Q&A: practice questions with answers

Concept: Lok Adalats get statutory status under the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987 and settle disputes by compromise.

1. They can settle compoundable offences, civil cases, motor accident claims, family/property disputes (pending or pre-litigation).
2. They have no jurisdiction over non-compoundable offences (offences that cannot be settled by compromise) and matters like divorce.
3. Their award is final and binding – no appeal lies against it.

Yaad rakhein: Lok Adalat = compromise. Whatever the law does not allow to be compromised (non-compoundable crime, divorce) is outside it.

Answer: (B) Divorce and non-compoundable criminal cases

Concept: India has six physiographic divisions – Himalayas, Northern Plains, Peninsular Plateau, Indian Desert, Coastal Plains and Islands.

1. Tamil Nadu has the Peninsular plateau (Eastern Ghats, Nilgiris), the Cauvery delta plains and the long Coromandel coastal plain.
2. Madhya Pradesh is mostly plateau and has no coast; Punjab and Uttar Pradesh are plains with no coast.

Yaad rakhein: Coastal plain needs a coastline – first strike out landlocked states (MP, Punjab, UP).

Answer: (B) Tamil Nadu

Concept: Womesh Chandra Bonnerjee (1844–1906), a leading barrister, was the first President of the Indian National Congress (Bombay, 1885).

1. He was also elected INC President again in 1892 (Allahabad session).
2. He represented Calcutta University in the Bengal Legislative Council during 1894–1895.
3. He later settled in England and supported Indian causes in the British Parliament circles.

Yaad rakhein: W.C. Bonnerjee: INC President 1885 & 1892; Bengal Legislative Council 1894–95.

Answer: (D) 1894 - 1895

Concept: India and Sri Lanka are separated by a narrow stretch of sea in the south-east.

1. The Palk Strait and the Gulf of Mannar lie between Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka; Adam's Bridge (Ram Setu) lies between them.
2. Strait of Hormuz links Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman; Gulf of Aden lies between Yemen and Somalia; Gulf of Kutch is in Gujarat.

Yaad rakhein: Palk Strait is named after Robert Palk, Governor of Madras (1755–63).

Answer: (C) Palk Strait and Gulf of Mannar

Concept: On Republic Day 2025, the President's Medal for Distinguished Service was given to officers of police and Central Armed Police Forces.

1. Shri Deepak Kumar Kedia, a recipient of this medal, belongs to the National Security Guard (NSG).
2. NSG (the 'Black Cats') is India's counter-terrorism force raised in 1984 under the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Yaad rakhein: PSM = for distinguished service; PMG/PMMS are for gallantry/meritorious service.

Answer: (B) National Security Guard (NSG)

Concept: Khanjar is the annual India–Kyrgyzstan Joint Special Forces exercise.

1. The 12th edition (Khanjar-XII) was held in Tokmok, Kyrgyzstan, from 10 to 23 March 2025.
2. Its focus was counter-terrorism and special-forces operations in urban and mountainous terrain under UN mandate, plus sniping and complex building intervention drills.

Yaad rakhein: Khanjar = Kyrgyzstan (both start with K); special forces → counter-terrorism.

Answer: (B) counter-terrorism

Concept: Nutrients needed in large amounts are macronutrients; those needed in very small amounts (mg/µg) are micronutrients.

1. Carbohydrates, proteins and fats are macronutrients – they give energy and body-building material.
2. Vitamins and minerals are needed in tiny amounts and are micronutrients.

Yaad rakhein: Micro = vitamins + minerals; Macro = carbs, proteins, fats.

Answer: (B) Vitamins

Concept: Odissi originated in the temples of Odisha.

1. It was first performed by temple dancers called Maharis, devoted to Lord Jagannath at Puri.
2. Later, boys dressed as girls (Gotipuas) continued the tradition.
3. Devadasis is the general South-Indian term; Maibis are priestesses linked with Manipuri dance.

Yaad rakhein: Odissi → Mahari & Gotipua; Manipuri → Maibi.

Answer: (C) Maharis

Concept: Newton assumed sound travels isothermally: $v=\sqrt{\frac{P}{\rho }}$, which gave about $280\text{m/s}$ in air – too low.

1. In 1816 Laplace showed compressions/rarefactions are fast, so the process is adiabatic.
2. Corrected formula: $v=\sqrt{\frac{\gamma P}{\rho }}$, with $\gamma \approx 1.4$ for air, giving about $332\text{m/s}$ – matching experiment.

Yaad rakhein: Newton–Laplace formula: Laplace added $\gamma$.

Answer: (C) Pierre-Simon Laplace

Concept: The 72nd Miss World pageant was held in Hyderabad, Telangana in May 2025.

1. India was represented by Nandini Gupta of Rajasthan (Femina Miss India World 2023).
2. The crown was won by Opal Suchata Chuangsri of Thailand.
3. Nikita Porwal is Femina Miss India 2024, not the 2025 contestant.

Yaad rakhein: Miss World 2025 – Hyderabad; India: Nandini Gupta; Winner: Thailand.

Answer: (B) Nandini Gupta

Concept: The Regulating Act of 1773 was the first step by the British Parliament to control and regulate the East India Company.

1. It made the Governor of Bengal the Governor-General of Bengal (Warren Hastings) and set up the Supreme Court at Calcutta (1774).
2. Pitt's India Act 1784 created the Board of Control (dual government); the Act of 1858 ended Company rule altogether.

Yaad rakhein: 1773 = beginning of control; 1784 = dual control; 1858 = end of Company rule.

Answer: (B) Regulating Act of 1773

Concept: Prevention of nuclear disasters means stopping accidents before they happen through safety systems.

1. Continuous monitoring and regular testing catch equipment faults or operator errors early.
2. The other options (plants near homes, ignoring leaks, untreated waste disposal) increase the danger instead of preventing it.

Yaad rakhein: In 'preventive measure' questions, pick the only safe, proactive option.

Answer: (B) Comprehensive monitoring and regular testing to detect equipment or operator failures

Concept: SEBI regulates India's securities markets, including futures & options (F&O).

1. Concerned about heavy retail losses and speculative risk, SEBI in 2025 introduced stricter limits on open positions in index options (including intraday monitoring of positions).
2. It did not lift regulations, abolish derivatives or allow unrestricted foreign investment.

Yaad rakhein: SEBI's 2024–25 F&O moves are always about curbing risk, never loosening.

Answer: (B) Introduction of limits on open positions in index options to reduce trading risks

Concept: The Union Budget 2025–26 announced an Urban Challenge Fund to implement 'Cities as Growth Hubs', creative redevelopment and water & sanitation projects.

1. Its total size is ₹1 lakh crore.
2. It will fund up to 25% of the cost of bankable projects, with at least half coming from bonds, banks and PPP; ₹10,000 crore was allotted for 2025–26.

Yaad rakhein: UCF = ₹1 lakh crore total, ₹10,000 crore in year one.

Answer: (C) ₹1 lakh crore

Concept: The Chagos Archipelago in the Indian Ocean was separated from Mauritius by Britain in 1965 (British Indian Ocean Territory).

1. Mauritius claimed it; the ICJ (2019) advised the UK to end its administration.
2. In May 2025 the UK and Mauritius signed a treaty handing sovereignty to Mauritius, with the Diego Garcia base leased to the UK for 99 years.

Yaad rakhein: Chagos → Diego Garcia (US–UK base) → dispute UK vs Mauritius.

Answer: (C) United Kingdom and Mauritius

Concept: A Right to Public Services law guarantees time-bound delivery of notified services, with penalty on erring officials.

1. Madhya Pradesh was the first state to pass such a law – the MP Lok Sewaon ke Pradan ki Guarantee Adhiniyam, 2010.
2. Bihar, Karnataka, Maharashtra and others followed later.

Yaad rakhein: MP = first in Right to Public Services (2010).

Answer: (A) Madhya Pradesh

Concept: Allotment of public land to private trusts must serve a clear public purpose.

1. The Supreme Court cancelled the land allotted in Uttar Pradesh to the Kamla Nehru Memorial Trust.
2. It held that the allotment was made without any assessment of public benefit, so it could not stand.

Yaad rakhein: Public land → public benefit test; no assessment = allotment cancelled.

Answer: (A) Cancelled the land allotment due to lack of public benefit assessment

Concept: The Golden Temple at Amritsar is the holiest gurdwara of Sikhism.

1. Its formal name is Sri Harmandir Sahib (also Darbar Sahib); its foundation was laid in 1588 and Guru Arjan Dev installed the Adi Granth in 1604.
2. Akal Takht is a separate seat of authority facing it in the same complex.

Yaad rakhein: Harmandir Sahib = 'Abode of God' = Golden Temple.

Answer: (C) Sri Harmandir Sahib

Concept: Ashoka erected polished sandstone pillars across his empire to spread his Dhamma.

1. The Lion Capital at Sarnath (four lions back to back) was erected by Ashoka around 250 BCE where Buddha gave his first sermon.
2. It was adopted as India's National Emblem on 26 January 1950, with 'Satyameva Jayate' below it.

Yaad rakhein: Sarnath Lion Capital → Ashoka → National Emblem (1950).

Answer: (A) Ashoka

Concept: Eating disorders are named by the pattern of eating behaviour.

1. Anorexia nervosa: severe restriction of energy intake relative to needs, intense fear of weight gain, leading to very low body weight.
2. Bulimia: binge eating followed by purging; Orthorexia: obsession with 'healthy' eating; Diabulimia: insulin omission in diabetics.

Yaad rakhein: Anorexia = 'without appetite' → restriction → weight loss.

Answer: (C) Anorexia Nervosa