Q&A: practice questions with answers

Concept: Badland topography is formed when running water cuts deep gullies and ravines into soft, loose soil.

1. The Chambal river has carved extensive ravines (bihad) in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.
2. This gully erosion has turned large areas into badlands, famous as the Chambal ravines.
3. Ganga, Yamuna and Brahmaputra are mainly known for alluvial plains and floodplains.

Yaad rakhein: Chambal = ravines = badlands (gully erosion).

Answer: (D) Chambal

Concept: India’s western coast is divided into Kachchh–Kathiawar (Gujarat), Konkan, Kanara (Karnataka) and Malabar (Kerala) coasts.

1. The Konkan Coast stretches from Daman to Goa, i.e. mainly along Maharashtra (and Goa).
2. Kerala has the Malabar Coast and Karnataka the Kanara (Canara) Coast.
3. Odisha lies on the eastern coast (Utkal Coast).

Yaad rakhein: North to south on west coast: Gujarat – Konkan (Maharashtra–Goa) – Kanara (Karnataka) – Malabar (Kerala).

Answer: (A) Maharashtra

Concept: Judicial activism means courts actively interpreting the Constitution to protect rights and widen judicial review.

1. In India it took shape in the mid-1970s, after the Emergency (1975–77).
2. Justices V.R. Krishna Iyer and P.N. Bhagwati laid its foundation, liberalising locus standi and later developing Public Interest Litigation (PIL).
3. Cases like Maneka Gandhi (1978) expanded Article 21 in this phase.

Yaad rakhein: Judicial activism and PIL in India are linked with Justices V.R. Krishna Iyer and P.N. Bhagwati.

Answer: (A) Mid-1970s

Concept: Pallava rulers built the monuments of Mahabalipuram (Mamallapuram) in the 7th–8th centuries CE.

1. The rathas, cave temples and the Shore Temple were cut or built from the local granite rock.
2. The Pancha Rathas are monolithic – each carved out of a single granite boulder; the “Arjuna’s Penance” relief is also on a granite rock face.
3. Sandstone and marble are typical of north Indian monuments.

Yaad rakhein: Mahabalipuram = UNESCO World Heritage Site (1984), built by Narasimhavarman I (Mamalla) and Rajasimha.

Answer: (D) Granite

Concept: Settlements develop where basic needs – water, food, shelter and safety – are easily met.

1. Fresh water is needed for drinking, farming and domestic use, so early settlements grew along rivers, lakes and springs.
2. Indus, Nile and Mesopotamian civilizations all developed on river banks.
3. Soil colour or hill shape have little direct effect; latitude influences climate only indirectly.

Yaad rakhein: Water point sites, river valleys and oases attract settlements first.

Answer: (C) Availability of fresh water

Concept: Point sources discharge pollutants from a single identifiable spot; non-point sources come from a large, diffuse area.

1. Industrial discharge pipe and sewage outlet are classic point sources – one fixed outlet.
2. Agricultural runoff carries fertilisers and pesticides from vast fields with rain water – no single outlet, so it is non-point.
3. A stormwater drain empties at a fixed outfall; agricultural runoff is the standard textbook example of non-point pollution.

Trick: Point = pipe; Non-point = runoff from land.

Answer: (D) Agricultural runoff

Concept: The sea route from Europe to India via the Cape of Good Hope was discovered by the Portuguese.

1. Vasco da Gama landed at Kappad near Calicut on 20 May 1498 and was received by the Zamorin.
2. Bartholomew Diaz reached the Cape of Good Hope in 1488 but did not reach India.
3. Cabral came in 1500; Albuquerque captured Goa in 1510.

Yaad rakhein: Diaz 1488 (Cape) – Vasco da Gama 1498 (Calicut) – Cabral 1500 – Albuquerque 1510 (Goa).

Answer: (A) Vasco da Gama

Concept: Private participation in nuclear power needs changes in the law that reserves nuclear activity for the government and in the nuclear liability law.

1. The Union Budget 2025-26 announced amendments to the Atomic Energy Act, 1962 and the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage (CLND) Act, 2010.
2. It was part of the Nuclear Energy Mission, targeting 100 GW nuclear capacity by 2047 and promoting Small Modular Reactors.
3. The Electricity Act and Energy Conservation Act do not govern nuclear plants.

Yaad rakhein: Nuclear reform = Atomic Energy Act 1962 (who can operate) + CLND Act 2010 (liability).

Answer: (A) Atomic Energy Act, 1962 & CLND Act, 2010

Concept: The Western Kshatrapas (Shakas) ruled Gujarat–Malwa until the Guptas conquered them.

1. Chandragupta II defeated the Shaka ruler Rudrasimha III and annexed western India, gaining ports on the Arabian Sea.
2. To mark this he took the title “Vikramaditya” and issued silver coins in the Shaka style.
3. Samudragupta is called the “Napoleon of India”; Skandagupta repelled the Hunas.

Yaad rakhein: Chandragupta II = Vikramaditya = Shaka-ari; Fa-Hien visited in his reign.

Answer: (D) Chandragupta II

Concept: The Committee on Government Assurances checks whether the government keeps its word given in Parliament.

1. It scrutinises assurances, promises and undertakings given by Ministers on the floor of the House and reports how far they have been implemented.
2. Lok Sabha’s committee has 15 members and Rajya Sabha’s has 10, nominated by the presiding officer.
3. Government expenditure is examined by the Public Accounts and Estimates Committees; public enterprises by the Committee on Public Undertakings.

Yaad rakhein: Assurance = Minister’s promise in the House; a Minister cannot be its member.

Answer: (A) Promises and undertakings made by Ministers in Parliament

Concept: World Toilet Day is a UN observance to raise awareness about the global sanitation crisis.

1. It is observed every year on 19 November, so in 2025 it was on 19 November.
2. The UN General Assembly made it an official UN day in 2013; it supports SDG 6 (clean water and sanitation for all).
3. In India it links with the Swachh Bharat Mission.

Yaad rakhein: 19 November – World Toilet Day; 22 March – World Water Day.

Answer: (D) 19 November

Concept: Environment protection appears in the Constitution both as a Directive Principle and as a Fundamental Duty.

1. Article 48A (DPSP): the State shall endeavour to protect and improve the environment and safeguard forests and wildlife.
2. It was added by the 42nd Amendment, 1976, along with Article 51A(g) – the citizen’s duty to protect the environment.
3. Art. 39A = equal justice and free legal aid; Art. 43A = workers’ participation in management; 37A does not exist.

Yaad rakhein: 42nd Amendment added 39A, 43A, 48A to DPSP.

Answer: (D) Article 48A

Concept: CYCLONE is the joint special forces exercise between India and Egypt.

1. Its 3rd edition was held at the Mahajan Field Firing Ranges, Rajasthan, from 10 to 23 February 2025.
2. The 1st edition was held in India (Jaisalmer, 2023) and the 2nd in Egypt (2024).
3. It aims at interoperability in desert and semi-desert terrain and counter-terrorism operations.

Yaad rakhein: India–Egypt exercises: CYCLONE (Army special forces), Bright Star (multinational, hosted by Egypt).

Answer: (A) India and Egypt

Concept: A running program is a process; the operating system manages its CPU time and memory.

1. “Not Responding” means the process has stopped reacting to messages from the OS.
2. Clicking “End task” in Task Manager asks the OS to forcibly terminate the process and free its memory, handles and other resources.
3. It does not change the file type, move the program or convert it into a service.

Trick: Ctrl + Shift + Esc opens Task Manager directly; End task = kill process.

Answer: (D) Force the process to terminate and release its resources

Concept: Elements of the same group have the same outer (valence) electronic configuration.

1. Down a group a new shell is added each period, but the number of electrons in the outermost shell stays the same.
2. Example Group 1: Li (2,1), Na (2,8,1), K (2,8,8,1) – all have 1 valence electron.
3. Across a period (left to right) valence electrons increase by one.

Yaad rakhein: Down a group: valence electrons same, shells and atomic size increase.

Answer: (A) Remains the same

Concept: Apply BODMAS: brackets first, then of, then $÷$/$\times$ left to right, then $+$.

1. $\frac{16/21}{16/4}=\frac{16}{21}\times \frac{4}{16}=\frac{4}{21}$
2. Bracket: $\frac{4}{5}\times \frac{10}{12}+\frac{4}{7}=\frac{2}{3}+\frac{4}{7}=\frac{26}{21}$, so $\frac{4}{21}÷\frac{26}{21}=\frac{2}{13}$
3. of first: $\frac{26}{14}\times \frac{14}{8}=\frac{26}{8}$, so $\frac{4}{8}÷\frac{26}{8}=\frac{4}{26}=\frac{2}{13}$
4. Total $=\frac{2}{13}+\frac{2}{13}=\frac{4}{13}$

Trick: of is solved before $÷$ — that is why the second part gives $\frac{2}{13}$, not a big number.

Answer: (A) $\frac{4}{13}$

Concept: Sum of the interior angles of a quadrilateral $={360}^{\circ }$. Express all angles in terms of $\angle Q$.

1. Let $\angle Q=x$. Then $\angle P=2x$, $\angle R=4x$, $\angle S=\frac{\angle R}{2}=2x$
2. $2x+x+4x+2x=9x={360}^{\circ }\Rightarrow x={40}^{\circ }$
3. $\angle S=2x={80}^{\circ }$

Trick: Write every angle as a multiple of the smallest one; sum of multiples $=9$, so one part $=\frac{{360}^{\circ }}{9}={40}^{\circ }$.

Answer: (C) ${80}^{\circ }$

Concept: BODMAS – brackets first, then division, then subtraction.

1. ${(2+\frac{3}{2})}^2={\left(\frac{7}{2}\right)}^2=\frac{49}{4}$
2. $[4-{\left(\frac{6}{3}\right)}^2]=4-2^2=0$
3. Division before subtraction: $0÷\frac{1}{2}=0$
4. $\frac{49}{4}-0=\frac{49}{4}$

Trick: The $÷\frac{1}{2}$ acts only on the square bracket next to it, and that bracket is $0$ – so the answer is just the first term.

Answer: (C) $\frac{49}{4}$

Concept: Total distance and total time are fixed; let the time at $40\text{km/h}$ be $t$.

1. $40t+160(9.5-t)=560$
2. $1520-120t=560\Rightarrow t=8\text{h}$
3. Time at $160\text{km/h}=1.5\text{h}$, distance $=160\times 1.5=240\text{km}$

Trick: If all 9.5 h were at $40\text{km/h}$: $380\text{km}$. Extra $180\text{km}$ comes from the extra $120\text{km/h}$ → $\frac{180}{120}=1.5\text{h}$ at the fast speed.

Answer: (B) $240\text{km}$

Concept: Same principal and time, so the SI difference depends only on the rate difference: $\text{SI}=\frac{P\times R\times T}{100}$.

1. Rate difference $=6.5\%-3.5\%=3\%$
2. Difference $=\frac{340000\times 3\times 2}{100}=20400$

Trick: Never compute both interests separately — use the rate difference directly.

Answer: (C) ₹20,400