24 September 2025 · Shift 3

SSLV SSLV is designed for small satellites of up to about 500 kg to low Earth orbit. It can be assembled in days by a small team and costs far less than PSLV or GSLV. It uses three solid stages with a liquid velocity-trimming module at the end. Hence option (b).

QUAD origin The Quad was first proposed in 2007 by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. India, the United States, Japan and Australia were its four members. It lapsed soon after and was revived in 2017. Hence option (c).

PLI scheme Under PLI a company is paid an incentive on its incremental sales of goods made in India. The aim is to build domestic manufacturing capacity and attract investment. It now covers electronics, pharmaceuticals, textiles, automobiles and other sectors. Hence option (b).

Meenakshi Temple The Meenakshi Temple is a Dravidian-style complex with fourteen gopurams. These towering, brightly painted gateways covered in figures are its best-known feature. The tallest rises to about 52 metres. Hence option (b).

Toni Morrison Toni Morrison won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1988 for Beloved. She received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1993, the first African-American woman to do so. Her other works include The Bluest Eye and Song of Solomon. Hence option (d).

First athletics gold The first Asian Games were held at New Delhi in 1951. India won several athletics golds there, including Lavy Pinto in the 100 m and 200 m. India finished second on the medal table at those Games. Hence option (d).

Simon Commission All seven members of the Simon Commission were British. Indians saw this as an insult to their claim to self-rule. It was met everywhere with black flags and the cry "Simon, go back". Hence option (b).

Zero FIR A Zero FIR may be registered at any police station, whatever the place of the offence. It is later transferred to the station that actually has jurisdiction. The Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita gives it statutory backing. Hence option (a).

GeM CEO Ajay Bhadoo took charge as CEO of GeM in March 2025. GeM is the government’s online procurement portal, launched in 2016. It works under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. Hence option (d).

Buddha’s disciples Sariputta, Upali and Ananda were among the foremost disciples of the Buddha. Ananda was his personal attendant and Upali the master of monastic discipline. Susima was a Mauryan prince, the eldest son of Bindusara. Hence option (b).

Bauxite in India Bauxite is a weathering product found in LATERITE, not in the Dharwar rocks — Statement 1 is incorrect. Odisha is by far the largest producer of bauxite in India, not Jharkhand — Statement 2 is incorrect. Statement 3 correctly links bauxite to lateritic plateaus and hills of peninsular India. So 1 and 2 are the incorrect ones — option (c).

Dhrupad Dhrupad is the oldest surviving form of Hindustani classical vocal music. It is austere and devotional, sung to the pakhawaj with a strong, steady rhythm. Thumri and tappa are lighter, romantic forms. Hence option (b).

Dispersed settlements Dispersed settlements are scattered huts far apart, found where land is broken and farming difficult. The hilly tracts of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh show this pattern. Bundelkhand, Chhattisgarh and the lower Ganga plains have compact or semi-compact villages instead. Hence 4 only — option (b).

Colonial architecture Colonial buildings did use lime mortar and raised plinths — Statement 1 is correct. They also featured domes, arches and colonnaded verandas — Statement 2 is correct. But the verandas and domes were a response to climate and to European style; they are not the REASON for using lime mortar and plinths. Both correct, no causal link — option (c).

Boxing skills Straight punches and uppercuts are indeed offensive techniques — Statement 1 correct. Shadow boxing and mirror boxing are standard drills for perfecting form — Statement 2 correct. Boxing range is conventionally described in the four categories named — Statement 3 correct. All three — option (d).

Baji Rao I Baji Rao I was the son of Balaji Vishwanath and served Chhatrapati Shahu as Peshwa. He is known in the records as Baji Rao Ballal, "Ballal" being his patronymic. He was never defeated in battle and extended Maratha power to the north. Hence option (c).

Khelo India Para Games 2025 The second Khelo India Para Games were held at New Delhi in 2025. Competition was held in six sports. These included para athletics, para badminton, para powerlifting, para table tennis, para archery and para shooting. Hence option (c).

Beta-minus decay In β⁻ decay a neutron turns into a proton, emitting an electron and an antineutrino. So the atomic number rises by 1 while the total number of nucleons is unchanged. β⁺ decay lowers the atomic number and gamma decay changes neither. Hence option (b).

Panthi dance Panthi is the folk dance of the Satnami community of Chhattisgarh. The male dancers perform bare-chested, wearing a dhoti. It is performed on Guru Ghasidas Jayanti, to the mandar and jhanjh. Hence option (c).

CPI publisher The Corruption Perceptions Index is published by Transparency International, based in Berlin. It has appeared annually since 1995 and scores countries from 0 to 100. A lower score means a higher perceived level of public-sector corruption. Hence option (c).

Trade and aggregate demand In the identity AD = C + I + G + (X − M), imports enter with a minus sign. So spending on imports leaks out of the domestic income flow — Statement 1 correct. Exports add to it, raising aggregate demand — Statement 2 correct. Both correct — option (b).

First Five-Year Plan The First Plan (1951-56) was based on the Harrod-Domar model. It gave top priority to agriculture, irrigation and power, after the disruption of Partition. Heavy industry became the focus only in the Second Plan. Hence option (d).

Writers' Building On 8 December 1930 the three stormed the Writers' Building in Dalhousie Square. They shot dead Colonel N.S. Simpson, the Inspector General of Prisons. The square is now named B.B.D. Bagh after Binoy, Badal and Dinesh. Hence option (b).

Rani Gaidinliu Rani Gaidinliu took over the Heraka movement after Haipou Jadonang was hanged in 1931. It sought to revive tribal religion and drive out British rule and missionary influence. She was arrested in 1932 and Nehru gave her the title "Rani". Hence option (c).

WTO (A–R) The WTO does work for a free, fair and predictable trading system — A is true. Its rules bar arbitrary barriers; protection is allowed only under narrow, agreed exceptions — R is false. Members that break the rules can be taken to its dispute settlement body. Hence option (c).