Q&A: practice questions with answers

Concept: Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023 (replaced the Indian Evidence Act, 1872) widened 'primary evidence'.

1. Electronic/digital records, when properly stored, count as primary evidence ⇒ A true.
2. R says they are only secondary evidence – the reverse of the law ⇒ R false.

Trick: If R directly contradicts a true A, R must be false.

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

Concept: Dumhal is a ceremonial men's dance of the Wattal community of Kashmir.

1. 1 ✓: Only Wattal men perform it, beginning by fixing a ceremonial flag/banner and then dancing in a circle around it.
2. 2 ✗: It is linked to set community occasions, not to apple-harvest celebrations.
3. Costume: long, bright robes with tall pointed caps.

Yaad rakhein: Other Kashmiri dances: Rouf (women), Bhand Pather (folk theatre), Hafiza.

Answer: (B) Only 1 is correct

Concept: Capital expenditure must create an asset (or cut a liability) of the Union government itself.

1. A grant to states/other bodies may build an asset, but that asset belongs to the receiver.
2. The Centre's books gain no asset ⇒ the grant is shown as revenue expenditure.

Trick: Ask: 'Whose balance sheet gets the asset?' Not the Centre's ⇒ revenue expenditure.

Answer: (B) Because they do not directly result in the creation of central government assets

Concept: CRR (cash with RBI) and SLR (liquid assets kept by banks) block part of deposits.

1. Blocked money cannot be lent ⇒ these ratios reduce lending capacity ⇒ A false.
2. Raising them shrinks loanable funds ⇒ R true.

Trick: CRR/SLR ↑ ⇒ credit ↓ (tight money); CRR/SLR ↓ ⇒ credit ↑.

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

Concept: The Sustainable Development Report tracks the 17 SDGs.

1. SDGs = Agenda 2030, adopted by the UN in 2015.
2. The report scores and ranks countries on an SDG Index (prepared by the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network).

Trick: The report's name itself says 'Sustainable Development' – match it to the 'Goals'.

Answer: (D) Sustainable Development Goals

Concept: The Chapekar brothers acted against plague-time excesses in Pune (1897).

1. Plague Commissioner W.C. Rand's house searches and forced removals angered the people.
2. On 22 June 1897 Rand and Lt. Ayerst were shot in Pune.

Yaad rakhein: This was among the first revolutionary political killings in British India; Tilak was jailed in 1897 over related writings in 'Kesari'.

Answer: (B) Pune

Concept: Assertion–Reason: test each statement, then the link.

1. A ✓: After Jadonang was hanged (1931), Gaidinliu led the Heraka movement.
2. R ✗: She made it an anti-British revolt with religious revival – not a literacy campaign.
3. She was arrested in 1932; Nehru called her 'Rani'.

Yaad rakhein: Gaidinliu was from the Zeliangrong Naga tribe (Manipur).

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

Concept: Rolling Plan (1978–80) was adopted by the Janata government.

1. Morarji Desai's government cut the Fifth Five-Year Plan short in 1978.
2. Under a rolling plan, targets are revised every year instead of fixing them for 5 years.

Yaad rakhein: Rolling plan concept is credited to economist Gunnar Myrdal; plan holidays were 1966–69.

Answer: (B) Morarji Desai

Concept: IPR 1956 gave the public sector the leading role.

1. Industries were put in three schedules: A (17 industries, State only), B (State + private), C (private).
2. Aim: State to occupy the 'commanding heights' – heavy and basic industries.

Yaad rakhein: IPR 1956 is called the 'Economic Constitution of India'; it followed the socialist pattern of society goal.

Answer: (B) State control over the commanding heights of the economy

Concept: 1991 reforms = short-term stabilisation + long-term structural reform.

1. Stabilisation (short run): fix the balance-of-payments crisis and bring down inflation (high fiscal deficit, low forex).
2. Structural reform (long run): liberalisation, privatisation, globalisation (LPG).

Trick: 'Stabilise' = calm the emergency: prices and forex. Anything 'complete/long-term' is structural.

Answer: (A) Control inflation and restore the balance of payments

Concept: At CI, if P becomes k times in t years, it becomes $k^n$ times in $n\times t$ years.

1. 3 times in 10 years.
2. $9=3^2\Rightarrow n=2$.
3. Time = $2\times 10=20$ years.

Trick: Write the new multiple as a power of the old one; multiply the time by that power.

Answer: (A) 20

Concept: Rational = can be written as $\frac{p}{q}(q\ne 0)$; its decimal ends or repeats.

1. $-5=\frac{-5}{1}$, $0=\frac{0}{1}$, $4.5=\frac{9}{2}$ ⇒ all rational.
2. $\sqrt{3}=1.7320508\dots$ never ends or repeats ⇒ irrational, and clearly not an integer.

Yaad rakhein: $\sqrt{n}$ is irrational whenever n is not a perfect square ($\sqrt{2}$, $\sqrt{3}$, $\sqrt{5}$ …).

Answer: (A) $\sqrt{3}$

Concept: Distance = speed × time.

1. 6:00 a.m. → 2:30 p.m. = 8 h 30 min = 8.5 h ($\frac{17}{2}$ h).
2. Distance = $120\times \frac{17}{2}=60\times 17=1020$ km.

Trick: $120\times 8=960$, plus $120\times \frac{1}{2}=60$ ⇒ 1020.

Answer: (C) 1020 km

Concept: Number of containers = volume of sphere ÷ volume of one cylinder.

1. Sphere = $\frac{4}{3}\pi \times {12}^3=\frac{4}{3}\pi \times 1728=2304\pi {\text{m}}^3$.
2. One cylinder = $\pi \times 2^2\times 24=96\pi {\text{m}}^3$.
3. Count = $2304\pi ÷96\pi =24$.

Trick: $\pi$ cancels: $(\frac{4}{3}\times {12}^3)÷(2^2\times 24)=(4\times 576)÷96=24$.

Answer: (A) 24

Concept: Largest sphere in a cube: diameter = edge of the cube.

1. Cube volume = $4^3=64{\text{cm}}^3$.
2. $r=\frac{4}{2}=2$ cm ⇒ sphere = $\frac{4}{3}\pi \times 8=\frac{32\pi }{3}{\text{cm}}^3$.
3. Empty space = $64-\frac{32\pi }{3}{\text{cm}}^3$.

Trick: Answer must start with 64 (cube's volume) and subtract $\frac{4}{3}\pi {\left(\frac{a}{2}\right)}^3=\frac{\pi a^3}{6}=\frac{64\pi }{6}=\frac{32\pi }{3}$.

Answer: (A) 64 − $\frac{32\pi }{3}$ cm³

Concept: Profit is shared in the ratio of total contributions (money + valued labour).

1. A = ₹3 lakh cash + ₹1 lakh labour = ₹4 lakh; B = ₹4 lakh.
2. Ratio A : B = 4 : 4 = 1 : 1.
3. A's share = $2,40,000÷2=$ ₹1,20,000.

Trick: Equal contributions ⇒ simply halve the profit.

Answer: (B) ₹1,20,000

Concept: Area of trapezium = $\frac{1}{2}\times (a+b)\times h$.

1. Area = $\frac{1}{2}\times (10+6)\times 8=8\times 8=64{\text{m}}^2$.
2. Cost = $64\times 500=$ ₹32,000.

Trick: $\frac{1}{2}(a+b)$ is just the mean of the parallel sides: $\frac{10+6}{2}=8$, then $\times 8$.

Answer: (A) ₹32,000

Concept: Total area = sum of the two trapezium areas; cost = area × rate.

1. $T_1=\frac{1}{2}\times (35+25)\times 10=300{\text{m}}^2$.
2. $T_2=\frac{1}{2}\times (25+15)\times 10=200{\text{m}}^2$.
3. Total = 500 m² ⇒ cost = $500\times 30=$ ₹15,000.

Trick: Same height 10 ⇒ total = $5\times (35+25+25+15)=5\times 100=500{\text{m}}^2$.

Answer: (A) ₹15,000

Concept: Regular polygons with equal number of sides are similar: area ratio = $(\text{side ratio}{)}^2$.

1. Side ratio = $\sqrt{\frac{16}{25}}$.
2. $=\frac{4}{5}$ ⇒ 4 : 5.

Trick: Area ratio → take square root; volume ratio → take cube root.

Answer: (B) 4 : 5

Concept: With equal maximum marks, the overall % is the simple average of the two %s.

1. Overall = $\frac{40+30}{2}=35\%$.
2. Check with 100 + 100: $\frac{40+30}{200}\times 100=35\%$.

Trick: Equal weights ⇒ plain average; unequal maximums ⇒ weighted average.

Answer: (B) 35%