← Group B (Gazetted)
Past Questions — 2026
Which one of the following is the largest container port in India?
A)
Kochi
B)
Vishakhapatnam
C)
Mangalore
D)
Nhava Sheva, Mumbai
Nhava Sheva (also known as Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust or JNPT), located in Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, is the largest container port in India. It handles the majority of India's containerized cargo. The other options are incorrect because: Kochi (Option a) is a major port in Kerala but not the largest container port; Vishakhapatnam (Option b) is a premier port on the east coast primarily known for bulk cargo; and Mangalore (Option c) is a major port in Karnataka that mainly handles commodities like LPG, coal, and iron ore rather than being the leading container hub.
Agriculture, police and public health comes under which List of the Indian Constitution?
A)
Union List
B)
State List
C)
Concurrent List
D)
Local Government List
Agriculture, police, and public health fall under the State List (List II) of the Seventh Schedule of the Indian Constitution. This means that state governments have the exclusive power to legislate on these subjects as they are of local and state-level importance.
- Option 'a' (Union List) is incorrect because it contains subjects of national importance like defense, foreign affairs, and banking, which are legislated solely by the Parliament.
- Option 'c' (Concurrent List) is incorrect because it includes subjects of common interest to both the Center and the States, such as education, forests, and marriage.
- Option 'd' (Local Government List) is incorrect because there is no such list in the Seventh Schedule of the Indian Constitution; local government itself is a subject under the State List.
Expansionary fiscal policy involves:
A)
Monetary tightening
B)
Lower taxes and higher public expenditure
C)
Reduction in deficit
D)
Higher taxes and lower spending
Expansionary fiscal policy is designed to stimulate economic growth and increase aggregate demand. This is achieved by lowering taxes (which increases disposable income for consumers and businesses to spend and invest) and increasing public expenditure (which directly injects money into the economy and creates jobs). Option 'a' is incorrect because monetary tightening is a monetary policy tool managed by the central bank, not a fiscal policy tool. Option 'c' is incorrect because expansionary policy typically increases the budget deficit rather than reducing it. Option 'd' is incorrect because higher taxes and lower spending represent contractionary fiscal policy, which is used to slow down an overheating economy.
Fourth Schedule of Indian Constitution deals with which of the following?
A)
Panchayat Raj System
B)
Schedule Tribes
C)
Allocation of seats for the Council of States
D)
Anti-defection Law
The Fourth Schedule of the Indian Constitution deals with the allocation of seats in the Council of States (Rajya Sabha) to the States and Union Territories.
Why other options are incorrect:
- Option 'a' (Panchayat Raj System) is dealt with under the Eleventh Schedule, which was added by the 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act in 1992.
- Option 'b' (Scheduled Tribes) is dealt with under the Fifth and Sixth Schedules of the Constitution, which contain provisions for the administration and control of Scheduled Areas and Scheduled Tribes.
- Option 'd' (Anti-defection Law) is contained in the Tenth Schedule, which was added by the 52nd Constitutional Amendment Act in 1985.
Which of the following is a direct tax?
A)
Goods and Services Tax (GST)
B)
Excise Duty
C)
Customs Duty
D)
Corporation Tax
Corporation Tax is a direct tax because it is levied directly on the net income or profits of corporate entities, and the liability to pay it cannot be shifted to another entity. On the other hand, Goods and Services Tax (GST), Excise Duty, and Customs Duty are indirect taxes because they are levied on goods and services, and the tax burden is ultimately passed on to the final consumer.
‘Disguised Unemployment’ is a characteristic feature of which sector in India?
A)
Organized Industrial Sector
B)
Information Technology Sector
C)
Agriculture Sector
D)
Banking and Financial Sector
Disguised unemployment is a phenomenon where more people are employed in an activity than are actually needed, meaning the marginal productivity of the extra labor is zero. In India, this is a primary characteristic of the Agriculture Sector, where entire families often work on small landholdings because of a lack of alternative employment opportunities, even though fewer people could manage the farm just as effectively. In contrast, the Organized Industrial Sector (option a), Information Technology Sector (option b), and Banking and Financial Sector (option d) are highly structured, profit-driven, and skill-based sectors that optimize their workforce to avoid redundant labor, making disguised unemployment virtually non-existent there.
Write an essay on Central Government Schemes and their Impact in Mizoram.
Write an essay on Corruption – Impact on society and economy.
Write an essay on Tourism Sector as a Growth Engine for India.
Write an essay on the Impact of Social Media on the youth of Mizoram.
Write an essay on Indian Economy: Strengths and Opportunities, Challenges and Concerns.
Write an essay on Mental Health: India’s silent pandemic and awareness needs.
Write an essay on The role of Artificial Intelligence in modern society.
Write an essay on One Nation, One Election.
Identify the part of speech of the underlined word: This building will never be given to that man, it is yours.
A)
Adverb
B)
Noun
C)
Adjective
D)
Pronoun
In the given sentence, the word 'yours' (or 'it') is a Pronoun. Specifically, 'yours' is a possessive pronoun used to show ownership and replace the noun phrase 'your building' to avoid repetition. 'Adverb' (a) is incorrect because it does not modify a verb, adjective, or other adverb. 'Noun' (b) is incorrect because it is a substituting word rather than a naming word. 'Adjective' (c) is incorrect because it does not directly modify a noun (unlike the possessive adjective 'your').
Choose the correct alternative to fill in the blank: The head of the department informed her team that she would return _______ a week.
A)
For
B)
On
C)
within
D)
with
The correct preposition to fill in the blank is 'within'. 'Within a week' means before a week has passed, which perfectly fits the context of indicating the time frame of her return. 'For' (option a) would imply the duration of her stay rather than the time limit of her return. 'On' (option b) is used for specific days (e.g., 'on Monday') and is grammatically incorrect here. 'With' (option d) does not denote a time frame and is contextually incorrect.
Choose the correct alternative to fill in the blank: Please help me cut the yarn ______ a scissor.
A)
with
B)
for
C)
by
D)
on
The correct preposition to use here is 'with'. In English, we use 'with' to indicate the instrument or tool used to perform an action (e.g., 'cut with a scissor/scissors'). 'By' is incorrect because it is used to denote the agent performing the action or the method/means (e.g., 'by hand'). 'For' and 'on' are grammatically incorrect in this context as they do not express the instrument of an action.
Identify the part of speech of the underlined word: We waited until she arrived.
A)
Adjective
B)
Adverb
C)
Noun
D)
Conjunction
In the sentence 'We waited until she arrived', the word 'until' connects the main clause ('We waited') with the subordinate clause ('she arrived'). Therefore, it functions as a subordinating conjunction.
- Adjective (a): Incorrect because 'until' does not modify a noun or pronoun.
- Adverb (b): Incorrect because 'until' here is introducing a clause with a subject and a verb, making it a conjunction rather than a simple adverb.
- Noun (c): Incorrect because 'until' does not represent a person, place, thing, or idea.
Choose the correct alternative to change the speech: Sarah said, “The sun rises in the East”.
A)
Sarah said that the sun will rise in the East.
B)
Sarah said that the sun rose in the East.
C)
Sarah said that the sun has risen in the East.
D)
Sarah said that the sun rises in the East.
When converting direct speech to indirect speech, if the reported speech expresses a universal truth, scientific fact, or habitual action, the tense of the verb remains unchanged, even if the reporting verb is in the past tense ('said'). Since 'The sun rises in the East' is a universal truth, the verb 'rises' must remain in the simple present tense. Therefore, option 'd' is correct. Options 'a', 'b', and 'c' are incorrect because they unnecessarily change the tense to future ('will rise'), simple past ('rose'), and present perfect ('has risen') respectively.
Identify the part of speech of the underlined word: Moriarty found many shoes under the house.
A)
Adverb
B)
Verb
C)
Adjective
D)
Preposition
In the sentence 'Moriarty found many shoes under the house', the underlined word is 'under'.
1. **Why 'Preposition' (d) is correct**: The word 'under' is a preposition because it indicates a spatial relationship, linking the noun phrase 'the house' (its object) to the rest of the sentence to show where the shoes were found.
2. **Why other options are incorrect**:
- **Adverb (a)**: An adverb modifies a verb, adjective, or another adverb. Here, 'under' introduces a prepositional phrase rather than acting as an adverb.
- **Verb (b)**: The verb in this sentence is 'found', which expresses the action performed by the subject (Moriarty).
- **Adjective (c)**: An adjective modifies or describes a noun. In this sentence, 'many' is an adjective modifying 'shoes', not 'under'.
Transform the following sentence into a Negative Sentence without changing the meaning: I was doubtful whether it was you.
A)
I was not sure that it was you.
B)
I was unsure that it was going to be you.
C)
I am rather unsure if it was you.
D)
I was very not sure if that was you or not.
To transform an affirmative sentence into a negative sentence without changing its meaning, we use the negative of the antonym. The antonym of 'doubtful' is 'sure', so 'was doubtful' becomes 'was not sure'. Option (a) correctly applies this rule while maintaining the original past tense ('was'). Option (b) changes the meaning by introducing 'going to be'. Option (c) incorrectly changes the tense from past ('was') to present ('am'). Option (d) is grammatically incorrect ('very not sure').
Fill in the blank with the correct form of the verb given in brackets: Gravity ________ (pull) objects towards the Earth.
A)
pulls
B)
does pull
C)
pulled
D)
has pulled
The correct option is 'a' (pulls). The sentence states a scientific fact and a universal truth, which must always be expressed in the Simple Present Tense. Since 'Gravity' is a singular noun, it takes the singular verb form 'pulls'. Option 'b' (does pull) is incorrect because emphatic form is not required here. Option 'c' (pulled) is in the past tense, which incorrectly implies that gravity no longer pulls objects. Option 'd' (has pulled) is in the present perfect tense, which is inappropriate for describing a continuous, universal law of nature.
Transform the following sentence into an Exclamatory Sentence without changing the meaning: I wish I were a millionaire
A)
If I was only a rich man!
B)
How to be a millionaire!
C)
If only I were a millionaire!
D)
If only I could have been a millionaire!
To transform an assertive sentence expressing a wish (starting with 'I wish I were...') into an exclamatory sentence, we replace 'I wish' with 'If only' while keeping the subjunctive verb 'were' and the rest of the sentence structure intact. Therefore, 'If only I were a millionaire!' is the correct exclamatory form. Option 'a' incorrectly changes 'were' to 'was' and alters 'millionaire' to 'rich man'. Option 'b' is grammatically incorrect and changes the meaning. Option 'd' changes the tense to the past ('could have been'), which alters the original meaning of a present wish.
Identify the part of speech of the underlined word: We admired the landscape of the country and decided to return annually.
A)
Adjective
B)
Conjunction
C)
Adverb
D)
Verb
In this sentence, the underlined word is 'annually'.
1. **Why the correct option is correct:** 'Annually' is an **Adverb** (specifically, an adverb of frequency/time) because it modifies the verb 'return', describing how often the action of returning will take place.
2. **Why other options are incorrect:**
- **Adjective (a):** Adjectives modify nouns or pronouns (e.g., 'beautiful landscape'), whereas 'annually' modifies a verb.
- **Conjunction (b):** Conjunctions connect words, phrases, or clauses (e.g., 'and' is the conjunction in this sentence).
- **Verb (d):** Verbs express actions or states of being (e.g., 'admired', 'decided', and 'return' are verbs in this sentence).
Select the most appropriate meaning of the following idiom: A wide berth
A)
keep away from
B)
publicly condemn
C)
give publicity to
D)
not sympathise with
The idiom 'to give a wide berth' means to keep a safe distance from someone or something, or to avoid them entirely. It originates from nautical terminology, where a ship is given plenty of space (a wide berth) to maneuver safely and avoid collision. Therefore, 'keep away from' is the correct meaning. The other options ('publicly condemn', 'give publicity to', and 'not sympathise with') do not convey the concept of avoidance or keeping distance.