Q&A: practice questions with answers

Concept: Quick Access is the section at the top of File Explorer’s navigation pane where frequently used folders can be pinned for one-click access.

1. Right-click the Reports folder → Pin to Quick access; it then appears in the left pane of every File Explorer window.
2. Start Menu pinning works outside File Explorer, not within its window.
3. A library groups folders; mapping a network drive is meant for shared network locations – both are slower/unsuitable here.

Trick: “Inside File Explorer, one click” → Quick Access.

Answer: (D) Adding the folder to the Quick Access section

Concept: Arya Samaj was founded by Swami Dayanand Saraswati in 1875 at Bombay; it rejected idol worship, caste rigidity and ritualism and called people “back to the Vedas”.

1. It promoted women’s education and allowed women to take part in its weekly congregations (satsangs) and Vedic study.
2. It opposed animal sacrifice and Brahmin monopoly – so options (A) and (C) are the opposite of its teaching.
3. Its meetings were held in simple halls (Samaj Mandirs) without idols, not in temples.

Trick: Arya Samaj = “Vedas yes, idols/caste no, women’s education yes”.

Answer: (B) Women participated equally

Concept: Seats of States/UTs in the Rajya Sabha are allotted by the Fourth Schedule of the Constitution, broadly on the basis of population.

1. Whenever States are reorganised or new States are created, Parliament amends the Fourth Schedule and the seat allocation changes.
2. Examples: States Reorganisation (1956), creation of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Uttarakhand (2000) and Telangana (2014).
3. Court decisions, economic reforms or the President’s powers do not alter this seat distribution.

Trick: Rajya Sabha seats → Fourth Schedule → changes with State reorganisation.

Answer: (A) Reorganization and formation of new States

Concept: Indigestion/acidity occurs when the stomach produces excess hydrochloric acid (HCl). Antacids are mild bases.

1. A mild base such as milk of magnesia, ${\text{Mg(OH)}}_2$, reacts with excess acid: ${\text{Mg(OH)}}_2+2\text{HCl}\to {\text{MgCl}}_2+2{\text{H}}_2\text{O}$.
2. This neutralisation reduces acidity and relieves the burning pain.
3. Antacids do not thicken the stomach wall or increase acid – that would worsen pain.

Trick: Acid + base → salt + water (neutralisation) – the idea behind antacids and also bee-sting remedies.

Answer: (A) Neutralising excess stomach acid

Concept: The Rigveda is a collection (Samhita) of hymns (suktas) in praise of deities such as Agni, Indra and Soma.

1. It has 10 mandalas containing 1,028 hymns.
2. Ritual manuals are the Brahmanas; philosophical texts are the Upanishads; epics are the Ramayana and Mahabharata.

Yaad rakhein: “Rig” = praise/verse → Rigveda = book of hymns. Gayatri Mantra is in its 3rd mandala.

Answer: (D) Hymns

Concept: The Rigveda (c. 1500–1000 BCE) is the oldest Veda and the main source for the life of the early Vedic (Rigvedic) people.

1. It describes their pastoral life, cattle wealth, tribes (jana), assemblies (sabha, samiti) and gods like Indra and Agni.
2. Samaveda (melodies), Yajurveda (sacrificial formulae) and Atharvaveda (charms, spells) are later Vedas and reflect the later Vedic age.

Yaad rakhein: Order of Vedas: R-S-Y-A – Rig is first, Atharva is last.

Answer: (C) Rigveda

Concept: Annalena Baerbock is a German politician of the Green Party who served as Germany’s Foreign Minister (2021–2025).

1. In June 2025 she was elected President of the 80th session of the UN General Assembly, which began in September 2025.
2. She is only the fifth woman to hold the post of UNGA President.

Yaad rakhein: Baerbock → former German Foreign Minister → UNGA-80 President.

Answer: (C) Germany

Concept: World Environmental Health Day is observed every year on 26 September, an initiative of the International Federation of Environmental Health (IFEH).

1. The theme for 2025 was “Clean Air, Healthy People”.
2. It highlights air pollution as one of the biggest environmental threats to human health.

Yaad rakhein: 26 September → Environmental Health Day; 2025 focus = air.

Answer: (A) Clean Air, Healthy People

Concept: In his Independence Day speech on 15 August 2025, PM Narendra Modi announced Mission Sudarshan Chakra.

1. It aims to build a nationwide, multi-layered security shield by 2035 to detect and neutralise enemy attacks and infiltration.
2. It will also strengthen India’s capability to strike back – named after Lord Krishna’s Sudarshan Chakra.

Trick: Krishna’s chakra both protects and strikes – exactly the mission’s twin goals (shield + attack).

Answer: (A) Sudarshan Chakra Mission

Concept: The Asia Power Index is published by the Lowy Institute (Australia) and ranks 27 countries of the Asia-Pacific on comprehensive power.

1. In the 2025 edition, the USA was 1st, China 2nd and India 3rd.
2. India was placed in the “major power” category for the first time in 2025.

Yaad rakhein: Asia Power Index: US – China – India (top three).

Answer: (C) Third

Concept: The Western Coastal Plain is a submerged coast; its northern part from Maharashtra to Goa is the Konkan coast.

1. Submergence makes the coastline irregular and indented, with creeks and estuaries that form natural harbours (e.g. Mumbai, Mormugao).
2. The East Coastal Plain is an emergent coast – wide, regular and with few natural harbours.
3. Kathiawar and the Rann of Kutch are not the indented, harbour-rich stretch asked for.

Trick: West coast = submerged = indented = natural ports; East coast = emergent = deltas, smooth coastline.

Answer: (A) Konkan Region

Concept: The Paika Rebellion of 1817 broke out in Khurda, Odisha, against East India Company rule.

1. It was led by Bakshi Jagabandhu Bidyadhar, military chief of the Raja of Khurda.
2. Paikas (traditional militia) lost their rent-free lands and faced high revenue demands after the British conquest of Odisha (1803).

Yaad rakhein: Paika – Khurda – Bakshi Jagabandhu – Odisha, 1817.

Answer: (C) Odisha

Concept: India won the 2025 Men’s Hockey Asia Cup at Rajgir, Bihar, beating South Korea 4–1 in the final (September 2025).

1. India’s Asia Cup titles: 2003, 2007, 2017 and 2025 – the 2025 win was the fourth.
2. The previous title came in 2017 (Dhaka), so the gap is $2025-2017=8$ years.

Yaad rakhein: Last win 2017 → next win 2025 → 8-year wait; the win also gave India a 2026 World Cup berth.

Answer: (C) 8 years

Concept: The book Sanskriti Ka Panchva Adhyay (“The Fifth Chapter of Culture”) compiles PM Narendra Modi’s speeches on Indian culture and heritage.

1. It was released in New Delhi in April 2025.
2. The other options are not the titles of this compilation.

Yaad rakhein: Panchva Adhyay = “fifth chapter” – remember the number five in the title.

Answer: (D) Sanskriti Ka Panchva Adhyay

Concept: Harappan cities followed a planned grid (chessboard) layout.

1. Main streets ran north–south and east–west and cut each other at right angles, dividing the city into rectangular blocks.
2. Covered drains ran along the streets; houses opened onto side lanes.
3. Zig-zag lanes, radial roads or stone causeways are not Harappan features.

Yaad rakhein: Harappan town = grid pattern + covered drains + baked bricks.

Answer: (C) Streets intersecting at right angles forming a criss-cross pattern

Concept: Use $(a-b{)}^2=(a+b{)}^2-4ab$.

1. $(a+b{)}^2={26}^2=676$, $4ab=4\times 144=576$
2. $(a-b{)}^2=676-576=100$
3. $a-b=\sqrt{100}=10$ (numbers are 18 and 8)

Trick: Find two numbers with sum 26 and product 144 directly: $18\times 8=144$, difference $=10$.

Answer: (C) $10$

Concept: Successive discounts multiply: final price = original $\times (1-d_1)(1-d_2)$.

1. After 20% off: $1200\times 0.8=960$
2. After further 15% off: $960\times 0.85=816$
3. Final price = $816

Trick: Net discount $=20+15-\frac{20\times 15}{100}=32\%$; $68\%$ of 1200 $=816$.

Answer: (B) $816

Concept: Numbers in ratio $3:2:13$ are $3x,2x,13x$ with HCF $x$ (3, 2, 13 are co-prime).

1. LCM $=3\times 2\times 13\times x=78x$
2. $78x=2574\Rightarrow x=\frac{2574}{78}=33$
3. HCF $=x=33$

Trick: HCF $=\frac{\text{LCM}}{\text{LCM of ratio terms}}=\frac{2574}{78}=33$.

Answer: (B) $33$

Concept: $\text{CP}=\frac{\text{SP}}{1+\text{profit}\%}$, then $\text{new SP}=\text{CP}\times (1-\text{loss}\%)$.

1. $\text{CP}=\frac{1200}{1.2}=1000$
2. For 10% loss: $\text{SP}=1000\times 0.9=900$

Trick: ${\text{SP}}_2=1200\times \frac{90}{120}=900$ in one step.

Answer: (C) ₹$900$

Concept: Product of two numbers = $\text{HCF}\times \text{LCM}$.

1. First number $=3\times 7+0=21$
2. Second $=\frac{3\times 210}{21}=\frac{630}{21}=30$
3. Check: HCF(21, 30) = 3, LCM = 210 ✓

Yaad rakhein: $a\times b=\text{HCF}\times \text{LCM}$ (only for two numbers).

Answer: (B) $30$