Search Previous Year Questions

The correct answer is Kachchh.

Key Points

• The Rann of Kachchh is famous for its white salty desert sand and is reputed to be the largest salt desert in the world.
• The Rann of Kachchh is a salt marshy land in the Thar Desert in the Kachchh district of western Gujarat.
• It lies between Gujarat in India and the Sindh province in Pakistan.
• Rann is also a part of a few sanctuaries such as the Indian wild ass sanctuary, Kachchh desert wildlife sanctuary, etc.

Additional Information 

• Jaisalmer: The city is located deep inside the famous Thar Desert.
• Barmer: The district forms a part of the Thar desert and is situated in the western part of the State.
• Bikaner: Bikaner is situated in the middle of the Thar desert and has a hot desert climate with very little rainfall and extreme temperatures.

The correct answer is The Hague.

Key Points

• The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations.
• The International Court of Justice was created with an aim to settle the disputes between states in accordance with international law and gives advisory opinions on international legal issues.
• It was established in June 1945
• It is the successor of the Permanent Court of International Justice (PCIJ).
• As of 2024 August, Nawaf Salam is the current President of the International Court of Justice.

Additional Information

• The headquarters of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization(UNESCO) is located in Paris.
• The headquarters of the International Monetary Fund(IMF) is located in Washington, D.C.
• The headquarters of the United Nations is located in New York City.

The correct answer is Free treatment for women.

Key Points

• Vande Mataram's scheme is associated with the free treatment for women.
• It was launched on 9^th February 2004.
• The main objective of the scheme is to improve the access of safe motherhood services and to reduce maternal and neonatal deaths significantly.
• To provide public and private facilities and NGOs are included.
• It aims to reduce maternal deaths.
• The scheme is a purely voluntary scheme.

The correct answer is 4^th.

• Uttar Pradesh with an area of 240,928 sq. km ranks 4^th in India.
• Ranking of different states areawise are listed below:

• Facts about Uttar Pradesh are:
• Bicameral type of government.
• Lok Sabha seats - 80
• Rajya Sabha seats - 31
• Anandiben Patel is the current governor.
• Yogi Adityanath is the current Chief Minister.

The correct answer is neutralisation reaction.

Key Points

• Neutralisation reaction 
• ​A neutralization reaction is a chemical reaction in which an acid and base react together to form salt and water as products.
• In a neutralization reaction, there is a combination of H+ ions and OH– ions which form water.
• Neutralization reaction examples:
• Formation of Sodium Chloride (Common Salt)

HCl + NaOH → NaCl + H2O

• Titration methods using phenolphthalein
• Applications of a neutralization reaction are:
• Titration method
• Wastewater treatment
• Nanomaterial synthesis

Additional Information

• Combination reaction
• ​A combination reaction is a chemical reaction where substances synthesize to generate a new substance.
• In combination reactions, two or more substances combine to form a new compound.
• Combination reactions are also referred to as synthesis reactions.
• The equation can be expressed:
• A + B --> AB
• Displacement reaction
• ​A displacement reaction is the one wherein the atom or a set of atoms is displaced by another atom in a molecule.
• The general equation is:
• A + B-C → A-C + B
• There are two types of displacement reactions:
• Single displacement reaction
• Double displacement reaction
• Decomposition reaction
• ​A decomposition reaction can be defined as a chemical reaction in which one reactant breaks down into two or more products.
• The general equation is:
• AB -> A + B
• AB is the parent molecule (reactant) and A & B are the product molecules.

The correct answer is Lucknow.

Key Points

• Zar Buland's work was developed in Lucknow district in Uttar Pradesh.
• Zar Buland is a variation in the Bidri work of Karnataka.
• It looks similar to the Tanjore metal works plates with minute differences
• In this, the designs are raised above the surface.
• The inlaying of silver is done after the pattern is carved on the silver sheet.

Additional Information

• Bidriware is an art form that has its origination from Bidar in Karnataka.
• This art form was introduced in India by Bahmani Sultans.
• It has 4 variations:
• Teh nashin
• Aftabi
• Tarkashi
• Zar Buland or Zar Nashin
• Bidri Metal Work Centers:
• Hyderabad
• Bidar

The correct answer is 1911.

Key Points

• On February 18, 1911, the first commercial civil aviation flight took place between Allahabad and Naini Junction, a distance of six miles, when Henri Piquet carried 6,500 pieces of mail on a Humber biplane.
• It quickly grabbed the spot of a “world first” in the process, as it is considered to be the world's first airmail service.
• The next year, in December, Indian State Air Services, along with Imperial Airways of the U.K., began a London-Karachi-Delhi flight, it becoming the first international flight to and from India.
• Between 1915 and 1929, there was a flurry of activity Tata Sons Ltd. (1915), and the Royal Air Force (1920) started regular air mail services between Karachi and Madras and Karachi and Bombay, and airports were constructed (1924) at Calcutta, Allahabad and at Bombay.
• Around this time the Department of Civil Aviation and the Aero Club of India also came into being (1927).
• The Indian Aviation Act was finalized in 1937, and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) was set up with the help of the then Mysore Government in 1940.

Additional Information 

 Air India

• Air India will Become a Tata-owned company this week as the government has decided to hand over the company to the Tata Group on January 27, 2021.
• The Disinvestment of Air India is now decided to be on the 27^th of January 2022.
• The airline was founded by J. R. D. Tata as Tata Airlines in 1932.
• Tata Sons chief N Chandrasekaran was appointed as chairman of Air India (October 2022).

 Akasha Airline

• India's newest airline is Akash Airlines.
• It was founded by Vinay Dube The airline began commercial operation with its first flight service from Mumbai to Ahmedabad on 7 August 2022.
• Akasha airline Headquarters is located in Mumbai (Maharashtra).

The correct answer is LignoSat.

In News

• Japan is set to test the world's first wooden satellite named LignoSat.

Key Points

• LignoSat was developed by Kyoto University and Sumitomo Forestry.
• It will be launched next week on a SpaceX rocket to the International Space Station.
• The satellite aims to test how wood withstands the extreme environment of space for six months.
• Wood can burn harmlessly in the atmosphere, offering a sustainable alternative to traditional satellites.

Additional Information

• LignoSat
• The name comes from the Latin word for wood.
• It is an innovative project that combines sustainability with space exploration.
• Takao Doi
• A former astronaut who advocates for using natural materials in space technology.
• Involved in the development of LignoSat as part of a sustainable future initiative.
• Magnolia tree (Japanese honoki)
• The wood used for LignoSat comes from this type of tree.
• It is known for its strength and resistance to shattering.
• Sustainable materials in space
• The concept aims to minimize pollution and use eco-friendly resources in future space missions.
• Wood's natural properties allow it to serve as a potential building material for habitats on other planets.

The correct answer is Tanvi Shah.

• Tanvi Shah is the first female from India to win a Grammy award.​

Important Points

• Tanvi Shah, hailing from Tamil Nadu, was born on 1 December 1985.
• She has sung in Telugu, Tamil, Hindi, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic.
• He shared the Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media with AR Rahman and Gulzar at the 52^nd Grammy Awards for the song Jai Ho for writing Spanish lyrics for the song.
• Other Awards: BMI Award in 2009, World Sound Track Award (2009).
• The Grammy Award is an award presented by the US Recording Academy to recognize the "outstanding achievement in the music industry" of the United States.
• The trophy shows a gilded gramophone.
• The Grammys are the first big three network major music awards to be held annually.

The correct answer is Drums.

Key Points

• Sivamani, known by his stage name Drums Sivamani, is a renowned percussionist from India. He plays many instruments including drums, octoban, darbuka, udukai, ghatam, and kanjira.
• Over his career, he has performed in various stages and for different types of events, including the IPL Championships in 2008 and 2010.
• He has been associated with prominent musicians, like A.R. Rahman, and has performed for various compositions across film industries.

​

Additional Information

• List of Famous Musicians with Instruments:
• Santoor: Pt Shiv Kumar Sharma
• Sarod: Allauddin Khan,Amjad Ali Khan.
• Sitar: Pt Ravi Shankar, Budhaditya Mukherjee.
• Surbahar: Annapurna Devi, Sajjad Hussain.
• Rudra Veena: Asad Ali Khan, Zia Moin-ud-din Khan.