Q&A: practice questions with answers

Concept: Operation Sindoor was launched by India on 7 May 2025.

1. It struck terror infrastructure in Pakistan and PoK with missiles and drones.
2. It was a response to the Pahalgam terror attack of 22 April 2025.

Yaad rakhein: Sindoor — named in memory of the victims of Pahalgam.

Answer: (D) Operation Sindoor

Concept: Cochin Shipyard Limited (Kochi, Kerala) is India's largest shipbuilding and maintenance facility.

1. It built India's first indigenous aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant.
2. Its new large dry dock further raised its capacity, making it the biggest in the country.

Yaad rakhein: INS Vikrant = Cochin Shipyard = largest shipyard.

Answer: (B) Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL)

Concept: In Windows (including Windows 11) the Windows logo key opens/closes the Start Menu.

1. Ctrl + Esc does the same job.
2. Enter, Ctrl and Shift alone do not open Start.

Yaad rakhein: Win + D = desktop, Win + E = File Explorer, Win + L = lock.

Answer: (A) Windows Key

Concept: The Rigveda calls the land of the early Aryans "Sapta-Sindhu" — land of seven rivers.

1. Rivers: Sindhu (Indus), its five Punjab tributaries, and Saraswati.
2. Aryavarta, Brahmavarta and Madhyadesha are terms of the later Vedic/post-Vedic period for the Ganga–Yamuna region.

Yaad rakhein: Early Vedic = Punjab = Sapta-Sindhu; Later Vedic = Ganga valley.

Answer: (A) Sapta-Sindhu

Concept: The World Health Summit 2024 was held in Berlin, Germany (13–15 October 2024).

1. Berlin hosts the World Health Summit every year since its start in 2009 (Charité hospital).
2. Geneva is the headquarters of the WHO, a common distractor.

Yaad rakhein: World Health Summit → Berlin; WHO → Geneva.

Answer: (B) Berlin

Concept: Fundamental Duties (Article 51A) were added by the 42nd Amendment, 1976, on the Swaran Singh Committee's advice.

1. The committee suggested 8 duties, but 10 were included in 1976.
2. The 11th duty (education of children aged 6–14) came by the 86th Amendment, 2002.

Yaad rakhein: 42nd → 10 duties; 86th → 11th duty.

Answer: (B) Ten

Concept: Purandara Dasa (15th–16th century) is called the "Pitamaha" (father) of Carnatic music.

1. He systematised its teaching through graded lessons like Sarali Varisai, Alankaras and Geethams, still used today.
2. Kanaka Dasa was a contemporary saint-poet, not the codifier.

Yaad rakhein: Purandara Dasa = Karnataka Sangeeta Pitamaha.

Answer: (A) Purandara Dasa

Concept: Kinetic energy $KE=\frac{1}{2}m{v}^2$.

1. It depends on mass $m$ and velocity $v$.
2. Doubling $v$ makes KE 4 times; doubling $m$ makes it 2 times. Shape has no role.

Yaad rakhein: KE $\propto m$ and KE $\propto v^2$.

Answer: (C) Both mass and velocity

Concept: Application software performs tasks for the user (games, browsers, MS Word).

1. System utilities (antivirus, disk cleanup) and device drivers maintain/run the system and hardware.
2. Primary memory (RAM) is hardware, not software.

Yaad rakhein: User-facing program = application software.

Answer: (D) Application software

Concept: After 1857 the British (Peel Commission, 1859) reorganised the army to make another united revolt impossible.

1. The proportion of European soldiers was raised and artillery kept only in British hands.
2. Regiments were mixed by caste, community and region ("divide and rule"); recruitment shifted to "martial races".

Yaad rakhein: Goal of army reorganisation = no second 1857.

Answer: (D) Preventing a future unified military uprising by Indian soldiers against British rule.

Concept: Under the Family Courts Act, 1984, the State Government sets up Family Courts.

1. Judges of Family Courts are appointed by the State Government with the concurrence of the High Court (Section 4).
2. The Governor appoints district judges, which is a different provision (Article 233).

Yaad rakhein: Family Court judge → State Government + High Court consent.

Answer: (D) State Government

Concept: Acid rain forms when sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides dissolve in rainwater.

1. $S{O}_2$ (mainly from burning coal) forms sulphuric acid $H_{2}S{O}_4$ — the main contributor.
2. Methane is a greenhouse gas; hydrogen and neon do not form acids.

Yaad rakhein: Acid rain = $S{O}_2$ + $N{O}_x$; Taj Mahal yellowing (Mathura refinery) is a famous example.

Answer: (D) Sulphur dioxide

Concept: India is the second-largest cement producer in the world (after China).

1. By 2022-23 the installed capacity was about 600 million tonnes (MT).
2. Actual production in 2022-23 was about 391 MT, i.e. roughly 65% capacity utilisation.

Yaad rakhein: Cement: capacity ≈ 600 MT, production ≈ 391 MT (2022-23).

Answer: (A) 600 MT and 391 MT

Concept: PM Modi dedicated the Vizhinjam International Deepwater Multipurpose Seaport, Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala), on 2 May 2025.

1. It is India's first dedicated deepwater container transshipment port.
2. It was developed by Adani Ports under a PPP model with the Kerala government.

Yaad rakhein: Vizhinjam → Kerala → first transshipment port.

Answer: (B) Kerala

Concept: Water has maximum density at $4^{\circ }\text{C}$ (anomalous expansion).

1. On cooling from $4^{\circ }\text{C}$ to $0^{\circ }\text{C}$, water expands — volume increases.
2. Since mass is fixed, density $=\frac{m}{V}$ decreases.
3. This is why ice floats and lakes freeze from the top.

Yaad rakhein: Below $4^{\circ }\text{C}$ water behaves "opposite": cool → expand.

Answer: (C) Volume increases but density decreases

Concept: The Bagh Caves are a group of nine rock-cut Buddhist caves famous for their mural paintings.

1. They lie on the banks of the Baghani river in Dhar district, Madhya Pradesh.
2. They date to about the 5th–6th century CE and their murals are often compared with those of Ajanta.
3. Ajanta and Ellora (often confused) are in Maharashtra, not Bagh.

Yaad rakhein: Bagh → Baghani river → Dhar (MP).

Answer: (C) Madhya Pradesh

Concept: In-situ conservation means protecting species in their natural habitat, so the whole ecosystem is conserved.

1. National parks, wildlife sanctuaries and biosphere reserves are in-situ methods – they protect all plants, animals and their habitat together.
2. Seed banks and captive breeding are ex-situ (outside the habitat) and target selected species.
3. Biodiversity hotspots are only regions identified for priority, not a conservation method itself.

Yaad rakhein: In-situ = in the site (natural home); Ex-situ = exit the site (zoo, seed bank).

Answer: (D) In-situ conservation

Concept: Playas are shallow, saline (brackish) lakes formed in inland drainage basins of arid regions.

1. In India they are found in the Thar Desert of Rajasthan, where rivers do not reach the sea.
2. Examples: Sambhar, Didwana, Pachpadra and Lunkaransar lakes; many dry up in summer, leaving salt.
3. Malabar Coast has lagoons (kayals), not playas.

Yaad rakhein: Desert + salt lake = Playa (Sambhar is the biggest).

Answer: (D) Thar Desert

Concept: Cloud seeding sprays particles such as silver iodide into clouds to help rain droplets form.

1. In late October 2025 the Delhi Government conducted cloud-seeding trials over parts of Delhi to tackle air pollution.
2. The trials were carried out with IIT Kanpur, which flew its own Cessna research aircraft from Kanpur.

Yaad rakhein: Delhi cloud seeding → IIT Kanpur's aircraft.

Answer: (B) IIT Kanpur

Concept: Raja Ram Mohan Roy, 'Father of the Indian Renaissance', founded the Brahmo Sabha in Calcutta in 1828, later called the Brahmo Samaj.

1. It preached monotheism and opposed idol worship, sati and caste rigidity.
2. Prarthana Samaj – Atmaram Pandurang (1867); Arya Samaj – Dayanand Saraswati (1875); Ramakrishna Mission – Swami Vivekananda (1897).

Yaad rakhein: 1828 → Brahmo; 1875 → Arya; 1897 → Ramakrishna Mission.

Answer: (B) Brahmo Samaj