Q&A: practice questions with answers

Concept: The World Sustainable Development Summit (WSDS) is the annual flagship event of TERI (The Energy and Resources Institute).

1. The 24th WSDS was held in New Delhi on 5–7 March 2025.
2. Its opening session was addressed by Bhupender Yadav, Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
3. Pralhad Joshi (Renewable Energy) and Piyush Goyal (Commerce) were not the opening speakers.

Yaad rakhein: Sustainable development / climate summit → Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav.

Answer: (B) Bhupender Yadav

Concept: Peninsular rivers either flow east into the Bay of Bengal (forming deltas) or west into the Arabian Sea (forming estuaries).

1. Mahanadi rises near Sihawa (Chhattisgarh) and flows east through Odisha into the Bay of Bengal.
2. Narmada and Tapti flow west through rift valleys; Sabarmati also drains west into the Gulf of Khambhat.

Yaad rakhein: East-flowing: Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna, Kaveri. West-flowing: Narmada, Tapti, Sabarmati, Mahi.

Answer: (D) Mahanadi

Concept: Global capability centres of foreign firms are a frequent current-affairs topic.

1. In 2025, US biotech major Amgen opened its $200 million technology and innovation site in Hyderabad, Telangana.
2. The centre focuses on AI, data science and digital capabilities for drug development.

Yaad rakhein: Amgen → Hyderabad → $200 million hub.

Answer: (D) Amgen

Concept: Agentic AI means AI systems that can plan and act autonomously to complete tasks.

1. Techvantage.ai, an AI company based in Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala), conducted India’s first Agentic AI Hackathon in 2025.
2. The other names are not linked to this event.

Yaad rakhein: Agentic AI Hackathon → Techvantage.ai (Kerala).

Answer: (B) Techvantage.ai

Concept: The Second Five-Year Plan (1956–61) was based on the P.C. Mahalanobis model.

1. It aimed at rapid industrialisation, giving top priority to heavy and basic industries (steel, machinery).
2. Steel plants at Bhilai, Rourkela and Durgapur were set up during this plan.
3. Agriculture was the priority of the First Plan (1951–56), not the Second.

Yaad rakhein: 1st Plan → Agriculture; 2nd Plan → Heavy industry (Mahalanobis).

Answer: (D) Heavy and basic industries

Concept: Bhakti saints spread devotion through simple vernacular verse.

1. Kabir (15th century) composed short two-line couplets called dohas (sakhis), collected in the Bijak.
2. Bhasa, Kalidasa and Bharavi were classical Sanskrit poets/dramatists, not Bhakti saints.

Yaad rakhein: Kabir ke dohe – famous two-line couplets.

Answer: (B) Kabir

Concept: The Bills of Lading Bill, 2024 replaces the Indian Bills of Lading Act, 1856.

1. Lok Sabha passed the Bill in March 2025.
2. Age of the old law: 2025 − 1856 = 169 years.

Yaad rakhein: Colonial shipping law of 1856 → 169 years old in 2025.

Answer: (A) 169 years

Concept: In a longitudinal wave, particles of the medium vibrate parallel to the direction of wave travel, forming compressions and rarefactions.

1. Sound in air travels as compressions and rarefactions, so it is longitudinal.
2. Light and radio waves are electromagnetic (transverse); surface water waves are mainly transverse.

Yaad rakhein: Compression + rarefaction = longitudinal = sound.

Answer: (C) Sound wave in air

Concept: Books launched by constitutional authorities are common current-affairs questions.

1. ‘Parliament: Powers, Functions & Privileges; A Comparative Constitutional Perspective’ is written by Dr. K.S. Chauhan.
2. It was released by Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar in January 2025 in New Delhi.

Yaad rakhein: Parliament privileges book → Dr. K.S. Chauhan.

Answer: (C) Dr. KS Chauhan

Concept: Calcination is heating an ore strongly in a limited supply of air or absence of air.

1. Carbonate ores decompose on calcination to give metal oxides and CO₂, e.g. ZnCO₃ → ZnO + CO₂.
2. Roasting (heating in excess air) is used for sulphide ores. ‘Calcification’ is deposition of calcium salts, not a metallurgical step.

Yaad rakhein: Carbonate → Calcination; Sulphide → Roasting.

Answer: (C) Calcination

Concept: INS Shivalik, a stealth frigate, was deployed to the Pacific in 2024.

1. Before RIMPAC 2024 (Hawaii), INS Shivalik took part in JIMEX 24, the India–Japan maritime exercise, at Yokosuka, Japan in June 2024.
2. AUSINDEX is with Australia, INDRA with Russia and SLINEX with Sri Lanka.

Yaad rakhein: JIMEX = Japan–India Maritime Exercise.

Answer: (C) JIMEX

Concept: Cement is a heavy, weight-losing industry located near its main raw material.

1. Limestone is the chief raw material of cement (with gypsum and clay/coal).
2. Hence cement plants cluster near limestone deposits (e.g. Satna, Katni, Chittorgarh).
3. Bauxite → aluminium, cotton → textiles, iron ore → steel.

Yaad rakhein: Cement = Limestone + Gypsum.

Answer: (D) limestone

Concept: LPG = Liberalisation, Privatisation and Globalisation, launched in July 1991 to tackle the balance-of-payments crisis.

1. Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao led the government that started the reforms.
2. Finance Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh presented the reform budget.

Yaad rakhein: 1991 reforms → PM Narasimha Rao + FM Manmohan Singh.

Answer: (D) PV Narasimha Rao

Concept: Every computer works on the IPO cycle: Input → Processing → Output (with storage).

1. Input devices (keyboard, mouse) give data, the CPU processes it, output devices (monitor, printer) show the result.
2. Other options mix unrelated items like air conditioner, light or mobile.

Yaad rakhein: IPO cycle = Input, Processing, Output.

Answer: (D) Input, Processing, Output

Concept: Orographic (relief) rainfall occurs when moist air is forced to rise along a mountain barrier.

1. Rising air cools adiabatically, condenses and gives heavy rain on the windward side.
2. The leeward side gets little rain (rain-shadow), e.g. Western Ghats vs. Deccan plateau.
3. Convectional rain is due to surface heating; frontal/cyclonic rain is due to meeting air masses.

Yaad rakhein: Oros = mountain → orographic rain.

Answer: (B) Orographic rainfall

Concept: An output device converts digital data from the computer into a human-usable form.

1. A speaker converts digital audio signals (via the sound card) into sound.
2. A microphone does the reverse – sound into signal (input device); printer and monitor give printed/visual output.

Yaad rakhein: Microphone = sound in; Speaker = sound out.

Answer: (B) Speaker

Concept: The Asian Winter Games are organised by the Olympic Council of Asia.

1. The 9th Asian Winter Games were held in Harbin, China, in February 2025.
2. Harbin had earlier hosted the 1996 edition as well.

Yaad rakhein: Harbin = “Ice City” of China → 2025 Asian Winter Games.

Answer: (B) China

Concept: The Law Commission of India is a non-statutory body constituted by the Government for a fixed term (23rd: 2024–27).

1. In April 2025, former Supreme Court judge Justice (Retd.) Dinesh Maheshwari was appointed Chairperson of the 23rd Law Commission.
2. Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi headed the 22nd Law Commission.

Yaad rakhein: 23rd Law Commission → Justice Dinesh Maheshwari.

Answer: (C) Justice (Retd.) Dinesh Maheshwari

Concept: Jainism strongly believes in the doctrine of Karma and rebirth.

1. Jains hold that the soul is bound by karma and liberation (kaivalya) comes by shedding karma through penance.
2. They believe everything, even stones and water, has life, practise ahimsa, and value monastic life for salvation.
3. So “rejection of the doctrine of Karma” is NOT a Jain principle.

Yaad rakhein: Jainism = Karma + Ahimsa + Triratna.

Answer: (B) Rejection of the doctrine of Karma

Concept: Lakshadweep lies in the Arabian Sea off the Kerala coast.

1. The Maldives, an island nation, lies just south of Lakshadweep, separated by the Eight Degree Channel.
2. Andaman Islands are Indian territory (not a nation); Sri Lanka lies south-east of India; Mauritius is far away in the south-west Indian Ocean.

Yaad rakhein: Lakshadweep –(8° Channel)– Maldives.

Answer: (A) Maldives