22 September 2025 · Shift 1

Mangalyaan Mangalyaan was launched by ISRO on 5 November 2013 aboard PSLV-C25. It entered Mars orbit on 24 September 2014 at a cost of about ₹450 crore. Chandrayaan-1 went to the Moon, which is not another planet. Hence option (a).

BRICS coastline Russia is the largest country in the world by area. Its coastline along the Arctic and Pacific oceans runs to about 37,000 km. Brazil’s is around 7,500 km and India’s about 7,500 km. Hence option (c).

Urumi — Kalaripayattu Kalaripayattu is the ancient martial art of Kerala. The urumi, a whip-like flexible sword, is among its most difficult weapons. Gatka belongs to Punjab, Thang-Ta to Manipur and Silambam to Tamil Nadu. Hence option (d).

First Test series win 1952 India won its first Test match against England at Madras (Chennai) in February 1952. Vinoo Mankad took 12 wickets in that game. The win at Chepauk sealed the series for India. Hence option (b).

Wangala — Garo Wangala is the post-harvest festival of the Garo tribe of Meghalaya. It honours Saljong, the sun-god who gives fertility to the fields. It is also called the Hundred Drums Festival. Hence option (c).

Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam Three new criminal laws came into force on 1 July 2024. The Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam replaced the Indian Evidence Act of 1872. The BNS replaced the IPC and the BNSS the CrPC. Hence option (a).

J&K High Court CJ Justice Arun Palli took oath as Chief Justice of the Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh High Court in 2025. He had earlier served as a judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Justice Hima Kohli and Justice Ajay Rastogi are retired Supreme Court judges. Hence option (a).

Shola ecosystem Sholas occur in the high, HIGH-RAINFALL hills of the Western Ghats and Nilgiris, not in dry regions — Statement 1 is incorrect. They are broad-leaved evergreen patches, not coniferous — Statement 3 is incorrect. Statement 2 correctly describes them — stunted forest in valley folds ringed by grassland. Hence 1 and 3 — option (b).

Chittorgarh reservoirs The fort was built with about 84 water bodies — tanks, wells and step-wells. They could hold enough water for an army of 50,000 for four years. Only around 22 of them survive today. Hence option (b).

Rigveda mandalas The Rigveda is arranged in ten mandalas containing 1,028 hymns. Mandalas 2 to 7 are the oldest "family books". The Gayatri Mantra appears in the third mandala. Hence option (d).

Ur Under the Cholas, the "ur" was the assembly of ordinary landholding villagers. The "sabha" served brahmadeya villages and the "nagaram" the merchant towns. These bodies ran local irrigation, temples and justice. Hence option (c).

First Law Commission The Charter Act of 1833 provided for a Law Commission to codify Indian laws. It was set up in 1834 with Lord Macaulay as its chairman. Its work led to the Indian Penal Code of 1860. Hence option (b).

Golf at Rio 2016 Golf returned to the Olympics at Rio 2016 after 112 years, having last been played in 1904. Anirban Lahiri, S.S.P. Chawrasia and Aditi Ashok represented India — its first Olympic golfers. Aditi Ashok finished 41st, and went on to near-medal finishes later. Hence option (a).

Part-Time Indian Sherman Alexie’s novel won the U.S. National Book Award for Young People’s Literature in 2007 — Statement 2 correct. It has never received the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction — Statement 1 wrong. The book follows Junior, a Spokane teenager who leaves his reservation school. Hence Only 2 — option (d).

Article 280 Article 280 requires the President to constitute a Finance Commission every fifth year. It recommends the sharing of taxes between the Union and the states. Article 282 deals with discretionary grants. Hence option (d).

Bohr's model Energy of the nth orbit is proportional to −$\frac{1}{n\mathrm{²}}$. As n grows, the levels crowd together, so successive gaps shrink. The gap between n = 1 and 2 is far larger than between n = 4 and 5. Hence option (a).

NBHM ministry NBHM was launched in 2020 as part of the Atmanirbhar Bharat package. It runs under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare through the National Bee Board. Its aim is the "Sweet Revolution" — scientific beekeeping and higher farm incomes. Hence option (c).

Gender Gap 2025 The World Economic Forum ranks eight regions in this report. Northern America recorded the highest overall parity score in the 2025 edition. Southern Asia remains among the lowest-ranked regions. Hence option (b).

GDP components GDP = C + I + G + (X − M), counting only FINAL goods and services. Intermediate goods are left out to avoid counting the same value twice. Their worth is already contained in the price of the final product. Hence option (d).

Paika Nritya order The performance opens with the blowing of the war conch, calling the warriors to attention. Sword-and-shield combat movements follow as the main body of the dance. Acrobatic flips come next, and the group closes with the victory chant of "Jai Jagannath". Order 3-4-1-2 — option (c).

Bhikaji Cama Madam Bhikaji Cama unfurled the flag at Stuttgart on 22 August 1907. It carried the words "Vande Mataram" and is regarded as an early version of the tricolour. She is remembered as the Mother of the Indian Revolution. Hence option (c).

All-Abilities Park The All-Abilities Park at Visakhapatnam is designed so that children with and without disabilities can play together. It has ramps, sensory play areas and wheelchair-accessible equipment. It is among the first such inclusive parks in the country. Hence option (b).

Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw founded Biocon in 1978 in a garage in Bengaluru. It grew into India’s largest biopharmaceutical company. She has received the Padma Shri and the Padma Bhushan. Hence option (a).

Agriculture 1950-90 Structural change means workers moving out of agriculture into industry and services. Between 1950 and 1990 output rose, but the share of the workforce in farming stayed near 65-70%. That stagnation in employment share is the clearest sign of limited transformation. Hence option (b).

Inter-State Council The Council was set up in 1990 on the Sarkaria Commission’s recommendation — Statement 1 correct. It rests on Article 263 of the Constitution — Statement 2 correct. Its role is purely recommendatory; it has no power to enforce decisions — Statement 3 wrong. Hence 1 and 2 only — option (d).