Q&A: practice questions with answers

Concept: Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana (PMMY) gives collateral-free loans to micro enterprises.

1. Categories: Shishu (up to ₹50,000), Kishore (up to ₹5 lakh), Tarun (up to ₹10 lakh).
2. Union Budget 2024-25 added "Tarun Plus": up to ₹20 lakh for those who have repaid Tarun loans.

Yaad rakhein: Shishu → Kishore → Tarun → Tarun Plus: 0.5 → 5 → 10 → 20 lakh.

Answer: (D) ₹20 lakh

Concept: Stoichiometry is the quantitative relation between reactants and products.

1. The mole ratios needed come from the coefficients of a balanced chemical equation.
2. Colour, apparatus or temperature do not give these ratios.

Yaad rakhein: No balanced equation, no stoichiometry — law of conservation of mass.

Answer: (C) A balanced chemical equation

Concept: Nafithromycin (brand "Miqnaf") is India's first indigenously discovered antibiotic.

1. Developed by Wockhardt with support from BIRAC (Department of Biotechnology).
2. It targets drug-resistant community-acquired bacterial pneumonia (respiratory infection).
3. Azithromycin, Cefixime and Penicillin-G are older, imported discoveries.

Yaad rakhein: Nafithromycin — "Naf" for "Naya" (new) Indian antibiotic for pneumonia.

Answer: (D) Nafithromycin

Concept: The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025 (UMEED) added specific safeguards for Muslim women.

1. It requires two Muslim women members in the Central Waqf Council and in State Waqf Boards.
2. In waqf-alal-aulad (family waqf), female heirs must first receive their rightful inheritance — so the statement that they are "not guaranteed" their share is false.

Yaad rakhein: The bill protects women's inheritance — option saying the opposite is the odd one.

Answer: (D) Female heirs are not guaranteed their rightful share in family waqf.

Concept: German scholar Richard Pischel traced the origin of Indian drama to puppetry.

1. "Sutradhar" literally means "holder of the strings" — the puppeteer.
2. "Sthapak" (the one who places/arranges) is also linked to the puppet show; hence Sanskrit drama grew from the puppet tradition.

Yaad rakhein: Sutra = thread → string puppets.

Answer: (C) Puppet dance tradition

Concept: Operation Sindoor was launched by India on 7 May 2025.

1. It struck terror infrastructure in Pakistan and PoK with missiles and drones.
2. It was a response to the Pahalgam terror attack of 22 April 2025.

Yaad rakhein: Sindoor — named in memory of the victims of Pahalgam.

Answer: (D) Operation Sindoor

Concept: Cochin Shipyard Limited (Kochi, Kerala) is India's largest shipbuilding and maintenance facility.

1. It built India's first indigenous aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant.
2. Its new large dry dock further raised its capacity, making it the biggest in the country.

Yaad rakhein: INS Vikrant = Cochin Shipyard = largest shipyard.

Answer: (B) Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL)

Concept: In Windows (including Windows 11) the Windows logo key opens/closes the Start Menu.

1. Ctrl + Esc does the same job.
2. Enter, Ctrl and Shift alone do not open Start.

Yaad rakhein: Win + D = desktop, Win + E = File Explorer, Win + L = lock.

Answer: (A) Windows Key

Concept: The Rigveda calls the land of the early Aryans "Sapta-Sindhu" — land of seven rivers.

1. Rivers: Sindhu (Indus), its five Punjab tributaries, and Saraswati.
2. Aryavarta, Brahmavarta and Madhyadesha are terms of the later Vedic/post-Vedic period for the Ganga–Yamuna region.

Yaad rakhein: Early Vedic = Punjab = Sapta-Sindhu; Later Vedic = Ganga valley.

Answer: (A) Sapta-Sindhu

Concept: The World Health Summit 2024 was held in Berlin, Germany (13–15 October 2024).

1. Berlin hosts the World Health Summit every year since its start in 2009 (Charité hospital).
2. Geneva is the headquarters of the WHO, a common distractor.

Yaad rakhein: World Health Summit → Berlin; WHO → Geneva.

Answer: (B) Berlin

Concept: Fundamental Duties (Article 51A) were added by the 42nd Amendment, 1976, on the Swaran Singh Committee's advice.

1. The committee suggested 8 duties, but 10 were included in 1976.
2. The 11th duty (education of children aged 6–14) came by the 86th Amendment, 2002.

Yaad rakhein: 42nd → 10 duties; 86th → 11th duty.

Answer: (B) Ten

Concept: Purandara Dasa (15th–16th century) is called the "Pitamaha" (father) of Carnatic music.

1. He systematised its teaching through graded lessons like Sarali Varisai, Alankaras and Geethams, still used today.
2. Kanaka Dasa was a contemporary saint-poet, not the codifier.

Yaad rakhein: Purandara Dasa = Karnataka Sangeeta Pitamaha.

Answer: (A) Purandara Dasa

Concept: Kinetic energy $KE=\frac{1}{2}m{v}^2$.

1. It depends on mass $m$ and velocity $v$.
2. Doubling $v$ makes KE 4 times; doubling $m$ makes it 2 times. Shape has no role.

Yaad rakhein: KE $\propto m$ and KE $\propto v^2$.

Answer: (C) Both mass and velocity

Concept: Application software performs tasks for the user (games, browsers, MS Word).

1. System utilities (antivirus, disk cleanup) and device drivers maintain/run the system and hardware.
2. Primary memory (RAM) is hardware, not software.

Yaad rakhein: User-facing program = application software.

Answer: (D) Application software

Concept: After 1857 the British (Peel Commission, 1859) reorganised the army to make another united revolt impossible.

1. The proportion of European soldiers was raised and artillery kept only in British hands.
2. Regiments were mixed by caste, community and region ("divide and rule"); recruitment shifted to "martial races".

Yaad rakhein: Goal of army reorganisation = no second 1857.

Answer: (D) Preventing a future unified military uprising by Indian soldiers against British rule.

Concept: Under the Family Courts Act, 1984, the State Government sets up Family Courts.

1. Judges of Family Courts are appointed by the State Government with the concurrence of the High Court (Section 4).
2. The Governor appoints district judges, which is a different provision (Article 233).

Yaad rakhein: Family Court judge → State Government + High Court consent.

Answer: (D) State Government

Concept: Acid rain forms when sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides dissolve in rainwater.

1. $S{O}_2$ (mainly from burning coal) forms sulphuric acid $H_{2}S{O}_4$ — the main contributor.
2. Methane is a greenhouse gas; hydrogen and neon do not form acids.

Yaad rakhein: Acid rain = $S{O}_2$ + $N{O}_x$; Taj Mahal yellowing (Mathura refinery) is a famous example.

Answer: (D) Sulphur dioxide

Concept: India is the second-largest cement producer in the world (after China).

1. By 2022-23 the installed capacity was about 600 million tonnes (MT).
2. Actual production in 2022-23 was about 391 MT, i.e. roughly 65% capacity utilisation.

Yaad rakhein: Cement: capacity ≈ 600 MT, production ≈ 391 MT (2022-23).

Answer: (A) 600 MT and 391 MT

Concept: PM Modi dedicated the Vizhinjam International Deepwater Multipurpose Seaport, Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala), on 2 May 2025.

1. It is India's first dedicated deepwater container transshipment port.
2. It was developed by Adani Ports under a PPP model with the Kerala government.

Yaad rakhein: Vizhinjam → Kerala → first transshipment port.

Answer: (B) Kerala

Concept: Water has maximum density at $4^{\circ }\text{C}$ (anomalous expansion).

1. On cooling from $4^{\circ }\text{C}$ to $0^{\circ }\text{C}$, water expands — volume increases.
2. Since mass is fixed, density $=\frac{m}{V}$ decreases.
3. This is why ice floats and lakes freeze from the top.

Yaad rakhein: Below $4^{\circ }\text{C}$ water behaves "opposite": cool → expand.

Answer: (C) Volume increases but density decreases