Q&A: practice questions with answers

Concept: China installed a Large Phased Array Radar (LPAR) in Yunnan province, close to the India–Myanmar border.

1. The LPAR has a reported range of about 5,000 km, so it can look deep into the Indian Ocean and Indian territory.
2. Its location in south-west China (Yunnan) faces India's north-east and Myanmar, hence the India–Myanmar border region.
3. It raised concerns about tracking of Indian missile tests and military activity.

Yaad rakhein: Yunnan (China) borders Myanmar – so the LPAR sits near the India–Myanmar border.

Answer: (D) India-Myanmar border

Concept: The 73rd Amendment (1992) created a three-tier Panchayati Raj: village, block (intermediate) and district levels.

1. Bottom (village level): Gram Panchayat.
2. Middle (block level): Panchayat Samiti.
3. Top (district level): Zila Parishad.
4. So bottom to top = Gram Panchayat – Panchayat Samiti – Zila Parishad (option C). Option D lists the same three tiers in the reverse order, i.e. top to bottom.

Trick: Village → Block → District: G – P – Z going up.

Answer: (C) Gram Panchayat – Panchayat Samiti – Zila Parishad

Concept: After the Industrial Revolution, Britain needed raw materials for its factories and markets for its machine-made goods.

1. Earlier the East India Company's main interest was trade (buying Indian goods to sell abroad).
2. Later India became a supplier of raw cotton, indigo, jute etc. and a market for British textiles.
3. This led to de-industrialisation of Indian handicrafts.

Yaad rakhein: Trader → Ruler → Raw-material supplier & market: the shift was from trade to industry needs.

Answer: (D) From trade to industry and raw material use

Concept: Chola king Rajendra I (1014–1044 CE) sent an expedition to the north that reached the river Ganga.

1. He defeated the Pala ruler Mahipala of Bengal.
2. To celebrate, he took the title Gangaikonda ('conqueror of the Ganga') and built the new capital Gangaikonda Cholapuram.
3. Pandyas, Pallavas and Chalukyas did not carry out such a Ganga campaign.

Yaad rakhein: Gangaikonda Cholapuram = Rajendra Chola's Ganga victory.

Answer: (D) Chola

Concept: Corrosion is the slow eating away of a metal by air, moisture or chemicals around it.

1. Iron + oxygen + water → rust (hydrated iron oxide).
2. Copper forms a green coating (basic copper carbonate).
3. Silver turns black due to silver sulphide.

Yaad rakhein: Rust (iron), green (copper), black (silver) = all corrosion.

Answer: (C) Corrosion

Concept: On the eve of independence India was mainly an agrarian economy.

1. About 70–75% of the workforce depended on agriculture.
2. Industry and services each employed only a small share.
3. Low productivity and colonial policies kept most people in farming.

Yaad rakhein: Pre-1947 India: about three-fourths of people in agriculture.

Answer: (B) Agriculture

Concept: In clustered (compact) settlements houses are built close together in a compact area.

1. They are common in fertile alluvial plains like the Northern Plains, where farmland is continuous and people live together.
2. NCERT also lists the north-eastern states among areas with clustered settlements.
3. Dispersed or hamleted settlements are found in hilly, forested or extreme-climate areas.

Yaad rakhein: Fertile plain = Clustered; hills/forests = Dispersed or Hamleted.

Answer: (D) Clustered

Concept: National Sports Awards 2024 were announced in January 2025.

1. Para-badminton player Nithya Sre Sumathy Sivan (Paris 2024 Paralympic bronze, SH6) received the Arjuna Award.
2. Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu are able-bodied badminton players; they were not awardees in para-badminton.

Yaad rakhein: Para-badminton + Arjuna 2024 = Nithya Sre Sivan.

Answer: (A) Nithya Sre Sumathy Sivan

Concept: The 1991 LPG reforms (Liberalisation, Privatisation, Globalisation) opened up the economy.

1. Controls and licences on trade were reduced (de-regulation).
2. Rupee devaluation and lower export restrictions made Indian farm products more competitive, so agricultural exports were promoted.
3. Banning exports or allowing only wheat and rice is the opposite of liberalisation.

Yaad rakhein: 1991 = de-regulation, open trade, export promotion.

Answer: (A) Export promotion was encouraged through de-regulation.

Concept: The CPU is the 'brain' of the computer.

1. Control Unit (CU) directs and coordinates all operations.
2. Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU) does arithmetic (add, subtract) and logic (compare, AND, OR) operations – i.e. an arithmetic unit and a logic unit.
3. Input, output and graphics units are outside the CPU.

Yaad rakhein: CPU = CU + ALU (+ registers).

Answer: (B) Control Unit, Arithmetic Unit and Logic Unit

Concept: Gauss's law: total electric flux through a closed surface $=\frac{q_{\text{enc}}}{{\epsilon }_0}$.

1. When charge distribution is highly symmetric (sphere, infinite line, infinite plane), a Gaussian surface makes $E$ constant on it, so $E$ is found in one line.
2. Coulomb's law works for point charges but needs heavy integration for extended bodies.
3. Faraday's and Lenz's laws deal with electromagnetic induction, not electric field of charges.

Yaad rakhein: Symmetry + electric field = Gauss's law.

Answer: (C) Gauss's Law

Concept: The Northern Plains have two types of alluvium: old Bhangar and new Khadar.

1. Khadar: newer, younger deposits on floodplains, renewed by floods almost every year – very fertile.
2. Bhangar: older alluvium on higher terraces above flood level, often with kankar (calcareous) nodules.
3. Terai is a marshy belt south of the Bhabar.

Trick: Khadar = Khulle (new) floodplain; Bhangar = Buddha (old).

Answer: (D) Khadar

Concept: The Khelo India Youth Games 2025 were held in Bihar in May 2025.

1. Sheikh Zeeshan set a new Games record in the boys' triple jump with a leap of 15.66 m.
2. Animesh Kujur is a sprinter, not a triple jumper.

Yaad rakhein: KIYG 2025 (Bihar) triple jump record 15.66 m – Sheikh Zeeshan.

Answer: (D) Sheikh Zeeshan

Concept: One Stop Centres (Sakhi Centres, from 2015, under Mission Shakti) give integrated help to women affected by violence.

1. They support all women, including girls below 18 years, facing violence in private or public spaces, irrespective of caste, class, religion, region, marital status.
2. Services: police help, medical aid, legal aid, counselling and temporary shelter under one roof.

Yaad rakhein: OSC = 'Sakhi' – for ALL women and girls affected by violence.

Answer: (D) All women and girls below 18 years of age affected by violence

Concept: Exercise Desert Hunt 2025 was an integrated tri-service special forces exercise.

1. It was conducted by the Indian Air Force at Air Force Station Jodhpur (Rajasthan) in February 2025.
2. It involved Army Para (Special Forces), Navy MARCOS and IAF Garud commandos.

Yaad rakhein: 'Desert' → Rajasthan → Jodhpur.

Answer: (A) Airforce station at Jodhpur

Concept: The Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna is India's highest sports honour.

1. Indian hockey captain Harmanpreet Singh received it (announced January 2025), along with D Gukesh, Manu Bhaker and Praveen Kumar.
2. He led India to the bronze medal at Paris 2024 Olympics.

Yaad rakhein: Hockey captain + Khel Ratna (2025 announcement) = Harmanpreet Singh.

Answer: (D) Harmanpreet Singh

Concept: The Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2003 tightened rules for illegal migrants.

1. It defined 'illegal migrant' and barred such persons from getting citizenship by registration or naturalisation.
2. It also introduced Overseas Citizenship and the National Register of Citizens provision.
3. The 1986 amendment changed citizenship by birth; 2005 and 2015 dealt with OCI changes.

Yaad rakhein: 2003 Amendment = illegal migrant barred + NRC idea.

Answer: (D) 2003 Amendment

Concept: The Santhal Hul (1855–56) was led by Sidhu and Kanhu Murmu in the Rajmahal hills (present Jharkhand).

1. Santhals revolted against exploitation by zamindars and moneylenders (dikus) who grabbed their land and charged heavy interest.
2. The British officials who protected these exploiters were also targets.

Yaad rakhein: Santhal Hul = Sidhu–Kanhu vs dikus (zamindars, moneylenders) + British.

Answer: (A) Zamindars and moneylenders

Concept: In 2025 India revived a ₹44,000 crore plan to build 12 Mine Counter-Measure Vessels (MCMVs) for the Navy.

1. Minesweepers detect and clear sea mines.
2. This protects India's ports, harbours and sea trade routes from being blocked by mines.
3. It also boosts domestic shipbuilding under Make in India.

Yaad rakhein: ₹44,000 crore = minesweepers → safe ports and trade routes.

Answer: (B) Safeguarding ports and trade routes

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

1. It recognised, for the first time, the political and administrative functions of the Company.
2. It made the Governor of Bengal the Governor-General of Bengal (Warren Hastings) and set up a Supreme Court at Calcutta (1774).
3. Pitt's India Act 1784 came later and created the Board of Control.

Yaad rakhein: First control + first recognition of political role = Regulating Act 1773.

Answer: (D) Regulating Act 1773