The CUET UG Knowledge Tradition and Practices of India test (code 316) has 50 multiple-choice questions in 60 minutes, +5 for a right answer, -1 for a wrong one, 0 if left out. NTA sets it on the Class 12 syllabus (NCERT) of the subject. Every unit of the official syllabus PDF is below with its topics (8 units, 10 topics).
CUET UG Knowledge Tradition and Practices of India at a glance
| Paper code | 316 |
|---|---|
| Group | Section II: Domain subjects |
| Questions | 50, all compulsory |
| Marks | 250 (5 per question) |
| Duration | 60 minutes |
| Marking | +5 for a right answer, -1 for a wrong one, 0 if left out |
| Medium | 13 languages: English, Hindi, Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu |
| Based on | The Class 12 syllabus (NCERT) of the subject |
| Official syllabus PDF | Download the official PDFPDF |
CUET UG Knowledge Tradition and Practices of India syllabus: units and topics
Unit 1 Agriculture: A Survey
Agriculture in Prehistory and Protohistory/ Textual Sources/ Types of Lands/ Rain-Fed and Irrigated Crops/ Implements/ Seed and Sowing/ Manures/ Pests and Their Management/ Cattle Management/ Horticulture and Arboriculture/ Fishing/ Agriculture and Society Agricultural Heritage: Excerpts from Primary Texts Rigveda,
Unit 2 Architecture: A Survey
- Early and Classical Architecture Temple Architecture/ Rock-Cut Structures/ Monolithic Temples/ Constructed Temples/ Public and Private Architecture Architecture: Excerpts from Primary Texts Architecture: A Survey
- Medieval & Colonial Architecture Fort and Palace Architecture/ Mosques/ Mausoleums/ Colonial Architecture
Unit 3 Dance: A Survey
Classical Dance Forms Classical Period/ Middle Period/ Modern Period/ Classical Dance Forms/ Bharatanatyam/ Kathakali/ Kathak/ Kuchipudi/ Manipuri/ Odissi/ Sattriya Primary Texts on Dance in India : A Selection Dance : A Survey
Folk Dance Forms Chau/ Bihu/ Rauf/ Padayani/ DolluKunitha/ Dandiya/ Ghumar/ Kalbelia/ Chaufla/ Bhangra/Giddha/ Garba/ Lavani/ Bamboo Dance
Unit 4 Education Systems and Practices: A Survey
Goals of Indian Education/ Teaching and Learning/The Teacher and the Student/ Centres of Education/ Temples as First Schools/ Gurukulas/ Viharas and Universities/Community-Supported Education/ The Continuing System Primary Texts on Education in India: A Selection Two Types of Knowledge and the Right Pupil/ Mere Intellectual Knowledge Is Not Enough/The Link between Teacher and Pupil/ Teachers Invite Students to come to Them/Controlling the Mind and the Senses: the Goal of Indian Education/ Teacher’s Directives to Students on their Completion of Study/ W h a t is a Useful Life?/Hsüan-tsang’s (Xuanzang) Impressions of Indian Education/ Hsüan-tsang’s (XuanZang) Description of Nalanda University Narratives of Indian Education in the 17th, 18th and 19th Centuries An Italian Explorer’s Record of Indian Education in the 17th Century/ A Description of Indian Education in the 18th Century/ The Teacher’s Subsistence/ Respect for the Teacher/Physical Education and Sports/ Description of the University at Navadveep (Nuddeah) in Bengal in 1791/ Love of Learning and Support for Education among Indians/ A W - idespread Colonial Network of Indigenous Schools
Unit 5 Indian Ethics: Individual and Social
The Cosmic Order/ Buddhist Ethics/ Jain Ethics/ Sikh Ethics/The Bhakti Movement Primary Texts on Ethics: Individual and Social: A Selection From Jain Granthas/ From Buddhist Granthas/ From Asoka’s Edicts/ From the Kural (tr P.S. Sundaram)
Unit 6 Martial Arts Traditions:A Survey
- Texts/ Practice of Martial Arts/ Stick Combat/ Kalarippayattu Martial Arts Traditions: A Selection from Primary Texts Wrestling in the Mahabharata/ Mallapurana/ Marmasastram
Unit 7 Language and Grammar
Languages of India/ Study of Language in India/ Disciplines of Language Studies in India/ Classification of Speech-Sounds/ Theory of Grammar/ Chanda (Prosody) Primary Texts on Language: A Selection Reflections on Language from Vedic Sources, Phonetics Paniniya siksha (tr. & ed., Manomohan Ghosh), Nirukta (Etymology), The Nighantu and the Nirukta of SriYaskacharya (tr. Ed., Lakshman Sarup) Patañjali’s Mahabhasya (adapted from S.N. Dasgupta’s translation) Grammar, Language and Knowledge Bhartṛhari’s Vakyapadiya, Brahmakanda, (tr. K. A. Subramania Iyer)
Unit 8 Other Technologies: A Survey
Harappan Technologies/ Later Pottery/ Glass/ Water Management/ Textile Technology/ Writing Technology/ Pyrotechnics/ Cosmetics and Perfumes Other Technologies: A Selection from Primary Texts Gemmology/ Water Management/ Textiles and Garments/ Cosmetics and Perfumes
Read from the official PDF on 9 November 2026 · Official syllabus PDF · NTA
CUET UG Knowledge Tradition and Practices of India: Previous year question papers
NTA has not published a CUET UG question paper of Knowledge Tradition and Practices of India as a PDF yet. The final answer keys of every year, and the papers of the subjects NTA did publish, are on the CUET UG question papers page.
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