Q&A: practice questions with answers

Concept: Under the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013, the Chairperson must be a present/former Chief Justice of India, a present/former Supreme Court judge, or an eminent person with at least 25 years' expertise.

1. Hence a former Judge of the Supreme Court is eligible (e.g. first Lokpal Justice P.C. Ghose; present Lokpal Justice A.M. Khanwilkar).
2. A sitting MP is expressly barred; a High Court judge qualifies only as a judicial member, not as Chairperson.

Yaad rakhein: Lokpal Chairperson = CJI / SC judge / eminent person.

Answer: (D) A former Judge of the Supreme Court

Concept: GST was introduced through the 101st Constitutional Amendment Act, 2016.

1. The Central Goods and Services Tax (CGST) Act was enacted in 2017 (assent on 12 April 2017).
2. GST came into force across India on 1 July 2017.

Yaad rakhein: Amendment 2016 → CGST Act 2017 → rollout 1 July 2017.

Answer: (D) 2017

Concept: Amarkantak (Anuppur district, MP) on the Maikal range is the source of three rivers.

1. The Narmada rises here and flows west through a rift valley into the Gulf of Khambhat.
2. The Son and Johila also rise at Amarkantak. Mahanadi starts at Sihawa (Chhattisgarh), Tapti near Multai (Betul), Ganga at Gangotri.

Yaad rakhein: Amarkantak → Narmada, Son, Johila.

Answer: (C) Narmada

Concept: Khelo India (launched 2017–18 by the Sports Ministry) is the national programme to develop sports at the grassroots level.

1. Its aim is to revive sports culture in India and to identify and nurture young talent, through Khelo India Games, scholarships and Khelo India Centres.
2. It is not limited to yoga, metro stadiums or only traditional games.

Yaad rakhein: Khelo India = sports culture + talent search.

Answer: (A) Strengthen sports culture and identify young talent

Concept: AIDS is caused by HIV, which destroys helper T-cells and weakens immunity.

1. The first cases were reported in the USA in June 1981 (CDC report of rare pneumonia in young men).
2. The virus (HIV) was identified in 1983; India's first case was found in Chennai in 1986.

Yaad rakhein: 1981 – first AIDS cases; 1983 – HIV found; 1986 – India.

Answer: (B) 1981

Concept: Early Pallava rulers of Kanchipuram issued Prakrit/Sanskrit copper-plate grants that show Brahmanical influence.

1. Kings such as Sivaskandavarman called themselves 'Dharma-Maharaja' (or Dharma-Maharajadhiraja) – a king who rules according to dharma as laid down in the Dharmashastras.
2. Maharajadhiraja is a Gupta-style imperial title; Chakravarti means universal ruler.

Trick: 'Dharma' in the title = rule as per Dharmashastras.

Answer: (C) Dharma-Maharaja

Concept: A Supreme Court judge retires at 65 (Article 124), so a CJI's tenure depends on age at appointment.

1. Justice B.R. Gavai took oath as the 52nd CJI on 14 May 2025.
2. He retired on 23 November 2025 – a tenure of about 6 months. He is the first Buddhist CJI.

Yaad rakhein: May → November 2025 ≈ 6 months.

Answer: (B) 6 months

Concept: The 91st Constitutional Amendment Act was passed in 2003.

1. It capped the size of the Council of Ministers at 15% of the strength of the Lok Sabha / state Assembly (Art. 75(1A), 164(1A)).
2. It also removed the 'split' exception from the Tenth Schedule (anti-defection law).

Yaad rakhein: 91st (2003) = 15% ministers + no split.

Answer: (D) 2003

Concept: Two schedules deal with tribal areas.

1. Fifth Schedule – administration and control of Scheduled Areas and Scheduled Tribes in all states except Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram (Tribes Advisory Council).
2. Sixth Schedule – tribal areas of these four north-eastern states (Autonomous District Councils). Seventh = lists; Ninth = protected laws.

Yaad rakhein: 5th = rest of India; 6th = 4 NE states (AMTM).

Answer: (C) Fifth Schedule

Concept: Economic globalisation is the integration of a country's economy with the world economy.

1. It happens through free flow of trade, foreign investment (FDI), technology and people across borders.
2. India adopted it in the 1991 LPG reforms. Closing borders, limiting trade or stopping investment are the opposite (protectionism).

Yaad rakhein: Globalisation = Integration with the world (the 'G' of LPG, 1991).

Answer: (B) Connecting to the world economy

Concept: Tamil kingdoms ran villages through assemblies (sabha/ur) that worked through committees called variyams.

1. Committees such as neernilai variyam (water/tanks) and needhi variyam (justice) are described for the Tamil Pandya kingdom's village administration (the system is also well known from Chola inscriptions such as Uttaramerur).
2. Among the options only the Pandyas are a Tamil dynasty; Guptas, Satavahanas and Mauryas had no variyam system.

Trick: 'Variyam' is a Tamil word → pick the Tamil dynasty – Pandyas.

Answer: (A) Pandyas

Concept: The Kaveri Derivative Engine (KDE) is a dry (non-afterburning) version of DRDO-GTRE's Kaveri engine, meant for unmanned combat aircraft like Ghatak.

1. India lacks a flying test-bed for such engines, so its final in-flight trials were scheduled in Russia (on an Il-76 flying test-bed) in late 2025.
2. Ground tests were done earlier in India.

Yaad rakhein: Flying test-bed for Kaveri → Russia.

Answer: (B) Russia, late 2025

Concept: High Yielding Variety (HYV) seeds give high yields only when supplied with the right inputs.

1. They need assured irrigation plus heavy doses of chemical fertilisers (and pesticides) – the 'package' of the Green Revolution.
2. Without fertilisers, HYV seeds perform no better than traditional seeds; organic compost or hand tools cannot meet their nutrient demand.

Yaad rakhein: HYV + Irrigation + Fertiliser = Green Revolution package.

Answer: (C) Chemical fertilisers

Concept: The CPTPP is an 11-member (now 12 with the UK) free trade agreement of Asia-Pacific countries; its chair rotates every year.

1. Canada chaired it in 2024.
2. Australia took over the chairmanship on 1 January 2025 (New Zealand follows in 2026).

Yaad rakhein: CPTPP chair: 2024 Canada → 2025 Australia.

Answer: (B) Australia

Concept: At independence there were over 560 princely states that had to join India or Pakistan.

1. As Home Minister and head of the States Department, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, with secretary V.P. Menon, persuaded them through the Instrument of Accession.
2. Difficult cases (Junagadh, Hyderabad) were settled by plebiscite and police action – earning him the title 'Iron Man of India'.

Yaad rakhein: Patel + V.P. Menon = integration; 31 October = National Unity Day.

Answer: (A) Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel

Concept: For two numbers, $\text{HCF}\times \text{LCM}=\text{product of the numbers}$.

1. $4\times 208=52\times x$
2. $x=\frac{832}{52}=16$
3. Check: $\text{HCF}(52,16)=4$, $\text{LCM}=208$ ✓

Trick: $\frac{208}{52}=4$, so the other number $=4\times 4=16$.

Answer: (C) $16$

Concept: $\text{Area}=l\times b$ and $\text{Perimeter}=2(l+b)$.

1. $b=\frac{1904}{68}=28\text{m}$
2. $\text{Perimeter}=2(68+28)=2\times 96=192\text{m}$

Trick: $68\times 28$: unit digits $8\times 8$ end in 4, matching 1904 – quick check of $b$.

Answer: (A) $192\text{m}$

Concept: $\text{SI}=\frac{P\times R\times T}{100}$

1. $\text{SI}=\frac{3000\times 8\times 6}{100}$
2. $=30\times 48=1440$

Trick: 8% for 6 years = 48% of 3000 = 1440.

Answer: (A) ₹1,440

Concept: If SP of $a$ items = CP of $b$ items and $b>a$, there is a gain of $\frac{b-a}{a}\times 100\%$.

1. Let CP of 1 book = ₹1, so SP of 25 books = ₹37.
2. CP of 25 books = ₹25 → gain = ₹12.
3. $\text{Gain}\%=\frac{12}{25}\times 100=48\%$

Trick: Gain% $=\frac{\text{difference}}{\text{SP count}}\times 100=\frac{37-25}{25}\times 100$.

Answer: (D) $48\%$ gain

Concept: Increasing a number by 80% makes it $180\%$ of itself, i.e. multiplied by $\frac{180}{100}$.

1. $x\times \frac{180}{100}=2880$
2. $x=\frac{2880\times 100}{180}=16\times 100=1600$

Trick: $2880÷1.8=1600$.

Answer: (A) $1600$