Q&A: practice questions with answers

Concept: Modular software is built from independent components (modules/libraries) that can be used by many programs. When two different applications use the same shared library, the code is written once and reused – this is code reusability.

1. Shared libraries (DLL/.so) reduce duplication, so redundancy decreases, not increases.
2. Dependencies are not removed – both apps now depend on the library; offline operation is unrelated.

Yaad rakhein: Same library, many apps → write once, reuse everywhere.

Answer: (A) Code reusability across different applications

Concept: The Global Justice, Love and Peace Summit 2025 was held in Dubai (UAE) in April 2025, bringing together faith leaders, lawyers and peace activists.

1. It was organised by the "I Am a Peacekeeper" movement; Indian spiritual leaders and legal luminaries also participated.
2. Oslo is associated with the Nobel Peace Prize, not with this summit.

Yaad rakhein: Justice, Love & Peace Summit (Apr 2025) → Dubai.

Answer: (C) Dubai

Concept: Lord Dalhousie (Governor-General 1848–56) annexed Awadh in February 1856 on the pretext of "misgovernance" by Nawab Wajid Ali Shah.

1. Unlike his other annexations (Satara, Jhansi, Nagpur – Doctrine of Lapse), Awadh was taken on grounds of maladministration.
2. Many sepoys of the Bengal Army came from Awadh, so this became a major grievance behind the 1857 revolt.
3. Lord Canning was Governor-General during the revolt; Henry Lawrence was Chief Commissioner of Awadh in 1857.

Yaad rakhein: Dalhousie = Lapse + Awadh (1856); Canning = 1857 revolt.

Answer: (C) Lord Dalhousie

Concept: After the Treaty of Allahabad (1765) Robert Clive set up the Dual System: the East India Company got the Diwani (revenue collection and civil justice) while the Nawab retained the Nizamat (administration, police, criminal justice).

1. Power without responsibility for the Company and responsibility without power for the Nawab – this led to the Bengal famine of 1770.
2. Warren Hastings abolished the dual system in 1772.

Yaad rakhein: Diwani (revenue) → Company; Nizamat (administration) → Nawab.

Answer: (C) Revenue powers lay with the Company, while administrative responsibility lay with the Nawab.

Concept: Dr. Poonam Gupta, Director General of NCAER, was appointed Deputy Governor of the RBI in April 2025 for a three-year term, replacing Michael Patra.

1. She is the first woman Deputy Governor in charge of monetary policy and a member of the Monetary Policy Committee.
2. Nidhi Tiwari became Private Secretary to the PM; Jay Bhattacharya heads the US NIH; Manan Kumar Mishra is a Rajya Sabha MP and BCI chairman.

Yaad rakhein: Poonam Gupta (NCAER) → RBI Deputy Governor, April 2025.

Answer: (D) Dr. Poonam Gupta

Concept: India has the highest number of oral cancer cases in the world, and the main cause is tobacco – chewed (gutkha, khaini, paan with tobacco) and smoked (bidi, cigarette).

1. Tobacco contains carcinogens such as nitrosamines and benzopyrene that damage the cells of the mouth lining.
2. Areca nut (supari) and alcohol add to the risk; soft drinks, fried food and salt are linked to other health problems, not specifically oral cancer.

Yaad rakhein: Mouth cancer in India ≈ tobacco chewing/smoking.

Answer: (A) Tobacco

Concept: Under Article 243C (73rd Amendment, 1992) the Legislature of a State may, by law, provide for the representation of chairpersons of village panchayats in intermediate panchayats, and of intermediate panchayats in district panchayats, as well as of MPs and MLAs.

1. Part IX leaves composition, reservation of chairperson posts, powers and finances of panchayats largely to State legislation.
2. Parliament only made the constitutional framework; the Governor and President have no such law-making role here.

Yaad rakhein: Details of Panchayats (composition, chairpersons, powers) → State Legislature by law.

Answer: (D) State Legislature

Concept: In BoP double-entry accounting, every inflow of foreign exchange is a credit (+) and every outflow or acquisition of a foreign asset is a debit (−). Official reserves are foreign assets held by the RBI.

1. An increase in reserves means the central bank has bought/accumulated foreign assets – an outflow of funds into reserves, recorded as a debit in the capital account (official reserve account).
2. A fall in reserves (selling foreign assets) is a capital account credit; current account records goods, services, income and transfers only.

Yaad rakhein: Reserves up = asset bought = Capital Account Debit (−).

Answer: (D) Capital Account – Debit

Concept: Exercise Trishul (TSE-2025) was a large tri-services exercise held from 30 October to 10 November 2025 in the Sir Creek–Kutch–Saurashtra sector and the northern Arabian Sea.

1. It was conducted under the lead of the Indian Navy (Western Naval Command), with the Army's Southern Command and the IAF's South Western Air Command participating.
2. It practised integrated land-sea-air operations, amphibious landings and joint logistics; NOTAMs were issued for the Arabian Sea and Rajasthan–Gujarat airspace.

Yaad rakhein: Trishul 2025 = tri-service, Sir Creek/Arabian Sea, Navy-led.

Answer: (B) Indian Navy

Concept: The Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) Act was enacted by Parliament in 2003 (came into force in July 2004) to bring fiscal discipline, reduce fiscal deficit and improve macroeconomic management.

1. Original targets: fiscal deficit 3% of GDP and revenue deficit zero by 2008–09.
2. The N.K. Singh Committee (2016–17) reviewed it; the 2018 amendment set a debt target of 60% of GDP (40% Centre).

Yaad rakhein: FRBM = 2003 (Vajpayee govt, FM Jaswant Singh).

Answer: (D) 2003

Concept: Vitamins are of two kinds: fat-soluble (A, D, E, K) and water-soluble (B-complex and C). Thiamin is vitamin B₁, the first member of the B complex.

1. Retinol = vitamin A, Calciferol = vitamin D, Tocopherol = vitamin E – all fat-soluble.
2. Thiamin deficiency causes beri-beri; other B vitamins are riboflavin (B₂), niacin (B₃), pyridoxine (B₆), cobalamin (B₁₂).

Yaad rakhein: Fat-soluble = "ADEK"; everything else (B, C) dissolves in water.

Answer: (C) Thiamin

Concept: The Directive Principles of State Policy (Part IV, Articles 36–51) aim to establish a welfare state by securing the ideals of justice (social, economic, political), liberty, equality and fraternity promised in the Preamble.

1. Article 38 directly asks the State to promote a social order based on justice, and the DPSPs translate the Preamble's goals into policy directions.
2. Options with "hierarchy", "privilege" or "property" run opposite to the Constitution's egalitarian spirit.

Yaad rakhein: Preamble ideals J-L-E-F → DPSPs are the road map to reach them.

Answer: (A) Justice, liberty, equality, fraternity

Concept: In Windows search, the wildcard * stands for any number of characters and ? for exactly one character. Word documents have the extension .docx.

1. Names starting with "Unit" followed by anything → Unit*; Word files → .docx; together: Unit*.docx.
2. Unit?.txt finds text files with one extra character; *Unit.docx finds names ending in Unit; "Unit* .docx" has a stray space.

Yaad rakhein: * = many characters, ? = one character.

Answer: (D) Unit*.docx

Concept: Khayal is a Persian/Arabic word meaning "imagination" or "thought/idea". It is the most popular vocal form of Hindustani classical music, allowing great freedom for improvisation.

1. It is credited to Amir Khusrau and was popularised by Sultan Mohammad Shah Rangila's court musicians Sadarang and Adarang (18th century).
2. Devotional sentiment describes bhajan/kirtan, melodic framework is raga, rhythmic pattern is tala.

Yaad rakhein: Khayal = "khayal" (thought/imagination) – the singer imagines freely within the raga.

Answer: (A) Imagination or reflective thought

Concept: The western coastal plain is divided into Kachchh & Kathiawar (Gujarat), Konkan (Maharashtra–Goa), Kanara/Karnataka coast and Malabar (Kerala). The eastern plain is Utkal (Odisha), Andhra coast and Coromandel (Tamil Nadu).

1. Only Utkal Plain – Odisha is matched correctly (it includes the Mahanadi delta and Chilika lake).
2. Malabar belongs to Kerala, Coromandel to Tamil Nadu and Konkan to Maharashtra/Goa – the other three pairs are swapped.

Yaad rakhein: West: Gujarat → Konkan → Kanara → Malabar; East: Utkal → Andhra → Coromandel.

Answer: (B) Utkal Plain – Odisha

Concept: Net change for successive changes $a\%$ and $b\%$ is $a+b+\frac{ab}{100}$.

1. $a=+15,b=-12$.
2. Net $=15-12+\frac{15\times (-12)}{100}=3-1.8=1.2$.
3. Positive sign means an increase of $1.2\%$.

Trick: Multiply factors: $1.15\times 0.88=1.012$, i.e. $+1.2\%$.

Answer: (B) 1.2% increase

Concept: If $a+b+c=0$ then $a^3+b^3+c^3=3abc$.

1. $21+(-2)+(-19)=0$, so the identity applies.
2. $3abc=3\times 21\times (-2)\times (-19)$.
3. $=3\times 21\times 38=2394$.

Trick: Whenever the three bases add to zero, never cube them – just find $3abc$.

Answer: (C) 2394

Concept: $88=8\times 11$; a number divisible by 88 must be divisible by both 8 and 11.

1. $1232=88\times 14$, $1144=88\times 13$, $968=88\times 11$ – all divisible.
2. 1058: last three digits 058 → $58÷8$ leaves remainder 2, so not divisible by 8.
3. Hence 1058 is not divisible by 88.

Trick: Check divisibility by 8 (last 3 digits) first – it eliminates quickly.

Answer: (D) 1058

Concept: Sum $=$ average $\times$ count; removed number $=$ old sum $-$ new sum.

1. Sum of 5 numbers $=5\times 18.5=92.5$.
2. Sum of remaining 4 $=4\times 16=64$.
3. Removed number $=92.5-64=28.5$.

Trick: Removed number $=$ new average $+$ (drop in average) $\times$ old count $=16+2.5\times 5=28.5$.

Answer: (C) 28.5

Concept: Add the same $x$ years to both ages and form the equation.

1. $36+x=2(12+x)$.
2. $36+x=24+2x\Rightarrow x=12$.
3. Check: after 12 years, mother 48, daughter 24 – exactly double.

Trick: Difference of ages (24) is constant; when mother is twice, difference $=$ daughter's age, so daughter must be 24 → after 12 years.

Answer: (D) 12 years