Q&A: practice questions with answers

Concept: Among the European trading companies, the Dutch (VOC) were interested almost purely in trade, especially spices, and not in building an empire in India.

1. The Dutch captured Cochin from the Portuguese in 1663 and made the Malabar coast (Kerala) their main base for pepper and spices.
2. Their defeat by Travancore at the Battle of Colachel (1741) ended their power in India; they then concentrated on Indonesia.
3. The English and French fought for political power; the Danes had only small settlements (Tranquebar, Serampore).

Yaad rakhein: Dutch = spices + Malabar/Cochin; English = political empire; French = Pondicherry.

Answer: (C) Dutch East India Company

Concept: The Union Budget 2026–27 (presented 1 February 2026) announced a second NIMHANS to expand mental-health care capacity.

1. NIMHANS (National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro-Sciences), Bengaluru, is India's apex mental-health institute; the Budget proposed setting up "NIMHANS-2".
2. The aim is to increase trained manpower and treatment capacity in mental health, in line with Tele-MANAS and the National Mental Health Programme.
3. "AIIMS-2" or a "NITI Aayog Health Centre" are not real Budget proposals.

Yaad rakhein: Mental health → NIMHANS; Budget 2026-27 → NIMHANS-2.

Answer: (D) NIMHANS-2

Concept: Copy (Ctrl + C) keeps the original and places a copy on the clipboard; Paste (Ctrl + V) can be repeated any number of times.

1. Each paste puts an identical, independent copy of the content (value/formula/format) in the destination cell.
2. The source cell is not cleared (that happens only with Cut, Ctrl + X).
3. Pasted cells are not linked to the source; a link is created only with "Paste Link" or a formula like =A1.

Yaad rakhein: Copy = duplicate, Cut = move; a normal paste never creates a live link.

Answer: (C) Each destination cell receives an identical copy of the original content

Concept: The 74th Constitutional Amendment Act, 1992 added Part IX-A (Articles 243P–243ZG) and the 12th Schedule, giving constitutional status to Municipalities (urban local bodies).

1. It came into force on 1 June 1993 and provides for Nagar Panchayats, Municipal Councils and Municipal Corporations.
2. The 73rd Amendment (1992) did the same for Panchayats (rural local bodies) – the common confusing option.
3. 61st = voting age 18; 86th = Right to Education.

Yaad rakhein: 73 = village (Panchayat), 74 = town (Municipality).

Answer: (D) 74th Constitutional Amendment Act, 1992

Concept: The Sarkaria Commission (1983, chaired by Justice R.S. Sarkaria) was set up by the Central Government to review Centre–State relations; it reported in 1988.

1. It recommended that the Governor should be an eminent person from outside the state, detached from local politics, and appointed after consulting the Chief Minister.
2. The Rajamannar Committee (1969) was set up by Tamil Nadu, not the Centre; Mandal = OBC reservation; Kothari = education.
3. Later, the Punchhi Commission (2007) also reviewed Centre–State relations.

Yaad rakhein: Sarkaria (1983, Centre) → Punchhi (2007); Rajamannar = Tamil Nadu state.

Answer: (D) Sarkaria Commission

Concept: The Digital News Publishers Association (DNPA) is the body of India's leading digital news publishers; its annual Conclave in New Delhi brings these organisations together.

1. The DNPA Conclave 2026 focused on discussion and collaboration among digital news publishers on issues like fair revenue sharing with big-tech platforms, AI and the future of digital journalism.
2. It is about digital news, so options on print books, state media policy or sports broadcasting do not fit.

Yaad rakhein: DNPA = Digital News Publishers → conclave = digital newsrooms meeting and collaborating.

Answer: (A) Bringing together digital news organizations for discussion and collaboration

Concept: António Guterres is the 9th Secretary-General of the United Nations (since 2017); his second term ends on 31 December 2026.

1. In 2026 the UN Security Council and General Assembly started the selection process for the 10th Secretary-General, who takes office on 1 January 2027.
2. The Security Council recommends one candidate and the General Assembly appoints (Article 97 of the UN Charter).
3. WEF, ICJ and the Commonwealth have different heads (ICJ – President; Commonwealth – Secretary-General, but Guterres is not linked to them).

Yaad rakhein: Guterres = UN SG no. 9 (2017–2026) → successor = 10th SG from 2027.

Answer: (B) United Nations

Concept: The Santhal Rebellion (Hul) of 1855–56 was led by the brothers Sidhu and Kanhu Murmu in the Rajmahal hills (present Jharkhand) against zamindars, moneylenders and the British.

1. It began on 30 June 1855 at Bhognadih; after suppression the British created the separate Santhal Pargana district (1856).
2. Kol Revolt (1831–32) – Buddho Bhagat; Ramosi Revolt (1822–29) – Chittur Singh/Umaji Naik, Maharashtra; Bhil Revolt – Khandesh.

Yaad rakhein: "Sidhu–Kanhu, Chand–Bhairav" = Santhal Hul 1855; Birsa Munda = Ulgulan 1899–1900.

Answer: (A) Santhal Rebellion

Concept: NASM-MR stands for Naval Anti-Ship Missile – Medium Range, developed by DRDO for the Indian Navy.

1. Its maiden flight test was carried out by DRDO in June 2026; the missile is meant to strike enemy warships from naval platforms at medium range.
2. Its shorter sibling NASM-SR (short range) is helicopter-launched and has already been tested from Sea King helicopters.
3. Anti-tank missiles are Nag/Helina; short-range surface-to-air is VSHORADS/QRSAM.

Yaad rakhein: NASM = Naval Anti-Ship Missile; SR = short range, MR = medium range.

Answer: (C) Naval anti-ship strike at medium range

Concept: Deltas form when a river slows down and drops large amounts of sediment; estuaries form when a swift river meets the sea and tides wash the sediment away.

1. West-flowing rivers (Narmada, Tapi, Mandovi, Periyar, Sharavati) rise in the Western Ghats close to the coast, so they are short, steep and fast.
2. They carry little sediment and have no space to deposit it on the narrow plain, so they form estuaries, not deltas.
3. East-flowing rivers (Ganga, Godavari, Krishna, Kaveri) are long and slow, so they build deltas.

Yaad rakhein: West coast = narrow plain + short fast rivers = estuaries; East coast = deltas.

Answer: (A) Rivers are short, steep, and fast-flowing

Concept: Iron and steel is a heavy, raw-material based industry; its two essential inputs are iron ore (the metal source) and coking coal (fuel and reducing agent).

1. Steel plants like Jamshedpur, Bokaro, Rourkela, Bhilai and Durgapur are located in the Chhota Nagpur region near both iron ore and coal belts.
2. Limestone and manganese are also used (as flux and hardener), but manganese alone cannot replace coal – so option C is incomplete.
3. Bauxite is for aluminium; copper ore and gypsum have nothing to do with steel.

Yaad rakhein: Iron ore : coking coal : limestone ≈ 4 : 2 : 1 for one tonne of steel.

Answer: (B) Iron ore and coal

Concept: The Partition of Bengal (announced July 1905, effected 16 October 1905) by Lord Curzon triggered the Swadeshi and Boycott movement and brought the Extremists (Lal–Bal–Pal) to the forefront.

1. Failure of Moderate "prayer and petition" politics was the background, but the partition was the immediate cause of the rise of Extremism.
2. The Surat Split of 1907 between Moderates and Extremists followed.
3. Ilbert Bill (1883) led to the formation of Congress; Morley–Minto Reforms came in 1909 and World War I in 1914 – both later.

Yaad rakhein: 1905 Bengal partition → Swadeshi → Extremism → 1907 Surat split.

Answer: (D) Partition of Bengal

Concept: In a parallel circuit the potential difference across every branch is the same as the supply voltage, and each branch has its own independent path for current.

1. So every appliance (bulb, fan, fridge) gets the full 220 V it is designed for and can be switched on/off without affecting the others.
2. In series, voltage gets divided, the same current flows through all and one faulty appliance breaks the whole circuit.
3. Parallel connection reduces total resistance ($\frac{1}{R}=\frac{1}{R_1}+\frac{1}{R_2}+\dots$); it does not reduce voltage or increase resistance.

Yaad rakhein: Parallel = same V, independent switches; Series = same I, one goes off, all go off.

Answer: (A) Each appliance receives the full supply voltage and operates independently.

Concept: In Kesavananda Bharati v. State of Kerala (24 April 1973), a 13-judge bench held (7:6) that Parliament can amend any part of the Constitution but cannot destroy its "basic structure".

1. Golaknath (1967) had said Fundamental Rights cannot be amended at all; Kesavananda overruled it and gave the Basic Structure Doctrine instead.
2. Indira Gandhi v. Raj Narain (1975) and Minerva Mills (1980) applied the doctrine; they did not propound it.

Yaad rakhein: Golaknath 1967 → Kesavananda 1973 (basic structure) → Minerva Mills 1980 (limited amending power is itself basic structure).

Answer: (C) Keshavananda Bharati v. State of Kerala

Concept: Baking soda (sodium hydrogen carbonate, NaHCO₃) is a mild base; it reacts with acids (citric acid in lemon, acetic acid in vinegar) to release carbon dioxide.

1. NaHCO₃ + CH₃COOH → CH₃COONa + H₂O + CO₂↑
2. The CO₂ bubbles make cakes, dhokla and bread fluffy; the same reaction is used in fire extinguishers and antacids.
3. Hydrogen is released when acids react with metals, not with carbonates.

Yaad rakhein: Acid + carbonate/bicarbonate → salt + water + CO₂ (turns lime water milky).

Answer: (A) Carbon dioxide

Concept: A chessboard has 64 squares arranged in 8 vertical columns called files (a–h) and 8 horizontal rows called ranks (1–8).

1. A square is named by its file letter and rank number, e.g. e4.
2. Diagonals are the slanting lines of same-coloured squares; castling is a king–rook move, and "clocks" are only the timing devices.

Yaad rakhein: Files = vertical (like filing cabinets standing up), Ranks = horizontal (like soldiers standing in a rank).

Answer: (C) Ranks

Concept: The Chenab Bridge in Reasi district (Jammu & Kashmir), part of the Udhampur–Srinagar–Baramulla Rail Link, is the world's highest railway arch bridge.

1. Its deck is 359 m above the Chenab river bed – about 35 m taller than the Eiffel Tower; it was inaugurated on 6 June 2025.
2. Total length 1,315 m with a main arch span of 467 m; it is not the longest steel span or the longest arch bridge in Asia.

Yaad rakhein: Chenab = highest (359 m); Anji Khad (same project) = India's first cable-stayed rail bridge.

Answer: (D) By becoming the highest railway arch bridge in the world

Concept: Sher Shah Suri (1540–45) built/renovated four great roads, including the Grand Trunk Road (Sonargaon to Attock), and lined them with sarais at every two kos.

1. About 1,700 sarais provided free lodging and food to travellers of all communities and also served as dak chowkis (post stations) with horses and runners carrying royal mail and news.
2. Thus the sarais were the "arteries of the empire" – they combined travel, trade, intelligence and communication.
3. Kos minars were distance markers, not revenue offices; sarais did not collect taxes.

Yaad rakhein: Sher Shah = GT Road + sarai (rest house + post office) + rupiya + patta/qabuliyat.

Answer: (C) Sarais provided lodging and functioned as dak chowkis

Concept: Harappan towns were planned on a grid pattern: main streets ran north–south and east–west and cut each other at right angles, dividing the city into rectangular blocks.

1. Cities had a raised citadel and a lower town, standardised burnt bricks (ratio 4:2:1) and covered drains along the streets.
2. There were no large temple complexes (unlike Mesopotamia) and houses were not on winding lanes.

Yaad rakhein: Harappa = grid streets + drainage + citadel; no temples, no palaces.

Answer: (D) Streets intersecting at right angles

Concept: Since 2024 the World Happiness Report is published by the Wellbeing Research Centre, University of Oxford, in partnership with Gallup and the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN).

1. The 2026 edition (released around 20 March, International Day of Happiness) again ranked Finland first; rankings are based on Gallup World Poll life-evaluation data.
2. The World Bank, WEF and OECD publish other indices (Ease of Doing Business earlier, Global Competitiveness/Gender Gap, Better Life Index).

Yaad rakhein: Happiness Report = Oxford Wellbeing Centre + Gallup + SDSN; HDI = UNDP; Gender Gap = WEF.

Answer: (B) Wellbeing Research Centre, University of Oxford