Q&A: practice questions with answers

Concept: Part IX-B (Articles 243ZH–243ZT), added by the 97th Amendment, 2011, deals with Co-operative Societies.

1. Article 243ZK – Election of members of the board: elections must be held before the expiry of the term so that the new board takes over immediately.
2. Other articles: 243ZI – incorporation of co-operatives; 243ZJ – number and term of board members; 243ZL – supersession and suspension of the board; 243ZG is about Municipal elections (Part IX-A).

Yaad rakhein: ZI = incorporation, ZJ = board members, ZK = elections, ZL = supersession.

Answer: (D) Article 243ZK

Concept: The natural environment performs four functions (NCERT, Economics): it supplies resources, assimilates waste, sustains life (genetic and biodiversity) and provides aesthetic services.

1. Aesthetic services – scenery, landscapes, recreation – are a recognised function, so the statement that the environment "does not provide aesthetic services" is incorrect.
2. Options B, C and D each state a correct function.

Yaad rakhein: Four functions = Supply, Assimilate, Sustain, Aesthetic (S-A-S-A).

Answer: (A) Environment does not provide aesthetic services.

Concept: PMAY-Gramin (launched 2016, Ministry of Rural Development) provides pucca houses to rural poor.

1. Under PMAY-G the minimum size of a house unit is 25 sq. m, including a hygienic cooking space (earlier Indira Awaas Yojana houses were 20 sq. m).
2. Assistance: ₹1.20 lakh in plains and ₹1.30 lakh in hilly/difficult areas, plus toilet (SBM) and MGNREGA labour support.

Yaad rakhein: IAY 20 sq m → PMAY-G 25 sq m (increase of 5).

Answer: (B) 25 sq. m

Concept: Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc) shows live information about running programs, processes and system performance.

1. Its Processes and Performance tabs display real-time CPU, memory, disk and network usage of each activity.
2. Settings shows configuration, File Explorer manages files, and Action Center only lists notifications – none monitors live activity.

Yaad rakhein: "Which program is hanging / using CPU?" → Task Manager.

Answer: (B) By using Task Manager

Concept: Control Panel is the Windows component for system configuration.

1. Its "Programs and Features" (Add or Remove Programs) applet lets users install, uninstall, repair or change software.
2. File Explorer browses files, Recycle Bin stores deleted files, and the Taskbar shows open windows and the Start button.

Yaad rakhein: Install/uninstall software → Control Panel → Programs and Features.

Answer: (A) Control panel

Concept: Zapad ("West") is a large joint strategic exercise of Russia and Belarus.

1. Zapad-2025 was held in September 2025 at the Mulino training range (Nizhny Novgorod, Russia) and in Belarus; an Indian Army contingent (Kumaon Regiment) took part.
2. India had earlier participated in Zapad-2021 too, reflecting the long-standing India–Russia defence partnership.

Yaad rakhein: Zapad = Russia; Indra (bilateral) is also with Russia; Yudh Abhyas = USA; Shakti = France.

Answer: (A) Russia

Concept: Primary = extraction from nature, Secondary = manufacturing/construction, Tertiary = services.

1. Real estate (buying, selling, renting property) is a service → tertiary activity.
2. Construction, drink (beverage) industry and biotechnology manufacturing are secondary activities (biotech research is often classed quaternary).

Yaad rakhein: If nothing physical is produced but a service is provided – banking, transport, trade, real estate – it is tertiary.

Answer: (A) Real estate

Concept: Article 280 provides for a Finance Commission, constituted by the President every fifth year (or earlier if needed).

1. It is a quasi-judicial body – statement 1 correct; related to Article 280 – statement 2 correct; constituted by the President – statement 3 correct.
2. It is constituted every 5 years, not 6 – statement 4 is wrong.
3. Hence 1, 2 and 3 only are correct.

Yaad rakhein: Finance Commission = Art. 280, President, 5 years, Chairman + 4 members (16th FC chaired by Arvind Panagariya).

Answer: (D) 1, 2, and 3 only

Concept: Article 280 leaves qualifications and composition to Parliament; the Finance Commission (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 1951 fixes them.

1. The Commission consists of a Chairman and four other members, all appointed by the President.
2. The Chairman must have experience in public affairs; members are drawn from judiciary, finance/accounts, administration and economics.

Yaad rakhein: Finance Commission = 1 + 4; UPSC and Election Commission have no fixed number in the Constitution.

Answer: (D) A Chairman and four other members

Concept: Article 39 (DPSP) lists principles of policy the State must follow.

1. Article 39(d): equal pay for equal work for both men and women.
2. Article 38(1) – social order with justice; Article 42 – just and humane conditions of work and maternity relief; Article 47 – nutrition, standard of living and public health.

Yaad rakhein: 39(a) livelihood, 39(b) resources for common good, 39(c) no concentration of wealth, 39(d) equal pay, 39(e) health of workers, 39(f) children.

Answer: (B) Article 39(d)

Concept: Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), launched on 25 December 2000, provides all-weather road connectivity to unconnected rural habitations.

1. It is implemented by the Ministry of Rural Development; PMGSY-IV (2024) targets 25,000 more habitations.
2. Bharatmala builds highways/economic corridors; Setu Bharatam makes national highways railway-crossing free; RIDF (NABARD) is a funding window, not a road scheme.

Yaad rakhein: Gram Sadak = village roads; Bharatmala = highways; Sagarmala = ports.

Answer: (A) Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana

Concept: Joule's law of heating: $H=I^{2}Rt$.

1. Heat produced is directly proportional to the square of the current ($I^2$), directly proportional to the resistance ($R$) and to the time ($t$).
2. Heat varies with $R$, not $R^2$, so options B and C are wrong; D is the opposite of the law.

Yaad rakhein: $H=I^{2}Rt$ – only the current is squared.

Answer: (A) directly proportional to the square of current

Concept: Ragini is the traditional folk song–poetry form of Haryana, sung in Haryanvi, often as part of Saang (folk theatre).

1. Famous Ragini exponents include Pandit Lakhmi Chand, called the "Shakespeare of Haryana".
2. Bhatiali is the boatmen's song of Bengal; Mand is a Rajasthani folk form; none of them belongs to Haryana.

Yaad rakhein: Ragini–Saang = Haryana; Bhatiali–Baul = Bengal; Mand–Panihari = Rajasthan.

Answer: (A) Ragini

Concept: The Poligars (Palaiyakkarars) were local chieftains of South India who rose against the East India Company (1799–1805).

1. The rebellion centred on Tirunelveli and Sivaganga in present-day Tamil Nadu; leaders included Veerapandiya Kattabomman of Panchalankurichi and the Marudu brothers.
2. It is counted among the earliest armed resistances to British rule, decades before 1857.

Yaad rakhein: Poligar = Kattabomman = Tirunelveli = Tamil Nadu.

Answer: (A) Tamil Nadu

Concept: Nauradehi (Veerangana Durgavati Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh) was announced in October 2025 as India's third cheetah habitat after Kuno and Gandhi Sagar.

1. At the event the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh released crocodiles into the reserve's water bodies as part of the wildlife-release programme.
2. The reserve is being developed as a mixed habitat; cheetahs are brought from Botswana/South Africa under Project Cheetah (launched 17 September 2022 at Kuno).

Yaad rakhein: Cheetah homes in MP: Kuno (1st, 2022) → Gandhi Sagar (2nd, 2025) → Nauradehi (3rd, Oct 2025).

Answer: (D) Crocodiles

Concept: The Cabinet is the inner core of the Council of Ministers, headed by the Prime Minister.

1. It is the highest decision-making authority of the executive – all major policy, financial and foreign-affairs decisions are taken here; other cabinet committees only assist it.
2. It is not elected directly by the public (ministers are appointed by the President on PM's advice), it works under the PM, and judges are never its members.

Yaad rakhein: Cabinet = "steering wheel of the ship of State" (Ramsay Muir); word "Cabinet" added to Art. 352 by the 44th Amendment.

Answer: (B) It serves as the supreme decision-making body of the executive branch

Concept: Booting is the start-up process in which the BIOS (firmware stored in ROM) runs POST and loads the operating system from disk into RAM.

1. BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) locates the boot loader on the storage device and hands control to it, which loads the OS into memory.
2. ROM only stores the BIOS, RAM is where the OS is loaded, and the CPU executes instructions – the loader is the BIOS/firmware.

Yaad rakhein: Power on → BIOS → POST → boot loader → OS in RAM.

Answer: (D) BIOS

Concept: Weighted mean $={\displaystyle \frac{\sum w_i{x}_i}{\sum w_i}}$; with weights 40% and 60% the denominator is 100%.

1. Assignments: $0.40\times 75=30$.
2. Exams: $0.60\times 85=51$.
3. Weighted mean $=30+51=81$.

Trick: When weights add to 100%, just multiply each score by its weight and add.

Answer: (D) 81

Concept: For 2 years, $\text{CI}-\text{SI}=P{\left(\frac{r}{100}\right)}^2$.

1. $P\times {\left(\frac{4}{100}\right)}^2=58$.
2. $P\times \frac{16}{10000}=58\Rightarrow P=\frac{58\times 10000}{16}$.
3. $P=36250$.

Trick: 2-year difference = SI on the first year's interest: $\frac{P{r}^2}{{100}^2}$.

Answer: (A) ₹36,250

Concept: Sum of interior angles $=(n-2)\times {180}^{\circ }$; each exterior angle of a regular polygon $=\frac{{360}^{\circ }}{n}$.

1. $(n-2)\times 180=2520\Rightarrow n-2=14\Rightarrow n=16$.
2. Exterior angle $=\frac{{360}^{\circ }}{16}={22.5}^{\circ }$.

Trick: Exterior angles of any polygon always add to ${360}^{\circ }$ – just divide by the number of sides.

Answer: (B) ${22.5}^{\circ }$