SSC CGL 2025 Tier-I · 23 September 2025, Shift 1 · General Awareness · Question 17 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.

Where this paper and its answers come from

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.

Consider the statements about Kalbelia : 1. Female costumes are black swirling skirts richly mirror-embroidered. 2. It entered UNESCO Representative List in 2010. Which is/are correct?

(a)Only 1 correct
(b)Only 2 correct
(c)Both 1 & 2 correct
(d)Neither 1 nor 2 correct

Answer

Why

Correct — C. Statement 1 holds. UNESCO describes Kalbelia women dancing in flowing black skirts, in garments richly embroidered with small mirrors and silver thread.

Statement 2 holds. UNESCO inscribed Kalbelia folk songs and dances of Rajasthan on its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2010.

Both statements are correct → option (c).

Why the others are wrong

(a)
Only 1 correct — Statement 2 is also true. Kalbelia entered UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2010, so 'only 1' drops a correct statement.
(b)
Only 2 correct — Statement 1 is also true. UNESCO itself describes the dancers' flowing black skirts and garments richly embroidered with small mirrors, so 'only 2' drops a correct statement.
(d)
Neither 1 nor 2 correct — Both statements match UNESCO's own description, the black mirror-embroidered costume and the 2010 inscription, so 'neither' rejects two correct statements.

Concept

Kalbelia is the song-and-dance tradition of Rajasthan's Kalbelia community, once professional snake handlers. The women dance and swirl in flowing black skirts, replicating the movements of a serpent.

The men accompany them on the poongi, a woodwind traditionally played to capture snakes, and the khanjari, a percussion instrument. UNESCO notes that the songs and dances are an oral tradition with no texts or training manuals.

Key facts

UNESCO inscribed Kalbelia folk songs and dances of Rajasthan on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2010.
UNESCO: the dancers wear garments richly embroidered with small mirrors and silver thread.
The poongi, a woodwind traditionally played to capture snakes, and the khanjari percussion accompany the dance.
Kalbelia dancers replicate the movements of a serpent.

Study next

India's elements on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of HumanityFolk dances of RajasthanFolk instruments of Rajasthan: poongi and khanjari

Common traps

Rejecting statement 1 as a detail that sounds made up. UNESCO's own description carries it.
Confusing UNESCO's intangible heritage list with its World Heritage List of sites. A dance can only be on the first.

Here Kalbelia is tested through two statements taken from UNESCO's description. It is also asked at 12 Sep 2025, 16:00, GA Q.20, on the animal its dance imitates, and at 14 Sep 2025, 12:30, GA Q.24, on its oral tradition and costume.

Related PYQs

No directly related past PYQ was found.

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