Q&A: practice questions with answers

Concept: The J&K Reorganisation Act, 2019 changed the state's structure after Article 370 was diluted.

1. The Act split the state into two Union Territories, J&K (with a legislature) and Ladakh (without one), from 31 October 2019.
2. Section 57 of the Act abolished the J&K Legislative Council. The government issued the formal abolition order in October 2019.
3. The Council had 36 members before abolition.

Yaad rakhein: 2019: Art. 370 change + Reorganisation Act + Council abolished.

Answer: (A) 2019

Concept: Smell is a simple test for identifying common gases.

1. A. CO₂ is a colourless, odourless gas, so A–2.
2. B. H₂S is colourless and smells of rotten eggs, so B–1.
3. C. SO₂ is colourless with a pungent, choking smell (like burning sulphur), so C–3.

Yaad rakhein: Rotten eggs → H₂S; burning matchstick smell → SO₂; CO₂ has no smell.

Answer: (B) A – 2, B – 1, C – 3

Concept: Reform movements of the 19th century and the years they were founded.

1. Swami Dayanand Saraswati founded the Arya Samaj in 1875 in Bombay (Mumbai).
2. His slogan was 'Go back to the Vedas', and his main book is Satyarth Prakash.
3. For comparison, the INC was founded in 1885 and the Satyashodhak Samaj in 1873.

Yaad rakhein: Arya Samaj 1875 – exactly 10 years before the INC (1885).

Answer: (A) 1875

Concept: Major events are linked to the Viceroy in office at the time.

1. The Indian National Congress was founded in December 1885 in Bombay by A.O. Hume, with W.C. Bonnerjee as its first president.
2. Lord Dufferin was Viceroy from 1884 to 1888.
3. Lord Ripon (1880–84) is known for local self-government, and Lord Lytton (1876–80) for the Vernacular Press Act.

Yaad rakhein: INC 1885 → Dufferin, who called it a 'microscopic minority'.

Answer: (C) Lord Dufferin

Concept: CMIE (Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy) publishes monthly unemployment rates for India.

1. According to CMIE, India's unemployment rate in March 2022 was about $7.60\%$, down from about $8.10\%$ in February 2022.
2. The urban rate was higher than the rural rate in that month.
3. The other figures do not match the March 2022 data.

Yaad rakhein: CMIE March 2022 → $7.6\%$.

Answer: (C) $7.60\%$

Concept: Plankton are drifting organisms. Phytoplankton make food, and zooplankton eat them.

1. Zooplankton are tiny animals such as copepods and krill. They feed on phytoplankton.
2. They are then eaten by fish, crustaceans and larger animals, so they link producers to higher consumers.
3. Virioplankton are viruses, bacterioplankton are bacteria, and zooxanthellae are algae living inside corals.

Yaad rakhein: Phyto = plant (producer); Zoo = animal (eats phyto).

Answer: (B) Zooplankton

Concept: The success of industrial policies is judged by how much industry contributes to the economy.

1. If policies help the industrial sector, its output grows faster than other sectors, so the share of industry in GDP rises.
2. Capital formation can rise in any sector, banking services belong to the services sector, and rising imports may even mean weak domestic industry.
3. So the direct indicator is the rise in industry's share of GDP.

Yaad rakhein: Sector's effect → look at that sector's share in GDP.

Answer: (B) Rise in share of Industry sector in the GDP

Concept: Climatic regions are defined by their temperature and rainfall patterns.

1. The Tundra region (north of the Arctic Circle) has long, very cold winters with strong winds.
2. Average temperatures stay below freezing for 6–10 months, the subsoil (permafrost) stays frozen, and the summers are short.
3. Mediterranean regions have mild, wet winters, and tropical regions are hot all year.

Yaad rakhein: Tundra = treeless, permafrost, mosses and lichens, reindeer.

Answer: (C) Tundra region

Concept: Thidambu Nritham is a ritual dance of north Kerala and coastal Karnataka.

1. In Thidambu Nritham, a Namboothiri dancer carries a replica (thidambu) of the deity on his head and dances to the chenda.
2. Puthumana Govindan Namboothiri is its chief revivalist and exponent, and the Kerala Folklore Academy gave him the award in December 2021.
3. Charkula is from Braj (UP), Ghode Modini from Goa, and Kummi from Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

Yaad rakhein: Thidambu = deity's idol carried on the head → Kerala temple dance.

Answer: (C) Thidambu Nritham

Concept: Impulse is the effect of a large force acting for a very short time, such as a hit, kick or collision.

1. Impulse $J=F\times \Delta t$, and it equals the change in momentum: $J=\Delta p=mv-mu$.
2. Examples: a bat hitting a ball, or a hammer striking a nail. The force is large but acts only for a moment.
3. Its SI unit is $\text{N s}$ (the same as $\text{kg m/s}$). 'Work' and 'temperature' do not define impulse.

Yaad rakhein: Impulse = force × short time = change in momentum.

Answer: (C) the force acting on a body for a short time

Concept: Alauddin Khalji (1296–1316) expanded the Sultanate into South India.

1. Malik Kafur, a slave bought for 1000 dinars (hence 'Hazar-Dinari'), became Alauddin Khalji's top general.
2. He led campaigns against the Yadavas (Devagiri), Kakatiyas (Warangal), Hoysalas (Dwarasamudra) and Pandyas (Madurai).
3. Khusrau Khan and Mubarak Shah came later, and Jalaluddin was Alauddin's uncle and predecessor.

Yaad rakhein: Alauddin → Malik Kafur → South India campaigns (1306–1311).

Answer: (B) Alauddin Khilji

Concept: The Planning Commission estimated poverty for 2011-12 using the Tendulkar methodology.

1. Persons below the poverty line in 2011-12 were $25.7\%$ in rural areas, $13.7\%$ in urban areas and $21.9\%$ for all India.
2. In numbers, about $21.6$ crore people in rural areas and $26.9$ crore in total were poor.
3. So the rural figure is $25.7\%$.

Yaad rakhein: Tendulkar 2011-12: Rural 25.7, Urban 13.7, India 21.9 (all in %).

Answer: (A) $25.7\%$

Concept: Major Indian lakes and the states they are in.

1. Bhimtal is in the Nainital district of Uttarakhand, so this pair is correct.
2. Dal Lake is in Jammu & Kashmir, not Himachal Pradesh, and Chilika is in Odisha, not Maharashtra.
3. Loktak Lake, known for its floating phumdis and Keibul Lamjao NP, is in Manipur, not Assam.

Yaad rakhein: Nainital district = 'Lake District': Nainital, Bhimtal, Sattal, Naukuchiatal.

Answer: (B) Bhimtal lake – Uttarakhand

Concept: Some foreign-born artists have become exponents of Indian classical dance.

1. Ileana Citaristi, born in Italy and settled in Bhubaneswar, trained under Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra.
2. She received the Padma Shri in 2006 for Odissi, the first classical dancer of foreign origin to get it.
3. She also practises Chhau (Mayurbhanj).

Yaad rakhein: Italian dancer + Bhubaneswar + Kelucharan Mohapatra → Odissi.

Answer: (D) Odissi

Concept: The ICC U-19 Cricket World Cup 2022 was held in the West Indies.

1. In the final at Antigua (5 February 2022), India beat England by 4 wickets, so England was the runner-up.
2. It was India's record 5th U-19 title, under captain Yash Dhull.
3. Raj Bawa was Player of the Final, and Dewald Brevis (South Africa) was Player of the Tournament.

Yaad rakhein: U-19 WC 2022: India (champion) vs England (runner-up), Yash Dhull.

Answer: (C) England

Concept: Persian was the court language of the Mughals.

1. Tuzuk-i-Jahangiri (Jahangirnama) is Emperor Jahangir's autobiography, written in Persian.
2. Babur's memoir, Tuzuk-i-Baburi (Baburnama), was written in Chagatai Turkish.
3. Arabic, Pali and Sanskrit were not the languages of the Mughal memoirs.

Yaad rakhein: Babur → Turkish; Jahangir → Persian.

Answer: (C) Persian

Concept: The Lodi dynasty (1451–1526) was the last dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate.

1. Its rulers were Bahlol Lodi (founder), then Sikander Lodi (who founded Agra), then Ibrahim Lodi.
2. Ibrahim Lodi was defeated and killed by Babur in the First Battle of Panipat (1526), which ended the Sultanate.
3. Khizr Khan founded the earlier Sayyid dynasty.

Yaad rakhein: Lodi order: B–S–I (Bahlol, Sikander, Ibrahim); Panipat 1526.

Answer: (C) Ibrahim Lodi

Concept: The Indian Constitution borrowed features from several countries.

1. The ideals of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity in the Preamble were taken from the French Constitution and the French Revolution of 1789.
2. France also gave the idea of a Republic.
3. The UK gave parliamentary government, Canada a federation with a strong Centre, and Ireland the Directive Principles.

Yaad rakhein: French Revolution slogan = Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité.

Answer: (B) France

Concept: Each Five-Year Plan had a main focus.

1. The First Plan (1951–56), based on the Harrod–Domar model, focused on agriculture, irrigation and power, because of food shortages after Partition.
2. It achieved a growth of about $3.6\%$ against a target of $2.1\%$.
3. The Second Plan (Mahalanobis model) shifted the focus to heavy industry.

Yaad rakhein: 1st Plan → Agriculture; 2nd Plan → Industry.

Answer: (B) Agricultural Sector

Concept: The 86th Amendment Act, 2002 is about the right to education.

1. It inserted Article 21A, which makes free and compulsory education for children aged 6–14 a Fundamental Right.
2. It also amended Article 45 (early childhood care for children under 6) and added the duty in Article 51A(k).
3. The National Commission for Scheduled Tribes came from the 89th Amendment, and the readjustment of seats was frozen by the 84th Amendment.

Yaad rakhein: 86 → 21A → RTE (6–14 years); RTE Act 2009.

Answer: (D) Elementary education as a fundamental right