Q&A: practice questions with answers

Concept: Ashoka's inscriptions name several officials of the Mauryan provincial and district administration.

1. Rajukas were high officials placed over the rural people (janapada) of a province, responsible for land survey, justice and welfare.
2. Ashoka's Pillar Edict IV gave the Rajukas independent powers of reward and punishment.
3. They were administrators, not soldiers or craftsmen.

Yaad rakhein: Mauryan officials: Rajuka (rural/provincial administration), Yukta (accounts), Pradeshika (district head).

Answer: (A) Provincial officials

Concept: Operation Brahma was India's humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) mission after the 7.7-magnitude earthquake of 28 March 2025 centred in Myanmar, which also shook Thailand.

1. Statement 2 is correct: INS Satpura and INS Savitri of the Eastern Naval Command sailed for Yangon with relief.
2. Statement 3 is correct: a 118-member Field Hospital team of the Army's Shatrujeet Brigade was sent.
3. Statement 4 is wrong: the 60-bed Medical Treatment Centre was set up in Mandalay, Myanmar — not in Thailand.

Yaad rakhein: Operation Brahma (2025) — Myanmar earthquake relief; Operation Dost (2023) — Türkiye earthquake.

Answer: (D) Only 1, 2 and 3

Concept: The 2025 International Booker Prize shortlist included Japanese author Hiromi Kawakami's speculative novel "Under the Eye of the Big Bird" (translated by Asa Yoneda).

1. "The Nakano Thrift Shop", "Strange Weather in Tokyo" and "The Ten Loves of Nishino" are her earlier novels, not the 2025 shortlisted book.
2. The 2025 prize was won by Banu Mushtaq's "Heart Lamp" (translated from Kannada by Deepa Bhasthi).

Yaad rakhein: Kawakami 2025 → "Big Bird"; winner 2025 → Heart Lamp.

Answer: (A) Under the Eye of the Big Bird

Concept: The World Bank's "State of Social Protection Report 2025: The 2-Billion-Person Challenge" tracks coverage in low- and middle-income countries.

1. It found that, as of 2022, about 2 billion people in these countries lacked adequate social protection coverage.
2. The report's very title highlights this "2-billion-person" gap.

Yaad rakhein: Title = answer: "The 2-Billion-Person Challenge".

Answer: (B) 02 billion

Concept: At STP, 1 mole of any gas occupies $22.4\text{L}$ and contains $6.022\times {10}^{23}$ molecules.

1. Moles of $O_2=\frac{5.6}{22.4}=0.25$.
2. Molecules $=0.25\times 6.022\times {10}^{23}=1.5055\times {10}^{23}$.
3. Each $O_2$ molecule has 2 atoms, so the number of oxygen atoms $=2\times 1.5055\times {10}^{23}=3.011\times {10}^{23}$.

Trick: 5.6 L is $\frac{1}{4}$ mole at STP; multiply by 2 for atoms of a diatomic gas.

Answer: (B) $1.5055\times {10}^{23}$

Concept: A PSU is a government company only while the government holds at least 51% of its shares.

1. If the government's shareholding falls below 51%, management control passes to the private sector — this is treated as privatisation.
2. Selling a minority stake while keeping 51% or more is only disinvestment, not privatisation.

Yaad rakhein: 51%+ with government = PSU; below 51% = privatised.

Answer: (D) Less than 51%

Concept: The Skill India Mission was launched on 15 July 2015 (World Youth Skills Day) to train youth in employable skills.

1. It includes Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) and the National Skill Development Mission.
2. Ujjwala Yojana (2016) gives LPG connections; digital literacy programmes target computer skills, not overall skilling.

Yaad rakhein: 15 July = World Youth Skills Day = Skill India launch (2015).

Answer: (B) Skill India Mission

Concept: PCB stands for Printed Circuit Board.

1. It is an insulating board with printed copper tracks that connect electronic components.
2. It mechanically supports and electrically links parts like resistors, ICs and capacitors — e.g. a computer motherboard.

Yaad rakhein: Motherboard = the main PCB of a computer.

Answer: (D) Printed Circuit Board

Concept: Hansa-NG (New Generation) is India's indigenous two-seater flying trainer aircraft developed by CSIR–National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL), Bengaluru.

1. It has a range of about 620 nautical miles and an endurance of around 7 hours.
2. It is powered by a Rotax digital engine and is meant for basic pilot training at flying clubs.

Yaad rakhein: Hansa-NG → NAL Bengaluru → 620 nm range.

Answer: (D) 620 nautical miles

Concept: The Ajanta caves (Maharashtra) are Buddhist rock-cut caves from the 2nd century BCE to about the 6th century CE.

1. Chinese pilgrim Hiuen Tsang (Xuanzang), who visited India in the 7th century during Harshavardhana's reign, described the Ajanta monastery.
2. Megasthenes came earlier (Mauryan court); Ibn Battuta and Domingo Paes came in the medieval period (Paes described Vijayanagara).

Yaad rakhein: Hiuen Tsang = Harsha + Nalanda + Ajanta account.

Answer: (B) Hiuen Tsang

Concept: In the Ragam–Tanam–Pallavi (RTP) format of Carnatic music, the singer first renders the raga (alapana), then Tanam, and then elaborates the Pallavi line.

1. The Pallavi exposition is usually concluded with a Ragamalika — kalpana swaras sung in a garland of different ragas.
2. Thanam comes before the Pallavi; Anupallavi is the second section of a kriti; Varnam is a separate concert-opening composition.

Yaad rakhein: RTP order: Raga alapana → Tanam → Pallavi → Ragamalika (conclusion).

Answer: (A) Ragamalika

Concept: The Khond (Kondh) uprising (1837–1856) in the hills of Odisha opposed British interference in their customs and land.

1. Chakra Bisoi led the Khonds and was hailed as the "Young Raja".
2. He resisted the British for years and was never captured.
3. U Tirot Singh led the Khasi resistance in Meghalaya; the others are unrelated.

Yaad rakhein: Khond uprising → Chakra Bisoi ("Young Raja"); Khasi → U Tirot Singh.

Answer: (B) Chakra Bisoi

Concept: In the post-Gupta period kings granted land (agrahara/brahmadeya grants) mainly to Brahmins and religious institutions.

1. These grants were often tax-free and came with administrative rights over villages.
2. So Brahmins gained land, wealth and local power, strengthening their social position — a key feature of Indian feudalism.

Yaad rakhein: Land grant = Brahmadeya → Brahmins gained most.

Answer: (D) Brahmins

Concept: Sati was declared illegal by Bengal Sati Regulation XVII of 4 December 1829.

1. It was passed by Governor-General Lord William Bentinck.
2. Raja Ram Mohan Roy's campaign strongly supported the ban.
3. Dalhousie is linked to the Doctrine of Lapse; Canning to the 1856 Widow Remarriage Act era and 1857; Cornwallis to the Permanent Settlement.

Yaad rakhein: Bentinck 1829 → Sati ban (with Ram Mohan Roy's support).

Answer: (D) Lord William Bentinck

Concept: Moving text means removing it from the old place and placing it at the new place.

1. Select the text and Cut it (Ctrl + X) — it goes to the clipboard and disappears from the original spot.
2. Place the cursor at the new location and Paste (Ctrl + V).
3. Copy + Paste would duplicate the text, leaving the original behind.

Yaad rakhein: Move = Cut + Paste; Duplicate = Copy + Paste.

Answer: (C) Cut the text → Paste the text at the desired location

Concept: Overuse of chemical fertilisers together with heavy canal irrigation degraded soils in Green Revolution areas.

1. Excess fertiliser salts accumulate in the topsoil, especially with waterlogging and poor drainage, causing salinity/alkalinity (e.g., Punjab, Haryana).
2. Fertilisers do not increase pest resistance or cause flooding; the Green Revolution actually reduced crop diversity (wheat–rice monoculture).

Yaad rakhein: Green Revolution side-effects: soil salinity, falling water table, loss of soil fertility, monoculture.

Answer: (D) Soil salinity

Concept: The Global Technology Summit (GTS) is the annual tech-policy summit co-hosted by Carnegie India and the Ministry of External Affairs.

1. Its 9th edition was held from 10 to 12 April 2025 in New Delhi, on the theme "Sambhavna".
2. All editions of GTS have been hosted in New Delhi (earlier also Bengaluru), not Lucknow, Jaipur or Chandigarh.

Yaad rakhein: GTS = Carnegie India + MEA, New Delhi.

Answer: (D) New Delhi

Concept: The RBI Monetary Policy Committee gives real GDP growth projections in its bi-monthly policy.

1. In the April 2025 policy, RBI projected real GDP growth for 2025-26 at $6.5\%$ (cut from $6.7\%$).
2. In the same policy the repo rate was cut by 25 basis points to $6\%$.

Yaad rakhein: April 2025 MPC: growth $6.5\%$, repo $6\%$.

Answer: (A) 6.5%

Concept: 'Sahkar Taxi' was announced by Union Cooperation Minister Amit Shah in Parliament in March 2025 as a cooperative-based ride-hailing platform.

1. Drivers own the cooperative, so the earnings/profit go directly to them instead of to a private aggregator company.
2. It is meant to work alongside existing services – not to replace private taxis, create a government monopoly or give free rides.

Yaad rakhein: Sahkar = cooperative → drivers are the owners.

Answer: (B) To empower drivers through a cooperative, profit-sharing model

Concept: A Printed Circuit Board (PCB) mechanically supports and electrically connects components using copper tracks.

1. PCBs are used in almost every electronic device – laptops, mobiles, calculators, TVs – so "only desktop computers" is false.
2. Options B, C and D are true; complex devices (e.g., smartphones, motherboards) use multilayer PCBs.

Trick: Watch for absolute words like "only" in INCORRECT-statement questions.

Answer: (A) PCBs serve only desktop computers and not portable devices.