical instrument
B) Vocal lyrics, instrumental music, dancing steps, and bodily movements, all attuned to rhythm
C) A specific festival
D) A traditional costume
Answer: B - Which of the following is a type of ‘Nati’ dance mentioned in the text?
A) Jhindphook Nati
B) Dhair Nati
C) Bushahri Nati
D) Japro Nati
Answer: C - In which areas are ‘The Jhoori, Ghi, and Ras Dances’ performed, expressing aspects of life through musical tones?
A) Kullu and Mandi
B) Sirmaur and adjoining areas
C) Chamba and Kinnaur
D) Kangra and Una
Answer: B - Which dance is performed during Diwali, where dancers use weapons like swords, knives, or sticks and yell at imaginary enemies?
A) Ghi Dance
B) Ras Dance
C) Dhair Dance
D) Swang Te aj Dance
Answer: C - Which dance, performed during the Diwali festival, requires a tiger mask carved from wood?
A) Dhair Dance
B) Jhoori Dance
C) Swang Te aj Dance
D) Burah Dance
Answer: C - Which dance is performed by a group of five to fifteen individuals in Sirmaur district, sung and dedicated to heroic deeds or battles?
A) The Jhoori Dance
B) The Ghi Dance
C) The Burah Dance
D) The Ras Dance
Answer: C - Which female dance, performed playfully in pairs, involves holding hands and imitating a cat on their toes while singing songs?
A) Gidda
B) Bhangra
C) Keekali
D) Nati
Answer: C - Which male dance is popular in Kangra, Hamirpur, and Una districts?
A) Keekali
B) Gidda
C) Bhangra
D) Nati
Answer: C - Which female dance is performed in Kangra, Hamirpur, and Una districts?
A) Bhangra
B) Gidda
C) Keekali
D) Dhair
Answer: B - What are the dances of Kullu Valley (Charahi, Phuli, Ludi, etc.) collectively known as?
A) Jhoori
B) Chham
C) Nati
D) Japro
Answer: C - What is the primary purpose of ‘Nati’ dances in Kullu Valley?
A) For professional performances
B) For political gatherings
C) Primarily for amateurs, danced for pleasure and satisfaction
D) For religious rituals only
Answer: C - When are folk dramas commonly performed in Himachal Pradesh?
A) During summer
B) During winter
C) During spring
D) During monsoon
Answer: B - What is the folk drama ‘Banthara’ associated with?
A) Chamba region
B) Mandi region
C) Bilaspur region
D) Shimla Hills
Answer: B - Which of the following folk dramas are associated with Chamba?
A) Banthara
B) Kariyala and Swang
C) Jhanki and Hanter
D) The Bura and Sih
Answer: C - Which of the following folk dramas are associated with Bilaspur, Solan, and Shimla Hills?
A) Banthara
B) Jhanki and Hanter
C) Kariyala and Swang
D) The Bura and Sih
Answer: C - Which folk drama, similar to ‘ballet and opera’, is a significant source of entertainment in Jubbal and Rohru Valleys of Shimla Hills?
A) Kariyala
B) Swang
C) The Bura and Sih
D) Banthara
Answer: C - How are the tales in ‘The Bura and Sih’ folk drama transmitted?
A) Through written scripts
B) Through formal training institutes
C) Unwritten and passed down orally from generation to generation
D) Through historical archives
Answer: C