Q&A: practice questions with answers

Concept: In early South Indian kingdoms like the Pallavas, agriculture was the backbone of the economy.

1. Land revenue (a share of the produce, usually one-sixth) was the main source of income and paid for the army and administration.
2. Land grants (brahmadeya, devadana) and village assemblies (sabha, ur) organised its collection; trade and other taxes were minor.

Yaad rakhein: Ancient/medieval kingdoms: "land revenue = main revenue".

Answer: (D) Land tax

Concept: Part II of the Constitution (Articles 5–11) deals with citizenship.

1. Article 11 empowers Parliament to make any law about acquisition and termination of citizenship; under it Parliament passed the Citizenship Act, 1955.
2. Art. 7 – rights of migrants to Pakistan; Art. 10 – continuance of citizenship; Art. 12 – definition of "State" (Part III).

Yaad rakhein: Part II ends with Art. 11 – the "Parliament power" article.

Answer: (D) Article 11

Concept: The World Gas Conference is organised every three years by the International Gas Union (IGU).

1. The 29th WGC was held in Beijing, China, in May 2025 – the first time China hosted it in the conference's nearly 100-year history.
2. Its theme was "Energizing a Sustainable Future".

Yaad rakhein: WGC 2025 → Beijing, first time in China.

Answer: (A) Beijing, China

Concept: At Nor-Shipping 2025 (Oslo), Kolkata's GRSE signed an MoU with Norway's Kongsberg.

1. Under it, GRSE will build India's first indigenously made Polar Research Vessel, with Kongsberg giving design and technology support.
2. The vessel will support India's Antarctic (Maitri, Bharati) and Arctic (Himadri) research missions – it is built in India, not purchased or jointly operated.

Yaad rakhein: GRSE + Kongsberg → "Made in India" polar vessel.

Answer: (D) India will begin building its first indigenously made Polar Vessel.

Concept: Dr. Mayank Sharma, an IDAS officer of the 1989 batch, took charge as Controller General of Defence Accounts (CGDA) on 1 March 2025.

1. The CGDA heads the Defence Accounts Department, which handles payments, accounting and audit for the armed forces under the Ministry of Defence.

Yaad rakhein: CGDA from 1 March 2025 = Dr. Mayank Sharma.

Answer: (A) Dr. Mayank Sharma

Concept: Article 22(1) says an arrested person must be informed of the grounds of arrest as soon as possible and has the right to consult a lawyer.

1. In Vihaan Kumar vs State of Haryana (February 2025), the Supreme Court held the arrest illegal because the grounds of arrest were not communicated to him.
2. The Court said failure to inform grounds is a violation of Art. 22(1), which makes the arrest and remand invalid.

Yaad rakhein: Arrest + "grounds not told" → Article 22(1).

Answer: (D) Violation of Article 22(1) (Failure to inform grounds of arrest)

Concept: The tertiary (service) sector includes trade, transport, banking, IT, health, education and tourism.

1. As an economy develops, incomes rise and people demand more services; urbanisation also increases service jobs.
2. In India the service sector now contributes over half of GDP, showing improved services, urban growth and rising demand.
3. It does not mean a shift back to farming or a fall in income.

Yaad rakhein: Development path: Primary → Secondary → Tertiary.

Answer: (D) It reflects improved services, urban growth and rising demand.

Concept: La French Tech is France's national initiative to promote its startup ecosystem abroad.

1. The La French Tech India AI Summit was held in Bengaluru in 2025, following the India–France co-chaired AI Action Summit in Paris (February 2025).
2. It focused on ethical, inclusive AI and startup collaboration between the two countries.

Yaad rakhein: France + Bengaluru + AI → "La French Tech".

Answer: (C) La French Tech India AI Summit

Concept: Gibbs free energy $G=H-TS$ combines enthalpy and entropy at constant temperature and pressure.

1. $\Delta G=\Delta H-T\Delta S$
2. If $\Delta G<0$ the reaction is spontaneous; if $\Delta G>0$ it is non-spontaneous; $\Delta G=0$ means equilibrium.
3. Enthalpy or entropy alone cannot decide spontaneity (e.g. ice melts above $0^{\circ }\text{C}$ though $\Delta H>0$).

Yaad rakhein: $\Delta G$ negative → reaction "Goes".

Answer: (C) Gibbs free energy

Concept: Under the RTI Act, 2005, every public authority must designate Public Information Officers (Section 5).

1. The Central Public Information Officer (CPIO) – or State PIO in states – receives RTI applications and must give the information within 30 days (48 hours if life or liberty is involved).
2. Appeals go to the First Appellate Authority and then the Information Commission; DMs and vigilance officers have no such role.

Yaad rakhein: RTI application → PIO answers in 30 days.

Answer: (D) Central Public Information Officer

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

1. It began as a religious reform movement urging Muslims to follow the faraiz (obligatory duties) of Islam.
2. Under his son Dudu Miyan it became an agrarian movement against zamindars and indigo planters.
3. Nawab Salimullah – founder of the Muslim League (1906); Hakim Ajmal Khan – Jamia Millia; Barkatullah – Ghadar Party.

Yaad rakhein: Faraizi → Haji Shariatullah → son Dudu Miyan (Bengal).

Answer: (A) Haji Shariatullah

Concept: The McMahon Line was drawn at the Simla Convention of 1914 by Sir Henry McMahon.

1. It is the boundary between India (Arunachal Pradesh) and China (Tibet) in the eastern sector.
2. India–Pakistan: Radcliffe Line; Pakistan–Afghanistan: Durand Line; India–Myanmar border runs through Arunachal, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram.

Yaad rakhein: McMahon – China; Radcliffe – Pakistan; Durand – Pak–Afghan.

Answer: (D) China

Concept: In May 2025, Union Sports Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya inaugurated the Khelo India Multipurpose Hall in Kamle district of Arunachal Pradesh.

1. The hall at Raga (Kamle) is part of the Khelo India scheme to build sports infrastructure in the North-East.
2. Kamle district was carved out of Lower Subansiri district in 2017.

Yaad rakhein: Khelo India hall, May 2025 → Kamle (Arunachal).

Answer: (A) Kamle

Concept: Intrusive igneous bodies form when magma cools inside the crust; they are named by their shape.

1. Lapolith: saucer-shaped body, concave towards the sky (sagging in the middle).
2. Laccolith: dome-shaped (convex up); Phacolith: wavy, at crests/troughs of folds; Sill: thin horizontal sheet; Batholith: huge dome-shaped mass deep below.

Yaad rakhein: LaPolith = Plate/saucer; LaCColith = Cap/dome.

Answer: (A) Lapolith

Concept: At the Archery World Cup Stage 2 in Shanghai, China (May 2025), India won 7 medals in total.

1. The haul was 2 gold, 1 silver and 4 bronze, led by the compound archers (e.g. men's compound team gold, mixed team gold with Jyothi Surekha Vennam and Rishabh Yadav).
2. India finished among the top nations on the medal table.

Yaad rakhein: Shanghai 2025: 2 G + 1 S + 4 B = 7.

Answer: (B) 7

Concept: Simplify the complex fraction first, then add/subtract using the LCM of denominators.

1. $1+\frac{5}{9}=\frac{14}{9}$, so $\frac{1}{14/9}=\frac{9}{14}$
2. Expression $=\frac{3}{4}+\frac{9}{14}-\frac{2}{3}$; LCM of 4, 14, 3 is 84.
3. $=\frac{63+54-56}{84}=\frac{61}{84}$

Trick: Denominator 84 appears in only one option – just check numerator $63+54-56=61$.

Answer: (A) $\frac{61}{84}$

Concept: Take CP = 100 units; mark-up and discount act one after the other.

1. List price $=134$; after 25% discount, SP $=134\times \frac{3}{4}=100.5$
2. Profit $=100.5-100=0.5$ unit $=₹177$ ⇒ 1 unit $=₹354$
3. List price $=134\times 354=₹47,436$ (CP $=₹35,400$, SP $=₹35,577$).

Trick: Net effect $=34-25-\frac{34\times 25}{100}=0.5\%$ profit ⇒ CP $=\frac{177}{0.005}=35400$.

Answer: (C) 47,436

Concept: HCF divides every number, so it also divides their differences.

1. $120=2^3\times 3\times 5$, $144=2^4\times 3^2$, $168=2^3\times 3\times 7$
2. Common factors with lowest powers: $2^3\times 3=24$
3. Check: differences are 24 and 24, and 24 divides 120, 144, 168.

Trick: Difference trick: $144-120=24$, $168-144=24$ ⇒ HCF is 24 or its factor; 24 divides all.

Answer: (D) 24

Concept: Increasing a number by 100% means adding the whole number again, i.e. doubling it.

1. Let the number be $x$; then $x\times \frac{200}{100}=2750$
2. $2x=2750$ ⇒ $x=1375$

Trick: +100% = ×2, so just halve: $2750÷2=1375$.

Answer: (C) 1375

Concept: Form two linear equations from the two conditions and eliminate $8P$.

1. Now: $8P-Q=46$ ⇒ $8P=Q+46$
2. After 10 years: $3(Q+10)=8(P+10)-12$ ⇒ $3Q+30=8P+68$ ⇒ $3Q=8P+38$
3. Substitute: $3Q=Q+46+38$ ⇒ $2Q=84$ ⇒ $Q=42$
4. Check: $8P=88$, $P=11$; after 10 years $3\times 52=156=8\times 21-12$ ✓

Trick: Option check: $Q+46$ must be a multiple of 8 – $42+46=88$ ✓, while 49, 37, 43 give 95, 83, 89 ✗.

Answer: (C) 42