Q&A: practice questions with answers

Concept: Census 2011 state-wise literacy (population aged 7+).

1. Kerala tops with about 94% literacy.
2. Himachal Pradesh ≈ 82.8%, Tamil Nadu ≈ 80.1%, Manipur ≈ 79.2% – all lower.
3. India's overall literacy in 2011 ≈ 73%.

Yaad rakhein: Lowest literacy in Census 2011: Bihar (≈ 61.8%). Highest UT: Lakshadweep.

Answer: (A) Kerala

Concept: Oldest central trade union body of India.

1. AITUC was set up on 31 October 1920 in Bombay.
2. Lala Lajpat Rai was its first president.
3. 1919 is the founding year of the ILO, not AITUC.

Yaad rakhein: AITUC is linked with the Communist Party of India today; INTUC (1947) is linked with the Congress.

Answer: (C) 1920

Concept: Post-Gupta dynasties copied the Gupta imperial title to claim sovereign status.

1. Gupta emperors used 'Maharajadhiraja' (king of great kings).
2. Early Maukharis of Kanauj were only 'Maharaja' (feudatory rank).
3. Ishanavarman took 'Maharajadhiraja', imitating the Guptas.

Yaad rakhein: Harshavardhana later ruled from Kanauj after the Maukhari line ended (his sister Rajyashri was married to Maukhari Grahavarman).

Answer: (D) Maharajadhiraja

Concept: Inaugural edition of BCCI's women's T20 franchise league.

1. WPL 2023 was played in March 2023 in Mumbai.
2. 5 teams: Mumbai Indians, Delhi Capitals, RCB, UP Warriorz, Gujarat Giants.
3. Mumbai Indians won the first title.

Yaad rakhein: Men's IPL began in 2008 with 8 teams – don't confuse with WPL.

Answer: (B) 5

Concept: Origin of the Paralympic Games.

1. The first Paralympics were held in Rome in 1960, right after the Rome Olympics.
2. They grew from the Stoke Mandeville Games (1948, England) of Dr Ludwig Guttmann.
3. London (2012) and Rio (2016) hosted much later editions.

Yaad rakhein: Paris hosted the 2024 Paralympics, where India won 29 medals – its best ever.

Answer: (B) Rome

Concept: Government selling its stake/assets in public sector units.

1. Selling government assets or PSU shares = disinvestment.
2. If the government keeps 51%+ it retains control; selling majority with control = privatisation.
3. Investment is the opposite (putting money in).

Yaad rakhein: The Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM) under the Finance Ministry handles disinvestment.

Answer: (C) disinvestment

Concept: Awardee-and-year fact from performing arts.

1. Puru Dadheech is a Kathak guru and scholar from Ujjain (M.P.).
2. He received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 2018.
3. He was later given the Padma Shri (2020).

Yaad rakhein: Sangeet Natak Akademi was set up in 1952 – India's national academy for music, dance and drama.

Answer: (A) 2018

Concept: Start of the HYV-seed based farm revolution.

1. It began in 1966 (1966–67 season) with high-yielding varieties of wheat.
2. Inputs: HYV seeds, irrigation, fertilisers, pesticides.
3. M.S. Swaminathan is called its father in India; Norman Borlaug globally.

Yaad rakhein: Biggest gains came in wheat in Punjab, Haryana and western U.P.

Answer: (D) 1966

Concept: Match each classical dance to its home state.

1. Kathak – North India (Uttar Pradesh).
2. Kathakali and Mohiniyattam – Kerala; Kuchipudi – Andhra Pradesh.
3. So only Kathak is northern.

Yaad rakhein: Kathak is the only Indian classical dance with clear Mughal-court influence; it is known for 'chakkar' spins.

Answer: (B) Kathak

Concept: The ozone layer that absorbs UV rays lies in the stratosphere.

1. Ozone (O₃) layer: about 15–35 km up, inside the stratosphere.
2. It absorbs most harmful ultraviolet radiation from the Sun.
3. Weather → troposphere; meteors burn → mesosphere; ionosphere → thermosphere.

Yaad rakhein: Ozone thickness is measured in Dobson Units; 16 September is World Ozone Day.

Answer: (A) Stratosphere

Concept: NITI Aayog's MPI progress review, July 2023.

1. 13.5 crore people moved out of multidimensional poverty (2015-16 to 2019-21).
2. Poor share fell from 24.85% to 14.96%.
3. MPI uses 12 indicators under health, education and living standard.

Trick: 120.5 crore ≈ India's whole population – drop it instantly.

Answer: (C) 13.5 crore

Concept: Match the policy year with the plan period running at that time.

1. Second Five-Year Plan: 1956–61 (Mahalanobis model, heavy industry).
2. IPR 1956 adopted the 'socialistic pattern of society' and divided industries into Schedules A, B, C.
3. First Plan was 1951–56 (agriculture focus).

Trick: Year 1956 = start of the 2nd Plan – match the year to the plan.

Answer: (D) Second Plan

Concept: Civil registration is handled by the Registrar General of India.

1. The Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner works under the Ministry of Home Affairs.
2. MHA launched the CRS app in October 2024 for registering births and deaths from anywhere.
3. The other three ministries do not deal with civil registration at all.

Yaad rakhein: Since 1 Oct 2023, a birth certificate serves as a single proof of date of birth for admissions, jobs etc.

Answer: (B) Ministry of Home Affairs

Concept: India's three national festivals and their dates.

1. 26 January – Republic Day (Constitution came into force, 1950).
2. 15 August – Independence Day; 2 October – Gandhi Jayanti.
3. Constitution Day is 26 November (adoption in 1949).

Yaad rakhein: 26 January was chosen because Purna Swaraj Day was observed on 26 January 1930.

Answer: (B) Republic day

Concept: Current affairs – foreign visits of 2024.

1. PM Modi visited Austria on 9–10 July 2024, right after his Russia visit.
2. It was the first visit by an Indian PM to Austria in about 41 years.
3. He met Chancellor Karl Nehammer in Vienna.

Yaad rakhein: Indira Gandhi (1983) was the previous Indian PM to visit Austria.

Answer: (C) July

Concept: Law of periods: T² ∝ r³ – orbital period rises steeply with orbit size.

1. Kepler's 3rd law: square of time period ∝ cube of mean distance from the Sun.
2. Bigger orbit → much longer year (e.g. Neptune ~165 Earth years).
3. Hubble's law is about galaxy speed vs distance; Drake equation is about alien civilisations.

Yaad rakhein: Kepler's 1st law = elliptical orbits; 2nd law = equal areas in equal times.

Answer: (A) Kepler's third law

Concept: Muthuswami Dikshitar belongs to the Trinity of Carnatic music.

1. Trinity: Tyagaraja, Muthuswami Dikshitar, Syama Sastri (18th–19th c.).
2. Dikshitar composed kritis mostly in Sanskrit.
3. Odissi is a dance form, not a music system.

Yaad rakhein: Purandara Dasa is called the 'Father of Carnatic music'.

Answer: (C) Carnatic

Concept: A CM's powers are limited to his own state; inter-state matters belong to the Centre.

1. Advising the Governor, leading state policy and linking the Council of Ministers with the Governor (Art. 167) are CM duties.
2. Joint (inter-state) PSCs are created by Parliament and their chairman is appointed by the President.
3. So coordinating inter-state commissions is not a CM function.

Trick: Look for the word 'inter-state' – anything beyond one state cannot be a CM's job.

Answer: (A) Coordinates the functioning of inter-state public service commissions

Concept: Know how each everyday compound is made.

1. Bleaching powder (CaOCl₂): Cl₂ over dry slaked lime → A-3.
2. Baking powder: baking soda + mild acid (tartaric) – acid-base reaction → B-4.
3. Washing soda: heat baking soda, recrystallise Na₂CO₃ → C-1.
4. Plaster of Paris: heating gypsum (~373 K) → D-2.

Trick: Fix two sure pairs (A-3, D-2) – only option (c) has both.

Answer: (C) A-3, B-4, C-1, D-2

Concept: Fundamental Duties were inserted by the 42nd Amendment.

1. 42nd Amendment Act, 1976 added Part IV-A, Article 51A.
2. Recommended by the Swaran Singh Committee; idea taken from the USSR.
3. 10 duties in 1976; 11th added by the 86th Amendment (2002).

Yaad rakhein: The 42nd Amendment is called the 'Mini Constitution'.

Answer: (A) 1976