SSC CGL 2025 Tier-I · 15 September 2025, Shift 1 · General Awareness · Question 4 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 13 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 best reflects Kerala’s musical instrument heritage?

(a)Ravana-Hatta originated in Kerala and spread northward
(b)Kerala’s music uses only wind instruments like Turi and Kombu
(c)Kerala’s instruments are recent and mostly Western-influenced
(d)Drums like Timila and Maddalam are mentioned in Silappadikaram and still used today

Answer

Why

Correct — D. Timila and Maddalam are drums Kerala still plays: both belong to Panchavadyam, the temple ensemble of four percussion instruments and one horn.

The statement also places them in the Silappadikaram, the early Tamil epic, and it is the option that describes an old tradition still in use → option (d).

Why the others are wrong

(a)
Ravana-Hatta originated in Kerala and spread northward — Ravana-Hatta (ravanahatha) is a bowed string instrument played by folk musicians of Rajasthan. It belongs to that region's folk music, not to Kerala's heritage.
(b)
Kerala’s music uses only wind instruments like Turi and Kombu — Only makes it false. Kerala's ensembles rest on drums such as the timila, maddalam and idakka. The kombu is a real Kerala horn, but wind instruments are not the whole of it.
(c)
Kerala’s instruments are recent and mostly Western-influenced — Recent and Western-influenced is wrong. The timila is played in Kerala's temple rites, and the maddalam plays in Panchavadyam, Keli and the Kathakali orchestra.

Concept

Kerala's temple music is built on percussion. Panchavadyam, literally 'five instruments', combines four percussion instruments, the timila, maddalam, ilathalam and idakka, with one wind instrument, the kombu horn.

The timila is an hourglass-shaped drum used in temple rites. The maddalam also plays in Keli and in the Kathakali orchestra.

The drums' living use is well documented. Their mention in the Silappadikaram is the option's own claim, and Kerala Tourism's Panchavadyam article does not repeat it, so settle the item by elimination: each other statement is plainly false.

Key facts

Panchavadyam uses four percussion instruments (timila, maddalam, ilathalam, idakka) and one wind instrument, the kombu.
The timila is an hourglass-shaped drum used in Kerala's temple rites.
The maddalam plays in Panchavadyam, Keli and the Kathakali orchestra.
The Silappadikaram is a Tamil epic attributed to Ilango Adigal.

Study next

Kerala's percussion ensembles: Panchavadyam, Pandi Melam, Panchari Melam and ThayambakaThe Natyashastra's four classes of instruments: tata, sushira, avanaddha and ghanaTamil epics: Silappadikaram and Manimekalai

Common traps

Rejecting the keyed statement because the Silappadikaram is a Tamil epic. Tradition makes its author, Ilango Adigal, a Chera prince, and the Chera country covered much of present-day Kerala.
Accepting 'only wind instruments' because the kombu is a real Kerala horn. The word only makes the statement false.

The epic itself is asked at 9 Sep 2024, 4:00 PM, GA Q.14, which keys Ilango Adigal as the author of Silappathikaram. Kerala's temple culture also appears at 12 Sep 2024, 4:00 PM, GA Q.6 (Thrissur Pooram, keyed Kerala).

Related PYQs

No directly related past PYQ was found.

Topic: Culture — all 246 SSC CGL questions on it, every solved shift.