Q&A: practice questions with answers

Concept: Both letters of each pair move +2.

1. 1st letters: E, G, I → K.
2. 2nd letters: G, I, K → M.
3. Next pair = KM.

Trick: Each pair's 2nd letter becomes the next pair's 1st letter: IK → K_ , and K + 2 = M.

Answer: (D) KM

Concept: Replace the signs as told, then apply BODMAS.

1. Rule: × → +, + → −, − → ×.
2. After conversion (C) reads: $10+2\times 6-4$.
3. Multiply first: 12; then $10+12=22$, $22-4=18$ ✓

Trick: For checking, (A) gives $6-2+3\times 4=16\ne 14$, so move on quickly.

Answer: (C) 10 × 2 − 6 + 4 = 18

Concept: Each term = previous × 2 + 1.

1. 3→7→15→31→63 follows ×2 + 1.
2. $63\times 2+1=127$.

Trick: Terms are $2^n-1$: 3, 7, 15, 31, 63, 127 (one less than 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128).

Answer: (C) 127

Concept: Each handshake is a pair of people: total = ${}^n{C}_2=\frac{n(n-1)}{2}$.

1. $n=8$.
2. $\frac{8\times 7}{2}=\frac{56}{2}=28$.

Trick: Handshakes among n people = sum $1+2+\dots +(n-1)=1+2+\dots +7=28$.

Answer: (C) 28

Concept: Each letter is shifted one place forward.

1. TRAIN → USBJO (each +1).
2. Apply again: U→V, S→T, B→C, J→K, O→P.
3. USBJO → VTCKP.

Trick: Coding twice = +2 on the original: T+2 = V, N+2 = P – only (A) ends in KP.

Answer: (A) VTCKP

Concept: Chabahar is India's trade gateway project in Iran.

1. Located in Sistan-Baluchestan province, south-east Iran, on the Gulf of Oman.
2. India develops the Shahid Beheshti terminal to reach Afghanistan and Central Asia without passing through Pakistan.
3. It is linked with the International North–South Transport Corridor (INSTC) – a trade, not military, purpose.

Yaad rakhein: In 2024 India Ports Global Ltd signed a 10-year deal to operate the Shahid Beheshti terminal.

Answer: (B) Enhance regional trade and connectivity

Concept: Rural road connectivity is the job of PMGSY.

1. PMGSY (launched 25 December 2000) gives all-weather roads to unconnected rural habitations.
2. Bharatmala – national highways/economic corridors; PM Gati Shakti – multi-modal infrastructure planning; option (A) is not an actual national scheme.

Trick: "Gram Sadak" literally means village road – the name itself gives the answer.

Answer: (D) Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY)

Concept: Electronic records got legal recognition in India through the IT Act, 2000.

1. The IT Act, 2000 defines electronic record, digital signature, etc.
2. BSA, 2023 (replacing the Indian Evidence Act, 1872) builds on this and treats electronic records as documents/primary evidence.
3. The Evidence Act is the law being replaced, not the base for e-evidence; NIA Act is unrelated.

Yaad rakhein: BSA, BNS and BNSS came into force on 1 July 2024, replacing the Evidence Act, IPC and CrPC.

Answer: (C) The Information Technology Act, 2000

Concept: Uttarakhand is the first state after Independence to enact and implement a UCC.

1. UCC Bill passed by the Uttarakhand Assembly in February 2024.
2. Implemented on 27 January 2025 – covers marriage, divorce, inheritance and live-in registration.
3. Goa's common civil code is a Portuguese-era law, not a state-enacted UCC.

Yaad rakhein: UCC is mentioned in Article 44 (Directive Principles) of the Constitution.

Answer: (D) Uttarakhand

Concept: Permaculture = "permanent agriculture": designing farms that work like natural ecosystems.

1. It plans land, water, plants and animals so the system sustains itself with minimal outside inputs.
2. Option (D) describes in-vitro/tissue culture; (C) is bioremediation.

Yaad rakhein: The term was coined by Bill Mollison and David Holmgren in Australia in the 1970s.

Answer: (B) Designing sustainable and self-sufficient agricultural and ecological systems

Concept: The ravines follow the Chambal river's course.

1. Chambal rises near Mhow (MP), flows through Rajasthan and joins the Yamuna in Uttar Pradesh (Etawah area).
2. Its badland ravines therefore lie in MP, Rajasthan and UP.
3. Haryana, Punjab and Chhattisgarh are outside the Chambal basin – this removes A, B, C.

Yaad rakhein: The National Chambal Sanctuary (gharial, Ganges river dolphin) is also shared by the same three states.

Answer: (D) Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh

Concept: Bonalu is Telangana's festival honouring Goddess Mahakali.

1. It is believed to have begun after a plague epidemic in Hyderabad–Secunderabad (1813), when devotees vowed offerings to the goddess.
2. Women carry "bonam" – decorated pots of cooked rice with jaggery – to the temple in the month of Ashadha.

Yaad rakhein: Bonalu is the official state festival of Telangana.

Answer: (A) Plague

Concept: Check each statement against known facts about the fort.

1. Statement 1: Vijay Stambha (built by Rana Kumbha after victory over Malwa) and the Jain Kirti Stambha stand inside the fort – correct.
2. Statement 2: the fort has around 19–22 main temples, not 35 – wrong.
3. Statement 3: its gateways (pols) are medieval, not of the 7th century – wrong.

Yaad rakhein: Chittorgarh is part of the UNESCO site "Hill Forts of Rajasthan" (2013).

Answer: (A) 1 only

Concept: The run-up builds maximum controllable speed for take-off.

1. Elite long jumpers usually take about 18–22 strides (roughly 40–45 m) in the approach.
2. Shorter runs (10–14 strides) are used by beginners and in drills, so they do not suit elite athletes.

Yaad rakhein: A long jump attempt has four phases: approach, take-off, flight and landing.

Answer: (C) 18-22

Concept: Chanhudaro (Sindh) is known as a craft centre, especially for beads.

1. Bead-making workshops, along with shell and seal work, were found here.
2. It is the only Harappan city without a citadel.
3. Port city = Lothal; that is the tempting wrong option.

Yaad rakhein: Chanhudaro was excavated by N.G. Majumdar (1931); an inkpot-like pot and a dog chasing a cat footprint were also found.

Answer: (C) Bead-making

Concept: Palas, Pratiharas and Rashtrakutas fought for Kanauj (8th–10th century).

1. Statement I: Rashtrakuta kings (Dhruva, Govinda III) led northern campaigns aimed at Kanauj – correct.
2. Statement II: Pratiharas were in western/central India, but the Palas ruled Bengal–Bihar, not the Deccan – wrong.
3. The Deccan was the Rashtrakuta base.

Trick: Map trick – Palas east, Pratiharas west, Rashtrakutas south (Deccan); Kanauj in the middle was the prize.

Answer: (A) Only Statement I is correct

Concept: Sati was banned by Bengal Regulation XVII of 1829.

1. Passed under Governor-General Lord William Bentinck.
2. Raja Ram Mohan Roy's campaign strongly supported the ban.
3. Wellesley – Subsidiary Alliance; Warren Hastings – first Governor-General of Bengal; Minto I – Morley-Minto reforms era was Minto II.

Yaad rakhein: Bentinck also suppressed Thuggee (with William Sleeman) and became the first Governor-General of India (1833).

Answer: (C) Lord William Bentinck

Concept: India won 3 medals at Beijing 2008.

1. Shooting – Abhinav Bindra, gold (10 m air rifle) – India's first individual Olympic gold.
2. Boxing – Vijender Singh, bronze; Wrestling – Sushil Kumar, bronze. Statement 1 correct.
3. Saina Nehwal played women's singles badminton and reached the quarter-finals. Statement 2 correct.

Yaad rakhein: Saina later won bronze at London 2012 – India's first Olympic badminton medal.

Answer: (C) Both 1 and 2 are correct

Concept: The book is about the mental side of high-performance sport.

1. Former Australian all-rounder Shane Watson discusses handling pressure, setbacks and self-doubt.
2. Its focus is mindset – resilience and adapting strategy – not batting/bowling technique or a life story.

Yaad rakhein: Watson's earlier memoir is a separate book ("The Watson Way"); this one is on mindset, as the title says.

Answer: (B) Psychological resilience and strategic adaptability in elite sports

Concept: The 38th National Games were held in Uttarakhand (28 Jan – 14 Feb 2025).

1. Statement 1: host state Uttarakhand – correct.
2. Statement 2: events were spread over many cities – Dehradun, Haldwani, Haridwar, Rishikesh, Rudrapur and others – correct.
3. Mascot "Mauli" was based on the Himalayan monal, Uttarakhand's state bird.

Trick: The 39th National Games are allotted to Meghalaya.

Answer: (D) Both Statement 1 and Statement 2 are correct