Q&A: practice questions with answers

Concept: Each year India invites a foreign head of state/government as Chief Guest for the Republic Day parade.

1. On 26 January 2020 (71st Republic Day) the Chief Guest was Jair Bolsonaro, President of Brazil.
2. In 2019 it was South African President Cyril Ramaphosa; in 2023 Egypt's President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.

Yaad rakhein: 2019 – South Africa; 2020 – Brazil; 2023 – Egypt; 2024 – France.

Answer: (C) Brazil

Concept: Power is energy per unit time: $1\text{W}=1\text{J/s}$.

1. $1\text{kW}=1000\text{J/s}$
2. In one hour: $1000\times 3600=3.6\times {10}^6\text{J}=3600\text{kJ}$
3. So $1\text{kW}=3600\text{kJ/h}$. (Also $1\text{kWh}=3.6\times {10}^6\text{J}$.)

Yaad rakhein: $1\text{kWh}=3.6\text{MJ}$, hence $1\text{kW}=3600\text{kJ/h}$.

Answer: (A) $3600\text{kJ/h}$

Concept: The Hoysalas (11th–14th century, Karnataka) built temples on a star-shaped (stellate) platform called the jagati.

1. Examples: Chennakesava Temple at Belur, Hoysaleswara Temple at Halebidu, Keshava Temple at Somanathapura.
2. They used soft soapstone (chloritic schist), allowing very intricate carving.
3. Chalukyas of Badami built rock-cut and structural temples (Aihole, Pattadakal); Cholas built Brihadeshwara – not star-shaped.

Yaad rakhein: Star-shaped plan + soapstone = Hoysala (Belur, Halebidu, Somanathapura).

Answer: (D) Hoysala

Concept: Hara Shankar Bhattacharya is a Hindustani classical sitar player from Bengal.

1. The sitar is a long-necked plucked string instrument with movable frets and sympathetic strings.
2. Other famous sitar maestros: Pt. Ravi Shankar, Ustad Vilayat Khan, Nikhil Banerjee.
3. Santoor – Shivkumar Sharma; Sarangi – Ram Narayan; Violin – L. Subramaniam.

Yaad rakhein: Match the maestro with the instrument: sitar – Ravi Shankar, Vilayat Khan, Hara Shankar Bhattacharya.

Answer: (A) sitar

Concept: Technetium (Tc) has atomic number 43 and lies in Group 7, Period 5.

1. It is the lightest element with no stable isotope; it was the first element produced artificially (1937, Perrier and Segrè).
2. Its longest-lived isotope, Tc-97, has a half-life of about 4.2 million years, while some isotopes last only seconds.
3. Promethium is Z = 61, Neptunium Z = 93, Nobelium Z = 102.

Yaad rakhein: Tc (43) and Pm (61) – the only elements before bismuth with no stable isotope.

Answer: (D) Technetium

Concept: The Himalayas are divided west to east into four regions on the basis of river valleys.

1. Punjab Himalaya: between the Indus and Sutlej.
2. Kumaon Himalaya: between the Sutlej and Kali.
3. Nepal Himalaya: between the Kali and Teesta.
4. Assam Himalaya: between the Teesta and Dihang (Brahmaputra).

Yaad rakhein: West → East: P-K-N-A – "Punjab Kumaon Nepal Assam".

Answer: (B) Punjab Himalayas, Kumaon Himalayas, Nepal Himalayas and Assam Himalayas

Concept: The ICC Men's T20 World Cup began in 2007.

1. India won the inaugural edition in 2007 in South Africa under M.S. Dhoni, beating Pakistan in the final.
2. Up to the time of this exam (October 2023) that was India's only T20 World Cup title, so the answer is 1.
3. India later won the 2024 edition (under Rohit Sharma), so the count has risen since.

Yaad rakhein: For such "how many times" questions, count titles up to the exam date.

Answer: (C) 1

Concept: Group 18 elements are the noble gases: He, Ne, Ar, Kr, Xe, Rn, Og.

1. Radon (Rn, Z = 86) is a radioactive noble gas formed in the decay chain of uranium (via radium-226 → radon-222).
2. It seeps out of soils and rocks into homes and is a known cause of lung cancer.
3. Oganesson is synthetic; krypton and neon are obtained from liquefied air, not from uranium decay.

Yaad rakhein: Uranium → Radium → Radon (radioactive noble gas from the ground).

Answer: (C) Radon

Concept: Chad Sukra (a sowing festival) is celebrated by the Pnar (Jaintia) people of the Jaintia Hills, Meghalaya.

1. It is a sowing festival held in April–May, with prayers to God for a good harvest.
2. Other Jaintia festivals: Behdienkhlam; Khasi – Shad Suk Mynsiem; Garo – Wangala – all in Meghalaya.

Yaad rakhein: Meghalaya tribes – Khasi, Jaintia (Pnar), Garo; festivals Behdienkhlam, Chad Sukra, Wangala.

Answer: (D) Meghalaya

Concept: The Industrial Policy Resolution 1956 divided industries into Schedules A, B and C.

1. Schedule A (17 industries) – exclusive responsibility of the State: arms, atomic energy, iron and steel, mineral oils, coal, air transport, railways, shipbuilding, aircraft, electricity, etc.
2. Schedule B (12 industries) – State to start new units, private sector may supplement.
3. Mining of salt was not in Schedule A; it was left to the private sector (Schedule C).

Yaad rakhein: Schedule A = 17 (State monopoly), B = 12 (mixed), C = rest (private).

Answer: (B) Mining of salt

Concept: Articles 74 and 75 deal with the Council of Ministers headed by the Prime Minister.

1. Article 75(1): the Prime Minister shall be appointed by the President, and other ministers on the advice of the PM.
2. Article 74: Council of Ministers to aid and advise the President; Article 76: Attorney-General; Article 73: extent of executive power of the Union.

Yaad rakhein: 74 – aid and advise; 75 – appointment of PM and ministers; 76 – Attorney-General.

Answer: (B) Article 75

Concept: Ammannur Madhava Chakyar (1917–2008) was the greatest exponent of Kutiyattam, the ancient Sanskrit theatre of Kerala.

1. He received the Padma Shri (1981) and Padma Bhushan (2003) for this art.
2. Kutiyattam was proclaimed by UNESCO in 2001 as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.
3. Chakyars are the traditional performers of Kutiyattam and Chakyar Koothu.

Yaad rakhein: Chakyar surname → Kutiyattam / Chakyar Koothu (Kerala).

Answer: (A) Kutiyattam

Concept: Mitochondria are double-membrane organelles, the "powerhouse of the cell".

1. Under the electron microscope they look sausage-shaped or cylindrical, about $0.2$–$1.0\mu \text{m}$ (avg. $0.5\mu \text{m}$) wide and $1.0$–$4.1\mu \text{m}$ long (NCERT); the question's range also fits them.
2. The inner membrane forms folds called cristae, the site of ATP formation by aerobic respiration.
3. Ribosomes are tiny granules (about 20 nm); lysosomes are small vesicles; plastids are found mainly in plant cells.

Yaad rakhein: Sausage-shaped + cristae + ATP = Mitochondria.

Answer: (C) Mitochondria

Concept: Akbar's Deccan campaign began with Khandesh, the gateway to the Deccan.

1. Akbar besieged the mighty fort of Asirgarh, held by Miran Bahadur Shah of Khandesh.
2. The fort fell in January 1601 and Khandesh was annexed to the Mughal empire – Asirgarh was Akbar's last conquest.
3. Ahmadnagar was captured in 1600 (Chand Bibi's resistance).

Yaad rakhein: Akbar's last conquest: Asirgarh (Khandesh), 1601.

Answer: (A) 1601

Concept: Article 368 lays down the procedure for amending the Constitution.

1. It provides two types: (i) by a special majority of Parliament; (ii) by a special majority of Parliament plus ratification by half of the State legislatures.
2. Amendment by a simple majority (e.g. creation of new States, Article 4) is outside the scope of Article 368.
3. That is why books speak of "three ways" in all, but Article 368 itself mentions only two.

Yaad rakhein: Art. 368 = 2 types (special majority; special majority + half States). Simple majority is outside 368.

Answer: (C) Two

Concept: Ice hockey is played on an ice rink between two teams.

1. During normal play each team has 6 players on the ice: 1 goaltender, 2 defencemen and 3 forwards (centre and two wingers).
2. Field hockey has 11 per side, basketball 5, volleyball 6 (on court) – don't confuse the counts.

Yaad rakhein: Ice hockey 6, field hockey 11, basketball 5.

Answer: (B) 6

Concept: Siachen is a glacier in the eastern Karakoram range, Ladakh.

1. It is about 76 km long – the longest glacier in the Karakoram and the second-longest in the world's non-polar areas.
2. It is the source of the Nubra river and is known as the world's highest battlefield (Operation Meghdoot, 1984).

Yaad rakhein: Siachen – Karakoram glacier; Gangotri – source of Bhagirathi.

Answer: (A) a glacier

Concept: Mamita (Maimita) is a harvest folk dance of the Tripuri (Debbarma) community of Tripura.

1. It is performed during the Mamita festival after the harvest, to thank the gods for a good crop.
2. Other Tripura dances: Hojagiri (Reang tribe), Garia, Lebang Boomani.

Yaad rakhein: Tripura dances – Hojagiri, Garia, Mamita, Lebang.

Answer: (A) Tripura

Concept: The Indian Constitution is federal in form but has many unitary (non-federal) features.

1. The Governor is appointed by the President (i.e. the Centre) under Article 155 and holds office at the pleasure of the President.
2. He acts as the agent of the Centre in the State – a unitary feature.
3. Other unitary features: single citizenship, integrated judiciary, All India Services, emergency provisions, strong Centre.

Yaad rakhein: Federal: written constitution, division of powers, bicameralism. Unitary: Governor appointment, single citizenship, AIS.

Answer: (D) Unitary system

Concept: Each sport has its own terms; "inning" is a period in which one side attacks (chases) and the other defends.

1. In Kho-Kho a match has two innings per team; each inning has a 9-minute chasing and a 9-minute defending turn.
2. Other Kho-Kho terms: chaser, active chaser, kho, pole, free zone, cross lane.
3. Volleyball (set, spike), hockey (bully, penalty corner) and basketball (dribble, quarter) do not use innings.

Yaad rakhein: Innings: cricket, baseball, Kho-Kho.

Answer: (B) Kho-Kho