← Group B (Gazetted)
Past Questions — 2025
2025 has been declared as International Year of Cooperatives by United Nations. Choose the correct theme.
A)
Prosperity through cooperation.
B)
Cooperation among cooperatives.
C)
Cooperatives Build a Better World.
D)
Autonomy and independence.
The United Nations has declared 2025 as the International Year of Cooperatives (IYC2025) with the official theme 'Cooperatives Build a Better World'. This theme highlights the global impact of cooperatives and how they accelerate progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Option 'a' ('Prosperity through cooperation') is a slogan associated with cooperative initiatives (such as India's 'Sahakar se Samriddhi' vision) but is not the UN theme. Options 'b' and 'd' represent two of the seven core Cooperative Principles established by the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA), rather than the theme for the year 2025.
‘M23 rebels’, recently highlighted in the news, are associated with which country?
A)
Pakistan
B)
Iran
C)
Myanmar
D)
Democratic Republic of Congo
The M23 rebels (March 23 Movement) are a rebel military group operating primarily in the eastern province of North Kivu in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). They are predominantly ethnic Tutsis and have been involved in an ongoing conflict against the DRC government. Other options are incorrect because: Pakistan is associated with groups like the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP); Iran is associated with various Middle Eastern proxy militias; and Myanmar is home to ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) and the People's Defense Force (PDF) fighting the military junta.
Which movie won a leading five Awards at the Oscar, 2025?
A)
Anora
B)
The Brutalist
C)
A Complete Unknown
D)
Conclave
At the 97th Academy Awards (Oscars 2025), 'The Brutalist' emerged as the most successful film of the night, winning a leading five awards: Best Director (Brady Corbet), Best Actor (Adrien Brody), Best Cinematography, Best Original Score, and Best Production Design. 'Anora' won three major awards, including Best Picture, Best Actress (Mikey Madison), and Best Original Screenplay. 'A Complete Unknown' and 'Conclave' did not lead the wins, making 'The Brutalist' the correct answer.
The two newest members of the Schengen Area, who became full members in January 2025 are
A)
Romania and Bulgaria
B)
Ukraine and Serbia
C)
Turkey and Hungary
D)
Finland and Denmark
Romania and Bulgaria are the two newest full members of the Schengen Area. After partially joining via air and sea routes in March 2024, the land border controls were officially lifted on January 1, 2025, making them full members. Other options are incorrect because: Ukraine, Serbia, and Turkey are not Schengen members, while Hungary, Finland, and Denmark have been Schengen members for many years.
Which of the following statements correctly explains the impact of Industrial Revolution in India during the first half of the 19th century?
A)
Indian handicrafts were ruined.
B)
Machines were introduced in the Indian textile industry in large numbers.
C)
Railway lines were laid in many parts of the country.
D)
Heavy duties were imposed on the imports of British manufacturers.
During the first half of the 19th century, the Industrial Revolution in Britain led to the mass production of cheap, machine-made goods, particularly textiles. The British colonial administration adopted a policy of 'one-way free trade', flooding Indian markets with these cheap imports. This severely undermined and ruined the traditional Indian handicraft and handloom industries, leading to massive de-industrialization. Option 'b' is incorrect because modern textile machinery was introduced in India only in the second half of the 19th century (the first cotton mill was established in 1854). Option 'c' is incorrect because railway construction in India began in the 1850s (the first passenger train ran in 1853). Option 'd' is incorrect because duties on British imports into India were kept extremely low, while heavy duties were imposed on Indian exports to Britain.
Which important event immediately preceded Jallianwala Bagh massacre?
A)
Non-Cooperation Movement
B)
Enactment of Rowlatt Act
C)
Communal Award
D)
Arrival of Simon Commission
The Jallianwala Bagh massacre took place on April 13, 1919. It was a direct consequence of the protests against the Rowlatt Act, which was enacted in March 1919. The Act allowed the British government to imprison people without trial, leading to the arrest of popular leaders Dr. Saifuddin Kitchlew and Dr. Satyapal. The crowd at Jallianwala Bagh had gathered to peacefully protest these arrests.
- Option 'a' (Non-Cooperation Movement) was launched in 1920 as a response to the massacre.
- Option 'c' (Communal Award) was introduced much later in 1932.
- Option 'd' (Simon Commission) arrived in India in 1928.
The Scheme revamped in the Union Budget 2025-26 with enhancements such as increased loan limits, UPI-linked Credit Cards and capacity building for street vendors is-
A)
UNNATI
B)
PM Svanidhi
C)
PMEGP
D)
PMJJBY
The correct option is 'b' (PM Svanidhi). In the Union Budget 2025-26, the PM Svanidhi (Prime Minister Street Vendor's Atmanirbhar Nidhi) scheme was revamped with significant enhancements to support street vendors. These enhancements include increased loan limits, the introduction of UPI-linked Credit Cards to facilitate digital credit, and structured capacity-building programs.
- UNNATI (Option a) is an industrial development scheme for the Northeast region.
- PMEGP (Option c) is a credit-linked subsidy scheme for setting up new micro-enterprises in non-farm sectors.
- PMJJBY (Option d) is a government-backed life insurance scheme.
Raja Ram Mohan Roy’s reform of Hinduism was along the lines of: 1) Condemnation of idolatry, 2) Irrelevance of Brahmanical priest craft, 3) Propagation of Monotheism, 4) Projecting the Vedas as the repository of all scientific truth. Select the codes for the correct statements
A)
1 and 4 only
B)
1, 3 and 4 only
C)
1, 2 and 3 only
D)
All of the above
Raja Ram Mohan Roy's social and religious reforms were based on rationalism and monotheism. 1) He strongly condemned idolatry (image worship). 2) He opposed the supremacy and mediation of the Brahmanical priestly class, declaring their rituals and monopoly over scriptures as irrelevant. 3) He propagated monotheism (belief in one God) and wrote 'Tuhfat-ul-Muwahhidin' (A Gift to Monotheists) in 1809. 4) Statement 4 is incorrect because it was Swami Dayanand Saraswati (founder of Arya Samaj) who claimed that the Vedas are infallible and contain all scientific truths, whereas Raja Ram Mohan Roy held a rationalist view and did not consider any scripture to be completely infallible. Therefore, only statements 1, 2, and 3 are correct.
Air India Flight 171 which crashed in Ahmedabad on 12th June 2025 was which kind of aircraft?
A)
Boing 747-8
B)
Boeing 777-8
C)
Boeing 787-8
D)
Airbus A380-8
Air India Flight 171 (AI 171) is a scheduled international passenger flight operating from Ahmedabad (AMD) to London Heathrow (LHR). Air India operates this route using its Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft. Therefore, option C is the correct answer. The other options are incorrect because: Boeing 777-8 (Option B) is a next-generation widebody aircraft not operated on this route; Airbus A380-8 (Option D) is a double-deck aircraft not present in Air India's fleet; and Boeing 747-8 (Option A) is not used by Air India for these operations as they have phased out their 747 passenger fleet.
Who is known as the ‘Grand Old Man of India’?
A)
Surendranath Banerjee
B)
Gopal Krishna Gokhale
C)
Bal Gangadhar Tilak
D)
Dadabhai Naoroji
Dadabhai Naoroji is widely known as the 'Grand Old Man of India'. He was a prominent leader of the Indian National Congress, serving as its President thrice. He is also famous for formulating the 'Drain of Wealth' theory, which exposed how Britain was draining India's wealth.
Why other options are incorrect:
- Surendranath Banerjee: He is known as 'Rashtraguru' and was one of the earliest political leaders during the British Raj.
- Gopal Krishna Gokhale: He was a moderate leader and is famously known as the political mentor of Mahatma Gandhi.
- Bal Gangadhar Tilak: He is known as 'Lokmanya' and was a prominent leader of the extremist faction of the Indian National Congress, famous for his slogan 'Swaraj is my birthright and I shall have it'.
Where was Azad Hind Fauj established in 1943?
A)
Japan
B)
Burma
C)
Bangladesh
D)
Singapore
The Azad Hind Fauj (Indian National Army) was officially revived and established under the leadership of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose in Singapore on October 21, 1943.
- **Why Option 'd' is correct:** Singapore was the location where Subhas Chandra Bose assumed leadership of the army and proclaimed the formation of the Provisional Government of Free India (Azad Hind) in October 1943.
- **Why other options are incorrect:**
- **Japan (Option 'a'):** While Japan provided crucial military and political support to the INA, the actual establishment in 1943 took place in Singapore.
- **Burma (Option 'b'):** Burma served as the headquarters and a major launchpad for the INA's military campaigns into India later in 1944, but it was not the place of establishment in 1943.
- **Bangladesh (Option 'c'):** Bangladesh (then part of Bengal in British India) was not involved in the establishment of the INA.
Which Indian leader was conferred with Mauritius’ highest civilian honour, The Grand Commander of the Order of the Star?
A)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
B)
President Droupadi Murmu
C)
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh
D)
Home Minister Amit Shah
President Droupadi Murmu was conferred with the 'Grand Commander of the Order of the Star and Key of the Indian Ocean' (GCSK), the highest civilian honour of Mauritius, on March 12, 2024, during her state visit as the Chief Guest for Mauritius' National Day celebrations. This honour reflects the deep-rooted bilateral ties between India and Mauritius. Prime Minister Narendra Modi (Option a), Defence Minister Rajnath Singh (Option c), and Home Minister Amit Shah (Option d) have not been conferred with this specific Mauritian honour.
Who influenced Gandhiji by his philosophy of civil disobedience?
A)
Martin Luther King, Jr
B)
Henry David Thoreau
C)
Leo Tolstoy
D)
Abraham Lincoln
Henry David Thoreau's famous 1849 essay 'Civil Disobedience' was a major influence on Mahatma Gandhi's philosophy of non-violent resistance and Satyagraha. Gandhi read Thoreau's work while in South Africa and adopted his ideas on refusing to cooperate with an unjust government. Martin Luther King, Jr. (Option a) was influenced by Gandhi, not the other way around. Leo Tolstoy (Option c) influenced Gandhi's ideas on non-violence (Ahimsa) and Christian anarchism, but not the specific concept of civil disobedience. Abraham Lincoln (Option d) had no direct influence on Gandhi's civil disobedience philosophy.
Write an essay on Media and its impact on Government accountability.
Write an essay on Artificial Intelligence in Public Administration : scope and risks.
Write an essay on Skill acquisition for entrepreneurship development.
Write an essay on Public policies for reduction of poverty.
Write an essay on Digital India and its impact on Grassroots Administration.
Write an essay on Drug abuse among youth : A Law and Order challenge.
Write an essay on Political literacy for better democratic process.
Write an essay on Environmental issues in Mizoram.
Identify the part of speech of the underlined word: The player kicked the ball.
A)
Verb
B)
Noun
C)
Interjection
D)
Preposition
In the sentence 'The player kicked the ball', the word 'kicked' is the action performed by the subject ('The player'). Therefore, its part of speech is a Verb.
- Noun: 'player' and 'ball' are nouns as they represent a person and an object respectively.
- Preposition: Words like 'in', 'on', or 'at' that show relationships are prepositions.
- Interjection: Words expressing sudden emotion (e.g., 'Wow!', 'Alas!') are interjections.
Identify the part of speech of the underlined word: This information is all wrong.
A)
Preposition
B)
Verb
C)
Noun
D)
Conjunction
In the sentence 'This information is all wrong', the underlined word is **'information'**, which is a **Noun**.
1. **Why Option C is correct:** 'Information' is an uncountable abstract noun that represents a concept or entity and serves as the head of the subject noun phrase ('This information') in the sentence.
2. **Why other options are incorrect:**
- **Preposition (Option A):** Prepositions (like *in, on, at*) express spatial or temporal relations; 'information' does not perform this function.
- **Verb (Option B):** The verb in this sentence is 'is' (a linking verb).
- **Conjunction (Option D):** Conjunctions (like *and, but, because*) connect words, phrases, or clauses, which is not the role of 'information'.
Which of the following words is closest in meaning to ‘precarious’?
A)
predictable
B)
temporary
C)
dangerous
D)
unstable
The word 'precarious' means not securely held or in position, uncertain, or dangerously likely to fall or collapse. Therefore, 'unstable' is the closest synonym.
- 'unstable' (correct) directly matches the definition of lacking stability or security.
- 'predictable' (incorrect) means expected or foreseeable, which is contrary to the uncertain nature of something precarious.
- 'temporary' (incorrect) means lasting for a limited time, which does not necessarily imply instability or risk.
- 'dangerous' (incorrect) means likely to cause harm; while a precarious situation can lead to danger, 'unstable' is a more precise and direct synonym.
Identify the part of speech of the underlined word: These mangoes are almost ripe.
A)
Adverb
B)
Noun
C)
Pronoun
D)
Verb
In the sentence 'These mangoes are almost ripe', the word 'almost' is an adverb of degree. It modifies the adjective 'ripe' by describing the extent or degree of ripeness.
- **Adverb (Correct):** An adverb modifies a verb, an adjective, or another adverb. Here, 'almost' modifies the adjective 'ripe'.
- **Noun (Incorrect):** A noun is a naming word for a person, place, thing, or idea (e.g., 'mangoes').
- **Pronoun (Incorrect):** A pronoun is used in place of a noun (e.g., 'they', 'it').
- **Verb (Incorrect):** A verb expresses an action or state of being (e.g., 'are').