Medieval Art, Architecture, Literature and Music: RAS Prelims MCQs
67 RAS Prelims MCQs on medieval art, architecture, literature and music cover the arcuate system, the Taj Mahal and Fatehpur Sikri, Mughal and Rajput painting, Persian and vernacular literature, and Hindustani music. Each question links a building, painter, poet or raga to its patron, region and period.
Practice questions based on the RPSC RAS Prelims syllabus. They follow the exam pattern but are not past-paper questions.
Showing 31–40 of 67 questions
RAS PrelimsMedieval Indian History · Medieval Art, Architecture, Literature and Music
Q31. Match List I (Mughal Painter) with List II (Specialty/Associated Work):
Mughal Painter
Specialty/Associated Work
A. Basawan
i. Master of flora and fauna painting
B. Daswanth
ii. Famous for portraiture and honored with the title Nadir-uz-Zaman
C. Ustad Mansur
iii. Renowned for background landscapes and illustrated the Razmnama
D. Abul Hasan
iv. A brilliant but tragic painter who illustrated the Hamza Nama
Select the correct code:
Explanation
Basawan was noted for background landscapes and the Razmnama, Daswanth was a gifted but tragic painter of the Hamza Nama, Ustad Mansur painted birds and animals and Abul Hasan was honoured as Nadir-uz-Zaman for portraits. This gives A-iii, B-iv, C-i, D-ii.
RAS PrelimsMedieval Indian History · Medieval Art, Architecture, Literature and Music
Q32. Consider the following statements about Akbar’s painting atelier: I. The Razmnama is the Persian translation and elaborately illustrated version of the Mahabharata. II. Painters in Akbar’s atelier were strictly forbidden by religious decree from studying European artworks. III. Indigenous Hindu artists significantly outnumbered Persian artists in Akbar’s imperial workshop. Which of the combinations given above is correct?
Explanation
The Razmnama is the Persian translation of the Mahabharata, illustrated in the imperial atelier, and many Hindu artists worked there. Painters were not forbidden to study European art, so II is wrong.
RAS PrelimsMedieval Indian History · Medieval Art, Architecture, Literature and Music
Q33. Which of the following prominent medieval painters is an exception, having NOT been a part of Akbar’s imperial atelier?
Explanation
Farrukh Beg, Mukund and Kesu Das worked in Akbar’s atelier. Nainsukh was a Pahari painter and was not part of it.
RAS PrelimsMedieval Indian History · Medieval Art, Architecture, Literature and Music
Q34. The translation and illustration of the Razmnama in Akbar’s court primarily served which underlying political and cultural objective?
Explanation
The translation and illustration of the Razmnama aimed to build a shared Indo-Persian culture and help nobles understand Indian epics.
RAS PrelimsMedieval Indian History · Medieval Art, Architecture, Literature and Music
Q35. Given below are two statements, one labeled as Assertion (A) and the other as Reason (R): Assertion (A): During Jahangir’s reign, there was a noticeable decline in the production of massive, multi-volume illustrated historical manuscripts. Reason (R): Jahangir possessed a refined personal aesthetic that strongly favored individual portraiture, naturalistic studies, and the compilation of separate paintings into albums (muraqqas). Select the correct answer from the codes below:
Explanation
In Jahangir’s time fewer huge multi-volume historical manuscripts were produced, because he preferred portraits, naturalistic studies and albums (muraqqas). The reason explains the assertion.
RAS PrelimsMedieval Indian History · Medieval Art, Architecture, Literature and Music
Q36. Which prominent painter in Jahangir’s court was bestowed with the title ‘Nadir-ul-Asr’ for his exceptional skill in painting birds, animals, and flowers?
Explanation
Ustad Mansur was given the title Nadir-ul-Asr by Jahangir for his paintings of birds, animals and flowers.
RAS PrelimsMedieval Indian History · Medieval Art, Architecture, Literature and Music
Q37. Consider the following statements regarding Jahangir’s painting style: I. There was a notable shift from large dynamic narrative scenes to individual portraits and static court scenes. II. The depiction of flora and fauna achieved an unprecedented level of scientific accuracy. III. The concept of the divine halo (nimbus) behind the emperor’s head was borrowed from European art. IV. Jahangir favored abstract, heavily stylized Persian landscapes over realistic spatial perspectives. Which of the combinations given above is incorrect?
Explanation
Jahangir’s painting moved to portraits and static court scenes, achieved scientific accuracy in flora and fauna and borrowed the halo from European art. He favoured realistic over abstract landscapes, so IV is incorrect.
RAS PrelimsMedieval Indian History · Medieval Art, Architecture, Literature and Music
Q38. Consider the following statements regarding European influence on Mughal painting: Statement I: European engravings brought by Jesuit missionaries introduced Mughal painters to the concepts of linear perspective and three-dimensional modeling. Statement II: The technique of chiaroscuro (light and shade) was thoroughly rejected by Mughal artists as it violated traditional Islamic flat-plane aesthetics. Which of the above statement(s) is/are correct?
Explanation
European engravings brought by Jesuits taught Mughal painters linear perspective and modelling, so Statement I is correct. Mughal artists did use light and shade, so Statement II is incorrect.
RAS PrelimsMedieval Indian History · Medieval Art, Architecture, Literature and Music
Q39. Match List I (Rajput Painting School) with List II (Distinctive Feature/Theme):
Rajput Painting School
Distinctive Feature/Theme
A. Mewar School
i. Exaggerated features like elongated eyes and the Bani Thani portrait
B. Kishangarh School
ii. Bold colors with emotional intensity, famously illustrating the Chaurapanchasika
C. Bundi School
iii. Lyrical, delicate lines heavily depicting Radha-Krishna romances in the Pahari region
D. Kangra School
iv. Lush landscapes, depictions of rain, and dynamic hunting scenes
Select the correct code:
Explanation
Mewar painting used bold colours with emotion, Kishangarh is known for the Bani Thani with elongated eyes, Bundi for landscapes, rain and hunting scenes and Kangra for lyrical lines on Radha-Krishna themes. This gives A-ii, B-i, C-iv, D-iii.
RAS PrelimsMedieval Indian History · Medieval Art, Architecture, Literature and Music
Q40. Arrange the following artistic traditions or developments chronologically based on their historical emergence and peak periods in medieval India: I. Establishment of the formal Mughal imperial atelier under Akbar II. Peak of the refined Kangra style of Pahari painting III. Development of the pre-Mughal Western Indian (Jain) manuscript illustrations IV. Maturation of Jahangir’s naturalistic album paintings Which of the above sequences is correct?
Explanation
Pre-Mughal Jain manuscript painting came first, then the Mughal atelier under Akbar, then Jahangir’s album paintings, and later the peak of Kangra. The order is III, I, IV, II.
Answer key for these questions
Q
Correct answer
31
(a) A-iii, B-iv, C-i, D-ii
32
(c) I and III only
33
(d) Nainsukh
34
(a) To foster a synthesized Indo-Persian culture and promote understanding of indigenous epics among the nobility.
35
(a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
36
(a) Ustad Mansur
37
(c) IV only
38
(c) Statement I is correct, but Statement II is incorrect
39
(a) A-ii, B-i, C-iv, D-iii
40
(a) III, I, IV, II
Key facts from Medieval Art, Architecture, Literature and Music
The arcuate system uses load-bearing arches and domes with keystones; it was brought by Islamic builders.
Akbar built the Buland Darwaza to mark the conquest of Gujarat; the Taj Mahal follows the Timurid hasht-bihisht plan with a double dome.
Humayun brought the Persian painters Mir Sayyid Ali and Abd al-Samad; the Tasvir Khana was set up under Akbar.
The Bani Thani, called the Mona Lisa of India, was painted by Nihal Chand under Raja Savant Singh of Kishangarh.
Surdas wrote in Braj Bhasha, Jayasi in Awadhi and Kalhana composed the Rajatarangini on the kings of Kashmir.
Qawwali was popularised by the Chishti Sufis; Dhrupad was patronised by Raja Man Singh Tomar of Gwalior.
Frequently asked questions
How many RAS Prelims practice MCQs are there on Medieval Art, Architecture, Literature and Music?
This page has 67 practice MCQs on Medieval Art, Architecture, Literature and Music (Medieval Indian History). Each has the correct answer, and most have an explanation.
What is the arcuate system of architecture?
A system of building with load-bearing arches and domes made with keystones. It was introduced by Islamic builders and replaced the older trabeate system of horizontal beams, though in the Sultanate period the two were often combined.
Why was the Buland Darwaza built?
Akbar built the Buland Darwaza at Fatehpur Sikri to commemorate his conquest of Gujarat in 1573. It is one of the tallest gateways in the world and is usually asked along with the other buildings of the complex.
Who painted the Bani Thani?
The painter Nihal Chand, under the patronage of Raja Savant Singh of Kishangarh. Its elongated eyes and refined features made the Kishangarh school famous, and the portrait is called the Mona Lisa of India.
