A Christmas Gift from Santa Claus
For Students Preparing for UGC NET Folk Literature. Jan 3, 2026 | Code 71
Syllabus of UGC NET Folk Literature (Paper 2)
Unit-wise MCQs
UNIT 6: FOLKLIFE AND CULTURAL PERFORMANCES
Q1. The concept of “culture as performance” emphasizes
(A) Written texts
(B) Everyday enactment of culture
(C) Ritual alone
(D) Symbolic structure only
Correct Answer: (B)
Q2. Erving Goffman viewed social life as
(A) Ritual drama
(B) Textual structure
(C) Dramaturgical performance
(D) Symbolic system
Correct Answer: (C)
Q3. Goffman’s dramaturgical model uses the metaphor of
(A) Language
(B) Theatre
(C) Ritual
(D) Game
Correct Answer: (B)
Q4. In Goffman’s theory, “front stage” refers to
(A) Private behaviour
(B) Hidden actions
(C) Public social performance
(D) Ritual space
Correct Answer: (C)
Q5. “Back stage” in Goffman’s model denotes
(A) Ritual zone
(B) Public interaction
(C) Private preparation space
(D) Performance text
Correct Answer: (C)
Q6. Clifford Geertz described culture as
(A) Biological instinct
(B) Webs of significance
(C) Evolutionary survival
(D) Structural code
Correct Answer: (B)
Q7. Geertz’s interpretive anthropology focuses on
(A) Explanation
(B) Thick description
(C) Structural mapping
(D) Diffusion
Correct Answer: (B)
Q8. “Thick description” refers to
(A) Detailed textual analysis
(B) Context-rich interpretation of action
(C) Lengthy transcription
(D) Symbolic classification
Correct Answer: (B)
Q9. Milton Singer introduced the concept of
(A) Cultural performance
(B) Ritual drama
(C) Structural myth
(D) Symbolic system
Correct Answer: (A)
Q10. Cultural performances include all EXCEPT
(A) Rituals
(B) Festivals
(C) Theatre
(D) Written novels
Correct Answer: (D)
Q11. Singer viewed cultural performances as
(A) Entertainment only
(B) Reflective of cultural values
(C) Historical survivals
(D) Linguistic artifacts
Correct Answer: (B)
Q12. Arnold van Gennep is associated with
(A) Structuralism
(B) Rites of passage
(C) Diffusionism
(D) Evolutionism
Correct Answer: (B)
Q13. Van Gennep divided rites of passage into
(A) Two stages
(B) Three stages
(C) Four stages
(D) Five stages
Correct Answer: (B)
Q14. The three stages of rites of passage are
(A) Ritual, myth, symbol
(B) Separation, liminality, incorporation
(C) Entry, performance, exit
(D) Sacred, secular, profane
Correct Answer: (B)
Q15. Victor Turner expanded the concept of
(A) Structuralism
(B) Rites of passage
(C) Diffusion
(D) Evolution
Correct Answer: (B)
Q16. Turner emphasized the concept of
(A) Binary opposition
(B) Liminality
(C) Diffusion
(D) Evolution
Correct Answer: (B)
Q17. Liminality refers to
(A) Final ritual stage
(B) Transitional in-between phase
(C) Entry stage
(D) Exit stage
Correct Answer: (B)
Q18. Turner introduced the concept of
(A) Volksgeist
(B) Communitas
(C) Sign system
(D) Cultural survival
Correct Answer: (B)
Q19. Communitas refers to
(A) Social hierarchy
(B) Egalitarian social bonding
(C) Ritual text
(D) Performance script
Correct Answer: (B)
Q20. Turner contrasted communitas with
(A) Performance
(B) Structure
(C) Text
(D) Myth
Correct Answer: (B)
Q21. Performance-centered approaches focus on
(A) Textual fixity
(B) Event and enactment
(C) Historical origin
(D) Symbolic structure only
Correct Answer: (B)
Q22. Roger D. Abrahams emphasized folklore as
(A) Literary artifact
(B) Social interaction
(C) Historical residue
(D) Mythic survival
Correct Answer: (B)
Q23. Richard Bauman defined performance as
(A) Repetition of text
(B) Display of communicative competence
(C) Written enactment
(D) Ritual survival
Correct Answer: (B)
Q24. Bauman’s approach highlights
(A) Text
(B) Performer–audience interaction
(C) Origin
(D) Diffusion
Correct Answer: (B)
Q25. Performance frames signal
(A) Authorship
(B) That communication is special
(C) Historical time
(D) Ritual law
Correct Answer: (B)
Q26. Richard Schechner is associated with
(A) Structuralism
(B) Performance studies
(C) Diffusionism
(D) Evolutionism
Correct Answer: (B)
Q27. Schechner viewed performance as
(A) Finished product
(B) Restored behavior
(C) Cultural survival
(D) Fixed script
Correct Answer: (B)
Q28. “Restored behavior” refers to
(A) Improvisation
(B) Repetition of rehearsed actions
(C) Textual analysis
(D) Ritual origin
Correct Answer: (B)
Q29. Schechner’s theory connects folklore with
(A) Theatre and ritual
(B) Linguistics
(C) Evolution
(D) Diffusion
Correct Answer: (A)
Q30. Dell Hymes proposed the
(A) Oral-formulaic theory
(B) Ethnography of speaking
(C) Myth–ritual theory
(D) Structural model
Correct Answer: (B)
Q31. Ethnography of speaking focuses on
(A) Grammar
(B) Communicative competence
(C) Literary value
(D) Myth origin
Correct Answer: (B)
Q32. Hymes emphasized
(A) Correct grammar
(B) Appropriate communication in context
(C) Structural meaning
(D) Ritual symbolism
Correct Answer: (B)
Q33. The SPEAKING model was proposed by
(A) Bauman
(B) Hymes
(C) Jakobson
(D) Turner
Correct Answer: (B)
Q34. In the SPEAKING model, “S” stands for
(A) Symbol
(B) Situation
(C) Structure
(D) Sequence
Correct Answer: (B)
Q35. “Norms” in the SPEAKING model refer to
(A) Grammar rules
(B) Social rules of interaction
(C) Written laws
(D) Literary standards
Correct Answer: (B)
Q36. Analysis of folk narratives in performance requires attention to
(A) Text only
(B) Context only
(C) Performer, audience, and setting
(D) Historical origin
Correct Answer: (C)
Q37. Folklife differs from folklore because folklife includes
(A) Verbal art only
(B) Entire lifestyle practices
(C) Written literature
(D) Myth only
Correct Answer: (B)
Q38. Folklife studies emphasize
(A) Static traditions
(B) Everyday lived practices
(C) Canon formation
(D) Written documentation
Correct Answer: (B)
Q39. Cultural performances help communities to
(A) Preserve texts
(B) Express identity
(C) Record history
(D) Promote literacy
Correct Answer: (B)
Q40. Ritual performances often serve to
(A) Entertain
(B) Reinforce social order
(C) Eliminate hierarchy
(D) Promote individualism
Correct Answer: (B)
Q41. Performance-centered analysis rejects the idea that folklore is
(A) Dynamic
(B) Text-only
(C) Contextual
(D) Social
Correct Answer: (B)
Q42. The meaning of a performance emerges through
(A) Author’s intention
(B) Interaction
(C) Written script
(D) Canonical form
Correct Answer: (B)
Q43. Cultural performances are often
(A) Individual acts
(B) Collective events
(C) Written rituals
(D) Silent practices
Correct Answer: (B)
Q44. Performance theory challenges
(A) Evolutionism
(B) Text-centered approaches
(C) Structuralism
(D) Functionalism
Correct Answer: (B)
Q45. Performance studies treat folklore as
(A) Artifact
(B) Event
(C) Text
(D) Survival
Correct Answer: (B)
Q46. Rites of passage mark
(A) Seasonal cycles
(B) Life transitions
(C) Political change
(D) Mythic time
Correct Answer: (B)
Q47. Territorial rites are associated with
(A) Migration only
(B) Space and boundaries
(C) Language use
(D) Narrative structure
Correct Answer: (B)
Q48. Van Gennep’s theory influenced
(A) Structural linguistics
(B) Ritual studies
(C) Diffusion theory
(D) Psychoanalysis
Correct Answer: (B)
Q49. Turner’s liminality is often associated with
(A) Structure
(B) Ambiguity and potential
(C) Stability
(D) Hierarchy
Correct Answer: (B)
Q50. Communitas is most likely to emerge during
(A) Everyday life
(B) Liminal phase
(C) Incorporation stage
(D) Separation stage
Correct Answer: (B)
Q51. Cultural performances often involve
(A) Passive audiences
(B) Active participation
(C) Written scripts
(D) Fixed meanings
Correct Answer: (B)
Q52. Performance-centered folklore studies emphasize
(A) Preservation
(B) Experience
(C) Documentation
(D) Canon
Correct Answer: (B)
Q53. Performance provides a space for
(A) Cultural negotiation
(B) Textual fixity
(C) Historical ranking
(D) Literary purity
Correct Answer: (A)
Q54. Folklife includes practices such as
(A) Myths only
(B) Dress, food, and customs
(C) Written law
(D) Canonical texts
Correct Answer: (B)
Q55. Performance analysis helps scholars understand
(A) Origins
(B) Social meaning
(C) Textual purity
(D) Diffusion routes
Correct Answer: (B)
Q56. Performance-centered approaches emphasize
(A) Product over process
(B) Process over product
(C) Text over context
(D) Archive over field
Correct Answer: (B)
Q57. The study of cultural performances requires
(A) Laboratory methods
(B) Fieldwork observation
(C) Archival research only
(D) Translation
Correct Answer: (B)
Q58. Performers in folklore are best seen as
(A) Passive transmitters
(B) Creative agents
(C) Text-bound reciters
(D) Historians
Correct Answer: (B)
Q59. Performance theory recognizes folklore as
(A) Static
(B) Emergent
(C) Written
(D) Canonical
Correct Answer: (B)
Q60. Folklife and performance studies emphasize
(A) Everyday enactment
(B) Textual stability
(C) Historical origin
(D) Diffusion
Correct Answer: (A)
Q61. Cultural performances help transmit
(A) Scientific laws
(B) Values and norms
(C) Written knowledge
(D) Political ideology
Correct Answer: (B)
Q62. Performance-centered folklore studies integrate
(A) Linguistics only
(B) Anthropology and theatre
(C) History only
(D) Psychology only
Correct Answer: (B)
Q63. Schechner’s work connects ritual with
(A) Language
(B) Theatre
(C) Evolution
(D) Diffusion
Correct Answer: (B)
Q64. Performance theory views tradition as
(A) Fixed
(B) Recreated in each enactment
(C) Written
(D) Lost
Correct Answer: (B)
Q65. Folklife research requires understanding
(A) Elite culture
(B) Everyday practices
(C) Canonical texts
(D) Written law
Correct Answer: (B)
Q66. Performance-centered approaches are best suited for studying
(A) Written myths
(B) Live folk events
(C) Archives
(D) Canon formation
Correct Answer: (B)
Q67. Ritual performances differ from entertainment because they
(A) Are boring
(B) Carry symbolic meaning
(C) Are informal
(D) Are private
Correct Answer: (B)
Q68. Performance studies broaden folklore studies by including
(A) Text only
(B) Body, space, and action
(C) Writing
(D) History
Correct Answer: (B)
Q69. Folklife studies challenge the separation of
(A) Myth and ritual
(B) Art and life
(C) Text and context
(D) Oral and written
Correct Answer: (B)
Q70. Cultural performances are sites of
(A) Cultural continuity and change
(B) Textual fixity
(C) Historical decline
(D) Canon formation
Correct Answer: (A)
Q71. Performance-centered approaches emphasize
(A) Meaning as fixed
(B) Meaning as emergent
(C) Meaning as written
(D) Meaning as historical
Correct Answer: (B)
Q72. Folklife studies view culture as
(A) Static
(B) Lived and enacted
(C) Textual
(D) Written
Correct Answer: (B)
Q73. Performance-centered folklore studies critique
(A) Fieldwork
(B) Text-only approaches
(C) Ritual analysis
(D) Contextual study
Correct Answer: (B)
Q74. Performance analysis helps explain
(A) Diffusion
(B) How folklore works in practice
(C) Origin
(D) Classification
Correct Answer: (B)
Q75. Performance is central to folklore because folklore is
(A) Written
(B) Enacted
(C) Archived
(D) Canonical
Correct Answer: (B)
Q76. Folklife studies emphasize
(A) Past traditions
(B) Contemporary practices
(C) Ancient texts
(D) Canonical forms
Correct Answer: (B)
Q77. Cultural performances often reflect
(A) Elite ideology
(B) Community values
(C) Written law
(D) Scientific reasoning
Correct Answer: (B)
Q78. Performance-centered analysis highlights
(A) Individual genius
(B) Collective participation
(C) Textual authority
(D) Historical origin
Correct Answer: (B)
Q79. Folklife and cultural performances require
(A) Literary criticism
(B) Ethnographic methods
(C) Textual editing
(D) Translation
Correct Answer: (B)
Q80. Performance-centered approaches view folklore as
(A) Product
(B) Event
(C) Artifact
(D) Survival
Correct Answer: (B)
Q81. The study of folklife integrates
(A) Theory only
(B) Practice and belief
(C) Text alone
(D) Archive only
Correct Answer: (B)
Q82. Cultural performances allow communities to
(A) Standardize tradition
(B) Reaffirm identity
(C) Eliminate variation
(D) Fix meaning
Correct Answer: (B)
Q83. Performance studies treat repetition as
(A) Error
(B) Creative re-enactment
(C) Loss of originality
(D) Mechanical copying
Correct Answer: (B)
Q84. Cultural performances are shaped by
(A) Performer alone
(B) Audience and context
(C) Text only
(D) Author
Correct Answer: (B)
Q85. Performance-centered approaches reject folklore as
(A) Communal
(B) Static object
(C) Cultural
(D) Social
Correct Answer: (B)
Q86. Folklife studies emphasize continuity through
(A) Fixity
(B) Practice
(C) Documentation
(D) Canon
Correct Answer: (B)
Q87. Performance is essential to understanding folklore because it
(A) Fixes meaning
(B) Creates meaning
(C) Removes context
(D) Ends variation
Correct Answer: (B)
Q88. Cultural performances differ from daily routines because they are
(A) Ordinary
(B) Marked and framed
(C) Written
(D) Private
Correct Answer: (B)
Q89. Performance frames help audiences recognize
(A) Entertainment
(B) Special communicative events
(C) Written text
(D) Ritual law
Correct Answer: (B)
Q90. Folklife studies reject the separation of
(A) Literature and folklore
(B) Culture and everyday life
(C) Ritual and myth
(D) Performance and text
Correct Answer: (B)
Q91. Performance-centered folklore studies emerged strongly
(A) In early folklore studies
(B) Mid-20th century
(C) During Romanticism
(D) In colonial period
Correct Answer: (B)
Q92. Cultural performances often function to
(A) Challenge or reinforce norms
(B) Preserve archives
(C) Promote literacy
(D) Fix texts
Correct Answer: (A)
Q93. Performance-centered approaches see folklore as
(A) Static tradition
(B) Dynamic process
(C) Written heritage
(D) Historical survival
Correct Answer: (B)
Q94. Folklife and performance studies emphasize
(A) Event-based analysis
(B) Textual purity
(C) Historical origin
(D) Diffusion routes
Correct Answer: (A)
Q95. Cultural performances are often embedded in
(A) Academic contexts
(B) Social life
(C) Written traditions
(D) Literary canon
Correct Answer: (B)
Q96. Performance-centered approaches are particularly useful for studying
(A) Printed folklore
(B) Live folk practices
(C) Written epics
(D) Canonical myths
Correct Answer: (B)
Q97. Folklife studies broaden folklore studies by including
(A) Only oral narratives
(B) Material and social practices
(C) Written literature
(D) Textual criticism
Correct Answer: (B)
Q98. Performance-centered folklore studies emphasize
(A) Stability
(B) Change and continuity
(C) Decline
(D) Fixity
Correct Answer: (B)
Q99. The study of cultural performances requires sensitivity to
(A) Grammar
(B) Context and meaning
(C) Textual purity
(D) Diffusion
Correct Answer: (B)
Q100. Unit 6 of the syllabus primarily focuses on
(A) Folklore origins
(B) Folklife and performance-centered approaches
(C) Globalization
(D) Fieldwork techniques
Correct Answer: (B)