26 September 2025 · Shift 3

Scarcity definition Lionel Robbins gave the scarcity definition in his 1932 essay on the nature of economic science. He described economics as the study of human behaviour as a relationship between ends and scarce means with alternative uses. Adam Smith gave the wealth definition and Marshall the welfare definition. Hence option (a).

Bharatiya Antariksh Station The Bharatiya Antariksh Station is India’s planned space station in low Earth orbit. The first module is targeted for around 2028, with the full station later. It will let Indian astronauts carry out long-duration experiments in microgravity. Hence option (a).

Mughal subas Akbar divided the empire into subas, each with its own capital. Lahore, Allahabad and Ajmer were all suba headquarters. Bidar was the seat of the Bahmani and later the Barid Shahi rulers of the Deccan. Hence option (c).

DAY-NRLM DAY-NRLM is built around organising rural poor women into Self-Help Groups. It provides revolving funds, community investment support and bank linkage to those groups. Mahila E-Haat is only an online marketing platform and Jan Dhan a banking-access scheme. Hence option (d).

Sound in water Sound travels faster in a denser, more elastic medium, so its speed rises sharply in water. The frequency is fixed by the source and does not change when the medium changes. Since v = fλ and v rises while f stays the same, the wavelength must also rise. Both increase — option (a).

Swish A "swish" is named after the sound the net makes when nothing else is touched. A layup is a close-range shot off the backboard and a dunk is pushed down through the hoop. An alley-oop is a pass caught in the air and finished at once. Hence option (c).

Red Fort Shah Jahan had the Red Fort built between 1638 and 1648. It was the palace fort of his new capital, Shahjahanabad. He also built the Taj Mahal and the Jama Masjid. Hence option (b).

Cytoskeleton The cytoskeleton is a network of microtubules, microfilaments and intermediate filaments. It holds the cell in shape, anchors organelles and helps in movement and division. The endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi apparatus handle synthesis and packaging instead. Hence option (b).

NADA NADA was set up in November 2005 as a registered society. It works under the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. Its task is to enforce the anti-doping code across Indian sport. Hence option (b).

Curzon and the CID Curzon acted on the Police Commission of 1902 and set up the CID in each province. The aim was tighter surveillance and firmer control over the population. The other three measures were administrative or cultural in purpose rather than instruments of control. Hence option (a).

BSA aim The BSA, 2023 replaced the Indian Evidence Act of 1872. It puts electronic and digital records on the same footing as primary evidence. Emails, server logs, locational data and voice messages are all covered. Hence option (b).

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta has been Solicitor General of India since 2018 and was reappointed in 2023. The Solicitor General is the second law officer of the country, after the Attorney General. R. Venkataramani holds the office of Attorney General. Hence option (b).

Yakshagana Yakshagana belongs to the coastal districts of Karnataka. It combines dance, music, dialogue and elaborate costume with towering headgear. Stories are drawn mainly from the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. Hence option (c).

First Tirthankara Rishabhadev, also called Adinath, is the first of the twenty-four Tirthankaras. His symbol is the bull and he is mentioned even in the Rigveda and the Bhagavata Purana. Parshvanath was the 23rd and Mahavira the 24th. Hence option (b).

Road density Statement A is correct — flat, industrially advanced areas naturally carry denser road networks. Statement C is correct — Kerala has one of the highest road densities in the country. Statement B is wrong: the hilly, forested North-East has a SPARSER network than the southern states. Hence B only — option (d).

Census 2011 age group The 2011 Census put the 0-14 age group at about 30.76% of the population. The working-age group of 15-59 years made up roughly 60%. Those aged 60 and above were around 8.6%. Hence option (c).

Indus river The Indus rises near Lake Mansarovar in Tibet, where it is called Singi Khamban. It flows north-west between the Ladakh and Zaskar ranges and cuts a gorge near Gilgit. It crosses into Pakistan near Nanga Parbat and finally reaches the Arabian Sea. Hence option (b).

Book on Jinnah The book was written by the political scientist Ishtiaq Ahmed and published in 2020. Ayesha Jalal wrote The Sole Spokesman and Stanley Wolpert wrote Jinnah of Pakistan. Jaswant Singh’s book is titled Jinnah: India, Partition, Independence. Hence option (a).

36th National Games The 36th National Games were held in Gujarat in 2022 — Statement 1 correct. Events were spread over the six cities named — Statement 2 correct. Services Sports Control Board topped the medal table at those Games. Both correct — option (c).

Railway taxes Railways is a Union List subject under the Seventh Schedule. Taxes on railway fares and freight therefore fall to the Union Government. Municipal bodies and Zila Parishads have no power over them. Hence option (c).

Rani Gaidinliu Gaidinliu was born in the Tamenglong district of present-day Manipur. She took over the Heraka movement in the Naga Hills after Haipou Jadonang was hanged in 1931. Arrested in 1932, she was given the title "Rani" by Jawaharlal Nehru. Hence option (b).

Atmospheric gases Nitrogen makes up about 78% of the atmosphere by volume and oxygen about 21%. Together they account for roughly 99% of the air. Argon is under 1% and carbon dioxide only about 0.04%. Hence option (a).

Sixth Plan The Sixth Plan set poverty removal and technological modernisation as its central goals. It marked a shift away from the Nehruvian model towards a more open approach. IRDP, NREP and TRYSEM were among its main programmes. Hence option (d).

FDI and globalisation Globalisation means integrating the domestic economy with the world economy. FDI brings in foreign capital, technology and management, which is exactly that integration. Privatisation deals with transferring public enterprises to private hands. Hence option (b).

Financial Emergency Article 360 provides for a Financial Emergency when the financial stability of India is threatened. Article 352 covers a National Emergency and Article 356 President’s Rule in a State. A Financial Emergency has never been declared in India. Hence option (b).