Q&A: practice questions with answers

Concept: A vector has magnitude and direction; a scalar has magnitude only.

1. Velocity = displacement ÷ time; displacement has a direction, so velocity is a vector (e.g. $20\text{m/s}$ towards east).
2. Time, distance and speed have only magnitude – they are scalars.

Yaad rakhein: Speed + direction = velocity.

Answer: (D) Velocity

Concept: Chemical weathering changes the chemical composition of rocks; physical (mechanical) weathering only breaks them.

1. Oxidation: iron minerals react with oxygen and water to form iron oxide (rust), weakening the rock – chemical.
2. Frost action, exfoliation (onion peeling) and abrasion are physical/mechanical processes.

Yaad rakhein: Chemical = oxidation, carbonation, hydration, solution.

Answer: (D) Oxidation

Concept: RTGS (Real-Time Governance Society) is an Andhra Pradesh government body.

1. In April 2025 the Andhra Pradesh government proposed India's first Quantum Computing Village at Amaravati, the state capital.
2. It is part of the 'Amaravati Quantum Valley' plan with an IBM quantum computer.

Yaad rakhein: RTGS → Andhra Pradesh → Amaravati Quantum Valley.

Answer: (C) Amaravati, Andhra Pradesh

Concept: Harappan cities were planned on a grid pattern.

1. Main streets ran north–south and east–west, cutting each other at right angles and dividing the city into rectangular blocks.
2. Covered drains ran along the streets – a unique feature of planned sanitation. A citadel existed, but it alone does not explain the street plan.

Yaad rakhein: Right-angle streets = grid (chessboard) plan.

Answer: (A) Grid-pattern layout

Concept: PM SVANidhi (June 2020) gives collateral-free working-capital loans to urban street vendors.

1. Benefits flow only in States/UTs that have notified rules and a scheme under the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014.
2. The Act makes town vending committees and vending certificates mandatory.

Yaad rakhein: Street Vendors Act = 2014; SVANidhi = 2020.

Answer: (C) 2014

Concept: Check both the full form and the function in each pair.

1. ROM – Read Only Memory: non-volatile; stores firmware/BIOS boot instructions used when the computer is switched on – correct.
2. PCB = Printed Circuit Board (not 'Chip Base'); the CPU processes, it does not store files permanently; RAM = Random Access Memory and is volatile – loses data when power is off.

Yaad rakhein: ROM remembers after power-off, RAM forgets.

Answer: (A) ROM – Read Only Memory – Stores boot instructions needed when the computer is powered on

Concept: The Indo-Gangetic Plain is the vast alluvial plain formed by the Indus, Ganga and Brahmaputra systems.

1. Almost the whole of Uttar Pradesh lies in the Ganga plain (with small Himalayan foothills in the north and plateau in the south).
2. Rajasthan is mostly Thar desert/Aravalli; Sikkim is Himalayan; Jharkhand is on the Chota Nagpur Plateau.

Yaad rakhein: UP = heart of the Ganga plain.

Answer: (B) Uttar Pradesh

Concept: The Quit India resolution was passed in Bombay on 8 August 1942; leaders were arrested the next morning.

1. On 9 August 1942 Aruna Asaf Ali hoisted the national flag at Gowalia Tank Maidan, Bombay (now August Kranti Maidan).
2. She is called the 'Grand Old Lady' of the independence movement.

Yaad rakhein: Gowalia Tank = August Kranti Maidan.

Answer: (D) Gowalia Tank Maidan, Bombay

Concept: Article 323A allows administrative tribunals for service matters of public servants.

1. The Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT), set up in 1985 under the Administrative Tribunals Act, decides recruitment and service disputes of central government employees.
2. ITAT – income-tax appeals; AFT – armed forces personnel; NGT – environmental cases.

Yaad rakhein: 323A → CAT (service), 323B → other tribunals.

Answer: (D) Central Administrative Tribunal

Concept: Since 2019 the ampere is defined by fixing the elementary charge $e$ to an exact value.

1. $e=1.602176634\times {10}^{-19}\text{C}$ exactly, where $1\text{C}=1\text{A s}$.
2. So $1\text{A}$ is the current carrying $\frac{1}{1.602176634\times {10}^{-19}}$ elementary charges per second.

Yaad rakhein: Electron charge ≈ $1.6\times {10}^{-19}\text{C}$ – only option C starts with 1.602.

Answer: (C) $1.602176634\times {10}^{-19}\text{C}$

Concept: Liberalisation (1991) removed industrial licensing, opened sectors to private and foreign investment and reduced controls.

1. Its biggest direct impact was on industry and services: delicensing, FDI, financial-sector reforms and rapid growth of telecom, banking and IT services.
2. Agriculture was comparatively less touched; IT is only a part of services, and PDS is a welfare scheme.

Yaad rakhein: LPG reforms mainly freed industry & services from the 'licence raj'.

Answer: (C) Industry and Services

Concept: In Windows, a deleted file is not erased at once; it goes to the Recycle Bin from where it can be restored.

1. Right-click the file → Delete (or press the Delete key) moves it to the Recycle Bin.
2. Rename only changes the name; Enter opens the file; dragging to the Taskbar pins/opens, it does not delete. (Shift + Delete deletes permanently.)

Yaad rakhein: Delete → Recycle Bin; Shift + Delete → gone for ever.

Answer: (C) Right-click the file → Select Delete

Concept: The World Happiness Report is published annually around 20 March (International Day of Happiness).

1. In the 2024 report Finland was ranked the happiest country for the 7th year in a row.
2. Denmark was 2nd, Iceland 3rd and Sweden 4th; India was 126th.

Yaad rakhein: Finland – No. 1 since 2018 (8th time in 2025).

Answer: (D) Finland

Concept: Magnetic field lines show the direction of the field (tangent) and, by their spacing, its strength.

1. Where lines are crowded (near the poles) the field is strong; where they are far apart the field is weak.
2. Direction is given by the tangent/arrow on a line, not by closeness; electric field and charge are unrelated here.

Yaad rakhein: Closer lines = stronger field.

Answer: (C) Relative strength of the magnetic field

Concept: The Munda Ulgulan ('Great Tumult', 1899–1900) took place in the Chota Nagpur region (present Jharkhand).

1. It was led by Birsa Munda against British rule, landlords (dikus) and moneylenders; his birthday 15 November is Janjatiya Gaurav Divas.
2. Tilka Manjhi – Santhal-region revolt (1780s); Gunda Dhur – Bastar Bhumkal (1910); Tana Bhagat – Oraon movement (1914).

Yaad rakhein: Ulgulan = Birsa, 'Dharti Aaba'.

Answer: (D) Birsa Munda

Concept: Kautilya's Arthashastra is a treatise on statecraft, economy and administration.

1. It deals with the welfare of subjects – agriculture, trade, taxation, prices, labour, famine relief, law and order – i.e. socio-economic problems of citizens.
2. Foreign policy (mandala theory) is also covered, but the citizens' problems discussed are mainly social and economic.

Yaad rakhein: Artha = wealth/economy → socio-economic.

Answer: (B) Socio-economic problems

Concept: HAL is outsourcing major LCA Tejas Mk1A assemblies to private industry to speed up production.

1. Alpha Tocol Engineering Services (Bengaluru) produced and handed over the first rear fuselage of LCA Mk1A to HAL in 2025.
2. Other private partners supply different Mk1A assemblies; this first rear fuselage came from Alpha Tocol.

Yaad rakhein: Rear fuselage → Alpha Tocol.

Answer: (B) Alpha Tocol Engineering Services

Concept: After the Gandhi–Irwin Pact (March 1931), the Congress agreed to attend the Second Round Table Conference in London (Sept–Dec 1931).

1. Mahatma Gandhi was the sole representative of the Indian National Congress.
2. Dr B R Ambedkar attended all three conferences, but as the representative of the depressed classes, not the Congress.

Yaad rakhein: Congress attended only the 2nd RTC – through Gandhi alone.

Answer: (C) Mahatma Gandhi

Concept: Trade balance = exports − imports; a negative value is a trade deficit.

1. After 1991 both exports and imports grew strongly, but imports (crude oil, gold, electronics, machinery) grew faster.
2. India has had a trade deficit every year, which widened over time – so no yearly surplus, no $1:1$ ratio and no continuous fall in imports.

Yaad rakhein: Oil + gold imports keep India in merchandise trade deficit.

Answer: (C) Rising imports outpacing exports and widening the trade deficit

Concept: In October–November the south-west monsoon withdraws from north India – the season of the retreating monsoon.

1. As the rains stop, skies become clear and temperatures rise, while the land is still moist from the monsoon.
2. The high temperature with high humidity makes the weather oppressive – called 'October heat'. Bay of Bengal cyclones in this season mainly affect the east coast.

Yaad rakhein: Monsoon goes back → October heat.

Answer: (D) Retreating Monsoon