16 September 2025 · Shift 1

Golconda — spiked gates Golconda Fort (Hyderabad) has massive teak gates studded with large iron/steel spikes. Elephants ramming such doors would be injured by the spikes, so the gate could not be broken. Winding approach paths further prevented elephants from charging straight. Hence option (d).

Fagli — Punha ritual Fagli (Kus/Kuns) is celebrated in the Pattan Valley of Himachal Pradesh as winter ends and the farming season begins. Its central ritual is PUNHA — villagers symbolically plough indoors with willow sticks while snow still covers the fields. The act expresses hope for a good harvest in the coming season. Hence option (b).

Gupta fiscal terms Vaishthika (vishti) means forced or corvée labour — correctly matched. Hiranya was the tax paid in GOLD/cash, and Dhanya the tax in GRAIN — options (a) and (b) reverse these. Bhoga did mean the king’s share/dues, but the pair asked to be identified as correct here is Vaishthika. Hence option (d).

Simikla Koom (Binayo) The Simikla Koom, popularly called Binayo, is a bamboo mouth (jaw) harp of Sikkim and Nepal. Folklore holds that it was first made for the deity Tetlara Lahadongna. It is played by plucking the bamboo tongue while holding it near the lips. Hence option (a).

Karnam Malleswari Karnam Malleswari won bronze at the Sydney 2000 Olympics. It came in WEIGHTLIFTING, in the women’s 69 kg category. She thus became the first Indian woman to win an Olympic medal. Hence option (d).

Medieval reign periods Aibak founded the Slave dynasty and ruled 1206–1210 ✓; Alauddin Khalji ruled 1296–1316 ✓. Prithviraj Chauhan reigned 1175–1192 and lost the Second Battle of Tarain ✓. Muhammad bin Tughluq ruled 1324–1351 ✓. All four are correct — option (c).

P.T. Usha 1984 P.T. Usha finished fourth in the 400 m hurdles final at Los Angeles 1984. She missed bronze by 1/100th of a second — the closest such finish for India. Her timing was 55.42 s against the bronze medallist’s 55.41 s. Hence option (b).

BRICS 2021 — green tourism India chaired BRICS in 2021 with the theme of intra-BRICS cooperation for continuity and consensus. Among its outcomes were the Digital Health Summit and the BRICS Alliance for Green Tourism. The Alliance promotes environmentally sustainable tourism practices among member states. Hence option (b).

'Indica' — Pranay Lal 'Indica' (2016) is by biochemist and natural-history writer Pranay Lal. It traces the subcontinent’s story from its geological birth to the rise of life. Tony Joseph wrote 'Early Indians'; Sanjeev Sanyal writes on economic history and oceans. Hence option (c).

38th National Games hockey At the 38th National Games (Uttarakhand, 2025) Karnataka won men’s hockey gold, beating Uttar Pradesh 3-2 — Statement 1 correct. The Karnataka–Maharashtra semifinal was level at 2-2 and settled by a shootout — Statement 2 correct. The bronze went to MAHARASHTRA, who beat Punjab 1-0 — Statement 3 reverses the result. Hence Only 1 and 2 — option (a).

e-Civil List 2025 Dr. Jitendra Singh released the e-Civil List 2025 e-book in May 2025. It digitises the record of IAS officers — postings, cadre and service details — for easy access. The step is part of the DoPT’s digital governance drive. Hence option (a).

UP — 16% of population Uttar Pradesh had about 19.98 crore people in 2011 against India’s 121 crore. That is roughly 16% — the largest share of any state. Maharashtra came next with about 9%. Hence option (c).

HLVM3 ISRO renamed the LVM3 rocket configured for crewed flight as HLVM3. The H stands for HUMAN-rated — the launcher is certified to carry astronauts. It will lift the Gaganyaan orbital module with the Crew Escape System. Hence option (b).

Iron ore reserves India holds large, high-grade iron-ore reserves in Odisha, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Karnataka. It feeds the iron and steel industry — the backbone of industrial growth. Petroleum, tin and copper are all in short supply and largely imported. Hence option (c).

Dissolution & Article 356 The PM may advise the President to dissolve the Lok Sabha, and the CM may advise the Governor to dissolve the Assembly — Statement 1 correct. President’s Rule normally follows a report from the GOVERNOR of the state (Article 356) — Statement 2 wrong. The Union Cabinet then advises the President. Hence Only 1 — option (a).

Micronutrient — Boron Plants need macronutrients (N, P, K, Ca, Mg, S) in large amounts. Micronutrients — boron, zinc, iron, manganese, copper, molybdenum, chlorine — are needed in traces. So Boron is correctly labelled a micronutrient; zinc and iron are micronutrients and calcium a macronutrient. Hence option (b).

Electric bell An electric bell uses an electromagnet that pulls the hammer — the magnetic effect of current — correctly matched. A transformer works only on AC; a generator converts MECHANICAL energy into electrical. An electromagnet is temporary — it acts as a magnet only while current flows. Hence option (d).

Mission Amrit Sarovar (A–R) Mission Amrit Sarovar (2022) aims at conserving and rejuvenating water bodies — A is true. Its concrete target was 75 ponds in every district by 15 August 2023–24, marking Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav — R is true. That target is exactly HOW the conservation goal is pursued, so R explains A. Hence option (a).

Rauf dance Rauf (Rouf) is danced by Kashmiri women in groups, especially at Eid and in spring — Statement 1 correct. They stand in two facing rows, arms linked, and move with the typical toe-heel footwork called ras — Statement 2 correct. The songs are sung in chorus as the rows sway forward and back. Hence Both — option (c).

Happiness Index (A–R) India ranked 126th of 143 in the World Happiness Report 2024 — below Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh — A is true. India’s per-capita GDP is NOT the lowest in South Asia; Afghanistan and Nepal are lower — R is false. Happiness rankings also weigh social support, freedom and perceptions of corruption. Hence option (c).

Musi under NRCP The Musi, which flows through Hyderabad, was brought under the NRCP in 2024. The plan funds sewage interception, treatment and riverfront work in polluted stretches. The Yamuna and Gomti were already covered earlier. Hence option (c).

Article 50 — DPSP Article 50 directs the State to separate the judiciary from the executive in public services. It lies in Part IV — the Directive Principles of State Policy. Being a directive, it is not enforceable in court. Hence option (b).

GST chronology The Constitution (101st Amendment) Act was enacted on 8 September 2016. The GST Council was then constituted on 12 September 2016 under Article 279A. GST was finally launched on 1 July 2017. Order 1-2-3 — option (a).

IPR 1956 (A–R) IPR 1956 — the economic constitution of India — divided industries into Schedules A, B and C — A is true. Schedule A was reserved for the State, Schedule B for joint state-private growth, Schedule C left to the private sector — R is true. That very purpose is why the three-fold classification was made, so R explains A. Hence option (a).

Climatic zones Between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn the Sun stays nearly overhead all year, so temperatures barely vary — Statement 1 correct. Temperate zones lie between the tropics and the polar circles and enjoy spring, summer, autumn and winter — Statement 2 correct. Polar regions, by contrast, have long days and nights with extreme cold. Hence Both — option (c).