Q&A: practice questions with answers

Concept: Saurabh Chaudhary is an Indian pistol shooter specialising in the 10 m air pistol.

1. At the ISSF World Cup in Lima, Peru (April 2025), he won bronze in the men's 10 m Air Pistol.
2. It marked his return to the World Cup podium after a long gap.

Yaad rakhein: Saurabh = pistol, 10 m air.

Answer: (D) 10 m Air Pistol

Concept: Part IX (Articles 243 to 243O) was added by the 73rd Amendment, 1992.

1. Article 243D: reservation of seats for SCs/STs in proportion to population and not less than one-third seats for women.
2. 243A – Gram Sabha; 243B – constitution of Panchayats; 243E – 5-year duration.

Yaad rakhein: D for "Distribution of reserved seats".

Answer: (C) Article 243D

Concept: On 1 May 2025, ECI announced new initiatives for cleaner rolls and easier voting.

1. The three initiatives: (1) electronic death-registration data from the Registrar General of India to update rolls, (2) redesigned Voter Information Slips with larger serial/part numbers, (3) standard photo identity cards for Booth Level Officers.

Yaad rakhein: Death data + VIS redesign + BLO ID = 3.

Answer: (B) 3

Concept: Clipboard shortcuts: Ctrl + C copies, Ctrl + X cuts, Ctrl + V pastes.

1. Ctrl + V pastes the copied or cut text/files at the cursor location.
2. Ctrl + S saves the current document.

Yaad rakhein: C = Copy, X = cut (scissors), V = paste (looks like an insertion mark).

Answer: (A) It pastes the copied text or files.

Concept: Usual Status (US) measures activity over a long reference period of 365 days (one year).

1. A person is unemployed under usual status if he/she had no work but was seeking or available for work for the major part of the year.
2. Weekly status uses a 7-day period and daily status a single day – so "working one day a week" relates to those short measures.

Yaad rakhein: Usual = year (365 days); Weekly = 7 days; Daily = each day.

Answer: (C) Someone not working but seeking work over a long period

Concept: MKSP (2011) empowers women farmers by improving their participation and productivity in agriculture.

1. It is a sub-component of DAY-NRLM (Ministry of Rural Development), working through women's Self-Help Groups.
2. MGNREGA gives wage employment; DDU-GKY gives skill training; NSAP gives pensions.

Yaad rakhein: Women farmers + SHGs = NRLM.

Answer: (B) Deen Dayal Antyodaya Yojana - National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM)

Concept: The SI unit of activity is the becquerel ($1\text{Bq}=1$ disintegration per second); the curie is an older unit.

1. One curie is the activity of $1\text{g}$ of radium-226.
2. $1\text{Ci}=3.7\times {10}^{10}\text{Bq}$, i.e., $3.7\times {10}^{10}$ disintegrations per second.

Yaad rakhein: Curie = $3.7\times {10}^{10}$; Rutherford = ${10}^6$.

Answer: (D) $3.7\times {10}^{10}$ disintegrations per second

Concept: Plate boundaries are of three types: divergent, convergent and transform.

1. At divergent (constructive) boundaries, plates move away from each other; magma rises and forms new crust, e.g., the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.
2. Plates move towards each other at convergent boundaries and slide past at transform boundaries.

Yaad rakhein: Divergent = Diverge = move apart (constructive).

Answer: (B) They move away from each other.

Concept: In the Rigvedic period, cattle (go) were the chief measure of wealth.

1. Gomat means "one who possesses many cows", i.e., a wealthy person.
2. Related words: gavishti (search for cows, i.e., war), gopa/gopati (protector of cows/chief), duhitri (daughter, one who milks).

Yaad rakhein: Go + mat (having) = owner of cows = rich man.

Answer: (C) A wealthy person

Concept: A Digital Trade Agreement sets rules for cross-border data flows, e-payments, e-signatures and online consumer protection.

1. On 7 May 2025, the European Union and Singapore signed the EU–Singapore Digital Trade Agreement.
2. It is the EU's first standalone digital trade agreement, building on their 2019 FTA.

Yaad rakhein: EU's first stand-alone DTA – partner Singapore (Asian digital hub).

Answer: (B) European Union and Singapore

Concept: Rani Avantibai Lodhi was the queen of Ramgarh in the Mandla region (present-day Dindori/Mandla, Madhya Pradesh).

1. When the British took over Ramgarh's administration under the Court of Wards, she raised an army of about 4000 in 1857.
2. She fought the British in the Mandla region of Madhya Pradesh and sacrificed her life in 1858.
3. Lucknow and Awadh were led by Begum Hazrat Mahal, not Avantibai.

Yaad rakhein: Avantibai – Ramgarh – Mandla (MP).

Answer: (D) Mandla region of Madhya Pradesh

Concept: Dietary fibre (roughage) is the indigestible part of plant food.

1. It adds bulk to food, retains water and helps the smooth movement of food through the intestine – it aids digestion and prevents constipation.
2. It does not provide energy (carbohydrates/fats do) or build muscle (proteins do); it actually helps lower cholesterol.

Yaad rakhein: Roughage = bulk + bowel movement.

Answer: (C) Aids digestion

Concept: Human Papillomavirus (HPV) infection is the main cause of cervical cancer.

1. In April 2025, ICMR validated indigenous HPV detection kits (RT-PCR based) for screening cervical cancer in women.
2. Early HPV detection allows treatment before cancer develops; HPV vaccine also prevents it.

Yaad rakhein: HPV → Cervix.

Answer: (D) Cervical cancer

Concept: Mendeleev's periodic law: properties of elements are a periodic function of their atomic masses.

1. In 1869, Dmitri Mendeleev published a periodic table of 63 elements, leaving gaps for undiscovered ones (eka-aluminium = gallium).
2. Dobereiner – triads (1829); Newlands – law of octaves (1865); Lothar Meyer published a similar table in 1870.

Yaad rakhein: Triads → Octaves → Mendeleev (1869) → Moseley (atomic number).

Answer: (B) Dmitri Mendeleev

Concept: The States Reorganisation Commission (SRC) was set up in December 1953 after the Andhra agitation.

1. Chairman: Fazl Ali; members: KM Panikkar and HN Kunzru.
2. Its report (1955) led to the States Reorganisation Act, 1956 – 14 states and 6 UTs on a linguistic basis.

Yaad rakhein: SRC = "Fazl–Kunzru–Panikkar" (FKP).

Answer: (A) HN Kunzru, KM Panikkar, Fazl Ali

Concept: Europeans came to India in the order: Portuguese → Dutch → English → Danes → French.

1. Vasco da Gama of Portugal reached Calicut by the sea route in 1498.
2. The Dutch came in 1602, the English East India Company in 1600, the French in 1664.

Yaad rakhein: Order "PDEDF": Portuguese, Dutch, English, Danes, French.

Answer: (B) Portuguese

Concept: Major tribes are concentrated in specific regions of India.

1. Nagas live mainly in Nagaland and parts of Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh and Assam – the north-east.
2. Gonds – Central India (MP, Chhattisgarh); Santhals – Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha; Bhils – Rajasthan, Gujarat, MP.

Yaad rakhein: Naga → Nagaland (NE).

Answer: (B) Nagas

Concept: ISRO's 101st launch was PSLV-C61 carrying the EOS-09 earth observation satellite.

1. It lifted off from Sriharikota on 18 May 2025.
2. The mission failed because of a fall in chamber pressure in the solid-fuel third stage (PS3).

Yaad rakhein: PSLV-C61, EOS-09, 18 May 2025, third stage issue.

Answer: (B) 18 May 2025

Concept: $\text{Profit}\%=\frac{\text{SP}-\text{CP}}{\text{CP}}\times 100$

1. CP of one pen $=\frac{180}{12}=$ ₹15.
2. SP of one pen = ₹21, so profit $=21-15=$ ₹6.
3. $\text{Profit}\%=\frac{6}{15}\times 100=40\%$

Trick: Compare per dozen: SP $=21\times 12=252$, CP $=180$; $\frac{72}{180}=40\%$.

Answer: (A) $40$

Concept: Follow BODMAS: division and multiplication before addition and subtraction; take care of signs.

1. $(-60)÷(-10)=6$ and $(-4)\times 7=-28$.
2. Expression $=-9-6+(-28)$.
3. $=-15-28=-43$

Trick: Negative ÷ negative = positive; negative × positive = negative.

Answer: (B) $-43$