Which natural disaster involves mass movement of snow, ice, and rock down a mountain?
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Answer: (B) Avalanche
Explanation
An avalanche is a rapid downhill flow of snow, ice, rock, and soil along a mountain slope. It occurs when the stress on a slope exceeds the shear strength of the snowpack or ice layer, triggering a sudden mass movement under the influence of gravity.
652General Awareness
On which occasion in 2024 did Prime Minister Narendra Modi launch the Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan (DAJGUA)?
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Answer: (B) Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi
Explanation
Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan (DAJGUA) on 2 October 2024, which coincides with the 155th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. The scheme was unveiled from Hazaribagh, Jharkhand, with an outlay of ₹79,156 crore. Named in honor of legendary tribal leader Birsa Munda (revered as Dharti Aaba or Father of the Earth), it aims to bridge critical gaps in social infrastructure, health, education, and livelihoods across tribal-majority villages in India.
653General Awareness
How many nations became signatories to the United Nations Convention against Cybercrime in December 2025?
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Answer: (C) 72
Explanation
The United Nations Convention against Cybercrime was opened for signature following its high-level conference in Hanoi in late 2025. By December 2025, a total of 72 nations became signatories to this landmark international treaty, establishing the first universal legal framework to combat digital crime, enhance cybersecurity cooperation, and facilitate cross-border sharing of electronic evidence among member states.
654General Awareness
A rise in the sea surface temperature in the Pacific Ocean accompanied by deficient rainfall in India is associated with which of the following phenomena?
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Answer: (C) El Nino
Explanation
El Niño refers to the periodic warming of sea surface temperatures across the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean. This anomalous warming weakens the trade winds and disrupts the global atmospheric Walker Circulation. Consequently, it suppresses the summer monsoon circulation over the Indian Ocean, frequently leading to weak southwest monsoon winds and deficient rainfall across India.
655General Awareness
In most web browsers, when multiple tabs are open in a web browser, pressing Ctrl + Tab performs which action?
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Answer: (D) Navigates to the next tab on the right
Explanation
In modern web browsers such as Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Microsoft Edge, the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + Tab is used to cycle through open tabs sequentially from left to right, moving focus directly to the next tab on the right of the active tab.
656General Awareness
Which type of lens is used in a simple microscope?
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Answer: (C) Biconvex
Explanation
A simple microscope consists of a single biconvex lens of short focal length. When an object is placed between the optical center and the principal focus of a biconvex lens, it acts as a magnifying glass, producing an erect, virtual, and enlarged image of the object on the same side.
657General Awareness
Who is officially authorized to conduct environment audits under the Environment Audit Rules, 2025?
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Answer: (B) Registered Environment Auditor
Explanation
Under the Environment Audit Rules, 2025, notified by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, a Registered Environment Auditor (REA) is the authority officially empowered to undertake and sign environmental audits. An REA can be a certified individual professional, firm, or body corporate registered with the Environment Audit Designated Agency (EADA) to evaluate regulatory compliance, analyze emissions and effluents, and verify project reports across various environmental frameworks.
658General Awareness
Which of the following locations stores recently opened files in Windows for quick access?
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Answer: (B) Quick Access
Explanation
Quick Access is a feature in Windows File Explorer that automatically pinpoints and lists frequently used folders alongside recently opened files, allowing users to locate and reopen their recent work quickly without navigating through the complete file directory structure.
659General Awareness
The Economic Survey 2024- 25 states that India's foreign exchange reserves were adequate to cover approximately what percentage of external debt as of December 2024?
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Answer: (C) About 90%
Explanation
According to the Economic Survey 2024–25, India's foreign exchange reserves stood at USD 640.3 billion at the end of December 2024. These reserves were adequate to cover approximately 90% of the country's external debt of USD 711.8 billion recorded as of September 2024. In addition to covering 90% of the external debt, these reserves provided an import cover of nearly 10.9 months, serving as a substantial buffer against global market volatility and external sector shocks.
660General Awareness
Which global event in 1992 popularized sustainable development?
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Answer: (C) Rio Earth Summit
Explanation
The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), widely known as the Rio Earth Summit, was held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in June 1992. It brought the concept of sustainable development to the forefront of global policy and international cooperation through key outcomes such as Agenda 21, the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, and the Statement of Forest Principles.
661General Awareness
Which of these Union Territories has a legislative assembly and council of ministers?
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Answer: (C) Puducherry
Explanation
Puducherry is a Union Territory that possesses a Legislative Assembly and a Council of Ministers headed by a Chief Minister. Article 239A was inserted into the Indian Constitution by the 14th Constitutional Amendment Act, 1962, empowering Parliament to create a local legislature, a council of ministers, or both for the Union Territory of Puducherry.
662General Awareness
Which Article of the Indian Constitution was given practical effect through the 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1992, leading to the establishment of the Panchayati Raj System in India?
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Answer: (B) Article 40
Explanation
Article 40 of the Indian Constitution, contained within Part IV under the Directive Principles of State Policy, directs the State to organize village panchayats and endow them with such powers and authority as may be necessary to enable them to function as units of self-government. The 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1992 conferred constitutional status on Panchayati Raj institutions by adding Part IX and the Eleventh Schedule, thereby giving practical shape and force to this constitutional directive.
663General Awareness
Which of the following devices functions as both an input and an output device?
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Answer: (C) Touchscreen
Explanation
A touchscreen performs dual functions by integrating both visual display capabilities and touch-sensing technology into a single component. It operates as an input device by sensing user touch, gestures, and pressure signals to send instructions and data to the processing unit. At the same time, it serves as an output device by displaying visual feedback, text, and graphical interfaces on the screen for the user to view.
664General Awareness
Which of the following is correct with respect to the theme of Yamuna Paryatam, the first novel in Marathi?
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Answer: (C) Criticized Hindu practices regarding widows
Explanation
Yamuna Paryatam, written by Baba Padmanji in 1857, is widely recognized as the first novel in Marathi literature. The narrative centers on the plight of Hindu widows in 19th-century India, offering a sharp critique of orthodox customs such as mandatory widowhood, tonsure, and social isolation, while advocating strongly for social reform and widow remarriage.
665General Awareness
Which of the following statements is INCORRECT in the context of the Indian National Congress (INC)?
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Answer: (B) Badruddin Tyabji was the first Jainist President of the INC
Explanation
Badruddin Tyabji was the first Muslim President of the Indian National Congress, presiding over its third session held at Madras in 1887. He was a prominent lawyer and social reformer who belonged to the Muslim community, not the Jain community.
666General Awareness
What was the Diwan-i-Riyasat under Alauddin Khilji?
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Answer: (C) Department controlling markets and prices
Explanation
Alauddin Khilji created the Diwan-i-Riyasat as part of his comprehensive market control and price regulation system. Headed by the Naib-i-Riyasat, this department was responsible for registering merchants, regulating trade, supervising weights and measures, and ensuring that fixed prices were strictly enforced across all markets in the Delhi Sultanate.
667General Awareness
Warli painting, a traditional tribal art form, originates from which Indian state?
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Answer: (C) Maharashtra
Explanation
Warli painting is a traditional tribal art form originating from the North Sahyadri Range in Maharashtra. Practiced predominantly by the indigenous Warli tribe in districts such as Palghar, Thane, and Nashik, this folk art relies on basic geometric shapes like circles, triangles, and squares to depict scenes of daily life, nature, farming, and community celebrations using white rice paste on ochre-colored or mud-plastered walls.
668General Awareness
Under the Constitution (101st Amendment) Act, 2016, who has the exclusive power to make laws on GST, where the supply of goods or services takes place in the course of interstate trade or commerce?
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Answer: (A) Parliament
Explanation
Under Article 246A(2) of the Constitution of India, inserted by the Constitution (101st Amendment) Act, 2016, Parliament has exclusive power to make laws with respect to Goods and Services Tax (GST) where the supply of goods, services, or both takes place in the course of inter-State trade or commerce.
669General Awareness
The abbreviation ASCII is a critical computer standard used worldwide. The letter C in ASCII stands for Code, indicating that ASCII is a standard system for assigning a unique numerical value to every single character, which is known as a character
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Answer: (C) encoding scheme
Explanation
ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange) is a character encoding scheme that assigns a unique binary or numerical value to letters, numbers, punctuation marks, and control signals. Character encoding schemes enable computers to represent, store, and transmit textual data uniformly across different systems and hardware platforms.
670General Awareness
Which metric indicates the average number of instructions a CPU executes per clock cycle?
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Answer: (C) IPC (Instructions Per Cycle)
Explanation
Instructions Per Cycle (IPC) is a fundamental performance metric that measures the microarchitectural efficiency of a processor by calculating the average number of instructions executed during a single clock cycle. Higher IPC values indicate that a CPU can perform more work at the same clock frequency, serving as a primary indicator of instruction execution efficiency across modern superscalar and pipelined CPU architectures.
671General Awareness
Which language was predominantly used by Amir Khusrau in his literary compositions during the Delhi Sultanate period?
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Answer: (D) Persian
Explanation
Amir Khusrau, known as the "Tuti-i Hind" (Parrot of India), was a prominent Sufi musician, poet, and scholar associated with the courts of the Delhi Sultanate. Persian served as the official court language and primary literary medium of the sultanate. Khusrau composed most of his major works—including historical masnavis such as Qiran-us-Sa'dain, Nuh Sipihr, and Tughlaq Nama, as well as extensive ghazals and prose—predominantly in Persian, making him one of the iconic figures of Persian literature in medieval India.
672General Awareness
Which among the following is NOT a document related to Good Governance?
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Answer: (A) National Forest Policy, 1988
Explanation
The National Forest Policy, 1988 is an environmental policy directive aimed at ensuring ecological balance, conserving biological diversity, and expanding forest and tree cover across India. Its core objectives focus on sustainable resource management, soil conservation, and meeting the basic forestry-related needs of rural and tribal communities, rather than establishing administrative frameworks, accountability metrics, or charters for public service delivery and good governance.
673General Awareness
Which of the following countries is the youngest country in terms of the lowest median age for the year 2024?
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Answer: (C) Niger
Explanation
Niger has the world's lowest median age at approximately 15 years, making it the demographically youngest country globally in 2024. This youthful population profile is driven by one of the highest birth rates and total fertility rates in the world, with nearly half of its total population under the age of 15.
674General Awareness
Dhruv starts from Point A and drives 38 km towards the East. He then takes a left turn, drives 35 km, turns left and drives 39 km. He then takes a left turn and drives 37 km. He takes a final left turn, drives 1 km and stops at Point P. How far (shortest distance) and towards which direction should he drive in order to reach Point A again? (All turns are 90-degree turns only unless specified.)
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Answer: (D) 2 km to the North
Explanation
Taking Point A as the origin (0, 0) on a Cartesian plane:
First, driving 38 km East moves him to (38, 0).
Next, turning left (North) for 35 km moves him to (38, 35).
Then, turning left (West) for 39 km moves him to (-1, 35).
After that, turning left (South) for 37 km moves him to (-1, -2).
Finally, turning left (East) for 1 km brings him to Point P at (0, -2).
Since Point P is 2 km South of Point A, driving 2 km to the North from Point P leads directly back to Point A.
675General Awareness
In January 2025, Algeria signed a memorandum of understanding with the United States that focuses on
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Answer: (C) agricultural cooperation
Explanation
In January 2025, Algeria and the United States signed a Memorandum of Understanding focused on agricultural cooperation to strengthen bilateral ties, facilitate knowledge exchange, and enhance food security.
676General Awareness
In July 2025, Himachal Pradesh government began temporarily relocating families, due to landslide threats, from a village called Kalang located in which district?
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Answer: (D) Mandi district
Explanation
Kalang village is located in the Segli panchayat of Mandi district, near the Parashar Hills in Himachal Pradesh. In July 2025, heavy monsoon rainfall triggered major land subsidence and massive fissures along a one-kilometer stretch directly below the village. Due to the severe landslide threats rendering the area unsafe for habitation, the Mandi district administration temporarily relocated 14 affected families to temporary tents pitched in safer nearby locations.
677General Awareness
100 men have provisions for 26 days. If 48 men have left, for how many days the same provisions would last for the remaining men?
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Answer: (C) 50
Explanation
The total amount of provision remains constant and is calculated using the formula:
M₁ × D₁ = M₂ × D₂
Given:
Initial number of men (M₁) = 100
Initial number of days (D₁) = 26
Remaining men (M₂) = 100 - 48 = 52
Substituting the values into the formula:
100 × 26 = 52 × D₂
2600 = 52 × D₂
D₂ = 2600 / 52 = 50 days
678General Awareness
Which disease is caused specifically by a deficiency of Vitamin B1?
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Answer: (D) Beri- beri
Explanation
Thiamine (Vitamin B1) is an essential water-soluble vitamin required for cellular energy metabolism and carbohydrate processing. A severe deficiency in Vitamin B1 directly leads to Beri-beri, a disease that affects the peripheral nervous system (dry Beri-beri) causing muscle weakness and nerve damage, or the cardiovascular system (wet Beri-beri) causing heart failure and edema.
679General Awareness
What should come in place of '?' in the given series?
111 110 106 97 81 ?
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Answer: (A) 56
Explanation
The pattern in the series is based on subtracting consecutive perfect squares (1², 2², 3², 4², 5², ...):
Following this pattern, the next term is:
81 - 5² = 81 - 25 = 56
680General Awareness
Which Indian city is known as the "Silicon Valley of India" due to its thriving IT services sector?
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Answer: (C) Bengaluru
Explanation
Bengaluru earned the epithet "Silicon Valley of India" due to its role as the nation's premier technology hub and leading exporter of information technology services. The city hosts headquarters and research centers for major Indian software companies and multinational tech corporations, along with a vibrant ecosystem of tech startups, venture capital firms, and prestigious research institutions like the Indian Institute of Science.
681General Awareness
Which of the following teams secured the table tennis ITTF Mixed Team World Cup title in December 2025 after emerging victorious in the final at Chengdu?
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Answer: (D) People's Republic of China
Explanation
The People's Republic of China secured the ITTF Mixed Team World Cup title in December 2025 by defeating Japan 8–1 in the final at the Sichuan Gymnasium in Chengdu, China. This victory marked China's third consecutive title in the competition, maintaining an undefeated record in the tournament's history since its introduction in 2023. The championship squad featured top-ranked players including Wang Chuqin, Sun Yingsha, Wang Manyu, and Lin Shidong.
682General Awareness
The Garo, Khasi, Jaintia, and Naga Hills, which run almost east-west, are connected to which hill chain that extends in a north-south direction?
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Answer: (B) Mizo and Rakhine Hills
Explanation
The Purvanchal range forms a continuous structural belt along the eastern boundary of India and Myanmar. While the Meghalaya Plateau (Garo, Khasi, and Jaintia Hills) and the upper Assam-Nagaland region run in a general east-west trend, they connect directly to the north-south oriented hill chain formed by the Mizo Hills (Lushai Hills) in Mizoram and the Rakhine Hills (Arakan Yoma) in Myanmar. This north-south mountain system forms the tectonic continuation of the eastern Himalayan syntaxis southward toward the Andaman Sea.
683General Awareness
What law, as of December 2025, requires intermediaries to act against unlawful and harmful online content affecting children in India?
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Answer: (C) Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021
Explanation
The Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, framed under the IT Act, 2000, cast specific due diligence obligations on digital intermediaries operating in India. Under Rule 3(1)(b), intermediaries must inform users not to host, display, upload, publish, or share any content that is harmful to children, obscene, pornographic, or unlawful. Additionally, these rules mandate a three-tier grievance redressal framework, mandatory age classification of content, parental locks for material categorized as U/A 13+ or higher, and strict timelines for taking down reported harmful and unlawful content.
684General Awareness
In a certain code language, 'BELL' is coded as '1582' and 'SELL' is coded as '2568'. What is the code for 'S' in that language?
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Answer: (A) 6
Explanation
Comparing 'BELL' (coded as 1582) and 'SELL' (coded as 2568), both words share the letters E, L, and L. The common digits in their respective codes are 2, 5, and 8. Removing these common letters and digits from 'SELL' leaves the letter 'S' corresponding to the remaining unique digit, 6.
685General Awareness
In 2025, Bagram Air Base, the largest air base mentioned in the news after U.S. President Donald Trump's bid to retake it, is located in which country?
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Answer: (B) Afghanistan
Explanation
Bagram Air Base, also known as Bagram Airfield, is located in Parwan Province, Afghanistan, approximately 27 kilometers north of Kabul. It served as the primary American military base and headquarters in the country during the two-decade war following the September 11 attacks, before U.S. forces withdrew from the installation in July 2021.
686General Awareness
In a certain code language, 'TOUR' is coded as '4791' and 'FORT' is coded as '1279'. What is the code for 'F' in the given code language?
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Answer: (B) 2
Explanation
Comparing the words 'TOUR' (4791) and 'FORT' (1279), the three common letters present in both words are O, R, and T. The three common digits in both code sequences are 1, 7, and 9.
The only remaining letter in 'FORT' is 'F', and the only remaining digit in its code is 2. Therefore, 'F' is coded as 2.
687General Awareness
Which of the following terms is used for places that serve as the meeting point of two or more transport routes?
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Answer: (D) Node
Explanation
In transport network analysis and human geography, a node (or vertex) refers to a point, location, or settlement that serves as an origin, destination, or junction where two or more transport routes intersect.
688General Awareness
Which wind system blows consistently from high-pressure to low-pressure areas year- round?
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Answer: (C) Planetary winds
Explanation
Planetary winds, also known as permanent or prevailing winds, blow continuously throughout the year in a constant direction from high-pressure belts to low-pressure belts across the globe. Driven by the unequal heating of the Earth's surface and the Coriolis effect, these macro-scale wind systems encompass the Trade Winds, Westerlies, and Polar Easterlies.
689General Awareness
On 21 December 2025, President Droupadi Murmu approved the Viksit Bharat—Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Bill, 2025, enhancing rural wage employment guarantee to which of the following days in a financial year?
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Answer: (C) 125 days
Explanation
The Viksit Bharat—Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Act, 2025, which received presidential assent in December 2025, enhances the statutory rural wage employment guarantee to 125 days in a financial year for eligible rural households whose adult members volunteer for unskilled manual work. Replacing the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005, the new legislation aims to provide greater income security, predictability of work, and livelihood stability while linking public works with durable infrastructure creation across priority rural sectors.
690General Awareness
Which amendment made it constitutionally mandatory for municipalities to prepare "District Planning Committees" and "Metropolitan Planning Committees"?
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Answer: (A) 74th Amendment
Explanation
The 74th Constitutional Amendment Act, 1992, added Part IXA to the Constitution, granting constitutional status to urban local bodies. Under this amendment, Article 243ZD mandates the constitution of a District Planning Committee at the district level to consolidate development plans prepared by Panchayats and Municipalities. Additionally, Article 243ZE mandates the establishment of a Metropolitan Planning Committee in every metropolitan area to prepare a comprehensive draft development plan.
691General Awareness
Which term is used to describe the conflict between the Gurjara-Pratiharas, Palas, and Rashtrakutas over the control of northern India?
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Answer: (A) Tripartite
Explanation
The Tripartite Struggle took place between the 8th and 10th centuries AD, involving three major dynasties—the Gurjara-Pratiharas of western India, the Palas of eastern India, and the Rashtrakutas of the Deccan. The central point of contention in this prolonged conflict was the control of Kannauj in the Gangetic basin, which had emerged as the ultimate symbol of imperial sovereignty and political paramountcy in northern India after the collapse of Harsha's empire. Holding Kannauj allowed direct access to rich agricultural revenues and crucial trade routes across northern India.
692General Awareness
Which new weapon led to Mangal Pandey's agitation as a sepoay of the 34th Bengal Native Infantry?
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Answer: (C) Enfield rifle
Explanation
The introduction of the Pattern 1853 Enfield rifle by the British East India Company served as the immediate trigger for the revolt of 1857. Loading this rifle required sepoys to bite open paper cartridges that were greased with tallow derived from beef and pork fat. This offended the religious sentiments of both Hindu and Muslim soldiers, prompting Mangal Pandey, a sepoy of the 34th Bengal Native Infantry at Barrackpore, to rebel against British officers on 29 March 1857.
693General Awareness
In which type of wave do particles of the medium move parallel to the direction of wave propagation?
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Answer: (A) Longitudinal wave
Explanation
In a longitudinal wave, the particles of the medium vibrate back and forth parallel to the direction in which the wave propagates. This parallel motion creates alternating regions of high pressure (compressions) and low pressure (rarefactions) along the path of energy transfer, as seen in sound waves traveling through a fluid.
694General Awareness
What term describes a situation in which a person is employed but not in the desired capacity, in terms of compensation, hours, or skill level?
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Answer: (D) Underemployment
Explanation
Underemployment occurs when a person is employed but works below their full capacity or potential. This includes individuals who are overqualified for their jobs, those who are working fewer hours than they desire, or those earning compensation that is disproportionately low relative to their education and skill level.
695General Awareness
Harshavardhana's biography Harshacharita was composed in Sanskrit by which of the following court poets?
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Answer: (D) Banabhatta
Explanation
Banabhatta was the court poet (Asthana Kavi) of King Harshavardhana, who ruled northern India during the 7th century CE. Composed in Sanskrit prose, Harshacharita is an invaluable historical biography detailing the ancestry, early life, ascension, and military exploits of Emperor Harsha. Banabhatta is also famous for writing Kadambari, one of the world's earliest romantic novels in Sanskrit literature.
696General Awareness
Which Article deals with the original jurisdiction of the Supreme Court?
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Answer: (D) Article 131
Explanation
Article 131 of the Constitution of India vests the Supreme Court with original jurisdiction in legal disputes between the Government of India and one or more States, between the Government of India and any State or States on one side and one or more other States on the other, or between two or more States.
697General Awareness
Which event best signalled the decline of Portuguese power in India and the emergence of British and Dutch influence?
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Answer: (D) Anglo-Persian capture of Hormuz (1622)
Explanation
The Anglo-Persian capture of Hormuz in 1622 was a pivotal event that dismantled Portuguese naval dominance in the Indian Ocean and Persian Gulf. By joining forces with Shah Abbas I of Safavid Persia, the English East India Company ousted the Portuguese from their key strategic fortress at Hormuz, breaking their century-long monopoly over lucrative regional trade routes and the cartaz pass system. This severe commercial and strategic loss fatally weakened the Portuguese Estado da Índia, paving the way for the British and Dutch to rapidly expand their commercial and naval footprint in India and the broader region.
698General Awareness
In Windows 11, which built-in tool opens immediately when a user presses the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + Shift + Esc?
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Answer: (B) Task Manager
Explanation
In Windows operating systems, including Windows 11, pressing Ctrl + Shift + Esc is the direct keyboard shortcut to open Task Manager immediately. Unlike Ctrl + Alt + Del, which brings up an intermediate Windows Security screen, Ctrl + Shift + Esc bypasses all menus and launches Task Manager directly to allow users to monitor system performance, manage running background processes, and terminate unresponsive applications.
699General Awareness
Which Supreme Court case, decided in April 2025, led to the 16th Presidential Reference under Article 143 concerning timelines for assent to State Bills?
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Answer: (A) State of Tamil Nadu vs Governor of Tamil Nadu
Explanation
In April 2025, a two-judge Bench of the Supreme Court delivered a decision in State of Tamil Nadu vs Governor of Tamil Nadu, establishing fixed timelines for Governors and the President to act on State Bills under Articles 200 and 201, while using Article 142 to grant deemed assent to pending legislation. Following this verdict, President Droupadi Murmu invoked Article 143(1) of the Constitution to refer questions regarding constitutional timelines, deemed assent, and judicial review to a Constitution Bench, marking the 16th Presidential Reference in India's judicial history.
700General Awareness
According to the Gandhian principles incorporated in the Directive Principles of State Policy, the State shall endeavor to promote:
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Answer: (C) Cottage industries on an individual or cooperative basis in rural areas
Explanation
Article 43 of the Constitution of India, which embodies Gandhian principles, explicitly directs the State to endeavour to promote cottage industries on an individual or cooperative basis in rural areas. Mahatma Gandhi strongly advocated for village-level economic self-reliance (Gram Swaraj) and decentralized production through cottage and village industries.