Search Previous Year Questions

The correct answer is Subodh Gupta.

Key Points

• Subodh Gupta is a prominent contemporary Indian artist based in New Delhi, widely recognized for his large-scale installations and sculptures that utilize stainless steel kitchenware.
• His work focuses on transforming everyday objects found in Indian households, such as tiffin boxes, thalis (plates), buckets, and milk pails, into monumental pieces of art.
• Gupta's most famous installation, 'Very Hungry God', is a massive skull made entirely of stainless steel pots and pans, which gained international fame at the Venice Biennale and the Palazzo Grassi.
• Born in Khagaul, Bihar, in 1964, he draws inspiration from his rural roots and the rapid globalization of Indian society, using the shine of steel to represent the aspirations of the middle class.
• He is often referred to by international critics as the 'Damien Hirst of Delhi' due to the scale and conceptual depth of his metallurgical creations.

 Additional Information

• Jitish Kallat:
• A Mumbai-based contemporary artist known for his diverse practice including painting, sculpture, and photography.
• His works often reflect the urban landscape of Mumbai and themes of time and ecology, such as the 'Public Notice' series.
• Jamini Roy:
• A master of modern Indian art and a Padma Bhushan awardee.
• He is famous for his Kalighat folk style and bold, flat colors, moving away from Western traditions to embrace indigenous Bengali art forms.
• Installation Art in India:
• This medium involves the configuration of objects in a specific space, often intended to be immersive and site-specific, challenging traditional boundaries between the viewer and the artwork.

The correct answer is Dr. Manmohan Singh.

Key Points

• Dr. Manmohan Singh served as the Union Finance Minister of India from 1991 to 1996 under the government led by Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao.
• In 1991, India faced a severe Balance of Payments (BoP) crisis where the foreign exchange reserves had plummeted to a level barely sufficient to finance two weeks of imports.
• To mitigate the crisis, Dr. Singh introduced the New Economic Policy on July 24, 1991, which initiated the transition from a command economy to a market-based economy.
• The reforms focused on LPG: Liberalization (reducing government control), Privatization (increasing private sector participation), and Globalization (integrating with the world economy).
• During his tenure, the Industrial Licensing Policy was drastically dismantled, and import duties were significantly reduced to encourage competitive trade.

 Additional Information

• P. Chidambaram:
• Served as the Finance Minister during the United Front government (1996-1998) and the UPA government.
• He is particularly noted for the 1997-98 'Dream Budget', which implemented major tax reforms.
• Yashwant Sinha:
• Served as Finance Minister under Prime Minister Chandra Shekhar (1990-1991) and later under Atal Bihari Vajpayee (1998-2002).
• He was instrumental in advancing infrastructure development and mortgage market reforms.
• Pranab Mukherjee:
• Held the Finance Ministry portfolio during the Indira Gandhi administration (1982-1984) and again from 2009 to 2012.
• He later became the 13^th President of India (2012-2017).

The correct answer is Business regulatory environment.

Key Points

• The Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) index was an annual report created by the World Bank Group to evaluate the impact of government policies on business operations.
• The index focused on the business regulatory environment by measuring the objective costs, time, and procedures involved in complying with government requirements.
• It ranked 190 economies based on their performance across various sub-indicators, where a lower numerical rank indicated a more conducive environment for the local private sector.
• The primary objective was to provide a quantitative basis for comparing business regulations across countries and over time, encouraging economies to implement more efficient and less burdensome rules.
• Key areas of assessment included starting a business, protecting minority investors, and resolving insolvency.

 Additional Information

• Core Indicators of EoDB:
• Getting Credit: Analyzes the strength of credit reporting systems and the effectiveness of collateral and bankruptcy laws in facilitating lending.
• Paying Taxes: Measures the tax compliance burden, including the total tax rate, the number of payments per year, and the time spent filing returns.
• Trading Across Borders: Evaluates the efficiency of customs clearance processes and the quality of transport infrastructure for imports and exports.
• Dealing with Construction Permits: Tracks the procedures, time, and cost required to build a warehouse, including obtaining necessary licenses and permits.
• Current Status:
• The World Bank officially discontinued the Doing Business report in September 2021 following investigations into data irregularities and ethical concerns.
• It has been replaced by a new framework known as Business Ready (B-READY), which adopts a more comprehensive approach to assessing the investment climate and private sector development.
• While Corruption control and Democratic stability influence the business landscape, they were not the primary metrics measured by this specific index.

The correct answer is PM KISAN.

Key Points

• The Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) is a Central Sector Scheme with 100% funding from the Government of India that became operational on 1^st December 2018.
• Under the scheme, an income support of Rs. 6,000 per year is provided to all landholding farmer families across the country to supplement their financial needs for procuring various inputs related to agriculture and allied activities.
• The financial benefit is transferred directly into the bank accounts of beneficiaries through the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mode in three equal installments of Rs. 2,000 every four months.
• Initially, the scheme was designed for Small and Marginal Farmers (SMFs) with landholdings up to 2 hectares, but its coverage was extended to all landholding farmers effective from June 2019.
• The identification of beneficiary farmer families is the sole responsibility of the State and Union Territory Governments.

 Additional Information

• MGNREGA:
• The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act provides a legal guarantee for at least 100 days of employment in every financial year to adult members of any rural household willing to do public work-related unskilled manual work at the statutory minimum wage.
• PMAY-G:
• Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana - Gramin is a flagship program of the Ministry of Rural Development aimed at providing a pucca house with basic amenities to all houseless householders and those living in dilapidated houses in rural areas.
• Fasal Bima Yojana:
• The Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) is an agricultural insurance scheme that provides a comprehensive insurance cover against failure of the crop, thus helping in stabilizing the income of the farmers.

The correct answer is Hangzhou, China.

Key Points

• The 19^th edition of the Asian Games was officially held in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China, from September 23 to October 8, 2023.
• Although originally scheduled for 2022, the event was postponed to 2023 due to the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic situations and related safety protocols.
• Hangzhou became the third Chinese city to host the continental multi-sport event, following the successful hosting of the games in Beijing (1990) and Guangzhou (2010).
• The official motto of the games was 'Heart to Heart, @Future', symbolizing the connectivity between the people of Asia and the digital era.
• The competition featured 40 sports, including traditional Olympic disciplines and regional favorites like Kabaddi, Sepak Takraw, and Dragon Boat Racing.
• The Hangzhou Olympic Sports Expo Center, famously known as the 'Big Lotus' due to its architectural design, served as the centerpiece for the opening and closing ceremonies.

 Additional Information

• Tokyo, Japan:
• Tokyo previously hosted the Asian Games in 1958 and 1994.
• Japan is slated to host the 20^th Asian Games in 2026 in the Aichi-Nagoya region.
• Jakarta, Indonesia:
• Jakarta served as the host city in 1962 and most recently co-hosted the 18^th Asian Games with Palembang in 2018.
• Doha, Qatar:
• Doha hosted the 15^th Asian Games in 2006 and has been selected to host the 21^st edition of the games in 2030.
• Historical Context:
• The Asian Games began in 1951 in New Delhi, India, and are organized every four years by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA).
• In the 2023 Games, India crossed the 100-medal mark for the first time in history, finishing with a total of 107 medals.

For the first row:

11 + 2 = 13

13 + 2 = 15

For the second row:

17 + 2 = 19

19 + 2 = 21

For the third row:

23 + 2 = 25

25 + 2 = 27

Hence, the correct answer is “Option 2”.

Given:

Total number of friends (n) = 17

Formula Used:

The number of ways to choose 2 people out of n for a handshake is nC2.

nC2 = [n × (n − 1)] ÷ [2 × 1]

Calculations:

⇒ Total handshakes = 17C2

⇒ Total handshakes = [17 × 16] ÷ [2 × 1]

⇒ Total handshakes = 17 × 8

⇒ Total handshakes = 136

Hence, the correct answer is “Option 4”.

Family chart:

Family tree,

There is no direct relation between that man and Varun.

Hence, the correct answer is “Option 4”.

The logic followed here is :

A "Fossil" provides evidence of a particular "Time" in the past.

Similarly,

A "Photograph" captures a particular "Moment".

Hence, the correct answer is "option (2)".

Additional Information 

The pattern observed is: (First number)2 = Second number.

For 5 : 25 →

5² = 25

Similarly,

For 7 : ? →

7² = 49

Hence, the correct answer is “Option 2”.