Q&A: practice questions with answers

Concept: Speeds of aircraft/objects are compared with the speed of sound using the Mach number ($M=\frac{v}{v_{\text{sound}}}$).

1. Four times the speed of sound means $M=4$.
2. Subsonic $M<1$; transonic about $0.8$–$1.2$; supersonic $1<M<5$; hypersonic $M>5$.
3. $M=4$ lies in the supersonic range.

Yaad rakhein: Super = above 1, Hyper = above 5. BrahMos (about Mach 3) is supersonic.

Answer: (C) supersonic

Concept: The Faraizi Movement was founded by Haji Shariatullah in 1818 in eastern Bengal.

1. It aimed to purify Islam by stressing the “faraiz” (obligatory duties).
2. Under his son Dudu Miyan it became a peasant movement against zamindars and British indigo planters.

Yaad rakhein: Faraizi = Faridpur (East Bengal) – both start with F.

Answer: (D) Bengal

Concept: The Federation of Indian Associations (FIA) here is an umbrella body of the Indian-American community in the Chicago region.

1. In 2025 it elected Hemant Patel as President for 2025–26.
2. The organisation is based in Chicago, USA and organises India Day events in the Midwest.

Yaad rakhein: FIA–Hemant Patel → Chicago (Indian-American diaspora body).

Answer: (C) Chicago, USA

Concept: Brønsted–Lowry theory (1923): acid = proton (${\text{H}}^{+}$) donor, base = proton acceptor.

1. Example: $\text{HCl}+{\text{H}}_2\text{O}\to {\text{H}}_3{\text{O}}^{+}+{\text{Cl}}^{-}$ – HCl donates ${\text{H}}^{+}$, so it is the acid.
2. “Accepts a proton” describes a Brønsted base.
3. “Accepts an electron pair” is the Lewis definition of an acid.

Yaad rakhein: Brønsted: Acid gives ${\text{H}}^{+}$; Lewis: acid takes electron pair.

Answer: (A) Donates a proton

Concept: The UN Conference on Environment and Development (Earth Summit) was held at Rio de Janeiro in 1992.

1. The Convention on Biological Diversity was opened for signature there and came into force in 1993.
2. The UNFCCC and Agenda 21 also came out of the Rio summit.
3. Stockholm (1972) created UNEP; Kyoto (1997) and Paris (2015) relate to climate change.

Yaad rakhein: Rio 1992 gave three: CBD, UNFCCC, UNCCD (Rio conventions).

Answer: (A) Earth Summit, 1992

Concept: NGLV is ISRO’s Next Generation Launch Vehicle, approved by the Union Cabinet in September 2024.

1. It is a three-stage, partially reusable heavy-lift rocket, planned to carry about 30 tonnes to Low Earth Orbit.
2. It will support the Bharatiya Antariksh Station and future crewed lunar missions.

Yaad rakhein: NGLV = Next Generation Launch Vehicle (also nicknamed “Soorya”).

Answer: (B) Next Generation Launch Vehicle

Concept: Aditya-L1 (launched 2 September 2023) is India’s first space-based solar observatory, placed in a halo orbit around Lagrange point L1.

1. Its main aim is to study the Sun’s corona – the outermost layer – along with the photosphere, chromosphere and solar wind.
2. Instruments such as VELC observe the corona continuously without eclipses.

Yaad rakhein: Aditya = Sun; L1 is about 1.5 million km from Earth.

Answer: (A) Observe the Sun’s outermost layer

Concept: Volatile memory needs continuous power to keep data.

1. RAM (Random Access Memory) is volatile – all data is lost when power is switched off.
2. ROM, USB flash drives and hard disks are non-volatile; they retain data without power.

Yaad rakhein: RAM = Removes All when Mains off (volatile).

Answer: (B) RAM

Concept: The Eastern Coastal Plain is broad, emergent and built by large rivers forming deltas.

1. Rivers (Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna, Kaveri) deposit huge sediment; waves and currents build sand bars/spits across bays.
2. Water trapped behind these bars forms lagoons – e.g. Chilika, Pulicat, Kolleru.
3. Tectonics or coral/volcanic activity are not the cause here.

Yaad rakhein: River deposit + wave action → bar → lagoon (Chilika, Pulicat).

Answer: (D) Deposition by rivers and wave action along the coast

Concept: Kerala has a large population of inter-state migrant workers.

1. In May 2025 Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan launched the “Jyothi” scheme.
2. It aims to ensure that children of migrant workers are enrolled in anganwadis and schools and get education.

Yaad rakhein: Jyothi = light of learning for migrant children (Kerala, 2025).

Answer: (D) Jyothi

Concept: Harappans were a Bronze Age people.

1. They made tools, pots and pans mostly of copper and bronze, plus stone and clay; gold was used for jewellery.
2. So “used only gold to make tools, pots and pans” is incorrect.
3. Carnelian beads, active trade (with Mesopotamia) and exports are correct facts.

Yaad rakhein: Harappa = Bronze Age; gold for ornaments, not utensils.

Answer: (D) The Harappans used only gold to make tools, pots and pans.

Concept: Deflation is the lifting and removal of loose dust and sand by wind.

1. Continuous deflation lowers the ground into shallow basins called deflation hollows (blowouts), e.g. Qattara Depression.
2. Playa is a depositional salt lake bed; pediment and inselberg are mainly erosional features of running water/weathering.

Yaad rakhein: Wind blows out sand → deflation hollow.

Answer: (B) Deflation hollow

Concept: Privatisation means transfer of ownership or management of public enterprises to the private sector (part of the 1991 LPG reforms).

1. Its aim is to improve operational efficiency and competitiveness through better management and market discipline.
2. It reduces, not increases, government expenditure burden, bureaucratic control and political interference.

Yaad rakhein: LPG 1991: Privatisation → efficiency.

Answer: (A) operational efficiency and competitiveness

Concept: The Rihand Dam is a concrete gravity dam on the Rihand river (tributary of the Son).

1. It is at Pipri in Sonbhadra district, Uttar Pradesh; its reservoir is Govind Ballabh Pant Sagar.
2. Robertsganj is a town (district headquarters) in Sonbhadra, not a district; Guna is in Madhya Pradesh.

Yaad rakhein: Rihand → Son → Sonbhadra.

Answer: (B) Sonebhadra

Concept: CAA 2019 eases citizenship for Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan who entered India on or before 31 December 2014.

1. For them the residence requirement for naturalisation was cut from 11 years to a much shorter period.
2. Among the options only Sikhs from Pakistan fit both conditions (eligible community + listed country).
3. Nepal, Israel and Sri Lanka are not covered by the Act.

Yaad rakhein: CAA countries = A-B-P (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Pakistan).

Answer: (B) Sikhs from Pakistan

Concept: The 38th National Games 2025 were hosted by Uttarakhand.

1. PM Narendra Modi declared the Games open on 28 January 2025 at Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, Dehradun.
2. Haldwani, Haridwar, Nainital and other cities hosted events; the closing ceremony was at Haldwani.

Yaad rakhein: Opening – Dehradun; closing – Haldwani.

Answer: (B) Dehradun

Concept: Pope Francis died on 21 April 2025; his funeral was held on 26 April 2025 at St. Peter’s Square, Vatican City.

1. President Droupadi Murmu attended and paid homage on behalf of India.
2. Vatican City is an independent city-state, separate from Italy, though surrounded by Rome.

Yaad rakhein: Pope’s seat = Vatican City, world’s smallest country.

Answer: (A) Vatican City

Concept: Infrastructure is of two types: economic/hard (physical) and social/soft (services that build human capital).

1. Soft infrastructure = education, health, housing, institutions – public education is an example.
2. Water pipelines, bridges and airports are physical, i.e. hard infrastructure.

Yaad rakhein: Can you touch it? Yes → hard; builds people → soft.

Answer: (B) Public education

Concept: Under British rule no systematic official estimate of national and per capita income was made.

1. Estimates came from individuals – Dadabhai Naoroji, William Digby, Findlay Shirras, V.K.R.V. Rao (most significant) and R.C. Desai.
2. The colonial government never made a sincere attempt to measure them, so statement A is correct.

Yaad rakhein: Colonial income estimates = individuals, not government; V.K.R.V. Rao the best.

Answer: (A) The colonial government never made any sincere attempt to estimate India’s national and per capita income.

Concept: The Fifth Schedule (Para 4) provides for a Tribes Advisory Council (TAC) of up to 20 members, three-fourths being ST members of the State Legislative Assembly.

1. A TAC must be set up in every State having Scheduled Areas.
2. If the President so directs, a TAC can also be set up in any State having Scheduled Tribes even without Scheduled Areas.
3. So it is linked to the presence of Scheduled Tribes, not to any population percentage or forest area.

Yaad rakhein: TAC: max 20 members, $\frac{3}{4}$ ST MLAs; advises on ST welfare.

Answer: (D) If there is at least one Scheduled Tribe