Art & Culture MCQs for UPSC Prelims — February 2026

Q1. Which of the following scripts is/are correctly identified as having been used to write the Santhali language before the invention of Ol Chiki? 1. Roman 2. Devanagari 3. Odia 4. Gurmukhi Which of the above is/are correctly identified?

  1. Roman
  2. Devanagari
  3. Odia
  4. Gurmukhi
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2, 3 and 4
  • C. 1, 2 and 3
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q2. The centenary celebrations of the Ol Chiki script, inaugurated by the President in February 2026, were organised by which one of the following ministries?

  • A. Ministry of Tribal Affairs
  • B. Ministry of Culture
  • C. Ministry of Education
  • D. Ministry of Law and Justice

Q3. To which one of the following language families does Santhali, the language written in the Ol Chiki script, belong?

  • A. Dravidian
  • B. Indo-Aryan (Indo-European)
  • C. Austroasiatic (Munda branch)
  • D. Tibeto-Burman

Q4. The Ol Chiki script, whose centenary was inaugurated in 2026, comprises how many letters?

  • A. 26
  • B. 30
  • C. 33
  • D. 47

Q5. Consider the following identifications of indigenous Indian scripts: 1. Ol Chiki — Santali language. 2. Warang Citi — Ho language. 3. Meetei Mayek — Manipuri (Meitei) language. 4. Ol Chiki — created by Lako Bodra. Which of the above is/are NOT correctly matched?

  1. Ol Chiki — Santali language.
  2. Warang Citi — Ho language.
  3. Meetei Mayek — Manipuri (Meitei) language.
  4. Ol Chiki — created by Lako Bodra.
  • A. 1 and 2
  • B. 2 and 3
  • C. 1, 2 and 3
  • D. 4 only

Q6. The ₹100 coin released for the Ol Chiki centenary is a 'commemorative coin'. This term is best defined as which one of the following?

  • A. A coin issued to honour a person or event, which is legal tender but minted chiefly for commemoration rather than routine circulation
  • B. A coin whose intrinsic metal value exceeds its face value, traded as bullion
  • C. A demonetised coin that is no longer legal tender
  • D. A foreign coin accepted for exchange by the Reserve Bank of India

Q7. With reference to the Centenary Celebrations of the Ol Chiki script, consider the following: 1. They were inaugurated by President Droupadi Murmu. 2. They were organised by the Ministry of Culture. 3. A ₹100 commemorative coin was released to mark the occasion. 4. The inaugural function of 16 February 2026 was held at Kolkata. Which of the above is/are correctly identified?

  1. They were inaugurated by President Droupadi Murmu.
  2. They were organised by the Ministry of Culture.
  3. A ₹100 commemorative coin was released to mark the occasion.
  4. The inaugural function of 16 February 2026 was held at Kolkata.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3
  • B. 2, 3 and 4
  • C. 1 and 4
  • D. 1, 3 and 4

Q8. The Ol Chiki script comprises how many letters?

  • A. 26
  • B. 30
  • C. 33
  • D. 47

Q9. With reference to the structural features of the Ol Chiki script, consider the following: 1. It is a true alphabet rather than an abugida. 2. It is written from left to right. 3. Its Unicode block is U+1C50–U+1C7F. 4. It is written from right to left, like Arabic. Which of the above is/are correctly identified?

  1. It is a true alphabet rather than an abugida.
  2. It is written from left to right.
  3. Its Unicode block is U+1C50–U+1C7F.
  4. It is written from right to left, like Arabic.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3
  • B. 2 and 4
  • C. 1 and 4
  • D. 3 only

Q10. With reference to Santhali and the Munda group of languages, consider the following statements: 1. Santhali is the largest of the Munda (Austroasiatic) languages by number of speakers. 2. Santhali is the only Munda language to be included in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution. 3. Every Munda language, including Ho and Mundari, has been granted a place in the Eighth Schedule. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Santhali is the largest of the Munda (Austroasiatic) languages by number of speakers.
  2. Santhali is the only Munda language to be included in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution.
  3. Every Munda language, including Ho and Mundari, has been granted a place in the Eighth Schedule.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q11. The decadal enumeration of Santhali speakers (about 7.3 million in the 2011 count) is carried out by which of the following bodies?

  • A. Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, Ministry of Home Affairs
  • B. Ministry of Tribal Affairs
  • C. Ministry of Culture
  • D. NITI Aayog

Q12. In which year did Pandit Raghunath Murmu devise the Ol Chiki script for the Santhali language?

  • A. 1925
  • B. 1932
  • C. 1905
  • D. 1941

Q13. The year 2025 marked the completion of how many years since Pandit Raghunath Murmu devised the Ol Chiki script?

  • A. 90 years
  • B. 100 years
  • C. 92 years
  • D. 75 years

Q14. With reference to the existing National Museum, New Delhi, consider the following statements: 1. It was established in 1949. 2. It is located on Janpath, New Delhi. 3. It functions under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. 4. Its collection covers over 5,000 years of history. Which of the above is/are NOT correct?

  1. It was established in 1949.
  2. It is located on Janpath, New Delhi.
  3. It functions under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
  4. Its collection covers over 5,000 years of history.
  • A. 1 and 2
  • B. 3 only
  • C. 2 and 4
  • D. 1, 3 and 4

Q15. The agreement with France Museums Développement (FMD) for the Yuge Yugeen Bharat National Museum was signed, on the Indian side, by an institution functioning solely under which Union Ministry?

  • A. Ministry of External Affairs
  • B. Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs
  • C. Ministry of Culture
  • D. Ministry of Education

Q16. With reference to the proposed Yuge Yugeen Bharat National Museum, consider the following statements: 1. It is to occupy the North and South Blocks. 2. It is planned to span approximately 1,55,000 square metres. 3. Its nodal ministry for the museum content is the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. 4. It is projected to become the largest museum in the world. Which of the above is/are correctly identified?

  1. It is to occupy the North and South Blocks.
  2. It is planned to span approximately 1,55,000 square metres.
  3. Its nodal ministry for the museum content is the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
  4. It is projected to become the largest museum in the world.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1, 2 and 4
  • C. 2, 3 and 4
  • D. 3 and 4 only

Q17. The Yuge Yugeen Bharat National Museum is to be developed through 'adaptive reuse'. In this context, 'adaptive reuse' most precisely means:

  • A. Demolishing the colonial-era blocks and rebuilding a modern museum on the same footprint
  • B. Repurposing the existing heritage North and South Block buildings for a new museum function while retaining their structure
  • C. Relocating museum artefacts from various states into a newly built central gallery
  • D. Reusing museum exhibits across multiple travelling exhibitions

Q18. Vande Mataram, India's National Song, was first published in which one of the following literary works of Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay?

  • A. Durgeshnandini
  • B. Kapalkundala
  • C. Anandamath
  • D. Devi Chaudhurani

Q19. The paper 'From the Valley of the Kings to India: Indian Inscriptions in Egypt', which formally announced the new Tamil-Brahmi findings in February 2026, was presented at which of the following forums?

  • A. International Conference on Tamil Epigraphy
  • B. World Archaeological Congress
  • C. Indian History Congress
  • D. International Congress of Egyptologists

Q20. The 2024–25 study that identified about 30 Indian-language inscriptions in Egypt's Valley of the Kings was led by scholars affiliated to which of the following institutions?

  • A. Archaeological Survey of India and the Indian Council of Historical Research
  • B. École française d'Extrême-Orient (EFEO), Paris and the University of Lausanne
  • C. British Museum and the University of Oxford
  • D. Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities and Cairo University

Q21. In the context of the recent inscriptions reported from Egypt's Valley of the Kings, what does the term 'Tamil-Brahmi' most accurately refer to?

  • A. A script of the Brahmi family adapted to write Old Tamil
  • B. A Dravidian dialect spoken only by Sangam-age traders abroad
  • C. A variety of Prakrit used exclusively in Indo-Roman trade contracts
  • D. A cuneiform writing system used by Tamil merchants in Mesopotamia

Q22. Which one of the following is NOT correctly described in the context of the recent Tamil-Brahmi inscription finds linking India and Roman Egypt?

  1. Theban Necropolis — the cluster of tombs in Egypt where the ~30 Indian-language inscriptions have been identified
  2. Berenike — a Red Sea port in Egypt where Tamil-Brahmi inscribed pottery sherds had earlier been reported
  3. Arikamedu — an Egyptian tomb site where additional Tamil-Brahmi inscriptions were found in 2024–25
  4. Muziris — an ancient South Indian port associated with Indo-Roman maritime trade
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 2 and 4 only
  • C. 3 only
  • D. 3 and 4 only

Q23. With reference to the architecture and governance of AgriStack, which of the following statements is/are correct?

  1. AgriStack is built on a federated architecture in which ownership of the registry data rests with the States/UTs.
  2. The framework for AgriStack was laid out under the 'India Digital Ecosystem of Agriculture (IDEA)', for which a concept paper was floated for public comments.
  3. As reported by the Ministry of Agriculture, 19 States have signed MoUs for AgriStack implementation.
  4. Under the federated model, the Central Government itself owns and maintains the Farmers' Registry, Geo-referenced village maps and Crop Sown Registry.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 3 and 4 only
  • C. 1, 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q24. With reference to 'Bharat-VISTAAR', which of the following statements is/are correct?

  1. It was proposed in the Union Budget 2026-27.
  2. It is designed to replace the Krishi Decision Support System as the sole geospatial platform for Indian agriculture.
  3. It is a multilingual AI tool aimed at improving farmer decision-making and reducing risk through customized advisory support.
  4. It integrates the AgriStack portals and the ICAR package of agricultural practices with AI systems.
  • A. 1 and 3 only
  • B. 1, 3 and 4 only
  • C. 2 and 4 only
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q25. With reference to the Krishi Decision Support System (Krishi-DSS), consider the following statements. Which of the statements given above is/are NOT correct?

  1. It integrates satellite/remote-sensing imagery into its geospatial analysis.
  2. It incorporates weather and water-resource information such as reservoir storage and groundwater levels.
  3. It uses soil health data to generate outputs such as digital crop maps and yield estimates.
  4. Its advisories are generated solely from farmers' self-reported data, without any geospatial or satellite input.
  • A. 4 only
  • B. 1 and 4
  • C. 3 only
  • D. 2 and 3

Q26. Under the Digital Agriculture Mission, detailed soil profile maps on a 1:10,000 scale are envisaged for approximately how much of India's agricultural land?

  • A. 29 million hectares
  • B. 100 million hectares
  • C. 142 million hectares
  • D. 200 million hectares

Q27. The Digital Agriculture Mission targets the generation of Farmer IDs for 11 crore farmers. By which financial year is this full target set to be achieved?

  • A. FY 2024-25
  • B. FY 2025-26
  • C. FY 2026-27
  • D. FY 2027-28

Q28. With reference to the Digital Crop Survey under the Digital Agriculture Mission, consider the following pairs of feature and description. Which of the pairs given above is/are NOT correctly matched?

  1. Field data capture — done through geo-tagged, mobile-application based enumeration of plots.
  2. Digital General Crop Estimation Survey (DGCES) — replaces the traditional eye-estimation methodology of crop yield estimation.
  3. Crop Sown Registry — a season-wise record of crops sown that is populated using the survey data.
  4. Roll-out target — the survey was targeted for coverage only in the irrigated districts of the country from Kharif 2025.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 4 only
  • C. 3 and 4 only
  • D. 1 and 4

Q29. The Digital Crop Survey and the Digital General Crop Estimation Survey (DGCES) under the Digital Agriculture Mission are operationalised primarily by which one of the following?

  • A. Department of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare
  • B. National Statistical Office, Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation
  • C. Department of Land Resources, Ministry of Rural Development
  • D. Survey of India, Department of Science and Technology

Q30. Which of the following is/are correctly identified as a Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) pillar built under the umbrella Digital Agriculture Mission?

  1. AgriStack
  2. e-NAM (National Agriculture Market)
  3. Krishi Decision Support System (Krishi-DSS)
  4. Soil Profile Mapping
  • A. 1 and 3 only
  • B. 1, 3 and 4 only
  • C. 2, 3 and 4 only
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4