General Knowledge & Current Affairs

1. The Indian Constitution was adopted on which date? HPRCA-pat.

1. 15 August 1947
2. 26 January 1950
3. 26 November 1949
4. 9 December 1946

The Constitution was adopted on 26 November 1949 (Samvidhan Divas). It came into force on 26 January 1950 (Republic Day). The Constituent Assembly was formed on 9 December 1946. Option D was the CA's first meeting.

2. Who chaired the Drafting Committee of the Indian Constitution? HPRCA-pat.

1. Dr Rajendra Prasad
2. Jawaharlal Nehru
3. Dr B. R. Ambedkar
4. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel

Dr B. R. Ambedkar chaired the Drafting Committee. Dr Rajendra Prasad was the President of the Constituent Assembly. Nehru moved the Objectives Resolution. Patel headed the Advisory Committee on fundamental rights.

3. Which article of the Indian Constitution is described by Dr Ambedkar as the "heart and soul of the Constitution"?

1. Article 14
2. Article 21
3. Article 32
4. Article 226

Article 32 (right to move the Supreme Court for enforcement of Fundamental Rights) was called the "heart and soul" by Ambedkar. Article 226 gives similar power to High Courts but is wider in subject matter and not a fundamental right itself.

4. Assertion (A): The 42nd Constitutional Amendment is sometimes called the "Mini-Constitution." Reason (R): It added the words "Socialist" and "Secular" to the Preamble and introduced Fundamental Duties. HPRCA-pat.

1. Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A
2. Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A
3. A is true but R is false
4. A is false but R is true

The 42nd Amendment (1976, during Indira Gandhi's Emergency) made sweeping changes — added Secular & Socialist to Preamble, added 10 Fundamental Duties (Art 51A), curtailed judicial review, extended Parliament/LA terms to 6 years, and much more. Hence it is called the "Mini-Constitution." Both A and R are correct and R explains why it earned that nickname.

5. Match List I (Schedule) with List II (Subject): HPRCA-pat.
A. Seventh Schedule   1. Anti-Defection Law
B. Eighth Schedule    2. Union/State/Concurrent Lists
C. Ninth Schedule     3. 22 Official Languages
D. Tenth Schedule     4. Laws immune from judicial review

1. A-2, B-3, C-4, D-1
2. A-3, B-2, C-1, D-4
3. A-2, B-4, C-3, D-1
4. A-1, B-3, C-4, D-2

Seventh Schedule = three legislative lists (Union, State, Concurrent); Eighth = 22 official languages; Ninth = laws placed beyond judicial review (1st Am 1951); Tenth = Anti-Defection Law (52nd Am 1985).

6. The Indus Valley Civilisation site of Lothal, known for its dockyard, is located in which present-day Indian state?

1. Rajasthan
2. Punjab
3. Gujarat
4. Haryana

Lothal is in Saurashtra, Gujarat. It is the only IVC site with an artificial brick-lined dockyard. Harappa and Mohenjo-daro are in present-day Pakistan. Kalibangan is in Rajasthan; Rakhigarhi (largest IVC site) is in Haryana.

7. Consider the following statements about the 1857 revolt and identify the correct ones:
1. Mangal Pandey sparked the revolt at Meerut on 10 May 1857.
2. The last Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar was a figurehead of the revolt.
3. The Doctrine of Lapse was introduced by Lord Dalhousie as a reason for discontent.
4. The result was the direct transfer of power to the British Crown through the Government of India Act 1858.

1. 1, 2 and 3 only
2. 2, 3 and 4 only
3. 1 and 4 only
4. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Statement 1 is incorrect — Mangal Pandey's incident was at Barrackpore (29 March 1857), not Meerut. The Meerut uprising on 10 May 1857 by Indian sepoys is traditionally considered the start of the revolt. Statements 2, 3, and 4 are correct.

8. Which battle marked the beginning of British supremacy in India, fought in 1757 between the British East India Company and the Nawab of Bengal? HPRCA-pat.

1. Battle of Buxar
2. Battle of Plassey
3. First Battle of Panipat
4. Battle of Talikota

Battle of Plassey (1757) — Robert Clive vs Siraj-ud-Daulah (aided by traitor Mir Jafar) — established British political dominance in Bengal and then India. Battle of Buxar (1764) was more decisive militarily but Plassey was the turning point diplomatically.

9. Assertion (A): India sent Neeraj Chopra to compete in the Paris 2024 Olympics javelin throw event. Reason (R): Neeraj Chopra had won the gold medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics in the same event.

1. Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A
2. Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A
3. A is true but R is false
4. A is false but R is true

Both statements are true. Neeraj Chopra did win Gold at Tokyo 2020 (87.58 m) and did compete at Paris 2024 (winning Silver with 89.45 m). However, his participation in Paris is not explained by his Tokyo gold — he qualified on merit. R is a true fact but it explains his reputation, not the reason for his participation.

10. The Param Vir Chakra (PVC), India's highest wartime gallantry award, was first awarded posthumously to which officer who hailed from Kangra, Himachal Pradesh? HPRCA-pat.

1. Subedar Joginder Singh
2. Major Som Nath Sharma
3. Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal
4. Flying Officer Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon

Major Som Nath Sharma of the 4 Kumaon Regiment earned the first PVC (posthumous) for his bravery at Badgam, J&K, on 3 November 1947. He was born in Dadh village, Kangra, HP. Joginder Singh won PVC in the 1962 Indo-China War. Sekhon won Ashoka Chakra (peacetime). Khetarpal won PVC in the 1971 war.

11. Match List I (Organisation) with List II (Headquarters):
A. WTO      1. New York
B. UNESCO   2. Geneva
C. FAO       3. Paris
D. UNICEF    4. Rome

1. A-2, B-3, C-4, D-1
2. A-1, B-2, C-3, D-4
3. A-2, B-4, C-3, D-1
4. A-3, B-2, C-1, D-4

WTO = Geneva; UNESCO = Paris; FAO = Rome; UNICEF = New York. WHO is also Geneva. IMF/World Bank = Washington DC. ILO = Geneva. Common exam trap: confusing UNESCO (Paris) with UNICEF (New York).

12. Which of the following rivers flows westward into the Arabian Sea through a rift valley? HPRCA-pat.

1. Godavari
2. Krishna
3. Narmada
4. Mahanadi

Narmada and Tapti are the major west-flowing peninsular rivers that flow through rift valleys into the Arabian Sea (Gulf of Khambhat). Godavari, Krishna, and Mahanadi are east-flowing rivers draining into the Bay of Bengal. The Narmada marks the boundary between North India and the Deccan plateau.

13. Assertion (A): The words "Socialist" and "Secular" were part of India's Preamble from the very beginning (1950). Reason (R): These words were added by the 42nd Constitutional Amendment in 1976.

1. A is true and R is false
2. A is false and R is true
3. Both A and R are true
4. Both A and R are false

The Assertion is false — "Socialist" and "Secular" were NOT in the original 1950 Preamble. They were inserted by the 42nd Amendment (1976) during the Emergency. The Reason is true. This is one of the most commonly asked Constitutional MCQs.

14. Who was the first Indian to win an individual Olympic gold medal? HPRCA-pat.

1. Milkha Singh
2. P. T. Usha
3. Abhinav Bindra
4. Neeraj Chopra

Abhinav Bindra won India's first individual Olympic gold in the 10 m air rifle event at the Beijing 2008 Olympics. Neeraj Chopra won India's first individual gold in an athletics event (javelin, Tokyo 2020). Milkha Singh finished 4th in Rome 1960. P. T. Usha missed bronze by 1/100 second in Los Angeles 1984.

15. Which of the following is the ODD ONE OUT with respect to being a Fundamental Right under Part III of the Indian Constitution?

1. Right to Equality (Art 14)
2. Right to Education (Art 21A)
3. Right to Work (MGNREGA)
4. Right against Exploitation (Art 23)

Right to Work (MGNREGA) is a statutory/legal right (under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act 2005), not a Fundamental Right. Art 41 (DPSP) directs the state to provide work but it is non-justiciable. Art 14, 21A, and 23 are all Fundamental Rights under Part III.

16. The 'Dandi March' (Civil Disobedience Movement) was launched by Gandhi to protest against which law?

1. Rowlatt Act
2. Salt Law (Salt Tax)
3. Press Act
4. Vernacular Press Act

Gandhi marched 240 miles from Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi, Gujarat (12 March – 5 April 1930) to break the British Salt Law, which made it illegal for Indians to collect or sell salt. He picked up salt from the sea on 6 April 1930, symbolically defying British monopoly. The Rowlatt Act was protested in 1919 (non-cooperation), not 1930.

17. Arrange the following events in the correct chronological order:
1. Partition of Bengal   2. Jallianwala Bagh Massacre   3. Quit India Movement   4. Dandi MarchHPRCA-pat.

1. 1 → 2 → 4 → 3
2. 1 → 4 → 2 → 3
3. 2 → 1 → 4 → 3
4. 1 → 2 → 3 → 4

Partition of Bengal = 1905; Jallianwala Bagh = 13 April 1919; Dandi March = March–April 1930; Quit India Movement = August 1942. Order: 1905 → 1919 → 1930 → 1942. Option A (1 → 2 → 4 → 3) matches.

18. Which Indian spacecraft became the first to successfully land near the lunar south pole in August 2023? HPRCA-pat.

1. Chandrayaan-1
2. Mangalyaan (MOM)
3. Chandrayaan-2
4. Chandrayaan-3

Chandrayaan-3's Vikram lander touched down on the lunar south pole on 23 August 2023, making India the first nation ever to land near the south pole and only the 4th country to achieve a soft Moon landing (after USSR, USA, China). Chandrayaan-2 (2019) succeeded with the orbiter but the lander crashed. Mangalyaan was Mars mission (2014).

19. Which of the following correctly describes the Rajya Sabha's special powers that the Lok Sabha does NOT have?

1. Originating Money Bills
2. Passing a Vote of No Confidence against the government
3. Empowering Parliament to legislate on a State List subject in national interest (Art 249)
4. Amending the Constitution under Art 368

Art 249 empowers Rajya Sabha (by 2/3 majority) to pass a resolution enabling Parliament to legislate on State List subjects in national interest — this is a special power the Rajya Sabha has that Lok Sabha does not. Art 312 (creating new all-India services) is another RS-exclusive power. Money Bills originate only in Lok Sabha. No-confidence motion is Lok Sabha exclusive. Both houses jointly amend Constitution.

20. Assertion (A): India is the most populous country in the world as of 2023. Reason (R): India's population surpassed China's in mid-2023 according to UN estimates.

1. Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A
2. Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A
3. A is true but R is false
4. Both A and R are false

According to the UN State of World Population Report 2023, India overtook China in mid-2023 to become the world's most populous nation (~1.43 billion vs China's ~1.42 billion). Both A and R are correct and R is the direct causal explanation.

21. The Gupta period (320–540 CE) is referred to as the "Golden Age of India" for which of the following reasons? Select the most comprehensive option.

1. India was under a single centralized empire spanning the entire subcontinent
2. Significant achievements in literature, science, mathematics, astronomy, and art flourished simultaneously
3. India dominated international trade with Rome and Southeast Asia
4. The Guptas were the first dynasty to promote Buddhism across Asia

The Gupta period is "Golden Age" because of remarkable simultaneous advances: Kalidasa (literature), Aryabhata (mathematics, astronomy — zero, pi, heliocentric notion), Brahmagupta (algebra), Varahamihira (astrology, science), Ajanta/Ellora art, Sanskrit drama. Option A is incorrect (Guptas didn't control the entire subcontinent). Buddhism was Ashoka's cause, not primarily the Guptas (who were Vaishnava).

22. Which Booker Prize-winning novel, authored by Geetanjali Shree and originally written in Hindi, became the first Hindi-language book to win the International Booker Prize in 2022?

1. The God of Small Things
2. The White Tiger
3. Tomb of Sand (Ret Samadhi)
4. Midnight's Children

Ret Samadhi (translated as Tomb of Sand by Daisy Rockwell) won the 2022 International Booker Prize. It is a multigenerational story set around the 1947 partition. This was the first Hindi-language book to win the International Booker. Arundhati Roy (1997) and Aravind Adiga (2008) won the standard Booker for English-language books.

23. Which institution replaced the Planning Commission of India in 2015, and who serves as its ex-officio chairperson? HPRCA-pat.

1. Finance Commission; Vice-President
2. NITI Aayog; Prime Minister
3. National Development Council; President
4. Economic Advisory Council; Finance Minister

The NITI Aayog (National Institution for Transforming India) replaced the Planning Commission (est. 1950) on 1 January 2015. The Prime Minister is the ex-officio Chairperson. The Planning Commission was dissolved because it didn't fit India's cooperative federalism model and the changing economic landscape post-LPG reforms.

24. Consider the following statements about the Nobel Prize and Indian connections:
1. Rabindranath Tagore was the first Asian to win the Nobel Prize in Literature (1913).
2. C. V. Raman received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1930 for the discovery of the Raman Effect.
3. Kailash Satyarthi shared the Nobel Peace Prize 2014 with Malala Yousafzai.
4. Abhijit Banerjee received the Economics Nobel in 2019 for his research on monetary policy.

1. 1, 2 and 3 only
2. 1, 2 and 4 only
3. 2, 3 and 4 only
4. All four are correct

Statements 1, 2, and 3 are correct. Statement 4 is incorrect — Abhijit Banerjee (with Esther Duflo and Michael Kremer) received the 2019 Economics Nobel for their experimental approach to alleviating global poverty using Randomised Controlled Trials (RCTs), not for monetary policy research.

25. Match List I (Battle) with List II (Year & Combatants):
A. First Battle of Panipat   1. 1761 — Marathas vs Ahmad Shah Abdali
B. Battle of Plassey       2. 1526 — Babur vs Ibrahim Lodi
C. Battle of Buxar        3. 1757 — British vs Siraj-ud-Daulah
D. Third Battle of Panipat   4. 1764 — British vs Bengal/Awadh/Mughal

1. A-2, B-3, C-4, D-1
2. A-2, B-4, C-3, D-1
3. A-1, B-3, C-2, D-4
4. A-3, B-2, C-4, D-1

First Panipat = 1526 (Babur defeated Ibrahim Lodi, founding Mughal empire); Plassey = 1757 (British defeated Siraj-ud-Daulah with Mir Jafar's treachery); Buxar = 1764 (British vs Shuja, Qasim, Shah Alam II); Third Panipat = 1761 (Marathas crushed by Abdali). Option A correctly matches all four.

26. Assertion (A): Rajya Sabha is called a permanent house because it cannot be dissolved. Reason (R): One-third of its members retire every two years and the remaining two-thirds continue, ensuring institutional continuity.

1. Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A
2. Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation
3. A is true but R is false
4. A is false but R is true

Both statements are correct and causally linked. The Rajya Sabha (Art 80) is a permanent body — it cannot be dissolved (unlike the Lok Sabha which a President can dissolve on PM's advice). Its permanence is achieved because members serve 6-year staggered terms with 1/3 retiring every 2 years, so there is always a continuing membership, maintaining institutional memory.

27. Which of the following best describes India's GDP rank in the world (by nominal GDP, 2024)?

1. 3rd largest
2. 4th largest
3. 5th largest
4. 7th largest

India is the 5th largest economy by nominal GDP (~$3.7 trillion, 2024), behind USA, China, Germany, and Japan. By PPP (Purchasing Power Parity), India is 3rd largest. India aims to become a $5 trillion economy. India overtook UK and France in recent years to reach 5th position.

28. Which article of the Indian Constitution provides for the Uniform Civil Code (UCC)? HPRCA-pat.

1. Article 40
2. Article 44
3. Article 46
4. Article 51

Article 44 (Part IV — DPSP) directs the state: "The State shall endeavour to secure for the citizens a uniform civil code throughout the territory of India." Being a DPSP, it is non-justiciable. Goa is the only Indian state with a UCC (Portuguese Civil Code). The UCC debate relates to personal law uniformity for marriage, divorce, inheritance. Art 40 = village panchayats; Art 46 = SC/ST welfare; Art 51 = international peace.