Q&A: practice questions with answers

Concept: T. B. Macaulay was Law Member of the Governor-General's Council (1834–38).

1. His Minute on Education (1835) led to English Education Act 1835 under Bentinck – English as medium of higher education.
2. As head of the First Law Commission he drafted the Indian Penal Code (enacted 1860).
3. Vernacular Press Act was Lytton's (1878); GoI Act 1858 came after the 1857 revolt.

Yaad rakhein: Macaulay = "Minute 1835 + IPC".

Answer: (C) Drafting the Indian Penal Code and promoting English education

Concept: Sepoys felt their religion and caste were under threat.

1. Army rules actually forbade sepoys from wearing caste/sectarian marks, beards and turbans – so "compulsion to wear caste marks" is incorrect.
2. General Service Enlistment Act 1856 (Canning) made new recruits undertake to serve overseas – crossing the sea meant loss of caste.
3. Fear of conversion and chaplains/missionary propaganda paid by the state were real grievances.

Yaad rakhein: Grievance = ban on caste marks, not compulsion to wear them.

Answer: (A) Compulsion on sepoys to wear their caste marks and follow their own caste

Concept: The Tons is the largest tributary of the Yamuna, joining it near Kalsi (Dehradun) in its upper course.

1. Other Yamuna tributaries: Chambal, Sind, Betwa, Ken, Hindon, Giri.
2. Son and Gomti join the Ganga directly; Teesta is a tributary of the Brahmaputra.

Yaad rakhein: Yamuna's right bank: Chambal, Sind, Betwa, Ken; left: Tons, Hindon, Giri, Rishiganga.

Answer: (B) Tons

Concept: Mauryan currency mainly consisted of silver punch-marked coins.

1. The silver pana/karshapana is mentioned in Kautilya's Arthashastra as the standard coin; copper coins (mashaka) were for small change.
2. Gold coins became common much later under the Kushanas and Guptas.

Yaad rakhein: Mauryas – silver punch-marked; Kushanas – gold; Guptas – gold dinars.

Answer: (C) Silver

Concept: The Formula Bar sits above the worksheet grid, next to the Name Box.

1. It shows the actual content of the active cell – a value, text or the formula behind a result – and lets you edit it.
2. Charts/images are inserted from the Insert tab; fill colour is on the Home tab; sheet tabs are used to move between worksheets.

Yaad rakhein: Cell shows the result; Formula Bar shows the formula.

Answer: (C) To display and edit the contents of a cell

Concept: The Indian Famine Commission of 1901 (MacDonnell) recommended rural cooperative credit societies to free farmers from moneylenders.

1. Following it (and the Edward Law committee), the Cooperative Credit Societies Act 1904 was passed under Lord Curzon.
2. Royal Commission on Agriculture came in 1926–28; Hunter Commission (1882) was on education; Simon Commission (1927) on constitutional reform.

Yaad rakhein: Famine Commission 1901 → Cooperative Act 1904 (Curzon).

Answer: (B) Indian Famine Commission

Concept: The Meghalaya (Shillong) Plateau is an extension of the Peninsular plateau, cut off by the Garo–Rajmahal gap.

1. From west to east it has the Garo, Khasi and Jaintia Hills; the Mikir (Karbi Anglong) Hills of Assam are its eastward extension.
2. The Maikala Range lies in central India (Chhattisgarh–MP), source region of the Narmada and Son – not part of it.

Yaad rakhein: Shillong Plateau: "G-K-J + Mikir"; Maikala = Amarkantak.

Answer: (C) Maikala Range

Concept: NITI Aayog's National MPI 2023 (Progress Review) compares NFHS-4 (2015-16) with NFHS-5 (2019-21).

1. Urban poverty headcount fell from 8.65% (2015-16) to 5.27% (2019-21).
2. Rural fell from 32.59% to 19.28%; overall from 24.85% to 14.96%.

Yaad rakhein: Options 8.65% and 32.59% are the 2015-16 figures; 19.28% is rural 2019-21.

Answer: (B) 5.27%

Concept: Census 2011 counted about 6.5 crore people living in slums.

1. This is 17.4% of India's urban population (about 1.37 crore slum households).
2. Maharashtra had the largest slum population; Andhra Pradesh had the most towns reporting slums.

Yaad rakhein: Slums 2011: "65 million, 17.4% of urban India".

Answer: (D) 17.4%

Concept: Judicial review is the power of courts to strike down laws and executive acts that violate the Constitution.

1. It originated in the USA with Marbury v. Madison (1803), decided by Chief Justice John Marshall.
2. India adopted it (Articles 13, 32, 226); the UK follows parliamentary sovereignty, so courts there cannot strike down Acts of Parliament.

Yaad rakhein: Judicial review → USA → Marbury v. Madison, 1803.

Answer: (A) United States of America

Concept: At Colachel (1741), Marthanda Varma of Travancore defeated the Dutch East India Company.

1. Dutch commander Eustachius De Lannoy was captured and later served Travancore, modernising its army.
2. It is often cited as the first defeat of a European naval power by an Indian kingdom, ending Dutch ambitions in Malabar.

Yaad rakhein: Colachel 1741 = Travancore beats Dutch.

Answer: (D) Dutch East India Company

Concept: Sahitya Akademi Awards 2024 were announced in December 2024 for 21 languages.

1. Chaman Arora won in Dogri for his collection of essays/stories Ik Hor Ashwthama.
2. Other options are writers in different languages (e.g. Madhav Kaushik is a Hindi poet and Sahitya Akademi President).

Yaad rakhein: Dogri 2024 – Chaman Arora – "Ik Hor Ashwthama".

Answer: (B) Chaman Arora

Concept: The 7th Khelo India Youth Games were held in Bihar in May 2025.

1. Patna, Rajgir, Gaya, Bhagalpur and Begusarai hosted events (some in Delhi).
2. Maharashtra topped the medal table; the 2023-24 edition was in Tamil Nadu.

Yaad rakhein: KIYG 2025 = Bihar (first time).

Answer: (A) Bihar

Concept: Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) gives the unemployment rate (usual status) for persons aged 15+.

1. It was 6.0% in 2017-18 and fell steadily to 3.2% in 2023-24.
2. Over the same period the labour force participation rate rose sharply, especially for women.

Yaad rakhein: PLFS UR: 6.0% (2017-18) → 3.2% (2022-23 and 2023-24).

Answer: (D) Decreased from 6% to 3.2%

Concept: Going back one year at $25\%$ growth means dividing by $\frac{5}{4}$ (i.e. multiplying by $\frac{4}{5}$).

1. 1 year ago: $250000\times \frac{4}{5}=200000$
2. 2 years ago: $200000\times \frac{4}{5}=160000$
3. 3 years ago: $160000\times \frac{4}{5}=128000$
4. Difference $=160000-128000=32000$

Trick: Difference between consecutive years $=\frac{1}{4}$ of the earlier year: $\frac{128000}{4}=32000$.

Answer: (D) 32,000

Concept: A number is a perfect square when every prime factor appears an even number of times.

1. $6627=3\times 2209$
2. $2209={47}^2$, so $6627=3\times {47}^2$
3. Only 3 has an odd power, so multiply by 3: $6627\times 3=19881={141}^2$

Trick: Digit sum of 6627 is 21 → divisible by 3; check the quotient 2209 for a square (${47}^2=2209$).

Answer: (D) 3

Concept: $\text{SI}=\frac{P\times R\times T}{100}$; for the same P and T, difference in SI depends only on the difference in rates.

1. Rate difference $=6\%-3.5\%=2.5\%$
2. Difference $=\frac{500000\times 2.5\times 4}{100}$
3. $=50000$

Trick: $2.5\%\times 4=10\%$ of 5 lakh = ₹50,000.

Answer: (A) ₹50,000

Concept: $64=2^6$, so the number must be even and divisible by 64 exactly.

1. 5129, 4797 and 5327 are odd → not divisible by 64.
2. $5760÷64=90$ exactly ($64\times 90=5760$).

Trick: Odd numbers can never be divisible by any power of 2 – eliminate them first.

Answer: (C) 5760

Concept: Average cost per pen $=\frac{\text{total cost}}{\text{total pens}}$; compare with the selling price.

1. Total cost $=20\times 15+30\times 10=300+300=600$
2. Average CP $=\frac{600}{50}=12$
3. Profit per pen $=14-12=2$

Trick: Equal money (₹300) spent on each lot → average CP = harmonic-type $\frac{600}{50}$; SP above CP → profit.

Answer: (D) ₹2 profit

Concept: Greatest number leaving remainders $r_1,r_2$ = HCF of $(a-r_1)$ and $(b-r_2)$.

1. $104-8=96$, $133-5=128$
2. $96=2^5\times 3$, $128=2^7$
3. HCF $=2^5=32$ (greater than both remainders ✓)

Trick: Check options: $104÷32$ leaves 8, $133÷32$ leaves 5.

Answer: (B) 32