← Assistant & UDC
Past Questions — 2021
Who is the minister in charge of Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare in India?
A)
Arjun Munda
B)
Giriraj Singh
C)
Piyush Goyal
D)
Narendra Singh Tomar
The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare was headed by Narendra Singh Tomar during the relevant period. Arjun Munda was the Minister of Tribal Affairs, Giriraj Singh was the Minister of Rural Development/Textiles, and Piyush Goyal handled Commerce and Industry/Consumer Affairs, not Agriculture. Therefore, the correct answer is Narendra Singh Tomar.
A kite is flying with a string 150m long. It makes an angle of 30° with the horizon. The height of the kite from the ground is
A)
150m
B)
300m
C)
75m
D)
180m
The string of the kite is the hypotenuse of a right triangle: 150 m. It makes an angle of 30° with the horizontal, so the height is the side opposite the angle.
Height = 150 × sin 30° = 150 × 1/2 = 75 m.
So the correct answer is 75 m.
Why others are incorrect: 150 m is the string length, not the height; 300 m is impossible since height cannot exceed the string length; 180 m is also greater than the string length.
‘Higher than Hopes’ is a biography of which of the following personality?
A)
Nelson Mandela
B)
Mother Teressa
C)
Barack Obama
D)
Bishop tutu
‘Higher than Hope’ (often misspelled in questions as ‘Higher than Hopes’) is a well-known biography of Mother Teresa, written by Kathryn Spink. Therefore, option (b) is correct. The other options are incorrect because Nelson Mandela, Barack Obama, and Bishop Tutu are associated with different biographies and autobiographical works.
As of February 2021, out of about 4413 caseloads, the number of covid-19 patients who have succumbed to the infection in Mizoram is
A)
7
B)
8
C)
9
D)
10
The question asks for the number of COVID-19 deaths in Mizoram as of February 2021, when the caseload was about 4413. The correct figure reported for that period is 9 deaths. Hence, option (c) is correct. The other options do not match the reported death toll for that date.
Ranjitsinh Disale, from the Solapur village in Maharashtra has won the US $1 million
A)
UNCTAD Investment Promotion Award for 2020
B)
Global Teacher Prize 2020
C)
Fortunes business person of the year 2020
D)
PETA India’s Person of the Year for 2020
Ranjitsinh Disale, a teacher from Paritewadi village in Solapur district, Maharashtra, won the US $1 million Global Teacher Prize 2020. This award is given annually to an outstanding teacher for exceptional contribution to the profession. The other options are unrelated awards and do not match this news.
The second highest Civilian Award in India is-
A)
Bharat Ratna
B)
Padma Bhushan
C)
Vir Chakra
D)
Padma Vibhushan
India’s civilian awards, in descending order, are: Bharat Ratna (highest), Padma Vibhushan (second highest), Padma Bhushan, and Padma Shri. Therefore, the second highest civilian award is Padma Vibhushan. Vir Chakra is a gallantry award, not a civilian award.
According to the National Education Policy 2020, by how much percent the Gross Enrolment Ratio in higher education is to be raised by 2035?
A)
70 per cent
B)
60 per cent
C)
50 per cent
D)
40 per cent
The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 sets a target of increasing the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in higher education to 50% by 2035. Therefore, the correct option is (c). The other options are incorrect because NEP 2020 specifically mentions 50%, not 40%, 60%, or 70%.
Joe Biden was inaugurated on 20th January 2021 to be the 46th president of USA and Kamala Harris as the
A)
46th vice president
B)
47th vice president
C)
48th vice president
D)
49th vice president
Joe Biden was inaugurated as the 46th President of the United States on 20 January 2021. Kamala Harris was sworn in with him as the 49th Vice President of the USA? No—careful: the question asks for her position in the sequence of vice presidents. Kamala Harris became the 49th Vice President of the United States. Therefore, the correct option is the one that matches 49th vice president. However, among the given options, (d) is 49th vice president.
What is the full form of NIELIT ?
A)
North Indian Electrical Line & Information Technology
B)
National Institute for Electronics and Industrial Technology
C)
National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology
D)
National Institute for Electrical and Information Technology
NIELIT stands for National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology. It is an autonomous scientific society under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India. The other options are incorrect because they use wrong words such as Electrical, Industrial, or North Indian instead of Electronics and Information.
Inventor of ATM machines
A)
Shepherd- Barron
B)
Giovani Batista
C)
AH Taylor
D)
Roger Bacon
The inventor of the ATM (Automated Teller Machine) is generally credited as John Shepherd-Barron. He developed the idea of a cash-dispensing machine for banks in the 1960s, and the first ATM was installed in London in 1967.
Why others are incorrect:
- (b) Giovani Batista: not associated with the invention of ATM machines.
- (c) AH Taylor: known for work related to radar, not ATMs.
- (d) Roger Bacon: a medieval philosopher and scientist, unrelated to ATM invention.
Hence, the correct answer is (a) Shepherd- Barron.
The number of seats won by Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM) in the recently concluded Aizawl Municipal Corporations (AMC) election is
A)
Two
B)
Four
C)
Six
D)
Eleven
In the Aizawl Municipal Corporation (AMC) election, Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM) won 11 seats. This was the highest number won by any party in that election. Therefore, the correct option is (d) Eleven.
How many countries are there in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)?
A)
10
B)
15
C)
21
D)
25
APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) has 21 member economies. Therefore, the correct option is (c) 21. The other options are incorrect because APEC is not limited to 10, 15, or 25 members.
Kiran Bedi has been removed as the Lieutenant Governor of which UT?
A)
New Delhi
B)
Jammu & Kashmir
C)
Pondicherry
D)
Andaman and Nicobar
Kiran Bedi served as the Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry (then often referred to as Pondicherry). She was removed from the post in 2021. Therefore, the correct option is Pondicherry. The other Union Territories listed were not her lieutenant governorship.
Which Indian port is also known popularly as ‘The Offspring of Partition’?
A)
Haldia Port
B)
Kandla Port
C)
Paradeep Port
D)
Kochi Port
Kandla Port is popularly known as the ‘Offspring of Partition’ because it was developed after Partition to serve the trade needs of western India when the Karachi port went to Pakistan. The other options are not associated with this nickname: Haldia is a river port in West Bengal, Paradeep is a major port in Odisha, and Kochi is a natural harbour port in Kerala.
The country that has recently declared a climate emergency and pledged to become carbon neutral by 2025
A)
Switzerland
B)
Denmark
C)
Germany
D)
New Zealand
New Zealand declared a climate emergency and committed to making its government carbon neutral by 2025. This was widely reported in 2020. The other options do not match this specific pledge: Switzerland and Germany had different climate targets, and Denmark’s carbon-neutral target was 2050.
Ashley Audrain has published a famous book called
A)
Lore
B)
The four winds
C)
The Push
D)
The Wife Upstairs
Ashley Audrain is the author of the bestselling novel 'The Push' (2021). The other options are by different authors: 'Lore' is by Alexandra Bracken, 'The Four Winds' is by Kristin Hannah, and 'The Wife Upstairs' is by Rachel Hawkins.
A “Green Pass” system that allows people who have been vaccinated to access public facilities has been launched by which of the following countries?
A)
USA
B)
Switzerland
C)
Sweden
D)
Israel
The "Green Pass" system was launched by Israel. It allowed vaccinated people and those who had recovered from COVID-19 to access certain public facilities and events. Among the given options, Israel is the correct answer. The other countries listed are not the origin of this specific "Green Pass" system in the context of the question.
In India, the Income Tax Department falls under the responsibility of
A)
Ministry of Trade and Commerce
B)
Ministry of Finance
C)
Ministry of Taxation
D)
Ministry of Revenue
The Income Tax Department in India functions under the Department of Revenue, which is part of the Ministry of Finance. So, the department comes under the Ministry of Finance. Option (d) is incorrect because there is no separate Ministry of Revenue; revenue is a department under the Finance Ministry. Options (a) and (c) are also incorrect because income tax is not administered by trade/commerce or a separate taxation ministry.
A bag contains 7 red, 5 white and 3 black balls. The probability of getting neither white nor black is
A)
1/3
B)
1/5
C)
8/15
D)
7/15
Total balls = 7 + 5 + 3 = 15. 'Neither white nor black' means the ball must be red. Number of red balls = 7. Therefore, probability = favorable outcomes / total outcomes = 7/15. Hence, option (d) is correct. The other options do not match this ratio.
In 1643, an Italian named Evangelista Torricelli invented
A)
Thermometer
B)
Barometer
C)
Ritcher Scale
D)
Bar Codes
Evangelista Torricelli, an Italian physicist and mathematician, invented the mercury barometer in 1643. A barometer is used to measure atmospheric pressure.
Why others are incorrect: Thermometer was developed earlier by other scientists for measuring temperature; Richter scale was invented much later in 1935 by Charles F. Richter for measuring earthquake magnitude; bar codes are a modern 20th-century invention used for product identification.
A & B together can do a piece of work in 6 days. If B alone can finish it in 8 days, then A alone can complete in
A)
10 days
B)
12 days
C)
24 days
D)
8 days
Let the total work be 1 unit.
A + B can do the work in 6 days, so their combined 1-day work = 1/6.
B alone can do the work in 8 days, so B's 1-day work = 1/8.
Therefore, A's 1-day work = 1/6 - 1/8 = (4 - 3)/24 = 1/24.
So, A alone will complete the work in 24 days.
Hence, the correct option is (c) 24 days.
A rectangular field is 120 m long and 90m broad. Find the cost of leveling it at the rate of 15 paise per sq. m.
A)
`1600
B)
` 1650
C)
`1500
D)
`1620
Area of the rectangular field = length × breadth = 120 × 90 = 10800 sq. m. Rate of leveling = 15 paise per sq. m = Rs. 0.15 per sq. m. Total cost = 10800 × 0.15 = Rs. 1620. Hence, the correct option is (d). Other options do not match the calculated cost.
A Tamil Nadu university has withdrawn a book called ‘Walking with the Comrades’ from its postgraduate English syllabus. The book is written by
A)
RK Narayan
B)
M.Krishnan
C)
VS Naipaul
D)
Arundhati Roy
‘Walking with the Comrades’ is an essay/book by Arundhati Roy. It was reportedly withdrawn from a Tamil Nadu university’s postgraduate English syllabus. The other options are incorrect: R.K. Narayan and M. Krishnan are Indian literary figures with different works, and V.S. Naipaul is not the author of this title.
What is the full form of LL.B?
A)
Law Legume Bachelore
B)
Legum Law Bachelore
C)
Legum Baccalareous
D)
Law Baccalareous Legume
LL.B stands for Bachelor of Laws, but in the traditional Latin form used in degrees, it is derived from "Legum Baccalaureus" or "Baccalaureus Legum". Among the given options, the closest and intended correct choice is (c) "Legum Baccalareous". The other options are not standard or correct expansions.
Who is the minister in charge of Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying in India?
A)
Arjun Munda
B)
Giriraj Singh
C)
Piyush Goyal
D)
Narendra Singh Tomar
The Union Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying was headed by Giriraj Singh during the relevant period. Therefore, option (b) is correct.
Why others are incorrect:
- (a) Arjun Munda was associated with Tribal Affairs.
- (c) Piyush Goyal handled portfolios such as Commerce and Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, and Textiles at different times.
- (d) Narendra Singh Tomar was mainly associated with Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and related ministries.