Q&A: practice questions with answers

Concept: The Battle of Plassey (23 June 1757) laid the foundation of British power in Bengal.

1. Robert Clive defeated Nawab Siraj-ud-Daulah, helped by Mir Jafar's betrayal; Mir Jafar became a puppet Nawab.
2. Buxar (1764) later confirmed it and led to Diwani rights (1765); Wandiwash (1760) was against the French.

Yaad rakhein: Plassey 1757 = control begins; Buxar 1764 = control confirmed.

Answer: (B) Battle of Plassey

Concept: The Grand Order of Mugunghwa is South Korea's highest order of merit (mugunghwa = hibiscus, the national flower).

1. President Lee Jae-myung conferred it on U.S. President Donald Trump in October 2025 during his visit for the APEC meetings in Gyeongju.

Yaad rakhein: Mugunghwa = Korea's national flower → South Korea.

Answer: (A) South Korea

Concept: Ctrl + C copies the selected text/object to the clipboard.

1. Ctrl + V pastes, Ctrl + S saves, Ctrl + F opens Find.
2. Ctrl + X cuts (moves) the selection.

Yaad rakhein: C = Copy, X = Cut, V = Paste (three keys side by side).

Answer: (D) Ctrl + C

Concept: The Indian Councils Act 1909 is known as the Morley-Minto Reforms.

1. It introduced separate electorates for Muslims (communal representation); Lord Minto is called the 'Father of Communal Electorate'.
2. The Federal Court (not Supreme Court) came in 1937; universal adult franchise came only with the Constitution (1950).

Yaad rakhein: 1909 = separate electorate for Muslims; 1919 extended it to Sikhs, Indian Christians, etc.

Answer: (D) Introduction of separate electorates for Muslims

Concept: The Bateshwar fair is held at Bateshwar near Agra, Uttar Pradesh, on the banks of the Yamuna.

1. It begins a few days before Deepawali (Kartik month) and lasts about three weeks.
2. It is one of North India's largest cattle/livestock fairs, along with religious bathing at the 101 Shiva temples.

Yaad rakhein: Bateshwar (Agra, UP) = cattle fair; Sonepur (Bihar) = another big Kartik cattle fair.

Answer: (A) Uttar Pradesh

Concept: The 11th Schedule was added by the 73rd Amendment Act, 1992 (Panchayati Raj).

1. It lists 29 subjects for Panchayats (Article 243G).
2. The 12th Schedule (74th Amendment) lists 18 subjects for Municipalities; Fundamental Duties are in Article 51A; Concurrent List is in the 7th Schedule.

Yaad rakhein: 11th → 29 (Panchayats); 12th → 18 (Municipalities).

Answer: (A) 29 subjects for Panchayats

Concept: The Speaker of the Knesset Medal is an honour of Israel's Parliament (the Knesset).

1. In February 2026, during his visit to Israel, Indian PM Narendra Modi was conferred this medal and addressed the Knesset.

Yaad rakhein: Knesset = Israel's Parliament; February 2026 honour → PM Modi (India).

Answer: (C) India

Concept: India's 1991 balance-of-payments crisis came from high fiscal deficit and a large current account deficit.

1. Forex reserves fell to barely 2–3 weeks of imports; the Gulf War also raised oil prices (not a drop).
2. India pledged gold and turned to the IMF, leading to the LPG reforms of 1991.

Yaad rakhein: 1991 = twin deficits → BoP crisis → LPG reforms (Manmohan Singh as FM).

Answer: (D) High fiscal and current account deficits

Concept: De jure (nominal/constitutional) head of a state is the Governor; the Chief Minister is the de facto (real) head.

1. Article 153: there shall be a Governor for each state; Article 154: executive power of the state is vested in the Governor.

Yaad rakhein: Centre: President (de jure) vs PM (de facto); State: Governor vs CM.

Answer: (D) Governor

Concept: Kesavananda Bharati v. State of Kerala (1973), decided by a 13-judge bench, laid down the Basic Structure doctrine.

1. Parliament can amend any part of the Constitution under Article 368, but not its basic structure.
2. Golaknath (1967) said Fundamental Rights cannot be amended; Minerva Mills (1980) later reaffirmed basic structure.

Yaad rakhein: 1973, 13 judges, 7:6 majority → Basic Structure.

Answer: (C) Kesavananda Bharati case

Concept: Radiation transfers heat as electromagnetic waves and needs no medium.

1. Space between Sun and Earth is nearly a vacuum, so only radiation can carry the Sun's heat.
2. Conduction and convection both need a material medium; insulation is the prevention of heat flow.

Yaad rakhein: No medium? → Radiation (fastest, at speed of light).

Answer: (A) Radiation

Concept: Pandit Ravi Shankar was a world-famous sitar maestro of the Maihar gharana.

1. He received the Bharat Ratna in 1999 and popularised Indian classical music globally (collaborations with George Harrison).

Yaad rakhein: Sitar: Ravi Shankar, Vilayat Khan; Sarod: Amjad Ali Khan; Flute: Hariprasad Chaurasia; Tabla: Zakir Hussain.

Answer: (D) Sitar

Concept: Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) is an education indicator.

1. GER = total enrolment in a level of education (any age) as % of the population of the official age group for that level.
2. It is reported in surveys like AISHE (higher education) and UDISE+ (school education).

Yaad rakhein: GER can exceed 100% because over-age and under-age students are also counted.

Answer: (C) education sector

Concept: The Great Indian (Thar) Desert lay under the sea during the Mesozoic era.

1. Evidence: marine deposits and wood fossils found, e.g. at Akal Wood Fossil Park near Jaisalmer, and marine sedimentary rocks.
2. Black soil is linked to the Deccan basalts; glacial deposits indicate ice action, not sea.

Yaad rakhein: Akal Wood Fossil Park (Jaisalmer) = proof Thar was once under the sea.

Answer: (C) Marine deposits and wood fossils

Concept: Make in India (launched 2014) promotes manufacturing and defence/aerospace production in India.

1. Safran (French aerospace group) manufactures components in India for programmes such as Gaganyaan, linking the growth to indigenous manufacturing — the Make in India initiative.
2. Digital India is about digital services; Skilling Bharat about training.

Yaad rakhein: Manufacturing + aerospace/defence localisation → Make in India.

Answer: (A) Make in India

Concept: The Pune Metro (Maha-Metro) was built in phases; its first operational stretches were opened by PM Narendra Modi.

1. Foundation stone was laid in December 2016.
2. On 6 March 2022 the PM inaugurated the first sections (Vanaz–Garware College and PCMC–Phugewadi) and rode the metro.
3. 2018 and 2020 were construction years; 2015 was only the project-approval phase.

Yaad rakhein: Pune Metro: stone 2016 → inauguration March 2022.

Answer: (B) 2022

Concept: The monthly PLFS bulletin (MoSPI) reports the Worker Population Ratio (WPR) – the share of employed persons in the population – in Current Weekly Status.

1. For persons aged 15 years and above, the all-India WPR in October 2025 was 52.5%.
2. WPR = $\frac{\text{Employed persons}}{\text{Total population}}\times 100$.
3. It is different from LFPR (labour force share, about 55%) and unemployment rate (about 5%).

Yaad rakhein: WPR (workers) < LFPR (workers + job-seekers); October 2025 WPR = 52.5%.

Answer: (B) 52.5 %

Concept: Power is the rate of doing work: $P=\frac{E}{t}$, so energy $E=P\times t$.

1. $E=P\times t$; in SI units joule $=$ watt $\times$ second.
2. Commercial unit: $1\text{kWh}=1000\text{W}\times 3600\text{s}=3.6\times {10}^6\text{J}$.
3. $V\times I$ gives power (not energy) and $I\times R$ gives voltage.

Trick: Electricity bill counts units = kW $\times$ hours, i.e. power $\times$ time.

Answer: (D) Energy = Power $\times$ Time

Concept: Courts fix their own vacation calendars by notification of the Chief Justice/Full Court.

1. In December 2025 the Delhi High Court notified 26 December 2025 (Friday) as a holiday.
2. With this, its Winter Vacation was advanced to begin from 26 December 2025 itself.

Yaad rakhein: Delhi HC – Christmas-week holiday on 26 Dec 2025 with winter break advanced.

Answer: (D) Delhi High Court

Concept: The special Congress session at Calcutta (September 1920, president Lala Lajpat Rai) accepted Gandhi's programme of non-cooperation; Nagpur (December 1920) ratified it.

1. Programme: boycott of government schools and colleges, law courts, legislative councils and foreign cloth; surrender of titles.
2. Constructive side: khadi/charkha, national schools, panchayats, Hindu-Muslim unity.
3. Entering councils (option A) was the later Swarajist line; armed guards went against non-violence.

Trick: Non-cooperation = triple boycott (schools, courts, councils) + khadi.

Answer: (B) Boycott of schools, courts, and councils alongside the adoption of khadi.