Q&A: practice questions with answers

Concept: FIFA Women's World Cup 2023 (9th edition).

1. It was co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand (20 July – 20 August 2023) – the first Women's World Cup with two host nations and 32 teams.
2. Spain won the title, beating England 1–0 in the final at Sydney.
3. USA–Canada–Mexico will co-host the men's World Cup 2026.

Yaad rakhein: Women's WC 2023 – Australia & New Zealand; champion Spain.

Answer: (A) Australia and New Zealand

Concept: Disqualification of MPs under Article 102 is decided under Article 103.

1. Under Article 103, if a question arises whether an MP has become disqualified (Article 102(1)), it is referred to the President, whose decision is final.
2. Before deciding, the President must obtain the opinion of the Election Commission and act according to it.
3. Disqualification on grounds of defection (Tenth Schedule) is decided by the Speaker/Chairman, not the President.

Yaad rakhein: Art. 103 – President decides, ECI advises (binding).

Answer: (D) Election Commission of India

Concept: Classical dances and their states.

1. Mohiniyattam ('dance of the enchantress') is a classical solo dance of Kerala performed by women.
2. It follows the graceful lasya style and is set to Sopana-style Carnatic music.
3. Uttar Pradesh – Kathak; Andhra Pradesh – Kuchipudi; Manipur – Manipuri.

Yaad rakhein: Kerala has two classical dances: Kathakali and Mohiniyattam.

Answer: (B) Kerala

Concept: Manufacturing (secondary sector) converts raw materials into new physical goods.

1. Cotton → yarn, sugarcane → sugar and wood → paper are all physical transformations of raw materials – manufacturing.
2. A mutual fund product combining debt and equity funds is a financial service (tertiary sector); no physical good is produced.
3. Hence (D) is not manufacturing.

Yaad rakhein: Raw material → finished good = secondary; finance, banking, insurance = tertiary.

Answer: (D) Mutual fund product made by combining debt and equity funds

Concept: SI units of physical quantities.

1. Pressure – pascal (Pa); Force – newton (N); Work – joule (J): all correct.
2. Volume is measured in cubic metre (${\text{m}}^3$), not metre; metre is the unit of length.
3. So 'Volume – Meter' is the incorrect match.

Yaad rakhein: Length $\text{m}$, area ${\text{m}}^2$, volume ${\text{m}}^3$.

Answer: (B) Volume – Meter

Concept: Major Parts of the Constitution.

1. Part IV (Articles 36–51) contains the Directive Principles of State Policy, borrowed from the Irish Constitution.
2. Part III – Fundamental Rights (Articles 12–35); Part IV-A – Fundamental Duties (Article 51A).
3. Part V – the Union; Part VI – the States; Part VII has been repealed.

Yaad rakhein: Part III – FR, Part IV – DPSP, Part IV-A – FD.

Answer: (D) Part IV

Concept: Local pre-monsoon showers of India.

1. Mango showers are pre-monsoon showers in Kerala and coastal Karnataka towards the end of summer (April–May).
2. They help in the early ripening of mangoes – hence the name.
3. Similar showers: Blossom showers (coffee) in Kerala/Karnataka, Kal Baisakhi in West Bengal, Loo is a hot wind in North India.

Yaad rakhein: Mango shower – Kerala/Karnataka; Kal Baisakhi – Bengal; Bardoli Chheerha – Assam.

Answer: (D) pre-monsoon showers

Concept: Köppen 'Cfb' – Marine West Coast (temperate oceanic) climate.

1. It occurs on western coasts in mid-latitudes (${40}^{\circ }$–${60}^{\circ }$) under the influence of westerlies blowing from the ocean.
2. Regions: NW Europe, west coast of North America north of California, southern Chile, SE Australia and New Zealand.
3. It has mild winters, cool summers and rainfall throughout the year.

Yaad rakhein: West coast + mid-latitude + westerlies = Marine West Coast (British type).

Answer: (A) Marine west coast climate

Concept: Diurnal range of temperature is high in deserts and low near the sea.

1. Jaisalmer lies in the Thar desert: dry air, clear skies and sandy soil heat up fast by day and lose heat fast at night – large day–night difference.
2. Thiruvananthapuram, Port Blair and Kanyakumari are coastal; the sea moderates temperature (maritime climate), so the range is small.
3. Hence Jaisalmer has the maximum diurnal range.

Yaad rakhein: Continental/desert → extreme; coastal → equable.

Answer: (B) Jaisalmer

Concept: India has eight classical dances recognised by the Sangeet Natak Akademi.

1. Mohiniyattam is the classical dance of Kerala, a graceful solo dance by women.
2. Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh are known for folk dances (Chhau – Jharkhand/Odisha/West Bengal; Panthi – Chhattisgarh).
3. Karnataka is famous for Yakshagana (folk-theatre), not Mohiniyattam.

Yaad rakhein: Kerala – Kathakali & Mohiniyattam.

Answer: (D) Kerala

Concept: Exponents of Indian classical dances.

1. Haripriya Namboodiri is a Kathakali artist from Kerala, known as one of the women performers in a traditionally male-dominated dance-drama.
2. Kathakali uses elaborate make-up (green Pacha, red Kathi etc.) and mudras to tell stories from the epics.
3. Kuchipudi – Andhra Pradesh; Odissi – Odisha; Bharatanatyam – Tamil Nadu.

Yaad rakhein: Kathakali – Kerala dance-drama with heavy make-up and masks-like faces.

Answer: (A) Kathakali

Concept: Slogans linked with Five-Year Plans.

1. 'Garibi Hatao' was given by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi during the 1971 general election campaign.
2. It was incorporated into the Fifth Five-Year Plan (1974–79), which aimed at poverty removal and self-reliance.
3. Morarji Desai and Charan Singh headed the Janata government that ended the Fifth Plan early (1978).

Yaad rakhein: Garibi Hatao – Indira Gandhi – 1971 – 5th Plan.

Answer: (D) Indira Gandhi

Concept: Interphase = G1 + S + G2, followed by M phase (mitosis + cytokinesis).

1. G1 – cell grows and is metabolically active; S – DNA replication.
2. G2 – proteins (e.g. tubulin) and other cytoplasmic materials needed for mitosis and cytokinesis are synthesised while growth continues.
3. M phase is the actual division, so the preparatory assembly happens in G2.

Yaad rakhein: G1 grow → S copy DNA → G2 get ready → M divide.

Answer: (A) G2 phase

Concept: Capital expenditure creates assets or reduces liabilities; revenue expenditure does neither.

1. Spending on building hospitals and health facilities, schools/educational infrastructure and acquiring fixed assets creates physical assets for the government.
2. Such asset-creating expenditure is capital expenditure.
3. Revenue expenditure covers salaries, interest, subsidies etc.; plan/non-plan classification was abolished from 2017–18.

Yaad rakhein: Creates asset → capital; day-to-day running cost → revenue.

Answer: (D) capital expenditure

Concept: Autobiographies of Indian leaders.

1. Dr. Rajendra Prasad, the first President of India, wrote his autobiography 'Atmakatha' in Hindi (1946), written largely in Bankipur jail.
2. 'My Country My Life' – L.K. Advani; 'A Shot at History' – Abhinav Bindra.
3. 'Atmavrittanta' is not Rajendra Prasad's work.

Yaad rakhein: Rajendra Prasad – Atmakatha, India Divided.

Answer: (B) Atmakatha

Concept: Liberalisation means removing government controls and restrictions on economic activity (1991 reforms).

1. Abolishing import licensing for most goods frees trade – a liberalisation step.
2. Raising tariffs, limiting capital accumulation and tightening bank reserves/interest controls all increase restrictions – the opposite of liberalisation.
3. 1991 reforms reduced tariffs, abolished industrial licensing and deregulated interest rates.

Yaad rakhein: Liberalisation = remove licences, lower tariffs, deregulate.

Answer: (B) Eliminating licenses for importing a majority of goods

Concept: Harvest festivals of South India.

1. Onam, the harvest festival of Kerala (month of Chingam), celebrates the annual homecoming of the legendary King Mahabali.
2. Mahabali was sent to the netherworld by Vamana (Vishnu's avatar) but allowed to visit his people once a year.
3. Ugadi/Gudi Padwa – new year (Telugu-Kannada/Marathi); Pongal – Tamil harvest festival honouring the Sun.

Yaad rakhein: Onam – Mahabali – Vamana – Kerala.

Answer: (D) Onam

Concept: Order of arrival of European traders in India.

1. The Portuguese were first: Vasco da Gama reached Calicut in 1498, opening the sea route to India.
2. Order: Portuguese (1498) → Dutch (1602 company, 1605 Masulipatnam) → English (1600 company, 1608 Surat) → Danes (1616) → French (1664).
3. The Portuguese were also the last to leave (Goa, 1961).

Yaad rakhein: P-D-E-D-F: Portuguese, Dutch, English, Danes, French.

Answer: (B) Portuguese

Concept: Red blood cells (erythrocytes) are biconcave, non-nucleated discs in mammals.

1. Normal human RBC diameter is about $6\text{–}8\mu \text{m}$, average about $7.5\mu \text{m}$; thickness about $2\mu \text{m}$.
2. Their small size and biconcave shape increase surface area for oxygen exchange and let them pass through capillaries.
3. $2.0\mu \text{m}$ is roughly the thickness (or platelet size), not the diameter.

Yaad rakhein: RBC ≈ $7.5\mu \text{m}$ wide, lifespan 120 days.

Answer: (A) $7.5\mu \text{m}$

Concept: Foreign invasions of India in the medieval period.

1. Timur (Tamerlane) invaded India and sacked Delhi in December 1398 during the reign of Nasiruddin Mahmud Shah Tughlaq.
2. This weakened the Tughlaq dynasty, leading to the Sayyid dynasty (1414).
3. 1221 – Chengiz Khan reached the Indus; 1526 – First Battle of Panipat; 1492 – Columbus reached America.

Yaad rakhein: Timur 1398 → Tughlaqs; Babur 1526 → Lodis.

Answer: (D) 1398