Q&A: practice questions with answers

Concept: Persian ruler Nadir Shah invaded India during the reign of Mughal emperor Muhammad Shah "Rangila".

1. He defeated the Mughals at Karnal (1739) and then ordered a massacre in Delhi.
2. He carried away the Peacock Throne and the Koh-i-Noor, badly weakening the Mughal Empire.
3. Ahmad Shah Abdali invaded later (1748–1767); Babur came in 1526.

Yaad rakhein: 1739 – Nadir Shah – Karnal – Peacock Throne.

Answer: (C) Nadir Shah

Concept: Article 131 gives the Supreme Court original jurisdiction in federal disputes.

1. Disputes between the Centre and one or more states, or between states, are heard only by the Supreme Court.
2. The Inter-State Council (Art. 263) only advises; it cannot adjudicate.

Yaad rakhein: Centre vs State dispute → Article 131 → Supreme Court (original jurisdiction).

Answer: (A) Supreme Court of India

Concept: The Human Development Index combines life expectancy, education and per-capita income.

1. It is published every year by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in its Human Development Report (since 1990).
2. The concept was developed by Mahbub ul Haq with Amartya Sen.

Yaad rakhein: HDI → UNDP; Global Competitiveness/Gender Gap → WEF.

Answer: (A) United Nations Development Programme

Concept: The CBI Director has a fixed tenure of two years, which can be extended by up to one year at a time (maximum five years in all).

1. In May 2025, the Centre extended Praveen Sood’s tenure as CBI Director by one year.
2. He had taken charge in May 2023 for a two-year term.

Yaad rakhein: CBI/ED chief: 2 years + extension of 1 year at a time.

Answer: (D) 1 year

Concept: Ecuador held a presidential run-off in April 2025.

1. Daniel Noboa won and was sworn in again as President in May 2025.
2. He defeated Luisa González; Correa, Moreno and Lasso are former presidents.

Yaad rakhein: Ecuador 2025 → Daniel Noboa (re-elected).

Answer: (C) Daniel Noboa

Concept: The 42^nd Amendment Act, 1976 (Indira Gandhi era) is called the "Mini-Constitution".

1. It added "Socialist, Secular, Integrity" to the Preamble, moved subjects like education and forests to the Concurrent List (Schedule VII), and added Fundamental Duties.
2. It changed about 53 Articles; the 44^th Amendment (1978) later undid many of these changes.

Yaad rakhein: 42 = Mini-Constitution; 44 = undo + right to property removed from FRs.

Answer: (A) 42^nd Amendment

Concept: Ayushman Bharat – Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY) was launched in September 2018.

1. It gives health cover of ₹5 lakh per family per year for secondary and tertiary hospitalisation.
2. It targeted about 10.74 crore poor families, i.e. around 50 crore beneficiaries.
3. PM-KISAN is income support for farmers; Ujjwala gives LPG connections.

Yaad rakhein: 50 crore people + ₹5 lakh cover = Ayushman Bharat PMJAY.

Answer: (A) Ayushman Bharat - PMJAY

Concept: Coastal sand dunes need a large supply of loose sand and gentle slopes.

1. Low sedimentary coasts have wide beaches; onshore winds pile the sand into long ridges parallel to the shore.
2. High rocky coasts are erosional (cliffs, sea caves), so dunes are rare there.

Yaad rakhein: Low sedimentary coast = deposition (beaches, bars, dunes); high rocky coast = erosion (cliffs).

Answer: (A) along low sedimentary coasts

Concept: The Bharat Cancer Genome Atlas (BCGA) is a database of genetic changes in cancers of Indian patients.

1. It was launched by IIT Madras in February 2025, starting with breast cancer genomes.
2. It helps in early detection and targeted treatment suited to the Indian population.

Yaad rakhein: BCGA → IIT Madras (Chennai).

Answer: (C) Indian Institute of Technology, Madras

Concept: Friction is the force that opposes relative motion (or its tendency) between two surfaces in contact.

1. It acts along (tangent to) the contact surface, not along the normal.
2. Its direction is opposite to the relative motion of the surface, so it is not always opposite to the applied force.

Yaad rakhein: Friction always "fights" the slipping – look at relative motion, not at the push.

Answer: (B) Opposite to the direction of relative motion

Concept: Potti Sreeramulu fasted for a separate Telugu-speaking state and died on 15 December 1952.

1. The resulting agitation forced the creation of Andhra State on 1 October 1953.
2. In December 1953 the States Reorganisation Commission (Fazl Ali, K. M. Panikkar, H. N. Kunzru) was appointed; it led to the States Reorganisation Act, 1956.
3. The Planning Commission (1950) and Election Commission (1950) existed before his death.

Yaad rakhein: Sreeramulu (1952) → Andhra (1953) → SRC (1953) → States Reorganisation Act (1956).

Answer: (B) Appointment of the States Reorganisation Commission

Concept: Subhas Chandra Bose believed in armed struggle rather than only non-violence.

1. In January 1941 he escaped from his Calcutta house arrest, reached Germany, and in 1943 went by submarine to Singapore/South-East Asia.
2. There he took over and reorganised the Indian National Army (Azad Hind Fauj).
3. Mohan Singh founded the first INA (1942); Captain Lakshmi led its Rani Jhansi Regiment.

Yaad rakhein: "Great Escape" 1941 + Azad Hind Fauj + "Delhi Chalo" = Netaji Bose.

Answer: (A) Subhash Chandra Bose

Concept: Part VI of the Constitution deals with the States.

1. Article 153: there shall be a Governor for each State.
2. Art. 74 – Council of Ministers to aid the President; Art. 63 – Vice-President; Art. 112 – Union Budget.

Yaad rakhein: Governor articles: 153 (post) – 155 (appointment) – 161 (pardon).

Answer: (D) Article 153

Concept: Karnataka promotes millets (siridhanya) through yearly international events.

1. In January 2025, Bengaluru (Karnataka) hosted the International Organics and Millets conference/trade fair to promote millet farming and trade.
2. Karnataka is among the leading millet-producing states (ragi).

Yaad rakhein: Ragi state Karnataka → millet conference in Bengaluru.

Answer: (C) Karnataka

Concept: In Windows 7 the Start button (round Windows logo at the bottom-left) opens the Start menu.

1. The Start menu gives access to all programs, recent files/folders, Control Panel and other settings.
2. The Taskbar only holds buttons; the Control Panel is for settings only; the Notification Area shows system icons and clock.

Yaad rakhein: One click on Start = Programs + Files + Settings.

Answer: (B) Start Button

Concept: Wet farming depends on high rainfall (over about 200 cm) or abundant water; crops like rice and jute.

1. Assam, Manipur and Tripura receive heavy monsoon rain, so wet (rice) farming is common there.
2. Haryana is a low-rainfall state; its farming is mainly irrigated or dry farming (wheat, bajra).

Yaad rakhein: NE India = wet farming; NW India (Haryana, Rajasthan) = dry/irrigated farming.

Answer: (A) Haryana

Concept: Bharata Muni’s Natya Shastra is the oldest Indian treatise on drama, dance and music.

1. It describes stagecraft, acting, rasa theory and musical forms – the basis of classical Indian performing arts.
2. Arthashastra is on statecraft (Kautilya); Manusmriti on law/social code; Rigveda is a collection of hymns.

Yaad rakhein: Natya = drama → Natya Shastra by Bharata Muni (called the fifth Veda).

Answer: (D) Natya Shastra

Concept: The Inter-Services Organisations (Command, Control and Discipline) Act, 2023 supports jointness and future theatre commands.

1. Its rules came into effect in May 2025.
2. It empowers the Commander-in-Chief / Officer-in-Command of an inter-services organisation to exercise disciplinary and administrative control over personnel of the Army, Navy and Air Force serving under him.

Yaad rakhein: Inter-services = all three services → Army, Navy, Air Force.

Answer: (D) Army, Navy, and Air Force

Concept: Critical angle $C$ satisfies $\sin C=\frac{1}{n}$ (light going from the denser medium to air).

1. For diamond, $n\approx 2.42$.
2. $\sin C=\frac{1}{2.42}\approx 0.413$
3. $C\approx {24.4}^{\circ }$ – very small, so light undergoes repeated total internal reflection and diamond sparkles.

Yaad rakhein: Bigger $n$ → smaller $C$. Glass ($n=1.5$): $C\approx {42}^{\circ }$; water: $C\approx {49}^{\circ }$; diamond: $C\approx {24}^{\circ }$.

Answer: (B) ${24.4}^{\circ }$

Concept: A stratospheric airship is a lighter-than-air platform for long-endurance surveillance at about 17 km altitude.

1. In May 2025 DRDO’s Aerial Delivery Research and Development Establishment (Agra) flew the maiden trial from the Sheopur trial site in Madhya Pradesh.
2. It reached about 17 km altitude in a flight of around 62 minutes.

Yaad rakhein: Airship trial → Sheopur (MP); missile tests → Odisha (Chandipur/Abdul Kalam Island).

Answer: (D) Madhya Pradesh