Comprehension: (Que No. 1 - 5) Read the following passage and answer the…
2023
Comprehension: (Que No. 1 - 5)
Read the following passage and answer the questions given below it.
In the seventh and eighth centuries CE, Islam spread towards Spain and India. Islam came to India, particularly, with Muslim merchants, traders, holy men and conquerors over a passage of six hundred years. Although by the eighth century CE, Muslims had begun to construct in Sindh, Gujarat, etc., it was only in the early thirteenth century that large-scale building activity was begun by the Turkish State, established after the Turkish conquest of northern India. A noteworthy aspect of these migrations and conquests was that Muslims absorbed many features of local cultures and traditions and combined them with their own architectural practices. Thus, in the field of architecture, a mix of many structural techniques, stylised shapes, and surface decorations came about through constant interventions of acceptance, rejection or modification of architectural elements. These architectural entities or categories showcasing multiple styles are known as Indo-Saracenic or Indo-Islamic architecture. According to E. B. Havell, Hindus conceived manifestations of god everywhere in multiple forms as part of their religious faith whereas a Muslim thought of only one with Muhammad as His Prophet. Hence, Hindus adorned all surfaces with sculptures and paintings. Muslims, forbidden to replicate living forms on any surface, developed their religious art and architecture consisting of the arts of arabesque, geometrical patterns and calligraphy on plaster and stone.
Question:
Which of the following can be the characteristics of Muslim architecture?
- A.
It is a mixture of various styles
- B.
It has geometric patterns, calligraphy and not living forms on its walls
- C.
It is a mixture of various styles, and it has geometric patterns and calligraphy without living forms on its walls
- D.
None of the above
Attempted by 1 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C
Concept: For a "which of the following can be the characteristics" comprehension question that bundles two claims into one option, treat each claim as a separate, checkable statement: confirm each one strictly against what the passage explicitly says, and only select a combined option when every claim it bundles is independently supported by the text.
Claim 1 — "a mixture of various styles": the passage states that Indo-Islamic architecture is "a mix of many structural techniques, stylised shapes, and surface decorations" and describes these entities as "showcasing multiple styles." This directly confirms claim 1.
Claim 2 — "geometric patterns, calligraphy and not living forms": the passage states Muslims were "forbidden to replicate living forms on any surface" and instead "developed their religious art and architecture consisting of the arts of arabesque, geometrical patterns and calligraphy on plaster and stone." This directly confirms claim 2.
Since both claims are independently confirmed by explicit statements in the passage, the option bundling both together is the one fully supported by the text.
Cross-check:
Choosing only the mixture-of-styles claim, or only the geometric-patterns claim, ignores that the passage supports both — either single claim alone is an incomplete reading of the paragraph.
Choosing "none of the above" is inconsistent with the passage, which explicitly names both characteristics in the same paragraph.