← MES Jr. Grade
Past Questions
Match List I with List II. List I (Tribes): A. Eskimos, B. Berbers, C. Bindibus, D. Masai List II (Connected): 1. North West Africa, 2. Tanzania, 3. Northern Canada, 4. Australia
A)
1 2 3 4
B)
2 3 4 1
C)
4 2 1 3
D)
3 1 4 2
The correct matching is: A. Eskimos → 3. Northern Canada, B. Berbers → 1. North West Africa, C. Bindibus → 4. Australia, D. Masai → 2. Tanzania. So the sequence is 3 1 4 2, which corresponds to option d.
Why the others are wrong:
- a (1 2 3 4) wrongly places Eskimos in North West Africa and Berbers in Tanzania.
- b (2 3 4 1) wrongly places Eskimos in Tanzania and Masai in North West Africa.
- c (4 2 1 3) wrongly places Eskimos in Australia and Berbers in Tanzania.
Thus, option d is the only correct answer.
Lipase converts fats into:
A)
Maltose
B)
Casein
C)
Peptides
D)
Fatty acids and glycerol
Lipase is the digestive enzyme that breaks down fats (lipids) into their simpler components: fatty acids and glycerol. Therefore, option d is correct. Option a is incorrect because maltose is produced from starch by amylase, not lipase. Option b is incorrect because casein is a milk protein, not a product of fat digestion. Option c is incorrect because peptides are formed when proteins are broken down by proteases, not by lipase.
Which among the following banks has become the first Indian bank to list on the New York Stock Exchange?
A)
IDBI
B)
UTI Bank
C)
ICICI
D)
Corporation Bank
ICICI Bank became the first Indian bank to list on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). It achieved this through its NYSE listing in 2000, making it the first Indian banking institution to do so. UTI Bank (now Axis Bank) did not list on the NYSE first, and Corporation Bank and IDBI Bank also were not the first Indian bank to achieve this milestone.
Which among the following is the oldest known city?
A)
Athens
B)
Damascus
C)
Delhi
D)
London
Damascus is generally regarded as the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world, with evidence of settlement dating back thousands of years. Hence, it is the correct answer. Delhi is very ancient but not older than Damascus in this context. London was founded much later by the Romans, and Athens, though one of the oldest cities in Europe, is also younger than Damascus.
Wasteland is that land which is:
A)
Uncultivable
B)
Degraded beyond repair
C)
Degraded but cultivable
D)
Alkaline soil
Wasteland refers to land that is not currently fit for cultivation or productive use without reclamation, so the best match is "Uncultivable." Option (c) is incorrect because degraded but cultivable land can still be brought under use directly. Option (b) is too extreme; wasteland is not necessarily beyond repair. Option (d) is incorrect because alkaline soil is only one possible cause of wasteland, not the definition itself.
Schrodinger’s Basin is situated in:
A)
Jupiter
B)
Colorado
C)
Amazon
D)
Moon
Schrodinger’s Basin is a lunar impact basin, so it is situated on the Moon. Hence option (d) is correct. The other options are incorrect because Jupiter is a planet, Colorado is a U.S. state, and Amazon refers to the Amazon region/river system on Earth, none of which are locations of Schrodinger’s Basin.
Honey produced from honey bees is used as food and medicine and the major compound in honey is:
A)
Lactose
B)
Fructose
C)
Sucrose
D)
Galactose
Honey is composed mainly of simple sugars, especially fructose and glucose. Among the given options, fructose is the major compound in honey, making option (b) correct. Lactose is the sugar found in milk, not honey. Sucrose is common table sugar and is present only in small amounts in honey. Galactose is a monosaccharide found mainly as part of lactose and other carbohydrates, but it is not the principal sugar in honey.
The first to reach the North Pole by overland journey was:
A)
Robert Peary
B)
Edward White
C)
Magellan
D)
Amundsen
Robert Peary is credited with being the first to reach the North Pole by overland journey in 1909. Edward White was an astronaut, Magellan was the first to circumnavigate the Earth (via expedition begun by him), and Amundsen was the first to reach the South Pole, not the North Pole.
Sarkaria Commission was set up to examine:
A)
Public Sector Enterprise
B)
Inter-State Relations
C)
Centre-State Relations
D)
River Disputes
Sarkaria Commission was appointed in 1983 to examine the relationship between the Centre and the States and recommend changes to improve Centre-State relations in India. Hence, option (c) is correct. Option (a) is incorrect because public sector enterprises were not the subject of this commission. Option (b) is too narrow: while inter-state issues can be part of federal relations, the commission’s main mandate was broader—Centre-State relations. Option (d) is incorrect because river water disputes are dealt with separately and were not the primary focus of the Sarkaria Commission.
The scientist who discovered the blood group is:
A)
Landsteiner
B)
Lister
C)
William Harvey
D)
Pasteur
Landsteiner is the correct answer because Karl Landsteiner discovered the ABO blood group system in 1901, which laid the foundation for safe blood transfusion. Lister is known for antiseptic surgery, William Harvey discovered the circulation of blood, and Pasteur is famous for germ theory, vaccination, and pasteurization—not blood groups.
The principles of Asoka’s Dharma (Dhamma) were taken from:
A)
Buddhism
B)
Jainism
C)
Brahmanism
D)
The moral values of all Indian religions of that period
Asoka’s Dhamma was not borrowed from one single religion. It was a broad ethical code emphasizing non-violence, truthfulness, compassion, respect for elders, tolerance, and social harmony, drawn from the common moral teachings found across the major Indian traditions of the time. Hence, the best answer is (d) the moral values of all Indian religions of that period.
Why the others are incorrect:
- (a) Buddhism: Asoka was influenced by Buddhism, but Dhamma was not simply Buddhist doctrine; it was a wider moral policy.
- (b) Jainism: Jainism also stressed ahimsa, but Asoka’s Dhamma was not specifically based on Jain principles alone.
- (c) Brahmanism: Brahmanism was one source of ethical ideas, but Dhamma was broader than Brahmanical teachings and not derived exclusively from them.
The main determinant of population growth amongst the following is:
A)
Mortality factor
B)
Fertility factor
C)
Migration factor
D)
None of these
Fertility factor is the main determinant of population growth because it directly controls the number of births added to the population. In demographic terms, population increases primarily when birth rates are high relative to death rates. Mortality factor affects population size by reducing it through deaths, and migration factor changes population only by movement in or out of an area, but neither is the principal driver of natural population growth. Hence, fertility is the correct answer.
Bodies at 0°C:
A)
Do not radiate heat
B)
Radiate heat
C)
Radiate heat only for particular materials
D)
May radiate heat or may not
At 0°C, a body still has thermal energy and therefore emits thermal radiation. By the Stefan–Boltzmann law, all bodies above absolute zero radiate heat. Hence the correct option is **b: Radiate heat**.
Why others are incorrect:
- **a. Do not radiate heat** — incorrect because radiation occurs at any temperature above 0 K, including 0°C.
- **c. Radiate heat only for particular materials** — incorrect because radiation is a general property of all bodies, though the amount depends on emissivity.
- **d. May radiate heat or may not** — incorrect because a body at 0°C definitely radiates; it is not optional.
Article 164 provides there shall be a Minister in charge of tribal welfare in three specified states:
A)
Mizoram, Meghalaya and Madhya Pradesh
B)
Assam, Mizoram and Meghalaya
C)
Assam, Orissa and Madhya Pradesh
D)
Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Orissa
Article 164(1) of the Indian Constitution provides that in the States of Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Orissa (now Odisha), there shall be a Minister in charge of tribal welfare, and this may be in addition to any other Minister. Therefore, option (c) is correct only if it matches the constitutional text? No—option (c) says Assam, Orissa and Madhya Pradesh, which is not the constitutional wording. The correct trio is Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Orissa, which is option (d). The other options are incorrect because they include states not mentioned in Article 164, such as Assam, Mizoram, and Meghalaya. Hence, the correct answer is option (d).
Red Light is used as a danger signal because it is/has:
A)
Pleasing to the eye
B)
A traditional colour
C)
Easily distinguishable
D)
Most sensitive to the eye
Red light is used as a danger signal because the human eye is most sensitive to red at low visibility and it is visible from a relatively long distance, making it effective for warning and stop signals. Hence, option d is correct. Option c is not the best answer because many colors can be distinguishable, but that is not the specific reason for danger signals. Option b is incorrect because red is not used due to tradition alone; its use is based on visibility and eye response. Option a is incorrect because danger signals are not chosen for being pleasing to the eye, but for being attention-grabbing and highly visible.
Which among the following states is covered by Article 370 of the Constitution?
A)
Arunachal Pradesh
B)
Mizoram
C)
Jammu and Kashmir
D)
Haryana
Article 370 of the Indian Constitution granted special autonomous status to Jammu and Kashmir, so option (c) is correct. Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, and Haryana are not covered by Article 370; they do not have that special constitutional provision.
7 RCR became the official residence of the Prime Minister of India during the tenure of:
A)
Rajiv Gandhi
B)
Indira Gandhi
C)
V.P. Singh
D)
Atal Bihari Vajpeee
7, Race Course Road (7 RCR), New Delhi, became the official residence of the Prime Minister of India during Indira Gandhi’s tenure. The Prime Minister’s official residence was shifted to 7 RCR in the 1980s, and it is historically associated with Indira Gandhi as the first PM to use it as the official residence. Rajiv Gandhi, V.P. Singh, and Atal Bihari Vajpayee all occupied it later, but they did not initiate its adoption as the PM’s official residence.
The Second Round Table Conference failed over the question of:
A)
Priority to be given to communal question
B)
Suspension of Civil Disobedience Movement
C)
Grant of Dominion Status
D)
Date of transfer of power
The Second Round Table Conference (1931) broke down mainly because the parties could not agree on the communal question—especially representation and safeguards for minorities, including the separate electorates issue. This became the central stumbling block and prevented a settlement.
Why the other options are incorrect:
- c) Grant of Dominion Status: This was an important demand, but it was not the immediate reason for the failure of the conference.
- d) Date of transfer of power: This was not the main issue discussed at the conference and did not cause its breakdown.
- b) Suspension of Civil Disobedience Movement: This was related to the political context, but the conference failed primarily over communal representation, not this point.
Therefore, the correct answer is a) Priority to be given to communal question.
Heat and smoke in a kitchen are transferred through the chimney by:
A)
Conduction
B)
Suction
C)
Convection
D)
Radiation
Heat and smoke in a kitchen move upward through a chimney mainly by convection. The hot gases become less dense, rise naturally, and are carried out through the chimney by the upward flow of air. Radiation transfers heat by electromagnetic waves without bulk movement of matter, conduction transfers heat through direct contact, and suction is not the physical heat-transfer mechanism here; the chimney effect is due to convection (natural draft).
Which among the following locations is not correct: (a) UNESCO Paris (b) ILO Geneva (c) FAO Brussels (d) ICJ The Hague
A)
UNESCO Paris
B)
ILO Geneva
C)
FAO Brussels
D)
ICJ The Hague
FAO is not headquartered in Brussels; the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is based in Rome, Italy. Therefore, option (c) is the incorrect location pairing. The other pairs are correct: UNESCO is in Paris, ILO is in Geneva, and the ICJ (International Court of Justice) is in The Hague.
International Date Line is a/an:
A)
Straight line
B)
Zigzag line
C)
Elliptical line
D)
Curved line
The International Date Line is generally a zigzag line. It roughly follows the 180° meridian but bends around islands and countries to avoid splitting them into different calendar dates. Hence, option b is correct. Option a (straight line) is incorrect because the line is not perfectly straight on maps. Option c (elliptical line) is incorrect because it is not an ellipse. Option d (curved line) is too vague; while the line does bend, the standard description in geography is a zigzag line.
The line dividing North Korea and South Korea is the:
A)
17th parallel
B)
23rd parallel
C)
38th parallel
D)
Order-Neisse Line
The correct answer is **38th parallel** because the Korean Peninsula was divided into North and South Korea along the 38th parallel after World War II, and this line became the basis of the later Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). The other options are incorrect: the **Oder-Neisse Line** is the post-World War II border between Germany and Poland, while the **17th parallel** and **23rd parallel** are not the dividing line between North and South Korea.
Who was the first explorer to circumnavigate the world?
A)
Bartolomeu Dias
B)
Captain Cook
C)
Christopher Columbus
D)
Ferdinand Magellan
Ferdinand Magellan is credited as the first explorer to lead the expedition that circumnavigated the Earth (1519–1522). Although Magellan died during the voyage, his expedition completed the first circumnavigation under the command of Juan Sebastián Elcano. Christopher Columbus reached the Americas but did not circumnavigate the globe. Bartolomeu Dias was the first European to round the Cape of Good Hope, not the world. Captain Cook later made extensive voyages in the Pacific, but he was not the first to circumnavigate the Earth.
The term ‘Baker Dozen’ denotes:
A)
11
B)
12
C)
13
D)
14
‘Baker’s dozen’ means 13. Traditionally, bakers gave 13 items when selling a dozen to avoid penalties for short weight, so the term came to denote 13. Therefore option c is correct. The other options are incorrect because 11, 12, and 14 do not match the established meaning of the phrase.
The Appleton Layer is a layer of air in the
A)
Mesosphere
B)
Stratosphere
C)
Troposphere
D)
Ionosphere
The Appleton layer is part of the ionosphere. It is an ionized region of the upper atmosphere that reflects radio waves, and the Appleton layer specifically refers to one of the ionospheric layers. The other options are incorrect because the troposphere is the lowest weather layer, the stratosphere contains the ozone layer, and the mesosphere lies above the stratosphere but is not the Appleton layer.