Q&A: practice questions with answers

Concept: The National Commission on Farmers (NCF) was set up on 18 November 2004.

1. It was chaired by Prof. M.S. Swaminathan, the father of India's Green Revolution.
2. It submitted five reports (2004–2006) and recommended MSP at least 50% above the weighted average cost of production (C2 + 50%).
3. Verghese Kurien is linked to the White Revolution, not the NCF.

Yaad rakhein: NCF = Swaminathan Commission (C2 + 50% MSP formula).

Answer: (A) MS Swaminathan

Concept: The ADB holds an Annual Meeting of its Board of Governors every year.

1. The 58th Annual Meeting of the ADB was held in Milan, Italy, on 4–7 May 2025.
2. India's Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman led the Indian delegation there.
3. The ADB is headquartered in Manila, Philippines.

Yaad rakhein: 58th ADB meet 2025 – Milan, Italy.

Answer: (C) Italy

Concept: India's official population projections come from the Technical Group on Population Projections under the National Commission on Population.

1. Its report projects India's population to reach about 152.2 crore, i.e., about 1.52 billion, by 2036.
2. This is up from about 121.1 crore in Census 2011.

Yaad rakhein: 2036 → 152 crore ≈ 1.52 billion.

Answer: (B) 1.52 billion

Concept: The Regulating Act of 1773 was the first step by the British Parliament to control the East India Company.

1. It made the Governor of Bengal the 'Governor-General of Bengal' (Warren Hastings was the first).
2. The Governors of Bombay and Madras were made subordinate to him and had to report to him regularly.
3. It also set up the Supreme Court at Calcutta (1774).

Yaad rakhein: 1773 = centralisation begins: Bombay and Madras under the Governor-General of Bengal.

Answer: (B) The Governor General

Concept: 'Gita Rahasya' (Shrimad Bhagavad Gita Rahasya) was written in Marathi in Mandalay jail.

1. Bal Gangadhar Tilak wrote it during his imprisonment in Mandalay (Burma), 1908–1914.
2. It interprets the Gita as a gospel of Karma Yoga (selfless action).
3. Gandhi wrote 'Anasakti Yoga' on the Gita – a common confusion.

Yaad rakhein: Tilak + Mandalay jail = Gita Rahasya.

Answer: (B) Bal Gangadhar Tilak

Concept: The Meissner effect is the complete expulsion of a magnetic field from a material when it becomes a superconductor.

1. Below the critical temperature, a superconductor has zero resistance and behaves as a perfect diamagnet.
2. Magnetic field lines are pushed out – this lets magnets levitate over superconductors (used in maglev ideas).
3. Ferromagnetic and paramagnetic materials attract field lines instead.

Yaad rakhein: Meissner = magnet floats over a superconductor (perfect diamagnetism).

Answer: (D) Superconducting state

Concept: The 82nd Golden Globe Awards were held on 5 January 2025.

1. 'Emilia Pérez' (France, directed by Jacques Audiard) won Best Motion Picture – Non-English Language.
2. India's 'All We Imagine as Light' (Payal Kapadia) was nominated in this category but did not win.
3. 'I'm Still Here' later won the Oscar for Best International Feature.

Yaad rakhein: Golden Globe 2025 non-English film: Emilia Pérez (beat India's 'All We Imagine as Light').

Answer: (C) Emilia Pérez

Concept: Dr B.R. Ambedkar died on 6 December 1956.

1. His death anniversary, 6 December, is observed every year as Mahaparinirvan Diwas.
2. On 6 December 2024 the nation paid tribute to his role in social justice and framing the Constitution.
3. Constitution Day is 26 November; Ambedkar Jayanti is 14 April.

Yaad rakhein: 6 Dec = Mahaparinirvan Diwas; 14 April = Ambedkar Jayanti.

Answer: (A) Mahaparinirvan Diwas

Concept: Sharda Sinha (1952–2024) was a folk singer from Bihar, called the 'Bihar Kokila'.

1. She sang mainly in Maithili and Bhojpuri (also Magahi); her Chhath songs are hugely popular.
2. She received the Padma Vibhushan posthumously in 2025 (Padma Shri 1991, Padma Bhushan 2018).

Yaad rakhein: Bihar Kokila → Chhath geet → Bhojpuri & Maithili.

Answer: (A) Bhojpuri and Maithili

Concept: The 'safety valve' theory says the Congress was created to give a harmless outlet to growing Indian discontent.

1. A.O. Hume, a retired British civil servant, founded the INC in 1885; the theory is associated with him.
2. W.C. Bonnerjee was its first president (Bombay, 1885); Lord Dufferin was the Viceroy then.

Yaad rakhein: Safety valve → Hume; first president → W.C. Bonnerjee.

Answer: (A) AO Hume

Concept: An indirect tax is collected from one person (seller) but its burden is passed on to another (consumer).

1. GST, introduced on 1 July 2017, is levied on the supply of goods and services and paid finally by the consumer – an indirect tax.
2. Capital gains tax and corporate tax are direct taxes on income/profits.

Yaad rakhein: Burden shifts to the buyer → indirect (GST, customs).

Answer: (D) Goods and Services Tax

Concept: AIKEYME stands for Africa-India Key Maritime Engagement.

1. Its first edition was held in 2025 at Dar es Salaam, co-hosted by the Indian Navy and Tanzania, with several African navies taking part.
2. It focuses on maritime security, piracy and information sharing in the Indian Ocean.
3. MILAN is a multilateral exercise; VARUNA is with France; IONS is a symposium.

Yaad rakhein: AIKEYME = Africa + India; 'Aikyam' means unity.

Answer: (B) Africa-India Key Maritime Engagement

Concept: The Shakas (Scythians) were nomadic tribes of the Central Asian steppes.

1. Pushed by the Yuezhi, they moved through Bactria and Parthia into north-west India around the 2nd–1st century BCE.
2. Famous Shaka ruler: Rudradaman I (Junagadh inscription).
3. The Shaka era (78 CE) is used in the Indian national calendar.

Yaad rakhein: Shakas, Kushanas, Hunas – all came from Central Asia.

Answer: (B) Central Asia

Concept: Manual character formatting (bold, italic, font size, etc.) can be cleared with one shortcut.

1. Ctrl + Spacebar removes manual character formatting from the selected text.
2. Ctrl + Z = Undo; Ctrl + B = Bold; Ctrl + Shift + N applies the Normal paragraph style.

Yaad rakhein: Ctrl + Space = clear character format; Ctrl + Q = clear paragraph format.

Answer: (D) Ctrl + Spacebar

Concept: The bearded man ('Priest-King') sculpture was found at Mohenjo-daro.

1. It is carved from steatite (soapstone) – a stone.
2. He wears a trefoil-patterned shawl over the left shoulder.
3. The 'Dancing Girl' from Mohenjo-daro is the famous bronze figure – a common confusion.

Yaad rakhein: Priest-King = stone (steatite); Dancing Girl = bronze.

Answer: (D) Stone

Concept: 'Deleting' to the Recycle Bin/Trash is only a move, not a real erase.

1. The file is moved to a special hidden folder (Recycle Bin/Trash) and its directory entry is updated.
2. Its data stays on the disk, so it can be restored until the bin is emptied.
3. Even after emptying, space is only marked free – data is not overwritten at once.

Yaad rakhein: Recycle Bin = a waiting room; Shift + Delete skips it.

Answer: (D) The file is moved to a special directory, and its directory entry is updated, but the data remains on the storage device.

Concept: The Himalayas have three parallel ranges: Himadri (Greater), Himachal (Lesser) and Shiwalik (Outer).

1. Himadri is the northernmost and the most continuous range, average height about 6,000 m.
2. It contains the loftiest peaks – Mount Everest, Kanchenjunga, Nanga Parbat.
3. Shiwalik is the southernmost and lowest; Purvachal are the eastern hills.

Yaad rakhein: North to south: Himadri → Himachal → Shiwalik (height decreases).

Answer: (D) Himadri

Concept: Article 37 states how the Directive Principles (Part IV) are to be applied.

1. Art. 37: DPSPs are not enforceable by any court, yet they are fundamental in the governance of the country.
2. It makes it the duty of the State to apply these principles in making laws.
3. Art. 36 only defines 'State'; Arts. 38 and 39 are specific principles (welfare state, equal livelihood etc.).

Yaad rakhein: Part IV: 36 = definition, 37 = application, 38–51 = actual principles.

Answer: (D) Article 37

Concept: Gupta succession: Chandragupta I → Samudragupta → (Ramagupta) → Chandragupta II → Kumaragupta I → Skandagupta.

1. Chandragupta II (Vikramaditya) was succeeded by his son Kumaragupta I (c. 415–455 CE), who founded Nalanda Mahavihara.
2. Skandagupta was Kumaragupta I's son; Samudragupta was Chandragupta II's father; Ramagupta was his elder brother.

Yaad rakhein: 'Kumar' = son → Kumaragupta is the son of Chandragupta II.

Answer: (B) Kumaragupta I

Concept: Australia elects its federal Parliament every ~3 years.

1. Australia's federal election on 3 May 2025 elected the 48th Parliament of Australia.
2. Labor Party under Anthony Albanese won and he continued as Prime Minister.
3. Canada voted on 28 April 2025 (45th Parliament).

Yaad rakhein: 3 May 2025 – Albanese – Australia – 48th Parliament.

Answer: (B) Australia