11 February 2025 · Shift 1

Social reform organisations The Bahishkrit Hitkarini Sabha was founded in Bombay on 20 July 1924 by Dr. B. R. Ambedkar. Its aim was the education, economic uplift and social rights of the depressed classes, under the motto 'Educate, Agitate, Organise'. Atmaram Pandurang founded the Prarthana Samaj and Rabindranath Tagore founded Visva-Bharati; Dr. Rajendra Prasad was independent India's first President. Hence the correct option is (c).

Infant mortality rate The Sample Registration System (SRS) of the Registrar General of India puts India's Infant Mortality Rate for 2020 at 28 per thousand live births. Infant Mortality Rate = number of deaths of children below one year of age per 1,000 live births in a year. It fell from 30 in 2019 to 28 in 2020, a drop of about 6.7% in one year. Among the states Madhya Pradesh reported the highest IMR and Kerala the lowest. Hence the correct option is (a).

Rutherford's experiment Rutherford is known for the gold foil experiment (alpha-particle scattering) of 1911, in which a beam of α-particles was fired at a very thin gold foil. The result disproved J. J. Thomson's plum-pudding model and gave the nuclear model of the atom. The oil drop experiment was Millikan's and the double-slit experiment was Thomas Young's. Hence the correct option is (d).

Youth development institute RGNIYD, at Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu, was set up in 1993 under the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. It was proposed to function as a deemed National Youth University, and was granted 'deemed to be university' status under Section 3 of the UGC Act, 1956, so that it could award its own degrees in youth work and development. Parliament later declared it an Institution of National Importance by Act No. 35 of 2012. It is therefore neither a central university nor a mere regional centre. Hence the correct option is (b).

Indian rappers Aditya Prateek Singh Sisodia performs under the stage name Badshah. 'DJ Waley Babu' (2015) was his debut solo single and made him a household name. He records in Hindi, Punjabi, Haryanvi and English, and is also a music producer. The other options are the stage names of different artists: Raftaar is Dilin Nair and Yo Yo Honey Singh is Hirdesh Singh. Hence the correct option is (d).

Directive Principles The Directive Principles of State Policy are enumerated in Part IV of the Constitution, Articles 36 to 51. They are borrowed from the Irish Constitution and are non-justiciable - no court can enforce them - yet Article 37 calls them fundamental in the governance of the country. Part III, the tempting option, carries the Fundamental Rights, which are enforceable. Hence the correct option is (b).

Union ministries and bills The Jammu and Kashmir Local Bodies Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024 was introduced in Parliament by the Ministry of Home Affairs. Jammu and Kashmir is a Union Territory, and legislation and administration for Union Territories are handled by the MHA, so any Bill touching its panchayats and municipalities comes from that ministry. The Bill amends the local body laws to provide reservation for Other Backward Classes in panchayats and municipalities of J&K. Hence the correct option is (c).

Agricultural revolutions The National Beekeeping and Honey Mission was launched in 2020 to achieve the goal of the 'Sweet Revolution'. The Sweet Revolution is the drive to raise honey production and scientific beekeeping; the mission runs through the National Bee Board under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare as part of Atmanirbhar Bharat, and was approved for 2020-2023. The other colours belong elsewhere: Red Revolution to tomato and meat, Black Revolution to petroleum, Pink Revolution to onion, prawn and meat processing. Hence the correct option is (b).

National Emergency provisions Article 172(1) fixes the normal term of a State Legislative Assembly at five years from its first sitting. The same article provides that while a Proclamation of National Emergency under Article 352 is in operation, Parliament may extend that term by law, by not more than one year at a time. The extension cannot continue beyond six months after the Emergency ceases to operate. The Governor can summon, prorogue or dissolve the Assembly but has no power to extend its life; the Chief Minister and Prime Minister have none either. Hence the correct option is (c).

IPL awards In the Indian Premier League the Orange Cap is worn by the batter with the most runs in the season and is kept by the leading run scorer at the end. The IPL is the BCCI's professional T20 league, started in 2008. Hence the correct option is (d).

Iron Age sites Mayiladumparai lies in Krishnagiri district of Tamil Nadu. Dating results announced in 2022 placed iron objects from the site at about 2172 BCE, roughly 4,200 years old, making it the oldest known Iron Age site in the Indian subcontinent. It is a habitation-cum-burial site, and the finding pushed the start of the Iron Age in India back by several centuries. Hence the correct option is (a).

Badminton - BWF events The Badminton World Federation upgraded the India Open from Super 500 to Super 750 level for the next five years. A Super 750 event carries more ranking points and higher prize money than a Super 500, so the upgrade brings the world's top shuttlers to New Delhi. The BWF, founded in 1934 as the International Badminton Federation, is the sport's world governing body and is headquartered at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Hence the correct option is (a).

Current affairs 2024 National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, along with senior military officers, received Sheikh Hasina at the Hindon Airbase in Ghaziabad on 5 August 2024. She had resigned as Prime Minister of Bangladesh and flown out of Dhaka in a C-130 transport aircraft after the student-led agitation. Ajit Doval has been India's National Security Adviser since 2014; Shivshankar Menon held that post earlier, from 2010 to 2014. Hence the correct option is (a).

Supercontinents Pangaea broke into two halves: Laurasia in the north and Gondwana in the south. The two were separated by the Tethys Sea, and India rode north from Gondwana to collide with Asia and raise the Himalayas. Rodinia, Pannotia and Nuna (Columbia) are older supercontinents, all long before Pangaea. Hence the correct option is (c).

Classical dance forms Rukmini Devi Arundale is associated with Bharatanatyam, the classical dance of Tamil Nadu. She revived it and brought it from the temple to the concert stage, founding Kalakshetra at Adyar, Chennai, in 1936. She was the first woman nominated to the Rajya Sabha (1952) and received the Padma Bhushan in 1956. Kuchipudi belongs to Andhra Pradesh, Kathakali to Kerala and Odissi to Odisha. Hence the correct option is (c).

Agricultural revolutions The Golden Revolution followed the Green Revolution and refers to the rapid growth of horticulture - fruits, vegetables and honey. It is dated roughly to 1991-2003, the period in which India became a leading producer of fruits such as mango and banana. Remember the pairing by product: the Green Revolution was for foodgrains, and this one for horticulture. Hence the correct option is (a).

National festivals India has three national festivals: Republic Day (26 January), Independence Day (15 August) and Gandhi Jayanti (2 October). National Unity Day (Rashtriya Ekta Diwas) is observed on 31 October, the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, and was begun by the Government of India in 2014. It is an observance honouring Patel's role in integrating the princely states, not one of the three national festivals. Hence the correct option is (d).

Census organisation The Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India works under the Ministry of Home Affairs. Set up in 1961, it conducts the decennial Census, runs the Civil Registration System and the Sample Registration System, and maintains the National Population Register. This is why census and vital-statistics figures are released by the MHA, and not by the Ministry of Health or of Statistics. Hence the correct option is (b).

Guinness World Records Srushti Sudhir Jagtap, a 16-year-old student from Maharashtra, danced for 127 hours - about five days - to enter Guinness World Records 2023 for the longest dance marathon by an individual. She broke the earlier mark of 126 hours set by Bandana Nepal of Nepal in 2018. Sanjukta Panigrahi, the tempting name, was a celebrated Odissi dancer, not a record holder in this event. Hence the correct option is (c).

Food chain trophic levels A shrimp feeds on algae and other producers, so the shrimp is a primary consumer; the fish that eats the shrimp is a secondary consumer. Energy therefore passes from the primary consumer to the secondary consumer, only about 10% of it moving up at each step. Hence the correct option is (c).