Q 01/05

Valmiki, the traditional author of the Ramayana, is revered by the title Adi Kavi, meaning what?

A) The first poet

B) The wandering poet

C) The divine poet

D) The royal poet

Answer · why

A) The first poet

Legend says he got his name from the anthill (valmika) that grew over him during years of penance.

Q 02/05

Rama is regarded as which avatar of the god Vishnu?

A) The third

B) The fifth

C) The ninth

D) The seventh

Answer · why

D) The seventh

Vishnu chose to be born as a mortal specifically to defeat the demon king Ravana, whom the gods could not touch.

Q 03/05

Roughly how many shlokas, or couplet verses, does Valmiki's Ramayana contain?

A) About 6,000

B) About 24,000

C) About 12,000

D) About 100,000

Answer · why

B) About 24,000

They are divided into seven kandas and about 500 sargas, making it one of the longest epic poems ever written.

Q 04/05

Into how many kandas, or books, is the Ramayana divided?

A) Four

B) Seven

C) Ten

D) Eighteen

Answer · why

B) Seven

Scholars regard books two to six as the oldest, with the Bala Kanda and Uttara Kanda considered later additions.

Q 05/05

What does the name Ramayana literally mean?

A) Rama's journey

B) Rama's law

C) Rama's victory

D) Rama's kingdom

Answer · why

A) Rama's journey

It joins Rama with ayana, "travel", by an internal sandhi that lengthens the shared vowel.