Q&A: practice questions with answers

Concept: I Am No Messiah (2020) is the autobiography of actor Sonu Sood, co-written with Meena K. Iyer.

1. Sonu Sood became famous for helping stranded migrant workers reach home during the 2020 COVID-19 lockdown.
2. People called him a 'messiah'; the title is his modest reply to that.
3. Salman Khan, Sonu Nigam and Aamir Khan have no autobiography of this name.

Yaad rakhein: Lockdown hero called 'messiah' → 'I Am No Messiah' → Sonu Sood.

Answer: (A) Sonu Sood

Concept: Chemical leaveners release a gas inside the dough/batter, which forms bubbles and makes it light and fluffy.

1. Baking soda is sodium hydrogen carbonate, ${\text{NaHCO}}_3$.
2. On heating or reacting with an acid it releases carbon dioxide: $2{\text{NaHCO}}_3\to {\text{Na}}_2{\text{CO}}_3+{\text{H}}_2\text{O}+{\text{CO}}_2$.
3. Baking powder = baking soda + a mild acid (e.g. tartaric acid), so it also gives ${\text{CO}}_2$.

Yaad rakhein: Bread, cake and idli rise because of ${\text{CO}}_2$ bubbles.

Answer: (B) Carbon dioxide

Concept: The Indus system's main tributaries are Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas and Satluj (the five rivers of Punjab).

1. Satluj, Ravi and Beas are all Punjab rivers that finally join the Indus.
2. The Kosi rises in Nepal/Tibet and joins the Ganga in Bihar – it belongs to the Ganga system.
3. Kosi is called the 'Sorrow of Bihar' because of its frequent floods and course changes.

Trick: Indus five: 'Jhe-Che-Ra-Bea-Sat' – Kosi is not in the list.

Answer: (A) Kosi

Concept: The Bahmani Sultanate was the first independent Muslim kingdom of the Deccan, formed by rebels against Muhammad bin Tughlaq.

1. It was founded in 1347 by Alauddin Hasan Bahman Shah (Hasan Gangu).
2. Its capital was first Gulbarga (Hasanabad), later shifted to Bidar.
3. Mahmud Gawan was a later prime minister; Muhammad bin Tughlaq was the Delhi Sultan it broke away from.

Trick: Bahmani ← Bahman Shah (name hidden in the kingdom's name), 1347.

Answer: (B) Alauddin Hasan Bahman Shah

Concept: Train to Pakistan (1956) is a historical novel by Khushwant Singh.

1. It is set in the fictional border village of Mano Majra during the Partition of 1947.
2. R.K. Narayan wrote Malgudi Days; Vikram Seth wrote A Suitable Boy; Chetan Bhagat wrote Five Point Someone.
3. Khushwant Singh also wrote Delhi and A History of the Sikhs.

Yaad rakhein: Partition train, Mano Majra → Khushwant Singh.

Answer: (B) Khushwant Singh

Concept: The word 'monsoon' comes from the Arabic word mausim, meaning 'season'.

1. It refers to the seasonal reversal of wind direction during a year – roughly south-west winds in summer and north-east winds in winter.
2. The reversal happens with the seasons, not every month, so options C and D are wrong.
3. The word is not of Tamil origin, so option B is wrong.

Yaad rakhein: Mausim (Arabic) = season → seasonal reversal, twice a year.

Answer: (A) Arabic word; seasonal reversal in wind direction during a year

Concept: The National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) is one of the centres of ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation).

1. NRSC is located in Hyderabad (Balanagar, Telangana); its data reception station is at Shadnagar.
2. It acquires, processes and supplies satellite remote-sensing data and aerial survey data.
3. ISRO headquarters is in Bengaluru – a tempting but wrong option.

Yaad rakhein: Remote sensing → Hyderabad (NRSC); ISRO HQ → Bengaluru.

Answer: (A) Hyderabad

Concept: Photosynthesis needs chlorophyll; among the options only one group contains it.

1. Algae are a diverse group of mostly aquatic, chlorophyll-bearing organisms – from unicellular Chlamydomonas to giant kelps – that make their own food.
2. Yeast and other fungi are heterotrophs (no chlorophyll); they absorb food.
3. Most protozoa are heterotrophic animal-like protists.

Yaad rakhein: Algae produce about half of the Earth's oxygen through photosynthesis.

Answer: (D) Algae

Concept: The FIFA World Cup is held every four years; the 2022 edition was the 22nd.

1. The 22nd FIFA World Cup was hosted by Qatar (20 November – 18 December 2022), the first in the Arab world and the Middle East.
2. Argentina won, beating France on penalties in the final at Lusail.
3. South Africa hosted in 2010 and Brazil in 2014; Oman has never hosted.

Yaad rakhein: 2018 Russia → 2022 Qatar → 2026 USA–Canada–Mexico.

Answer: (C) Qatar

Concept: The Asiatic Society (of Bengal) was founded in Calcutta on 15 January 1784 by Sir William Jones, a judge and Orientalist scholar.

1. Its aim was to study Asian history, languages, literature and science; Warren Hastings was its patron.
2. Jones translated Kalidasa's Abhijnanashakuntalam into English.
3. Raja Ram Mohan Roy founded the Brahmo Samaj (1828); Derozio led the Young Bengal movement.

Yaad rakhein: 1784 Asiatic Society – Jones; 1828 Brahmo Samaj – Ram Mohan Roy.

Answer: (A) Sir William Jones

Concept: Sati (burning of widows on the husband's pyre) was banned by the Bengal Sati Regulation (Regulation XVII) of 4 December 1829.

1. It was passed by Governor-General Lord William Bentinck.
2. Raja Ram Mohan Roy's campaign strongly supported this reform.
3. Lord Dalhousie: Doctrine of Lapse; Lord Canning: Widow Remarriage Act 1856 was passed in his time; Warren Hastings was the first Governor-General (1773).

Trick: Bentinck – 'B' for Ban on sati (1829).

Answer: (B) Lord William Bentinck

Concept: Article 21A (Right to Education) makes free and compulsory education a fundamental right for children of 6–14 years.

1. Both Article 21A and the duty in Article 51A(k) were added by the 86th Amendment Act, 2002.
2. 51A(k): a parent or guardian shall provide opportunities for education to his child or ward between 6 and 14 years – the matching duty.
3. 51A(h) = scientific temper; 51A(i) = safeguard public property; 51A(j) = strive for excellence.

Yaad rakhein: Right (21A) and duty (51A(k)) both born in 2002, both about 6–14 year education.

Answer: (B) Article 51A (k)

Concept: Article 324 of the Constitution deals with the Election Commission of India.

1. The Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners are appointed by the President.
2. Under the 2023 Act the President appoints them on the recommendation of a selection committee headed by the Prime Minister – the PM only recommends.
3. The Vice President and the Attorney General have no role in their appointment.

Yaad rakhein: Most constitutional heads (CEC, CAG, Governors, judges) are appointed by the President.

Answer: (D) President

Concept: The Sun is the main source of energy for the Earth's atmosphere.

1. Unequal heating of land, water and latitudes by solar radiation creates differences in temperature and air pressure.
2. These differences drive winds, evaporation, clouds, rainfall and storms – i.e. all weather changes.
3. The Moon mainly causes tides; altitude only modifies temperature locally.

Trick: Sun → heat → pressure differences → winds and rain = weather.

Answer: (C) sun

Concept: The Khajuraho group of temples (Madhya Pradesh) is a famous example of the Nagara style of temple architecture.

1. They were built by the Chandela rulers of Bundelkhand, mostly between about 950 and 1050 CE.
2. Notable temples: Kandariya Mahadeva, Lakshmana and the Jain Parshvanath temple.
3. They are a UNESCO World Heritage Site (1986). Rashtrakutas built Kailasa at Ellora; Palas ruled Bengal.

Yaad rakhein: Khajuraho – Chandela – Bundelkhand ('Ch' with 'Kh').

Answer: (D) Chandela Dynasty

Concept: All India Services (Article 312) serve both the Centre and the States; officers are recruited by the Centre and allotted to state cadres.

1. There are only three: IAS, IPS and Indian Forest Service (added in 1966).
2. The Indian Engineering Service is a Central Service (Group A), recruited by UPSC through the Engineering Services Examination.
3. So it is not an All India Service.

Trick: All India Services = 'A-P-F' (Administrative, Police, Forest).

Answer: (B) Indian Engineering Service

Concept: Rassundari Devi wrote Amar Jiban ('My Life', 1876), the first full-length autobiography in the Bengali language.

1. She secretly taught herself to read and write as a housewife in a rich zamindar family.
2. Smritichitre is by Lakshmibai Tilak (Marathi); Aalo Aandhari is by Baby Halder; Raseedi Ticket is by Amrita Pritam.
3. Hence only Amar Jiban matches Rassundari Devi.

Yaad rakhein: Rassundari → Amar Jiban (Bengali, 1876).

Answer: (A) Amar Jiban

Concept: GATT (General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade) was signed at Geneva in October 1947 and came into force on 1 January 1948.

1. It was established with 23 founding countries (contracting parties), India being one of them.
2. It aimed to reduce tariffs and other trade barriers on a non-discriminatory basis.
3. GATT was replaced by the World Trade Organization (WTO) on 1 January 1995 after the Uruguay Round.

Yaad rakhein: GATT 1948 – 23 countries; WTO 1995.

Answer: (B) 23

Concept: Under Article 359 the President can suspend the enforcement of Fundamental Rights during a national emergency.

1. The 44th Amendment Act, 1978 provided that Articles 20 and 21 cannot be suspended even during an emergency.
2. Article 20 = protection in respect of conviction for offences; Article 21 = protection of life and personal liberty.
3. Article 19 is suspended automatically under Article 358 during war/external aggression, so options with 19, 22 or 23 are wrong.

Trick: '20-21 never done' – these two always stay alive.

Answer: (B) Articles 20 and 21

Concept: Carbon dating (radiocarbon dating) finds the age of once-living (organic) objects using the radioactive isotope carbon-14.

1. Living things take in ${}^{14}\text{C}$ and ${}^{12}\text{C}$ in a fixed ratio; after death the ${}^{14}\text{C}$ decays and is not replaced.
2. The half-life of ${}^{14}\text{C}$ is about 5730 years, so measuring the remaining ${}^{14}\text{C}$ to ${}^{12}\text{C}$ ratio gives the age.
3. It was developed by Willard Libby (Nobel Prize 1960). It does not measure density, weight or sulphur/nitrogen.

Yaad rakhein: C-14 half-life ≈ 5730 years; useful up to about 50,000 years.

Answer: (C) a method of calculating the age of very old objects by measuring the amounts of different forms of carbon in them