Q&A: practice questions with answers

Concept: Thomas Cup is the men's team world championship of badminton.

1. India won its first Thomas Cup in May 2022 at Bangkok.
2. In the final India defeated Indonesia 3–0.
3. Indonesia is the most successful nation in the event (14 titles), which made the win historic.

Yaad rakhein: Uber Cup is the women's team equivalent; Sudirman Cup is the mixed-team championship.

Answer: (B) Indonesia

Concept: Expert committees on measuring poverty in India.

1. The C. Rangarajan Committee (2012, report 2014) re-estimated the poverty line.
2. It set ₹32/day (rural) and ₹47/day (urban), giving 29.5% poverty for 2011-12.
3. It replaced the Tendulkar method, which was criticised as too low.

Yaad rakhein: Poverty committees in order: Lakdawala → Tendulkar → Rangarajan.

Answer: (C) Poverty

Concept: Local-government amendments created bodies for panchayat finance and elections.

1. The 73rd Amendment (1992) added Part IX for Panchayats.
2. Article 243-I: the Governor sets up a State Finance Commission every 5 years to review panchayat finances.
3. The 74th Amendment (municipalities) only extends this role via Art. 243Y; it did not create it.

Trick: 73 = Panchayat (Part IX, 243–243O); 74 = Municipality (Part IXA). The commission is first born in the panchayat chapter.

Answer: (D) 73rd Amendment Act

Concept: Folk dances are linked with specific tribes and states.

1. Roppi is a dance of the Nyishi tribe of Arunachal Pradesh.
2. It is performed by men, often with swords, during festivals like Nyokum.
3. Kerala, Assam and Karnataka are known for Theyyam, Bihu and Yakshagana respectively.

Yaad rakhein: Other Arunachal dances: Ponung (Adi), Aji Lamu (Monpa), Buiya (Digaru Mishmi).

Answer: (D) Arunachal Pradesh

Concept: Rare earth elements = 17 elements of similar chemistry.

1. 15 lanthanides (atomic no. 57–71).
2. Plus scandium (21) and yttrium (39), both in group 3.
3. They occur in the same ores (monazite), hence grouped together.

Trick: Group 3 = Sc, Y, La… – the two lighter members of group 3 join the lanthanides: 15 + 2 = 17.

Answer: (C) Yttrium and Scandium

Concept: Each early plan followed a named economic model.

1. Second Plan (1956–61) was based on P.C. Mahalanobis's model.
2. Its focus: rapid industrialisation, especially heavy and basic industries.
3. First Plan followed the Harrod–Domar model with focus on agriculture.

Yaad rakhein: Steel plants of Bhilai, Rourkela and Durgapur came up in the Second Plan.

Answer: (A) Second Plan

Concept: Popular titles of national leaders.

1. Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan of the North-West Frontier Province is called 'Frontier Gandhi' (also Badshah Khan).
2. He founded the non-violent Khudai Khidmatgar ('Red Shirts') in 1929.
3. He was the first non-Indian citizen to get the Bharat Ratna (1987).

Yaad rakhein: Khudai Khidmatgar = 'Servants of God', also called Surkh Posh (Red Shirts).

Answer: (A) Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan

Concept: Fundamental Rights are in Part III of the Constitution.

1. Part III spans Articles 12 to 35.
2. Art. 12 defines 'State'; Art. 35 empowers Parliament to make laws on them.
3. Part IV (DPSP) is Arts. 36–51; Fundamental Duties are in Art. 51A.

Trick: Remember the chain 12–35 | 36–51 | 51A: Rights → Directives → Duties.

Answer: (B) Articles 12 to 35

Concept: Editions of Khelo India University Games (KIUG).

1. The 3rd KIUG was hosted by Uttar Pradesh in May–June 2023.
2. Venues included Lucknow, Varanasi, Gorakhpur and Gautam Buddha Nagar.
3. Mascot 'Jeetu' was a barasingha, UP's state animal.

Yaad rakhein: 1st KIUG – Odisha (2020); 2nd – Karnataka (2022).

Answer: (A) 3rd

Concept: State cabinet ministers in news (2024).

1. Lalrinpuii (Zoram People's Movement) is Mizoram's Health & Family Welfare Minister.
2. She joined CM Lalduhoma's cabinet in December 2023.
3. She is the first woman cabinet minister of Mizoram.

Yaad rakhein: Mizoram's present CM Lalduhoma heads the ZPM government formed in Dec 2023.

Answer: (B) Mizoram

Concept: State-level cultural awards and their founders.

1. Karnataka Government instituted the Shantala Natya Sri Award in 1995 for classical dance.
2. It is named after Shantala Devi, Hoysala queen of Vishnuvardhana and a famed dancer.
3. Her images appear in the Belur–Halebidu temples of Karnataka.

Trick: Link the name to the place: Shantala → Hoysala dynasty → Karnataka.

Answer: (C) Karnataka

Concept: Weather depends on water vapour and vertical air movement.

1. The troposphere is the lowest layer (about 8 km at poles to 18 km at equator).
2. It holds nearly all water vapour and dust, so clouds, rain and storms form here.
3. Temperature falls about 6.5 °C per km, causing convection.

Trick: 'Tropo' = turning/mixing – the mixing layer is the weather layer.

Answer: (C) troposphere

Concept: Mitosis is equational division; meiosis is reductional.

1. Mitosis: one mother cell → 2 daughter cells with the same chromosome number (2n → 2n).
2. So 'daughter cells have half the chromosomes' is wrong – that describes meiosis (2n → n).
3. Mitosis helps growth and repair, so the other statements are true.

Trick: Mitosis = 'same' (2 identical cells); Meiosis = 'make gametes' (4 cells, half).

Answer: (B) The daughter cells have half the number of chromosomes as mother cell.

Concept: Why India adopted economic planning after 1947.

1. Planning aimed to start and guide development in a poor, agrarian economy.
2. Its goals – growth, modernisation, self-reliance, equity – all serve this purpose.
3. Privatisation is wrong: early plans expanded the public sector.

Trick: Eliminate the odd ones: 'British culture' and 'uniqueness' are not economic goals; privatisation came only in 1991.

Answer: (B) To initiate a process of development

Concept: Government borrowing competes with private borrowers for the same savings.

1. High fiscal deficit → more government borrowing.
2. More demand for loanable funds → interest rates rise.
3. Costlier loans → private investment falls = crowding out.

Trick: 'Crowding out' literally means pushing the private sector out – so pick the option where private investment is reduced.

Answer: (B) By leading to higher interest rates and reduced private investment

Concept: Harvest/spring festivals of the North-East.

1. Chapchar Kut is celebrated in Mizoram in March.
2. It is held after clearing jungle for jhum (shifting) cultivation, hoping for a good harvest.
3. The bamboo dance Cheraw is its main attraction.

Trick: 'Kut' = festival in Mizo; Mim Kut and Pawl Kut are other Mizoram festivals.

Answer: (A) Mizoram

Concept: Best Agriculture State award in the news.

1. The 15th Agriculture Leadership Awards Committee named Maharashtra the 'Best Agriculture State' for 2024.
2. The committee was chaired by former CJI P. Sathasivam.
3. Recognition was for horticulture, micro-irrigation and mechanisation efforts.

Yaad rakhein: Agriculture Leadership Awards are given annually by the Agriculture Today group.

Answer: (C) Maharashtra

Concept: Major religions of countries.

1. Most Chinese are non-religious or follow folk traditions (Taoism, Confucianism).
2. Among organised world religions, Buddhism has the largest following in China.
3. Buddhism reached China from India via the Silk Route around the 1st century CE.

Yaad rakhein: Mahayana is the form of Buddhism mainly followed in China, Japan and Korea.

Answer: (C) Buddhism

Concept: Excavated sites of Mauryan Pataliputra (Patna).

1. At Bulandibagh, remains of a huge wooden palisade (timber wall) were found.
2. This matches Megasthenes' description of a wooden-walled Pataliputra.
3. Kumrahar, the other Patna site, is known for the 80-pillared hall.

Trick: Bulandi-bagh → 'boundary' wall of wood; Kumrahar → pillars.

Answer: (D) Bulandibagh

Concept: Famous artists and their instruments.

1. Ramnad V. Raghavan was a Carnatic mridangam player.
2. He taught at Wesleyan University (USA), spreading the instrument abroad.
3. Mridangam is the main percussion of Carnatic music, like the tabla in Hindustani.

Yaad rakhein: Other mridangam maestros: Palghat Mani Iyer, Umayalpuram K. Sivaraman.

Answer: (D) Mridangam