Q&A: practice questions with answers

Concept: Champaran (Bihar, 1917) was Gandhi’s first Satyagraha in India.

1. Gandhi took up the cause of indigo farmers forced into the tinkathia system by European planters.
2. Its success made him a mass leader with direct peasant support across India.
3. Rowlatt protest (1919), Jallianwala Bagh (1919) and Salt Satyagraha (1930) all came later, after he was already a national leader.

Yaad rakhein: Gandhi’s first three in India: Champaran 1917 → Ahmedabad Mill Strike 1918 → Kheda 1918.

Answer: (D) Champaran Satyagraha

Concept: Blue Flag is an international eco-label (by FEE, Denmark) for clean, safe and environment-friendly beaches.

1. Rushikonda Beach is in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.
2. It is among India’s certified Blue Flag beaches and its certification was renewed in 2023.

Yaad rakhein: Rushikonda – Vizag – Andhra Pradesh. Other Blue Flag beaches: Shivrajpur (Gujarat), Kovalam (Tamil Nadu), Kappad (Kerala).

Answer: (A) Andhra Pradesh

Concept: Indian Open Athletics 2025 – sprint double (100 m and 200 m).

1. Srabani Nanda of Odisha won both the women’s 100 m and 200 m titles.
2. Dutee Chand, Hima Das and Archana Suseendran are also sprinters but did not achieve this double here.

Yaad rakhein: Srabani Nanda – Odisha sprinter, Rio 2016 Olympian (200 m).

Answer: (C) Srabani Nanda

Concept: Direction of neighbouring countries with respect to India.

1. China lies to the north/north-east; Nepal to the north; Bhutan to the north-east.
2. Sri Lanka lies to the south / south-east across the Palk Strait and Gulf of Mannar.

Yaad rakhein: Only island neighbour in the south-east: Sri Lanka (via Palk Strait).

Answer: (D) Sri Lanka

Concept: NASM-SR = Naval Anti-Ship Missile – Short Range, developed by DRDO.

1. It is India’s first indigenous air-launched anti-ship missile, test-fired from a Navy Sea King helicopter in 2025.
2. BrahMos is an Indo-Russian joint venture; Varunastra is a torpedo; Astra is an air-to-air missile.

Yaad rakhein: Anti-ship + air-launched + indigenous = NASM-SR.

Answer: (A) NASM-SR

Concept: The 88th Amendment Act, 2003 dealt with taxation of services.

1. It inserted Article 268A, empowering the Union to levy Service Tax.
2. Privy purses were abolished by the 26th Amendment (1971); GST came through the 101st (2016); NJAC through the 99th (2014).

Yaad rakhein: 88 → Service tax (268A); 101 → GST.

Answer: (B) Provision for Service Tax

Concept: Sadi Carnot proposed the ideal reversible heat engine (Carnot cycle).

1. He described it in his 1824 work “Reflections on the Motive Power of Fire”.
2. Carnot efficiency $\eta =1-\frac{T_2}{T_1}$ sets the maximum possible efficiency between two temperatures.

Yaad rakhein: Carnot – 1824 – “Motive Power of Fire”.

Answer: (C) 1824

Concept: The Paris Agreement (COP21, 2015) is the global climate treaty under UNFCCC.

1. It aims to keep global temperature rise “well below 2°C” above pre-industrial levels.
2. It also asks countries to pursue efforts to limit the rise to 1.5°C.

Yaad rakhein: Paris: “well below 2, try for 1.5”.

Answer: (C) 2°

Concept: RTI Act, 2005 has a two-level appeal system.

1. First appeal goes to a senior officer in the same public authority.
2. Second appeal goes to the Central Information Commission (or State Information Commission for states).
3. CVC, NHRC and Lokpal have no role in RTI appeals.

Yaad rakhein: RTI appeal ladder: PIO → First Appellate Officer → CIC/SIC.

Answer: (D) Central Information Commission

Concept: Selecting multiple items in a file manager.

1. Ctrl + Click selects individual, non-adjacent files/folders one by one.
2. Shift + Click selects a continuous range from the first to the last clicked item.

Yaad rakhein: Ctrl = choose specific items; Shift = select a range.

Answer: (C) Ctrl + Click

Concept: Land revenue records in India classify land into nine categories.

1. Culturable wasteland = land left uncultivated (fallow) for more than five agricultural years.
2. Barren rocky land is “barren and unculturable land”; tree-crop land and urban land are separate classes.

Yaad rakhein: Fallow under 1 year = current fallow; 1–5 years = other fallow; over 5 years = culturable wasteland.

Answer: (B) Land that is fallow for over five years

Concept: Germany’s “traffic-light” coalition (SPD, Greens, FDP) collapsed in November 2024 amid budget and economic disputes.

1. A snap federal election was held on 23 February 2025.
2. Friedrich Merz (CDU) then became Chancellor, replacing Olaf Scholz.

Yaad rakhein: Germany 2025: Scholz out, Merz in after snap election.

Answer: (B) Germany

Concept: The Drain of Wealth theory explained how Britain transferred India’s wealth without equivalent return.

1. It was propounded by Dadabhai Naoroji.
2. He explained it in his book “Poverty and Un-British Rule in India” (1901); R.C. Dutt later supported it.

Yaad rakhein: Naoroji = “Grand Old Man of India” = Drain Theory.

Answer: (A) Dadabhai Naoroji

Concept: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) – AI used to find alternatives to antibiotics.

1. In May 2025, IIIT-Delhi partnered with France’s Inria Saclay to build an AI tool that identifies alternative antibiotic candidates.
2. The project combines computational biology and machine learning to tackle drug-resistant infections.

Yaad rakhein: AMR + AI + Inria (France) → IIIT-Delhi.

Answer: (B) IIIT-Delhi

Concept: Bharat Forecast System (BFS) – India’s indigenous high-resolution weather model.

1. Launched in May 2025 by the Ministry of Earth Sciences; developed by IITM Pune.
2. It forecasts at about 6 km resolution, among the finest for global weather models.

Yaad rakhein: BFS = Bharat + Forecast; made by IITM Pune.

Answer: (A) Bharat Forecast System

Concept: Indo-Saracenic style blends Indian, Islamic (Mughal) and European Gothic elements; used for many British-era buildings.

1. The Gateway of India (designed by George Wittet, completed 1924) is built in Indo-Saracenic style.
2. Other examples: Victoria Memorial (Kolkata), Chennai Central, Mysore Palace.

Yaad rakhein: British-era monument with domes + arches + jharokhas = Indo-Saracenic.

Answer: (A) Indo-Saracenic

Concept: Article 201: the President decides on State Bills reserved by the Governor.

1. In State of Tamil Nadu vs. Governor of Tamil Nadu (petition filed 2023, decided April 2025), the Supreme Court fixed a three-month timeline for the President to decide such Bills.
2. Kesavananda (basic structure), Minerva Mills (balance of FR–DPSP) and SR Bommai (Article 356) deal with other issues.

Yaad rakhein: Governor/President delay on Bills → Tamil Nadu case.

Answer: (C) State of Tamil Nadu vs. Governor of Tamil Nadu (2023)

Concept: The 91st Amendment Act, 2003 limited the size of Councils of Ministers.

1. Article 164(1A): State Council of Ministers ≤ 15% of the Assembly’s total strength (minimum 12).
2. Article 75(1A) applies the same 15% cap to the Union. It also strengthened the anti-defection law.

Yaad rakhein: 91 → 15% cap on ministers.

Answer: (B) 91st Constitutional Amendment Act, 2003

Concept: Drip irrigation supplies water drop by drop directly at the root zone.

1. Its water-use efficiency is about 90%, the highest among common methods.
2. Flood and furrow methods lose much water to runoff and evaporation; sprinkler is about 70–75% efficient.

Yaad rakhein: Most water-saving = Drip (micro-irrigation, promoted under PMKSY “Per Drop More Crop”).

Answer: (B) Drip

Concept: The Harappan (Indus Valley) Civilisation was the first urban civilisation of the subcontinent.

1. Harappa, excavated by Daya Ram Sahni in 1921, was the first site found and gave the civilisation its name; it shows planned towns, grid streets and drains.
2. Mehrgarh is a Neolithic farming village, not an urban city; Kalibangan and Lothal are later-discovered Harappan sites.

Yaad rakhein: First excavated urban site = Harappa (1921), then Mohenjo-daro (1922).

Answer: (B) Harappa