Q&A: practice questions with answers

Concept: The Ravi rises west of the Rohtang Pass in the Kullu hills (Bara Bhangal area) of Himachal Pradesh and flows through the Chamba valley before entering Punjab and Pakistan.

1. Beas rises at Beas Kund near Rohtang but flows through Kullu–Mandi–Kangra, not Chamba.
2. Chenab is formed by Chandra and Bhaga at Tandi (Lahaul); Jhelum rises at Verinag in Kashmir.

Yaad rakhein: Chamba town stands on the Ravi; Kullu/Manali stand on the Beas.

Answer: (D) Ravi river

Concept: The Calcutta Cup is the trophy awarded to the winner of the annual England vs Scotland rugby union match, now played as part of the Six Nations Championship.

1. It dates from 1879 and was made from melted silver rupees of the disbanded Calcutta (Rugby) Football Club – hence the Indian name.
2. The Triple Crown is for a Home Nation beating all three other Home Nations; "Millennium Trophy" is England vs Ireland.

Yaad rakhein: Calcutta Cup = England–Scotland; Millennium Trophy = England–Ireland; Centenary Quaich = Ireland–Scotland.

Answer: (B) Calcutta Cup

Concept: Na₂SO₄(aq) + BaCl₂(aq) → BaSO₄(s) + 2NaCl(aq) is a double displacement (precipitation) reaction.

1. Barium sulphate is insoluble in water, so it separates as a white solid precipitate – state symbol (s).
2. Sodium chloride stays dissolved (aq); no gas or pure liquid is formed.

Yaad rakhein: Sulphates of Ba, Pb and (less so) Ca are insoluble – BaSO₄ white precipitate is the lab test for sulphate ions.

Answer: (D) (s)

Concept: The 2024 Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded to South Korean author Han Kang "for her intense poetic prose that confronts historical traumas and exposes the fragility of human life".

1. She is the first South Korean and first Asian woman to win it; known for The Vegetarian (International Booker 2016) and Human Acts.
2. Murakami, Murnane and Can Xue are perennial favourites who have not won.

Yaad rakhein: Literature Nobel: 2023 Jon Fosse (Norway), 2024 Han Kang (South Korea), 2025 László Krasznahorkai (Hungary).

Answer: (C) Han Kang

Concept: AGILE stands for "AI Governance InternationaL Evaluation" Index – a global index that assesses and ranks countries on their artificial-intelligence governance (environment, capacity, policy and effectiveness).

1. The 2025 edition evaluated 40 countries and was released by research institutes linked to the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
2. Digital readiness, competitiveness and environmental performance are covered by other indices (e.g. Network Readiness Index, WEF GCI, EPI).

Yaad rakhein: AGILE → "AI Governance" is right in its name.

Answer: (A) AI governance evaluation across countries

Concept: Economic activities are classified as primary (extraction from nature), secondary (manufacturing) and tertiary (services).

1. Trade, transport, banking, communication, tourism, teaching – all are services, hence tertiary sector activities.
2. Quaternary refers to specialised knowledge/information activities (R&D, IT consultancy), a sub-division sometimes separated from tertiary.

Yaad rakhein: Farm → Factory → Shop/Service = Primary → Secondary → Tertiary.

Answer: (D) Tertiary

Concept: Rekha Gupta (BJP, MLA from Shalimar Bagh) was sworn in as the 9th Chief Minister of Delhi on 20 February 2025 after the BJP won the February 2025 Delhi Assembly election.

1. BJP had last governed Delhi in 1998 (Sushma Swaraj) – a return after about 27 years.
2. Parvesh Verma became a minister (Deputy CM status in cabinet), Atishi was the outgoing AAP CM, Manish Sisodia lost his seat.

Yaad rakhein: Delhi women CMs: Sushma Swaraj, Sheila Dikshit, Atishi, Rekha Gupta.

Answer: (B) Rekha Gupta

Concept: Body waves are of two types: P (primary) waves and S (secondary) waves; surface waves (Rayleigh, Love) travel only along the surface.

1. P waves are longitudinal, fastest ($\approx 6$–$8\text{km/s}$ in the crust) and travel through solids, liquids and gases – they arrive first at a seismograph.
2. S waves are transverse and cannot pass through liquids (hence the S-wave shadow zone proves the outer core is liquid).

Yaad rakhein: P = Primary/Push–pull/Passes through everything; S = Secondary/Shake/Solids only.

Answer: (B) P waves

Concept: The Swadeshi Movement (1905) arose against the Partition of Bengal; its twin weapons were Swadeshi (use of Indian goods) and Boycott (rejection of British goods, schools, courts).

1. Indigenous enterprises were promoted – Bengal Chemicals (P.C. Ray), swadeshi textile mills, national schools, Bengal National College.
2. Options A, C and D describe cooperation, diplomacy or militarisation, none of which was the movement's method.

Yaad rakhein: Swadeshi + Boycott = economic self-reliance; formally adopted at the Calcutta Congress session, 1906.

Answer: (B) By promoting indigenous industries and rejecting foreign products.

Concept: The 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1992 added Part IX (Panchayats) and the Eleventh Schedule, which lists 29 subjects that may be devolved to Panchayats.

1. The 74th Amendment added Part IX-A and the Twelfth Schedule (18 subjects for Municipalities).
2. 10th Schedule – anti-defection; 9th Schedule – laws protected from judicial review (land reforms).

Yaad rakhein: 73rd → 11th Schedule → 29 subjects (rural); 74th → 12th Schedule → 18 subjects (urban).

Answer: (B) 11th Schedule

Concept: FEMA was passed by Parliament in December 1999 and came into force on 1 June 2000, replacing FERA, 1973.

1. FERA treated forex violations as criminal offences; FEMA made them civil offences, in line with liberalisation and WTO commitments.
2. 1999 is the year of enactment, not of commencement – the tempting wrong option.

Yaad rakhein: FEMA: enacted 1999, effective 1 June 2000; administered by RBI, enforced by the Enforcement Directorate.

Answer: (A) 2000

Concept: Among subordinate courts, the Court of Session (Sessions Court) is the highest criminal court of a district and can award any sentence including death, subject to confirmation by the High Court.

1. Civil courts decide money/property disputes and award no punishment; family courts handle matrimonial matters; consumer courts award compensation.
2. Section 28 CrPC (now BNSS) empowers a Sessions Judge to pass any sentence authorised by law.

Yaad rakhein: District Judge (civil side) = Sessions Judge (criminal side) – same officer, two names.

Answer: (C) Sessions Court

Concept: Volcanism is an endogenic (internal) process; endogenic forces like volcanism and diastrophism build up or elevate the crust, while exogenic forces (weathering, erosion) wear it down.

1. Lava and ash create new landforms – volcanic cones, plateaus (Deccan Trap), islands (Hawaii).
2. Rainfall, temperature and running water control exogenic processes, not volcanism, which is driven by internal heat.

Yaad rakhein: Endogenic = constructive (builds relief); Exogenic = destructive/levelling (gradation).

Answer: (A) It mainly builds or elevates parts of the crust

Concept: Rajyashri, sister of Harshavardhana (Pushyabhuti dynasty of Thanesar), was married to Grahavarman, the Maukhari king of Kannauj.

1. Devagupta of Malwa killed Grahavarman and imprisoned Rajyashri; Shashanka of Gauda then treacherously killed Harsha's brother Rajyavardhana.
2. Harsha rescued Rajyashri from the Vindhya forests and later ruled from Kannauj – all described in Banabhatta's Harshacharita.

Yaad rakhein: Rajyashri – wife of Grahavarman; Devagupta – killer of Grahavarman; Shashanka – killer of Rajyavardhana.

Answer: (C) Grahavarman

Concept: The Indian Constitution (Part II, Articles 5–11) provides for single citizenship – every Indian is a citizen of India only, not of any state.

1. This was adopted from the British model to promote national unity; the USA, by contrast, has dual citizenship (federal and state).
2. India also does not allow dual citizenship with another country; OCI is only a long-term visa status, not citizenship.

Yaad rakhein: Single citizenship = unitary feature of the Indian federation (with single Constitution and integrated judiciary).

Answer: (A) One: only Indian citizenship

Concept: The Government of India Act, 1935 was the longest Act of the British Parliament for India and formed the base of the later Constitution.

1. It proposed an All-India Federation of provinces and princely states (never actually formed) and introduced provincial autonomy – dyarchy was abolished in the provinces.
2. Dyarchy was instead introduced at the Centre, so option A is wrong; separate electorates (first given in 1909) were extended, not created only for Hindus.
3. Other features: Federal Court (1937), RBI, bicameralism in 6 provinces, extended franchise.

Trick: 1919 Act = dyarchy in provinces; 1935 Act = provincial autonomy + federation.

Answer: (C) Provincial autonomy and federal structure

Concept: Make in India (25 September 2014) is a flagship initiative to make India a global manufacturing hub.

1. Its aims: raise manufacturing growth, increase the share of manufacturing in GDP (target 25%), create jobs and attract FDI through ease of doing business.
2. It covers 25+ sectors (automobiles, electronics, defence, textiles, etc.); the logo is a lion made of cogs.
3. Healthcare, agri-exports and tourism have their own schemes (Ayushman Bharat, APEDA, Incredible India).

Trick: Make in India = Manufacturing + Jobs (lion of cogs = industry).

Answer: (C) boosting manufacturing and job creation

Concept: The Kadambas (c. 345–540 CE) were the first native Kannada-speaking ruling dynasty, with capital at Banavasi (Karnataka).

1. Founder Mayurasharman was a Brahmin scholar who, insulted at Kanchi by Pallava officials, took up arms, used guerrilla tactics in the forests and carved out a kingdom; the Talagunda inscription records this.
2. Mahendravarman and Pulakesin belong to the Pallava and Chalukya dynasties respectively; Vinayaditya was a later Chalukya king.

Trick: Kadamba – Mayurasharman – Banavasi (all begin in Karnataka history, c. 345 CE).

Answer: (D) Mayurasarman

Concept: DPSPs (Part IV, Articles 36–51) are guidelines to the State for establishing a just social and economic order; they are borrowed from the Irish Constitution.

1. Article 37 says they are not enforceable by any court (non-justiciable) but are fundamental in the governance of the country.
2. Hence they cannot be enforced through writs (A) and are not like Fundamental Rights (B).
3. They can be amended by Parliament – e.g. the 42nd and 44th Amendments added/changed Articles 39A, 43A, 48A – so D is wrong.

Trick: FR = justiciable (Art. 32 writs); DPSP = non-justiciable (Art. 37).

Answer: (C) They are non-justiciable guidelines that aim to establish a just society.

Concept: The Su-57 "Felon" is Russia's fifth-generation stealth fighter made by Sukhoi/Rostec.

1. During President Putin's visit to New Delhi for the India–Russia Annual Summit in December 2025, Russia formally offered India local production of the Su-57 (with technology transfer, proposed at HAL's Nashik line that builds Su-30MKI).
2. France offers Rafale (4.5 generation) and the USA has F-35; Japan does not export fighters.

Trick: Su = Sukhoi = Russia; Su-57 is Russia's answer to the F-35.

Answer: (C) Russia