Q&A: practice questions with answers

Concept: A is the claim; R must be the reason behind that claim.

1. A: PSLV is popularly called ISRO's 'workhorse' → true.
2. R: it carries many payload types to several orbits (SSO, GTO, lunar/Mars missions) with a very high success rate → true.
3. Versatility + reliability is exactly why it earned the 'workhorse' name → R explains A.

Trick: Ask 'A because R?' – PSLV is the workhorse because it is versatile and reliable – yes.

Answer: (A) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A

Concept: Nomination of Anglo-Indians to legislatures has ended.

1. Art. 331 (Lok Sabha) and Art. 333 (State Assemblies) allowed nomination of Anglo-Indians.
2. The 104th Amendment Act, 2019 (in force from 25 January 2020) stopped these nominations.
3. The same Act extended SC/ST seat reservation by 10 years (to 2030).

Trick: 104th = Anglo-Indian seats ended; the 42nd (1976) is the 'mini-constitution', unrelated here.

Answer: (C) The provision was abolished by the 104th Constitutional Amendment.

Concept: BNSS replaced the CrPC and brought technology into criminal procedure.

1. It allows audio-video recording of statements/confessions and mandates videography of search and seizure.
2. IPC was replaced by a different law – the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
3. Bail rights remain, and the presumption of innocence is unchanged.

Yaad rakhein: Three new laws: BNS → IPC, BNSS → CrPC, BSA → Evidence Act (all in force from 1 July 2024).

Answer: (B) Introduction of video-recorded confessions

Concept: IPPB uses the postal network for doorstep banking.

1. Launched in 2018 under the Department of Posts.
2. Postmen and Gramin Dak Sevaks open accounts and handle deposits, transfers and DBT at the doorstep.
3. PRAGATI = project monitoring; PMJAY = health insurance; NSAP = social pension.

Trick: 'Post' in the name → postmen deliver the service.

Answer: (D) IPPB

Concept: Kalbelia is the dance of the snake-charmer community of Rajasthan.

1. Women in flowing black skirts swirl and sway like a serpent.
2. Men play the been (pungi) used by snake charmers.
3. It is on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list (2010).

Trick: Kalbelia = snake charmers → snake-like moves.

Answer: (D) Snakes

Concept: The IMD ranking uses four factors: Economic Performance, Government Efficiency, Business Efficiency and Infrastructure.

1. Switzerland topped the overall 2025 ranking.
2. In the Infrastructure factor it stood 1st in both 2024 and 2025.

Trick: 'Employment' is only a sub-factor, not one of the four main dimensions – easy to eliminate.

Answer: (C) Infrastructure

Concept: A dedicated Mangrove Cell protects coastal mangroves of one state.

1. Maharashtra created the Mangrove Cell under its Forest Department (2012).
2. It protects and restores mangroves around Mumbai and the Konkan coast.

Trick: Bihar has no coastline, so it is out at once; the Mumbai mangrove belt points to Maharashtra.

Answer: (B) Maharashtra

Concept: Heavy industries use bulky, heavy raw materials and produce heavy goods.

1. Iron and steel is a basic heavy industry → A true.
2. Its raw materials are iron ore, coking coal, limestone and manganese – not cotton or rubber → R false.

Trick: Cotton → textile industry; rubber → tyre industry. Neither fits steel.

Answer: (C) A is true, but R is false

Concept: MISHTI = Mangrove Initiative for Shoreline Habitats & Tangible Incomes.

1. It promotes mangrove plantation on coasts and salt pans using scientific methods → 1 correct.
2. Its launch came through the 2023-24 Budget speech → 2 correct.
3. It aims at conservation and local livelihoods, not commercial leasing of forests → 3 wrong.

Trick: A conservation scheme will never 'lease' the forest it protects – drop any statement saying so.

Answer: (A) Only 1 and 2 are correct

Concept: Article 370(3) lets the President, by public notification, declare the Article inoperative.

1. On 5 August 2019 the President issued C.O. 272, and on 6 August 2019 C.O. 273 under Art. 370(3), on Parliament's recommendation.
2. No Article 368 amendment was used; Art. 356 deals with President's Rule.
3. The Supreme Court upheld the move in December 2023.

Trick: The power to end 370 lay inside 370 itself – clause (3).

Answer: (A) Presidential Order under Article 370(3)

Concept: If several quantities are equal to the same value k, express each variable in terms of k.

1. $\frac{A}{2}=\frac{2B}{5}=\frac{C}{8}=k$ (since $50\%=\frac{1}{2}$, $0.4=\frac{2}{5}$).
2. $A=2k$, $B=\frac{5k}{2}$, $C=8k$.
3. Multiply by 2: A : B : C = 4 : 5 : 16.

Trick: If $xA=yB=zC$, then A : B : C = $\frac{1}{x}:\frac{1}{y}:\frac{1}{z}=2:\frac{5}{2}:8$ → 4 : 5 : 16.

Answer: (A) 4 : 5 : 16

Concept: Distance = distance per minute × number of minutes.

1. 1 h 45 min = $60+45=105$ min.
2. Distance = $0.687\times 105=68.7+3.435=72.135$ km.

Trick: Split $105=100+5$: $0.687\times 100=68.7$ and $0.687\times 5=3.435$.

Answer: (A) 72.135 km

Concept: Add conjugate fractions using $(a+b)(a-b)=a^2-b^2$.

1. $\frac{1}{5+\sqrt{3}}+\frac{1}{5-\sqrt{3}}=\frac{5-\sqrt{3}+5+\sqrt{3}}{25-3}=\frac{10}{22}$.
2. Last term: $\frac{10}{87-65}=\frac{10}{22}$.
3. $\frac{10}{22}-\frac{10}{22}=0$.

Trick: $\frac{1}{a+\sqrt{b}}+\frac{1}{a-\sqrt{b}}=\frac{2a}{a^2-b}$ – here $\frac{10}{22}$ directly.

Answer: (C) 0

Concept: Take the ratio terms as actual amounts and apply each change separately.

1. Old: $4+6+7=17$.
2. New: food $4\times \frac{5}{4}=5$; medicine $6\times \frac{4}{3}=8$; entertainment $7\times 0.9=6.3$ → 19.3.
3. Change = $\frac{2.3}{17}\times 100\approx 13.53\%$ increase.

Trick: Net change in units: $+1+2-0.7=+2.3$ on 17 – positive, so pick an 'increase' option.

Answer: (B) 13.53% increase

Concept: Profit is shared in the ratio of (capital × months).

1. A : B = $1,40,000\times 10:1,80,000\times 7=14\times 10:18\times 7=140:126=10:9$.
2. B's share = $\frac{9}{19}$ of profit = ₹15,201.
3. Profit = $15,201\times \frac{19}{9}=1,689\times 19=$ ₹32,091.

Trick: Total profit must be a multiple of 19 (10 + 9) – $32,091=19\times 1,689$.

Answer: (B) ₹32,091

Concept: Convert all animals into one unit, then share rent by (units × months).

1. 3 horses = 5 cows → 1 horse = $\frac{5}{3}$ cow; 6 cows = 10 sheep → 1 sheep = $\frac{3}{5}$ cow.
2. Sachin: horses $21\times 6\times \frac{5}{3}=210$, cows $2\times 15=30$ → 240 cow-months.
3. Kuldeep: cows $6\times 15=90$, sheep $40\times 7.5\times \frac{3}{5}=180$ → 270.
4. Sachin's share = $\frac{240}{510}=\frac{8}{17}$.

Trick: 240 : 270 = 8 : 9 → Sachin pays $\frac{8}{8+9}$.

Answer: (A) $\frac{8}{17}$

Concept: Express everything in sheep-months and divide the rent in that ratio.

1. Since 6 sheep match 3 cows, each cow counts as two sheep.
2. A: cows give $18\times 3\times 2=108$, sheep give $20\times 4=80$; total 188 sheep-months.
3. B: $35\times 6=210$.
4. A's share = $\frac{188}{398}=\frac{94}{199}$.

Trick: The denominator must be $188+210=398$ → 199 after halving; only options B and D have 199, and numerator $\frac{188}{2}=94$.

Answer: (B) $\frac{94}{199}$

Concept: Overall average = Σ(average × count) ÷ Σ count.

1. Weighted total = $3\times 18+2\times 30+5\times 22\to 54+60+110\to 224$.
2. Total count = $3+2+5=10$.
3. Average = $\frac{224}{10}=22.4$.

Trick: Take 22 as base: deviations $-4\times 3+8\times 2+0\times 5=+4$; $\frac{4}{10}=0.4$ → 22.4.

Answer: (B) 22.4

Concept: Middle term = total of all − total of the two groups.

1. Total = $21\times 69=1449$.
2. First 10 = 660, last 10 = 720 → 1380.
3. 11th number = $1449-1380=69$.

Trick: Deviation from 69: first ten give −30, last ten give +30 → they cancel, so the 11th = 69.

Answer: (C) 69

Concept: Multiples of a number form an AP; average = $\frac{\text{first}+\text{last}}{2}$.

1. First multiple of 13 after 200: $13\times 16=208$.
2. Last below 350: $13\times 26=338$.
3. Average = $\frac{208+338}{2}=\frac{546}{2}=273$.

Trick: Average = $13\times \frac{16+26}{2}=13\times 21=273$ – must itself be a multiple of 13.

Answer: (D) 273