Q 01/05

Which extreme does the proverb 'Kaanam Vittum Onam Unnanam' say a Malayali should go to for the Onam lunch?

A) Sell one's property

B) Skip a year's wages

C) Walk barefoot to Thrikkakara

D) Fast for nine days

Answer · why

A) Sell one's property

The proverb tells Malayalis to sell one's property if that is what it takes: 'Kaanam Vittum Onam Unnanam' means one must have the Onam lunch even by s...

Q 02/05

What did King Mahabali offer for Vamana's third stride, after two strides had covered everything he ruled?

A) His crown

B) His throne

C) His head

D) His sword

Answer · why

C) His head

His head was the offering: asked where the third stride might fall, Mahabali accepted his fate, and Vishnu rewarded that humility by letting him revis...

Q 03/05

Vamana, the dwarf who tricked Mahabali out of his kingdom, is which numbered avatar in Vishnu's Dashavatara?

A) Third

B) Fifth

C) Seventh

D) Ninth

Answer · why

B) Fifth

Fifth in the Dashavatara, Vamana is the first avatar of the Treta Yuga, arriving right after the man-lion Narasimha; his name simply means 'dwarf'.

Q 04/05

Which animal do Pulikali's painted, belly-shaking dancers imitate on Thrissur's streets on the fourth Onam day?

A) Tiger

B) Elephant

C) Peacock

D) Bull

Answer · why

A) Tiger

Tiger stripes take five to seven hours to paint in two coats of tempera and enamel, and the dancers wear broad belts of jingles as they act out hunts ...

Q 05/05

Which creature lends its name to the chundan vallam, the racing boat over 100 feet long rowed in Onam's Vallam Kali?

A) Crocodile

B) Heron

C) Dragon

D) Snake

Answer · why

D) Snake

Snake boats earn the name from a stern that rises about 20 feet like a raised hood; at 100 to 138 feet they hold the record as the largest water vesse...