Q&A: practice questions with answers

Concept: Seatrade Maritime Logistics Middle East is the region's leading shipping and logistics conference, held annually in Dubai.

1. Its 11th edition opened on 6 May 2025 at the Dubai World Trade Centre (6–8 May 2025).
2. It was held alongside the Breakbulk Middle East exhibition under the UAE maritime sector's patronage.

Yaad rakhein: SMLME 2025 – 11th edition – Dubai – May.

Answer: (B) 11th

Concept: Physical state depends on the strength of intermolecular (van der Waals) forces, not chemical bonds.

1. Noble gases are monoatomic with a stable octet; only very weak London dispersion forces act between atoms, so they stay gaseous.
2. Halogens form diatomic molecules; dispersion forces grow with molecular size, so F₂, Cl₂ are gases, Br₂ a liquid and I₂ a solid.
3. Noble gases have low reactivity and no strong bonds – options A and D are wrong.

Yaad rakhein: Weak intermolecular force → low boiling point → gas.

Answer: (C) Weak intermolecular forces in noble gases

Concept: Patna Metro's first phase (priority corridor) was inaugurated on 6 October 2025.

1. The 3.6 km elevated stretch from Bhoothnath to New ISBT with 3 stations opened to the public, making Patna the 24th Indian city with a working metro.
2. Kolkata (1984) and Lucknow (2017) already had metros; Bhubaneswar's is still under construction.

Yaad rakhein: Patna Metro – Oct 2025 – Bihar's first metro.

Answer: (C) Patna

Concept: Daimabad (Ahmednagar district, on the Pravara river) is the southernmost Harappan-affiliated site and a major Chalcolithic settlement of Maharashtra.

1. Its famous bronze hoard includes a chariot driven by a man, an elephant, a rhinoceros and a buffalo – solid-cast metal sculptures.
2. Inamgaon is known for Jorwe-culture houses and burials, not metal casting.

Yaad rakhein: Daimabad = bronze chariot and animals.

Answer: (D) Daimabad

Concept: Sound is a longitudinal wave made of alternate compressions and rarefactions.

1. Compression: particles crowded together – high pressure and high density.
2. Rarefaction: particles spread apart – low pressure and low density.
3. Crest/trough belong to transverse waves; wavelength is the distance between two consecutive compressions.

Yaad rakhein: Compression = Crowded; Rarefaction = Rare (spread out).

Answer: (A) Compression

Concept: A device driver is system software that lets the operating system communicate with a specific hardware device.

1. The OS sends generic commands; the driver translates them into device-specific instructions (printer, graphics card, keyboard).
2. User–computer interface is the role of the user interface/shell, not a driver.

Yaad rakhein: Driver = translator between OS and hardware.

Answer: (B) Operating system and Hardware device

Concept: In November 2025 BCCI signed Asian Paints as Team India's official colour partner for three years (2025–2028).

1. The deal covers the Indian men's and women's senior teams across home and ICC fixtures during the period.
2. Berger, Nerolac and Nippon are rival paint brands and were not part of this partnership.

Yaad rakhein: "Colour partner" of Team India – Asian Paints (Nov 2025).

Answer: (D) Asian Paints

Concept: "Duns" are longitudinal valleys lying between the Lesser Himalaya and the Shiwaliks.

1. Dehra Dun is the best-known example (about 35–45 km long, 22–25 km wide); others are Kotli Dun and Patli Dun.
2. Kangra and Kullu are valleys within the Lesser Himalaya (Himachal); Patkai hills are in the north-east.

Yaad rakhein: Shiwalik + Lesser Himalaya = Dun (Dehra Dun).

Answer: (A) Dehra Dun

Concept: Gopal Krishna Gokhale founded the Servants of India Society on 12 June 1905 at Pune to train national missionaries for social service.

1. The founding members with Gokhale were Natesh Appaji Dravid, Gopal Krishna Deodhar and Anant Vinayak Patwardhan.
2. Option A lists Congress-era leaders, options B and D list later national leaders – none were founders of this society.

Yaad rakhein: SIS 1905 – Gokhale – Pune – Dravid, Deodhar, Patwardhan.

Answer: (C) Natesh Appaji Dravid, Gopal Krishna Deodhar, Anant Vinayak Patwardhan

Concept: Density $=$ persons per sq km; island/forest territories with large area and small population have low density.

1. Andaman and Nicobar Islands: 46 persons/km² – the lowest among UTs (and second lowest overall after Arunachal Pradesh, 17).
2. Lakshadweep is small but crowded (2,149/km²); Chandigarh (9,258) and Puducherry (2,547) are dense urban UTs.

Yaad rakhein: Lowest density: state – Arunachal, UT – Andaman and Nicobar.

Answer: (B) Andaman and Nicobar Islands

Concept: Rajendra I (1014–1044 CE) built Gangaikondacholapuram as his new capital after his victorious Ganga expedition.

1. The name means "city of the Chola who conquered the Ganga"; he also built the Brihadisvara temple there and took the title Gangaikonda.
2. Rajaraja I (his father) ruled from Thanjavur and built the Brihadeeswara temple there.

Yaad rakhein: Rajaraja – Thanjavur; Rajendra – Gangaikondacholapuram.

Answer: (A) Rajendra I

Concept: Lothal (Gujarat) is famous for its dockyard – a large brick-built basin connected to the old channel of the Sabarmati/Bhogavo.

1. The basin (about 214 m × 36 m) with a sluice gate and inlet channel is the most direct evidence of ship handling and sea trade.
2. Seals, warehouse and bead workshops show trade and craft, but only the dock proves a maritime port.

Yaad rakhein: Lothal = dockyard (world's earliest known).

Answer: (C) A brick-built basin connected to an ancient river channel

Concept: The One Health Summit of 5–7 April 2026 was held in Lyon, France.

1. The One Health approach links human, animal and environmental health; the summit was organised with the Quadripartite agencies (WHO, FAO, WOAH, UNEP).
2. None of the other listed countries hosted the 2026 summit.

Yaad rakhein: One Health Summit 2026 – Lyon, France (April).

Answer: (B) France

Concept: Agenda 21 was adopted at the UN Conference on Environment and Development (Earth Summit), Rio de Janeiro, June 1992.

1. Rio also produced the Rio Declaration, the Forest Principles, and opened the UNFCCC and CBD for signature.
2. Stockholm 1972 led to UNEP; Vienna 1985 (not 1961) dealt with the ozone layer; Kigali 2016 amended the Montreal Protocol on HFCs.

Yaad rakhein: "21" = action plan for the 21st century – Rio 1992.

Answer: (B) 1992 – Earth Summit, Rio de Janeiro

Concept: Part V (Articles 52–151) is "The Union" – it covers the Union executive (President, Vice-President, Council of Ministers, Attorney General), Parliament, the Supreme Court and the CAG.

1. Part VI (Articles 152–237) deals with the States.
2. Part III – Fundamental Rights; Part IV – Directive Principles.

Yaad rakhein: Part V – Union, Part VI – States; Article 52 starts with the President.

Answer: (B) Part V

Concept: Atal Tunnel (Rohtang), Himachal Pradesh, is a 9.02 km horseshoe-shaped highway tunnel at about 10,000 ft (3,000 m) connecting Manali with Lahaul-Spiti.

1. In February 2022 the World Book of Records (London) certified it as the world's longest highway tunnel above 10,000 feet.
2. It was inaugurated by PM Modi on 3 October 2020 and built by the BRO.
3. Zojila (under construction, J&K–Ladakh) and Chenani-Nashri (9.28 km, but at low altitude) do not hold this record.

Yaad rakhein: Atal Tunnel = Rohtang = 10,000 ft record (Feb 2022).

Answer: (C) Atal Tunnel

Concept: PCB stands for Printed Circuit Board – the board on which electronic components (chips, resistors, capacitors) are mounted and connected by etched copper tracks.

1. The motherboard, RAM module and graphics card are all PCBs.
2. The other expansions are invented terms; the real bus/cache terms are PCI, USB, L1/L2 cache etc.

Yaad rakhein: PCB = Printed Circuit Board (the green board inside every device).

Answer: (C) Printed Circuit Board

Concept: The National Seeds Policy, 2002 was announced by the Ministry of Agriculture to ensure timely availability of quality seeds, promote the private seed industry and protect farmers' and breeders' rights.

1. It followed the Seeds Act 1966 and the National Seeds Programme (1970s); the Seeds Bill 2004 was later drafted to replace the 1966 Act.
2. Key thrust areas: variety development, seed production, quality assurance, seed exports and PPV&FR Act 2001 implementation.

Yaad rakhein: PPV&FR Act 2001 → National Seeds Policy 2002 → Seeds Bill 2004.

Answer: (B) 2002

Concept: V.S. Achuthanandan (1923–2025), veteran CPI(M) leader and former Chief Minister of Kerala (2006–11), passed away on 21 July 2025 at the age of 101.

1. He was a founding member of CPI(M) in 1964 (one of the 32 who walked out of the CPI National Council) and a long-time Politburo member.
2. He was Leader of Opposition in Kerala three times and led the party's campaigns against corruption and land encroachment.

Yaad rakhein: VS = Kerala's "Comrade" CM → CPI(M).

Answer: (C) Communist Party of India (Marxist)

Concept: The Dashavatara Temple at Deogarh (Lalitpur, UP), c. 6th century CE, is a Gupta-period Vishnu temple and the earliest known example of the Panchayatana plan of the Nagara style.

1. Panchayatana = main shrine on a raised platform with four subsidiary shrines at the corners.
2. It also has one of the earliest curvilinear shikharas and famous panels (Sheshashayi Vishnu, Gajendra-moksha, Nara-Narayana).
3. It is a structural temple built of stone, not rock-cut; Vesara and Dravida styles belong to the Deccan and South India.

Yaad rakhein: Deogarh Dashavatara = first Panchayatana Nagara temple (Gupta).

Answer: (C) Panchayatana Nagara temple