Q&A: practice questions with answers

Concept: UNDP's Human Development Report 2025 (released May 2025) ranks countries on the HDI, which combines health, education and income.

1. India ranked 130th of 193 countries in HDR 2025 (HDI value 0.685).
2. It improved from 133rd in the previous report and stays in the 'medium human development' group.

Yaad rakhein: HDR 2025 → India 130 (up from 133).

Answer: (B) 130

Concept: The World Economic Forum annual meeting at Davos (January 2025) had a large Indian delegation.

1. Union Minister for Electronics & IT and Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw led the delegation and spoke on India's growth, digital public infrastructure and IT/AI advances.
2. The IT portfolio makes him the natural answer to 'IT advancements'.

Yaad rakhein: IT + Railways minister = Ashwini Vaishnaw.

Answer: (D) Ashwini Vaishnaw

Concept: DIGIPIN is a 10-character, geo-coded digital address for every ~4 m × 4 m grid in India, developed by the Department of Posts with IIT Hyderabad and ISRO's NRSC.

1. In May 2025 the Department launched two web platforms: 'Know Your DIGIPIN' and 'Know Your PIN Code'.
2. They let users find their digital address and the correct PIN code, improving last-mile delivery.

Yaad rakhein: DIGIPIN = Digital Postal Index Number.

Answer: (C) Know Your DIGIPIN and Know Your PIN Code web platforms

Concept: Economies are ranked by nominal GDP (IMF/World Bank data).

1. In 2014 India's nominal GDP (about US$2 trillion) placed it as the 10th largest economy in the world.
2. It rose to 5th by 2021–22 and became 4th largest in 2025.

Yaad rakhein: 2014 → 10th, 2025 → 4th.

Answer: (A) 10th largest

Concept: Harappans cast bronze figures by the lost-wax (cire perdue) method.

1. A wax model is coated with clay and heated; the wax melts and drains out, leaving a hollow mould.
2. Molten bronze is poured in; when cool, the clay is broken. The 'Dancing Girl' of Mohenjo-daro was made this way.

Yaad rakhein: Dancing Girl → lost-wax.

Answer: (B) Lost-wax casting

Concept: 'Chunautiyan Mujhe Pasand Hain' is a book on the life and journey of Anandiben Patel, Governor of Uttar Pradesh and former Chief Minister of Gujarat.

1. It was launched by then Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar in May 2025.
2. The other options are also Governors (Gangwar – Jharkhand, Gehlot – Karnataka, Shukla – Himachal Pradesh), not connected with this book.

Yaad rakhein: 'Challenges I like' – Anandiben, first woman CM of Gujarat.

Answer: (B) Anandiben Patel

Concept: The Mutual Credit Guarantee Scheme for MSMEs (MCGS-MSME), approved by the Union Cabinet in January 2025, supports loans for buying plant and machinery.

1. NCGTC gives $60\%$ guarantee coverage to member lending institutions.
2. It covers loans up to ₹100 crore to MSMEs for equipment/machinery.

Yaad rakhein: MCGS → 60% cover, ₹100 crore loan.

Answer: (C) $60\%$

Concept: Under Article 368(2) proviso, amendments touching the federal structure need a special majority of Parliament plus ratification by at least half of the State Legislatures.

1. Federal matters include: election of the President, Union–State executive powers, Supreme Court and High Courts, distribution of legislative powers, any of the Lists in the Seventh Schedule, States' representation in Parliament and Article 368 itself.
2. Altering the Union List is a change to the Seventh Schedule, so it needs ratification by half the States.
3. Emergency provisions (Part XVIII), the Preamble and Fundamental Rights need only a special majority of Parliament.

Yaad rakhein: Federal subjects (Lists, President's election, Courts, 368) = States must agree.

Answer: (D) Altering the Union List of subjects

Concept: Article 39 (DPSP) lists principles of policy the State must follow.

1. Article 39(d): equal pay for equal work for both men and women.
2. 39(a) – right to adequate means of livelihood; Art 42 – just and humane work conditions and maternity relief; Art 43 – living wage.

Yaad rakhein: 39(d) = Dono (men & women) ko barabar vetan.

Answer: (A) Article 39(d)

Concept: India's highest sporting honour was renamed after hockey legend Major Dhyan Chand.

1. The Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna was renamed the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna in August 2021, after India's Olympic hockey bronze at Tokyo.
2. Dhyan Chand's birthday, 29 August, is celebrated as National Sports Day.

Yaad rakhein: Tokyo Olympics year 2021 = renaming year.

Answer: (C) 2021

Concept: The executive has two parts: the political executive (elected, changes with elections) and the permanent executive.

1. The permanent executive = civil servants (IAS, IPS etc.) appointed for long tenure who run day-to-day administration.
2. Ministers and heads of government form the political executive; MPs are the legislature and judges the judiciary.

Yaad rakhein: Politicians come and go, civil servants stay → 'permanent'.

Answer: (B) The permanent civil servants who manage daily administration

Concept: The Inter-Services Organisations (Command, Control & Discipline) Rules, 2025, notified under the ISO Act 2023, came into force on 27 May 2025.

1. They empower the Commander-in-Chief / Officer-in-Command of an inter-services organisation to exercise command and disciplinary control over personnel of all three Services serving under him.
2. This builds jointness and a unified military command structure (step towards theatre commands).

Yaad rakhein: ISO Rules → one commander for Army + Navy + Air Force personnel.

Answer: (B) To establish a unified military command structure

Concept: Article 32 gives the right to move the Supreme Court directly for enforcement of Fundamental Rights – it is original jurisdiction.

1. SC issues writs (habeas corpus, mandamus, prohibition, certiorari, quo warranto) under Art 32; Dr Ambedkar called it the 'heart and soul' of the Constitution.
2. Art 131 – Centre–State disputes; Art 136 – special leave to appeal; Art 226 – High Court writs.

Yaad rakhein: 32 = SC writ, 226 = HC writ.

Answer: (A) Article 32

Concept: The Un Certain Regard section of the Cannes Film Festival honours original, bold new films and directors.

1. Chilean director Diego Céspedes won the Un Certain Regard Prize for his debut feature 'The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo'.
2. Pablo Larraín and Sebastián Lelio are well-known Chilean directors but did not win this award.

Yaad rakhein: Flamingo → Céspedes (debut film).

Answer: (B) Diego Céspedes

Concept: Project Kusha is DRDO's indigenous long-range surface-to-air missile (LR-SAM) system, comparable to the Russian S-400.

1. It will have interceptors with ranges of about 150, 250 and 350 km and is expected to be operational by 2028–29.
2. Agni-V is a ballistic missile; Trishul was a short-range SAM (shelved); Akash-NG is a medium-range SAM.

Yaad rakhein: Kusha = India's own 'S-400'.

Answer: (C) Project Kusha

Concept: TERI organises the World Sustainable Development Summit (WSDS) every year in New Delhi.

1. The 24th WSDS (5–7 March 2025) had the theme 'Partnerships for Accelerating Sustainable Development and Climate Solutions'.
2. 'Land Restoration, Desertification and Drought Resilience' was the World Environment Day 2024 theme; 'Invest In Our Planet' was Earth Day 2023.

Yaad rakhein: WSDS 2025 = Partnerships + Acceleration.

Answer: (C) Partnerships for Accelerating Sustainable Development and Climate Solutions

Concept: The Golden Quadrilateral (NHDP Phase I, launched 2001) is a highway network joining India's four major metros.

1. It links Delhi – Kolkata – Chennai – Mumbai in a loop of about 5,846 km.
2. North–South and East–West corridors are a separate project (Srinagar–Kanyakumari, Silchar–Porbandar).

Yaad rakhein: Four old metros = four corners.

Answer: (C) Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, Mumbai

Concept: Thermal power (mainly coal, plus gas and lignite) dominates India's power sector.

1. Thermal plants produce roughly three-quarters of India's electricity generation; coal alone gives about $70\%$.
2. Solar and wind are growing fast in capacity but their share in actual generation is much smaller; nuclear gives only about $3\%$.

Yaad rakhein: Coal is king – thermal first in generation.

Answer: (D) Thermal power

Concept: India's defence exports reached a record ₹21,083 crore in FY 2023-24 (about $32.5\%$ more than FY 2022-23).

1. Ministry of Defence data: the private sector contributed about $60\%$ and the Defence PSUs about $40\%$.
2. So both contributed, with private industry having the larger share – not 'only' one of them, and not equal.

Yaad rakhein: FY24 exports ₹21,083 crore → private 60 : DPSU 40.

Answer: (A) The private sector contributed about $60\%$ and DPSUs about $40\%$

Concept: North India's first nuclear power plant is the Gorakhpur Haryana Anu Vidyut Pariyojana (GHAVP).

1. It is coming up at Gorakhpur village in Fatehabad district, Haryana (4 × 700 MW PHWR units, by NPCIL).
2. Rajasthan's Rawatbhata is in the west; Punjab, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh have no such project.

Yaad rakhein: GHAVP – Gorakhpur (Fatehabad, Haryana), not Gorakhpur of UP.

Answer: (A) Haryana