Q&A: practice questions with answers

Concept: Article 143 gives the Supreme Court advisory jurisdiction.

1. Under Article 143 the President may refer any question of law or fact of public importance to the Supreme Court for its opinion.
2. The opinion is not binding on the President.
3. Art. 131 = original jurisdiction; Art. 136 = special leave petition; Art. 226 = High Court writs.

Yaad rakhein: 143 = advice (Advisory); 131 = Centre–State disputes; 136 = SLP.

Answer: (B) Article 143

Concept: After the Revolt of 1857 the British reorganised the army (Peel Commission, 1858–59).

1. The proportion of European soldiers was increased and Indian soldiers reduced (roughly 1 European : 2 Indians in Bengal army).
2. Key posts like artillery were kept with Europeans; recruitment shifted to "martial races".

Yaad rakhein: 1857 → Peel Commission → more Europeans, fewer Indians, "divide and rule" in the army.

Answer: (A) 1857

Concept: The First Constitutional Amendment Act, 1951 widened the grounds of reasonable restrictions on free speech.

1. It added "public order", "friendly relations with foreign States" and "incitement to an offence" to Article 19(2).
2. It also added Article 31A, 31B and the Ninth Schedule (land reforms).

Yaad rakhein: 1st Amendment → Art. 19(2) restrictions + Ninth Schedule.

Answer: (A) Right to Freedom of Speech and Expression

Concept: Panchayati Raj (73rd Amendment, 1992) is a system of rural local self-government.

1. It decentralises power to village, block and district levels.
2. It lets local people plan and decide for themselves – democratic decentralisation at the grassroots.
3. It reduces, not increases, central control.

Yaad rakhein: Panchayati Raj = "democracy at the grassroots" (Balwant Rai Mehta committee, 1957).

Answer: (B) democratic governance and empowerment at the grassroots level

Concept: The BCCI's Polly Umrigar Award goes to the best international cricketer of the season.

1. At the BCCI Naman Awards announced in early 2025 (for 2023-24), Smriti Mandhana won the Polly Umrigar Award for Best International Cricketer (Women).
2. Jasprit Bumrah won the men's award; Sachin Tendulkar received the C.K. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award.

Yaad rakhein: Mandhana – best women's international cricketer (Polly Umrigar), Bumrah – men's.

Answer: (C) Smriti Mandhana

Concept: Under the Nehru–Mahalanobis model, PSUs got the "commanding heights" of the economy, with protection from competition.

1. By the 1970s many PSUs were criticised for inefficiency, over-staffing, low productivity and continuing losses.
2. Being protected and state-owned, they did not face strong MNC competition or rely on exports – so A, B, C are wrong.
3. This criticism led to the 1991 reforms (disinvestment).

Yaad rakhein: Protection + no competition → inefficiency and losses → 1991 LPG reforms.

Answer: (D) Operational inefficiencies, low productivity, and financial losses

Concept: Behramji Malabari (1853–1912) was a Parsi poet, journalist and social reformer.

1. His collection "The Indian Muse in English Garb" (1877) contains 32 poems in English.
2. He is better known for campaigning for the Age of Consent Act, 1891 and against child marriage.

Yaad rakhein: Malabari – "Indian Muse in English Garb" (1877, 32 poems) + Age of Consent Act 1891.

Answer: (C) 32

Concept: The Bareilly uprising of 1816 in Rohilkhand (U.P.) was led by Mufti Muhammad Aiwaz.

1. It began against a new police (chaukidari) tax imposed by the British and became an armed revolt.
2. Santhal (1855–56) and Kol (1831–32) revolts were tribal revolts in Jharkhand region; Chuar revolt was in Bengal (Jungle Mahal).

Yaad rakhein: Bareilly 1816 – Mufti Muhammad Aiwaz – police tax.

Answer: (A) Bareilly Uprisings

Concept: Ctrl + N creates a New blank file in MS Office applications.

1. In PowerPoint 365, Ctrl + N opens a new blank presentation instantly.
2. Ctrl + O = Open, Ctrl + P = Print; Shift + N is not a standard shortcut.

Trick: N = New, O = Open, P = Print, S = Save.

Answer: (D) Ctrl + N

Concept: Ctrl + Shift + V is "Paste as plain text" (paste without formatting) in Google Docs, Chrome and many other apps.

1. Ctrl + V pastes with the original fonts, colours and links; adding Shift removes all that formatting.
2. Find and Replace is Ctrl + H; going back in a browser is Alt + Left arrow.

Trick: Shift added to paste = "strip the style" → plain text.

Answer: (D) Pastes content without any formatting

Concept: The President is the formal head of the State, and India's foreign relations are conducted in his/her name.

1. The President appoints ambassadors and High Commissioners and receives foreign diplomats.
2. International treaties are negotiated and concluded in the President's name, but on the advice of the Council of Ministers (Art. 74) – so C is wrong.
3. The President does not "delegate all" powers to the PM, so B is wrong.

Yaad rakhein: Diplomatic powers = President in name, Council of Ministers in fact.

Answer: (A) The President appoints ambassadors and conducts diplomatic work in his/her name.

Concept: The Loop of Henle works as a counter-current multiplier.

1. Its descending limb is permeable to water; the thick ascending limb pumps out NaCl but is impermeable to water.
2. This builds a high osmotic gradient in the medulla (about 300 to 1200 mOsm/L).
3. The collecting duct only uses this gradient (with ADH) to concentrate urine – it does not create it.

Yaad rakhein: Loop of Henle creates the gradient; collecting duct uses it.

Answer: (B) Loop of Henle

Concept: Natya Shastra classifies instruments into Tata (string), Sushira (wind), Avanaddha (membrane/drum) and Ghana (solid) vadya.

1. Ghana vadya are solid idiophones struck to make sound – bells, cymbals (manjira), ghatam (clay pot), jaltarang (bowls).
2. They are the oldest group and developed from objects of daily utility like pots, vessels and metal plates.

Yaad rakhein: Ghana = solid, "ghar ka saaman" (pots, bowls, bells).

Answer: (C) Ghana Vadya

Concept: NPS Vatsalya, launched on 18 September 2024, lets parents open an NPS account for their minor children.

1. Statement 1 is true: it is regulated and administered by PFRDA.
2. Statement 2 is false: each child has an individual PRAN account, not a pooled fund.
3. Statement 3 is true: at 18 the account shifts smoothly to a regular NPS (Tier-I) account.
4. Statement 4 is false: there is no compulsory shift to Atal Pension Yojana.

Yaad rakhein: Vatsalya = child's own NPS account → becomes normal NPS at 18.

Answer: (C) 1 and 3

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

1. $45=P\times {\left(\frac{4}{100}\right)}^2=P\times \frac{16}{10000}$
2. $P=\frac{45\times 10000}{16}=28125$

Trick: For 2 years, difference = $\frac{P{R}^2}{10000}$; with $R=4$, $P=\text{diff}\times 625$ = $45\times 625=28125$.

Answer: (B) ₹28,125

Concept: If numbers are $x,3x,5x$ (ratio terms co-prime), HCF $=x$ and LCM $=x\times 1\times 3\times 5$.

1. $\text{LCM}=15x=285$
2. $x=\frac{285}{15}=19$
3. HCF $=x=19$

Trick: HCF = LCM ÷ (LCM of ratio terms) = $285÷15=19$.

Answer: (A) 19

Concept: Fourth proportional to $a,b,c$ is $\frac{bc}{a}$; third proportional to $a,b$ is $\frac{b^2}{a}$.

1. Fourth proportional to 9, 3, 27 $=\frac{3\times 27}{9}=9$
2. Third proportional to A, 24 $=\frac{{24}^2}{A}=\frac{576}{A}$
3. $\frac{576}{A}=9\Rightarrow A=64$

Trick: $A\times 9={24}^2$, so $A=\frac{576}{9}=64$.

Answer: (D) 64

Concept: Area of a rhombus $=\frac{1}{2}\times d_1\times d_2$.

1. $d_1=y+xy+5=1+2+5=8\text{m}$
2. $d_2=y-xy+7=1-2+7=6\text{m}$
3. Area $=\frac{1}{2}\times 8\times 6=24{\text{m}}^2$

Trick: Substitute first, then use half the product of diagonals.

Answer: (D) $24{\text{m}}^2$

Concept: Successive change: $\text{SP}=\text{CP}\times (1+\text{markup})\times (1-\text{discount})$.

1. Let CP $=100$; MP $=120$.
2. SP $=120\times \frac{75}{100}=90$
3. Loss $=100-90=10$, i.e. $10\%$ loss.

Trick: Net effect $=20-25-\frac{20\times 25}{100}=-10\%$ → 10% loss.

Answer: (B) 10% loss

Concept: $\text{Discount}\%=\frac{\text{MP}-\text{SP}}{\text{MP}}\times 100$.

1. Let CP $=100$; MP $=150$.
2. For 14% gain, SP $=114$.
3. Discount $=150-114=36$; $\frac{36}{150}\times 100=24\%$

Trick: Discount % $=\frac{M-P}{100+M}\times 100=\frac{50-14}{150}\times 100=24\%$.

Answer: (D) 24%