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 8: FOLK TRADITIONS OF INDIA
(Regional, Tribal, Linguistic Contexts)
Q1. Indian folk traditions are best understood as
(A) Homogeneous cultural forms
(B) Regionally and culturally diverse traditions
(C) Classical extensions
(D) Written literatures
Correct Answer: (B)
Q2. Folk traditions in India are closely linked with
(A) Court culture
(B) Community life
(C) Colonial administration
(D) Literary canon
Correct Answer: (B)
Q3. The diversity of Indian folk traditions primarily arises from
(A) Political boundaries
(B) Linguistic, regional, and cultural variation
(C) Religious uniformity
(D) Classical influence
Correct Answer: (B)
Q4. Tribal folk traditions differ from caste-based traditions mainly in their
(A) Lack of ritual
(B) Close relationship with ecology and livelihood
(C) Absence of narrative
(D) Written nature
Correct Answer: (B)
Q5. Folk traditions in India are transmitted largely through
(A) Formal education
(B) Oral and performative modes
(C) Written texts
(D) Institutional training
Correct Answer: (B)
Q6. Indian folk narratives often reflect
(A) Elite ideology
(B) Local history and belief
(C) Scientific reasoning
(D) Canonical literature
Correct Answer: (B)
Q7. Folk songs in India are commonly associated with
(A) Leisure alone
(B) Life-cycle rituals and labour
(C) Court ceremonies
(D) Literary gatherings
Correct Answer: (B)
Q8. Seasonal festivals in Indian folk traditions are often linked to
(A) Political events
(B) Agricultural cycles
(C) Colonial history
(D) Literary movements
Correct Answer: (B)
Q9. Tribal myths in India primarily explain
(A) Court genealogy
(B) Origins of clan, land, and cosmos
(C) National history
(D) Written law
Correct Answer: (B)
Q10. Indian folk epics are generally
(A) Written and fixed
(B) Oral and performance-based
(C) Short lyrical poems
(D) Scriptural texts
Correct Answer: (B)
Q11. Folk traditions of India often blur the boundary between
(A) Myth and history
(B) Science and religion
(C) Oral and written
(D) All of the above
Correct Answer: (D)
Q12. Ramkatha and Mahabharata traditions in folk culture show
(A) Fixed classical versions
(B) Regional retellings and variations
(C) Lack of narrative
(D) Ritual silence
Correct Answer: (B)
Q13. Folk versions of epics differ from classical texts mainly in
(A) Language only
(B) Community perspective and performance
(C) Absence of heroes
(D) Written authority
Correct Answer: (B)
Q14. Bhakti traditions contributed to folk culture by
(A) Rejecting vernacular languages
(B) Promoting oral devotional expression
(C) Eliminating ritual
(D) Supporting court literature
Correct Answer: (B)
Q15. Sant traditions in India emphasize
(A) Ritual purity
(B) Inner devotion and social equality
(C) Scriptural authority
(D) Classical learning
Correct Answer: (B)
Q16. Folk theatre forms in India are generally
(A) Script-based
(B) Community-oriented and performative
(C) Written drama
(D) Court-sponsored
Correct Answer: (B)
Q17. Yakshagana belongs to the folk theatre tradition of
(A) Kerala
(B) Karnataka
(C) Maharashtra
(D) Odisha
Correct Answer: (B)
Q18. Nautanki is associated with
(A) Bengal
(B) Uttar Pradesh and North India
(C) Assam
(D) Gujarat
Correct Answer: (B)
Q19. Tamasha is a folk theatre form of
(A) Punjab
(B) Maharashtra
(C) Rajasthan
(D) Bihar
Correct Answer: (B)
Q20. Jatra is a popular folk theatre form of
(A) Gujarat
(B) Bengal and Odisha
(C) Tamil Nadu
(D) Himachal Pradesh
Correct Answer: (B)
Q21. Bhavai is a folk theatre tradition of
(A) Rajasthan
(B) Gujarat
(C) Kerala
(D) Assam
Correct Answer: (B)
Q22. Folk dance traditions in India are closely linked to
(A) Court rituals
(B) Festivals and social occasions
(C) Classical training
(D) Written choreography
Correct Answer: (B)
Q23. Bihu songs and dances are associated with
(A) Kerala
(B) Assam
(C) Punjab
(D) Odisha
Correct Answer: (B)
Q24. Garba is a folk dance tradition of
(A) Rajasthan
(B) Gujarat
(C) Maharashtra
(D) Haryana
Correct Answer: (B)
Q25. Chhau dance is practiced mainly in
(A) Punjab
(B) Eastern India
(C) Southern India
(D) Western India
Correct Answer: (B)
Q26. Tribal dance traditions often function as
(A) Entertainment only
(B) Ritual and social expression
(C) Classical performance
(D) Written drama
Correct Answer: (B)
Q27. Folk music traditions in India vary primarily due to
(A) Uniform language
(B) Regional instruments and styles
(C) Written notation
(D) Classical influence only
Correct Answer: (B)
Q28. Baul songs belong to the folk tradition of
(A) Rajasthan
(B) Bengal
(C) Punjab
(D) Tamil Nadu
Correct Answer: (B)
Q29. Kabir’s verses survive largely through
(A) Written manuscripts
(B) Oral folk traditions
(C) Court patronage
(D) Academic texts
Correct Answer: (B)
Q30. Folk poetry in India often uses
(A) Sanskritized diction
(B) Simple vernacular language
(C) Technical jargon
(D) Written meters only
Correct Answer: (B)
Q31. Folk tales in India often feature
(A) Courtly heroes
(B) Common people and animals
(C) Philosophical abstraction
(D) Historical documentation
Correct Answer: (B)
Q32. Trickster figures in Indian folklore often symbolize
(A) Moral rigidity
(B) Cleverness and subversion
(C) Ritual authority
(D) Divine law
Correct Answer: (B)
Q33. Animal tales in Indian folk tradition commonly employ
(A) Realism
(B) Anthropomorphism
(C) Historical narration
(D) Scientific explanation
Correct Answer: (B)
Q34. Folk traditions of Northeast India are characterized by
(A) Homogeneity
(B) Strong oral narrative culture
(C) Absence of ritual
(D) Written epics
Correct Answer: (B)
Q35. Tribal folklore in central India is closely linked to
(A) Industrial life
(B) Forest ecology
(C) Urban culture
(D) Court politics
Correct Answer: (B)
Q36. Folk rituals in India often mark
(A) Political change
(B) Agricultural and life-cycle events
(C) Literary movements
(D) Colonial history
Correct Answer: (B)
Q37. Folk healing traditions combine
(A) Science only
(B) Belief, ritual, and oral chants
(C) Written medicine
(D) Modern psychology
Correct Answer: (B)
Q38. Folk religious practices in India differ from classical religion by being
(A) Scriptural
(B) Community-centered
(C) Institutionally controlled
(D) Canonical
Correct Answer: (B)
Q39. Folk deities in India are often
(A) Pan-Indian
(B) Local and region-specific
(C) Scriptural gods only
(D) Court-sanctioned
Correct Answer: (B)
Q40. Sacred groves in Indian folk belief are associated with
(A) Political authority
(B) Ecological conservation
(C) Urban planning
(D) Literary symbolism
Correct Answer: (B)
Q41. Indian folk traditions often encode
(A) Scientific laws
(B) Indigenous knowledge systems
(C) Colonial ideology
(D) Literary criticism
Correct Answer: (B)
Q42. Oral traditions play a key role in preserving
(A) Written canon
(B) Cultural memory
(C) Legal codes
(D) Academic history
Correct Answer: (B)
Q43. Folk traditions in India contribute to identity by
(A) Promoting uniformity
(B) Reinforcing regional and community identity
(C) Eliminating difference
(D) Canonizing texts
Correct Answer: (B)
Q44. Folk songs related to work are common among
(A) Urban professionals
(B) Agricultural and artisanal communities
(C) Court musicians
(D) Literary circles
Correct Answer: (B)
Q45. Folk narratives in India often function as
(A) Official history
(B) Moral and cultural instruction
(C) Scientific explanation
(D) Legal documentation
Correct Answer: (B)
Q46. Folk traditions adapt over time because they
(A) Are fixed
(B) Respond to social change
(C) Are written
(D) Are institutionalized
Correct Answer: (B)
Q47. Indian folk traditions are best studied through
(A) Textual criticism alone
(B) Ethnographic fieldwork
(C) Archival research only
(D) Translation
Correct Answer: (B)
Q48. Folk traditions in India resist homogenization because of
(A) Central authority
(B) Cultural plurality
(C) Classical dominance
(D) Literacy
Correct Answer: (B)
Q49. Regional folk traditions often share
(A) Identical forms
(B) Motifs with local variation
(C) Written texts
(D) Canonical meaning
Correct Answer: (B)
Q50. Folk traditions often survive modernization by
(A) Becoming extinct
(B) Adapting to new contexts
(C) Remaining unchanged
(D) Being archived
Correct Answer: (B)
Q51. Folk art forms in India are often linked to
(A) Elite patronage
(B) Ritual and everyday life
(C) Written manuals
(D) Academic institutions
Correct Answer: (B)
Q52. Wall paintings and floor designs like Alpana or Rangoli belong to
(A) Verbal folklore
(B) Material folklore
(C) Literary tradition
(D) Written art
Correct Answer: (B)
Q53. Folk crafts in India are transmitted through
(A) Formal schooling
(B) Apprenticeship within communities
(C) Written instruction
(D) Digital media
Correct Answer: (B)
Q54. Folk traditions of India challenge the notion that culture is
(A) Dynamic
(B) Localized
(C) Static
(D) Meaningful
Correct Answer: (C)
Q55. Folk traditions often integrate
(A) Art, belief, and practice
(B) Literature and canon
(C) Science and law
(D) History and archive
Correct Answer: (A)
Q56. Indigenous narratives often emphasize
(A) Individual achievement
(B) Collective memory
(C) Courtly values
(D) Written authority
Correct Answer: (B)
Q57. Folk traditions of desert regions often reflect
(A) Forest ecology
(B) Water scarcity and survival
(C) Industrial life
(D) Urban culture
Correct Answer: (B)
Q58. Mountain folk traditions in India often emphasize
(A) Maritime life
(B) Landscape and mobility
(C) Urbanization
(D) Court ritual
Correct Answer: (B)
Q59. Folk narratives of coastal communities often involve
(A) Agriculture
(B) Sea and fishing
(C) Mining
(D) Forest life
Correct Answer: (B)
Q60. Folk traditions are often multilingual because
(A) Literacy is absent
(B) Communities interact across linguistic boundaries
(C) Writing is dominant
(D) Canonization occurs
Correct Answer: (B)
Q61. Folk traditions in India often coexist with
(A) Only classical traditions
(B) Multiple religious practices
(C) Scientific rationalism
(D) Secular law only
Correct Answer: (B)
Q62. Folk narratives contribute to resilience by
(A) Promoting fatalism
(B) Helping communities cope with change
(C) Eliminating conflict
(D) Fixing tradition
Correct Answer: (B)
Q63. Folk traditions of India are shaped by
(A) Single cultural source
(B) Historical interactions and migrations
(C) Colonial administration alone
(D) Classical texts only
Correct Answer: (B)
Q64. Oral epics in India are usually performed
(A) Once
(B) Over multiple nights or occasions
(C) In written form
(D) Silently
Correct Answer: (B)
Q65. Folk traditions often encode moral values through
(A) Direct instruction
(B) Storytelling and metaphor
(C) Written law
(D) Institutional teaching
Correct Answer: (B)
Q66. Indian folk traditions resist disappearance because they
(A) Are archived
(B) Remain socially relevant
(C) Are written
(D) Are institutionalized
Correct Answer: (B)
Q67. Folk traditions often function as
(A) Static heritage
(B) Living practices
(C) Historical records only
(D) Written literature
Correct Answer: (B)
Q68. Folk culture in India reflects
(A) Elite ideology
(B) Lived social reality
(C) Scientific abstraction
(D) Canonical literature
Correct Answer: (B)
Q69. Folk traditions of India challenge colonial views by demonstrating
(A) Backwardness
(B) Complexity and creativity
(C) Lack of structure
(D) Inferiority
Correct Answer: (B)
Q70. Folk traditions are essential for understanding
(A) Court politics
(B) Grassroots cultural life
(C) Classical aesthetics
(D) Literary canon
Correct Answer: (B)
Q71. Folk traditions often interact with classical traditions through
(A) Isolation
(B) Mutual influence
(C) Replacement
(D) Elimination
Correct Answer: (B)
Q72. Folk versions of pan-Indian myths reflect
(A) Uniform belief
(B) Local values and concerns
(C) Canonical authority
(D) Scriptural purity
Correct Answer: (B)
Q73. Indian folk traditions are inseparable from
(A) Written texts
(B) Performance contexts
(C) Academic theory
(D) Canon formation
Correct Answer: (B)
Q74. Folk traditions provide insight into
(A) Elite philosophy
(B) Community worldview
(C) Scientific logic
(D) Institutional religion
Correct Answer: (B)
Q75. Folk traditions often survive through
(A) Institutional enforcement
(B) Everyday practice
(C) Canonization
(D) Archival preservation
Correct Answer: (B)
Q76. Folk traditions are important for cultural diversity because they
(A) Standardize culture
(B) Represent multiple voices
(C) Eliminate variation
(D) Promote uniformity
Correct Answer: (B)
Q77. Folk traditions of India often adapt to modernity by
(A) Disappearing
(B) Transforming forms and contexts
(C) Remaining unchanged
(D) Becoming written
Correct Answer: (B)
Q78. Folk narratives often express community values through
(A) Laws
(B) Stories and symbols
(C) Scientific explanation
(D) Canonical texts
Correct Answer: (B)
Q79. Folk traditions are best documented through
(A) Literary criticism
(B) Ethnographic methods
(C) Structural analysis only
(D) Translation
Correct Answer: (B)
Q80. Folk traditions of India are integral to
(A) National literature only
(B) Cultural pluralism
(C) Canon formation
(D) Literary hierarchy
Correct Answer: (B)
Q81. Folk traditions emphasize
(A) Individual authorship
(B) Collective creativity
(C) Written authority
(D) Canonical meaning
Correct Answer: (B)
Q82. Indian folk traditions reflect the relationship between
(A) Humans and environment
(B) Text and archive
(C) Literature and canon
(D) Myth and structure only
Correct Answer: (A)
Q83. Folk traditions in India often involve
(A) Passive audiences
(B) Active community participation
(C) Silent observation
(D) Written performance
Correct Answer: (B)
Q84. Folk traditions are transmitted primarily through
(A) Schools
(B) Families and communities
(C) Archives
(D) Media only
Correct Answer: (B)
Q85. Folk traditions are often threatened by
(A) Oral transmission
(B) Cultural homogenization
(C) Community practice
(D) Variation
Correct Answer: (B)
Q86. Safeguarding folk traditions requires
(A) Fixing texts
(B) Supporting living communities
(C) Canonization
(D) Archiving alone
Correct Answer: (B)
Q87. Folk traditions in India contribute to
(A) Cultural continuity
(B) Literary hierarchy
(C) Textual fixity
(D) Canon formation
Correct Answer: (A)
Q88. Folk traditions often encode history through
(A) Exact dates
(B) Narrative memory
(C) Written chronicles
(D) Legal documents
Correct Answer: (B)
Q89. Indian folk traditions reflect
(A) Single worldview
(B) Multiple worldviews
(C) Elite philosophy
(D) Scientific logic
Correct Answer: (B)
Q90. Folk traditions of India are best understood as
(A) Vanishing remnants
(B) Living and adaptive practices
(C) Written heritage
(D) Static culture
Correct Answer: (B)
Q91. Folk traditions interact with religion by
(A) Replacing it
(B) Localizing belief
(C) Eliminating ritual
(D) Rejecting spirituality
Correct Answer: (B)
Q92. Folk traditions often challenge dominant narratives by
(A) Repeating them
(B) Offering alternative perspectives
(C) Ignoring history
(D) Fixing texts
Correct Answer: (B)
Q93. Folk traditions preserve memory through
(A) Archives
(B) Storytelling and performance
(C) Written law
(D) Institutional teaching
Correct Answer: (B)
Q94. Folk traditions of India illustrate
(A) Cultural uniformity
(B) Cultural resilience
(C) Literary canon
(D) Textual purity
Correct Answer: (B)
Q95. Folk traditions remain relevant because they
(A) Are ancient
(B) Address lived realities
(C) Are written
(D) Are institutionalized
Correct Answer: (B)
Q96. Folk traditions often function as
(A) Cultural commentary
(B) Scientific explanation
(C) Legal record
(D) Political manifesto
Correct Answer: (A)
Q97. Indian folk traditions contribute to
(A) Cultural homogenization
(B) Cultural diversity
(C) Canon formation
(D) Literary hierarchy
Correct Answer: (B)
Q98. Folk traditions of India are best approached through
(A) Single theory
(B) Interdisciplinary methods
(C) Textual criticism only
(D) Translation
Correct Answer: (B)
Q99. The study of Indian folk traditions requires attention to
(A) Context and performance
(B) Text alone
(C) Canon formation
(D) Historical ranking
Correct Answer: (A)
Q100. Unit 8 of the syllabus primarily focuses on
(A) Folklore theories
(B) Regional and tribal folk traditions of India
(C) Public folklore
(D) Fieldwork methods
Correct Answer: (B)