Unity in Diversity, or 'Many in the One' — Quiz

Q1. The chapter says India's 1.4 billion people are about 18 percent of the world's population. Why does this make its diversity 'not surprising'?

• A. A very large population naturally contains many communities and languages.
• B. Large countries always have one single language.
• C. Population size has no link with diversity.
• D. Most of these people are recent migrants from abroad.

Q2. In the survey's sense, who would be called a 'migrant'?

• A. A person living near their birthplace
• B. Someone not living near their birthplace or original community
• C. A foreign tourist visiting India
• D. Only people who change their language

Q3. A teacher shows that the same dal, rice and spices make hundreds of regional dishes. This best illustrates

• A. Unity (same ingredients) producing diversity (many dishes)
• B. Diversity destroying unity
• C. That food has no link with culture
• D. That only one dish exists in India

Q4. How does the chapter explain that the sari shows both unity and diversity?

• A. It is one cloth (unity) but made by endless weaves, designs and colours (diversity).
• B. It is worn only in one single way everywhere.
• C. Each region uses a completely different garment, not a sari.
• D. It has no variation at all across regions.

Q5. Pongal in Tamil Nadu, Lohri in Punjab and Magh Bihu in Assam are celebrated around the same date. What does this show?

• A. Different festivals with no connection
• B. One harvest festival celebrated under different regional names
• C. That festivals exist only in the south
• D. That these are all winter festivals unrelated to harvest

Q6. It is estimated that about 200 adaptations of the Panchatantra exist in more than 50 languages. How does this illustrate the chapter's theme?

• A. One collection of stories has become 'many'.
• B. The Panchatantra was never translated.
• C. Only one language version survives.
• D. Stories cannot travel between regions.

Q7. Based on the chapter's, an 'epic' is best described as

• A. A short prose folk tale
• B. A long poem narrating the adventures of heroes and great figures of the past
• C. A government survey report
• D. A list of festivals

Q8. In the Mahabharata, the Pandavas fight their own cousins, the Kauravas, with whose help?

• A. Hanuman's
• B. Krishna's
• C. Ravana's
• D. Lakshmana's

Q9. In the Ramayana, Rama defeats the demon Ravana with the help of

• A. His brother Lakshmana and Hanuman
• B. The Pandavas
• C. Krishna and the Kauravas
• D. Vincent Smith

Q10. Tribal communities of the northeast preserved their own epic versions mainly by which means?

• A. Printed school textbooks
• B. Oral transmission, along with local legends
• C. Stone inscriptions only
• D. Foreign travellers' diaries

Q11. The British historian Vincent Smith wondered how a history of such diverse India could be written. What answer does the chapter give?

• A. India cannot have any history
• B. The answer lies in the fact that India offers unity in diversity
• C. Only foreigners can write Indian history
• D. Diversity makes history impossible

Q12. Fig. 8.4 shows women using the sari beyond a dress. This is meant to highlight the sari's

• A. Lack of usefulness
• B. Creative, varied everyday uses
• C. Foreign origin
• D. Use only in festivals

Q13. Why are grains like rice, wheat and dals called 'staple grains'?

• A. They are the basic food for most Indians.
• B. They are rare and costly luxuries.
• C. They are eaten only during festivals.
• D. They are imported from Europe.

Q14. What does the 'Don't Miss Out' box tell us about India's textiles in the past?

• A. India produced the finest cotton and exported textiles as far as Europe.
• B. India never made cotton cloth.
• C. Indian cloth was unwanted abroad.
• D. Textiles were only made in Europe.

Q15. A student notes that Makara Sankranti, Pongal and Bihu all come at harvest time in January. What is the common reason?

• A. They mark the beginning of the harvest season
• B. They celebrate the end of the monsoon
• C. They are New Year days in the Gregorian calendar
• D. They commemorate a single historical battle