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Quiz: Dance and Theater

Test your understanding of Chapter 10. Choose the best answer, then click Show Answer to check.

Question 1

What is the Natya Shastra?

  1. A Mughal court history that describes Kathak performances
  2. A Sanskrit handbook on the performing arts, credited to the sage Bharata
  3. A list of classical dances published by the Sangeet Natak Akademi
  4. A Tamil epic poem about a dancer
Show Answer

The correct answer is B. The Natya Shastra is a Sanskrit treatise on drama, dance and music, traditionally credited to Bharata and usually dated between about 200 BCE and 200 CE. It is much older than the Sangeet Natak Akademi's list, which dates from modern India.

Concept Tested: Natya Shastra Bloom's Level: Remember

Question 2

How many classical dances does India's Sangeet Natak Akademi recognize?

  1. Six
  2. Nine
  3. Twelve
  4. Eight
Show Answer

The correct answer is D. The Akademi recognizes eight: Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Kuchipudi, Odissi, Kathakali, Sattriya, Manipuri and Mohiniyattam. Nine is a common mix-up because India's Ministry of Culture also lists Chhau.

Concept Tested: Classical Dance Bloom's Level: Remember

Question 3

Which dance is widely called the national dance of Afghanistan?

  1. Attan
  2. Bhangra
  3. Kandyan dance
  4. Garba
Show Answer

The correct answer is A. Attan is a Pashtun circle dance danced around a dhol drummer, and Pashtuns in Pakistan dance it too. Bhangra is a Punjabi harvest dance, Kandyan dance is from Sri Lanka, and Garba is from Gujarat.

Concept Tested: Attan Bloom's Level: Remember

Question 4

In the Natya Shastra's theory of rasa, what is a rasa?

  1. A hand gesture with a fixed meaning
  2. The rhythm cycle a drummer keeps
  3. The emotional flavor that a performance creates in the audience
  4. A costume worn only for religious stories
Show Answer

The correct answer is C. Rasa, literally "juice" or "taste," is the feeling the audience experiences, such as love, wonder or sorrow. A fixed hand gesture is a mudra, not a rasa.

Concept Tested: Rasa Bloom's Level: Understand

Question 5

Why can a single mudra, such as Pataka, stand for clouds in one moment and the word "Go!" in another?

  1. Because its meaning depends on context: where the hand moves and what the face shows
  2. Because each dance style gives every mudra exactly one meaning
  3. Because the audience is expected to guess randomly
  4. Because Pataka is only decorative and has no real meaning
Show Answer

The correct answer is A. Like a word with several meanings, a mudra's meaning comes from context, including its position, movement and the dancer's expression. The idea that each mudra has only one meaning is a common misunderstanding.

Concept Tested: Mudra Bloom's Level: Understand

Question 6

Which statement best explains the difference between folk dance and classical dance, as this chapter describes it?

  1. Folk dances are always simpler and less skilled than classical dances.
  2. Classical dances are never performed at festivals.
  3. Folk dances come only from India, while classical dances come from all eight countries.
  4. Folk dances grow out of community life and are learned by joining in, while classical dances follow a codified technique learned over years with a teacher.
Show Answer

The correct answer is D. The difference is about how a dance is learned and who dances it, not about skill. Option A is the misconception the chapter corrects: Bhangra and Attan can be highly athletic and complex.

Concept Tested: Folk Dance Bloom's Level: Understand

Question 7

At a culture night, a dancer from Andhra Pradesh performs fast footwork, acts out a story in Telugu songs, and ends by dancing on the rim of a brass plate. Which dance is this most likely to be?

  1. Bharatanatyam
  2. Kuchipudi
  3. Odissi
  4. Manipuri Dance
Show Answer

The correct answer is B. Kuchipudi comes from Andhra Pradesh, uses Telugu songs, and is famous for the brass-plate tarangam. Bharatanatyam is the most likely mix-up because the two share a bent-knee stance and mudras, but it comes from Tamil Nadu.

Concept Tested: Kuchipudi Bloom's Level: Apply

Question 8

Your club wants to show one dance that uses green painted faces for heroes, huge skirts and crowns, and all-night storytelling. Which dance should you look for?

  1. Mohiniyattam
  2. Sattriya
  3. Kathakali
  4. Kathak
Show Answer

The correct answer is C. Kathakali, from Kerala, uses color-coded makeup such as green pacha faces for noble heroes. Mohiniyattam also comes from Kerala, but it is a gentle solo dance with natural makeup and a white-and-gold sari.

Concept Tested: Kathakali Bloom's Level: Apply

Question 9

Kathak is danced today in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Which part of its history best explains this?

  1. It grew from storytellers and was also danced in royal courts across northern India, including Mughal and Awadh courts.
  2. It was invented in the twentieth century for film.
  3. It began in Buddhist monasteries in Bhutan.
  4. It was created by the Sangeet Natak Akademi in 1953.
Show Answer

The correct answer is A. Kathak's roots in traveling storytellers and in courts across northern India, including Muslim-ruled courts, made it part of the shared culture of a region now divided among several countries. The Akademi recognized Kathak; it did not create it.

Concept Tested: Kathak Bloom's Level: Analyze

Question 10

The Sangeet Natak Akademi lists eight classical dances, India's Ministry of Culture also lists Chhau, and Bangladesh's national encyclopedia names its own set. What is the best conclusion?

  1. Only one of these lists can be correct, so the others are mistakes.
  2. Chhau must be older than the eight Akademi dances.
  3. Lists made in Bangladesh do not count because the dances are from India.
  4. "Classical" is a label that institutions apply using their own criteria, so the list depends on who is counting.
Show Answer

The correct answer is D. Different bodies use different criteria and serve different communities, which is why the chapter says "eight, according to the Sangeet Natak Akademi." Option A assumes there is one true list, which is the misconception the chapter warns against.

Concept Tested: Classical Dance Bloom's Level: Analyze