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The correct answer is Canada.

Key Points

• Canada has the longest coastline (202, 080 km) in the world.
• The currency of Canada is Canadian dollar and it's Prime Minister is Mark Carney ​.
• Canada is the second largest country in the world after Russia.
• the capital of Canada is Ottawa.
• Indonesia is the largest archipelago in the world.

Additional Information

• Gujarat has the longest coastline in India.
• Its length is 1,600 kilometres.
• Almost 24% of the Indian sea coast.
• It has 41 ports: one major, 11 intermediate, and 29 minor.
• Andhra Pradesh has the second-longest coastline in India.
• The length of the coastline is 974 km along with the Coromandel Coast between the Eastern Ghats and Bay of Bengal.
• This coastline has a rich agricultural land due to the delta of the Godavari Krishna river and Penna.
• Tamil Nadu is the third largest coastline in India and is known as the Coromandel Coast.
• Major seaports are Tuticorin and Chennai, fishing harbours, Marina Beach (largest natural urban beach in India), and Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park.

The correct answer is Goods and Services Tax

Key Points

• 101^st Constitution Amendment Act, 2016  introduced the Goods and Services Tax.
• GST Bill was first introduced in 2014 as The Constitution (122^nd Amendment) Bill.
• Goods and Services Tax is a widespread indirect tax on the manufacture, sale, and consumption of goods and services throughout India.
• GST replaced respective taxes levied by the central and state governments.
• It is an indirect tax for the whole country on the lines of “One Nation One Tax” to make India a combined market.
• GST Council will decide upon any matter related to GST whose chairman is the finance minister of India.
• GST has provisions of:
• Central GST to cover Excise duty, Service tax.
• State GST to cover VAT, luxury tax and Integrated GST to cover inter-state trade.
• IGST is not a tax but a system to coordinate state and union taxes.
• Article 246A states that States have the power to tax goods and services.

Additional Information

• The Ninety-second Amendment of the Constitution of India is known as The Constitution (Ninety-second Amendment) Act, 2003.
• It amended the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution.
• It includes Bodo, Dogri, Maithili and Santali languages and increases the total number of languages listed in the schedule to 22.
• The Constitutional (103^rd Amendment) Act got the assent of the President of India on 13^th January 2018.
• It provides reservation of jobs in central government jobs as well as government educational institutions.
• It applies to citizens belonging to the economically weaker sections from the upper castes.
• This reservation is "in addition to the existing reservations and subject to a maximum of ten percent of the total seats in each category".
• The Constitutional (73^rd Amendment) Act of 1992 came into force in India to provide constitutional status to the Panchayati Raj institutions.

The correct answer is Chandragupta Maurya

Key Points:

• The Mauryan Empire was the first pan-India empire formed around 322 BCE and ended in 185 BCE.
• It spanned central and northern India as well as over parts of modern-day Iran.
• The chronological order of the rulers of the Mauryan empire is:
• The empire was founded by Chandragupta Maurya in 322 BCE.
• The second ruler was Bindusara who ruled from 297 Bc to 273 BC.
• Ashoka was the most popular ruler of the dynasty who ruled from 268 to 232 BCE.
• Brihadratha was the last ruler of the Mauryan dynasty ruled from 187–185 BCE

**Additional Information:**Mauryan Empire

• The Maurya dynasty (321–185 BC) was a powerful dynasty in ancient India.
• The Maurya dynasty ruled India for 137 years.
• The credit for its establishment is given to Chandragupta Maurya and his minister Chanakya (Kautilya).
• This empire started from the plains of the Ganges river (today's Bihar and Bengal) in the state of Magadha in the east.
• Its capital was Pataliputra (near present-day Patna city).
• Chandragupta Maurya established this empire in 321 BC and rapidly expanded his empire towards the west.
• The Mauryan Empire grew and thrived during the Iron Age.
• He took advantage of the differences between several small regional kingdoms that had arisen after Alexander's invasion.
• By 316 BC, the Maurya dynasty had occupied the whole of North Western India.
• The Maurya dynasty expanded on a large scale in the reign of the Chakravarti emperor Ashoka.
• Due to Emperor Ashoka, the Maurya Empire became the greatest and most powerful and became famous all over the world.

The correct answer is Article 280.

Key Points

• The President of India constitutes the Finance Commission every 5 years.
• The finance commission is a constitutional body mandated by article 280 of the constitution.
• The recommendations made by the Finance Commission are of an advisory nature only and therefore, not binding upon the government.
• It submits its report to the President of India.
• The first Finance Commission was constituted in 1951.
• The eligibility of members of the Finance Commission is determined by the Parliament of India.
• Composition: Chairman and 4 members.
• ​They make recommendations on
• net proceeds distribution between the union and the state.
• grant-in-aid from CFI (Consolidated Fund of India).
• Principles and measures needed for augmentation of CFS (Consolidated Fund of State).
• Resources to panchayats and municipalities.
• Any other matter referred to the commission by President in the interest of sound finance.
• Procedure and powers are defined by parliament law.

​The correct answer is Nagaland.

In News

• La. Ganesan was sworn in as the 21^st Governor of Nagaland on 20 February 2023.
• Shri. Ajay Kumar Bhalla is the 22^nd Governor of Nagaland.

Key Points

• He succeeded Prof Jagdish Mukhi, the Governor of Assam, who was holding additional charge of Nagaland.
• Before this appointment, he was Governor of Manipur since August 2017.
• He also served as Governor of West Bengal from July to November 2022.
• Prior to all this, he was a senior leader of Tamil Nadu BJP.

The correct answer is Ten.

Key Points

• Each Veda is a compilation of hymns written by several priest families.
• Rig-Veda is also divided into ten volumes known as Mandalas.
• The first and tenth Mandalas are the youngest and longest books, respectively.
• The second through seventh Mandalas are the oldest but also the shortest portions of the Rig-Veda.

Additional Information

• The Rig Veda is the oldest of the four Vedas and one of the most important Hindu writings.
• It is a massive collection of hymns to the gods that are performed at various rites.
• They were written in an old language known as Vedic, which developed into classical Sanskrit through time.
• The X mandala contains the well-known Purushsukta, which explains how the four varnas (Brahmans, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, and Shudras) evolved from the mouth, arms, and thighs.

The correct answer is three.

Key Points

• Dholavira was divided into three parts, and each part was surrounded by massive stone walls, with entrances through gateways.
• It was located on Khadir Beyt (also spelt as Bet) in the Rann of Kutch, where there was fresh water and fertile soil.
• It is one of the five largest Harappan sites and the most prominent of archaeological sites
• It is connected by an umbilical cord of a road that streaks across to the mainland.
• Dholavira was divided into three principal divisions-
• the Citadel,
• the Middle Town and
• the Lower town.
• It is also considered as having been the grandest of cities of its time.

Additional Information

• Harappan civilization
• Harappan civilization is also called as Indus Valley Civilization (IVC).
• John Marshall was the first researcher to use the term, ‘Indus Valley Civilization’.
• Indus Valley Civilization (IVC) is one of the four great civilizations of the world.
• It flourished along the flood plains of Indus and Ghaggar-Hakra.
• It was spread across the western part of South Asia that now lies in India, Pakistan and Afghanistan.
• Indus Valley Civilization spread from the year 2500 – 1750 BC according to radio-carbon dating.
• The capital cities were Mohenjodaro and Harappa.

The Correct Answer is "Mundaka Upanishad".

Important Points

• The words Satyameva Jayate from Mundaka Upanishad, meaning 'Truth Alone Triumphs', are inscribed below the abacus in Devanagari script.
• In the state emblem, adopted by the Government of India on 26 January 1950, only three lions are visible, the fourth being hidden from view.
• The wheel appears in relief in the center of the abacus with a bull on right and a horse on the left and the outlines of other wheels on the extreme right and left.
• The bell-shaped lotus has been omitted.
• The state emblem is an adaptation from the Sarnath Lion Capital of Ashoka.

Additional Information

• Mundaka Upanishad:
• Mundaka Upanishad is one of the types of Upanishad.
• The word Upanishad means sitting down near someone and denotes a student sitting near his guru to learn.
• These are one of four genres of texts that together constitute each of the Vedas, the sacred scriptures of most Hindu traditions.
• Mundaka Upanishad is embedded in the Atharva Veda.
• The Mundaka Upanishad contains three Mundakams (parts), each with two sections.
• The first Mundakam defines the science of "Higher Knowledge" and "Lower Knowledge".
• The second Mundakam describes the nature of the Brahman, the Self, the relation between the empirical world and the Brahman.
• Satyamev Jayte is taken from this Upanishad.

The Correct Answer is "Kerala".

Key Points

• National Statistical Office (NSO) published a report on 'Household Social Consumption: Education', surveying 1.13 lakh households spread over 8,000 villages and 6,000 urban blocks.
• The report is based on the data collected between 2017-18 and is for the age group 7 or above.
• As per the report, Kerala is the most literate state in the country while Andhra Pradesh has emerged as the least literate state in the country.

Important Points

Findings of the Report :

• Kerala has the highest literacy rate among the Indian states-- 96.2%.
• National Capital Delhi stands on number two with an 89% literacy rate.
• Andhra Pradesh has ranked the worst amongst all the Indian states with a 66.4% literacy rate.
• The average literacy rate of the country is 77.7%.  Karnataka and Telangana have a literacy rate lower than the national average-- 72.8% and 77.2% respectively.
• Uttarakhand stands at number three with a literacy rate of 87.6% and  Assam stands at number four with an 85.9% literacy rate.
• The gap between the male and female literacy rate is thinnest in Kerala with a 2.2% difference.
• The gap between the male and female literacy rate at all Indian levels is 14.4%. The male literacy rate is 84.7% while the female literacy rate is 70.3%.
• The state of Kerala has the lowest gap between the urban and rural literacy rates**-- 1.9%.**
• Telangana has the worst literacy gap between the rural and urban areas. The urban literacy rate of Telangana is 23.4% higher than the rural literacy rates. The state of Andhra Pradesh has this difference by 19.2%.

Additional Information

• The literacy rate is defined as the percentage of literate persons among persons of 7 years and above.
• A person who can read and write a simple message in any language with understanding is considered literate in NSS surveys.

The correct answer is River Betwa

Key Points:

The Betwa river is a tributary of the Yamuna.

• The ancient name of the river Betwa is Vetravati.
• It rises in the Vindhya Range in kumragaon Village, Raisen, Madhya Pradesh.
• It is called the "Ganga of Madhya Pradesh".
• It flows generally through Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh states.
• It confluences with the river Yamuna near Hamirpur in Uttar Pradesh.
• The Bina, Dhasaan, and Jamni rivers are the main tributaries of the river Betwa.
• The Rajghat Dam is constructed on the Betwa River
• Orchha, Guna, Sanchi, and Vidisha are located on the bank of the Betwa River.
• Rajghat Dam, Matatila Dam, Parichha Dam, and Dhurwara Dam are important projects on the Betwa River.
• Bina and Dhasaan art the important tributary of the Betwa River.

​Yamuna River System

• ​The Yamuna River is the largest tributary of the Ganga River.
• It originates from the Yamunotri glacier, at the Bandarpoonch peak in Uttarakhand.
• The main tributaries joining the river include the Sin, Hindon, Betwa Ken, and Chambal.
• The Tons is the largest tributary of the Yamuna.

Additional Information