SSC CGL 2025 Tier-I · 12 September 2025, Shift 3 · General Awareness · Question 2 of 100

We transcribed this text from the pictures on a candidate's response sheet for this shift; the answer is the key SSC colour-marked on that sheet. Solution last reviewed 11 September 2026.

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SSC does not publish CGL question papers or a public answer key. From 2025 the candidate response sheet prints every question and option as a picture, so the text here is transcribed from those pictures for this shift and checked against them independently; where the layout carries meaning, the picture is shown as well. Each answer is the key SSC colour-marked on that sheet. SSC released a tentative key for challenge and later its final one, both only to candidates behind a login, and the sheet does not say which of the two it carries. The solutions are written by UnlockIAS.

Which of the following pairs is correctly matched with the shape of its roof?

(a)Latina — rectangular, wagon-shaped
(b)Phamsana — slabs rising to a point, straight incline
(c)Valabhi — tall, curving inward sharply
(d)Latina — low and broad with stepped roofing

Answer

Why

Correct — B. NCERT's Class XI text An Introduction to Indian Art describes phamsana buildings as broader and shorter than latina ones, with roofs of several slabs that gently rise to a single point over the centre.

It adds that phamsana roofs do not curve inward but slope upwards on a straight incline. That is option (b), phrase for phrase.

Why the others are wrong

(a)
Latina — rectangular, wagon-shaped — Rectangular and wagon-shaped describes the valabhi, not the latina. NCERT calls valabhi buildings wagon-vaulted, their rounded roof edge recalling bullock-drawn wagons.
(c)
Valabhi — tall, curving inward sharply — Tall and curving inward describes the latina, whose walls curve or slope inward to a point. The valabhi is a rectangular building with a vaulted roof.
(d)
Latina — low and broad with stepped roofing — Low and broad is the phamsana's profile. NCERT describes the latina as square at the base and sharply rising, like a tall tower.

Concept

NCERT sorts the nagara shikhara, the tower of the north Indian temple, into three sub-types.

The latina or rekha-prasada is square at the base, its walls curving inward to a point. The phamsana is broader and shorter, its slabs rising on a straight incline. The valabhi is rectangular, with a wagon-vaulted roof.

NCERT notes that many north Indian temples use the phamsana for the mandapa while the garbhagriha sits in a latina building.

Options (a) and (d) both name the latina but give it the wrong roof, so read each pairing whole instead of stopping at a familiar name.

Key facts

Latina (rekha-prasada): square base, walls curving or sloping inward to a point.
Phamsana: broader and shorter, with a roof of several slabs rising on a straight incline to a single point.
Valabhi: a rectangular building with a wagon-vaulted roof.

Study next

Nagara, Dravida and Vesara temple stylesParts of a temple: garbhagriha, mandapa, shikhara and vimanaRegional nagara forms such as the rekha-deul of Odisha

Common traps

Swapping the latina and phamsana profiles, since both belong to the nagara order.
Reading 'wagon-shaped' as any curved roof, when NCERT reserves it for the valabhi.

Here a shikhara sub-type is matched to its roof. Temple styles also appear at 18 Sep 2025, 12:30, GA Q.2, which pairs Vesara, Rekha-Deul, Bhumija and Kalinga with regions.

Related PYQs

No directly related past PYQ was found.

Topic: Culture — all 163 SSC CGL questions on it, every solved shift.