23 September 2025 · Shift 1

Bhadra The bhadra is the projecting central offset on each face of the temple wall or shikhara. It marks the cardinal axis and usually holds the main niche with a deity image. Karna is the corner offset and pratiratha the one between karna and bhadra. Hence option (a).

Garia — Ochai Garia is celebrated by the tribal communities of Tripura for a good harvest. The Ochai is the traditional priest who conducts the worship of the Garia deity. Offerings of rice beer, cotton thread and fowl are made under his guidance. Hence option (c).

Colonial Gothic (A–R) Colonial buildings such as Bombay’s VT station and Mumbai University do use ribbed vaults and pointed arches — A is true. These are the defining marks of European Gothic architecture, which the colonial Gothic Revival copied — so R is false. The style is called Gothic Revival precisely because it drew on that earlier tradition. Hence option (d).

Samhita Samhita literally means a systematic collection. The Rigveda Samhita is the compiled body of 1,028 hymns arranged in ten mandalas. The Brahmanas explain rituals and the Aranyakas and Upanishads follow them. Hence option (b).

Gupta fiscal terms Vaishthika (from vishti) was unpaid forced labour rendered for royal works — correctly matched. Bhaga was the king’s share of the agricultural produce, not a judicial fee. Utkhetayita refers to land cleared for cultivation, and dasaparadha has nothing to do with a cattle tax. Hence option (b).

IABF formation The IABF was formed in Bombay, and its first office was at 62, Majestic Hotel. Most of its founding office-bearers came from Bombay itself. Its inaugural meeting was held at the Governor’s Pavilion of the Cricket Club of India. All three are correct — option (a).

Sher Shah’s administration Sher Shah Suri built a systematic revenue and administrative machinery in only five years. His land survey, the rupiya, the sarkar-pargana division and the postal system were all carried forward by Akbar. Todar Mal, who framed Akbar’s revenue system, had served under Sher Shah. Hence option (b).

Wood's Despatch Wood's Despatch of 1854 is called the Magna Carta of English education in India. It proposed a department of education in every province, universities at Calcutta, Bombay and Madras, and grants-in-aid to schools. It also stressed teaching in the vernacular at the lower levels. Hence option (b).

Aman Sehrawat Aman Sehrawat won bronze in the men’s 57 kg freestyle event at Paris 2024. He was 21 years old, making him India’s youngest individual Olympic medallist. He was also India’s only wrestling medallist at those Games. Hence option (b).

NADA Education Plan The Education Plan is built on values — integrity, ethics and fair play — so Statement 1 is correct. It also aims to give athletes and support staff accurate, up-to-date anti-doping information — Statement 3 correct. Punishment is the job of the disciplinary panels; the Education Plan is preventive, so Statement 2 is wrong. Hence 1 and 3 — option (a).

"Heart Lamp" Heart Lamp is a collection of short stories by Banu Mushtaq, written in Kannada. It was translated into English by Deepa Bhasthi. The translation brought the work international recognition. Hence option (b).

Negotiating Mughal Law The book follows one landholding family across Mughal, Maratha and British rule. Through their documents it studies how law and property rights were negotiated — Statement 1 correct. It is legal and social history, not a literary study of imperial poetry — Statement 2 wrong. Hence Only 1 — option (d).

Khelo India Winter Games mascot The Khelo India Winter Games 2024 were held in Ladakh and Jammu & Kashmir. The snow leopard, named Sheen-e-She or Shan, was chosen as the mascot. It represents the high-altitude Himalayan habitat where the Games are held. Hence option (c).

Article 356 Article 356 provides for President’s Rule when the constitutional machinery of a state fails. The state legislature is then dissolved or suspended and Parliament legislates for the state. Under Article 352 the states continue to function, though Parliament may legislate on the State List. Hence option (b).

Doppler effect The Doppler effect depends on the RELATIVE motion between source and observer. If both move with the same speed in the same direction, the distance between them never changes. With no relative motion there is no shift in frequency. Hence option (b).

Confession to police (A–R) A confession made to a police officer is inadmissible against the accused — A is true. Section 23 of the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam carries forward this bar so that confessions are free of police pressure — R is true. That very safeguard is the reason such confessions are excluded, so R explains A. Hence option (c).

Kalbelia Kalbelia dancers wear flowing black skirts embroidered with mirror work and silver thread — Statement 1 correct. UNESCO inscribed Kalbelia folk songs and dances on its Representative List in 2010 — Statement 2 correct. The dance imitates the movement of a serpent, reflecting the community’s snake-charming tradition. Hence Both — option (c).

Global Peace Index Iceland has topped the Global Peace Index every year since 2008. The index is published by the Institute for Economics and Peace. It rates countries on societal safety, ongoing conflict and militarisation. Hence option (b).

Monetary transmission (A–R) Banks and other institutions are the channel through which a repo-rate change reaches households and firms — A is true. They pass it on by adjusting their own deposit and lending rates — R is true. That adjustment is precisely how the transmission happens, so R explains A. Hence option (c).

Peer Ali Khan Peer Ali Khan ran a bookshop in Patna that became a centre of revolutionary activity. He led the uprising there in July 1857 and was hanged for it. Kunwar Singh led the revolt at Arrah in the same period. Hence option (b).

IPR 1956 The 1956 Resolution aimed at a socialistic pattern of society with the public sector leading. It sought balanced regional development, growth of heavy industry and reduction of inequality. Privatisation and free-market competition came only after 1991. Hence option (a).

Potti Sriramulu (A–R) Potti Sriramulu fasted for 58 days demanding a Telugu state and died in December 1952 — A is true. Andhra State was created within days, and the States Reorganisation Commission followed — R is true. His death is what forced the linguistic reorganisation, so R explains A. Hence option (b).

Total Revolution Total Revolution called for change in seven spheres, all through non-violent means. Ending corruption and decentralising political power were central to it — 1 and 2 correct. JP was a Gandhian and firmly rejected armed uprising, so 3 is wrong; the option pairing 1 and 2 is the one offered. Hence 1 and 2 only — option (a).

Second Five-Year Plan The Second Plan (1956-61) was based on the Mahalanobis model. It stressed heavy and basic industries under state control — the commanding heights. The IPR of 1956 was framed to serve exactly this plan. Hence option (b).

WTO The WTO came into being in 1995, replacing GATT. It frames trade rules, holds negotiations and settles disputes among members. Its aim is a fair, predictable and transparent trading system. Hence option (b).