SSC CGL 2024 Tier-I · 13 September 2024, Shift 1 · General Awareness · Question 17 of 100

Text as printed on a candidate's response sheet for this shift; answer per SSC's tentative key as marked on that sheet. Solution last reviewed 10 September 2026.

Where this paper and its answers come from

SSC does not publish CGL question papers or a public answer key. The questions and options here are reproduced as printed on a candidate's own response sheet for this shift — the Commission's text, unchanged. Each answer is SSC's tentative key as marked on that sheet; SSC allowed challenges to it and never publishes a final key. The solutions are written by UnlockIAS.

Ranjana Gauhar was awarded the Padma Shri Award (2003) for her contribution to which of the following Indian dance forms?

(a)Sattriya
(b)Manipuri
(c)Kuchipudi
(d)Odissi

Answer

Why

Correct — D. Ranjana Gauhar is an Odissi dancer, choreographer and teacher, and her Padma Shri in 2003 was awarded for that form.

There is nothing in the wording to reason from — the stem is a pure name-to-form pairing, and it either sits in memory or it does not.

The other three options are classical forms with their own exponents and their own home regions, so the pairing that survives is option (d).

Why the others are wrong

(a)
Sattriya — Sattriya grew out of the Vaishnava monasteries, the sattras, of Assam. It is a distinct classical form with its own exponents, and this awardee is not among them.
(b)
Manipuri — Manipuri is the classical form of Manipur, built on Vaishnava Ras Leela themes and a soft, rounded movement style. A different tradition from the one the awardee is known for.
(c)
Kuchipudi — Kuchipudi takes its name from a village in Andhra Pradesh and carries a strong dance-drama lineage. Plausible only if you are guessing among classical names.

Concept

Arts questions here reduce to a table you can build once and reuse: form, home region, a named exponent.

Odissi is the classical dance of Odisha, recognisable by its sculpturesque tribhanga stance and its roots in temple tradition.

The other three options anchor elsewhere — Sattriya in Assam, Manipuri in Manipur, Kuchipudi in Andhra Pradesh — which is why the region column of that table earns more marks than any single artist's biography.

The award year in the bracket is decoration. The question turns only on the dance form, so do not spend time trying to recall a Padma Shri list for 2003.

Key facts

Ranjana Gauhar received the Padma Shri in 2003 for Odissi.
Odissi is the classical dance form of Odisha and is marked by the tribhanga stance.
Sattriya belongs to Assam, Manipuri to Manipur and Kuchipudi to Andhra Pradesh.
The Sangeet Natak Akademi recognises Sattriya as a classical dance form.

Study next

Classical dance forms recognised by the Sangeet Natak Akademi and their home statesLeading exponents of Odissi and the structure of its repertoireThe difference between the Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan

Common traps

Guessing the form from the artist's surname or supposed region instead of learning the pairing
Mixing Odissi with the folk and tribal dances of Odisha, which are not classical forms

These arrive as one artist paired with one form, or one form paired with one state. Compare 17 Sep 2024, 12:30, GA Q.11 on Indira PP Bora and Sattriya, 19 Sep 2024, 09:00, GA Q.19 asking which dancer is NOT related to Odissi, and 24 Sep 2024, 16:00, GA Q.20 on the state Kuchipudi belongs to.

Related PYQs

No directly related past PYQ was found.