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Q55 (IAS/2021) History & Culture › Culture, Literature, Religion & Philosophy › Indian language families Official Key

With reference to India, the terms 'Halbi, Ho and Kui' pertain to

Result
Your answer: —  ·  Correct: D
Explanation

The correct answer is Option 4: tribal languages.

India is home to a diverse array of ethno-linguistic groups, particularly among its Scheduled Tribes. The terms mentioned in the question represent specific tribal languages spoken across different regions:

  • Halbi: An Indo-Aryan language spoken primarily by the Halba tribe in the Bastar region of Chhattisgarh, Odisha, and Maharashtra. It often serves as a lingua franca in these tribal belts.
  • Ho: A Munda language spoken by the Ho tribal community, concentrated mainly in the Singhbhum district of Jharkhand and parts of Odisha and West Bengal.
  • Kui: A South-Central Dravidian language spoken by the Kandha (Khond) tribe, primarily residing in the hilly regions of Odisha.

Options 1, 2, and 3 are incorrect because these terms do not refer to regional dance forms, musical instruments, or archaeological cave painting sites. Therefore, they are classified exclusively as tribal languages.

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Don’t just practise – reverse-engineer the question. This panel shows where this PYQ came from (books / web), how the examiner broke it into hidden statements, and which nearby micro-concepts you were supposed to learn from it. Treat it like an autopsy of the question: what might have triggered it, which exact lines in the book matter, and what linked ideas you should carry forward to future questions.
Q. With reference to India, the terms 'Halbi, Ho and Kui' pertain to [A] dance forms of Northwest India [B] musical instruments [C] pre-h…
At a glance
Origin: Mostly Current Affairs Fairness: Low / Borderline fairness Books / CA: 0/10 · 7.5/10
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This question rewards 'connected reading'. You could solve it via Modern History (Ho Uprising), Geography (Tribal demographics), or Current Affairs (Language preservation). It proves that static syllabus facts (like the Ho Revolt) are not just dates—they are cultural markers.

How this question is built

This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.

Statement 1
In India, Halbi, Ho and Kui are dance forms of Northwest India.
Origin: Weak / unclear Fairness: Borderline / guessy
Indirect textbook clues
Geography of India ,Majid Husain, (McGrawHill 9th ed.) > Chapter 13: Cultural Setting > 2. Bihar, Jharkhand, and West Bengal > p. 25
Strength: 5/5
“Asur, Birja, Birhor, Bhuiya, Gond, Ho, Khaira, Maler, Malpaharia, Munda, Oraon, Pakiha Pantaram, and Santhal.”
Why relevant

Lists the Ho among tribal groups in the section 'Bihar, Jharkhand, and West Bengal', placing the Ho culturally/geographically in eastern India rather than northwest.

How to extend

A student could use this tribal-location hint plus a map to infer that Ho-associated dances are more likely eastern (Jharkhand region) than northwestern.

Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 6: People’s Resistance Against British Before 1857 > Ho and Munda Uprisings (1820-1837) > p. 157
Strength: 5/5
“The Raja of Parahat organised his Ho tribals to revolt against the occupation of Singhbhum (now in Jharkhand). The revolt continued till 1827 when the Ho tribals were forced to submit. However, later in 1831, they again organised a rebellion, joined by the Mundas of Chotanagpur, to protest against the newly introduced farming revenue policy and the entry of Bengalis into their region. Though the revolt was extinguished in 1832, the Ho operations continued till 1837. Nor were the Mundas to be quiet for long. [In 1899-1900, the Mundas in the region south of Ranchi rose under Birsa Munda. The Ulgulan was one of the most significant tribal uprisings in the period 1860-1920.”
Why relevant

Discusses the Ho tribal uprisings in Singhbhum (now in Jharkhand), reinforcing the Ho people's historical presence in eastern India.

How to extend

Combine this historical location with regional cultural maps to challenge the claim that Ho dance is from northwest India.

Geography of India ,Majid Husain, (McGrawHill 9th ed.) > Chapter 13: Cultural Setting > Fig. 13.16 Christian Population (2011) > p. 62
Strength: 4/5
“It is the Hindi Heartland with dominance of Hindu religion. In western Uttar Pradesh and in urban centres, Muslims consititute a significant minority. Sikhs and Christians are also sprinkled, mainly in the urban areas like Delhi, Kanpur, Lucknow, Varanasi, Meerut, Agra, and Allahabad etc.• 6. The Mixed Cultural Region of North East India: Stretching across the states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Tripura, it is a region of mixed culture in which there are areas of dominance of Hindus, Christians, Muslims and Tribal religion. There is a great diversity in the languages, religion, customs, folk-dances, music, and folk medicine.• 7.”
Why relevant

Explains that India can be divided into cultural regions based on language, religion, and customs (including folk-dances), implying dances are regionally situated.

How to extend

Use this rule to check which cultural region (northwest vs. east/central/south) Halbi, Ho and Kui belong to by locating their languages/tribes on the cultural-region map.

Geography of India ,Majid Husain, (McGrawHill 9th ed.) > Chapter 13: Cultural Setting > Fig. 13.16 Christian Population (2011) > p. 59
Strength: 4/5
“customs (folk dance, folk lore, folk medicine, etc.) are also important indicators. Cultural regions of India based on Language, Religion and Customs: The cultural regions of India based on language, religion, and traditions have been plotted in (Fig. 13.20). It may be seen from (Fig. 13.20) that on the basis of language, religion, customs, and traditions, India may be divided into the following ten cultural regions: • 1. The Ladakhi-Buddhist Cultural Region• 2. The Kashmiri-Muslim Cultural Region• 3. The Sikh-Gurumukhi Cultural Region• 4. The Kinnauri-Dev-Bhumi Cultural Region (Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand)• 5. The Hindu-Hindi Cultural Region• 6. The Mixed Cultural Region of north east India• 7.”
Why relevant

Mentions that customs (folk dance, folk lore) are important indicators of cultural regions, supporting the method of mapping dances to regions.

How to extend

A student could map each named dance/tribe to the cultural-region list to see if they fall in northwest India.

INDIA PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT, Geography Class XI (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 2: Structure and Physiography > The Peninsular Plateau > p. 12
Strength: 3/5
“Rising from the height of 150 m above the river plains up to an elevation of 600-900 m is the irregular triangle known as the Peninsular plateau. Delhi ridge in the northwest, (extension of Aravalis), the Rajmahal hills in the east, Gir range in the west and the Cardamom hills in the south constitute the outer extent of the Peninsular plateau. However, an extension of this is also seen in the northeast, in the form of Shillong and Karbi-Anglong plateau. The Peninsular India is made up of a series of patland plateaus such as the Hazaribagh plateau, the Palamu plateau, the Ranchi plateau, the Malwa plateau, the Coimbatore plateau and the Karnataka plateau, etc.”
Why relevant

Describes the Peninsular plateau and names plateaus like Ranchi and Hazaribagh (Jharkhand), offering geographic anchors for tribal groups mentioned elsewhere.

How to extend

Cross-reference these geographic anchors with tribal locations (e.g., Ho in Singhbhum/Ranchi area) on a map to argue against a northwest origin.

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Statement analysis

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Statement analysis

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