Q&A: practice questions with answers

Concept: The Shri S Ramakrishnan Centre of Excellence in Fluid and Thermal Science Research at IIT Madras is an ISRO-supported centre.

1. It was inaugurated in 2025 by ISRO Chairman Dr. V. Narayanan.
2. The centre, set up with ISRO funding, works on thermal management of spacecraft and launch vehicles.
3. It is named after S. Ramakrishnan, former Director of VSSC.

Yaad rakhein: Space-related centre → ISRO head (Dr. V. Narayanan, Chairman since January 2025).

Answer: (A) ISRO Chairman

Concept: Localised (micro) irrigation delivers water through a network of pipes at low pressure directly to the root zone of each plant.

1. Drip and micro-sprinkler systems are the main types of localised irrigation; they save water and suit dry areas.
2. Furrow irrigation lets water flow in channels between crop rows; canal and tubewell irrigation are water sources, not plant-wise delivery.

Yaad rakhein: Pipes + low pressure + each plant = localised (drip) irrigation.

Answer: (C) localised irrigation

Concept: The National Development Council (NDC), set up in 1952, approves Five-Year Plans and guides national policies.

1. In 1958 the NDC recommended a National Policy on Co-operatives, along with training of co-operative personnel and setting up of co-operative marketing societies.
2. This came during the Second Five-Year Plan (1956–61), which stressed co-operative development.

Yaad rakhein: NDC 1952 → co-operative policy recommendation 1958.

Answer: (A) 1958

Concept: Rudradaman I (c. 130–150 CE) was the greatest ruler of the Kardamaka line of the Western Kshatrapas (Shakas).

1. His Junagadh (Girnar) Rock Inscription of 150 CE records the repair of the Sudarshana Lake in Saurashtra (Kathiawar).
2. The lake was built under Chandragupta Maurya; it was later repaired again by Skandagupta.
3. Nahapana belonged to the Kshaharata line; Azes and Maues were Indo-Scythian kings of the north-west.

Yaad rakhein: Sudarshana Lake: built – Chandragupta Maurya; repaired – Rudradaman I, then Skandagupta.

Answer: (A) Rudradaman I

Concept: The Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) under UNEP is drafting a legally binding global treaty to end plastic pollution.

1. INC-5 was held in Busan, South Korea, from 25 November to 1 December 2024.
2. Earlier sessions: INC-1 Punta del Este, INC-2 Paris, INC-3 Nairobi, INC-4 Ottawa. Nairobi (option C) hosted INC-3, not INC-5.

Yaad rakhein: INC order: Uruguay → Paris → Nairobi → Ottawa → Busan.

Answer: (B) Busan, South Korea

Concept: The RBI Governor is appointed by the Central Government under the RBI Act, 1934.

1. Sanjay Malhotra, an IAS officer of the 1990 Rajasthan cadre and former Revenue Secretary, became the 26th RBI Governor on 11 December 2024.
2. He succeeded Shaktikanta Das (25th Governor). Gyanesh Kumar became Chief Election Commissioner; Tuhin Kanta Pandey became SEBI chief in 2025.

Yaad rakhein: 25th – Shaktikanta Das, 26th – Sanjay Malhotra (Dec 2024).

Answer: (D) Sanjay Malhotra

Concept: Bacteria in the mouth break down food particles and produce acids; when mouth pH falls below about 5.5, tooth enamel (calcium hydroxyapatite) starts to corrode.

1. Toothpastes are generally basic (mildly alkaline).
2. The base neutralises the excess acid and prevents tooth decay — an everyday example of neutralisation.

Yaad rakhein: Acid in mouth + base in toothpaste → neutralisation (NCERT Class 10, Acids, Bases and Salts).

Answer: (A) Bases

Concept: Metadata means “data about data”.

1. In a file system, metadata records details about files and directories: name, size, creation/modification timestamps, owner and access permissions, and location on disk.
2. The actual content of the file is the data itself (option C), not metadata.

Yaad rakhein: Metadata describes the file; it is not the file.

Answer: (D) To record information about the files and directories, such as their names, sizes, timestamps and permissions

Concept: The Booker Prize is awarded each year for the best English-language novel published in the UK or Ireland.

1. The 2024 Booker Prize went to British author Samantha Harvey for Orbital, which follows six astronauts aboard the International Space Station during one day of 16 orbits of Earth.
2. Douglas Stuart won in 2020 for Shuggie Bain; Sally Rooney and Colson Whitehead have not won the Booker.

Yaad rakhein: 2024 Booker – Orbital (Samantha Harvey); 2023 – Prophet Song (Paul Lynch).

Answer: (C) Samantha Harvey

Concept: After the BJP won the October 2024 Haryana Assembly election (48 of 90 seats), Nayab Singh Saini took oath again.

1. He was sworn in as Chief Minister of Haryana for a second term on 17 October 2024 at Panchkula.
2. He had first become CM in March 2024, replacing Manohar Lal Khattar.

Yaad rakhein: Saini – Haryana; first term March 2024, second term October 2024.

Answer: (A) Haryana

Concept: The Union Council of Ministers has three ranks: Cabinet Ministers, Ministers of State and Deputy Ministers.

1. Ministers of State are usually attached to Cabinet Ministers and handle parts of their ministries — a secondary rank within those portfolios.
2. Some Ministers of State hold independent charge, but they are still not Cabinet members and do not attend Cabinet meetings unless invited, so they are not equal to Cabinet Ministers.

Yaad rakhein: Cabinet Minister > Minister of State (Independent Charge) > Minister of State > Deputy Minister.

Answer: (B) secondary rank within the portfolios assigned to Cabinet Ministers

Concept: In Gorakhnath Sharma vs. State of Chhattisgarh (February 2025), the Chhattisgarh High Court applied Exception 2 to Section 375 IPC (marital rape exception).

1. The trial court had convicted the husband of rape, unnatural offence and culpable homicide; the High Court set this conviction aside and acquitted him.
2. It held that sexual acts by a husband with his wife (not below 15 years) are not rape, so her consent was immaterial in law.
3. Hence the statement that the High Court convicted him and awarded maximum punishment (statement 2) is wrong; only statement 1, describing the acquittal, is correct.

Yaad rakhein: Feb 2025, Chhattisgarh HC: husband acquitted under the marital rape exception.

Answer: (D) Only 1

Concept: In MS Office 2019 programs, file-level commands are in the File tab (Backstage view).

1. File tab → Open lets you browse and load a saved presentation (shortcut Ctrl + O).
2. Insert, Design and Home tabs deal with slide content and formatting, not opening files.

Yaad rakhein: New, Open, Save, Save As, Print, Share, Export — all under File.

Answer: (A) File tab

Concept: During the Quit India Movement (1942), people set up parallel (national) governments in some areas, replacing British authority.

1. Satara (Maharashtra) had the Prati Sarkar led by Nana Patil and Y. B. Chavan, which functioned from 1943 to 1946 — the most organised and longest-lasting parallel government.
2. Ballia (U.P., August 1942, Chittu Pandey) and Tamluk (Midnapore, Jatiya Sarkar) also had parallel governments; Ballia’s lasted only about a week.

Yaad rakhein: Three parallel governments: Ballia (shortest), Tamluk, Satara (longest, “Prati Sarkar”).

Answer: (D) Satara

Concept: The Southeast Asian (SEA) Games are a biennial multi-sport event of the Southeast Asian nations.

1. The 33rd SEA Games (2025) were scheduled in Thailand, with Bangkok and Chonburi among the host cities, in December 2025.
2. Cambodia hosted the 2023 Games; Vietnam hosted in 2021 (held 2022).

Yaad rakhein: 2021 Vietnam → 2023 Cambodia → 2025 Thailand.

Answer: (D) Thailand

Concept: The Data Governance Quality Index (DGQI) is assessed by DMEO (NITI Aayog) to rate how well ministries and their schemes manage administrative data.

1. For 2023-24, within the Department of Rural Development, the National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP) received the highest DGQI score.
2. NSAP provides social pensions to the elderly, widows and persons with disabilities from BPL households.

Yaad rakhein: DGQI = NITI Aayog (DMEO); DoRD 2023-24 topper = NSAP.

Answer: (A) National Social Assistance Programme

Concept: The Meghalaya Plateau is an extension of the Peninsular plateau, separated from the Chota Nagpur plateau by the Malda gap.

1. From west to east it is divided into the Garo Hills, Khasi Hills and Jaintia Hills, named after the tribes living there.
2. The Mikir (Karbi Anglong) Hills lie in Assam — an extension of the same block, but not a subdivision of the Meghalaya Plateau.

Yaad rakhein: Meghalaya west → east: G-K-J (Garo, Khasi, Jaintia).

Answer: (D) Mikir Hills

Concept: Results of the Delhi Legislative Assembly election were declared on 8 February 2025 (70 seats; majority 36).

1. The BJP won 48 seats and AAP 22; the Congress won none.
2. It was the BJP’s first win in Delhi after 27 years (its last government was in 1993–98). Rekha Gupta became Chief Minister.

Yaad rakhein: 1998 → 2025 = 27 years; BJP 48, AAP 22.

Answer: (C) After 27 years, securing 48 seats

Concept: Mendeleev (1869) arranged elements in increasing order of atomic mass so that elements with similar properties fell together.

1. Elements with similar chemical properties were placed in the same vertical column, called a group.
2. Horizontal rows (periods) contain elements with gradually changing properties.

Yaad rakhein: Group = vertical column = similar properties; period = horizontal row.

Answer: (A) Vertical column

Concept: Angles on a straight line add to ${180}^{\circ }$, and the angles of a triangle add to ${180}^{\circ }$.

1. P–E–F lie on one line, so $\angle BEF={180}^{\circ }-{49}^{\circ }={131}^{\circ }$.
2. $\angle GEF=\angle BEF-\angle BEG={131}^{\circ }-{35}^{\circ }={96}^{\circ }$.
3. In $△EGF$: $\angle EGF={180}^{\circ }-{96}^{\circ }-{16}^{\circ }={68}^{\circ }$.

Trick: First find the angle of the triangle at E using the straight line PQ; then one triangle-sum finishes it.

Answer: (D) ${68}^{\circ }$