Q&A: practice questions with answers

Concept: Direct passenger flights between India and China stopped in early 2020.

1. Flights were halted with the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and stayed suspended after the Galwan clash (June 2020).
2. In 2025 the two countries agreed to resume them as part of normalising ties (75 years of diplomatic relations).

Yaad rakhein: COVID + Galwan → both in 2020.

Answer: (A) 2020

Concept: The kernel is the core of an operating system that stays in memory and controls the hardware directly.

1. Applications request hardware services from the kernel through system calls.
2. It handles process scheduling, memory management and device drivers.
3. The GUI/shell and utility programs sit above the kernel – they are not the kernel.

Yaad rakhein: Kernel = core / bridge between software and hardware; Shell = interface between user and kernel.

Answer: (B) Acting as the core interface between applications and the system hardware

Concept: Held is a novel by Canadian poet-novelist Anne Michaels.

1. Held was on the Booker Prize 2024 shortlist.
2. The 2024 Booker was won by Samantha Harvey for Orbital.
3. J K Rowling, Rick Riordan and Sarah J Maas are known for fantasy series (Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, ACOTAR).

Yaad rakhein: Booker 2024 → Winner: Orbital (Samantha Harvey); shortlist included Held (Anne Michaels).

Answer: (A) Anne Michaels

Concept: The Indian People's Theatre Association (IPTA) was founded in 1943 in Bombay as the cultural wing linked to the left movement.

1. It used street plays, songs and drama to protest against colonial rule, the Bengal Famine (1943) and social injustice.
2. Famous works: Bijon Bhattacharya's Nabanna; artists like Prithviraj Kapoor, Balraj Sahni were associated.
3. It did not support British policies or focus on classical dance.

Yaad rakhein: IPTA slogan: "People's theatre stars the people" – art as protest.

Answer: (D) Expressed dissent through art

Concept: In February 2025 ISRO (with CMTI, Bengaluru) developed a 10-tonne vertical planetary mixer.

1. It is used to mix solid propellant slurry for solid rocket motors in large batches.
2. This makes solid rocket motor manufacturing more efficient, uniform and safer, and cuts import dependence.

Yaad rakhein: Mixer → propellant mixing → solid rocket motors.

Answer: (A) To enhance the efficiency and safety of solid rocket motor manufacturing

Concept: The Bay of Bengal Programme Inter-Governmental Organisation (BOBP-IGO) promotes sustainable fisheries; its members are India, Bangladesh, Maldives and Sri Lanka.

1. Its 13th Governing Council Meeting was held in Malé, Maldives (February 2025).
2. India took over the chairmanship of BOBP-IGO at this meeting.
3. The secretariat of BOBP-IGO is in Chennai – a tempting wrong option.

Yaad rakhein: Headquarters Chennai ≠ venue; 13th meet venue = Malé.

Answer: (A) Male, Maldives

Concept: The Sixth Schedule deals with the administration of tribal areas in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram through Autonomous District and Regional Councils.

1. These councils can make laws on land, forests, village administration, etc.
2. They can constitute village councils or courts to try suits and cases between Scheduled Tribes.
3. The Fifth Schedule covers Scheduled Areas of other states but does not provide such councils' courts.

Yaad rakhein: Sixth = North-East (AMTM) tribal autonomy with own courts.

Answer: (A) Sixth Schedule

Concept: In the GNOME desktop, Alt + F2 opens the "Run a Command" dialog.

1. You can type a command (e.g. gedit, or r to restart the shell in GNOME on X11) and run it directly.
2. Closing an application is Alt + F4; full-screen toggle is usually F11.

Yaad rakhein: Alt + F2 = Run; Alt + F4 = Close.

Answer: (D) Opens the Run Command dialog box

Concept: The Mahanadi is an independent peninsular river that drains directly into the Bay of Bengal.

1. It rises near Sihawa (Chhattisgarh), flows through Odisha and forms a delta near Cuttack before meeting the Bay of Bengal.
2. Gomti, Ghaghara and Kosi are all tributaries of the Ganga.

Yaad rakhein: Ganga tributaries from the north: Gomti, Ghaghara, Gandak, Kosi; Mahanadi is peninsular.

Answer: (D) Mahanadi

Concept: Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan (NYKS), under the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, runs youth development and skill programmes in rural districts.

1. As reported by the Ministry in February 2025, 28,275 youth had been trained in vocational skills under NYKS initiatives.
2. NYKS, set up in 1972, is one of the largest youth organisations in the world.

Yaad rakhein: NYKS → Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports; skill-trained youth (Feb 2025) = 28,275.

Answer: (B) 28,275

Concept: Humayun lost his kingdom to Sher Shah Suri after the battles of Chausa (1539) and Kannauj (1540).

1. After Sher Shah's death, the Sur empire weakened under his successors.
2. Humayun, with Persian help, won the Battle of Sirhind (1555) against Sikandar Shah Suri and recaptured Delhi.
3. This ended the Sur (Second Afghan) Empire and restored Mughal rule.

Yaad rakhein: Humayun: lost 1540 → regained 1555 → died 1556 (fall from library stairs).

Answer: (D) Humayun

Concept: The ICA Global Cooperative Conference 2024 was held in New Delhi (25–30 November 2024), the first time India hosted it.

1. Its theme was "Cooperatives Build Prosperity for All".
2. PM Narendra Modi inaugurated it and launched the UN International Year of Cooperatives 2025.
3. "Cooperatives Build a Better World" is the theme of the International Year of Cooperatives 2025 – a tempting wrong choice.

Yaad rakhein: Conference 2024 → Prosperity for All; IYC 2025 → Better World.

Answer: (A) Cooperatives Build Prosperity for All

Concept: The 97th Constitutional Amendment Act, 2011 added Part IXB (Articles 243ZH–243ZT) on co-operative societies.

1. Article 243ZT: any state co-operative law inconsistent with Part IXB continues until amended or repealed, or until one year from the commencement of the Amendment, whichever is earlier.
2. The Amendment also made forming co-operatives a fundamental right (Article 19(1)(c)) and added Article 43B.

Yaad rakhein: Part IXB transition period = 1 year (like Panchayats Article 243N and Municipalities 243ZF).

Answer: (A) 1 year

Concept: The Constitution (106th Amendment) Act, 2023 – Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam – reserves one-third of seats for women.

1. One-third (about 33%) of seats in the Lok Sabha, State Legislative Assemblies and the Delhi Assembly are reserved for women.
2. It also applies within seats reserved for SCs and STs; it takes effect after the next census and delimitation, for 15 years.

Yaad rakhein: 106th = Nari Shakti Vandan = one-third (33%).

Answer: (B) 33%

Concept: The Indus river system includes the Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas and Sutlej.

1. The Ravi rises in the Kullu hills (Himachal Pradesh), flows through Punjab and joins the Chenab in Pakistan.
2. The Yamuna belongs to the Ganga system; the Godavari and Kaveri are peninsular rivers.

Yaad rakhein: Indus five: Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas, Sutlej – "JCRBS".

Answer: (A) Ravi

Concept: The Ministry of Rural Development's Annual Report 2024-25 highlights how rural households earn their living.

1. It states that about 90% of rural families depend on agriculture, livestock and Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFP) for their livelihoods.
2. This is why DAY-NRLM promotes farm and non-farm livelihoods through self-help groups.

Yaad rakhein: Rural livelihood dependence on farm, livestock and NTFP ≈ 90%.

Answer: (D) 90%

Concept: Babur founded the Mughal Empire after defeating Ibrahim Lodi at the First Battle of Panipat (1526).

1. He then won Khanwa (1527, against Rana Sanga), Chanderi (1528) and Ghaghra (1529, against Afghans of Bihar–Bengal).
2. At his death in 1530 his empire stretched from the Indus to Bihar and from the Himalayas to Gwalior.
3. Aibak, Khalji and Aurangzeb do not fit the year 1530.

Yaad rakhein: 1526 Panipat → 1527 Khanwa → 1528 Chanderi → 1529 Ghaghra → 1530 death.

Answer: (B) Babur

Concept: The Charter Act of 1793 renewed the East India Company's charter for 20 years.

1. It extended to all future Governors-General (and Governors) the power to override their council in important matters.
2. This overriding power had earlier been given specially to Lord Cornwallis by the Amending Act of 1786.
3. The Regulating Act 1773 made decisions by majority of the council; Pitt's India Act 1784 set up the Board of Control.

Yaad rakhein: 1786 → power for Cornwallis; 1793 → power for every Governor-General.

Answer: (B) Charter Act of 1793

Concept: $\text{CP}=\frac{\text{MP}}{1.25}$ when MP is 25% above CP; $\text{SP}=\text{MP}\times (1-\text{discount})$.

1. $\text{CP}=\frac{7725}{1.25}=6180$
2. $\text{SP}=7725\times 0.96=7416$
3. $\text{Profit}=7416-6180=1236$; $\frac{1236}{6180}\times 100=20\%$

Trick: Take CP = 100 → MP = 125 → SP = $125\times 0.96=120$ → profit $20\%$ directly.

Answer: (C) $20\%$

Concept: Gap between the two cabs stays fixed. The man (moving towards them) closes this gap at relative speed $(74+v)$.

1. Gap $=74\times \frac{28}{60}\text{km}$
2. Man covers it in 10 min: $(74+v)\times \frac{10}{60}=74\times \frac{28}{60}$
3. $740+10v=2072\Rightarrow v=133.2\text{km/h}$

Trick: $v=\frac{74(28-10)}{10}=\frac{74\times 18}{10}=133.2$.

Answer: (B) $133.2$