Art & Culture MCQs for UPSC Prelims — April 2026
Q1. In the context of the management of Pompeii, the 'Great Pompeii Project' is best described as which one of the following?
- A. An Italian-government and EU-funded conservation and restoration initiative for the Pompeii site, launched in 2012
- B. A privately endowed foundation that owns the excavation rights to Pompeii
- C. A UNESCO emergency fund created after the AD 79 eruption anniversary
- D. An annual international festival re-enacting the eruption for tourists
Q2. Among the ancient sites associated with the AD 79 eruption, which one is the single most-visited archaeological site, recording about 4.3 million visitors in 2024?
- A. Pompeii
- B. Herculaneum
- C. Torre Annunziata
- D. Stabiae
Q3. With reference to the UNESCO World Heritage property that includes Pompeii, consider the following statements:
1. The property comprises the archaeological areas of Pompeii, Herculaneum and Torre Annunziata, not Pompeii alone.
2. The property was inscribed solely under natural (biodiversity) criteria.
3. Unlike Herculaneum, which was buried mainly by a volcanic mudflow, Pompeii was buried mainly by ash and lapilli.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- The property comprises the archaeological areas of Pompeii, Herculaneum and Torre Annunziata, not Pompeii alone.
- The property was inscribed solely under natural (biodiversity) criteria.
- Unlike Herculaneum, which was buried mainly by a volcanic mudflow, Pompeii was buried mainly by ash and lapilli.
- A. 1 only
- B. 1 and 3 only
- C. 2 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3
Q4. The archaeological site of Pompeii, situated at the south-eastern base of Mount Vesuvius in the Campania region, is directly administered by which one of the following bodies?
- A. Pompeii Archaeological Park (Parco Archeologico di Pompei)
- B. University of Padua
- C. UNESCO World Heritage Centre
- D. International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS)
Q5. Arguing that the absence of a data-protection framework causes an 'innovation lag' and delays farmer access to new molecules, the industry body has pressed for a time-bound Protection of Regulatory Data (PRD) framework in its 2026 submission. For how many years of data protection has it specifically pressed?
- A. Three years
- B. Five years
- C. Seven years
- D. Ten years
Q6. In April 2026 the Union Agriculture Minister announced that legislation on farm inputs is nearly ready to be tabled in the upcoming session of Parliament. How many distinct farm-input laws did he indicate would be brought?
- A. One
- B. Two
- C. Three
- D. Four
Q7. With reference to CropLife India and its stance on the draft Pesticides Management Bill, consider the following:
1. It represents about 70% of India's domestic crop-protection industry.
2. It has sought a time-bound registration process for new molecules.
3. It has sought regulation of the e-commerce/online sale of pesticides.
4. It has demanded that the regulation of pesticides be transferred from the Ministry of Agriculture to the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers.
Which of the above is/are correctly identified?
- It represents about 70% of India's domestic crop-protection industry.
- It has sought a time-bound registration process for new molecules.
- It has sought regulation of the e-commerce/online sale of pesticides.
- It has demanded that the regulation of pesticides be transferred from the Ministry of Agriculture to the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers.
- A. 1, 2 and 3 only
- B. 1 and 4 only
- C. 2, 3 and 4 only
- D. 1, 2, 3 and 4
Q8. The Registration Committee proposed under the draft Pesticides Management Bill, 2025 draws its members from various agencies. Consider the following as members of that Committee:
1. A representative of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research
2. The Drugs Controller General of India
3. A representative of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
4. The Governor of the Reserve Bank of India
Which of the above is/are NOT correctly identified as a member of the Registration Committee?
- A representative of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research
- The Drugs Controller General of India
- A representative of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
- The Governor of the Reserve Bank of India
- A. 1 and 3
- B. 2 only
- C. 4 only
- D. 3 and 4
Q9. Under the Insecticides Act, 1968, the Central Insecticides Board (CIB) — the advisory body on technical matters relating to the administration of the Act — is headed by which one of the following?
- A. The Director General of Health Services
- B. The Agriculture Commissioner
- C. The Director General, Indian Council of Agricultural Research
- D. The Secretary, Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare
Q10. In the Indian legislative record on pesticide reform, which one of the following was the first draft/Bill to recognise the need for a regulatory data protection framework?
- A. The Pesticide Management Bill, 2008
- B. The Pesticide Management Bill, 2020
- C. The draft Pesticides Management Bill, 2025
- D. The Insecticides Act, 1968
Q11. Successive attempts to replace the Insecticides Act, 1968 — including the 2008 and 2020 Bills and the 2025 draft — have been piloted by which one of the following ministries/departments of the Union Government?
- A. Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare
- B. Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers
- C. Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
- D. Department of Health and Family Welfare, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
Q12. With reference to the differences between the Insecticides Act, 1968 and the Pesticide Management Bill, 2020, consider the following statements:
1. The Insecticides Act, 1968 prescribed a time limit of 12 months for deciding registration, whereas the Pesticide Management Bill, 2020 did not specify any time limit for registration.
2. The Pesticide Management Bill, 2020 raised the maximum fine for offences to Rs 40 lakh, which was higher than the penalties available under the 1968 Act.
3. The Insecticides Act, 1968 defined 'insecticide' to cover all chemical and biological formulations, a scope which the 2020 Bill narrowed down to only scheduled substances.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- The Insecticides Act, 1968 prescribed a time limit of 12 months for deciding registration, whereas the Pesticide Management Bill, 2020 did not specify any time limit for registration.
- The Pesticide Management Bill, 2020 raised the maximum fine for offences to Rs 40 lakh, which was higher than the penalties available under the 1968 Act.
- The Insecticides Act, 1968 defined 'insecticide' to cover all chemical and biological formulations, a scope which the 2020 Bill narrowed down to only scheduled substances.
- A. 1 and 2 only
- B. 2 and 3 only
- C. 1 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3
Q13. The draft Pesticides Management Bill, 2025 proposes to set up new institutional machinery to replace the regulatory arrangement under the Insecticides Act, 1968. How many new statutory bodies does the draft Bill propose to establish for registration and standard-setting?
- A. One
- B. Two
- C. Three
- D. Four
Q14. The draft Pesticides Management Bill, 2025 (like the lapsed 2020 Bill) replaces the term 'insecticide' of the Insecticides Act, 1968 with 'pesticide'. Which one of the following best describes how the substance brought under regulation is defined in the new legislation?
- A. Any chemical or biological formulation intended for preventing, destroying, repelling or controlling any pest, whether for agricultural or non-agricultural use
- B. Only those chemical formulations that are expressly listed in a Schedule appended to the enactment
- C. Only synthetic chemical compounds used to kill insects on notified food crops
- D. Any substance registered as a hazardous chemical under the environment protection framework
Q15. In the context of the caparisoned elephants at Thrissur Pooram, the term 'nettipattam' refers specifically to which one of the following?
- A. The decorative golden headdress/caparison adorning the elephant's forehead
- B. The entire fireworks display conducted on the Pooram night
- C. The ritual of rhythmically exchanging ornamental parasols
- D. The percussion ensemble that always accompanies the procession
Q16. As a Special Purpose Vehicle, TANHODA was set up to execute how many of the following centrally-assisted schemes — MIDH–National Horticulture Mission, PMKSY–Micro Irrigation, National Bamboo Mission, and National Mission on Medicinal Plants?
- A. One
- B. Two
- C. Three
- D. Four
Q17. With reference to Tamil Nadu's horticulture administration, the Tamil Nadu Horticulture Development Agency (TANHODA) is best described as which one of the following?
- A. A State Special Purpose Vehicle that implements centrally-assisted horticulture schemes such as MIDH–National Horticulture Mission
- B. A central public sector undertaking under the Union Agriculture Ministry that markets horticultural produce
- C. A statutory regulator that fixes plantation-crop prices in Tamil Nadu
- D. A cooperative federation of terrace-garden growers based in Chennai
Q18. The proposed green-belt vegetable expansion of the mid-1970s was to be carried out under which one of the following?
- A. The Tamil Nadu Agriculture Department
- B. The Tamil Nadu Horticulture and Plantation Crops Department
- C. The National Horticulture Board
- D. The Union Ministry of Agriculture
Q19. The 1976 revival of the scheme proposed extending the peri-urban horticultural green-belt model beyond Madras to how many other Tamil Nadu cities?
- A. Three
- B. Four
- C. Five
- D. Six
Q20. In the context of the City Vegetable Scheme, the term 'belt areas' referred to which one of the following?
- A. Peri-urban zones around the city earmarked for organised vegetable cultivation to feed the city
- B. Green strips reserved along city roads for ornamental horticulture
- C. Zones within the city where seed-and-seedling selling booths were concentrated
- D. Coastal stretches set aside for salinity-tolerant vegetable varieties
Q21. The Akal Takht at Amritsar, the supreme seat of temporal authority in Sikhism, was established by which of the following Sikh Gurus?
- A. Guru Hargobind
- B. Guru Arjan
- C. Guru Ram Das
- D. Guru Gobind Singh
Q22. In Sikhism, the Akal Takht at Amritsar is regarded as the foremost among how many Takhts (seats of temporal authority)?
- A. Three
- B. Four
- C. Five
- D. Seven
Q23. With reference to 'Vande Mataram', consider the following statements:
1. It was composed by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee.
2. It first appeared in his novel Anandamath.
3. The Constituent Assembly adopted its first two stanzas as the National Song on 24 January 1950.
4. The Constituent Assembly accorded it a status inferior to that of the National Anthem.
Which of the statements given above are correctly identified?
- It was composed by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee.
- It first appeared in his novel Anandamath.
- The Constituent Assembly adopted its first two stanzas as the National Song on 24 January 1950.
- The Constituent Assembly accorded it a status inferior to that of the National Anthem.
- A. 1, 2 and 3
- B. 1 and 4 only
- C. 2, 3 and 4
- D. 3 and 4 only
Q24. Under the National Mission on Monuments and Antiquities, which is associated with the Indian Heritage in Digital Space effort, approximately how many antiquities have been digitally documented?
- A. About 2.3 lakh
- B. About 12.3 lakh
- C. About 44 lakh
- D. About 1.2 crore
Q25. In the context of the 'Adopt a Heritage 2.0' programme, the term 'Monument Mitra' refers to which one of the following?
- A. A public/private sector company, trust, society, NGO or individual that develops and maintains amenities at a monument using CSR funds
- B. A conservation architect appointed and paid by the ASI to restore a monument
- C. A licensed tourist guide trained and certified by the Ministry of Tourism
- D. The Superintending Archaeologist heading an ASI Circle
Q26. Which one of the following is the nodal agency responsible for preparing and forwarding the nomination of India's cultural properties, such as the Maratha Military Landscapes, to the UNESCO World Heritage List?
- A. Archaeological Survey of India
- B. Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
- C. Ministry of Tourism
- D. Ministry of External Affairs
Q27. In the context of the antecedents of the Archaeological Survey of India, which one of the following best describes the 'Asiatic Society'?
- A. A scholarly society founded by Sir William Jones in 1784 at Calcutta that pioneered antiquarian study in India
- B. The archaeological survey founded in 1861 under Alexander Cunningham
- C. The authority created by Lord Curzon's Ancient Monuments Preservation Act, 1904
- D. The antiquities-export regulator set up under the Antiquities and Art Treasures Act, 1972
Q28. The 13th-century Konark Sun Temple, an ASI-protected coastal monument now facing salt-laden climate stress, was conceived as the chariot of the Sun God Surya. In its design the chariot is depicted with how many stone wheels?
Q29. In the context of climate-driven salt damage to coastal ASI monuments such as the Konark Sun Temple, the term 'efflorescence' refers to which one of the following?
- A. The deposition of crystalline salts on a stone surface as saline moisture within the stone evaporates
- B. The growth of algae and lichen colonies on persistently damp stone surfaces
- C. The flaking of stone caused by repeated freeze–thaw cycles
- D. The blackening of stone by the accumulation of air-pollution soot
Q30. The Jantar Mantar in Jaipur, located near the city's transit corridors, is notable as which one of the following?
- A. The largest of the five astronomical observatories built by Sawai Jai Singh II
- B. The oldest surviving fort of the erstwhile Amer rulers
- C. The smallest of Jai Singh II's astronomical observatories
- D. The only monument in Jaipur inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site