45th BPSC Prelims (Held in 2002) Official paper (Previous Year Paper)

The correct answer is Kalidasa

Key Points

• Kalidasa
• Kumarasambhava is an epic poem composed by the famous poet Kalidasa.
• Malavikagnimitram, Vikramorvasiyam, and Abhignanasakuntalam are some of his famous plays.
• And his poems like Raghuvansam, Kumarasambhava, and Meghadootha are also famous.
• Kalidasa was the court poet of King Vikramaditya, the ruler of Ujjain.

 Additional Information

• Banabhatta
• He was a 7th-century Sanskrit prose writer and poet of India.
• He was the court poet of Emperor Harsha.
• Harshacharita is a biography of Emperor Harsha written by Banabhatta.
• Kadambari is also a very famous Sanskrit novel written by Banabhatta.
• But he died before completing it, so it was completed by his son Bhusanabhatta.
• Chandra Bardai
• He was the court poet of King Prithviraj Chauhan, a ruler of the Chauhan dynasty.
• He composed Prithviraj Raso, an epic about the life of King Prithviraj Chauhan in Brajbhasha.
• This poem immortalizes the life of Prithviraj Chauhan and describes Prithviraj Chauhan's love and abduction of the daughter of the Raja of Kannauj, Jai Chandra.
• Harisena
• He was a famous court poet of the Gupta emperor Samudragupta.
• He was a supporter of art, culture and Buddhist architecture. Ajanta is an example of his efforts.
• Harisena wrote the Prayagprashti, the famous Prayagraj inscription of Samudragupta..
• Other important works of Harisena include Apabrahma Dharma Pariksha and Karpuraprakara.

The correct answer is  Political policies.

Key Points

• Kautilya's Arthashastra deals with Political policies.
• Kautilya is also known by the name Chanakya and he was the Prime Minister of Chandragupta Maurya.
• He was also an academician at the famous Taxila University.
• Arthashastra was written in the Sanskrit language and was the compilation of 15 chapters on statecraft.

The correct answer is Kanishka.

 Key Points

• Kanishka
• Gautam Buddha was elevated to the position of God by the time of Kanishka.
• Kanishka was the rular of Kushan dynasty and adopted the title of Devputra.
• During his reign the 4th Buddhist council was held in Kundalavana, Kashmir.
• Kanishka was also known as 'Second Ashoka'.

 Additional Information

• Ashoka
• He was the third emperor of the Mauryan dynasty.
• Ashoka is called Chakrawarti Samrat which means emperor of the emperors.
• He fought the Kalinga war and conquered Kalinga, but he was deeply sadenned by the loss of lives and sufferings.
• As a result he renounced the war and converted to Buddhism.
• Ashoka sent his son to Srilanka as a missionary for the spread of Buddhism in South.
• Chandragupta Vikramaditya
• He was the son of Samudragupta and grandson of Chandragupta I.
• Vikramaditya was the one of the most powerful emperors of Gupta Empire.
• The conquest of Sakas was one of the most significant event of his reign.
• In the moemory of his victory over Sakas, he issued the silver coins and became the first gupta ruler to issue the silver coins.
• Harsha
• He was the ruler of Pushyabhuti dynasty and ruled from 606 - 647 CE.
• Harsha was the son of Prabhakarvardhana.
• His famous biography Harshacharitra was written by famous Sanskrit poet Banabhatta.
• Dhruvabhata, Vallabhi king of Gujarat was also defeated by Harsha.

The correct answer is Kanvas.

 Key Points

• Kanvas
• They took over from the Shungas in the northern part of India.
• Vasudeva was the minister of King Devabhuti of the Sunga dynasty.
• He assassinated King Devabhuti and founded the Kanva dynasty.
• Kanvas ruled from 72 to 28 BCE and the capital was Patliputra.
• Some of the famous Kanva rulers are Vasudeva, Bhumimitra, Narayana, and Susarman.
• They were the Brahmans by ancestry.

 Additional Information

• Satvahanas
• Satvahana dynasty was founded by Simuka.
• Satvahanas were also Brahmans and Vaishnava gods such as Krishna and Vasudeva were worshipped largely in their reign.
• Asvamedha sacrifices were also performed by this dynasty for victory in war.
• Satvahanas were contemporary of Kanvas.
• Kushanas
• Kushanas belong to the Yeuchi tribe from central Asia.
• They were the nomadic people from the neighborhood of China.
• The Kushan empire was extended from Khorasan in Central Asia to Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh.
• Kanishka was the most famous ruler of the Kushan dynasty, he also started the Shaka era in 78 CE.
• Guptas
• The reign of the Gupta dynasty was from the 3rd century AD to 543 AD.
• The founder of this dynasty was Sri Gupta.
• The information about the Gupta period can be collected from literary works like Devichandraguptam and Mudhrakshasam.
• Gupta period is also called the golden age of ancient India.
• The largest number of gold coins were also issued in this period.

The correct answer is Aurobindo Ghosh.

Key Points

• Aurobindo Ghosh
• He belonged to the extremist wing of Congress.
• He was a philosopher, writer, and Indian nationalist.
• "New Lamps for Old" was a series of articles by Aurbindo Ghosh about the critique of Moderate politics of the Indian National Congress.
• The theory of Passive Resistance was also presented by him.
• In his famous book Savitri, he called India as Bharat Mata.

 Additional Information

• Dadabhai Naoroji
• He was a great publicist who settled in London.
• He also formed the London India Society in 1865 and East India Association in 1867 to put the Indian viewpoint across the British public.
• In 1892, he was elected to the house of commons and became the first Asian to become a British Member of Parliament.
• The very famous book 'Poverty and Un-British Rule in India' was written by Dadabhai Naoroji.
• Gopal Krishna Gokhale 
• He was a great educationist and a social reformer.
• GK Gokhale also provided exemplary leadership to India's freedom movement.
• He became the president of the Indian National Congress in 1905 in the Banaras session.
• In 1905, he founded the Servants of India society.
• Ranade Institute of Economics was also founded by Gokhale in 1908.
• SN Banerjee
• Surendranath Banarjee was an Indian nationalist, he is also known as Rashtraguru.
• In 1882, he founded Ripon College in Calcutta.
• National Indian Association was founded by him in 1876 to bring together Hindus and Muslims for political action against British rule.
• He also started the newspaper 'The Bengalee' in 1879.
• A Nation in Making was a famous book written by him.

The correct answer is the Sayyid dynasty.

Key Points

• Sayyid dynasty
• The Sayyid dynasty ruled over India after the invasion of Timur.
• Taimur invaded India during the reign of Nasir-ud-din Mahmud Shah Tughlaq of the Tughlaq dynasty in 1398 AD.
• The Sayyid dynasty was founded by Khizir Khan, who was the governor of Multan and Timur's deputy in India.
• Ala-ud-din Shah was the last ruler of this dynasty.

 Additional Information

• Lodi dynasty
• It was the fifth and last dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate.
• The Lodi dynasty ruled from 1451 AD - 1526 AD.
• The founder of the Lodi dynasty was Bahlul Lodhi.
• This was an Afghan dynasty and was also known as the Pashtun dynasty.
• Ibrahim Lodhi was the last ruler of this dynasty and was killed by the Babur's troops in the battle of Panipat.
• Tughlaq dynasty 
• This was the Muslim dynasty of Indo-Turkic origin, ruled in India from 1320 AD - 1414 AD.
• The Tughlaq dynasty was founded by Ghiyas-ud-din Tughlaq.
• He ascended to the throne by killing Mubarak Khilji, the last ruler of the Khilji dynasty.
• Nasir-ud-din Muhammad Tughlaq was the last ruler of this dynasty.
• Khilji dynasty
• It was the second ruling dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate.
• It was established by Jalaluddin Firuz Khilji by overthrowing the Slave dynasty.
• Khilji dynasty ruled for around 30 years, 1290 AD - 1320 AD.
• Alauddin Khilji was the most powerful ruler of this dynasty who led many successful military campaigns.

The correct answer is Feroz Shah Tughlaq.

Key Points

The correct answer is Feroz Shah Tughlaq.

Key Points

The correct answer is Farrukhsiyar.

Key Points

The correct answer is Pawapuri.

Key Points Vardhman Mahavira:

• Prince Vardhamana was born at Kundalgram (540 BC) in Vaishali to King Siddhartha and Queen Trishala, who ruled over the Jnatrika clan.
• At the age of 30, after the death of his father, he renounced his family and proceeded in search of truth.
• He attained Kaivalya under a sal tree at Jambhikagrama on the bank of river Rijupalika near Patna.
• He is the 24th Tirthankara of Jaina.
• He attained Moksha at the age of 72 in 468 BC at a place called Pawapuri near modern Rajgir in Bihar.
• He established Chaturvidha Sangh at Pava in Uttar Pradesh.

The correct answer is Patliputra.

Key Points

The correct answer is Gautam Buddha received enlightenment

Key Points Gautam Buddha

• He is considered the founder of Buddhism.
• Buddha is also called Sakyamuni or Tathagata
• He was born as Siddhartha to Suddhodhana, the ruler of the Sakyan reptublic, and his wife Maya, on Vaisakha Purnima in the Lumbini gardens near Kapilvastu in the 6th century BC.
• At the age of 35, again on Vaisakha Purnima, he attained enlightenment at what is now famously known as Bodh Gaya.
• He gave his first sermon in a deer park at Sarnath before his first disciples.

Important Points

• Four Noble Truths of Buddhism
• Truth of suffering,
• Truth of cause of Suffering.
• Truth of the end of the suffering,
• Truth of the path that leads to the end of the suffering.
• The path to nirvana or cessation of suffering is the Noble Eightfold path-
• Right Understanding (Samma ditthi)
• Right thought (Samma sankappa)
• Right Speech (Samma vaca)
• Right action (Samma kammanta)
• Right livelihood (Samma ajiva)
• Right effort (Samma vayama)
• Right mindfulness (Samma sati)
• Right concentration (Samma samadhi)

Additional Information

• Buddhist Councils-  After Buddha’s death, 4 councils were held-

The correct answer is Bihar

Key Points Kunwar Singh

• Kunwar Singh also known as Babu Kunwar Singh was a leader during the uprising of 1857.
• He belonged to a family of the Ujjainiya clan of the Parmar Rajputs of Jagdispur, currently a part of Bhojpur district, Bihar.
• At the age of 80, he led a selected band of armed soldiers against the troops under the command of the British East India Company.
• He was the chief organizer of the fight against the British in Bihar.

Important Points

• Revolt of 1857
• The revolt of 1857 was a mighty uprising against the British.
• It was largely confined to Northern and Central India.
• Britain's exploitative measures, military discontentment, Hike in land taxes, and administrative innovations were the main cause that led to the revolt.
• VD Sawarkar called it as 'First War of Independence'.

Important Leaders associated with the Revolt and its center

The correct answer is 1899

Key Points

Munda Rebellion

• The Munda tribe inhabited the Chhota Nagpur region of today’s Jharkhand.
• When Birsa Munda was born in 1875 when the British were attempting to establish control over and exploit forest lands, disrupting the tribal way of life.
• Birsa Munda is known to have mobilized the tribal community against the British and had also forced the colonial officials to introduce laws protecting the land rights of the tribals.
• Birsa started the faith of ‘Birsait’. Soon members of the Munda and Oraon communities started joining the Birsait sect and it turned into a challenge to British conversion activities.
• On March 3, 1900, Birsa Munda was arrested by the British police while he was sleeping with his tribal guerilla army at Jamkopai forest in Chakradharpur.
• He died in Ranchi jail on June 9, 1900, at the young age of 25.

Important Points

Major Tribal Uprisings

The correct answer is Almeida.

Key Points Portugese:

• In 1488, the Portuguese navigator, Bartolomeu Dias, rounded the Cape of Good Hope in Africa and sailed up to the eastern coast.
• They established the Cartaz system to extract money from the Indian ships by issuing passes for naval trade.​
• They monopolized the manufacturing of salt.
• Introduced the cultivation of tobacco and red chilies.
• Nino de Cunha shifted the Portuguese headquarters from Cochin to Goa.
• Three of their settlements namely, Goa, Diu, and Daman remained in their control till 1961.

The correct answer is Mohd. Raza Khan.

Key Points Treaty of Allahabad-

• The treaty of Allahabad took place in 1765.
• The Treaty of Allahabad was an outcome of the Battle of Buxar in 1764 fought between the combined forces of the Mughal emperor, Nawab of Awadh and Bengal, and the British East India Company (EIC).
• After the victory in the Battle of Buxar in 1764, Robert Clive signed two separate treaties, one with Shuja-ud-Daulah (Nawab of Oudh), and one with Shah Aam-II (Mughal Emperor) at Allahabad.
• The Mughal Emperor signed away the right to collect taxes (Diwani rights) from Bengal, Bihar, and Orissa to the British.
• In return, the company had to pay the emperor an annual sum of Rs 26 Lakhs and Rs 53 Lakhs for ‘Nizamat’ expenses.
• Robert Clive made Shuja-Ud-Daulah surrender Allahabad and Kara to Shah Alam II (Mughal Emperor).
• At that time, the Company was neither interested in taking responsibility for tax revenue collection nor it was capable to do so. Therefore, the company appointed two Diwans-Mohammad Raza Khan for Bengal and Raja Shitab Rai for Bihar.

Important Points Robert Clive-

• Major-General Robert Clive was the first British Governor of the Bengal Presidency.
• Clive began as a writer for the East India Company (EIC) which established the military and political supremacy of the EIC by securing a decisive victory at the Battle of Plassey(1757) in Bengal.
• Robert Clive was the Governor of Bengal from 1757-60 and from 1765-67.
• Robert Clive started a ‘Society of Trade’ in 1765 but it was later abolished.
• Robert Clive Introduce Dual System where the company was the Diwan and the Nawab held the Nizamat.

The correct answer is Peel Commission.

Key Points Peel Commission:

• After the First freedom struggle of 1857, the British government sought to bring changes in the military system.
• Peel Commission was headed by Jonathan Peel.
• Peel Commission suggested reforms, and the British government accepted these recommendations and redesigned the military.
• While reorganizing the Indian army in the post-1857 revolt, the Jonathan Peel Commission had the task of identifying social groups and regions from which „loyal‟ soldiers could be recruited.
• The principle it emphasized was that the native army should be composed of different nationalities and castes and mixed promiscuously through each regiment.
• Recruiting of soldiers was seen more in terms of the communities to which they belonged rather than as individuals. Caste, religion, and ethnicity, or race became more crucial while enlisting a soldier.

Additional InformationSimon Commission-

• Simon Commission was a group of 7 British Parliament members.
• The chairman of the Simon Commission was Sir John Simon.
• The commission was set up for analysis of the Government of India Act 1919.
• The Simon Commission was to come 10 years after the act of 1919, but it came prematurely in 1928.
• The Commission’s report was published in 1930.

Hunter Commission-

• The Hunter Commission of 1882 was presided over by Sir William Hunter and was appointed by Lord Ripon, the then-viceroy of India.
• The hunter commission was constituted on 3rd April 1882, after a request of the general council of education was made to Ripon.
• The main objective of Hunter commission was to consider different aspects of education in India, paying particular attention to primary education.

Public Service Commission-

• The public service commission in India was established by the Government of India act 1919.
• Central Public service commission was set up in 1926 for recruiting Civil servants.
• The government of India act of 1919 created a new office of the High Commissioner for India in London.

The correct answer is Guru Ram Singh.

Key PointsKuka Movement-

• The Kuka Movement was the first significant movement against the new British rule in Punjab.
• The Kuka movement was based on both political and religious angles.
• The Punjabi people's first considerable response to the British Empire's post-1849 new political structure was the Kuka Movement.
• The Namdharis were also known as “Kukas” because of their trademark style of reciting the “Gurbani” (Teachings of the Guru).
• This style was in a high-pitched voice called “Kook” in Punjabi. Thus, the Namdharis were also called “Kukas”.
• Baba Ram Singh started the Kuka Movement.
• The Kukas wore only white, hand-woven clothes and boycotted British education, products, and laws. In 1872.
• Ram Singh was captured and exiled to Rangoon and 65 Kukas were blown away from canons by the British.

Important PointsGuru Ram Singh (1816- 1872)

• Satguru Ram Singh, son of a poor carpenter, was born on 3rd February 1816 in the small village of Bhaini, around 7 kilometers away from Ludhiana.
• Guru Ram Singh founded the Namdhari Sect on 12th April 1857 at Bhaini Sahib.
• Guru Ram Singh asked his followers to boycott everything which bore the stamp of the British Government. In course of time, Baba Ram Singh became a secular chief of Kukas.
• He appointed Governors and Deputy Governors to organize Kukas in different districts of Punjab. He also inspired young men by giving them military training.

Additional Information Guru Nanak (1469-1539)

• Guru Nanak Dev was born on 15 April 1469 in a village, Talwandi Rai Bhoe, near Lahore (it was renamed later as Nankana Sahib).
• Guru Nanak was a Founder of Sikhism.
• Guru Nanak introduced the concept of langar where everybody partakes in a meal as equals.
• Guru Nanak’s birth anniversary is celebrated as Guru Nanak Gurpurab by Sikhs all over the world.

Guru Ram Das (1534-1581)

• Guru Ram Das was the fourth guru of Sikhism.
• Guru Ram Das Founded the city of Amritsar in north-west India.
• Guru Ram Das started the construction of the Golden Temple at Amritsar.

Guru Gobind Singh (1666- 1708)

• Guru Gobind Singh was the last of the ten Sikh Gurus, Guru Gobind Singh was born on 22nd December 1666 in Patna, Bihar.
• Gobind Singh ji founded the principles of Khalsa or the Five ‘K’s. The Five K’s are kesh (uncut hair), kanga (wooden comb), kara (iron or steel bracelet), kirpan (dagger) and kachera (short breeches).
• Guru Gobind Singh ji established the Khalsa in 1699.

The correct answer is Surendra Nath Banerjee

Key PointsSurendra Nath Banerjee

• Surendranath Banerjee and Anand Mohan Bose founded the Indian Association of Calcutta in 1876.
• The association aimed to unify the nation to create a common political program and a strong public opinion.
• Later this political organization merged with Indian National Congress.

 Additional Information

• Dadabhai Naroji
• Dadabhai Naoroji was born in Bombay on 4 September 1825 in a priestly Parsi family
• In 1867 he founded the East India Association in London, one of the predecessor organizations of the Indian National Congress with the aim of putting across the Indian point of view before the British public.
• In 1902 he was elected as a Member of the Liberal Party in the House of Commons, he was the first British Indian MP.
• He is known in the history of Indian economic thought for his pioneering work in assessing India's national income.
• Known as ‘The Grand Old Man of India’ Dadabhai Naoroji was a great public figure during 1845 - 1917.
• He gave the 'Drain of Wealth Theory'.
• Bal Gangadhar Tilak
• Bal Gangadhar Tilak was born on 23rd July 1856.
• He was a prominent figure in Indian National Congress.
• His political ideology was Extreme Nationalism. He was an extreme leader of the Indian National Congress along with Lala Lajpat Ray and Bipin Chandra Pal, commonly addressed as Lal, Bal, Pal.
• He called on the movement of the Indian Home Rule League in 1916-1918 across India.
• He authored a very famous book 'Gita Rahasya' and The Arctic Home in the Vedas.
• A O Hume
• Allan Octavian Hume, who played a seminal role in the foundation of the Indian National Congress.
• He is also called the “Father of Indian Ornithology” and alternately, the “Pope of Indian Ornithology”.
• Initial publication of his first book was in 1869: My Scrap Book—Indian Oology and Ornithology.
• He published over 200 ornithological publications, and monographs, and curated an ornithological museum and library. He built an elaborate connection of over 160 contributors, which helped him acquire specimens from all over the Indian Empire.

The correct answer is Udham Singh

Key PointsUdham Singh

• Udham Singh is usually known as the person who avenged the Jallianwala Bagh massacre.
• He is known as the “patient assassin” or the “lone assassin” who shot dead Michael O’Dwyer, the Lieutenant Governor of Punjab under whose administration the infamous Amritsar massacre took place and who later even endorsed Brigadier-General Dyer, the perpetrator of the killings.
• His involvement was with the Ghadar Party, and also launched his own party, the Azad Party, as an offshoot of the Ghadar movement.

Additional Information

• Bhagat Singh
• In March 1926, he founded the Naujawan Bharat Sabha, a socialist organization with the aim to overthrow British rule in India.
• In 1927, he was arrested and charged with involvement in the Lahore bombing case that took place in 1926.
• In 1928, he formed the Hindustan Republican Association (HRA), which later became the Hindustan Socialist Republican Army (HSRA).
• On March 23, 1931, Singh was executed along with Rajguru and Sukhdev. March 23 is observed as 'Shaheed Divas' to pay tribute to the trio.
• Khudiram Bose
• Khudiram was one of India’s youngest freedom fighters.
• In 1905, during the Partition of Bengal, he became an active volunteer in the freedom movement.
• on 30 April 1908, he along with Prafulla Chaki attacked Kingsford’s carriage while it was leaving the club.
• After numerous trials and hearings, Khudiram was sentenced to death. Young Khudiram, at the age of eighteen, was executed on 11 August 1908, making him one of the youngest revolutionaries in India to be hanged by the British.
• Madan Lal Dhingra
• Madan Lal Dhingra was born in a very rich family in Amritsar on 17 February 1883.
• He came in contact with Veer Savarkar and his associates.
• He shot dead Curzon Wyllie, who was considered an anti-Indian officer of the British regime.
• He was sentenced to death in 1909.

The correct answer is Mahatma Gandhi.

Key Points

• The All India Congress Committee met in Bombay on 8th August 1942.
• It passed the famous Quit India resolution and proposed to start off a non-violent mass struggle under Gandhi's leadership.
• It is called the Vardha proposal and leaderless revolt.
• Gandhi told the British to quit and leave India in God's hand. His message was Do or Die.
• The repressive policy of the government and indiscriminate arrest of the leaders provoked people to violence.

Additional Information

• B. R. Ambedkar
• He was a jurist, a statesman, a social reformer and a leader of the depressed classes.
• He participated in all three Round Table Conferences, he signed Poona Pact with Gandhiji in 1932.
• He was chairman of the drafting committee of our constitution.
• Jawahar Lal Nehru
• He was the first Prime Minister of Independent India and is known as the architect of Modern India.
• He was Prime Minister of India from 1947 to 1964.
• He was the author of the Doctrine of Panchsheel and believed in policy non-alignment.

The correct answer is Mahatma Gandhi

Key PointsMahatma Gandhi

• Mahatma Gandhi was a great thinker, social reformer, and nationalist.
• He preached the idea of Truth and Nonviolence.
• The Champaran agitation in 1917 in Bihar was Gandhi's first active involvement in Indian freedom politics. The Champaran farmers were being forced to grow Indigo and were being tortured if they protested.
• He called on many national movement time from to time in the struggle for Independence as the Khilafat Movement(1919), Noncooperation Movement(1920), Civil Disobedience Movement(1930), and Quit India Movement(1942).
• The famous slogan 'Do or Die' was given by him in Quit India Movement.
• Gandhi ji established various ashrams like Phoneix, Sabarmati, Wardha, etc.
• He also contributed to the literature by writing many journals, magazines, books, etc. His famous literary work is his autobiography 'My Experiment with Truth'.

​

Additional Information

• Jagdish Chandra Bose
• He was a famous Indian Scientist born on 30 Nov 1858.
• He was the first to prove that plants too have feelings.
• He invented an instrument 'Crescograph' to record the pulse of plants and connected it to a plant.
• Bose would go on to demonstrate that plants could respond to various stimuli, including light, fertilizer, and various poisons and toxins.
• Chandrashekhar Venkata Raman
• Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman was born at Tiruchirappalli in Southern India on November 7th, 1888.
• His earliest research in optics and acoustics – the two fields of investigation to which he has dedicated his entire career.
• He explained Raman and Rayleigh Scattering for this contribution he received Nobel Prize in Physics in 1930.

The correct answer is Dadabhai Naoroji.

Key Points

• Dadabhai Naoroji
• In 1886, the second session of the Indian national congress was held in Calcutta.
• The President of the second session was Dadabhai Naoroji.
• Dadabhai Naoroji also known as the "Grand Old Man of India"
• He became the first Indian to become a member of the House of Commons in Britain.
• Authored ‘Poverty and Un-British Rule in India’ which focused on the economic drain of India because of British policies.
• In 1885, the Indian national congress was established by A.O. Hume.
• The first session of INC was held in Bombay and its president was Womesh Chandra Bannerjee.

Important Points Important sessions of Indian National Congress-

The correct answer is 16th October 1905.

Key Points

• Partition of Bengal
• The most important task in Curzon's anti-India activities was the partition of Bengal in 1905 AD.
• On July 19, 1905 AD, the decision to partition Bengal was announced in Shimla and its draft was published.
• On October 16, 1905, the plan for the partition of Bengal was implemented.
• Bengal was divided into two provinces one - Eastern Bengal and Assam Province, the other Western Bengal.
• The headquarters of Eastern Bengal was made at Dacca and Sir Andrew Fraser was made the lieutenant governor.
• Bengal was partitioned for a second time in 1947 when the whole country was partitioned into India and Pakistan. East Bengal became East Pakistan.
• In 1971, East Pakistan separated from Pakistan and became Bangladesh.

Important Points Lord Curzon (1899 - 1905)

• In 1899, Curzon passed the Indian Coinage and Paper-Currency Act. By doing this, the English gold currency was declared the legal currency of India.
• In 1901, Curzon appointed an irrigation commission under the chairmanship of Sir Colin Scott Moncrieff, a railway commission under the chairmanship of Thomas Robertson, a police commission under the chairmanship of Sir Andrew Fraser, and a university commission under the chairmanship of Sir Thomas Raleigh in 1902. established.
• During the tenure of Curzon, In 1904, the Indian University Act was passed.
• Through the Ancient Monuments Testing Act 1904 AD, Curzon paid attention to the protection and repair of historical buildings for the first time in India. For this work, Curzon established the Department of Archaeological Survey of India.
• During the time of Curzon, for the first time, a separate intelligence department was established under a director at each provincial and central level.

The correct answer is Bal Gangadhar Tilak.

Key Points

• In 1907, Congress was divided into groups of extremists and moderates.
• Moderates wanted to resolve government issues through deliberations whereas Extremists believed in strikes, agitation, and boycott to force their demands.
• The Extremist camp was led by Lal Bal and Pal and the moderate camp was led by Gopal Krishna Gokhale.
• Bal Gangadhar Tilak-
• ​Bal Gangadhar Tilak was born on 23 July 1856, in Ratnagiri, Maharashtra.
• Tilak joined the Indian National Congress (INC) in 1890.
• The Swadeshi movement was started by Bal Gangadhar Tilak in 1905 and focused on the boycott of foreign goods and the promotion of indigenous goods.
• Bal Gangadhar Tilak along with Annie Besant and G.S. Khapadre founded the All India home rule league in 1916.
• He rejoined the Indian National Congress in 1916 after the split.
• Bal Gangadhar Tilak started two grand public events. They are Ganesh Chaturthi ( in 1893) and Shiv Jayanti (1895) to achieve unity and bring about national spirit among the masses.
• Tilak started weeklies like Kesari and Mahratta before India gained freedom. Mahratta was an English weekly, while Kesari was a Marathi weekly.
• In addition, he was given the honorary title of ‘Lokmanya,’ which signifies acceptance by the people.

Additional Information

• Dadabhai Naoroji 
• Dadabhai Naoroji is also known as the ‘Grand Old Man of India'.
• He became the first Indian to become a member of the House of Commons in Britain.
• Write a book ‘Poverty and Un-British Rule in India’ which focused on the economic drain of India because of British policies.
• Gopal Krishna Gokhale
• Regarded as Mahatma Gandhi’s political guru.
• Founded the Servants of India Society.
• MG Ranade
• Govind Ranade, one of the founding members of the Indian National Congress.
• Mahadev Govind Ranade played an important role in the establishment and promotion of the Prarthana Samaj, the Poona Sarvajanik Sabha, and the Vakrittvottejak Sabha.

The correct answer is Singapore.

Key Points

• Indian National Army
• On 21 October 1943, Subhash Chandra Bose formed the Azad Hind Fauj in Singapore.
• The idea of the Indian National Army (INA) to liberate India was originally conceived by Rasbehari Bose, who had fled to Japan in 1915 and had become a Japanese citizen, with the help of Mohan Singh, an Indian officer of the British Indian Army In Malaya.
• Subhash Chandra Bose secretly escaped in Jan 1941 and reached Berline, In July 1943, he joined the INA in Singapore, There, Rasbehari Bose handed over the leadership to him.
• He Aimed a military campaign for the independence of India.
• He set up two Indian National Army(INA) headquarters in Rangoon and Singapore.
• Indian National Army had three fighting brigades named Gandhiji, Azad, and Nehru. Rani Jhansi Brigade led by Laxmi Sehgal was an exclusive women's force.
• In this, Subhash Chandra Bose gave the call 'Dilli Chalo'

The correct answer is March 23, 1931.

Key Points

• Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev were hanged on March 23, 1931, in the Lahore conspiracy case.
• They were all members of the Hindustan Socialist Republic Association.
• On 17 December 1928, Bhagat Singh, Azad and Rajguru assassinated Saunders, a police officer who was involved in the lathi charge that had caused the death of Lala Lajpat Rai.
• Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru were later hanged to death.
• The timetable was pushed ahead by 11 hours and the three were hanged at 7:30 p.m. in Lahore prison on 23 March 1931.
• Their bodies were secretly Cremated in the Bank of Sutlej River.
• This day is observed as Mytrys day to honour the revolutionaries.

Additional Information

• Bhagat Singh was an Indian communist revolutionary whose two acts of spectacular brutality against the British in India and execution at the age of 23 made him a famous hero of the Indian independence movement.
• Shivaram Hari Rajguru was an Indian nationalist from Maharashtra, mainly known for his role in the assassination of a British Raj police officer.
• Sukhdev Thapar was a visionary in India. A senior member of the Hindu Socialist Republican Association, he engaged in a variety of acts alongside Bhagat Singh and Shivaram Rajguru.

The correct answer is Sir P Lawrence. 

Key Points

• Cabinet Mission
• After World war-II, Three members of the British Cabinet (Sir Pethick Lawrence, Sir Stafford Cripps and A.V Alexender) were sent to India to make recommendations regarding constitutional reforms to be introduced in India. This is called Cabinet Mission.
• This Cabinet mission was presided over by Sir Pethick Lawrence.
• The Mission held talks with the Indian National Congress and Muslim League to bring about acceptance of their proposals.
• On May 16, 1946, the mission put forward its proposals:
• It was to have a weak central government controlling only foreign affairs, defence and communications with the existing provincial assemblies being grouped into three sections while electing the constituent assembly: Section A for the Hindu-majority provinces, and Sections B and C for the Muslim-majority provinces of the north-west and the north-east (including Assam) respectively
• The sections or groups of provinces would comprise various regional units. They would have the power to set up intermediate-level executives and legislatures of their own.
• Both the Muslim League and Congress accepted the plan.

The correct answer is Bhagat Singh.

Key Points

• Inquilab Zindabad slogan was Given by Bhagat Singh.
• Maulana Hasrat Mohani, who first introduced this slogan in the year 1921, was a famous freedom fighter and Urdu poet.
• During the freedom movement in India, the revolutionary slogan of the revolutionaries was 'Inquilab Zindabad'.
• This is the official slogan of the Hindustan Republic Socialist  Association.
• In 1929, the slogan 'Inquilab Zindabad' was chanted by Bhagat Singh and BK Dutt while throwing bombs into the Central Legislative Council.

Additional Information

• Muhammed Iqbal
• Iqbal was a poet and philosopher known for his influential efforts to direct his fellow Muslims in British-administered India toward the establishment of a separate Muslim state, an aspiration that was eventually realized in the country of Pakistan.
• He was knighted in 1922.
• His thesis, The Development of Metaphysics in Persia, revealed some aspects of Islamic mysticism formerly unknown in Europe.
• Jawahar Lal Nehru
• He was the first Prime Minister of Independent India and is known as the architect of Modern India.
• He was Prime Minister of India from 1947 to 1964.
• He was the author of the Doctrine of Panchsheel and believed in policy non-alignment.

The correct answer is Muzaffarpur.

Key Points

• Yogender Shukla was one of the Prominent Indian freedom fighters and revolutionary Who took participated in the Indian freedom struggle.
• On 7th December 1942, Yogender Shukla was arrested at Muzaffarpur.
• He was lodged in Buxar Jail and held in fetters for 3 years.
• Yogender Shulkla launched a 0
• He was released from prison in the year 1946.

The correct answer is Indian Nation

Key Points

• Indian Nation:-
• It was an independent nationalist daily newspaper published from Patna, Bihar.
• It was owned by Maharaja of Darbhanga, Maharja Sir Kameshwar Singh.
• It was started in 1928.

Additional Information

• Punjab Kesari:-
• Punjab Kesari was founded by Lala Jagat Narain in 1965.
• Prabhakar:-
• Prabhakar was a Bengali daily newspaper founded by Ishwar Chandra Gupta.
• Dawn:-
• It was founded by Mohammad Ali Jinnah in the year 1941.
• Originally, It was based in New Delhi but post-partition it's headquarters was shifted to Karachi, Pakistan.
• Currently, it is one of the largest English newspapers of Pakistan.

The correct answer is Bankipur Jail.

Key Points

• Jagat Narayan Lal was a freedom fighter who played a major role in making the modern Bihar.
• Jagat Narayan Lal was imprisoned in Bankipur Jail. Bankipur Central Jail was a colonial prison located in Patna.
• Many Prominent leaders like Dr. Rajendra Prasad, J.B. Kriplani, Anugrah Narayan Sinha etc. were imprisoned here during the Struggle for India's Independence.
• He became the General secretary of All India Hindu Mahasabha at its calcutta session in 1926.
• He was a member of the Indian National Congress and of the Constituent Assembly.
• He was a significant contributor to the debates and issues that chartered the course of the Indian independence.
• The second time under the charges of sedition prisoned him again in Hazaribagh Jail.

The correct answer is Socialist. 

Key Points

Jai Prakash Narayan 

• JP Narayan and Minoo Masani were released from jail in 1934.
• JP Narayan convened a meeting in Patna on 17 May 1934, which founded the Bihar Congress Socialist Party. He was a Gandhian Socialist.
• Narayan was educated at universities in the United States, where he became a Marxist.
• Upon his return to India in 1929, he joined the Indian National Congress (Congress Party). In 1932 he was sentenced to a year’s imprisonment for his participation in the civil disobedience movement against British rule in India.
• Upon release he took a leading part in the formation of the Congress Socialist Party, a left-wing group within the Congress Party, the organization that led the campaign for Indian independence.
• He was imprisoned by the British again in 1939 for his opposition to Indian participation in World War II on the side of Britain, but he subsequently made a dramatic escape and for a short time tried to organize violent resistance to the government before his recapture in 1943.
• After his release in 1946 he tried to persuade the Congress leaders to adopt a more militant policy against British rule.
• In 1948 he, together with most of the Congress Socialists, left the Congress Party and in 1952 formed the Praja Socialist Party. Soon becoming dissatisfied with party politics, he announced in 1954 that he would thenceforth devote his life exclusively to the Bhoodan Yajna Movement, founded by Vinoba Bhave, which demanded that land be distributed among the landless.
• His continuing interest in political problems, however, was revealed when in 1959 he argued for a “reconstruction of Indian polity” by means of a four-tier hierarchy of village, district, state, and union councils.

The correct answer is Amhara.

Key Points Ram Chandra Sharma

• Ram Chandra Sharma was a freedom fighter. He was born in Amraha village, of Gorakhpur district.
• He was a part of Satyagrah movements and was arrested several times for the movement.

The correct answer is Socialist

Key Points 

• ​Shri Narsingh Narayan was a socialist.
• He was related to **Bihar socialist party.**​

Additional Information

• Bihar socialist party:
• Bihar socialist party was formed in 1931.
• Bihar Socialist Party was formed by Ganga Sharan Sinha, Rambriksh Benipuri, and Ramanand Mishra.

The correct answer is Ghalib.

Key Points 

• One of the greatest poets, Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib, witnessed the uprising of the rebellion in 1857 when he was in Delhi.
• Mirza Ghalib talked of the 1857 mutiny in many of his letters and writeups which portrayed the pain and grief that he had felt during the muting of 1857.
• Ghalib was in Delhi while the Revolt of 1857 was on-going, he observed the process and then used to present his view on varied issues through his writings.

Additional Information 

• The Indian Mutiny of 1857-59 was the first expression of organized resistance against the British East India Company.
• The revolt is known by several names: the Sepoy Mutiny (by the British Historians), the Indian Mutiny, the Great Rebellion (by the Indian Historians), the Revolt of 1857, the Indian Insurrection, and the First War of Independence (by Vinayak Damodar Savarkar).
• The Revolt of 1857 eventually broke out over the incident of greased cartridges.
• A rumor spread that the cartridges of the new Enfield rifles were greased with the fat of cows and pigs.
• Before loading these rifles the sepoys had to bite off the paper on the cartridges.
• Both Hindu and Muslim sepoys refused to use them.
• In March 1857, Mangal Pandey, a sepoy in Barrackpore, had refused to use the cartridge and attacked his senior officers.
• The political causes of the revolt were the British policy of expansion through the Doctrine of Lapse and direct annexation.
• Under the Doctrine of Lapse, when the ruler of a protected state died without a natural heir, his/her state was not to pass to an adopted heir as sanctioned by the age-old tradition of the country.

The correct answer is Maulvi Ahmadullah shah.

Key Points

• Maulvi Ahmadullah Shah, born in 1787, more famously known as Maulavi of Faizabad, was one of the leading figures of the great Indian revolt of 1857.
• In the Awadh region, Maulavi Ahmadullah Shah was known as the ‘Lighthouse of Rebellion’.
• Hailing from a noble warrior family of Awadh in Faizabad, he grew up to be a political leader committed to armed revolutionary insurrection against British rule in India.
• During the freedom struggle, Maulavi made Faizabad the centre and launched revolts in all of the Awadh regions.
• He made the local mosque Masjid Sarai located in the Chowk area of Faizabad his headquarters.
• As he liberated Faizabad and the larger part of the Awadh region, he used the premises of this mosque to hold meetings with rebellion leaders.
• Maulavi Ahmadullah Shah kept Faizabad free from British rule for almost one year, until his death at the hands of British agents on **June 5, 1858.**​

The correct answer is The Constitution.

Key Points

• The Constitution of India:-
• The constitution was made by the drafting committee headed by Dr. B. R. Ambedkar.
• The committee took 2 years, 11 months, and 17 days to write.
• It was ratified on 26th November, 1949 and enacted on 26th January, 1950.
• Some of the features of the Indian constitution are-
• Lengthiest written constitution in the world
• Blend of rigidity and flexibility.
• Federalism.
• Parliamentary Form of Government.
• Separation of Powers.
• Fundamental Rights
• Secularism
• The Constitution of India is Supreme because:-
• It enables the government to fulfill the aspirations of a society and create conditions for a just society.
• It provides a set of basic rules that allow for minimal coordination amongst members of society.
• It sets some limits on what a government can impose on its citizens. These limits are fundamental in the sense that government may never trespass them.

Sources of the Indian Constitution:-

Additional Information

• The Supreme Court:-
• Articles 124 of 147 of the Indian Constitution deal with the organization, independence, jurisdiction, powers, procedures etc. of the Supreme Court.
• Parliament has the power to make laws regulating constitution, organization, jurisdiction, and powers of the Supreme Court.
• The Constitution of India declares Delhi as the seat of the Supreme Court.
• The Parliament:-
• ​Parliament is the supreme legislative body of India.
• The Indian Parliament comprises of the President and the two houses- Rajya Sabha (Council of States) and Lok Sabha (House of the People).
• The President has the power to summon and prorogue either House of Parliament or to dissolve Lok Sabha.​
• Religion:-
• Religion is a set of beliefs, cultures, rituals.
• ​India is a secular country which means one religion can not dominate others.

The correct answer is The Governor.

Key Points

• The Governor:-
• ​Article 153 of the Indian constitution mentions that there shall be a governor for each state.
• The governor is appointed by the President of India.
• Qualifications-
• Should be a citizen of India.
• Should have completed the age of 35 years.
• All executive functions of the government are formally taken in the governor's name.
• It also appoints the Chief Minister, the other subordinate ministers, the Advocate General of the state, the State Election Commissioner, the Chairman, and members of the State Public Service Commission.
• It can make recommendations to the President to impose a constitutional emergency in the state under Article 356.
• Legislative Powers:-
• Governor of the state summons or prorogues the state legislature and can dissolve the state Legislative assembly.
• It nominates 1/6th of the members of the State Legislative Council from amongst the persons having special knowledge or practical experience in literature, art, science, cooperative movement, and social service.
• It can also promulgate ordinances when the state Legislature is not in session, ordinances must be approved by the State Legislature within six weeks of their reassembly.
• When both the offices of the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker fall vacant then the Governor appoints any member of the State's Legislative Assembly member.
• Financial Powers:-
• It confirms that the state budget or the Annual Financial Statement is laid before the State Legislature.
• Money Bills can be introduced in the State Legislature only by the prior recommendation of the Governor.
• Judicial Powers:-
• Governor is consulted by the President while appointing the Judges of the concerned High Court.
• It also makes the appointments, posting, and promotions of the district judges in consultation with the State High Court and State Public Service Commission.
• The Governor can grant pardons, reprieves, respites, and remissions of punishment or suspension, however, Governor cannot pardon a death Sentence.
• Articles related to Governor:-

Additional Information

• The Chief Minister:-
• Article 164 states that Chief Minister shall be appointed by the Governor.
• He is the head of the Government and is the real executive authority.
• The term is not fixed and can hold office at the pleasure of the Governor.
• It can not be removed as long as it enjoys the majority.
• It is the head of the Council of ministers.
• Articles related to Chief Ministers:-

The correct answer is Advocate General.

Key Points

• The Advocate General:-
• It is a constitutional post and authority duly appointed as per Art.165 of the constitution of India.
• He is the highest law officer in the state.
• He corresponds to the Attorney General of India.
• It is appointed by the governor.
• Qualifications:-
• Must be a citizen of India.
• Must be a person who is qualified to be appointed a judge of a high court.
• Must have held a judicial office for ten years or been an advocate of a high court for ten years.​
• Duties and functions:-
• To advise on the legal matters referred by the governor.
• To discharge the functions conferred on him by the Constitution or any other law.
• Article 194 mentions the power, privileges, and immunities of the Advocate General.

Additional Information

• Attorney General:-
• Article 76 of the Indian Constitution mentions that the President shall appoint a person who is qualified to be appointed a judge of the Supreme Court to be Attorney General Of India.
• It is the highest law officer in the country.
• The Attorney General must give advice to the Government of India upon such legal matters.
• The term of office is not fixed by the Constitution.
• Solicitor General:-
• Solicitor general assists the Attorney General of India.
• It is the second-highest law officer in the country.
• There is no mention of the Solicitor General in the Constitution of India.
• Chief Justice of the High Court:-
• Article 216 mentions that every high court shall consist of a Chief Justice and such other Judges as the President may from time to time deem it necessary to appoint.
• Appointment:-
• Appointment is done by the President after consultation with the Chief Justice of India and the governor of the state concerned.
• In the case of a common high court for two or more states, the governors of all states concerned are consulted by the president(Article 231).

The correct answer is Legislature.

Key Points

• Legislature:-
• In Indian Polity, there are two legislatures Union Legislature and State Legislature.
• The Union Legislature comprises the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha.
• Rajya Sabha:-
• The Rajya Sabha is a permanent body, not subject to dissolution.
• 1/3rd of its members (as nearly as possible) retire on the expiration of every second year, in accordance with provisions made by the Parliament.
• Article 80 of the Constitution lays down the maximum strength of the Rajya Sabha as 250, out of which 12 members are nominated by the President and 238 are representatives of the States and of the three Union Territories.
• The Fourth Schedule to the Constitution provides for the allocation of seats to the States and Union Territories in Rajya Sabha.
• The Chairman of Rajya Sabha is the Vice-President of India.
• Lok Sabha:-
• Leader of the House is the Prime Minister.
• The maximum strength of Lok Sabha is fixed at 550 by the Constitution.
• 530 members are representatives of states and UTs are to be represented by a maximum of 20 members.
• The Speaker of Lok Sabha presides over the sessions and in absence of the Speaker, Deputy Speaker presides except when a resolution for own removal is under consideration.
• It is non continuing as it dissolve in every five years.
• President dissolves Lok Sabha and this cannot be challenged in a court of law.
• The Executive is subordinate to the legislature.

Additional Information

• Judiciary:-
• The Constitution of India provides for a single integrated judicial system.
• The structure of the judiciary in India is pyramidal with the Supreme Court at the top, High Courts below them and district and subordinate courts at
  

the lowest level.

• Election Commission:-
• The Election Commission of India is an autonomous constitutional authority responsible for administering Union and State election processes in India.
• The body administers elections to the Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha, and State Legislative Assemblies in India, and the offices of the President and Vice President in the country.
• Article 324 provided for the appointment of an Election Commission to superintend, direct and control the elections.
• Union Public Service Commission:-
• Article 320, talks about the UPSC to conduct examinations for appointments to the services of the Union and the services of the State respectively.

The correct answer is question-answer session.

Key Points

• The time following question hour in Parliament is known as Zero Hour. In political jargon, Zero hour refers to question-answer session.
• The Zero hour starts immediately after the question hour and lasts until the agenda for the day is taken up.
• In other words, the time gap between the question hour and the agenda is known as Zero hour.
• Zero hour usually starts at 12 noon, whereby MPs can raise their question about issues of urgent public importance.
• Zero hour is not mentioned in the rules of procedure. It is an Indian innovation in the field of Parliamentary procedures and has been in existence since 1962.

Additional Information

• Adjournment Motion
• ​It is introduced in the Parliament to draw the attention of the House to a definite matter of urgent public importance.
• The discussion on an adjournment motion should last for not less than two hours and 30 minutes (2.5 hours).
• It needs the support of 50 members to be admitted.
• As it interrupts the normal business of the House, it is regarded as an extraordinary motion.
• It involves an element of censure against the government means if passed the council ministers are bound to seek confidence in Lok Sabha otherwise they have to resign.
• As the Council of ministers is not liable to Rajya Sabha for its actions, hence Rajya Sabha is not permitted to make use of this motion.
• Adjournment 
• ​An adjournment time means the suspension of the work in a sitting for a specified period of time.
• It can be hours, days or weeks. Adjournment sine die means terminating the sitting for an indefinite period of time.
• The power of the adjournment and adjournment sine die both lies with the Presiding officer of the House.
• The presiding officer declares adjournment sine die when the working or business of the House is completed.

The correct answer is Fundamental Duties.

Key Points

• Fundamental Duties are the duties that need to be performed by each individual. Thus it helps to regulate the behaviour of the citizens and bring about excellence in all the spheres of the citizens.
• Fundamental Duties were not present in the Original constitution of India in 1950.
• It was added by the 42nd amendment of the constitution in 1976 on the recommendation of the Swaran Singh Committee.
• Article 51 (A) in Part IV (A) of the Constitution of India defines fundamental duties. These are eleven in number.
• The idea of Fundamental Duties was borrowed from USSR.
• Initially, there were only 10 duties. That's why it was called the ten commands of the 42nd Constitutional Amendment. One more duty was added in Article 51A (k) by the 86th amendment in 2002.
• Fundamental Duties **do not apply to foreigners, it only applies to citizens of India.**​

Additional Information

• Fundamental Rights
• Fundamental Rights are those rights that are essential for the well-being of individuals and also help them to develop morally, intellectually and spiritually.
• ​Fundamental rights are mentioned in Articles 11 to 35 of Part III of the Indian Constitution.
• These rights are conferred to all the Citizens of India without any discrimination.
• Fundamental Rights mentioned in Articles 15, 16, 19, 29 and 30 are available to only Indian citizens. The rest of the rights are available to foreigners as well.
• These rights are justiciable in nature and in case of violation of Fundamental Rights, one can move directly to the High Court and Supreme Court.
• It is described as the Magna Carta of India.
• ​Panchayati Raj System
• ​Panchayati Raj System is a system of rural local self-government. It is based on the principle of Decentralisation of Power.
• It is an important feature of Indian polity ensuring the direct participation of common people (243G-243H) in decision-making.
• It is mentioned under  Article 40 of the DPSP.
• It was introduced by the 73rd constitutional amendment act of 1992.
• Lord Ripon is known as the "father of local self-government in India".
• 24 April is celebrated as National Panchayati Raj Day.

The correct answer is Directive Principles of State Policy.

Key Points​

• ​Panchayati Raj System is a system of rural local self-government. It is based on the principle of Decentralisation of Power.
• It is an important feature of Indian polity ensuring the direct participation of common people (243G-243H) in decision-making.
• Under Article 40 of the DPSP, it's mentioned that State shall take steps 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.
• It was introduced by the 73rd constitutional amendment act of 1992.
• Lord Ripon is known as the "father of local self-government in India".
• 24 April is celebrated as National Panchayati Raj Day.

Additional Information

• Fundamental Rights
• Fundamental Rights are those rights that are essential for the well-being of individuals and also help them to develop morally, intellectually and spiritually.
• ​Fundamental rights are mentioned in Articles 11 to 35 of Part III of the Indian Constitution.
• These rights are conferred to all the Citizens of India without any discrimination.
• Fundamental Rights mentioned in Articles 15, 16, 19, 29 and 30 are available to only Indian citizens. The rest of the rights are available to foreigners as well.
• These rights are justiciable in nature and in case of violation of Fundamental Rights, one can move directly to the High Court and Supreme Court.
• It is described as the Magna Carta of India.
• ​Fundamental Duties​
• Fundamental Duties are the duties that need to be performed by each individual. Thus it helps to regulate the behaviour of the citizens and bring about excellence in all the spheres of the citizens.
• Fundamental Duties were not present in the Original constitution of India in 1950.
• It was added by the 42nd amendment of the constitution in 1976 on the recommendation of the Swaran Singh Committee.
• Article 51 (A) in Part IV (A) of the Constitution of India defines fundamental duties. These are eleven in number.
• The idea of Fundamental Duties was borrowed from USSR.
• Initially, there were only 10 duties. That's why it was called the ten commands of the 42nd Constitutional Amendment. One more duty was added in Article 51A (k) by the 86th amendment in 2002.
• Fundamental Duties do not apply to foreigners, it only applies to citizens of India.

The correct answer is 13.

Key Points

• Article13:- 
• ​It states that the State shall not make any law which takes away or abridges the rights conferred by this Part and
  

any law made in contravention of this clause shall, to the extent of the contravention, be void.

• Hence, it gives precedence to Constitutional provisions over the laws made by the Union Parliament/State Legislature.

Additional Information

• Article 32:-
• It mentions the right to move the Supreme Court by appropriate proceedings for the enforcement of the rights conferred by this Part is guaranteed
• The Supreme Court shall have the power to issue directions or orders or writs. These writs are-
• Mandamus
• Prohibition
• Quo warranto
• Certiorari
• Habeas corpus
• Article 245:-
• It states that the Parliament may make laws for the whole or any part of the territory of India, and the Legislature of a State may
  

make laws for the whole or any part of the State.

• Article 326:-
• It mentions the Elections to the House of the People and to the Legislative Assemblies of States to be based on adult suffrage.

The correct answer is The Vice-President.

Key PointsChairman of Rajya Sabha 

• Article 89 describes the Vice- President of India shall be ex-officio Chairman of the Council of States.
• He is the Presiding Officer of the House.
• The Indian Constitution specifies the Chairman's duties and powers.
• Powers granted to the Chairman under the Rajya Sabha's Rules of Procedure in his capacity as the House's principal spokesperson
• The Chairman has the authority to interpret the Constitution and Rules, and he or she also participates in House discussions and votes.
• The Chairman's salary and benefits are set by law by the Parliament as stated in the 2nd Schedule.

Vice-President:

• Article 64 and 89 describes the Vice President serves as the Rajya Sabha's ex officio chairman and is paid appropriately.
• He earns salary and emoluments in accordance with his duties as President of India.
• He is chosen by each and every Parliamentary member (both elected and nominated).
• There are 20 proposers and 20 seconders among the electors.
• Proportional representation using a single transferable vote (PRSTV) is the election system.
• In the event of the occurrence of any vacancy in the office of the President by reason of his death, resignation or removal, or otherwise, the Vice-President shall act as President until the date on which a new President elected.
• When the President is unable to discharge his functions owing to absence, illness or any other cause, the Vice-President shall discharge his functions until the date on which the President resumes his duties.
• While serving as President, he won't carry out his duties as Rajya Sabha chairman and shall not be entitled to any salary or allowance payable to the Chairman of the Council of States under article 97.

Additional Information

The correct answer is 25 years. 

Key Points Qualifications to become a Member of the Lok Sabha:

• The qualification of a member of Lok Sabha mention in Article 84 of the Constitution of India.
• A person is a citizen of India, and makes and subscribes before some person authorized in that behalf by the Election Commission an oath or affirmation according to the form set out for the purpose in the 3rd Schedule.
• A person is not less than 25 years of age.
• Possesses such other qualifications as may be prescribed in that behalf by or under any law made by Parliament.

Additional Information Lok Sabha (House of the People)[Article 81]:

• ​The House of the People shall consist of
• Not more than 530 chosen by direct election from territorial constituencies in the States, and
• Not more than 20 to represent the Union territories, chosen in such manner as Parliament may by law provide.
• For the purposes of direct election from territorial constituencies in the State: 
• There shall be allotted to each State a number of seats in the House of the People in such manner that the ratio between that number and the population of the State is, so far as practicable, the same for all States.
• For the purpose of allocating seats in the House of the People to any State, if that State's population does not exceed six million, the above statement shall not be applied.
• Considering the 1971 census as a reference.
• Each State shall be divided into territorial constituencies in such manner that the ratio between the population of each constituency and the number of seats allotted to it is, so far as practicable, the same throughout the State.
• Considering the 2001 census as a reference.
• In this article, the expression “population” means the population as ascertained at the last preceding census of which the relevant figures have been published:
• Provided that the reference in this clause to the last preceding census of which the relevant figures have been published shall, until the relevant figures for the first census taken after the year 2026 have been published.

Important Points

• The normal term of the Lok Sabha is 5 years, but it may be dissolved earlier by the President [Article 85 (2) (b)]
• The normal term of Lok Sabha can be extended by an Act passed by Parliament itself during Emergency.
• Article 83(2) describes the extension cannot be made for a period exceeding one year at a time and such extension cannot continue beyond a period of six months after the proclamation of Emergency ceases to operate.
• Every subject that was pending before the House lapses upon dissolution of the Lok Sabha.

The correct answer is Rural Development and Poverty Alleviation.

Key PointsIntegrated Rural Development Programme (IRDP): 

• IRDP is a major self-employment programmes for poverty alleviation.
• The IRDP was introduced in selected areas of country in 1978.
• It was subsequently extended to the whole of the rural India with effect from October 2,1980.
• Basic objective of IRDP:
• ​To enable identified rural poor families to augment their incomes; and
• Cross the poverty line through acquisition of credit based productive assets.
• Assistance is given in the form of subsidy by the government and term credit by the financial institutions for income generating activities.
• This is a centrally sponsored scheme funded on 50:50 basis by the Centre and the states.
• The target group of the IRDP consists of families of small and marginal farmers, agricultural labourers and rural artisans whose family income is below the pre-determined poverty line.
• Normally, subsidy is provided at the rate of 25% of the project cost for small farmers.
• 33.3% for agricultural labourers; marginal farmers and rural artisans.
• It is stipulated that at least 50% of the assisted families should belong to Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe and the physically handicapped.
• It is also required that at least 40 per cent of those assisted should be women under this programme.

Additional InformationTraining of Rural Youth for Self Employment (TRYSEM):

• TRYSEM is for providing technical assistance to rural youth in the age-group of 18 and 35 years from poor families to enable them to find self-employment.
• TRYSEM is sub-scheme of the IRDP.
• TRYSEM is a centrally sponsored scheme that was started on 15th August 1979.
• It has been laid down that the coverage of youth from SC and ST communities should be at least 50% of the rural youth trained.
• Out of the total beneficiaries, at least 40% should be women.
• TRYSEM encourages youth in rural areas to pursue prospects for self-employment in more expansive domains of agriculture and numerous related industries.
• However, during the 9th Five Year Plan (1997-2002), this scheme was merged in the mega initiative of Swarn Jayanti Gram Swarojgar Yojna.

Development of Women and Children in Rural Areas (DWCRA):

• DWCRA aims to improve the socio-economic status of the poor women in the rural areas through creation of group of women for income generating activities on a self-sustaining basis.
• DWCRA, a sub-scheme of the IRDP, was introduced by the Indian government in 1982-1983.
• DWCRA is a centrally sponsored scheme of the Department of Rural Development under Ministry of Rural Development.
• Initially the cost of the revolving fund was paid 20% by UNICEF, 40% by each state government and 40% by the Central Government.
• UNICEF withdrew from the project in 1996-97.
• The costs were equally (50:50) shared between the state and the central government.
• Families which have an annual income of less than Rs. 4,800.
• DWCRA differs from the other IRDP type of programmes in two important ways:  
• First, the main unit of development in DWCRA is not an individual or household, but a group of women.
• Groups usually consist of 10-20 women (this group approach is now also used in the SGSY programme).
• Second, the emphasis is not only on economic activities, but also on social issues such as family welfare, child care and literacy.
• Groups were provided with a maximum matching grant of Rs. 15,000 to be used as a revolving fund to undertake the group's economic activity, which was increased to Rs. 25,000 in 1994-95.
• DWCRA SHGs received training and their products were also distributed to Bazaars, providing them an opportunity to access diverse markets.

Important PointsSwarnjayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana (SGSY):

• The Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India have launched a new programme known as "Swarnjayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana"(SGSY) by restructuring the existing schemes:
• Integrated Rural Development Programme (IRDP), Training of Rural Youth for Self Employment (TRYSEM), Development of Women & Children in Rural Areas (DWCRA), Supply of Improved Toolkits to Rural Artisans (SITRA), Ganga Kalyan Yojana (GKY), Million Wells Scheme (MWS).
• The SGSY Scheme is operative from 1st April 1999 in rural areas of the country.
• SGSY is a holistic Scheme covering all aspects of self employment such as organization of the poor into Self Help Groups, training, credit, technology, infrastructure and marketing.
• The scheme will be funded by the Centre and the States in the ratio of 75:25 and will be implemented by Commercial Banks, Regional Rural Banks and Co-operative Banks.
• Objective of SGSY:
• To bring every assisted family above the poverty line within three years by providing them income generating assets through a mix of bank credit and Government subsidy.
• The rural poor such as those with land, landless labour, educated unemployed, rural artisans and disabled are covered under the scheme.
• The SC/ST will account for at least 50%, Women 40% and the disabled 3% of those assisted.

The correct answer is economic inequalities.

Key Points

• Relative Poverty
• Relative poverty is a type of poverty in which households receive 50% less than average household incomes, so they do have some money but still not enough money to afford anything above the basics.
• This type of poverty is changeable depending on the economic growth of the country.
• Relative poverty is sometimes described as "relative deprivation" because the people falling under this category are not living in total poverty, but they are not enjoying the same standard of life as everyone else in the country.
• Thus, relative poverty represents economic inequalities among the people in a country.

Additional Information

• Bankruptcy
• ​Bankruptcy is a legal proceeding involving a person or business that is unable to repay its outstanding debts.
• Bankruptcy offers an individual or business a chance to start fresh by forgiving debts that simply cannot be paid while giving creditors a chance to obtain some measure of repayment based on the individual's or business's assets available for liquidation.
• Trade Cycles
• ​A trade cycle refers to fluctuations in economic activities especially in employment, output and income, prices, profits, etc.
• According to Keynes, "A trade cycle is composed of periods of good trade characterized by rising prices and low unemployment percentages altering with periods of bad trade characterized by falling prices and high unemployment percentages.

Important Points

Types of Poverty​

The correct answer is Central Statistical Organisation.

Key Points

• Central Statistical Organisation
• Central Statistical Organisation is a government agency under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation.
• The CSO revises the base year of the macroeconomic indicators, as a regular exercise, to capture structural changes in the economy and improve the quality and representativeness of the indices.
• In the data provided by the CSO, the base year is taken as 2011-12.
• The main aim of this agency is to provide advisory services to other statistical agencies, keeping public relations with international statistical bodies, preparing and publishing national accounts statistics industrial statistics, conducting economic census and training statistical personnel.

Additional Information

• Planning Commission
• ​The Planning commission was established in March 1950 by an executive resolution of the Government of India, on the recommendation of the Advisory Planning Board constituted in 1946, under the chairmanship of KC Neogi.
• It is no longer active (since it was replaced by the NITI Aayog) but was an important feature of policymaking and governance in India.
• It was a non-constitutional and non-statutory body.
• In India, it was the supreme organ of planning for social and economic development.
• It was dissolved on 13 August, 2014.
• The critics have described it as a 'Super Cabinet', an 'Economic Cabinet', a 'Parallel Cabinet', the 'Fifth Wheel of the Coach' etc.

The correct answer is Aluminium manufacturing.

Key Points 

The Muri Hindalco Plant

• Muri Works of Hindalco Industries Limited is India’s first alumina refinery commissioned in 1948 by the erstwhile Indian Aluminium Company (INDAL).
• In 2005, Hindalco merged the plant with itself after acquiring INDAL.
• The plant is located on the banks of Swarnarekha River at Chota Muri, 65km from Ranchi, the capital city of Jharkhand state
• Muri Works is India’s first alumina refinery commissioned in 1948 by the Indian Aluminium Company.
• Later in 2005, Hindalco acquired Indian Aluminium Company (INDAL) and merged the plant with itself.
• The plant is located on the banks of Swarnarekha River at Chota Muri, 65km from Ranchi, Jharkhand. Primary products include standard and special grades of Alumina and Alumina-hydrate.
• The present capacity of plant stands at 450 Kilo tonne per annum (KTPA).
• The plant and residential colony together cover an area of 334.2 acres.

The correct answer is Barakar.

Key Points

• Barakar is a major tributary of the Damodar river.
• Maithon, Belpahari, and Tilaiya dams are constructed on the Barakar river.
• Maithon, Tilaya, Konar, and Panchet Hill dams are parts of the Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) Project of the Government of India.
• The Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) Project was started on 7th July 1948.

Important Points

• Maithon Dam:-
• Maithon Dam is located at Maithon, 48 km from Dhanbad, in the state of Jharkhand.
• It is 4789m. long and 50m. high.
• It was built in the year 1957.
• Maithon Dam is constructed on the river Barakar.
• Tilaiya Dam:-
• Tilaiya Dam is constructed on the river Barakar.
• The dam is 1200 ft. long and 99 ft. high
• Built with the main object of controlling floods and producing electricity.
• The hydroelectric station located on Tilaiya dam produced 4MW of green electricity.

Additional Information

The correct answer is Gandak.

Key Points

• Triveni Canal receives water from river Gandak as it has been constructed on it.
• It is mainly used for irrigation in northwest Bihar.
• Gandak is a left-bank tributary of the Ganges.
• Gandak originates from the Nhubine Himal glacier.
• Gandak is also called the Narayani river.

Additional Information

• Sone River
• ​Sone river is one of the major southern tributaries of the Ganga river.
• It originates near Amarkantak hill in Madhya Pradesh.
• Sone river cuts through the Kaimur range and joins the river Ganga above Patna.
• The Rihand is the major tributary of the Sone river.
• Major dams built across the Sone river are the Bansagar dam and Indrapuri barrage.
• Kosi River
• ​Kosi river is a trans-boundary river that flows through Tibet, Nepal and india.
• It is 720 km long.
• Kosi is also known as the sorrow of bihar as this causes flood in the region.
• The main tributaries of the kosi river are Tamor river, Arun river, Sunkoshi, Tamakoshi and Likhukhola.

The correct answer is West Bengal.

Mistake Points

Among the options given, West Bengal has the highest-density of population. Delhi will not be the correct answer, as Delhi is not a State it is a UT. It is clearly asked in the question what the name of the state is.

Key Points

• Population density means the number of people living per square unit of area.
• According to the census 2011, West Bengal has a population density of 1028 People per square
• The population density of India is 382.
• The highest population density is in the Bihar state of India.
• Bihar has a population density of 1106 people per square km.
• The lowest population density in Arunachal Pradesh is 17 Persons per square km.

Additional Information

• According to Census 2011

The correct answer is Uttar Pradesh.

Key Points 

Uttar Pradesh – Agricultural Production

• Uttar Pradesh is the largest producer of wheat in India. The most important food crop in Uttar Pradesh is wheat. Uttar Pradesh contributed 32.42% of the total wheat production in India.
• Some of the interesting facts about the largest wheat-producing state in India – Uttar Pradesh, are given below:
• The leading occupation in Uttar Pradesh is in the field of agriculture.
• As of 2014-15, 19% of India’s total food grain output was from Uttar Pradesh.
• The most important food crop in Uttar Pradesh is wheat.
• The most important commercial crop in Uttar Pradesh is sugarcane.
• Uttar Pradesh is India’s largest producer of sugar.

The correct answer is 36.

Key PointsAbout Lakshadweep:

• India’s smallest Union Territory Lakshadweep is an archipelago consisting of 36 islands with an area of 32 square km.
• The name Lakshadweep in Malayalam and Sanskrit means ‘a hundred thousand islands’.
• Amendivi Islands are the northern most while the Minicoy island is the southernmost.
• It is a uni-district Union Territory and is comprised of 12 atolls, 3 reefs, 5 submerged banks and 10 inhabited islands.
• The capital is Kavaratti and it is also the principal town of the UT.
• The Union Territory was formed in 1956 and it was named Lakshadweep in 1973.
• Kolkali and Parichakali are the two popular folk art forms in the Territory.
• They are an integral part of the cultural milieu except in Minicoy where “LAVA” is the most popular dance form.
• For marriages “OPPANA” is a common feature, a song sung by a lead singer and followed by a group of women.

Census of Lakshadweep:

• ​​As per details from Census 2011, Lakshadweep has population of 64 Thousands, an increase from figure of 60 Thousand in 2001 census.
• Total population of Lakshadweep as per 2011 census is 64,473 of which male and female are 33,123 and 31,350 respectively.
• In 2001, total population was 60,650 in which males were 31,131 while females were 29,519.
• The total population growth in this decade was 6.30 percent while in previous decade it was 17.19 percent.
• The population of Lakshadweep forms 0.01 percent of India in 2011.
• In 2001, the figure was 0.01 percent.
• It has the highest population share of Muslims (96%) and Scheduled Tribes (94.8%) among the UTs.
• Malayalam is the official as well as the widely spoken native language in the territory.

Additional Information

The correct answer is Ranchi.

Key PointsHundru Fall:

• The Hundru Falls located in Ranchi, Jharkhand.
• It is India's 34th-highest waterfall in terms of height.
• One of the greatest waterfalls in the state is formed where the Subarnarekha River flows, where it plunges from a height of 320 feet (98 metres).
• Hundru Fall offers a panoramic perspective of the Chota Nagpur Plateau.
• Ranchi, the capital city of Jharkhand is known as the city of waterfalls in India.
• Dassam Fall is a natural cascade across the Kanchi River, a tributary of the Subarnarekha River also located in Ranchi.
• Jonha Fall also known as the Gautamdhara, as there is a temple dedicated to Lord Budha, in its vicinity located in Ranchi.

Additional Information

The correct answer is Groundnut.

Key PointsDryland Farming:

• In India, the dryland farming is largely confined to the regions having annual rainfall less than 75 cm.
• These regions grow hardy and drought resistant crops such as pulses, ragi, bajra, moong, gram and guar (fodder crops) and practice various measures of soil moisture conservation and rain water harvesting.

Groundnut:

• India produces about 18.8 per cent of the total groundnut production in the world (2018).
• It is largely a rainfed kharif crop of drylands.
• But in southern India, it is cultivated during rabi season as well.
• It covers about 3.6 per cent of total cropped area in the country.
• Gujarat, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra are the leading producers.
• Yield of groundnut is comparatively high in Tamil Nadu where it is partly irrigated.
• But its yield is low in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.

Additional Information

The correct answer is 27.8 km.

Key Points

• Rotation is the movement of the earth on its axis.
• The movement of the earth around the sun in a fixed path is called revolution.
• The circumference of the Earth at the equator is 40,075 km.
• Earth completes one rotation in 24 hours.
• One hour is equal to 60 min so 24 hours =24×60=1440min.
• Speed of rotation $= \frac{Distance}{Time}$ 
• $Time= \frac{40075}{1440}$ = 27.8 km per min.
• So, the Earth rotates approximately 27.8 kilometers in one minute at the equator.

Confusion Points

• The rotational speed of Earth at the equator is 27.8 km/min.
• As we move closer to the poles, its speed decreases because the earth's circumference is decreasing.

The correct answer is ​Young folded mountains.

Key Points

• A mountain is any natural elevation of the earth's surface.
• Fold mountains are created through a process called orogeny.
• When a tectonic plate gets pressure from two sides, it gets folded and created the world's largest young-folded mountains series.
• The Himalayas, The Andes, and the Alps are examples of Fold Mountains.

Important Points

• There are three types of mountains:-
• Fold Mountains,
• Block Mountains
• Volcanic Mountains.
• Fold Mountains:-
• The Himalayan Mountains and the Alps are young fold mountains with rugged relief and high conical peaks.
• The Aravali range in India is one of the oldest fold mountain systems in the world.
• The Appalachians in North America and the Ural mountains in Russia have rounded features and low elevation.
• They are very old fold mountains.
• **Block Mountains:-**​​​​​​​
• Block Mountains are created when large areas are broken and displaced vertically.
• The uplifted blocks are termed horsts and the lowered blocks are called graben.
• The Rhine valley and the Vosges mountain in Europe are examples of Block mountain systems.​
• Volcanic Mountains:-
• Volcanic mountains are formed due to volcanic activity.
• Mt.Kilimanjaro in Africa and Mt.Fujiyama in Japan are examples of Volcanic mountains

The correct answer is Jharkhand.

Key Points

• Jharkhand was the new state was recently carved out of Bihar. It was carved out of the southern portion of Bihar in 2000.
• During British rule, Bihar was part of the Bengal presidency before being carved out a separate administrative unit that included Jharkhand until November 2000. While Bihar was bifurcated to create Jharkhand, the demand for Mithilanchal remained, well, a demand.
• Bihar was formed by the english on 22 March 1912 but it got full statehood on 26 January 1950.

The correct answer is 37.

Key Points

• After the formation of Jharkhand Bihar has nearly 37 district administrative districts.
• Jharkhand came into being on 15 November 2000 as the 28th State of the Union.

Note: As of 2023, there are 38 districts in Bihar.

The correct answer is rice, wheat and maize.

 Key Points

AGRICULTUR IN BIHAR

• Bihar is located in the eastern part of India (between 83°-30′ to 88°-00′ longitude), surrounded by Nepal in the north, West Bengal in the east, Uttar Pradesh in the west, and Jharkhand in the south.
• 76% of its population is engaged in agricultural pursuits. Bihar has-
• Total geographical area= 93.60 lakh hectare,
• Net cultivated area= 56.03 lakh hectare,
• Gross cultivated area= 79.46 lakh hectare.
• Principal food crops are paddy, wheat, maize and pulses. Main cash crops are sugarcane, potato, tobacco, oilseeds, onion, chillies and jute.
• Bihar is divided by river Ganges into two parts, the north Bihar with an area of 53.3 thousand square km and the south Bihar having an area of 40.9 thousand square km.
• Bihar is the third largest producer of vegetables and fourth largest producer of fruits in the country.
• It is the largest producer of Litchi, Makhana, Guava, Lady’s finger in India. The state already exports Litchi, Basmati rice and snow pea.
• There are three major types of soil in Bihar i.e. Piedmont Swamp Soil (found in West Champaran district), **Terai Soil(**found in northern part of the state along the border of Nepal), Gangetic Alluvium (the plain of Bihar is covered by gangetic alluvium both new/Khadar as well as old/Bangar).
• The state was awarded the Krishi KarmanAward for rice production in the year 2013 and for maize production in 2016. The Government of India has conferred the “Krishi Karman Award” to the state on 2nd January 2020, for its achievements in production and productivity of Maize and Wheat.

The correct answer is Bihar has been the Leading Producer of coal and mica.

Key Points

• Bihar has been the leading producer of coal and mica- True
• Bihar was separated from Orissa in 1912- Hence option 2 is wrong.
• Bihar Does not share its border with Orissa after the formation of Jharkhand State- Hence option 3 is wrong.
• Bihar's legislature is bicameral- Hence option 4 is wrong.

The correct answer is Ranchi.

Key Points

 Ranchi

• Ranchi, Capital of Jharkhand is divided into Ranchi and Bundu subdivisions and each subdivision is further divided into blocks, panchayats and villages.It consists of 18 blocks and 305 panchayats.Under Ranchi SubDivision,there are 14 blocks and Bundu SubDivision consists of 4 blocks.
• Ranchi, in its modern form, is the capital city of the Indian state of Jharkhand. The city has a moderate climate and was the summer capital of Bihar until Jharkhand was separated in the year 2000. It is popularly known as a “City of Water Falls”.
• Ranchi is a popular educational destination for students of Bihar, Jharkhand and some parts of West Bengal as well. Many students come here for their senior secondary education, and it also has some prestigious institutes like BIT Mesra, IIM, NIFFT, NUSRL, CIP, RIMS etc. It also boasts of the head offices of some crucial government organisations like HEC, CCL and SAIL. It is also known for quality sports infrastructure as there are plenty of international level stadiums for different kind of sports.
• The city is loaded with tourist destinations if you are a nature buff. There are multiple waterfalls, hills and forests within a range of 70-100 km from the city.

The correct answer is Buddhist Monastery.

Key Points

• The word ‘Bihar’ has originated from the ‘Viharas’ which means resting house of Buddhist monk but it was the Muslim rulers of 12th Century who started calling the state as ‘Bihar’.
• The word BIHAR comes from the sanskrit word VIHARA. This state has had a glorious history of having Many stupas and vihars. It's the cradle of Buddhism.
• The place where Buddha attained enlightenment , BODHGAYA is in Bihar. Due to this, there were a large number of viharas constructed in this region. (Vihara is a place where Buddhist monks reside). Hence the name.
• The word Bihar is originally meant 'Buddhist monastery', it was derived from Sanskrit & Pali word 'Vihara' meaning 'abode', and this name was given by 'Buddha monks' because of Buddha Vihara.

The correct answer is 1913 km.

Key Points

• According to the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways report in 2002, the total length of National Highways in Bihar is 1913 km.
• According to the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways report in 2020, the total length of National Highways in Bihar is 5301 km.
• The total length of NH in Bihar is 5301 km. which was 4554 km in 2014.
• The total length has been increased by adding the additional length of 747 Km of new NH.
• At present, various schemes of Highways and bridges are in progress at a cost of about Rs 27270 crore for the overall development of Bihar.
• The Ministry has sanctioned more than Rs 10,000 crore to be distributed to the farmers as compensation for their land being acquired for the development of National Highways.
• At the end of the fiscal year 2019, the length of the national highways across the Indian state of Bihar was over five thousand kilometers.
• National highways are constructed and governed by the National Highway Authority of India.
• The highways made up a share of about two percent of the total Indian roads and carried about 40 percent of the traffic.

The correct answer is 8.60%

Key Points

• According to the census 2011 Bihar has a population of 10.41 crores.
• It is 8.60% of the total population on India whicht is 121.08 crores.
• It has increased from 8.30 crore in 2001.
• The total population growth in this decade was 25.45%.

 Additional InformationBihar in census 2011

The correct answer is Subarnrekha

Key Points Jamshedpur is located at the junction of the Subarnarekha and Kharkai rivers.

• It is a city in southeastern Jharkhand.
• It is also called tata nagar named for industrialist Jamsetji Nasarwanji Tata, whose company opened a steel plant there in 1911.
• Now it is the third most populous city in India.

Key Points Damodar 

• Damodar river flows across the Jharkhand and west Bengal.
• It joins to the Hugli river in Kolkata.
• Bokaro and konar are two majot trubutery river of Damodar river.

Brahmani

• Brahmani river flows in Odhisa.
• It joins to Mahanadi near Talcher.

Ajay

• Ajay River is a major river in Jharkhand and West Bengal.
• It originates in the low hills near Deoghar in the Santhal Pargana District of Jhakhand.
• It falls into the Bhagirathi River at Katwa near Kolkata.

The correct answer is Singhbhum.

Key Points

• Jharkhand accounts for 25 per cent of reserves and over 14 per cent of the total iron ore production of the country. Iron ore mining first of all started in the Singhbhum district in 1904 (then a part of Bihar). Iron ore of Singhbhum district is of highest quality and will last for hundreds of years.
• Singhbhum is known for its iron ore deposits and it provides for the iron ore requirements of the IISCO steel plants located at Hirapur, Kulti and Burnpur.
• West Singhbhum is the top iron-ore mining district of Jharkhand and Manoharpur is one of the key mining blocks of the district, besides Noamundi, Gua, Jhikpani, etc

Additional Information

• About 95 per cent of total reserves of iron ore is located in the States of Odisha, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Goa, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. In Odisha, iron ore occurs in a series of hill ranges in Sundergarh, Mayurbhanj and Jhar.

The correct answer is Vinod Kumar Pandey.

Key Points

• Vinod Kumar Pandey was the former governor of Bihar and Jharkhand in the year of 1999 till 2003.
• He was cabinet secretary from 23 December 1989 to 11 December 1990 under Prime Minister V.P Singh.
• Jharkhand was separated in 2000 from Bihar, and he was governor till 2003.
• Constitutional Provisions related to Governor
• The appointment and powers of government can be derived from Part VI of the Indian constitution. Article 153 says that there shall be a Governor for each State. One person can be appointed as Governor for two or more States.
• The governor acts in 'Dual Capacity' as the Constitutional head of the state and as the representative.
• He is the part of federal system of Indian polity and acts as a bridge between union and state governments.
• Article 157 and Article 158 of the Constitution of India specify eligibility requirements for the post of governor. They are as follows:
• A governor must:
• Be a citizen of India. Be at least 35 years of age. Not be a member of the either house of the parliament or house of the state legislature. Not hold any office of profit.
• The term of governor's office is normally 5 years

The correct answer is 67653 crore.

Key Points

• The outstanding liability of the state of Bihar is Rs 67,653 crores, i.e. 25.7% off GSDP in 2002.
• The Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) of Bihar (at current prices) has grown at a rate of 10.9% during the period 2011-12 to 2016-17.
• Outstanding Liabilities means all liabilities of the Acquired Companies for borrowed money and other obligations evidenced by notes, bonds, debentures or other such instruments (excluding Current Liabilities and Permitted Indebtedness).

The correct answer is ML Majumdar.

Key Points

• ML Majumdar is the state Election Commissioner during 2000-03 in Bihar.

Additional InformationState Election Commission:

• Headed by State Election Commissioner who is appointed by the Governor.
• It is a single-member body consisting only of the State Election Commissioner.
• Article 243K (2): It states that the tenure and appointment will be directed as per the law made by the state legislature.
• The tenure of the State Election Commissioner has been prescribed as Five years from the date he assumes office or the age of Sixty Six years.
• Article 243K(1): The Constitution of India vests in the State Election Commission, consisting of a State Election Commissioner, the superintendence, direction and control of the preparation of electoral rolls for, and the conduct of, all elections to the Rural Local Bodies (RLBs) and Urban Local Bodies (ULBs)(243ZA).
• Similar provisions have been made in consonance with the provision of Article 243 K and 243 ZA under Section 123 of the Bihar Panchayat Raj Act, 2006 and 14A of the Bihar Municipal Corporation Act, 2007.

The correct answer is Purnea and Manbhum.

Key Points

• Some of the areas of Purnea and Manbhum were transferred to West Bengal by The Bihar And West Bengal (Transfer Of Territories) Act, 1956
• The States Reorganisation Act, 1956.
• It was enacted on 31 August 1956.
• A further act also came into effect on 1 November, transferring certain territories from Bihar to West Bengal.
• A new type of entity, Union Territory, replaced classification as a Part C or Part D state.
• The distinction between Part A, Part B states was removed, becoming known simply as "states".
• Under the Seventh Amendment, the existing terminology of Part A, Part B, Part C, and  Part D states was altered.
• Before it came into effect on 1 November, an important amendment was made to the Constitution of India.

The correct answer is Patna.

Key Points

• The famous place for wildlife in Bihar is Patna.
• Sanjay Gandhi Jaivik Udyan is located in Patna.
• The great one-horn rhino, hippopotamus, and alligators were successfully bred here.
• The Sanjay Gandhi Biological Park, Patna was established as a Botanical Garden by the Government of Bihar.