Q&A: practice questions with answers

Concept: The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) entered into force in January 2021.

1. The third Meeting of States Parties (3MSP) was held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York in March 2025.
2. The first meeting was held in Vienna (2022) and the second in New York (2023).
3. India is not a party to the TPNW.

Yaad rakhein: TPNW meetings: 1st Vienna, 2nd & 3rd New York (UN HQ).

Answer: (D) New York City

Concept: At Independence the British-era ICS and IP were replaced by Indian services.

1. In 1947 the ICS was replaced by the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and the Indian Police by the Indian Police Service (IPS).
2. They were later recognised as All-India Services by Article 312 of the Constitution and the All India Services Act, 1951.
3. Sardar Patel, called the 'Father of All India Services', championed them.

Yaad rakhein: 1947 – IAS & IPS replace ICS & IP; 1966 – IFS (Forest) added.

Answer: (A) 1947

Concept: Pigments give plant parts their colour.

1. Chlorophyll absorbs red and blue light and reflects green, giving spinach and leaves their green colour; it is essential for photosynthesis.
2. Anthocyanin gives red/purple colour (beetroot, red cabbage); xanthophyll and lutein are yellow pigments.

Yaad rakhein: Chloro = green (Greek 'chloros').

Answer: (B) Chlorophyll

Concept: Seawater desalination membranes for ships.

1. In May 2025, DRDO's Defence Materials Stores and Research & Development Establishment (DMSRDE), Kanpur developed an indigenous nanoporous multilayered polymeric membrane for high-pressure seawater desalination.
2. It was developed for Indian Coast Guard ships, where membranes face chloride ions in saline water.

Yaad rakhein: DMSRDE Kanpur is a DRDO lab – link the membrane to DRDO.

Answer: (A) Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO)

Concept: Writs are orders issued by courts to enforce rights: habeas corpus, mandamus, prohibition, certiorari and quo warranto.

1. Article 226 empowers High Courts to issue writs for Fundamental Rights and also 'for any other purpose' (legal rights) – wider than the Supreme Court.
2. Article 32 gives the Supreme Court writ power only for Fundamental Rights.
3. Article 324 – Election Commission; 124 – Supreme Court; 136 – Special Leave Petition.

Yaad rakhein: 32 = SC (FRs only); 226 = HC (FRs + legal rights).

Answer: (C) Article 226

Concept: Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) is a rare autoimmune disorder that was in news in 2025 due to an outbreak in Pune.

1. The immune system mistakenly attacks the peripheral nerves (nerves outside the brain and spinal cord).
2. It causes tingling, muscle weakness and sometimes paralysis; it often follows infection by Campylobacter jejuni.
3. The immune system is the attacker, but the system primarily impacted is the peripheral nervous system.

Yaad rakhein: GBS = ascending weakness from legs = peripheral nerves damaged.

Answer: (A) Peripheral nervous system

Concept: Seasonal unemployment occurs when people find work only during certain months of the year.

1. Agriculture in India depends on sowing and harvesting seasons; in the non-sowing (off) season, farm workers remain without work.
2. Disguised unemployment means more people working than needed (marginal productivity zero) – it exists throughout the year.
3. Cyclical unemployment comes from business cycles; structural from mismatch of skills and jobs.

Yaad rakhein: 'Season' in the question → Seasonal unemployment.

Answer: (B) Seasonal Unemployment

Concept: Lord Curzon tightened government control over higher education.

1. Based on the Raleigh Commission (1902), the Indian Universities Act was passed in 1904.
2. It increased official control over university senates, affiliation of colleges and appointments, and was opposed by nationalists as an attempt to curb political activity.

Yaad rakhein: Curzon: Universities Act 1904, Partition of Bengal 1905.

Answer: (B) 1904

Concept: A wildlife sanctuary is a protected area notified under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

1. Its primary aim is to protect wild animals, especially endangered species, and their habitats.
2. Limited human activities (grazing, collection of minor forest produce) may be allowed, unlike national parks.
3. Eco-tourism or revenue may be side benefits, not the main purpose.

Yaad rakhein: Sanctuary = safe home for wildlife; first in India: Vedanthangal (bird sanctuary).

Answer: (B) protecting endangered species

Concept: Padma Shri 2025 in Literature and Education.

1. Prof. Arunoday Saha, an economist and noted Bengali writer, received the Padma Shri in 2025 for Literature and Education.
2. He is from Tripura and has served as Vice-Chancellor of Tripura University.

Yaad rakhein: Saha + Tripura University → Tripura.

Answer: (C) Tripura

Concept: Bharatendu Harishchandra (1850–1885) of Varanasi began the modern era of Hindi literature – the 'Bharatendu Yug'.

1. He is called the father of modern Hindi literature and Hindi theatre; plays: 'Andher Nagari', 'Bharat Durdasha'.
2. Mahavir Prasad Dwivedi led the next phase (Dwivedi Yug); Jaishankar Prasad was a Chhayavad poet; Premchand is the great story-writer.

Yaad rakhein: Modern Hindi starts with the 'Bharatendu Yug'.

Answer: (A) Bharatendu Harishchandra

Concept: The Nebular Hypothesis was proposed by Immanuel Kant and revised by Pierre-Simon Laplace (1796).

1. It states that the solar system formed from a slowly rotating cloud of gas and dust (nebula) that contracted; the Sun formed at the centre and planets from the surrounding disc.
2. Big Bang explains the origin of the universe; Continental Drift and Plate Tectonics explain movement of continents.

Yaad rakhein: Nebula = cloud of gas and dust → Nebular Hypothesis.

Answer: (B) Nebular Hypothesis

Concept: The AI Action Summit was held in Paris, France, in February 2025.

1. It was co-chaired by French President Emmanuel Macron and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
2. India announced it would host the next AI summit (AI Impact Summit, 2026).
3. Mark Rutte is NATO Secretary General – not a co-chair.

Yaad rakhein: Summit in Paris → host = French President Macron.

Answer: (C) Emmanuel Macron

Concept: MGNREGA (2005) gives a legal right to work to rural households.

1. Every rural household whose adult members volunteer for unskilled manual work is guaranteed at least 100 days of wage employment in a financial year.
2. If work is not given within 15 days of applying, an unemployment allowance is payable.
3. In drought/disaster-notified areas it can be extended to 150 days.

Yaad rakhein: MGNREGA = 100 days; 150 days only in special cases.

Answer: (C) 100 days

Concept: In the Golaknath case (1967) the Supreme Court held that Parliament cannot amend Fundamental Rights.

1. The 24th Amendment Act, 1971 nullified this by amending Articles 13 and 368, affirming Parliament's power to amend any part of the Constitution, including Fundamental Rights.
2. It also made it compulsory for the President to give assent to Constitutional Amendment Bills.
3. The 42nd (1976) is the 'mini-Constitution'; the 44th (1978) removed property as a Fundamental Right.

Yaad rakhein: Golaknath (1967) → 24th Amendment (1971) → Kesavananda (1973, basic structure).

Answer: (B) 24^th Amendment Act, 1971

Concept: A device driver is system software that lets the operating system talk to a hardware device.

1. It translates OS commands into instructions the specific hardware (printer, graphics card, keyboard) understands, and passes responses back.
2. Without the correct driver, the OS cannot use the device properly.
3. User accounts, updates and temp-file cleaning are done by other OS utilities.

Yaad rakhein: Driver = translator between OS and hardware.

Answer: (B) To manage communication between OS and hardware

Concept: India's satcom sector in May 2025.

1. As of 21 May 2025, India was reported to be initiating the fastest global rollout of satellite-based communication services, with licences/approvals for operators such as Starlink, OneWeb and Jio-SES.
2. There is no '7G satellite'; India has not completed a space station (Bharatiya Antariksh Station is planned for 2035) and has not banned foreign providers.

Yaad rakhein: Eliminate impossible options (7G, completed space station, ban) – only B remains.

Answer: (B) Initiated the fastest global rollout of satellite-based communication services

Concept: The Deccan Plateau is a triangular tableland bounded by hill ranges on three sides.

1. North: Satpura, Mahadeo and Maikal ranges (Vindhyas lie further north).
2. West: Western Ghats (Sahyadri) – continuous and higher.
3. East: Eastern Ghats – discontinuous and lower, cut by rivers like Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna and Kaveri.

Yaad rakhein: Deccan tilts from west to east – rivers flow east into the Bay of Bengal through gaps in the Eastern Ghats.

Answer: (D) Eastern Ghats

Concept: Write the decimals with the same number of decimal places, find the LCM of the whole numbers, then put back the decimal point.

1. $6.3=\frac{630}{100}$ and $0.07=\frac{7}{100}$.
2. $\text{LCM}(630,7)=630$ (since $630=7\times 90$).
3. $\text{LCM}=\frac{630}{100}=6.3$

Trick: If one number is a multiple of the other, the larger one is the LCM: $6.3=0.07\times 90$.

Answer: (D) $6.3$

Concept: Equal simple interest for the same time means $P_1{R}_1=P_2{R}_2$, so principals are in the inverse ratio of rates.

1. Let ₹$x$ at 10% and ₹$y$ at 9%. $\frac{x\times 10\times 8}{100}=\frac{y\times 9\times 8}{100}\Rightarrow 10x=9y$.
2. $x:y=9:10$, total parts $=19$.
3. $x=\frac{9}{19}\times 20900=9\times 1100=9900$

Trick: Sum at 10% gets the 'other' rate as its share: $\frac{9}{9+10}$ of total.

Answer: (D) ₹$9,900$