UGC-NET (NTA) Exam, Performing Arts, JUNE-2025

Total Questions: 100

51. According to Aristotle's poetics, Catharsis is a state of mind created out of:

Correct Answer: 4. Pity and Fear
Solution:

Aristotle's Poetics describes catharsis as the purgation of emotions through tragedy. The audience experiences pity (for the suffering hero) and fear (that such fate could befall anyone), which together cleanse their emotions.

52. Which one is a part of Three Unities of Greek Drama?

Correct Answer: 2. Action
Solution:

The Three Unities of Greek Drama are:

  • Unity of Action (one main plot),
  • Unity of Time (events within 24 hours),
  • Unity of Place (single location).

From the options, only Action belongs here.

53. "The Dream Play" was written by:

Correct Answer: 4. August Strindberg
Solution:

The Dream Play (1901) was written by August Strindberg. It reflects his expressionist style where reality and dream intermingle, showing life's suffering in symbolic, fragmented forms.

54. The "Third Theatre" movement led by Badal Sircar was marked by:

Correct Answer: 2. The rejection of urban proscenium and institutional funding.
Solution:

Badal Sircar's Third Theatre was a movement away from proscenium theatres and costly productions. It relied on minimal props, open spaces, and direct contact with audiences, breaking away from institutional funding.

55. In which manner can Karnad's "Hayavadana" be read as a post colonial play?

Correct Answer: 2. It challenges colonial binaries of mind and body using indigenous myth.
Solution:

Karnad's Hayavadana is postcolonial in nature. It uses Indian myths to question the colonial divide between mind vs. body, asserting local storytelling forms while resisting Western dominance.

56. In the context of modern Indian theatre, how might the concept of 'Embodied memory' apply to Ratan Thiyam's use of Manipuri martial arts in his performances.

Correct Answer: 3. These perform a connection with ancestral knowledges and reassert collective cultural identity.
Solution:

Ratan Thiyam often integrates Manipuri martial arts (Thang-Ta) into his theatre. This is not just stylistic but a way of invoking ancestral embodied practices, carrying forward cultural memory and asserting a collective Manipuri identity.

57. The Hellenistic style of theatre belongs to:

Correct Answer: 4. Greek Theatre
Solution:

The Hellenistic style of theatre emerged after Alexander the Great's time (323 BCE) as part of Greek theatre. It expanded drama with more elaborate sets, emotional intensity, and use of spectacle compared to the earlier Classical period.

58. The mask and headgear, used by the actors in Greek Theatre was called______.

Correct Answer: 2. Onkos
Solution:

In Greek theatre, actors wore masks and special headgear to project character and emotions. The Onkos was a tall headpiece added to masks, increasing the actor's height and visibility, especially in large amphitheaters.

59. In medieval period, Commedia-del-arte, an Italian comedy was developed through______.

Correct Answer: 3. Stories based on improvisation
Solution:

Commedia dell'arte was a medieval Italian comic theatre tradition (16th century). It relied on improvised stories around stock characters like Harlequin, Pantalone, and Columbina, making it lively, flexible, and accessible to common people.

60. In proscenium theatre, there is a device attached to the side wall of the theatre in the backstage which is operated through pulleys to lowering down and lifting up the bars and curtains on the stage. This device is called:

Correct Answer: 4. Counterweight system
Solution:

In a proscenium theatre, scenery, curtains, and props are lifted or lowered using pulley systems.
This backstage mechanism is called the Counterweight system, which balances heavy loads with weights, ensuring smooth and safe stage changes.