Q&A: practice questions with answers

Concept: The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) is building a 27-metre clock tower at the Talkatora roundabout.

1. Talkatora (garden and stadium area) is in central New Delhi.
2. The tower is meant to give the area a landmark architectural identity, like famous city clock towers.

Yaad rakhein: Talkatora = Lutyens' Delhi → NDMC project.

Answer: (B) New Delhi

Concept: Task Manager shows running apps and processes and can end a frozen program.

1. Ctrl + Shift + Esc opens Task Manager directly.
2. Alt + Tab switches windows, Alt + F4 closes the active window, Ctrl + Tab switches tabs.

Yaad rakhein: Stuck program? Ctrl + Shift + Esc (or Ctrl + Alt + Del → Task Manager).

Answer: (C) Ctrl + Shift + Esc

Concept: From the 11th to the 18th century the Bhakti and Sufi movements dominated Indian literature.

1. Devotional poetry flourished in regional languages – Kabir, Surdas, Tulsidas, Mirabai, Namdev, Tukaram, Alvars' later traditions.
2. These songs reached common people, unlike philosophical or scientific treatises.

Yaad rakhein: Medieval literature = Bhakti poetry in people's languages.

Answer: (B) Devotional poetry

Concept: The Right to Information Act lets citizens seek information from public authorities.

1. It was passed by Parliament in May–June 2005 (assent 15 June 2005).
2. It came fully into force on 12 October 2005; reply is due within 30 days.

Yaad rakhein: RTI = 2005; reply in 30 days (48 hours if life/liberty).

Answer: (B) 2005

Concept: Velu Thampi Dalawa was the Dewan (Dalawa) of Travancore.

1. In January 1809 he issued the Kundara Proclamation at Kundara (Kollam), calling people to take up arms against the British.
2. Kattabomman led the Polygar revolt in Tamil Nadu; Wazir Ali Khan revolted at Awadh – different events.

Yaad rakhein: Kundara (Kerala) – Velu Thampi – 1809.

Answer: (A) Velu Thampi

Concept: Vodafone entered India by acquiring a controlling stake in Hutchison Essar.

1. The deal was completed in 2007 and the company became Vodafone Essar.
2. In 2018 it merged with Idea Cellular to form Vodafone Idea (Vi).

Yaad rakhein: Hutch → Vodafone (2007) → Vi (2018).

Answer: (A) 2007

Concept: PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana (Feb 2024) gives subsidy for rooftop solar to 1 crore households.

1. By March 2025, Gujarat led the country in rooftop solar installations under the scheme.
2. Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh followed behind Gujarat.

Yaad rakhein: Rooftop solar leader = Gujarat.

Answer: (C) Gujarat

Concept: The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) launched Awards for Excellence in Disability Inclusion in 2025.

1. Wipro Limited was given the 'Champion Company' award at the first edition.
2. The awards recognise firms that build accessible workplaces and hire persons with disabilities.

Yaad rakhein: CII disability inclusion 2025 → Champion = Wipro.

Answer: (C) Wipro Limited

Concept: On 30 April 2025 the CCEA approved the Shillong–Silchar greenfield high-speed corridor on NH-06.

1. It runs about 166.8 km from Mawlyngkhung (near Shillong, Meghalaya) to Panchgram (near Silchar, Assam).
2. It will be built under Hybrid Annuity Mode (HAM) to improve links with Barak Valley, Mizoram, Manipur and Tripura.

Yaad rakhein: Shillong (Meghalaya) ↔ Silchar (Assam) = NH-06 corridor.

Answer: (C) Meghalaya and Assam

Concept: Article 235 of the Constitution vests control over district courts and subordinate courts in the High Court.

1. Posting, promotion, leave and discipline of district judges and lower judicial officers are handled by the High Court.
2. The Governor appoints district judges (Article 233) but only in consultation with the High Court; the Supreme Court has no such administrative control.

Yaad rakhein: Art 233 – appointment (Governor + HC); Art 235 – control (HC).

Answer: (B) High Court

Concept: The Department of Revenue is one of the departments of the Union Ministry of Finance.

1. In May 2025, IAS officer Arvind Shrivastava (Karnataka cadre) was appointed Revenue Secretary.
2. He succeeded Tuhin Kanta Pandey, who became SEBI Chairman; Ajay Seth was Finance Secretary (DEA).

Yaad rakhein: Revenue Secretary 2025 = Arvind Shrivastava.

Answer: (A) Arvind Shrivastava

Concept: In May 2025 Delhi's DGHS was made the nodal officer for two central health-infrastructure programmes.

1. Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM) – builds critical-care blocks, labs and surveillance units.
2. Ayushman Arogya Mandir – the renamed Health and Wellness Centres for primary care.

Yaad rakhein: Infrastructure + primary care centres = PM-ABHIM + Arogya Mandir.

Answer: (D) Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission and Ayushman Arogya Mandir

Concept: Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana gives all-weather road connectivity to unconnected rural habitations.

1. It was launched on 25 December 2000 under PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
2. It is implemented by the Ministry of Rural Development.

Yaad rakhein: PMGSY = 25 Dec 2000 (Vajpayee's birthday).

Answer: (D) 2000

Concept: The Basel Convention controls cross-border movement and disposal of hazardous wastes.

1. It was adopted on 22 March 1989 at Basel, Switzerland.
2. It entered into force in 1992; India is a party.

Yaad rakhein: Basel = Hazardous waste, 1989; Rotterdam = PIC chemicals 1998; Stockholm = POPs 2001.

Answer: (B) 1989

Concept: Under Article 368, an amendment bill needs a special majority in each House separately.

1. Special majority = majority of the total membership of the House.
2. AND at least two-thirds of the members present and voting.
3. Both conditions apply in Lok Sabha (and separately in Rajya Sabha); there is no joint sitting for amendments.

Trick: Special majority = $>50\%$ of total + $\frac{2}{3}$ of present & voting.

Answer: (D) Majority of the total membership and two-thirds of members present and voting

Concept: North Western Railway (NWR) was created in 2002 with headquarters at Jaipur.

1. Hubli is HQ of South Western Railway, Hajipur of East Central Railway, New Delhi of Northern Railway.
2. NWR covers most of Rajasthan with divisions Jaipur, Ajmer, Bikaner and Jodhpur.

Yaad rakhein: NWR = Jaipur; NR = New Delhi; NCR = Prayagraj; NER = Gorakhpur.

Answer: (A) Jaipur

Concept: The Earth has three heat zones: Torrid (Tropical), Temperate and Frigid.

1. Between the Tropic of Cancer (${23.5}^{\circ }$ N) and Tropic of Capricorn (${23.5}^{\circ }$ S) the noon Sun is overhead (vertical) on some day every year.
2. So this Torrid / Tropical zone gets vertical or near-vertical rays all year and is the hottest.
3. Temperate zones get slanting rays; frigid (polar) zones get the most slanting rays.

Yaad rakhein: Vertical sun only between the two tropics.

Answer: (C) Tropical

Concept: A state is declared 'fully literate' when literacy reaches about $95\%$ or more.

1. On 20 May 2025, Mizoram became the first state declared fully literate.
2. PLFS 2023–24 showed Mizoram's literacy at about $98.2\%$ (ULLAS programme).
3. Kerala has the oldest high literacy record, but was not declared under this 2025 mark.

Yaad rakhein: First fully literate state 2025 = Mizoram (ULLAS).

Answer: (B) Mizoram

Concept: The demand for a Telugu-speaking state led to the first linguistic state.

1. Potti Sriramulu died on 15 December 1952 after a 58-day fast for a separate Andhra state.
2. After violent protests, Andhra State was formed on 1 October 1953 – the first state on linguistic basis.
3. This led to the States Reorganisation Commission (Fazl Ali, 1953) and the 1956 Act.

Yaad rakhein: Potti Sriramulu → Andhra 1953 → SRC → 1956.

Answer: (C) Andhra Pradesh

Concept: Elements are placed in groups by their outer-shell (valence) electrons.

1. Hydrogen ($1s^1$) has one valence electron, like the alkali metals.
2. So it is placed in Group 1, though it is a non-metal and also resembles halogens (Group 17) in gaining one electron.

Yaad rakhein: One valence electron → Group 1 (H, Li, Na, K…).

Answer: (C) Group 1