Q&A: practice questions with answers

Concept: The Economic Survey 2024-25 discussed the heavy FPI selling in Indian equities in late 2024.

1. It cited slowing corporate earnings growth and high (stretched) valuations of Indian stocks.
2. It also pointed to global uncertainty – rising geopolitical tensions and a strong US dollar/high US yields – pulling funds away.
3. Hence all three factors apply.

Yaad rakhein: FPI exit = weak earnings + costly valuations + global risk.

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

Concept: The Bullets button (Home tab → Paragraph group) formats selected paragraphs as an unordered list.

1. Each selected paragraph gets a bullet symbol (•) at its start.
2. The Numbering button (next to it) creates a numbered list – the tempting wrong option.
3. Alignment and font size are separate buttons.

Yaad rakhein: Bullets = unordered list; Numbering = ordered list.

Answer: (C) The selected text is converted into a bulleted list

Concept: The 2024 ICC Women's T20 World Cup was played in the UAE (shifted from Bangladesh) in October 2024.

1. New Zealand beat South Africa by 32 runs in the final at Dubai.
2. It was New Zealand's first Women's T20 World Cup title; Amelia Kerr was Player of the Match and Player of the Tournament.
3. Australia, the most successful team, lost in the semi-final.

Yaad rakhein: 2024 Women's T20 WC: NZ champion, SA runner-up.

Answer: (B) New Zealand

Concept: TERI's World Sustainable Development Summit grew out of the Delhi Sustainable Development Summit started in 2001.

1. The 24th edition of WSDS was held in New Delhi from 5 to 7 March 2025.
2. Its theme was "Partnerships for Accelerating Sustainable Development and Climate Solutions".

Yaad rakhein: WSDS 2025 → 24th edition (2024 was the 23rd).

Answer: (B) 24^th

Concept: Diffusion models generate images by learning to remove noise step by step from random noise.

1. In 2025, researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru used a diffusion model to create realistic synthetic images.
2. These images enlarged the training data and improved object detection, especially where real labelled images are scarce.
3. GANs also generate images, but the IISc work used a diffusion-based approach.

Yaad rakhein: Noise → clean image = Diffusion.

Answer: (A) Diffusion Model

Concept: The Charter Act of 1853 was the last Charter Act of the East India Company.

1. It separated, for the first time, the legislative and executive functions of the Governor-General's Council.
2. It added six legislative members, creating a separate Central Legislative Council (a "mini-Parliament").
3. It also introduced open competition for the Civil Services. (1833 only made the Governor-General of Bengal the Governor-General of India.)

Yaad rakhein: 1853 = Legislative split + ICS open exam.

Answer: (C) Charter Act of 1853

Concept: The Aravalli range runs SW–NE across Rajasthan.

1. The Great Indian (Thar) Desert lies to the west and north-west of the Aravallis.
2. The Aravallis lie parallel to the moist SW monsoon winds and cannot stop them, so the region to their north-west stays dry.
3. East of the Aravallis lie the Mewar/Hadoti uplands, not desert.

Yaad rakhein: Aravalli ke paar (North-West) = Thar.

Answer: (A) North-West

Concept: When you create a folder in Windows (right-click → New → Folder, or Ctrl+Shift+N), it is named automatically.

1. The default name is "New folder".
2. Further folders become "New folder (2)", "New folder (3)" and so on.
3. "Untitled Folder" is the default on macOS/Linux, not Windows.

Yaad rakhein: Windows: New folder; Mac: untitled folder.

Answer: (B) New Folder

Concept: The Scheme of Assistance to National Sports Federations (NSFs) funds training and participation of Indian teams in international events.

1. In January 2025, the Sports Ministry decided, for the first time, to give financial assistance under this scheme to the Indian contingent for the 9th Asian Winter Games, Harbin (China), February 2025.
2. Earlier, winter-sport contingents had to arrange funding themselves.
3. TOPS supports individual elite athletes, not a whole contingent.

Yaad rakhein: Contingent funding → Assistance to NSFs.

Answer: (A) Assistance to National Sports Federations

Concept: NCERT's assessment of the LPG reforms of 1991.

1. Agricultural growth slowed after reforms, and public investment in agriculture (irrigation, power, roads, research) actually declined – so statement C is NOT correct.
2. Industrial growth also stayed sluggish; its GDP share did not rise enormously (B is correct).
3. Trade and investment were liberalised to make industry internationally competitive (D is correct).

Yaad rakhein: Reforms neglected agriculture – public investment fell, not rose.

Answer: (C) The 1991 reforms have caused a huge increase in public investment in the agriculture sector and increased its share in India's GDP.

Concept: In 1991 India faced a balance of payments crisis with foreign exchange reserves enough for only about two weeks of imports.

1. India took a loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) (and the World Bank).
2. In return it accepted structural adjustment conditions – the basis of the New Economic Policy (LPG).
3. The WTO was formed only in 1995; WHO and UN do not provide BoP support.

Yaad rakhein: BoP crisis → IMF; development loans → World Bank.

Answer: (B) International Monetary Fund

Concept: Warli is a tribal art of the Warli community of the Thane–Palghar region, Maharashtra.

1. The mud wall is first coated with a mixture of cow dung and water (often with red earth); this background preparation is called "Lipane".
2. Figures are then painted in white made from rice paste using a bamboo stick.
3. Rangoli is a floor design, not a wall-preparation step.

Yaad rakhein: Lipane = "lipna" – smearing the wall with cow dung.

Answer: (D) Lipane

Concept: The Urban Infrastructure Development Fund (UIDF) was announced in Union Budget 2023-24 on the lines of RIDF.

1. It is created through use of the priority sector lending (PSL) shortfall of banks.
2. It is managed by the National Housing Bank, about ₹10,000 crore a year, to fund urban infrastructure in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities.
3. Rural infrastructure is financed by RIDF (NABARD), not UIDF.

Yaad rakhein: RIDF – rural – NABARD; UIDF – urban – NHB; both from PSL shortfall.

Answer: (C) To utilise priority sector lending shortfall

Concept: In humans, Plasmodium multiplies first in liver cells and then inside red blood cells (erythrocytic cycle).

1. Merozoites enter RBCs, mature and divide asexually (schizogony).
2. The RBCs rupture, releasing new merozoites and the toxin haemozoin – this causes the cycle of chills and high fever.
3. Liver multiplication does not burst RBCs; sexual reproduction happens in the mosquito gut, not in erythrocytes.

Yaad rakhein: RBC burst = merozoites multiply inside RBC = fever every 48 hours (vivax).

Answer: (A) Maturation and multiplication of merozoites inside the RBCs

Concept: Mode = the observation that occurs most often.

1. Count frequencies: 32 occurs 5 times, 27 occurs 3 times, 31 occurs 2 times; others once.
2. Highest frequency is 5, for 32.

Trick: Tally only the repeated values — that is enough to spot the mode.

Answer: (B) 32

Concept: $\text{SP}=\text{CP}+\text{Profit}$; cost price stays the same.

1. Let CP $=C$, profit $=P$, so SP $=C+P$.
2. New: $2(C+P)=C+7P\Rightarrow C=5P$.
3. Profit% $=\frac{P}{5P}\times 100=20\%$.

Trick: Doubling SP adds $C+P$ to profit; this equals $6P$, so $C=5P$ → $20\%$.

Answer: (B) $20$

Concept: Write numbers as $7x$ and $11x$.

1. $\frac{7x+10}{11x-20}=\frac{2}{3}$
2. $21x+30=22x-40\Rightarrow x=70$.
3. Sum $=18x=18\times 70=1260$.

Trick: Sum must be a multiple of $7+11=18$: only 1260 ($18\times 70$) qualifies.

Answer: (C) 1260

Concept: The value of $a+b$ is given directly.

1. $a+b=33$
2. $(a+b{)}^2={33}^2=1089$.
3. The value $a-b=37$ is not needed.

Trick: Do not over-solve — read what is asked; extra data is a distractor.

Answer: (C) $1089$

Concept: Work done = rate × time; find what is left for Jitesh.

1. Rates: Jitesh $\frac{1}{5}$, Kamal $\frac{1}{18}$; together $\frac{1}{5}+\frac{1}{18}=\frac{23}{90}$ per day.
2. In 3 days: $3\times \frac{23}{90}=\frac{23}{30}$; remaining $=\frac{7}{30}$.
3. Jitesh's time $=\frac{7}{30}\times 5=\frac{7}{6}$ days.

Trick: LCM method: total work 90 units; rates 18 and 5; 3 days → 69; left 21; $\frac{21}{18}=\frac{7}{6}$.

Answer: (C) $\frac{7}{6}$

Concept: $\text{SI}=\frac{P\times R\times T}{100}$; count days excluding the first day.

1. Days: Feb $28-3=25$, March 31, April 17 → total 73 days $=\frac{73}{365}=\frac{1}{5}$ year.
2. $\text{SI}=\frac{2000\times 6\times \frac{1}{5}}{100}=24$.

Trick: 73 days $=\frac{1}{5}$ year — a favourite exam number.

Answer: (B) ₹24