19 September 2025 · Shift 3

Hemis festival The Hemis Festival at Hemis Monastery marks the birth anniversary of Guru Padmasambhava. Monks perform the masked Cham dances representing guardian divinities of the Drukpa order. The dances depict the victory of good over evil. Hence option (b).

Temple architecture In Nagara temples the amalaka — a stone disc — sits atop the shikhara, crowned by the kalasha — Statement 1 correct. In Dravida temples the VIMANA is the tower over the sanctum; the gateway tower is the GOPURAM — Statement 2 wrong. The two terms are often confused. Hence option (c).

Gupta revenue terms Adeya literally means "that which is to be given" — a due or tribute payable to the king — correctly matched. Bhaga was the king’s share of the produce, not forced labour (that was vishti). Dasaparadha refers to fines for ten offences, not a grain tithe. Hence option (d).

Ragani — Haryana In Haryana the general body of folk songs is called Ragani. They are sung in saangs and village gatherings, made famous by Lakhmi Chand. The name has nothing to do with the classical raga-ragini system. Hence option (a).

Relay exchange zone For the 4×400 m relay and longer races the baton exchange zone is 20 metres long. (In the 4×100 m relay the old 10 m acceleration zone and 20 m exchange zone were later merged into a single 30 m take-over zone.) The baton must change hands entirely inside the marked zone, or the team is disqualified. Hence 20 metres — option (c).

Sisodia dynasty The Sisodia Rajputs ruled Mewar with Chittor and later Udaipur as capital. Rana Kumbha and Rana Sanga were its great 15th-16th century rulers. Maharana Pratap belonged to the same line. Hence option (c).

Pitt's India Act 1784 The Act created dual control — the Board of Control for political matters and the Court of Directors for commerce. It also subordinated the Bombay and Madras Presidencies to the Governor-General of Bengal. That central authority moved India towards unified administration. Hence option (a).

Pawn promotion A pawn reaching the last rank must become a queen, rook, bishop or knight — never a king or a pawn — Statement 1 correct. There is no rule requiring the piece to have been captured first; a player may have two or more queens — Statement 2 wrong. Promotion happens as part of the same move. Hence Only 1 — option (a).

SAFTA (A–R) India did protest against Pakistan’s negative list, which kept most Indian goods out of preferential trade — A is correct. SAFTA has no provision letting a member impose unilateral tariff curbs over political disputes — R is incorrect. Its safeguard clauses relate to economic injury, not politics. Hence option (c).

'Sleeping on Jupiter' Sleeping on Jupiter (2015) is by Anuradha Roy. It was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize and won the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature in 2016. Her other novels include An Atlas of Impossible Longing. Hence option (b).

Harvinder Singh Harvinder Singh won gold in the men’s individual recurve open at Paris 2024. He became the first Indian para-archer to win Paralympic gold and later received the Padma Shri. Mariyappan is a high jumper and Sumit Antil a javelin thrower. Hence option (b).

SAF Games The first South Asian Federation Games were held at Kathmandu in 1984 with the seven South Asian nations taking part — Statement 1 correct. Up to 2016 India had hosted three times (1987, 1995, 2016) but Nepal too had hosted repeatedly, so India was not the clear leader — Statement 2 wrong. The Games were renamed the South Asian Games later. Hence Only Statement 1 — option (d).

GST Council head Article 279A provides for the GST Council. The Union Finance Minister is its chairperson. State finance ministers and the Union Minister of State for Finance are its members. Hence option (b).

Connective tissues Tendons of dense regular connective tissue join muscle to bone — Statement 1 correct. Ligaments join bone to bone and are slightly elastic — Statement 2 correct. Cartilage stays SOFTER and more flexible than bone throughout life — Statement 3 wrong. Hence Only 1 and 2 — option (a).

Rajya Sabha The Rajya Sabha is a continuing House and is never dissolved — Statement 1 correct. Members serve six years, with one-third retiring every second year — Statement 2 correct. This staggering keeps the House in continuous existence. Hence Both — option (c).

Tamasha Tamasha is the traditional folk theatre of Maharashtra. It combines song, dance and satire, with the lavani as its best-known element. The dholki and tuntune accompany the performance. Hence option (c).

Indifference curve An indifference curve joins all combinations of two goods giving the consumer the same satisfaction. The budget line shows what the consumer can afford, not satisfaction. An isoquant does the same job for a PRODUCER’s output. Hence option (b).

Positive Peace Positive Peace measures the attitudes, institutions and structures that create and sustain peaceful societies. The Institute for Economics and Peace treats it as a leading indicator — a fall in Positive Peace warns of future violence. It is therefore predictive, not a mere count of conflicts. Hence option (c).

Minimum Needs Programme The Minimum Needs Programme was launched in the Fifth Five-Year Plan (1974-79). It aimed to provide basic services — education, health, water, housing and roads — to the poor. The plan’s slogan was "Garibi Hatao" with growth and self-reliance. Hence option (c).

Washington Consensus The Washington Consensus (1989) listed ten market-friendly reforms. Fiscal discipline, trade liberalisation and tax reform are among them. It explicitly opposed subsidies, favouring their redirection to basic services — so export subsidies do not belong. Hence option (c).

Wetlands notification Odisha became the first state to notify all its wetlands under the 2017 Rules. Notification brings the wetlands legal protection against encroachment and conversion. Odisha also hosts Chilika, India’s largest brackish-water lagoon. Hence option (b).

1991 licensing (A–R) The 1991 policy abolished licensing for all but a handful of industries — A is correct. The purpose was to FREE private enterprise from red tape, not to curb it — R is incorrect. Curbing monopolies was the aim of the earlier MRTP regime, which was itself relaxed in 1991. Hence option (c).

Article 32 Article 32 lets a citizen move the Supreme Court directly for enforcement of Fundamental Rights. Dr. Ambedkar called it the heart and soul of the Constitution. The Court can issue writs such as habeas corpus and mandamus under it. Hence option (a).

Dumhal dance Dumhal is performed only by men of the Wattal community of Kashmir. They wear long colourful robes and conical caps and dance around a banner planted in the ground. The dance is done on fixed occasions with set rituals. Hence option (c).

Auroras The solar wind carries charged particles towards the Earth. The magnetic field guides them to the polar regions, where they strike oxygen and nitrogen atoms. The excited atoms release light, producing the aurora borealis and australis. Hence option (c).