WBCS Preliminary Examination 2021 — General Studies

Answer: (C) fear of confined spaces

Claustrophobia (Latin claustrum, 'enclosed place' + Greek phobos, 'fear') is the abnormal fear of confined or enclosed spaces such as lifts, tunnels or small rooms. Fear of darkness is nyctophobia (achluophobia), fear of crowds is ochlophobia or enochlophobia (agoraphobia is fear of open or public places), and fear of water is aquaphobia - hydrophobia is also the old name for rabies. Phobia words are a WBCS favourite: acrophobia (heights), xenophobia (foreigners), pyrophobia (fire).

Answer: (D) alighted

'Alight' means to get down from a bus, train or other vehicle, and it naturally takes 'from', so 'alighted from the bus' fits both grammar and sense. 'Boarded' is the opposite (to get on) and takes no preposition; 'stepped' would need 'down from' or 'off', and 'moved from the bus' is unidiomatic. Remember the pairs: board/embark (get on) versus alight/disembark (get off).

Answer: (C) feel unwell

'Under the weather' is an idiom meaning slightly ill or unwell; it is said to come from sailors who went below deck, away from the weather, when sick. It does not mean depressed ('down in the dumps', 'feeling blue'), merely uncomfortable ('ill at ease') or uncertain ('in two minds', 'at sea'). Related health idioms: 'off colour' (unwell), 'in the pink' (in very good health), 'fit as a fiddle'.

Answer: (A) change

'Vicissitude' (usually plural, as in 'the vicissitudes of life') means a change of circumstances or fortune, typically an unwelcome one; it comes from Latin vicis, 'turn, change'. Stagnation, uniformity and stability all imply the absence of change, so they work as antonyms here. Synonyms worth noting: fluctuation, mutability, reversal, ups and downs.

Answer: (D) haughty

'Supercilious' (from Latin supercilium, 'eyebrow' - think of a raised eyebrow) means behaving as if one is superior to others, i.e., haughty, arrogant or disdainful. 'Officious' means meddlesome and over-eager to give orders, 'superficial' means shallow or on the surface, and 'delicious' is unrelated; all three are sound-alike distractors. Antonyms: humble, modest, unassuming.

Answer: (A) self-important

'Officious' describes a person who asserts authority in an annoying, domineering way or offers unwanted help - self-important, meddlesome, interfering. It is a classic confusable with 'official' (relating to an office or authority), which is why option (B) is offered. 'Serious' and 'enterprising' (showing initiative) have no connection. Note that Q5 of this paper uses 'officious' as a distractor as well.

Answer: (A) over

'Preside' takes the fixed preposition 'over' when it means to be in charge of or chair a meeting, court or ceremony: 'The Speaker presides over the Lok Sabha'. 'Preside at' is occasionally seen for occupying the chair at an event, but 'presided over the meeting' is the standard, expected collocation; 'in' and 'for' are wrong. Similar fixed prepositions: abide by, comply with, consist of, insist on, deal with.

Answer: (B) was

When a singular subject is followed by 'with', 'along with', 'together with', 'as well as' or 'in addition to', the verb agrees with the first (real) subject. Here the subject is 'The ship' (singular) and 'with its crew' is only a parenthetical phrase, so the verb is 'was'. 'Were' and 'were getting' wrongly agree with 'crew', and 'was being lost' is an awkward continuous passive that does not suit a completed event.

Answer: (D) Apiary

An apiary (Latin apis, 'bee') is a place where beehives are kept; bee-keeping is called apiculture. An aviary is a large enclosure for birds, an abattoir is a slaughterhouse, and a granary is a storehouse for grain. Related one-word substitutions: aquarium (fish), kennel (dogs), stable (horses), sty (pigs), sericulture (rearing silkworms), pisciculture (fish farming).

Answer: (B) Accommodation

'Accommodation' has a double 'c' and a double 'm' - a handy mnemonic is that the word is roomy enough to accommodate two c's and two m's. Option (C) drops an 'm', option (D) drops a 'c', and option (A) wrongly ends in '-dition'. Other commonly tested spellings: committee, embarrass, occurrence, millennium, questionnaire, harass.

Answer: (D) Incapable

The correct negative of 'capable' is 'incapable', formed with the Latin prefix in- ('not'); 'uncapable', 'noncapable' and 'ill-capable' are not standard forms. Note the trap that the related word 'able' takes un- ('unable'), while its nouns take in- or dis- ('inability', 'disability'). The prefix in- becomes im- before b/m/p (impossible), il- before l (illegal) and ir- before r (irregular).

Answer: (D) sanctimonious

'Holier-than-thou' describes someone who displays an attitude of moral superiority over others; the best single-word match is 'sanctimonious' (also self-righteous, smug, priggish). The phrase echoes the Bible (Isaiah 65:5). 'Pure' and 'religious' are positive qualities without any sense of showing off, while 'moralistic' (given to moralising) comes close but lacks the hypocritical, superior tone that 'sanctimonious' captures exactly.

Answer: (A) get by

'To make both ends meet' means to earn just enough money to live on, i.e., to manage or 'get by'. 'Get over' means to recover from an illness or setback, 'get done' means to finish something, and 'get well' means to regain health. Related money idioms: 'live from hand to mouth' (barely survive), 'in the red' (in debt), 'tighten one's belt' (cut spending).

Answer: (A) rarely

'Once in a blue moon' means very rarely. A 'blue moon' is the second full moon falling within a single calendar month, which happens only about once in two to three years - hence the idiom. It does not mean 'never' (the event does occur), and 'frequently' and 'regularly' are opposites. Similar expressions: 'few and far between' (rare), 'now and then' (occasionally).

Answer: (A) Normal

'Weird' means strange, uncanny or unusual, so its antonym is 'normal' (also ordinary, usual, conventional). 'Casual' means relaxed or informal, while 'tired' and 'worried' are states of body and mind - none is opposite in meaning. Synonyms of weird: bizarre, eerie, odd, peculiar, outlandish. Its spelling is also tested, since it breaks the 'i before e' rule.

Answer: (D) When will you meet me?

PSC's final key accepts 'When will you meet me?'. The statement 'I will meet you tomorrow' supplies information about time ('tomorrow'), so the question that draws out exactly this statement as its answer is the when-question; 'where' and 'how' ask for place and manner, which the sentence does not give. 'Will you meet me?' is a yes/no question that drops the time element altogether. Rule of thumb: adverbial of time - when; place - where; manner - how; reason - why. Several unofficial keys chose (C) 'Will you meet me?' as the plain yes/no interrogative form of the sentence; PSC's final answer key gives (D), which is retained here.

Answer: (D) by

The preposition 'by' shows the extent or margin of a difference: taller by two inches, older by three years, won by ten runs, prices rose by 5%. 'With', 'of' and 'in' cannot express a margin of difference. The same idea can be written without a preposition as 'He is two inches taller than you'.

Answer: (A) Deep

'Superficial' means on the surface or lacking depth (a superficial wound, superficial knowledge), so the direct antonym is 'deep' (also profound, thorough). 'Artificial' is a rhyming distractor meaning man-made, 'apparent' means seeming or obvious and is closer to a synonym, and 'true' is the antonym of 'false', not of 'superficial'.

Answer: (C) rewound

'Rewind' follows the irregular pattern of 'wind' (to turn or coil): wind - wound - wound, hence rewind - rewound - rewound; 'unwind - unwound' behaves the same way. 'Rewinded' and 'rewounded' are non-standard. Do not confuse this with the regular verb 'wound' (to injure): wound - wounded - wounded. Similar pattern: find - found, bind - bound, grind - ground.

Answer: (B) Calmness

'Serenity' means the state of being calm, peaceful and untroubled, so 'calmness' (also tranquillity, placidity) is the right replacement. 'Noiselessness' is merely the absence of sound, while 'isolation' and 'seclusion' mean being alone or cut off - a place can be secluded without being serene. The adjective is 'serene'; antonyms are agitation, turmoil, disturbance.

Answer: (A) was sitting

An action in progress in the past that is interrupted by a shorter, completed action takes the past continuous, with the interrupting action in the simple past: 'While I was sitting ..., someone threw ...'. 'Had been sitting' (past perfect continuous) would need a duration such as 'for an hour', 'am sitting' is present tense and breaks the sequence of tenses, and 'was seated' describes a state rather than the ongoing activity. 'While' is the usual signal word for the past continuous.

Answer: (B) A one-eyed person was seen roaming about the streets.

The choice between 'a' and 'an' depends on sound, not spelling. 'One' begins with the consonant sound /w/ ('wun'), so it takes 'a': a one-eyed person, a one-rupee note, a university, a European. Conversely, words beginning with a vowel sound take 'an': an hour, an honest man, an MLA, an heir. A singular countable noun cannot stand without an article, so (D) is wrong, and (C) drops the hyphen of the compound adjective and uses 'the' for a first mention.

Answer: (C) a

'Unique' begins with the consonant sound /j/ ('yoo-neek'), so it takes 'a', not 'an' - like a union, a uniform, a useful book, a European. 'The' does not fit a general classifying statement of this kind, and 'this' is a demonstrative, not an article. La Gioconda (the Mona Lisa) was painted by Leonardo da Vinci in the early 16th century and hangs in the Louvre, Paris.

Answer: (C) with

The textbook rule is: offended with a person, offended at or by a thing or action. Since the blank is followed by 'me' (a person), the answer is 'with'; 'for' and 'towards' are not used after 'offended'. Compare similar pairs: angry with a person / angry at a thing; annoyed with someone / annoyed at something; pleased with someone / pleased at the news.

Answer: (C) Narcissism

Narcissism is excessive love or admiration of oneself, named after Narcissus of Greek mythology, who fell in love with his own reflection in a pool. Hedonism is the pursuit of pleasure as the highest good, masochism is deriving pleasure from one's own pain, and sadism is deriving pleasure from inflicting pain on others. Related words: egotism (self-conceit), altruism (selfless concern for others - the opposite), misanthropy (hatred of mankind).

Answer: (D) Chhattisgarh

Chhattisgarh is the only tin-producing state of India; cassiterite (tin ore, $SnO_2$) is mined in the Dantewada-Sukma belt of the old Bastar district. Rajasthan leads in zinc, lead, gypsum and marble; Odisha leads in bauxite, chromite, manganese and iron ore; Jharkhand is known for coal, mica, copper and uranium (Jaduguda). Tin is used for tin-plating, solder (tin + lead) and bronze (copper + tin), and India imports most of its requirement.

Answer: (D) Palas

Sandhyakar Nandi wrote the Sanskrit kavya Ramacharitam under the later Pala kings (he was patronised by Madanapala, son of Ramapala). Each verse can be read in two ways - as the story of the Ramayana and as the career of Ramapala, including the Kaivarta (Varendra) rebellion of Divya and Bhima. The Senas patronised Jayadeva (Gita Govinda), Dhoyi (Pavanaduta), Umapati Dhar, Govardhan and Sarana in Lakshmana Sena's court; the Hussain Shahis encouraged Bengali works such as the Mahabharata translations of Kavindra Parameshwar and Srikar Nandi; the Mauryan age is linked with Kautilya's Arthashastra.

Answer: (C) Alauddin Khilji

Alauddin Khalji (1296-1316) was never a slave: he was the nephew and son-in-law of Jalaluddin Khalji, founder of the Khalji dynasty, and seized the throne by having him murdered at Kara. Qutbuddin Aibak (slave of Muhammad Ghori), Iltutmish (slave and son-in-law of Aibak) and Balban (slave of Iltutmish and a member of the Chahalgani, the 'Forty') all rose from slavery, which is why the first Delhi dynasty (1206-1290) is called the Slave, Mamluk or Ilbari dynasty.

Answer: (B) President

Under Article 217, the Chief Justice of a High Court is appointed by the President by warrant under his hand and seal, after consultation with the Chief Justice of India and the Governor of the state; in practice the recommendation of the Supreme Court collegium is decisive. The Prime Minister and the Cabinet only advise the President, and the CJI is consulted but is not the appointing authority. High Court judges retire at 62 (Supreme Court judges at 65) and take their oath before the Governor.

Answer: (C) Bal Gangadhar Tilak

'Swaraj is my birthright and I shall have it' was the declaration of Bal Gangadhar 'Lokmanya' Tilak, popularised during the Home Rule movement (1916). Tilak edited Kesari (Marathi) and Mahratta (English), wrote Gita Rahasya and The Arctic Home in the Vedas, and was called the 'Father of Indian Unrest' by Valentine Chirol. V. D. Savarkar founded Abhinav Bharat and wrote on the 1857 revolt; Vasudev Balwant Phadke led an armed uprising in Maharashtra in 1879; Balkrishna Chapekar was one of the Chapekar brothers who killed W. C. Rand in 1897.

Answer: (C) $\sqrt{3} : \sqrt{2}$

For an ideal gas, $v_{rms}=\sqrt{\frac{3RT}{M}}$, average speed $v_{avg}=\sqrt{\frac{8RT}{\pi M}}$ and most probable speed $v_{mp}=\sqrt{\frac{2RT}{M}}$. Hence $v_{rms}:v_{mp}=\sqrt{3}:\sqrt{2}\approx1.22:1$. Option (D) is the inverse ratio ($v_{mp}:v_{rms}$). Remember the order $v_{mp}<v_{avg}<v_{rms}$, in the ratio $1:1.128:1.224$; all three rise with temperature and fall with increasing molar mass.

Answer: (A) Zaskar and Pir Panjal

The Valley of Kashmir is a longitudinal basin about 135 km long, drained by the Jhelum, lying between the Pir Panjal range to the south-west and the Great Himalayan (Zaskar) range to the north-east. The Karakoram lies much farther north beyond Ladakh, and the Shiwalik is the outermost range, south of the Pir Panjal along the Jammu foothills. The valley is famous for its karewa deposits (lake-bed terraces) used for saffron cultivation; the Banihal Pass and Jawahar Tunnel cross the Pir Panjal.

Answer: (A) 1 : 12

The hour hand completes one rotation ($360^{\circ}$) in 12 hours, while the minute hand does so in 1 hour. Since angular speed $\omega=\frac{2\pi}{T}$, we get $\omega_h:\omega_m=\frac{1}{12}:1=1:12$. Option (B) is the inverse (minute hand : hour hand). For comparison, minute hand : second hand $=1:60$ and hour hand : second hand $=1:720$; the hour hand moves $0.5^{\circ}$ per minute and the minute hand $6^{\circ}$ per minute.

Answer: (B) Medha Patker

The Narmada Bachao Andolan (from 1985) was led by Medha Patkar, with Baba Amte, against the displacement caused by large dams on the Narmada, especially the Sardar Sarovar Dam in Gujarat. Anna Hazare is known for the Ralegan Siddhi model village and the 2011 Jan Lokpal anti-corruption movement, Ramdev is a yoga guru, and Dr Binayak Sen is a paediatrician and civil-liberties activist who worked in Chhattisgarh. Medha Patkar received the Right Livelihood Award in 1991.

Answer: (A) Assassination of British official W.C. Rand by Chapekar Brothers

On 22 June 1897 the Chapekar brothers Damodar and Balkrishna shot W. C. Rand, the Plague Commissioner of Poona, and Lt. Ayerst, in protest against harsh plague measures - generally regarded as the first political assassination of British officials after 1857. The other options came later: Curzon Wyllie was shot by Madan Lal Dhingra in London (1 July 1909); A. M. T. Jackson, Collector of Nashik, by Anant Laxman Kanhere (21 December 1909); and J. P. Saunders by Bhagat Singh and Rajguru in Lahore (17 December 1928) to avenge Lala Lajpat Rai.

Answer: (B) Dharmapala

Vikramashila Mahavihara, at Antichak in Bhagalpur district of Bihar, was founded by the Pala king Dharmapala (c. 770-810 CE), who also founded Somapura Mahavihara (Paharpur, now in Bangladesh). It became a great centre of Vajrayana (Tantric) Buddhism - Atisha Dipankara Srijnana was its most famous scholar - and was destroyed by Bakhtiyar Khalji around 1203. Devapala, Dharmapala's son, extended the empire and patronised Nalanda; Ramapala revived Pala power after the Kaivarta revolt; Sasanka was the 7th-century king of Gauda (capital Karnasuvarna) and a rival of Harsha.

Answer: (B) M. K. Gandhi

The saying 'An eye for an eye will make the whole world blind' is popularly attributed to M. K. Gandhi as a summary of his doctrine of ahimsa and his rejection of retaliatory justice (the old principle of lex talionis). Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela were themselves inspired by Gandhian non-violence - King used a similar line in his writings - while Karl Marx advocated class struggle. For exams, Gandhi is the accepted answer.

Answer: (A) Karakoram

The Siachen Glacier, about 76 km long, lies in the eastern Karakoram range in Ladakh, north-east of map point NJ9842; it feeds the Nubra river (a tributary of the Shyok) and is called the world's highest battlefield, held by India since Operation Meghdoot (1984). The Zaskar range lies south of the Indus and the Ladakh range, the Pir Panjal belongs to the Lesser Himalaya, and the Shiwalik is the outermost foothill range - none of them holds a glacier of this size. Other Karakoram glaciers: Baltoro, Biafo, Hispar.

Answer: (A) Louise Glück

The 2020 Nobel Prize in Literature went to the American poet Louise Glück for her 'unmistakable poetic voice'; her collections include The Wild Iris (Pulitzer Prize, 1993) and Averno. Peter Handke (Austria) won the 2019 prize, announced together with the delayed 2018 prize of Olga Tokarczuk (Poland). John Dranow is a writer who was Glück's former husband, and Peter Ackroyd is an English novelist and biographer - neither is a Nobel laureate. The 2021 prize went to Abdulrazak Gurnah (Tanzania/UK).

Answer: (D) Mukunda Das

PSC's key credits the song 'Ban eshechhe mora gange' ('the flood-tide has come to the dead river') to Mukunda Das, the 'Charan Kavi' of Barisal, whose swadeshi jatras and songs such as 'Chhere dao reshmi churi' roused rural Bengal during the anti-Partition movement of 1905; his play Matripuja was banned and he was jailed. Rabindranath Tagore wrote 'Amar Sonar Bangla' and 'Banglar mati Banglar jal' and led the Rakhi Bandhan of 16 October 1905. Lalan Fakir was a Baul saint who died in 1890, and Kazi Nazrul Islam (born 1899), the 'Bidrohi Kavi', belongs to the 1920s.

Answer: (D) Classes IX to XII

Sabooj Sathi, launched by the Government of West Bengal in 2015, distributes free bicycles to students of classes IX to XII in government, government-aided and sponsored schools and madrasahs, to improve access to secondary education and cut drop-outs, especially among girls. It is implemented by the Backward Classes Welfare Department through the WB SC, ST & OBC Development and Finance Corporation, and received a UN-backed WSIS (World Summit on the Information Society) award in 2019. The narrower class ranges in the other options are incomplete.

Answer: (C) Tiger

The flag of the Azad Hind Fauj (INA) under Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose was the tricolour with a springing (leaping) tiger at the centre - a symbol first used by the Indian Legion that Bose raised in Germany, and recalling Tipu Sultan, the 'Tiger of Mysore'. The lion belongs to the State Emblem of India (Lion Capital of Sarnath), the elephant appears on the Ashokan abacus, and the one-horned rhino is Assam's state animal. INA motto: 'Ittehad, Itmad aur Qurbani' (Unity, Faith, Sacrifice); slogans: 'Jai Hind' and 'Dilli Chalo'.

Answer: (C) insulator

In a pure (intrinsic) semiconductor at absolute zero ($0\,K$) the valence band is completely filled and the conduction band completely empty; with no thermal energy to lift electrons across the band gap (about $1.1\,eV$ for silicon) there are no free charge carriers, so it behaves as a perfect insulator. It starts conducting only as the temperature rises - the conductivity of a semiconductor increases with temperature, the opposite of a metal. A superconductor, by contrast, loses all resistance below a critical temperature (mercury at $4.2\,K$).

Answer: (C) Wealth Tax

A direct tax is one whose burden cannot be shifted - it is borne by the person on whom it is levied: income tax, corporation tax, wealth tax, gift tax, capital gains tax. Wealth Tax (Wealth Tax Act, 1957) was a direct tax; it was abolished from 2015-16 and replaced by a surcharge on the super-rich. VAT, GST (introduced on 1 July 2017 through the 101st Amendment) and excise duty are indirect taxes, whose burden is passed on to the final consumer. Direct taxes are administered by CBDT and indirect taxes by CBIC.

Answer: (B) Oman

'Yaas' was named by Oman; the word is of Persian origin and refers to the jasmine flower. Cyclone Yaas, a very severe cyclonic storm, made landfall near Balasore on the Odisha coast on 26 May 2021 and flooded coastal West Bengal (Digha, the Sundarbans). North Indian Ocean cyclones are named from a list contributed by the 13 member countries of the WMO/ESCAP panel, used in rotation - e.g., Amphan (Thailand), Nisarga (Bangladesh), Tauktae (Myanmar), Gulab (Pakistan), Asani (Sri Lanka), Tej (India).

Answer: (D) Chambal Valley

Badland topography - a maze of deep gullies and ravines cut by running water in soft alluvium - is typical of the Chambal Valley, where the ravines (locally 'beehad') cover large tracts of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. The Gulf of Kutch is known for tidal mudflats, salt marshes and coral reefs, the Sundarban delta for tidal creeks and mangroves, and the Konkan coast for rias, cliffs and laterite plateaus. In West Bengal, similar gully erosion is seen at Gangani (Garbeta) on the Silabati, the 'Grand Canyon of Bengal'.

Answer: (B) A Peasant movement

The Eka ('unity') Movement of 1921-22 was a peasant movement in the Awadh districts of Hardoi, Bahraich, Sitapur and Barabanki, led by Madari Pasi and other lower-caste leaders, against rents far above the recorded rate, oppression by thikadars and the practice of share-rent. Peasants took a ritual vow to pay only the recorded rent and refuse forced labour, but the movement was agrarian in character, not religious, and not a secret revolutionary society. It followed the Awadh Kisan Sabha movement (1920) of Baba Ramchandra.

Answer: (B) Pather Dabi

Pather Dabi ('The Right of Way', 1926) by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay centres on the revolutionary Sabyasachi and a secret society working from Burma to free India; the British government banned it for sedition soon after publication. Srikanta is a semi-autobiographical novel in four parts about a wanderer, and Palli Samaj depicts caste and factional politics in a Bengal village. Other political novels to remember: Bankim Chandra's Anandamath (1882) and Tagore's Ghare Baire and Char Adhyay.

Answer: (B) 50 cm, convex

Focal length $f=\frac{1}{P}=\frac{1}{2.0}\,m=0.5\,m=50\,cm$. A positive power means a converging, i.e., convex lens; a concave (diverging) lens has negative power. A lens of 100 cm focal length would have a power of only $\pm1\,D$. Convex lenses correct hypermetropia (long-sightedness) and concave lenses correct myopia; the SI unit of power is the dioptre ($1\,D=1\,m^{-1}$), and the powers of thin lenses in contact simply add.

Answer: (C) Diffraction

The closely spaced spiral tracks on a CD (about $1.6\,\mu m$ apart) act as a reflection diffraction grating: white light diffracted from neighbouring tracks interferes, and different wavelengths are reinforced at different angles, producing rainbow colours. Refraction (bending on entering another medium) gives the spectrum of a prism or a rainbow, plain reflection does not separate colours, and polarisation restricts the plane of vibration (used in sunglasses and LCDs). The colours of soap bubbles and oil films, by contrast, come from thin-film interference.

Answer: (C) Democratic Party

Joe Biden, 46th President of the USA (20 January 2021 to 20 January 2025), belongs to the Democratic Party; he had earlier been Vice-President under Barack Obama (2009-17), and his own Vice-President was Kamala Harris, the first woman and the first person of Indian origin in that office. The Republican Party is the other major US party (Donald Trump, 45th and 47th President). The Labour Party is British, and the USA has no major 'Nationalist Party'. Party symbols: Democrats - donkey; Republicans - elephant.

Answer: (B) England won Super Over by boundaries.

In the final at Lord's on 14 July 2019 both England and New Zealand scored 241, and the Super Over was also tied at 15 runs each. Under the rule then in force, England were declared winners on boundary count (26 boundaries to New Zealand's 17). It was England's first men's ODI World Cup; Ben Stokes was Player of the Match and Kane Williamson Player of the Tournament. Hosting, the toss and match-fixing had nothing to do with it. The ICC scrapped the boundary-count rule in October 2019 - Super Overs are now repeated until there is a winner.

Answer: (A) SARS-CoV-2

The virus is officially named SARS-CoV-2 (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2), a name given by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses and used by WHO; the disease it causes is COVID-19 ('Coronavirus Disease 2019'), named by WHO on 11 February 2020. So option (B) is the disease, not the virus; '2019-nCoV' (novel coronavirus) was only the provisional name; and 'corona virus' is the whole family, which also includes SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV. WHO declared COVID-19 a pandemic on 11 March 2020.

Answer: (D) Dampier and Hodges

The northern limit of the Sundarbans is the Dampier-Hodges Line, surveyed in 1829-30 by William Dampier (Commissioner of the Sundarbans) and Lt. Hodges (surveyor); it still defines the Sundarban region across South and North 24 Parganas. Sir Daniel Hamilton ('Hamilton Saheb') was a Scottish businessman who built cooperative settlements at Gosaba in the early 1900s, and Major William Tolly excavated Tolly's Nullah (Adi Ganga) in 1775-77. The Indian Sundarban region covers about 9,630 sq km in 19 blocks (13 in South and 6 in North 24 Parganas).

Answer: (C) William Jones

The Asiatic Society was founded in Calcutta on 15 January 1784 by Sir William Jones, a judge of the Supreme Court, with Governor-General Warren Hastings as patron, to promote Oriental studies; Jones translated Kalidasa's Abhijnanasakuntalam and pointed out the kinship of Sanskrit with Greek and Latin. Alexander Cunningham was the first Director-General of the Archaeological Survey of India (1861), John Stuart Mill was a British utilitarian philosopher (On Liberty) who worked for the East India Company in London, and David Hare helped found Hindu College (1817) and Hare School.

Answer: (D) Krishnadeva Raya

Amuktamalyada, a Telugu epic poem on the Tamil Alvar saint Andal (Goda Devi) and Periyalvar, was written by Krishnadeva Raya (1509-29) of the Tuluva dynasty of Vijayanagara, himself styled 'Andhra Bhoja'; his court had the Ashtadiggajas (eight Telugu poets), including Allasani Peddana and Tenali Ramakrishna. Rajaraja Chola I built the Brihadeshwara temple at Thanjavur; Harshavardhana wrote the Sanskrit plays Nagananda, Ratnavali and Priyadarshika; Deva Raya I and II were earlier Sangama rulers of Vijayanagara.

Answer: (B) Sushil Chandra

Answer as of 2021 — this may have changed since.

Sushil Chandra, a 1980-batch IRS officer and former CBDT chairman, became the 24th Chief Election Commissioner on 13 April 2021, succeeding Sunil Arora, and served until 14 May 2022, when Rajiv Kumar took over (Gyanesh Kumar followed in February 2025). 'Sunil Chandra' is a distractor blending the names Sunil Arora and Sushil Chandra; Gen. Anil Chauhan later became Chief of Defence Staff (2022). The first CEC was Sukumar Sen. The 'present CEC' changes with time, so check the current name before an exam.

Answer: (C) 61st

The Constitution (61st Amendment) Act, 1988, passed under Rajiv Gandhi's government and in force from 28 March 1989, amended Article 326 to lower the voting age for Lok Sabha and Assembly elections from 21 to 18. The 60th Amendment raised the ceiling of profession tax from Rs. 250 to Rs. 2,500 a year, the 62nd extended SC/ST reservation in legislatures for ten more years (to 2000), and the 63rd repealed the special emergency provisions for Punjab brought in by the 59th. National Voters' Day is observed on 25 January.

Answer: (A) Equality

Article 18 provides for the abolition of titles: the State shall confer no title other than military or academic distinctions, and citizens may not accept titles from a foreign State. It is the last of the five articles (14-18) grouped under the Right to Equality - Art. 14 equality before law, Art. 15 no discrimination, Art. 16 equality in public employment, Art. 17 abolition of untouchability. Right to Freedom covers Arts. 19-22, Freedom of Religion Arts. 25-28 and Constitutional Remedies Art. 32. In Balaji Raghavan (1996) the Supreme Court held that Bharat Ratna and Padma awards are not 'titles'.

Answer: (A) Manpreet Singh

Midfielder Manpreet Singh captained the Indian men's hockey team at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics (held in July-August 2021), with Birendra Lakra and Harmanpreet Singh as vice-captains; he was also India's flag-bearer along with Mary Kom. The team beat Germany 5-4 to win bronze, India's first Olympic hockey medal in 41 years (after the gold at Moscow 1980). P. R. Sreejesh was the goalkeeper, and Harmanpreet Singh later led India to another bronze at Paris 2024. The women's team at Tokyo, led by Rani Rampal, finished fourth.

Answer: (D) All of the above

Kanyashree Prakalpa (launched 2013) originally applied only to girls from families with annual income up to Rs. 1,20,000, but this ceiling was waived if the girl had lost both parents, was physically challenged (40% or more disability) or was an inmate of a home registered under the Juvenile Justice Act - so all three conditions are correct. The income ceiling was later withdrawn altogether. K1 is an annual scholarship (ages 13-18), K2 a one-time grant of Rs. 25,000 at 18 if the girl is unmarried and studying, and K3 supports post-graduate study; the scheme won the UN Public Service Award in 2017.

Answer: (B) Speaker

Under Article 110(3), if any question arises whether a Bill is a Money Bill, the decision of the Speaker of the Lok Sabha is final, and the Speaker endorses a certificate on the Bill when it goes to the Rajya Sabha and to the President. A Money Bill can be introduced only in the Lok Sabha, on the President's recommendation; the Rajya Sabha can only make recommendations and must return it within 14 days, and the President cannot send it back for reconsideration. In a State the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly decides (Article 199).

Answer: (C) Abu Rihan Alberuni

Abu Rihan Al-Biruni, the Persian scholar who came to India with Mahmud of Ghazni and wrote Kitab-ul-Hind (Tahqiq-i-Hind), mentioned Khajuraho ('Kajuraha') around 1022 CE as the capital of Jajahuti (Jejakabhukti), the Chandela kingdom. Ibn Battuta, the Moroccan traveller, also described Khajuraho, but only in 1335 - the 14th century. Ibn Sina (Avicenna) was a Persian physician-philosopher (Canon of Medicine) and Omar Khayyam a Persian poet-mathematician (Rubaiyat); neither visited India. The Khajuraho temples (Nagara style, e.g., Kandariya Mahadeva) became a World Heritage Site in 1986.

Answer: (B) Irish

Bengal's revolutionaries drew heavily on the Irish struggle against British rule - the Fenians, Sinn Fein and above all the Easter Rising of 1916. Surya Sen named his group the 'Indian Republican Army, Chittagong Branch' after the Irish Republican Army and timed the Chittagong Armoury Raid for Good Friday, 18 April 1930, echoing Easter 1916; Dan Breen's My Fight for Irish Freedom was widely read. Scottish and Welsh nationalism had no comparable armed movement. Other foreign inspirations were Mazzini and Garibaldi of Italy and the Russian nihilists.

Answer: (B) the Mars

NASA's Perseverance rover (Mars 2020 mission), launched on 30 July 2020, landed in Jezero Crater on Mars on 18 February 2021 to look for signs of ancient microbial life and to cache rock samples; it carried the Ingenuity helicopter, the first aircraft to make a powered flight on another planet. Earlier NASA Mars rovers: Sojourner, Spirit, Opportunity and Curiosity. Other arrivals at Mars in 2021 were the UAE's Hope orbiter and China's Tianwen-1 with the Zhurong rover; India's Mangalyaan (MOM) entered Mars orbit in 2014.

No option is correct as printed — this question is disputed.

Answer as of 2021 — this may have changed since.

PSC cancelled this question in its final answer key, because no option states the limit correctly. Under the MSME classification in force from 1 July 2020, a small enterprise had investment up to Rs. 10 crore and annual turnover up to Rs. 50 crore (i.e., above the micro limit of Rs. 5 crore); micro was Rs. 1 crore / Rs. 5 crore and medium Rs. 50 crore / Rs. 250 crore. Option (A) gets the lower bound of Rs. 5 crore right but wrongly puts the upper limit at Rs. 75 crore. From 1 April 2025 the limits (investment / turnover) are: micro Rs. 2.5 crore / Rs. 10 crore, small Rs. 25 crore / Rs. 100 crore, medium Rs. 125 crore / Rs. 500 crore. CANCELLED BY PSC: the final answer key (Notice No. 628-PSC/Con(Q), 30 Sept 2021) shows '*' for this question (Set C Q66), as no option matches the MSME definition (small enterprise turnover: above Rs. 5 crore and up to Rs. 50 crore at the time).

Answer: (C) Bahadur Shah II

Bahadur Shah II 'Zafar' (reigned 1837-57), the last Mughal emperor, was proclaimed leader of the Revolt by the Meerut sepoys who reached Delhi on 11 May 1857. After the fall of Delhi he was captured at Humayun's Tomb by Major Hodson, tried, and exiled to Rangoon, where he died in 1862. Aurangzeb died in 1707; Mir Qasim was Nawab of Bengal (1760-63), defeated at Buxar in 1764; Sarfaraz Khan was the Nawab of Bengal killed by Alivardi Khan at Giria in 1740.

Answer: (D) 2019

The Indian Sundarban was designated a Wetland of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention in January 2019 (announced around World Wetlands Day, 2 February 2019), becoming India's largest Ramsar site (about 4,230 sq km) and West Bengal's second after the East Kolkata Wetlands (2002). Earlier milestones: Sundarban Tiger Reserve 1973, National Park 1984, UNESCO World Heritage Site 1987 (option A), Biosphere Reserve 1989. 1972 is the year of the Wildlife (Protection) Act; the Ramsar Convention itself was signed in Iran in 1971.

Answer: (D) Supreme Court

The Supreme Court is the guardian or custodian of the Constitution: through judicial review (Articles 13, 32 and 131-136) it can strike down any law or executive action that violates the Constitution, and since Kesavananda Bharati (1973) it protects the 'basic structure' even against constitutional amendments. The President takes an oath to 'preserve, protect and defend' the Constitution (Article 60) but acts on ministerial advice; Parliament can amend the Constitution (Article 368) but is itself bound by it; the Vice-President is ex-officio Chairman of the Rajya Sabha.

Answer: (C) Civil Disobedience Movement

The Dandi (Salt) March - Gandhi and 78 followers walked about 385 km (240 miles) from Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi between 12 March and 6 April 1930 - launched the Civil Disobedience Movement by breaking the salt law. The Swadeshi-Boycott movement (1905) arose from the Partition of Bengal, the Non-Cooperation Movement (1920-22) was called off after Chauri Chaura, and the Quit India Movement began on 8-9 August 1942 with the 'Do or Die' call. Parallel salt marches: C. Rajagopalachari to Vedaranyam and K. Kelappan to Payyanur.

Answer: (D) Turkey

The Khilafat Movement (1919-24) protested against the harsh treatment of Ottoman Turkey after the First World War (Treaty of Sevres, 1920) and sought to preserve the authority of the Ottoman Sultan as Khalifa (Caliph), the spiritual head of Sunni Muslims. It was led by the Ali brothers (Muhammad and Shaukat Ali), Maulana Azad, Hakim Ajmal Khan and Hasrat Mohani, and Gandhi linked it with Non-Cooperation. The issue died when Mustafa Kemal Ataturk abolished the Caliphate in 1924. Arabia and Iran were not its focus, and India was only the theatre of the agitation.

Answer: (A) Aung San Suu Kyi

Letters from Burma (1996-97) is a collection of 52 essays that Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar's pro-democracy leader and Nobel Peace laureate (1991), wrote for a Japanese newspaper after her release from house arrest; her other well-known book is Freedom from Fear. The other options are people linked with Burma in different ways: Rashbehari Bose lived in exile in Japan and worked in South-East Asia, Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay worked in Rangoon for years (his Pather Dabi is set in Burma), and Subhas Chandra Bose was imprisoned in Mandalay and later led the INA campaign through Burma.

Answer: (B) high $k$ and low $\delta$

Diamond has the highest thermal conductivity of any natural material (about $2000\,W\,m^{-1}K^{-1}$, roughly five times that of copper), because heat is carried very efficiently by lattice vibrations (phonons) through its rigid network of strong C-C bonds. But every carbon atom uses all four valence electrons in $sp^3$ covalent bonds, leaving no free electrons, so diamond is an electrical insulator: high $k$, low $\delta$. Graphite ($sp^2$, with delocalised electrons) conducts electricity; metals such as copper and silver are high in both.

Answer: (D) 1857

The University of Calcutta was established on 24 January 1857 under Lord Canning, as recommended by Wood's Despatch of 1854 (option C); the universities of Bombay and Madras followed the same year, all modelled on the University of London. Sir James William Colvile was its first Vice-Chancellor, Sir Gooroodas Banerjee the first Indian Vice-Chancellor (1890) and Sir Asutosh Mookerjee its most celebrated. 1817 is the founding year of Hindu College (later Presidency College), and 1911 is the year the Partition of Bengal was annulled.

Answer: (A) Fazlul Haque

Abul Kasem Fazlul Huq (1873-1962) was called 'Sher-e-Bangla' (Tiger of Bengal). He founded the Krishak Praja Party, became the first Premier of Bengal in 1937, moved the Lahore (Pakistan) Resolution in March 1940 and later led the United Front in East Pakistan. Haji Muhammad Mohsin was a philanthropist of Hooghly (Mohsin Fund, Hooghly Imambara); Maulana Azad edited Al-Hilal and was independent India's first Education Minister; Nawab Salimullah of Dhaka hosted the founding session of the Muslim League in 1906. Compare: 'Sher-e-Punjab' - Maharaja Ranjit Singh; 'Punjab Kesari' - Lala Lajpat Rai.

Answer: (C) Jindhagada

PSC's final key accepts Jindhagada Peak (about 1,690 m) in the Araku region of Andhra Pradesh as the highest point of the Eastern Ghats, slightly higher than nearby Arma Konda/Sitamma Konda (1,680 m) and Deomali in Odisha (1,672 m). Many older textbooks name Mahendragiri (1,501 m, Odisha), so know both, but follow the PSC answer. 'Nilgiri' refers to the Nilgiri Hills, where the Eastern and Western Ghats meet (highest peak Doddabetta, 2,637 m), and Anaimudi (2,695 m, Kerala) is the highest peak of the Western Ghats and of peninsular India.

Answer: (D) None of the above

Answer as of 2021 — this may have changed since.

The National Register of Citizens is a register - a list of Indian citizens - not a draft, a Bill or an Act, so PSC's answer is 'None of the above'. It is prepared under the Citizenship Act, 1955 (section 14A, inserted in 2003) and the Citizenship Rules, 2003. First compiled in 1951, it has been updated only in Assam, under Supreme Court supervision: the draft appeared in July 2018 and the final NRC on 31 August 2019, leaving out about 19 lakh applicants. Do not confuse it with the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA), which is an Act, or with the National Population Register (NPR).

Answer: (A) Feminist Movement

The Chipko ('hug the trees') movement began in 1973 at Mandal in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand (then in Uttar Pradesh), led by Chandi Prasad Bhatt and later Sunderlal Bahuguna; in 1974 Gaura Devi and the women of Reni village hugged trees to stop the contractors. Because village women were its backbone, it is often described as an eco-feminist movement, which is why PSC's key gives 'Feminist Movement'. It was not a tribal, party-political or caste movement. It inspired the Appiko movement in Karnataka (1983); its forerunner was the Bishnoi sacrifice at Khejarli (1730) led by Amrita Devi. Chipko is most commonly classified as an environmental (forest conservation) movement, which is not among the options; PSC's final key confirms (A) 'Feminist Movement', evidently on the strength of its women-led, eco-feminist character.

Answer: (D) Akbar

Ain-i-Dahsala (the Zabti or Bandobast system) was introduced by Akbar in 1580, the 24th year of his reign, with Raja Todar Mal as its architect: the average produce and prices of the previous ten years (dah = ten) were worked out and one-third of the average produce was fixed as the state's share, payable in cash. Sher Shah had earlier introduced land measurement and the patta-qabuliyat system, on which Akbar built; Firoz Tughlaq levied only the four taxes sanctioned by the Sharia and built canals; Balban is known for his theory of kingship and his 'blood and iron' policy.

Answer: (A) January 1, 2015

NITI Aayog (National Institution for Transforming India) was set up by a Cabinet resolution on 1 January 2015, replacing the Planning Commission (established 15 March 1950). It is a non-constitutional, non-statutory think tank promoting cooperative federalism: the Prime Minister is its Chairperson, Arvind Panagariya was the first Vice-Chairperson, and its Governing Council includes all Chief Ministers and Lt. Governors. Unlike the Planning Commission, it does not allocate funds to states. The Five Year Plans ended with the 12th Plan (2012-17).

Answer: (A) V. D. Savarkar

V. D. Savarkar, sentenced in 1910-11 to two life terms (50 years) in the Cellular Jail in the Andamans in the Nasik Conspiracy (Jackson murder) case, submitted several clemency petitions to the British government (1911, 1913 and later); he was moved to Ratnagiri in 1921 and released conditionally in 1924. Tilak served six years in Mandalay (1908-14) without seeking mercy, Sukhdev Thapar was hanged with Bhagat Singh and Rajguru on 23 March 1931, and Chandra Shekhar Azad was never captured - he shot himself at Alfred Park, Allahabad, in February 1931.

Answer: (A) A. O. Hume, about Indian National Congress

The 'safety valve' theory holds that A. O. Hume, a retired ICS officer, founded the Indian National Congress in 1885 with Viceroy Lord Dufferin's blessing, to provide a harmless outlet for rising Indian discontent and prevent another 1857. It rests on William Wedderburn's biography of Hume, was popularised by Lala Lajpat Rai (Young India, 1916) and R. Palme Dutt, and is rejected by historians such as Bipan Chandra, who argue that the early nationalists used Hume as a 'lightning conductor'. The Indian Association (1876), the Zamindari Association or Landholders' Society (1838) and the British Indian Association (1851) are earlier bodies used here as distractors.

Answer: (B) Dingko Singh

Ngangom Dingko Singh of Manipur won the bantamweight gold at the 1998 Bangkok Asian Games - India's first boxing gold at the Asiad in 16 years - and received the Arjuna Award (1998) and the Padma Shri (2013). He died of liver cancer on 10 June 2021, aged 42, having inspired a generation of boxers including M. C. Mary Kom. Pooja Rani, Amit Panghal (Asian Games gold, 2018) and Shiva Thapa were all active boxers at the time.

Answer: (A) a sermon read in the name of the ruler at Friday prayers.

The khutba is the sermon delivered at the Friday congregational (Jumma) and Eid prayers; in medieval India the reigning ruler's name was read in it, and this, together with striking coins in his name (sikka), was the accepted proof of sovereignty. A royal order was a farman, a religious decree or legal opinion is a fatwa, and the taxes were kharaj (land tax), jizya (on non-Muslims), zakat and khams. Example: Babur had the khutba read in his name at Delhi after the First Battle of Panipat (1526).

Answer: (C) Siachen

Siachen, about 76 km long in the eastern Karakoram (Ladakh), is the largest glacier in India and the second longest outside the polar regions after Fedchenko in Tajikistan; it is the source of the Nubra river. Gangotri (about 30 km, Uttarakhand) is the source of the Bhagirathi at Gaumukh, and Pindari is a small Kumaon glacier feeding the Pindar river. Hispar (about 49 km) and its neighbour Biafo lie in the Karakoram of Gilgit-Baltistan, under Pakistan's control. In Sikkim the largest glacier is Zemu.

Answer: (D) Purulia

In West Bengal, mica occurs in the Chotanagpur plateau fringe of Purulia district (with minor occurrences in Bankura), so PSC's answer is Purulia, which is also known for rock phosphate (Beldih), china clay, limestone (Jhalda) and base-metal deposits. Paschim Bardhaman is the coal belt (Raniganj, Asansol); Birbhum has coal (Deocha-Pachami), china clay and basalt (Md. Bazar); Bankura has tungsten/wolfram (Chhendapathar) and china clay. Nationally, mica comes mainly from Andhra Pradesh (Nellore), Rajasthan and the Koderma belt of Jharkhand.

Answer: (C) Tulsidas

Goswami Tulsidas, a contemporary of Akbar, composed the Ramcharitmanas in Awadhi from 1574; his other works include Vinay Patrika, Kavitavali, Dohavali and Hanuman Chalisa. Harisena was Samudragupta's court poet, who composed the Allahabad Pillar inscription (Prayag Prashasti); Harshavardhana wrote the Sanskrit plays Nagananda, Ratnavali and Priyadarshika; Jayadeva, court poet of Lakshmana Sena of Bengal, wrote the Gita Govinda. Other Ramayanas: Valmiki (Sanskrit), Kamban (Tamil), Krittibas Ojha (Bengali).

Answer: (C) 6V

In a series battery, each wrongly (reverse) connected cell not only fails to add its emf but also cancels one correctly connected cell. With $n$ cells of emf $E$ and $m$ of them reversed, net emf $=(n-2m)E=(10-2\times2)\times1=6\,V$ - equivalently, 8 cells aid ($8\,V$) and 2 oppose ($2\,V$). Option (A), $8\,V$, is the common mistake of merely leaving out the two cells. The internal resistances of all 10 cells still add up, so the current falls even further.

Answer: (B) Sankosh

The Sankosh river, rising in Bhutan (where it is called Puna Tsang Chhu), flows along the eastern edge of Alipurduar district and forms the boundary between West Bengal and Assam. The Raidak, Kaljani and Chel are rivers within North Bengal: the Raidak and Kaljani flow through Alipurduar and Cooch Behar, and the Chel is a tributary of the Teesta system in the Kalimpong-Jalpaiguri Dooars. Other boundary rivers: Mechi (West Bengal-Nepal) and Ichamati-Kalindi-Raimangal and Hariabhanga (West Bengal-Bangladesh).

Answer: (C) Iltutmish

Shamsuddin Iltutmish (1211-36) organised the iqta system in the Delhi Sultanate: the empire was divided into iqtas (territorial assignments) given to nobles and officers (iqtadars or muqtis) in lieu of salary, who collected revenue, maintained troops and remitted the surplus (fawazil) to the centre; the assignments were transferable, not hereditary. Balban tightened control over the iqtadars, Alauddin Khalji curtailed iqtas and paid his soldiers in cash, and Firoz Tughlaq made them hereditary. Iltutmish also introduced the silver tanka and copper jital and formed the Chahalgani (Group of Forty).

Answer: (D) Dinabandhu Mitra

Nil Darpan (1860) by Dinabandhu Mitra exposed the oppression of Bengal's ryots by European indigo planters and gave voice to the Indigo Revolt of 1859-60. Its English translation, attributed to Michael Madhusudan Dutt, was published by Rev. James Long, who was fined and jailed for it. Harish Chandra Mukherjee championed the indigo cultivators through his paper Hindoo Patriot; Girish Chandra Ghosh was the father of Bengali public theatre; D. L. Roy wrote historical plays such as Shahjahan and Chandragupta. Nil Darpan was the first play staged commercially by the National Theatre (1872).

Answer: (B) Bharati

Bharati, commissioned on 18 March 2012 at the Larsemann Hills in East Antarctica, is India's third Antarctic research station. Dakshin Gangotri (1983-84) was the first; it got buried in ice and is now only a supply base. Maitri (1989), in the Schirmacher Oasis, is the second and still operates alongside Bharati. 'Priyadarshini' is the name of the freshwater lake near Maitri. India's Arctic station is Himadri (2008, Svalbard, Norway); the nodal agency is NCPOR, Goa.

Answer: (B) Pascal's law

Pascal's law states that pressure applied to an enclosed incompressible fluid is transmitted undiminished in all directions; a small force on a small piston therefore produces a large force on a big piston ($F_2=F_1\frac{A_2}{A_1}$). Hydraulic presses, lifts, jacks and brakes all use it. Archimedes' principle deals with buoyancy (ships, hydrometer), Bernoulli's principle relates pressure and speed in a flowing fluid (aeroplane lift, atomiser, venturimeter), and the Reynolds number tells whether a flow is streamline or turbulent.

Answer: (C) decreases

A swing behaves like a pendulum with $T=2\pi\sqrt{\frac{L}{g}}$, where $L$ is the distance from the point of suspension to the centre of mass. When the person stands up, the centre of mass rises, the effective length decreases, and so the time period decreases (the swing oscillates faster). $T$ does not depend on mass, so a second person merely sitting alongside makes no difference. Reverse cases: $T$ increases on the Moon or on a mountain (smaller $g$) and becomes infinite in a freely falling lift or an orbiting satellite.

Answer: (B) Bramhabandhab Upadhyay

Sandhya, a Bengali evening daily started in 1904, was edited by Brahmabandhab Upadhyay (born Bhabani Charan Bandyopadhyay), whose fiery, colloquial writing made it a leading voice of extremist nationalism during the Swadeshi movement; he was tried for sedition and died during the trial in 1907. Satish Chandra Mukherjee founded the Dawn Society and its journal Dawn; Sisir Kumar Ghosh founded Amrita Bazar Patrika (1868); Bhupendranath Datta, younger brother of Swami Vivekananda, edited Jugantar. Bande Mataram was associated with Bipin Chandra Pal and Aurobindo Ghosh.

Answer: (C) TCS

Answer as of 2021 — this may have changed since.

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), founded in 1968 and headquartered in Mumbai, was India's largest IT services company by revenue, market capitalisation and number of employees in 2021 (it crossed 5 lakh employees that year). It was followed by Infosys, HCL Technologies, Wipro and Tech Mahindra. TCS's first chief, F. C. Kohli, is called the 'father of the Indian IT industry'. Rankings are time-sensitive, but TCS has consistently held the top position.

Answer: (B) Devprayag

At Devprayag (Tehri Garhwal, Uttarakhand) the Bhagirathi, coming from Gaumukh (Gangotri glacier), meets the Alaknanda, coming from the Satopanth glacier near Badrinath; from here the river is called the Ganga. Devprayag is the last of the Panch Prayag on the Alaknanda: Vishnuprayag (Dhauliganga), Nandaprayag (Nandakini), Karnaprayag (Pindar), Rudraprayag (Mandakini) and Devprayag (Bhagirathi). The Ganga enters the plains at Haridwar and meets the Yamuna at Allahabad (Prayagraj).

Answer: (B) Iqtiaruddin Bin Baktiar Khilji

Ikhtiyaruddin Muhammad bin Bakhtiyar Khalji, a general under Qutbuddin Aibak, surprised Nadia (Nabadwip) around 1204-05, forcing Lakshmana Sena to flee to East Bengal, and set up his capital at Lakhnauti (Gaur); he had earlier destroyed Nalanda, Vikramashila and Odantapuri and died in 1206 after a failed Tibet expedition. Timur invaded Delhi in 1398; Chengiz Khan reached only the Indus in 1221 (in Iltutmish's time); Abdur Rahim Khan-i-Khanan was Akbar's noble and a Hindi poet (Rahim's dohas). The main source for Bakhtiyar's raid is Minhaj-us-Siraj's Tabaqat-i-Nasiri.

Answer: (B) Ranajit Guha

The Subaltern Studies collective was founded by Ranajit Guha, who edited the first six volumes of Subaltern Studies (from 1982) and wrote Elementary Aspects of Peasant Insurgency in Colonial India (1983); the school studies history 'from below' - peasants, tribals, workers - as against elite-centred colonial and nationalist histories. The term 'subaltern' is borrowed from Antonio Gramsci. Shahid Amin (Event, Metaphor, Memory, on Chauri Chaura), Partha Chatterjee (The Nation and Its Fragments) and Gautam Bhadra were members of the group, not its founder, as were Dipesh Chakrabarty, Gyanendra Pandey and David Hardiman.

Answer: (C) Muhammad Bin Tughlaq

Ibn Battuta, the Moroccan traveller from Tangier, reached India in 1333 during the reign of Muhammad bin Tughlaq (1325-51), who appointed him Qazi of Delhi and in 1342 sent him as envoy to China; his travelogue is the Rihla. Akbar's court received travellers like Ralph Fitch and the Jesuit fathers, Alauddin Khalji's reign is described by Amir Khusrau and Barani, and Sher Shah's by Abbas Sarwani. Other pairings: Marco Polo - Pandya kingdom (c. 1292); Nicolo Conti and Abdur Razzaq - Deva Raya I and II; Bernier and Tavernier - Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb.

Answer: (D) None of them

There was no chief guest at the 2021 Republic Day parade: UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson had accepted the invitation but cancelled because of the COVID-19 surge in Britain - the first Republic Day without a chief guest since 1966. A 122-member contingent of the Bangladesh armed forces marched in the parade to mark 50 years of the 1971 Liberation War, which makes option (B) tempting. Chief guests around it: 2020 - Jair Bolsonaro (Brazil); 2022 - none; 2023 - Abdel Fattah El-Sisi (Egypt); 2024 - Emmanuel Macron (France); 2025 - Prabowo Subianto (Indonesia).

Answer: (A) Munda uprising

Ulgulan, meaning 'the Great Tumult', is the name of the Munda uprising of 1899-1900 led by Birsa Munda ('Dharti Aba') in the Ranchi-Khunti region of Chotanagpur against dikus (outsiders), landlords, missionaries and the British, aiming at Munda Raj; Birsa died in Ranchi jail in June 1900, and the Chotanagpur Tenancy Act (1908) followed. The Santhal rebellion (1855-56) is called the 'Hul', and the Kol uprising (1831-32) was led by Buddhu Bhagat. Birsa's birthday, 15 November, is observed as Janjatiya Gaurav Divas.

Answer: (A) Tolstoy

Leo Tolstoy's The Kingdom of God Is Within You deeply shaped Gandhi's ideas of non-violence and non-resistance to evil; the two corresponded, and Gandhi named his second South African settlement Tolstoy Farm (1910, near Johannesburg). His other major influences were John Ruskin's Unto This Last (which he paraphrased as Sarvodaya; Phoenix Settlement, 1904), Henry David Thoreau's essay on Civil Disobedience, and the Gita. Dickens was a Victorian novelist, Marx advocated class struggle and revolution, and Lincoln, though admired by Gandhi, was not a formative influence.

Answer: (D) President

Under Article 263 the President may, by order, establish an Inter-State Council to inquire into and advise upon disputes between states and to discuss subjects of common interest to the Union and the states. It was actually set up on 28 May 1990 on the recommendation of the Sarkaria Commission; the Prime Minister is its Chairman and all Chief Ministers are members, but the Prime Minister does not constitute it. Do not confuse it with the Zonal Councils, which are statutory bodies (States Reorganisation Act, 1956) chaired by the Union Home Minister.

Answer: (C) Matangini Hazra

Matangini Hazra ('Gandhi Buri') was a Gandhian satyagrahi: aged 72, she was shot dead holding the tricolour while leading an unarmed Quit India procession to the Tamluk police station on 29 September 1942. The others were armed revolutionaries: Bina Das fired at Governor Stanley Jackson at the Calcutta University convocation (1932); Santi Ghosh and Suniti Chaudhuri, schoolgirls of Comilla, shot dead District Magistrate Stevens (1931); Kalpana Datta (Joshi) belonged to Surya Sen's Chittagong group. Pritilata Waddedar led the attack on the Pahartali European Club (1932).

Answer: (C) Jodhpur

Rainfall variability is inversely related to the amount of rainfall: the lower the average rainfall, the more it fluctuates from year to year. Jodhpur, in the arid Thar region of western Rajasthan, gets scanty monsoon rain (roughly 35-40 cm a year) with a coefficient of variability above 50%, whereas Kolkata, Ranchi and Lucknow lie in regions of assured monsoon rain with variability of roughly 15-25%. Hence drought-prone areas are precisely the low-rainfall, high-variability areas - western Rajasthan, Kutch and the rain-shadow belt of the Deccan.

Answer: (C) Andhra coast

Very Severe Cyclonic Storm Hudhud made landfall near Visakhapatnam on the Andhra Pradesh coast on 12 October 2014 with winds of about 180-185 km/h, devastating the city and also affecting southern Odisha. The name was contributed by Oman and refers to the hoopoe bird. Other cyclones to link with coasts: Phailin (2013) and Fani (2019) - Odisha; Vardah (2016) - Chennai; Ockhi (2017) - Kerala and Tamil Nadu; Aila (2009), Bulbul (2019) and Amphan (2020) - West Bengal.

Answer: (C) President

'Constructed' here means constituted. Under Article 324(2) the Chief Election Commissioner and the other Election Commissioners are appointed by the President; the Commission has been a three-member body since 1993, and the CEC can be removed only in the manner of a Supreme Court judge. Since the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners Act, 2023, the President appoints them on the recommendation of a committee of the Prime Minister, a Union Cabinet Minister and the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha. The first CEC was Sukumar Sen; the Vice-President, Prime Minister alone and CJI have no appointing role.

Answer: (D) Solid $CO_2$

Dry ice is solid carbon dioxide. At atmospheric pressure it does not melt but sublimes directly into gas at about $-78.5^{\circ}C$, leaving no liquid - hence 'dry'. It is used as a refrigerant for transporting vaccines, ice cream and frozen food, and for stage fog. Ordinary ice is solid $H_2O$ whatever its temperature; $4^{\circ}C$ is the temperature at which water (a liquid then) has maximum density; solid $SO_2$ has no such use. Other substances that sublime: camphor, naphthalene, iodine, ammonium chloride.

Answer: (A) Tamil Nadu

Answer as of 2021 — this may have changed since.

The Muppandal Wind Farm in Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu, with an installed capacity of about 1,500 MW, is India's largest operational onshore wind farm, helped by winds funnelled through the Aralvaimozhi (Aramboly) pass of the Western Ghats. The Jaisalmer Wind Park in Rajasthan (about 1,064 MW) is second. Tamil Nadu and Gujarat are the two leading states in total installed wind capacity, with Gujarat having moved ahead in recent years; Maharashtra, Karnataka, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh follow. India ranks fourth in the world in installed wind power.

Answer: (D) convection currents are set up.

Air cooled by the freezing compartment becomes denser and sinks, while warmer, lighter air from below rises to take its place and gets cooled in turn. These convection currents carry cold air through the whole cabinet, which is possible only if the cooling unit is at the top. Conduction is negligible because air is a very poor conductor of heat, and convenience or cost is not the reason. For the same reason air-conditioners are fixed high on a wall, while room heaters are kept near the floor.

Answer: (B) Falta

The Falta Export Processing Zone in South 24 Parganas, on the Hooghly about 55 km from Kolkata, was set up in 1984 as one of India's early EPZs and was converted into the Falta Special Economic Zone in 2003 (SEZ policy of 2000; SEZ Act, 2005). Haldia is a port and petrochemical centre, Kakdwip a fishing harbour, and Raichak a riverside tourist spot. India's - and Asia's - first EPZ was Kandla (1965), followed by SEEPZ at Santacruz, Mumbai (1973); Falta, Noida, Chennai and Cochin came in 1984 and Visakhapatnam in 1989.

Answer: (C) Reserve Bank of India

Under Section 22 of the RBI Act, 1934, the Reserve Bank of India has the sole right to issue bank notes; they carry the RBI Governor's signature and are issued under the Minimum Reserve System (since 1957: Rs. 200 crore, of which Rs. 115 crore in gold). The exception is the one-rupee note and all coins, which are issued by the Government of India - the Re. 1 note is signed by the Finance Secretary - though the RBI puts them into circulation. Notes are printed at Nashik and Dewas (SPMCIL) and at Mysuru and Salboni (BRBNMPL). SBI is only a commercial bank.

Answer: (D) Lord Irwin

Lord Irwin was Viceroy and Governor-General from 1926 to 1931, so the Dandi March and the start of Civil Disobedience (March-April 1930) fall in his tenure; his term also saw the Simon Commission (1927-28), the Lahore Congress (1929), the First Round Table Conference and the Gandhi-Irwin Pact (5 March 1931). Lord Minto II (1905-10) is linked with the Morley-Minto Reforms, Lord Hardinge II (1910-16) with the Delhi Durbar and the annulment of Partition, and Lord Linlithgow (1936-43) with the August Offer, the Cripps Mission and Quit India. Lord Willingdon followed Irwin and suppressed the second phase of the movement.

Answer: (A) Union of states

Article 1(1) declares: 'India, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of States.' The word 'federation' appears nowhere in the Constitution; Dr Ambedkar explained that 'Union' was chosen because the Indian federation is not the result of an agreement among the states and no state has the right to secede. India is federal in structure with a strong unitary bias (K. C. Wheare called it 'quasi-federal'), so neither 'Federation' nor 'Unitary' is the constitutional description, and a confederation is a loose league of sovereign states. PSC's final key confirms (A).

Answer: (B) 1911

The Partition of Bengal, carried out by Lord Curzon with effect from 16 October 1905, was annulled by King George V at the Delhi Durbar on 12 December 1911, during the viceroyalty of Lord Hardinge II; the same announcement shifted the capital from Calcutta to Delhi. The reunited Bengal became a Governor's province in 1912, Bihar and Orissa were separated as a new province, and Assam again became a Chief Commissioner's province. 1905 is the year of the partition itself and 1947 that of the second partition at independence.

Answer: (C) The members of the both Houses of Parliament through the method of proportional representation by single transferable vote.

The Public Accounts Committee has 22 members - 15 from the Lok Sabha and 7 from the Rajya Sabha - elected every year by the members of each House from among themselves by proportional representation through the single transferable vote, so that all parties are represented; a Minister cannot be a member. The Speaker appoints the Chairman, by convention from the Opposition since 1967. The PAC examines the CAG's audit reports and is the oldest financial committee (1921). The Estimates Committee has 30 members, all from the Lok Sabha; the Committee on Public Undertakings has 22.

Answer: (D) Dadabhai Naoroji

Dadabhai Naoroji (1825-1917) is the 'Grand Old Man of India': three-time Congress President (1886, 1893 and 1906, when 'Swaraj' was declared the goal), the first Indian elected to the British House of Commons (1892, Liberal, Central Finsbury) and author of the Drain Theory in Poverty and Un-British Rule in India. Badruddin Tyabji was the first Muslim President of the Congress (1887); Surendranath Banerjee, 'Rashtraguru' or 'Surrender-Not', wrote A Nation in Making; G. K. Gokhale, Gandhi's political guru, founded the Servants of India Society (1905).

Answer: (C) SOI

Topographical maps (toposheets) of India are prepared and published by the Survey of India (SOI), the national mapping agency founded in 1767, headquartered at Dehradun, under the Department of Science and Technology. NATMO (National Atlas and Thematic Mapping Organisation, Kolkata, 1956) publishes atlases and thematic maps; GSI (Geological Survey of India, 1851, Kolkata) prepares geological maps; ZSI (Zoological Survey of India, 1916, Kolkata) surveys fauna. Toposheets come in scales of 1:250,000, 1:50,000 and 1:25,000; James Rennell was the first Surveyor General of Bengal.

Answer: (D) continuous increase in price level.

Inflation is a sustained, continuous rise in the general price level over time, which erodes the purchasing power of money. A one-time rise in prices is not inflation, rising profits are a possible effect, and deficit financing is one of its causes rather than its definition. In India, headline inflation is measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI-Combined) compiled by NSO, and under flexible inflation targeting the RBI's Monetary Policy Committee aims at 4% with a band of 2% on either side. Related terms: deflation (falling prices), disinflation (a falling rate of inflation), stagflation (inflation with stagnation).

Answer: (C) longitudinal and transverse

Waves on a water surface are neither purely transverse nor purely longitudinal: water particles move in roughly circular or elliptical paths, so they are displaced both up and down (transverse) and to and fro along the direction of travel (longitudinal). A motor boat's propeller also sends longitudinal pressure (sound) waves through the water below. Purely transverse waves: light, waves on a string; purely longitudinal: sound in air. Stationary (standing) waves need two identical waves travelling in opposite directions, as on a guitar string.

Answer: (D) 23rd March 1940

The Lahore Resolution, later called the Pakistan Resolution, was moved by A. K. Fazlul Huq at the Muslim League's Lahore session, presided over by M. A. Jinnah, on 23 March 1940 (and adopted the next day); it demanded 'independent states' in the Muslim-majority north-west and east. The word 'Pakistan', coined by Choudhry Rahmat Ali in 1933, does not appear in it. 16 August 1946 was the League's Direct Action Day (Great Calcutta Killings); 1935 recalls the Government of India Act; April 1942 is the time of the Cripps Mission. Pakistan observes 23 March as Pakistan Day.

Answer: (B) Syed Mir Nasar Ali

Titumir's real name was Syed Mir Nisar Ali (1782-1831). A follower of Syed Ahmad of Rae Bareli, he led a Wahhabi-inspired (Tariqah-i-Muhammadiya) peasant uprising in the Barasat area of 24 Parganas against zamindars such as Krishnadeb Roy, indigo planters and the Company - the Barasat Uprising. He built the famous bamboo fort (Bansher Kella) at Narkelberia, where he was killed by British artillery on 19 November 1831; his lieutenant Ghulam Masum was hanged. Syed Ameer Ali (compare option C) was a jurist who founded the Central National Mahommedan Association (1877).

Answer: (C) 1931

The transfer of the capital from Calcutta to Delhi was announced by George V at the Delhi Durbar of December 1911 (option B is the trap), and Lord Hardinge moved there in 1912; but the new city designed by Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker took two decades to build and was formally inaugurated by Lord Irwin on 13 February 1931. 1905 is the year of the Partition of Bengal and 1947 that of independence. Lutyens designed the Viceroy's House (Rashtrapati Bhavan) and India Gate; Baker designed the Secretariat blocks and Parliament House.

Answer: (A) 78 A.D.

The Saka era (Sakabda) begins in 78 CE and is traditionally linked with the accession of the Kushana king Kanishka. It is the basis of India's National Calendar, adopted from 22 March 1957 (1 Chaitra 1879 Saka): Saka year = CE year minus 78. The Vikram Samvat begins in 57 BCE, the Gupta era in 319-20 CE, the Harsha era in 606 CE, the Hijri era in 622 CE, and the Bengali san is reckoned from 593-94 CE. Option (B), 78 B.C.E., plays on the BCE/CE confusion.

Answer: (B) Karnataka

The Sharavati Hydroelectric Project is in Shivamogga district of Karnataka, on the west-flowing Sharavati river, which forms the famous Jog (Gersoppa) Falls, about 253 m high; it includes the Linganamakki Dam and the Sharavathi and Mahatma Gandhi generating stations. Other Karnataka projects: Shivanasamudra on the Kaveri (1902, among Asia's earliest) and Kalinadi. For contrast: Kerala - Idukki, Sabarigiri; Maharashtra - Koyna; Madhya Pradesh - Indira Sagar and Omkareshwar on the Narmada.

Answer: (D) Rohit Sharma

The Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna for 2020 went to five sportspersons - cricketer Rohit Sharma, para-athlete Mariyappan Thangavelu, table-tennis player Manika Batra, wrestler Vinesh Phogat and hockey player Rani Rampal. Rohit was the fourth cricketer to receive it, after Sachin Tendulkar (1997-98), M. S. Dhoni (2007) and Virat Kohli (2018, with Mirabai Chanu). Shikhar Dhawan received the Arjuna Award in 2021; Suresh Raina has received neither. In August 2021 the award was renamed the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna; its first recipient (1991-92) was Viswanathan Anand.

Answer: (B) Vice-President

'His Superfluous Highness' is the nickname of the Vice-President: it was first used (and is attributed to Benjamin Franklin) for the Vice-President of the USA, an office with few functions of its own, and is applied to India's Vice-President too, since the Constitution assigns him no significant function as Vice-President. His real work is as ex-officio Chairman of the Rajya Sabha (Article 64) and as acting President during a vacancy (Article 65). He is elected by the members of both Houses of Parliament (Article 66). The Governor, by contrast, is sometimes called the 'agent of the Centre'.

Answer: (B) Harisena

The Allahabad Pillar inscription, or Prayag Prashasti, was composed in ornate Sanskrit (champu style, mixing prose and verse) by Harisena, court poet and minister (sandhivigrahika, kumaramatya) of Samudragupta; it lists his conquests in Aryavarta and Dakshinapatha, on the strength of which V. A. Smith called him the 'Napoleon of India'. The same pillar carries edicts of Ashoka and an inscription of Jahangir. Rudradaman, the Saka ruler, issued the Junagadh (Girnar) inscription, the first long inscription in chaste Sanskrit; Banabhatta, Harsha's court poet, wrote Harshacharita and Kadambari.

Answer: (D) Sn and Pb

Soft solder is an alloy of tin (Sn) and lead (Pb) - typically about 60:40 - with a low melting point (around $183^{\circ}C$ to $190^{\circ}C$), which is why it is used to join electrical and metal parts; lead-free solders (tin with silver and copper) are now preferred in electronics. Tin + copper is bronze, copper + zinc is brass, and copper + zinc + nickel is German silver. Stainless steel is iron with chromium, nickel and carbon. Other alloys: duralumin (Al, Cu, Mg, Mn), gun metal (Cu, Sn, Zn), type metal (Pb, Sb, Sn).

Answer: (B) Puducherry

In Census 2011, Puducherry had the highest sex ratio among the Union Territories - 1,037 females per 1,000 males - second in the country only to Kerala (1,084), these being the only two states/UTs above 1,000. Lakshadweep had 946, Chandigarh 818, and Daman and Diu the lowest in India at 618, because of male in-migration for industry. The all-India figure was 943 (child sex ratio 919) and West Bengal's 950; Haryana was the lowest among the states (879).

Answer: (D) Petrolium crudes

Answer as of 2021 — this may have changed since.

Crude petroleum is by far India's largest import item, about one-fifth to one-quarter of the total import bill, since India imports over 85% of its crude requirement - in 2021 mainly from Iraq, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, with Russia becoming the largest supplier after 2022. Gold is usually among the top items after crude, along with electronic goods, coal and machinery; platinum is minor. Refined petroleum products, by contrast, are among India's top exports, thanks to large refineries such as Jamnagar. Rankings change every year, so check the latest Economic Survey.

Answer: (B) Rs. 1,00,000

Under Gatidhara, launched by the West Bengal Transport Department in 2014, registered unemployed youth (aged 20-45, with family income up to Rs. 25,000 a month) get a subsidy of 30% of the ex-showroom price of a commercial vehicle, subject to a maximum of Rs. 1 lakh, the balance being financed through a bank loan; the aim is self-employment in the transport sector. Related state schemes: Yuvasree (unemployment assistance), Karma Sathi Prakalpa (soft loans up to Rs. 2 lakh for new enterprises) and Swami Vivekananda Swanirbhar Karmasansthan Prakalpa.

Answer: (C) 1948

The first Industrial Policy Resolution was announced on 6 April 1948 by Industry Minister Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee; it laid the basis of a mixed economy by dividing industries into four categories, from state monopolies (arms, atomic energy, railways) to the private sector. The second IPR of 30 April 1956, based on the Mahalanobis model and the 'socialistic pattern of society', had three Schedules (A, B, C) and is called the 'economic constitution of India'. 1951 is the year of the Industries (Development and Regulation) Act and the First Five Year Plan; the New Industrial Policy came on 24 July 1991.

Answer: (C) Greenhouse

A box-type solar cooker has a glass cover and a blackened interior: short-wave solar radiation passes through the glass and is absorbed, but the long-wave infrared radiation re-emitted by the hot interior cannot escape through the glass, so heat is trapped - exactly the greenhouse effect; a plane-mirror reflector adds more sunlight. A bolometer measures radiant energy through a change of resistance, a pyrometer measures very high temperatures from a distance, and a solar PV cell converts light directly into electricity (photovoltaic effect).

Answer: (B) 1993

The Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993 (preceded by an Ordinance of 28 September 1993) set up the National Human Rights Commission on 12 October 1993, and provided for State Human Rights Commissions and Human Rights Courts, in line with the Paris Principles; Justice Ranganath Misra was the first NHRC Chairperson. After the 2019 amendment the Chairperson may be a former Chief Justice or Judge of the Supreme Court, with a term of three years or until the age of 70. The West Bengal Human Rights Commission was set up in 1995; Human Rights Day is 10 December.

Answer: (A) A rank or office

Mansab (Arabic for rank, position or office) was the rank held by every Mughal officer under the mansabdari system organised by Akbar. Each rank had two parts - zat (personal status and pay) and sawar (number of cavalry to be maintained) - and ranged from 10 to 10,000; mansabdars were paid in cash (naqdi) or through jagirs, and ranks were not hereditary. A military commander was a sipahsalar, a revenue-free land grant was madad-i-maash (suyurghal, inam), and mansab has nothing to do with a religious text. Jahangir added the du-aspa sih-aspa rank.

Answer: (C) 65 years

Under Article 124(2) a Supreme Court judge holds office until the age of 65; High Court judges retire at 62 (Article 217; raised from 60 by the 15th Amendment, 1963). There is no fixed tenure, and a judge can be removed only by the President after an address by each House of Parliament, passed by a special majority, on the ground of proved misbehaviour or incapacity. For comparison: CAG and members of UPSC - 6 years or age 65; members of a State PSC - 6 years or age 62; CEC - 6 years or age 65.

Answer: (D) Tungabhadra

The Kurnool-Cuddapah (K.C.) Canal, built in the 1860s by the Madras Irrigation and Canal Company and later taken over by the government, takes off from the Sunkesula anicut (barrage) on the Tungabhadra river near Kurnool and links the Tungabhadra with the Penna (Pennar), irrigating the Rayalaseema districts of Kurnool and Kadapa in Andhra Pradesh. The Tungabhadra is the largest tributary of the Krishna, which is why option (B) is tempting. The Cauvery has the Grand Anicut (Kallanai) and the Mettur canals; the Tapti has the Ukai and Kakrapar projects.

Answer: (A) Cuttack

The Central Rice Research Institute was established at Cuttack, Odisha, in 1946 in the aftermath of the Bengal Famine of 1943; it works under ICAR and is now called the National Rice Research Institute (NRRI). The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) is at Los Banos, Philippines. Dhanbad has the Central Institute of Mining and Fuel Research and IIT (ISM); Kanpur has the National Sugar Institute and the Indian Institute of Pulses Research; Coimbatore has the Sugarcane Breeding Institute. Others: jute - Barrackpore; potato - Shimla; cotton - Nagpur.

Answer: (C) 100.101

Convert the integer and fractional parts separately. Integer part: $4=(100)_2$. Fractional part: $0.625=\frac{1}{2}+\frac{1}{8}=(0.101)_2$ - or multiply repeatedly by 2: $0.625\times2=1.25$ (1), $0.25\times2=0.5$ (0), $0.5\times2=1.0$ (1). Hence $4.625=(100.101)_2$. Check the distractors: $100.001=4.125$, $100.110=4.75$, $100.011=4.375$. The place values after the binary point are $\frac{1}{2},\frac{1}{4},\frac{1}{8},\dots$

Answer: (D) Rashbihari Bose

The Indian Independence League was organised by Rashbehari Bose, the revolutionary who had escaped to Japan in 1915 after the Hardinge bomb case and the failed Ghadar plan; it took shape at the Tokyo and Bangkok conferences of 1942 and, with Captain Mohan Singh's Indian National Army, formed the base that Rashbehari handed over to Subhas Chandra Bose at Singapore in July 1943. C. R. Das founded the Swaraj Party (1923) and died in 1925; M. G. Ranade founded the Indian National Social Conference (1887); Ananda Mohan Bose co-founded the Indian Association (1876). Do not confuse it with the Independence for India League formed within the Congress in 1928 by Jawaharlal Nehru and Subhas Bose.

Answer: (D) Both the Houses of Parliament along with the Members of the State Assemblies.

Under Article 54 the President is elected indirectly by an electoral college consisting of the elected members of both Houses of Parliament and the elected members of the Legislative Assemblies of the states, including Delhi and Puducherry (added by the 70th Amendment, 1992). Nominated members and members of Legislative Councils do not vote. The election (Article 55) uses proportional representation by the single transferable vote and secret ballot, with the value of an MLA's vote based on the 1971 census population. Disputes are decided by the Supreme Court (Article 71).

Answer: (B) His charka (spinning wheel)

The charkha (spinning wheel) was Gandhi's chief symbol: it stood for swadeshi, self-reliance, the dignity of manual labour and the boycott of foreign cloth, and khadi spinning became part of the Congress programme from the Non-Cooperation Movement. A charkha stood at the centre of the Swaraj flag adopted by the Congress in 1931 and was replaced by the Ashoka Chakra in the national flag in July 1947. His round spectacles (now the Swachh Bharat logo), walking stick and the white 'Gandhi cap' are familiar personal images, but none of them was the symbol of the movement.

Answer: (B) increase by about 11%

For a heater on a fixed supply voltage, $P=\frac{V^2}{R}$ and $R=\rho\frac{L}{A}\propto L$. Reducing the length by 10% makes $R'=0.9R$, so $P'=\frac{V^2}{0.9R}\approx1.11P$ - an increase of about 11%. Option (D) wrongly assumes power falls with length, and the 19% figure comes from wrongly using $1-0.9^2$. Moral: a shorter (or thicker) filament has lower resistance, draws more current and gives more heat at the same voltage.

Answer: (B) Science and Technology

The Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology, instituted in 1958 by CSIR in memory of its founder-director Dr S. S. Bhatnagar, was India's highest multidisciplinary science award for scientists below 45, given in seven disciplines (physical, chemical, biological, mathematical, medical, engineering, and earth-atmosphere-ocean sciences). From 2024 it continues as the 'Vigyan Yuva - Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar' category of the Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar. For peace there is the Gandhi Peace Prize, and medical sciences are only one of the Bhatnagar disciplines; it is not an economics award.

Answer: (C) a digital equivalent of pamphlets and fliers that helped mobilise protesters.

A 'toolkit' is a shared online document (often a Google Doc) that explains an issue and lists actions, hashtags and resources for supporters - the digital-age equivalent of the pamphlets and fliers used to mobilise protesters. The term made headlines in February 2021, when climate activist Greta Thunberg tweeted a toolkit supporting the farmers' protest against the three farm laws, and Delhi Police arrested Bengaluru activist Disha Ravi in the case. It is not an e-commerce platform, a hackers' site or electronic hardware. The three farm laws were repealed in November 2021.

Answer: (A) Nipah

A study by ICMR's National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, published in June 2021, reported Nipah virus antibodies in bats sampled from a cave at Mahabaleshwar in Satara district, Maharashtra - the first evidence of Nipah exposure in bats of that state. Nipah is a zoonotic virus whose natural reservoir is fruit bats (Pteropus); it was first identified in Malaysia in 1998-99, and India's outbreaks occurred at Siliguri (2001), Nadia (2007) and Kozhikode, Kerala (2018 onwards). Ebola and Zika have had no such bat finding in India, and the virus of COVID-19 is SARS-CoV-2.

Answer: (D) It will remain same.

A floating boat displaces water equal in weight to the total load it carries. If the passengers drink a mass $m$ of water from the tank, the tank loses a volume $\frac{m}{\rho}$, but the boat becomes heavier by $m$ and displaces exactly $\frac{m}{\rho}$ more water - the two effects cancel and the level stays the same. Compare the classic variants: a stone thrown from the boat into the water - level falls; ice floating in water melts - level unchanged. Atmospheric pressure plays no role.

Answer: (B) Teesta

Before 1787 the Teesta flowed south from Jalpaiguri in three channels - the Karatoya, the Punarbhaba and the Atrai (the name Tista is derived from Trisrota, 'three streams') - to join the Ganga-Padma system. The great flood of 1787 made it abandon these channels and turn south-east to join the Brahmaputra (Jamuna) in present-day Bangladesh. The Punarbhaba and Atrai still flow through Dakshin Dinajpur (Gangarampur, Balurghat) into Bangladesh. The Torsa, Jaldhaka and Raidak are separate Bhutan-Dooars rivers flowing to the Brahmaputra system.

Answer: (A) Anil Seal

Anil Seal (The Emergence of Indian Nationalism, 1968) belongs to the Cambridge School, along with John Gallagher, Gordon Johnson and C. A. Bayly, which explained nationalism through local factions and competition for patronage. The Aligarh School of Marxist-leaning historians of medieval India, based at Aligarh Muslim University, includes Mohammad Habib, Irfan Habib (The Agrarian System of Mughal India), S. Nurul Hasan, M. Athar Ali (The Mughal Nobility under Aurangzeb), Satish Chandra and Iqtidar Alam Khan.

Answer: (D) $\sqrt{6}$ times slower.

The period of a pendulum is $T=2\pi\sqrt{\frac{L}{g}}$. On the Moon $g$ is about one-sixth of its value on the Earth, so $T_{moon}=\sqrt{6}\,T_{earth}\approx2.45\,T_{earth}$: each swing takes $\sqrt{6}$ times longer and the clock runs $\sqrt{6}$ times slower. Option (C) reverses the effect and option (B) forgets the square root. A spring-driven or quartz watch would be unaffected, since it does not depend on $g$; in an orbiting satellite (effective $g=0$) a pendulum clock stops altogether.

Answer: (C) Right to Life and Personal Liberty

Article 21 reads: 'No person shall be deprived of his life or personal liberty except according to procedure established by law' - so the right it guarantees is the Right to Life and Personal Liberty, available to citizens and non-citizens alike. 'Procedure established by law' (option D, borrowed from Japan) is the standard written into the Article, and 'due process of law' (option B, the American doctrine) was read into it in Maneka Gandhi v. Union of India (1978); neither is the right itself. Right to Religion is in Articles 25-28. Privacy was held to be part of Article 21 in Puttaswamy (2017); Article 21A (education) was added by the 86th Amendment.

Answer: (B) Dadabhai Naoroji

Dadabhai Naoroji's Poverty and Un-British Rule in India (1901) set out the 'Drain of Wealth' theory - that Britain was draining India's resources through home charges, salaries, pensions and profits without any return - and he was the first to estimate India's per capita income (Rs. 20 a year). R. C. Dutt wrote The Economic History of India (2 volumes, 1902-04), A. O. Hume was a founder of the Congress and an ornithologist, and Amartya Sen (Nobel 1998) wrote Poverty and Famines (1981). Other 'drain' critics: M. G. Ranade and William Digby ('Prosperous' British India).

Answer: (A) 8

Answer as of 2021 — this may have changed since.

PSC's final key gives 8. The figure is usually reconciled with the state-run medical colleges that started between 2011 and 2021: Sagar Dutta (Kamarhati), Malda, Murshidabad (Berhampore), Cooch Behar, Raiganj, Rampurhat, Diamond Harbour and Purulia. The count depends on exactly which institutions and which ten-year window are taken, and more colleges (e.g., Barasat, Arambagh, Tamluk, Jhargram, Uluberia, Jalpaiguri) have opened since, so treat the number as time-sensitive. For this paper, remember the official answer: 8.

Answer: (C) Santhal rebellion

Sidhu and Kanhu Murmu, with their brothers Chand and Bhairav and sisters Phulo and Jhano, led the Santhal Hul of 1855-56, which began at Bhognadih in the Damin-i-Koh (Rajmahal hills) against moneylenders and traders (dikus), zamindars and Company officials; afterwards the separate district of Santhal Parganas was created. 30 June is observed as Hul Diwas. The Chuar rebellion (Jungle Mahals, 1798-99) had leaders like Durjan Singh and Rani Shiromani; the Sannyasi-Fakir rebellion (1763-1800) - Majnu Shah, Bhabani Pathak, Devi Chaudhurani; the Kol uprising (1831-32) - Buddhu Bhagat.

Answer: (A) Sulphur

Cutting an onion breaks its cells, and the enzyme alliinase acts on sulphur-containing amino acid sulfoxides to produce sulfenic acids, which are converted into the volatile gas syn-propanethial-S-oxide ($C_3H_6OS$), the lachrymatory (tear-causing) factor; in the eye it forms traces of sulphuric acid that irritate the tear glands. Garlic's smell is similarly due to the sulphur compound allicin. Chlorine and bromine compounds are used in tear gas but are not found in onions. Chilling the onion or cutting it under water reduces the effect.

Answer: (D) Pir Panjal - Zaskar - Ladakh - Karakoram

Going from south to north in the Kashmir-Ladakh region the ranges are: Shiwalik, Pir Panjal (Lesser Himalaya), Great Himalaya, Zaskar, Ladakh and Karakoram - with the Kashmir Valley between the Pir Panjal and the Great Himalaya/Zaskar, the Indus flowing between the Zaskar and Ladakh ranges, and the Shyok-Nubra valleys between the Ladakh and Karakoram ranges. Option (A) is the exact reverse (north to south). Mnemonic from the north: K-L-Z-P (Karakoram, Ladakh, Zaskar, Pir Panjal). K2 (Godwin-Austen, 8,611 m) is in the Karakoram.

Answer: (C) $2k$

The spring constant is inversely proportional to the length of the spring ($k\propto\frac{1}{L}$, i.e., $kL$ is constant): for the same force a half-length spring stretches only half as much, so each half has constant $2k$. In general, cutting a spring into $n$ equal parts gives $nk$ for each. Check with the combination rules: two halves of $2k$ in series give $\frac{2k\times2k}{2k+2k}=k$, the original spring; joined in parallel they would give $4k$ (option D). Series: $\frac{1}{k_s}=\frac{1}{k_1}+\frac{1}{k_2}$; parallel: $k_p=k_1+k_2$.

Answer: (D) Sister Nivedita

PSC's key credits Sister Nivedita (Margaret Noble), the Irish disciple of Swami Vivekananda, who designed a flag in 1904 - red and yellow, bearing the Vajra (thunderbolt) of Indra and the words 'Bonde Matoram' - which was displayed at the Congress exhibition of 1906. Other early flags: the Calcutta flag hoisted at Parsi Bagan Square on 7 August 1906 (Sachindra Prasad Bose and Hemchandra Kanungo); the flag unfurled by Madam Bhikaiji Cama at Stuttgart in 1907 (option A garbles her name); the Home Rule flag of Annie Besant and Tilak (1917); and Pingali Venkayya's design (1921), the basis of the tricolour adopted on 22 July 1947.

Answer: (D) Kangsabati

Mukutmanipur Dam in the Khatra subdivision of Bankura stands at the confluence of the Kangsabati (Kasai) and Kumari rivers; built from 1956 as part of the Kangsabati Project, it is one of India's longest earthen dams and irrigates Bankura, Purulia, Paschim Medinipur and Jhargram. The Subarnarekha has the Chandil dam and Galudih barrage (Jharkhand); the Dwarakeswar joins the Silabati near Ghatal to form the Rupnarayan; the Barakar has the DVC's Maithon and Tilaiya dams (Panchet is on the Damodar). In North Bengal, note the Teesta Barrage at Gazoldoba.

Answer: (D) $\frac{2v_1v_2}{v_1+v_2}$

Let the total distance be $2d$. Time for the first half $=\frac{d}{v_1}$ and for the second half $=\frac{d}{v_2}$. Average speed $=\frac{\text{total distance}}{\text{total time}}=\frac{2d}{\frac{d}{v_1}+\frac{d}{v_2}}=\frac{2v_1v_2}{v_1+v_2}$, the harmonic mean of the two speeds. The arithmetic mean $\frac{v_1+v_2}{2}$ (option A) applies only when the two speeds are maintained for equal times, not equal distances. Example: 40 km/h going and 60 km/h returning gives 48 km/h, not 50 km/h.

Answer: (C) 100%

Swasthya Sathi, West Bengal's group health-insurance scheme launched on 30 December 2016, gives cashless cover of up to Rs. 5 lakh per family per year for secondary and tertiary care, and the entire premium (100%) is borne by the State Government - beneficiaries pay nothing. The paperless smart card is issued in the name of the senior-most woman of the family, covers the parents of both spouses and puts no cap on family size; from December 2020 (Duare Sarkar) it was extended to all residents not covered by another scheme. Compare Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY, where the cost is shared 60:40 between the Centre and the state.

Answer: (D) National Mission for Clean Ganga

Namami Gange, approved in June 2014 as a flagship integrated conservation mission with an outlay of Rs. 20,000 crore, aims at abatement of pollution and the conservation and rejuvenation of the Ganga - sewage treatment plants, riverfront development, biodiversity and afforestation. It is implemented by the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) under the Ministry of Jal Shakti, with the National Ganga Council headed by the Prime Minister. It is not about worship, canal irrigation or river-linking (that is the separate interlinking programme, e.g., Ken-Betwa). The Ganga was declared the National River in 2008; the earlier Ganga Action Plan dates from 1985-86.

Answer: (D) Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic of Serbia won the 2021 French Open men's singles, beating Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final after losing the first two sets, having defeated 13-time champion Rafael Nadal in the semi-final; it was his 19th Grand Slam and second Roland Garros title. The women's title went to Barbora Krejcikova (Czech Republic). Daniil Medvedev won the US Open later in 2021, denying Djokovic a calendar Grand Slam. The French Open is the only Grand Slam played on clay; Nadal holds the record with 14 titles.

Answer: (C) 1 : 4

The Moon's diameter is about 3,474 km and the Earth's about 12,742 km, a ratio of roughly 0.27, i.e., nearly 1 : 4. Related ratios worth remembering: the Moon's mass is about $\frac{1}{81}$ of the Earth's, its surface gravity about $\frac{1}{6}$ and its volume about $\frac{1}{49}$. It rotates on its axis and revolves around the Earth in the same period of about 27.3 days, so we always see the same face; its mean distance is about 3,84,400 km, and moonlight takes about 1.3 seconds to reach us.

Answer: (A) the Godavari

The Godavari (1,465 km), rising at Trimbakeshwar near Nashik in the Western Ghats and flowing through Maharashtra, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh to the Bay of Bengal below Rajahmundry, is the longest and largest river of peninsular India and is called Dakshina Ganga or Vriddha Ganga. The Penganga is only a sub-tributary of the Godavari (through the Wardha and Pranhita), the Mahanadi drains Chhattisgarh and Odisha, and the Kaveri (about 800 km), though sacred and sometimes loosely called the 'Ganga of the South', is far smaller. Godavari tributaries: Pranhita, Indravati, Sabari, Manjira, Purna.

Answer: (D) A decree to prevent nationalist protests amongst students in educational institutions during the Partition of Bengal.

The Carlyle Circular of October 1905, issued by R. W. Carlyle, Chief Secretary to the Government of Bengal, threatened to withdraw grants, scholarships and affiliation from schools and colleges whose students took part in the Swadeshi and anti-Partition agitation. In reply, students led by Sachindra Prasad Basu formed the Anti-Circular Society (November 1905), and the movement for national education led to the National Council of Education (1906) and Bengal National College, with Aurobindo Ghosh as principal. Similar orders were the Pedler and Lyon circulars. The Arms Act dates from 1878, and English education from Macaulay's Minute (1835), not from after 1857.

Answer: (A) heavy body has greater momentum.

Kinetic energy and momentum are related by $K=\frac{p^2}{2m}$, so $p=\sqrt{2mK}$. For equal $K$, $p\propto\sqrt{m}$: the heavier body has the greater momentum (though the lighter one has the greater speed). Conversely, if two bodies have equal momentum, the lighter one has the greater kinetic energy, since $K\propto\frac{1}{m}$. Example: masses of 1 kg and 4 kg with equal kinetic energy have momenta in the ratio 1 : 2. Angular momentum is not relevant here.

Answer: (D) Jiffy

A jiffy is an informal unit of time, not distance - in physics it is sometimes taken as the time light takes to travel one fermi (about $3\times10^{-24}\,s$), and in electronics as one cycle of the AC mains ($\frac{1}{50}$ or $\frac{1}{60}\,s$). A light year is the distance light travels in one year ($9.46\times10^{15}\,m$), a parsec is 3.26 light years ($3.08\times10^{16}\,m$), and a furlong is one-eighth of a mile (about 201 m). Other distance units: astronomical unit ($1.496\times10^{11}\,m$), angstrom, fermi, nautical mile (1,852 m).

Answer: (A) Arunachalam Muruganantham

Pad Man (2018), directed by R. Balki with Akshay Kumar in the lead role, is based on Arunachalam Muruganantham of Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, who invented a low-cost sanitary-pad-making machine and campaigned for menstrual hygiene in rural India; he was named among TIME's 100 most influential people (2014) and received the Padma Shri (2016). The film drew on a story in Twinkle Khanna's book The Legend of Lakshmi Prasad. Bindeshwar Pathak founded Sulabh International (sanitation and public toilets). A related documentary, Period. End of Sentence, won an Oscar in 2019.

Answer: (D) Alluri Sitha Rama Raju

The Rampa (Manyam) Rebellion of 1922-24 in the Godavari Agency of present-day Andhra Pradesh was led by Alluri Sitarama Raju, who organised the Koya and other hill tribes against the Madras Forest Act, the ban on podu (shifting) cultivation and forced labour, and raided police stations for arms; he was captured and shot in May 1924 and is remembered as 'Manyam Veerudu' (Hero of the Jungle). T. Prakasam, 'Andhra Kesari', was the first Chief Minister of Andhra State; Tiruppur Kumaran died holding the national flag in 1932 ('Kodi Kaatha Kumaran'); Puli Thevan was an 18th-century Tamil poligar who resisted the Company.

Answer: (A) 21

Article 21 guarantees protection of life and personal liberty; along with Article 20 it cannot be suspended even during an Emergency (44th Amendment, 1978). The distractors are other well-known numbers: Article 49 is a Directive Principle on the protection of monuments of national importance, Article 73 defines the extent of the executive power of the Union, and Article 370 gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir (made inoperative in August 2019). Neighbours of Article 21: Art. 20 - protection in respect of conviction for offences; Art. 21A - right to education; Art. 22 - protection against arrest and detention.

Answer: (C) dimensional change in material

A dilatometer measures dimensional change - the expansion or contraction in volume or length of a solid or liquid - caused by heating, cooling or a chemical or phase change; it is used to find coefficients of thermal expansion. Electrical energy is measured by an energy (watt-hour) meter, heat by a calorimeter, and mechanical force or power by a dynamometer. Similar-sounding instruments: lactometer (purity of milk), hydrometer (relative density of liquids), hygrometer (humidity), pyrometer (high temperatures), manometer (gas pressure).

Answer: (D) The Vijayanagara Empire

Under the Nayankara system of the Vijayanagara empire, military chiefs called nayakas (amaranayakas) were granted territories (amaram) in return for maintaining a fixed contingent of troops, paying tribute and attending court - comparable to the iqta system of the Delhi Sultanate. Village administration ran on the Ayagar system of twelve hereditary functionaries. The Bahmani kingdom was divided into tarafs under tarafdars; the Cholas are known for village self-government (ur, sabha, nadu - the Uttaramerur inscriptions); the Marathas had the Ashtapradhan council and the chauth and sardeshmukhi levies.

Answer: (A) Only '1' is strong.

PSC's final key 'A' treats only argument 1 as strong: making seniority the only criterion would deny promotion to more deserving and suitable juniors, which bears directly on merit and efficiency. Argument 2 is weak because it appeals to feelings (humiliation) rather than to any principle; argument 3 is treated as weak because experience alone does not prove suitability, and 'must be rewarded' does not justify making seniority the sole criterion. In such questions a strong argument is directly related to the issue, factual and significant; a weak one is emotional, trivial or merely restates an opinion.

Answer: (C) Tapas is rich and so he has a lot of influence.

The statement 'If a person is rich, he has a lot of influence' is a conditional (rich implies influence). The only valid inference is to affirm the condition for a particular case: Tapas is rich, therefore he has a lot of influence (modus ponens). Option (A) reverses the conditional - influence may come from other sources (the fallacy of affirming the consequent); options (B) and (D) deny the condition and conclude the opposite (the fallacy of denying the antecedent). The valid contrapositive would be: a person without much influence is not rich.

Answer: (B) (6, 66, 120)

In (7, 77, 140) the second number is $7\times11=77$ and the third is $7\times20=140$, i.e., the pattern is $(n,\ 11n,\ 20n)$. Only (6, 66, 120) fits: $6\times11=66$ and $6\times20=120$. Check the others: for 9 it should be (9, 99, 180), for 8 it should be (8, 88, 160), and for 4 it should be (4, 44, 80). Each wrong option gets at most one term right to tempt you, so verify both relations.

Answer: (D) 22

The hour and minute hands coincide 11 times in every 12 hours, not 12, because the coincidence expected between 11 o'clock and 1 o'clock occurs just once, at exactly 12:00; so in a day (24 hours) they coincide 22 times, once every $65\frac{5}{11}$ minutes. Related facts: the hands point in exactly opposite directions 22 times a day, are at right angles 44 times a day, and lie in a straight line (together or opposite) 44 times a day.

Answer: (A) Sunday

The days of the week repeat every 7 days. $59=7\times8+3$, so 59 days later is the same as 3 days after Thursday: Friday, Saturday, Sunday. Hence Sunday. Shortcut: divide the number of days by 7 and count forward by the remainder (the 'odd days'); a remainder of 0 gives the same day, which is why option (B) would need 56 or 63 days.

Answer: (C) Smoking may lead to cancer.

The given statement is a particular one - 'many' smokers, not all or most, get cancer - so the only safe conclusion is the cautious, possibility-type one: smoking may lead to cancer. Option (A) wrongly turns it into a claim about cancer patients, option (B) strengthens 'many' into 'most', and option (D), though true in life, speaks of health in general and goes beyond what is stated. Rule: from 'some/many A are B' you may infer only a possibility, never a universal or majority claim.

Answer: (D) Patient

A school exists to serve students, who are its beneficiaries; in the same way a hospital exists to serve patients. Doctors and nurses correspond to teachers and staff (those who provide the service), and medicine corresponds to books or teaching aids (the means). So the analogy is institution : the person for whom it functions - School : Student :: Hospital : Patient. Similar pairs: court : litigant, shop : customer, hotel : guest.

No option is correct as printed — this question is disputed.

PSC cancelled this question in the final key, evidently because the English and Bengali versions ask different things: the English version asks for the height of a tower whose shadow is 180 feet, while the Bengali version asks for the shadow of a 180-foot tower. English version: height and shadow are proportional at the same time of day, so $\frac{64}{96}=\frac{h}{180}$, giving $h=\frac{64\times180}{96}=120$ feet (option C). Bengali version: shadow $=\frac{96}{64}\times180=270$ feet, which is not among the options. The method - similar triangles, height : shadow constant - is what matters. CANCELLED BY PSC: the final answer key (Notice No. 628-PSC/Con(Q), 30 Sept 2021) shows '*' for this question (Set C Q183); the English and Bengali versions of the booklet ask different things. correct_answer 'C' (120 feet) is the mathematically correct answer to the English version only - it is not an official answer.

Answer: (A) 18 seconds

Since the man runs in the same direction, relative speed $=41-11=30$ km/h $=30\times\frac{5}{18}=\frac{25}{3}$ m/s. The train passes the man when it covers its own length relative to him: time $=150\div\frac{25}{3}=18$ seconds. Rules: same direction - subtract the speeds; opposite directions - add them; to convert km/h to m/s multiply by $\frac{5}{18}$. Had the man run towards the train, the time would be about 10.4 seconds. The fractional options are absurdly small for a 150 m train.

Answer: (B) 226

The differences between successive terms are perfect cubes: $2-1=1^3$, $10-2=8=2^3$, $37-10=27=3^3$, $101-37=64=4^3$. The next difference is $5^3=125$, so the missing term is $101+125=226$. In other words each term is 1 plus a running sum of cubes: $1+1^3=2$, $1+1^3+2^3=10$, $1+1^3+2^3+3^3=37$, and so on. Tip: when the differences grow quickly, test squares and cubes first.

Answer: (B) 68%

Students not in NCC $=1500-480=1020$. Percentage $=\frac{1020}{1500}\times100=68\%$. Alternatively, those enrolled are $\frac{480}{1500}\times100=32\%$, so the rest are $100-32=68\%$. Quick check: 10% of 1500 is 150, and $480=3.2\times150$, i.e., 32% are enrolled.

Answer: (B) $3\frac{3}{4}$ hrs.

Mohan does $\frac{1}{6}$ of the job per hour and Laltu $\frac{1}{10}$. Together: $\frac{1}{6}+\frac{1}{10}=\frac{5+3}{30}=\frac{4}{15}$ of the job per hour, so the time taken is $\frac{15}{4}=3\frac{3}{4}$ hours (3 hours 45 minutes). Shortcut for two workers: $\frac{ab}{a+b}=\frac{6\times10}{16}=3.75$. The answer must be less than the faster worker's time (6 h) and more than half of it (3 h), which rules out $1\frac{1}{2}$ and $2\frac{1}{3}$.

Answer: (B) UNATTRACTIVE

'Winsome' means attractive, charming or appealing in a fresh, innocent way (a winsome smile), so the word farthest in meaning - its antonym - is 'unattractive'. 'Insipid' means tasteless or dull (the opposite of flavourful or lively); 'prejudice' (bias) and 'opposition' are nouns unrelated in sense, and 'winsome' has nothing to do with winning. Synonyms: engaging, endearing, charming, comely; antonyms: repulsive, unappealing.

Answer: (A) South-East

Take X as the origin. Naseer walks 5 km west, turns left (now facing south) and walks 3 km, then turns left again (now facing east) and walks 7 km. Net east-west displacement $=7-5=2$ km east; net displacement southwards $=3$ km. So he is 2 km east and 3 km south of X, i.e., to the South-East, at a straight-line distance of $\sqrt{2^2+3^2}=\sqrt{13}\approx3.6$ km. Remember: facing west, a left turn points south; facing south, a left turn points east.

Answer: (A) Only '1' and '3' are strong.

PSC's final key 'A' treats arguments 1 and 3 as strong: argument 1 gives a comparative, fact-based reason (the maximum number of holidays among countries) and argument 3 a direct practical benefit (faster work and clearance of pending jobs). Argument 2 defeats itself - it calls the practice a British legacy that 'should be carried forward', which supports keeping the holidays, not reducing them; argument 4 is treated as weak because 'ample spare time' is vague and employees already have weekly offs and leave. Since options (B) and (C) both include argument 2, they can be eliminated first.

Answer: (B) Saturday

$61=7\times8+5$, so 61 days later falls 5 days after Monday: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday. Hence Saturday. Compare Q180 of this paper (59 days after Thursday, remainder 3, Sunday). If a question says 'the 61st day counting today as day 1', count only 60 days forward - read the wording carefully.

Answer: (C) $\sqrt{75816}$ cm.

The wall, the ground and the ladder form a right-angled triangle with the ladder as the hypotenuse. Length $=\sqrt{270^2+54^2}=\sqrt{72900+2916}=\sqrt{75816}$ cm. Since $270=5\times54$, this equals $54\sqrt{26}\approx275.3$ cm. A quick unit-digit check helps: $270^2$ ends in 0 and $54^2$ ends in 6, so the sum must end in 6 - only $\sqrt{75816}$ fits.

Answer: (B) Uncle

'My daughter's father' is Somenath himself, so 'the father of my daughter's father' is Somenath's father. The gentleman's only brother is therefore Somenath's father, which makes the gentleman Somenath's paternal uncle. He cannot be the father (he is the father's brother), nor the grandfather or a brother-in-law. Technique: decode the chain from its end backwards, replacing each phrase by a single person.

Answer: (D) Rs. 400

Manoj types $\frac{100}{10}=10$ pages an hour and Bobby $\frac{100}{15}=\frac{20}{3}$ pages an hour. In 5 hours together they type $5\times\left(10+\frac{20}{3}\right)=83\frac{1}{3}$ pages, i.e., $\frac{5}{6}$ of the work. Lucy does the remaining $\frac{1}{6}$ (about $16\frac{2}{3}$ pages). Payment is shared in proportion to the work done, so Lucy gets $\frac{1}{6}\times2400=$ Rs. 400; Manoj gets Rs. 1,200 and Bobby Rs. 800. The '2 hours' is extra data - wages depend on work done, not on time taken.

Answer: (B) Many students are not genius.

'All students are not genius' is logically the denial of 'all students are genius': it asserts that at least some students are not genius. The option that preserves this sense is 'Many students are not genius'. Option (A), 'Every student is not genius', would mean that no student is a genius, which is too strong; option (C) is something the statement may suggest but does not assert; option (D), about non-students, has no basis. In standard logic, 'All S are not P' is read as the particular negative 'Some S are not P'.

Answer: (C) Greece

The Duma (State Duma) is the lower house of Russia's parliament, the Federal Assembly; in the same way the Ecclesia was the popular assembly of citizens in ancient Athens, Greece. Other legislatures: Bhutan - Tshogdu (National Assembly) and National Council; Afghanistan - Shora (Wolesi Jirga and Meshrano Jirga); Germany - Bundestag and Bundesrat; Israel - Knesset; Japan - Diet; Iran - Majlis; Bangladesh - Jatiya Sangsad; USA - Congress; Norway - Storting. Modern Greece's parliament is the Hellenic Parliament (Vouli).

Answer: (C) (63, 8, 3)

In (8, 3, 2) each number is one less than the square of the next: $3^2-1=8$ and $2^2-1=3$. The same rule holds only for (63, 8, 3): $8^2-1=63$ and $3^2-1=8$. Check the rest: in (168, 15, 6), $15^2-1=224\neq168$; in (95, 24, 5), $24^2-1=575\neq95$ (though $5^2-1=24$ holds); in (15, 6, 5), $6^2-1=35\neq15$. Read such sets from right to left when the left-most number is the largest.

Answer: (D) Grandmother

PSC's final key 'D' gives 'Grandmother'. This follows if 'whose father is my son' is taken to describe the girl in the picture: the girl's father is Meghna's son, so Meghna is the girl's paternal grandmother (and Jhuma is Meghna's great-granddaughter). If 'whose' is instead read as referring to Jhuma - grammatically the more natural reading - Jhuma's father is Meghna's son, the girl is Meghna's daughter-in-law, and Meghna would be her mother-in-law, which is not among the options. In the exam, choose the reading that yields one of the given options. Ambiguous wording: on the more natural reading ('whose' = Jhuma) Meghna is the girl's mother-in-law, which is not an option; PSC's final key gives (D) Grandmother, which requires 'whose' to refer to the girl. Also, the earlier version of this file had option (D) as 'None of these'; it is corrected to 'Grandmother' as printed in the official Set C booklet.

Answer: (D) 1

The numbers decrease by successive prime numbers taken in descending order: $32-13=19$, $19-11=8$, and the next prime below 11 is 7, so $8-7=1$. Hence the missing number is 1. The differences are not simply decreasing odd numbers (13, 11, 9), which would give $-1$, a value not among the options; of the choices, only 1 fits a consistent rule. Tip: when the differences are 13 and 11, test primes as well as odd numbers.

Answer: (D) 1 : 8

Convert to the same unit first: 4 feet $=4\times12=48$ inches. Ratio $=6:48=1:8$. A ratio is meaningful only between quantities in the same unit; comparing 6 with 4 directly gives the wrong 3 : 2 (option C). Useful conversions: 1 foot = 12 inches, 1 yard = 3 feet, 1 inch = 2.54 cm, 1 mile = 1,760 yards = 8 furlongs.