UGC NET Indian Culture flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Formative assessment

Assessment conducted during instruction to diagnose learning gaps and adjust teaching. It is low-stakes and feedback-oriented, unlike summative assessment, which certifies final achievement at the end of a course.

Criterion-referenced test

A test that interprets a learner's score against a fixed standard or learning objective rather than against the performance of other test-takers. It answers whether a specific competency has been mastered.

Action research cycle

A practitioner-led inquiry cycle of planning, acting, observing and reflecting, repeated over successive rounds. Teachers use it to solve classroom problems and improve practice locally, not to build general theory.

Stratified random sampling

A probability sampling method in which the population is divided into homogeneous strata and random samples are drawn from each stratum. It improves representation of subgroups and permits statistical generalisation.

Reliability versus validity

Reliability is consistency of measurement across occasions or items; validity is whether the instrument measures the intended construct. A test can be reliable yet invalid, but a valid test must also be reliable.

Bloom's revised taxonomy

A hierarchy of cognitive objectives ordered Remember, Understand, Apply, Analyse, Evaluate, Create. Lower levels test recall and comprehension; higher levels demand transfer, judgement and original production.

Inductive versus deductive reasoning

Induction moves from specific observations to a general rule; deduction moves from a general premise to a specific conclusion. Induction is probabilistic, while valid deduction guarantees the conclusion if premises hold.

Communication noise

Any interference that distorts a message between sender and receiver, including physical noise, semantic ambiguity, psychological bias and channel overload. Noise reduces fidelity and is distinct from the message itself.

Research hypothesis

A testable, falsifiable statement predicting a relationship between variables. The null hypothesis states no relationship; rejecting it supports the alternative hypothesis but never proves it absolutely.

Descriptive versus inferential statistics

Descriptive statistics summarise a sample using measures like mean, median and standard deviation. Inferential statistics use sample data to estimate population parameters or test hypotheses, relying on probability distributions.

Probability versus non-probability sampling

Probability sampling gives every unit a known chance of selection, enabling generalisation. Non-probability sampling, such as purposive, quota or snowball sampling, relies on researcher judgement and limits inference.

Teaching maxim: concrete to abstract

A learner-centred principle holding that instruction should begin with tangible examples and move toward abstract concepts. It aligns with Piagetian progression and aids comprehension for novice learners.

Nagara temple style

North Indian temple architecture characterised by a curvilinear shikhara above the sanctum, an amalaka and kalasha finial, and typically no enclosed boundary wall with gopurams.

Dravida temple style

South Indian temple architecture with a pyramidal vimana over the sanctum, enclosed by a compound wall and entered through towering gopuram gateways. Examples include temples at Thanjavur and Madurai.

Vesara architecture

A hybrid temple style of the Deccan combining Nagara and Dravida features, associated with Chalukyan and Hoysala builders. Hoysala temples such as Belur and Halebidu show star-shaped plans and lathe-turned pillars.

Lion Capital, Sarnath

The polished sandstone Mauryan pillar capital showing four addorsed lions on an abacus with wheel and animal motifs. It was adopted as the State Emblem of India, with its abacus appearing on the national flag's dharma chakra.

Great Bath, Mohenjo-daro

A large brick-lined rectangular tank with steps at Mohenjo-daro, interpreted as a ritual or communal bathing structure. It demonstrates Harappan hydraulic engineering, drainage planning and standardised brick proportions.

Lothal dockyard

A Harappan site in Gujarat with a large trapezoidal basin interpreted as a tidal dockyard linking inland craft to the Gulf trade. It also yielded bead workshops and a warehouse platform.

Bharatanatyam

A classical dance form of Tamil Nadu, codified from the sadir tradition, featuring nritta, nritya and natya with a repertoire of alarippu, jatiswaram, varnam, padam and tillana.

Kathakali

A Kerala dance-drama known for elaborate green facial make-up, large headgear and codified hand gestures. It narrates episodes from the epics through mime and percussion-driven rhythm rather than spoken dialogue.

Odissi

A classical dance form of Odisha distinguished by the tribhanga posture, chowk stance, and sculpturesque poses echoing temple reliefs. Its repertoire includes mangalacharan, pallavi and abhinaya.

Sattriya dance

A classical dance tradition of Assam originating in Vaishnava satras, attributed to Srimanta Sankardeva. It combines devotional narrative, rhythmic footwork and distinctive costumes, and was recognised as classical in 2000.

Hindustani khayal

The dominant Hindustani vocal genre, presenting a raga through a slow or fast composition with improvised elaboration. It contrasts with dhrupad's austere structure and with thumri's lighter, romantic character.

Carnatic kriti

A devotional South Indian composition with pallavi, anupallavi and charanam sections, central to Carnatic concert repertoire. The Trinity of Tyagaraja, Muthuswami Dikshitar and Syama Sastri shaped the form.

Natyashastra

The ancient Sanskrit treatise on performance attributed to Bharata, codifying drama, dance, music, rasa theory and stagecraft. It describes the navarasa and the four abhinaya modes: angika, vachika, aharya and sattvika.

Rasa theory

The aesthetic theory that a spectator experiences rasa when a dominant emotion is evoked through performance. Bharata lists eight rasas; later writers add shanta as the ninth.

Kalidasa

A classical Sanskrit poet and dramatist, author of Abhijnanashakuntalam, Malavikagnimitram, Vikramorvashiyam and the poems Meghaduta and Raghuvamsha. He is associated with the Gupta period.

Ajanta caves

Buddhist rock-cut chaitya and vihara caves in Maharashtra famed for mural paintings depicting Jataka narratives. Their chronology spans roughly the second century BCE to the sixth century CE.

Ellora caves

A rock-cut complex in Maharashtra containing Buddhist, Hindu and Jain caves side by side. The Kailasa temple, a monolithic Shiva shrine carved top-down, is its best-known monument.

Mughal miniature painting

A court painting tradition emphasising naturalistic portraiture, fine detail and Persian-derived conventions, flourishing under Akbar, Jahangir and Shah Jahan. It often illustrated manuscripts and recorded court life.

Pahari painting

Painting schools of the Himalayan foothills, including Basohli and Kangra, known for lyrical Krishna themes, bold colour and delicate line. They flourished from the seventeenth to nineteenth centuries.

Harappan script

The undeciphered writing system of the Indus Valley Civilisation, found on seals and pottery. Its short inscriptions and boustrophedon direction remain unread, so Harappan language and administration are inferred archaeologically.