WBCS Prelims Static GK Questions and Answers (Previous Year Paper)

Answer: (D) Tomahawk

Explanation: Iron Dome, David’s Sling and Arrow are the layers of Israel’s multi-tier air defence. THAAD is a US-made system that was deployed in Israel in 2024 to support its defence. Tomahawk is not a defence system at all. It is a US-made long-range subsonic cruise missile launched from ships and submarines, used for attack.

Israel’s Multi-Layered Missile Defence System and the Tomahawk (Offensive Missile):

Answer: (D) None of the above

Explanation: A vehicle currency is a currency widely used to settle trade and financial transactions between two parties, neither of whom is based in the country that issues it. Historically, the US Dollar has been the main vehicle currency of the world. It is used in the majority of foreign exchange transactions, in invoicing of international trade (such as oil) and in central bank reserves. Euro, Yen and Pound are also international currencies, but they are not called the vehicle currency in the standard sense. Since the US Dollar is not among the options, the answer is none of the above.

Vehicle Currency: Meaning, Features and Major International Currencies:

Answer: (C) Olchiki

Explanation: Santhali is written in the Ol Chiki script (also spelled Ol Chemet), which was created by Pandit Raghunath Murmu in 1925. It is a purely alphabetic script, written from left to right, and was designed specifically for Santhali rather than adapted from any other script. Santhali was added to the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution by the 92nd Constitutional Amendment Act, 2003. Tirhutta (Mithilakshar) is an old script of Maithili, Devanagari is used for Hindi, Sanskrit, Marathi and others, and Chisoi is not a standard script of any recognised Indian language, so these are incorrect.

Santhali Language, Ol Chiki Script and Scripts of Other Indian Languages:

Answer: (A) the number of females per 1000 males

Explanation: In India, the sex ratio is defined as the number of females per 1000 males in a population. This differs from the international convention, where it is usually expressed as the number of males per 100 females. The Census of India calculates it every ten years. Option B describes fertility, option C describes the child sex ratio in a different (and incorrect) form, and option D is simply a difference in numbers and has no use as a ratio.

Sex Ratio:

Answer: (B) Sailor

Explanation: Sailor Pen Co. is a Japanese company, founded in 1911 in Kure, Hiroshima, and is one of the best known makers of fountain pens in the world. Voltas is an Indian air conditioner and cooling products company (a Tata group company), Hyundai (spelt Hundai in the option) is a South Korean automobile maker, and Kirloskar is an Indian engineering company known for pumps, engines and generators. None of these three makes fountain pens.

Fountain Pen Manufacturers and the Companies Named in the Options:

Answer: (A) Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger

Explanation: In September 2025, the three Sahel states of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger announced their withdrawal from the Rome Statute, the treaty that created the ICC. They are military-led governments and members of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES). They called the court a tool of neo-colonial repression that selectively targets Africans. Under Article 127 of the Rome Statute, a withdrawal takes effect one year after written notification to the UN Secretary-General. The other options are incorrect because Congo, Gabon, Togo, Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana and Sudan have not withdrawn as a group.

International Criminal Court (ICC):

Answer: (B) Sonam Wangchuk & Gitanjali J. Angmo, HIAL desires to address the educational and developmental challenges unique to Ladakh’s exceptional geographical and cultural context.

Explanation: The Himalayan Institute of Alternatives, Ladakh (HIAL) was founded by the educationist and innovator Sonam Wangchuk together with Gitanjali J. Angmo. It is a university-level institution at Phyang, near Leh, built around learning that suits the mountain environment and culture of Ladakh, with a focus on sustainable, experiential and practical education. Sonam Wangchuk is also known for SECMOL (Students’ Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh), the Ice Stupa artificial glacier technique and the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 2018. Tenzing Norgay was the Sherpa mountaineer who first climbed Everest with Edmund Hillary in 1953, and he has no link with HIAL. Phunsukh Wangdu is the fictional character in the film 3 Idiots, who was inspired by Sonam Wangchuk. So options A and C are incorrect, and option D is not needed.

Himalayan Institute of Alternatives, Ladakh (HIAL) and Sonam Wangchuk:

Answer: (A) Nandikar, Ek Theke Baro

Explanation: Ek Theke Baro (meaning “One to Twelve”) is the Bengali stage adaptation of the story of 12 Angry Men, staged by the Kolkata theatre group Nandikar. The story is about twelve jurors who must decide the fate of a young man accused of murder, and one juror’s doubt slowly forces the others to re-examine the case. Option B, Kundubabu, is a Sayak production based on a different work, and option C, Rudali, is a play based on Mahasweta Devi’s story about professional mourners. Option D, Fata Gopal, is not associated with this story. I could not verify the exact production year from memory, so students should treat the group and title as the key points to remember.

12 Angry Men and Its Indian Adaptations:

Answer: (C) Brazil, Russia, India, China & South Africa. It is an intergovernmental organization comprising of eleven countries.

Explanation: Its count of eleven also matches the commonly cited membership: the five founders, plus Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the UAE (joined 1 January 2024), Indonesia (joined January 2025), and Saudi Arabia, which was invited and is usually counted among the eleven although its formal status has stayed unclear. Option A names the wrong countries and option B is also incorrect. Official membership lists have varied between ten and eleven depending on how Saudi Arabia is treated, so check the latest figure from official BRICS sources before the exam.

BRICS:

Answer: (C) Numismatics

Explanation: Numismatics is the study and collection of coins, and also of paper money, tokens and medals. The word comes from the Greek and Latin words for coin. Epigraphy is the study of inscriptions on stone, metal and other hard surfaces. Calligraphy is the art of beautiful handwriting. Coinography is not an established term.

Numismatics and Related Branches of Historical Study:

Answer: (B) Price Index

Explanation: The Human Development Index (HDI) is a composite index built from three dimensions: health (a long and healthy life), education (knowledge) and standard of living (income). These are measured through the Health Index (life expectancy at birth), the Education Index (mean years of schooling and expected years of schooling) and the Income Index (GNI per capita, PPP in US dollars). A Price Index measures changes in prices, as in inflation (CPI, WPI), and is not a component of the HDI. The HDI is the geometric mean of the three dimension indices, and its value ranges from 0 to 1.

Human Development Index (HDI):

Answer: (A) Congress passed laws allowing the President to impose tariffs unilaterally for national security reasons

Explanation: The US Constitution (Article I, Section 8) gives the power to lay and collect taxes, duties and imports to Congress, not to the President. So option B is wrong. The President can impose tariffs only when Congress has delegated that power through a statute. The best known example is Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act, 1962, which allows tariffs on imports that threaten national security (used for steel and aluminium). Option C is wrong because the President’s power is limited to what Congress has delegated. On 20 February 2026, in Learning Resources v. Trump, the US Supreme Court struck down the IEEPA tariffs. It ruled 6-3 that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) does not authorize the President to impose tariffs. The ruling does not affect tariffs under other statutes. Option A is therefore the closest correct choice, even though the word “unilaterally” is loose, since each delegation comes with legal limits.

Presidential Power to Impose Tariffs in the USA:

Answer: (B) Strict data localization regulations (DPDP Act 2023)

Explanation: Data localisation rules push companies to store and process the data of Indian users inside India, which increases demand for domestic data centres. The Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, 2023 is the main data law, and sector rules such as the RBI’s 2018 directive on storing payment data only in India add to this demand. Other drivers are rising internet use, cloud adoption, AI workloads and government support. Option A is wrong because weak environmental enforcement is not a recognised driver of data centre growth. Option C is wrong because electricity in India is not especially cheap, and power supply and cost are in fact challenges for data centres. Option D is wrong because Indo-US relations have no direct link to data centre growth. Note that the DPDP Act itself is not a strict localisation law, as it allows cross-border data transfer except to countries restricted by the government. Even so, among the given options, B is the intended answer.

Data Centres in India:

Answer: (C) First

Explanation: India has the largest postal network in the world. It has about 1.64 lakh post offices, and most of them (over 1.5 lakh) are in rural areas. The network is run by India Post, which comes under the Department of Posts, Ministry of Communications. No other country has such a large number of post offices, so the other ranks (third, second, fourth) are incorrect.

India Post: World’s Largest Postal Network and Key Postal Facts

Answer: (A) Ministry of Education

Explanation: NEAT stands for National Educational Alliance for Technology. It is an initiative of the Ministry of Education (earlier the Ministry of Human Resource Development), implemented through the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE). The platform works as a single window that brings Ed-Tech companies and learners together. Ed-Tech companies offer their technology-based courses, and a share of the free courses is given to economically weaker students. NEAT 3.0 is the third version of this platform, launched in 2023. The Ministries of Health, Commerce and Corporate Affairs have no connection with it.

NEAT Platform and Digital Education Initiatives of the Ministry of Education:

Answer: (B) January 26

Explanation: International Customs Day is observed every year on 26 January. It was started by the World Customs Organization (WCO) to recognise the role of customs officials and customs agencies in border security, trade facilitation and revenue collection. The date marks the first session of the Customs Co-operation Council (now the WCO), held in Brussels on 26 January 1953. Each year the WCO chooses a theme for the day. The other dates in the options (25, 27 and 28 January) are not linked with this day.

International Customs Day, World Customs Organization (WCO) and Customs in India:

Answer: (C) Russia

Explanation: BMPT stands for Boyevaya Mashina Podderzhki Tankov, which means “Tank Support Fighting Vehicle”. The Terminator series is developed by the Russian firm Uralvagonzavod and is built on a tank chassis (T-72 or T-90). It is meant to protect main battle tanks in urban combat by dealing with infantry, anti-tank teams and low-flying helicopters. It carries 30 mm automatic cannons, anti-tank guided missiles, grenade launchers and machine guns, and has a crew of five. The Russian Army has used it in Ukraine. China, Israel and the USA do not have any system by this name.

Terminator Tank Support Vehicle (BMPT) and Other Important Russian Military Systems:

Answer: (B) the ratio between total land and total population of a country.

Explanation: The man-land ratio shows how much land is available for each person in a country. It compares the total land area with the total population, so it is expressed as land per person (for example, hectares per person). It is the reverse of population density, which is population per unit of land. A high man-land ratio means more land is available per person, and a low ratio means population pressure on land. Option A is wrong because it uses only the land that is actually utilised, not the total land. Option C is wrong because it uses only plain land and the mature population. Option D is wrong because it takes only agricultural land and the male population. If your class notes define the ratio the other way round (population to land), remember that it then becomes the same idea as density; the option B wording is the standard one for this question.

Man-Land Ratio, Population Density and Related Population Concepts:

Answer: (C) Dhaka

Explanation: BIMSTEC stands for Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation. Its permanent Secretariat is in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and was formally opened in 2014. India supports the Secretariat financially. The group has seven members: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand. New Delhi, Colombo and Jakarta are not its headquarters. Jakarta is the headquarters of ASEAN, which is a different group.

BIMSTEC:

Answer: (C) Madhya Pradesh

Explanation: Madhya Pradesh declared Mallakhamb (also spelt Malkhamb) as its state sport in 2013. Mallakhamb is a traditional Indian sport in which a gymnast performs aerial yoga, gymnastics and wrestling-style postures on a vertical wooden pole, a hanging rope or cane. The name comes from “malla” (wrestler) and “khamb” (pole). The sport originated in Maharashtra, and it is also popular in Madhya Pradesh, especially at Ujjain. Kerala, Assam and Rajasthan have not declared it as their state sport.

Mallakhamb:

Answer: (A) Tamilnadu

Explanation: Pongal is the main harvest festival of Tamil Nadu. It is celebrated in mid-January, usually from 14 to 17 January, and marks the end of the harvest season and the sun’s northward journey (Uttarayan). The word “Pongal” means “to boil over” in Tamil. The festival is thanksgiving to the Sun God, nature and farm animals. It lasts four days: Bhogi, Thai Pongal, Mattu Pongal and Kaanum Pongal. Karnataka celebrates Makar Sankranti, Kerala is known for Onam and Vishu, and Andhra Pradesh celebrates Sankranti, so these options are incorrect.

Pongal and Harvest Festivals of Different Indian States:

Answer: (A) Rajendra Prasad

Explanation: Dr. Rajendra Prasad is the only person in India’s history to be elected President twice, in 1952 and 1957. He was the first President of India and held office for about 12 years, from 26 January 1950 to 13 May 1962. Article 57 of the Constitution allows a person to be re-elected, but no one else has served more than one term as an elected President. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan (1962 to 1967), V.V. Giri (1969 to 1974) and Shankar Dayal Sharma (1992 to 1997) each served a single term.

Presidents of India:

Answer: (A) Aung San Suu Kyi

Explanation: Letters from Burma is a collection of essays by Aung San Suu Kyi, the Burmese democracy leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner. The essays were first written as fortnightly letters for a Japanese newspaper (Mainichi Daily News) in 1995 and 1996, and were later published as a book (Penguin, 1997). They describe everyday life, culture and politics in Burma under military rule. The 1991 date in the question is a mix-up: 1991 is the year she won the Nobel Peace Prize, and her book Freedom from Fear also dates from that period. The other options are wrong. Rashbehari Bose was a revolutionary who worked in Japan, Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay was a Bengali novelist who lived in Burma for some years, and Subhas Chandra Bose was imprisoned in Mandalay jail, but none of them wrote this book.

Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar (Burma) and Indian Links with Burma:

Answer: (A) 8

Explanation: This multiple-choice question originally appeared in the WBCS Prelims 2021 official exam paper. According to the official answer key for that exam, 8 new Government Medical Colleges became functional in West Bengal during the ten-year period leading up to 2021.

Key Context & Subsequent Updates:

• 2011–2021 Period (Exam Reference): Eight state-run medical colleges became operational during this decade, significantly expanding district-level healthcare and MBBS seats.
• Post-2021 Expansion: Following the 2021 exam, West Bengal established several more institutions—including six new government medical colleges in 2022 at Arambagh, Tamluk, Barasat, Jhargram, Uluberia, and Jalpaiguri. According to updates from the West Bengal Health & Family Welfare Department, a total of 11 new state government medical colleges have been established under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme across three phases.

Answer: (D) Classes IX to XII

Explanation: Sabooj Sathi is a scheme of the Government of West Bengal, started in 2015, that gives free bicycles to students of classes IX to XII in government and government-aided schools and madrasahs. Its main aims are to keep students, especially girls, in school and to improve their access to school in rural areas. Because it covers all four classes from IX to XII, options A, B and C, which cover only two classes, are incomplete.

Sabooj Sathi and Other Student Welfare Schemes of West Bengal:

Answer: (B) Science and Technology

Explanation: The Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar (SSB) Prize for Science and Technology is given by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) for outstanding contributions to science and technology. It was instituted in 1957 in memory of Dr. Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar, the first Director General of CSIR, and was first awarded in 1958. It is given for work in fields such as biological, chemical, earth and planetary, engineering, mathematical, medical and physical sciences. It is not given for peace, medicine alone or economics. In your question paper, option B appears as “and Technology” because the word “Science” is missing in the text, but the intended option is Science and Technology.

Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize and Other Important Science Awards of India:

Answer: (C) Andhra coast

Explanation: Cyclone Hudhud was a very severe cyclonic storm that made landfall near Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh on 12 October 2014. It caused heavy damage in Visakhapatnam and nearby districts, and also affected parts of Odisha. The name Hudhud was suggested by Oman. It is named after a bird, the hoopoe. The Chennai coast, Kerala coast and Bengal coast were not the main areas hit.

Hudhud Cyclone and Cyclone Naming in the North Indian Ocean:

Answer: (B) Rs. 1,00,000

Explanation: Gatidhara is a self-employment scheme of the Government of West Bengal, launched in August 2014. It helps unemployed youth buy a commercial vehicle, such as a passenger or goods vehicle, and earn a living with it. The government gives a subsidy of 30 percent of the project cost, subject to a maximum of Rs. 1,00,000. The rest of the cost is met through a bank loan and the beneficiary’s own contribution. Rs. 50,000, Rs. 2,00,000 and Rs. 5,00,000 are not the limit under the scheme.

Gatidhara Scheme of West Bengal and Other State Self-Employment Schemes:

Answer: (B) Bharati

Explanation: Bharati is India’s third research station in Antarctica. It was commissioned in March 2012 at Larsemann Hills in East Antarctica, and it works alongside Maitri, the second station. Its design is different from the earlier stations, as it is built from prefabricated container units that can withstand the harsh climate. Maitri (1989) is located at Schirmacher Oasis. Dakshin Gangotri (1983 to 84) was India’s first station, and it was later buried under ice and abandoned. Priyadarshini is not a station but a freshwater lake near Maitri.

India’s Research Stations in Antarctica and the Arctic:

Answer: (D) All of the above

Explanation: Kanyashree Prakalpa is a conditional cash transfer scheme of the Government of West Bengal, launched on 8 March 2013, to encourage girls to continue their education and to delay their marriage until the age of 18. Under the scheme, there is a family income limit for the benefit, but the limit does not apply to certain categories of girls. These are girls who are physically challenged, girls who live in a JJ (Juvenile Justice) Home, and girls who have lost both parents. Since all three cases are exempt, the correct option is all of the above.

Kanyashree Prakalpa:

Answer: (A) Arunachalam Muruganantham

Explanation: Padman (2018) is based on the life of Arunachalam Muruganantham, a social entrepreneur from Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. He invented a low-cost machine to make sanitary pads and spread menstrual hygiene awareness among rural women. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 2016. The film was directed by R. Balki, and Akshay Kumar played the lead role, a character named Lakshmikant Chauhan, which was inspired by Muruganantham. Bindeshwar Pathak is the founder of Sulabh International, known for low-cost sanitation and toilets. So the other options are not correct.

Padman, Arunachalam Muruganantham and Menstrual Hygiene Awareness:

Answer: 29th June ( is not listed among the four options provided )

Answer: (A) September, 5

Explanation: Teachers’ Day is observed in India on 5 September, the birthday of Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan. He was a philosopher, the first Vice President of India (1952 to 1962) and the second President (1962 to 1967). When his students asked to celebrate his birthday, he suggested that it be observed as a day to honour all teachers, and the day has been observed since 1962. 2 October is Gandhi Jayanti, 6 November is not linked with this day, and 25 December is Christmas. World Teachers’ Day is a different day, observed on 5 October.

Teachers’ Day in India and Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan:

Answer: (D) Homi Bhabha

Explanation: The Atomic Energy Commission of India was set up in August 1948 under the leadership of Dr. Homi Jehangir Bhabha, who became its first Chairman. It was formed under the Atomic Energy Act, 1948, with the support of Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. Bhabha is called the father of India’s nuclear programme. Later, the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) was set up in 1954 and the AEC was placed under it. Vikram Sarabhai is known as the father of India’s space programme, and P. K. Iyengar and M. R. Srinivasan were later chairmen of the AEC, so they did not establish it.

Atomic Energy Commission and Homi Bhabha:

Answer: (A) National Centre of Disaster Management

Explanation: NIDM was earlier known as the National Centre for Disaster Management (NCDM). The NCDM was set up in 1995 at the Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA), New Delhi, and was upgraded and renamed the National Institute of Disaster Management in 2003. The Disaster Management Act, 2005 later gave it statutory status, with the job of training, research, documentation and capacity building in disaster management. Options B, C and D are not names that the institute has ever carried.

National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM) and the Disaster Management Framework of India:

Answer: (D) 2019

Explanation: The Constituent Assembly adopted the Constitution of India on 26 November 1949. Adding 70 years gives 26 November 2019, so the 70th anniversary of its adoption fell in 2019. The Constitution came into effect on 26 January 1950, and that date is Republic Day. Strictly, Constitution Day has been observed only since 2015, so the 2019 observance was only the fifth one. The question uses “70th” in the sense of the 70th anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution.

Constitution Day (Samvidhan Divas):

Answer: (D) 26th November

Explanation: Samvidhan Divas, also called Constitution Day, is observed in India on 26 November every year. It marks the day in 1949 when the Constituent Assembly adopted the Constitution of India. The Government of India declared it Constitution Day in 2015, the year of the 125th birth anniversary of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, the Chairman of the Drafting Committee. Before that, 26 November was known as National Law Day. The other options are not linked with this day: 3 December is the birth anniversary of Dr. Rajendra Prasad, 25 October is not linked with the Constitution, and 5 January is also unrelated.

Samvidhan Divas (Constitution Day):

Answer: (A) False

Explanation: The statement is false because NIDM was not established in 2006. Its origin goes back to 1995, when the National Centre for Disaster Management (NCDM) was set up at the Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA), New Delhi. It was upgraded and renamed the National Institute of Disaster Management in 2003, and the Disaster Management Act, 2005 gave it statutory status. It works under the Ministry of Home Affairs, so options C (Ministry of Human Resource) and D (External Affairs Ministry) are wrong. Option B is wrong because the statement is not true.

Establishment and Status of the National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM):

Answer: (A) Prohibition of Child Marriage Act

Explanation: PCMA stands for the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006. It replaced the Child Marriage Restraint Act, 1929 (the Sarda Act) and came into force on 1 November 2007. It sets the minimum age of marriage at 18 years for girls and 21 years for boys. A child marriage under this Act is voidable at the option of the party who was a child at the time of marriage, and it is a punishable offence. The Act provides for Child Marriage Prohibition Officers to stop such marriages. The other three options are not names of any Indian law.

Prohibition of Child Marriage Act (PCMA), 2006 and Laws on Marriage Age:

Answer: (A) Governor of the State

Explanation: In West Bengal, the Governor is the ex-officio Chancellor of the state-aided universities. This follows the university laws of the state, and it is the usual practice in most Indian states, where the Governor acts as the head of the universities. In 2022, the West Bengal Assembly passed bills to replace the Governor with the Chief Minister as Chancellor. The Governor reserved them for the President, and in December 2025 the President withheld assent. So the Governor continues as Chancellor under the existing law. The Chief Minister, the Education Minister and the Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court do not hold this post.

Chancellor of State Universities in West Bengal and the Governor’s Role in Higher Education:

Answer: (B) Professor Amartya Kumar Sen

Explanation: Amartya Sen won the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences in 1998, becoming the first Indian and also the first Asian to receive it. He was honoured for his contributions to welfare economics, including his work on famines, poverty, social choice theory and human development. Born in Santiniketan, West Bengal, in 1933, he studied at Presidency College, Kolkata, and Trinity College, Cambridge. Abhijit Banerjee won the prize later, in 2019, as an Indian-born American citizen. V. K. R. V. Rao and T. N. Srinivasan were noted economists but did not win the Nobel Prize.

Amartya Sen and Indian Nobel Laureates:

Answer: (A) Golda Meir

Explanation: The Munich Massacre took place on 5 and 6 September 1972 at the Munich Olympic Games in West Germany. Eight Palestinian militants of the group Black September took 11 members of the Israeli Olympic team hostage, and all the hostages were killed, along with a West German police officer. Golda Meir was Prime Minister of Israel at that time, from 1969 to 1974. She was the first and so far the only woman to hold the post. Israel responded with Operation Wrath of God, a campaign to track down those held responsible. David Ben-Gurion was the first Prime Minister (1948 to 1954, 1955 to 1963), Levi Eshkol served from 1963 to 1969, and Shimon Peres held the post later, so none of them was in office in 1972.

Munich Massacre (1972) and Prime Ministers of Israel:

Answer: (D) Palden Namgyal

Explanation: Palden Thondup Namgyal was the 12th and last Chogyal (king) of Sikkim. He ruled from 1963 until 1975, when Sikkim became a part of India. In April 1975, a referendum in Sikkim voted overwhelmingly to end the monarchy and join India, and Sikkim became the 22nd state of India on 16 May 1975 by the 36th Constitutional Amendment. Phuntsog Namgyal was the first Chogyal, crowned in 1642 at Yuksom. Tensung Namgyal was the second Chogyal, and Tashi Namgyal was the father of Palden Thondup and ruled from 1914 to 1963, so they were not the last king.

Sikkim:

Answer: (B) Gujarat

Explanation: Vansda National Park is in the Navsari district of southern Gujarat, in the Dang region, close to the border with Maharashtra. It was declared a national park in 1979. It is a forest of moist deciduous type with teak, bamboo and other trees, and it is known for the Bengal tiger’s habitat in the past, as well as leopards, hyenas, jackals, and a variety of birds and reptiles. The Ambika river flows through the park. It is a different park from the national parks of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.

National Parks of Gujarat and Related Facts:

Answer: (A) Iranian Rial

Explanation: The official currency of Iran is the Iranian rial (code IRR). The central bank of Iran issues it, and its value has fallen sharply over the years because of sanctions and inflation. In everyday speech, Iranians often quote prices in toman, where one toman equals ten rials. A law to remove four zeros from the currency and rename it the toman has been approved in Iran, with a gradual transition, but I have not verified the latest status, so for the exam remember the rial as the standard answer. Rubel, Diner and Dollar are not Iran’s currency. The rubel (ruble) is the currency of Russia, the dinar is used in Iraq, Kuwait, Jordan and other countries, and the dollar is used in the USA and many other countries.

Currencies of Iran and Other West Asian and Neighbouring Countries:

Answer: (D) January 6

Explanation: The World Day for War Orphans is observed on 6 January every year. The day was started in 2002 by the French non-governmental organisation Fondation Enfants Orphelins de Guerre (Children War Orphans Foundation) to draw attention to the situation of children who have lost their parents in conflicts and to support their protection and education. It is an awareness day started by an organisation, and it is not an official UN day. The other options (3, 4 and 5 January) are not linked with this day. Note that 4 January is World Braille Day, which is a UN-recognised day.

World Day for War Orphans and Important Days in January:

Answer: (B) Geraldin Ford

Explanation: Herbert Hoover (31st President, 1929 to 1933), Calvin Coolidge (30th President, 1923 to 1929) and James Buchanan (15th President, 1857 to 1861) all held the office. The 38th President was Gerald Ford, and the option spells the name “Geraldin”, which is not his name. No person named Geraldin Ford was ever President, so option B is the one that “never became” President. If the name had been spelt correctly, all four options would be Presidents, so this is a spelling trap, and in the exam you should read the names letter by letter.

Presidents of the USA:

Answer: (A) World Soil Day

Explanation: World Soil Day is observed every year on 5 December to raise awareness about the importance of healthy soil and the sustainable management of soil resources. The International Union of Soil Sciences recommended the day in 2002, and the FAO supported it. The UN General Assembly formally designated 5 December as World Soil Day in 2013, and it was first observed on 5 December 2014. The date was chosen because it is the birthday of King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand, who supported soil conservation work. World Health Day is on 7 April, and World Irrigation Day (observed by the International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage) is on 11 July. World Anti-Starvation Day is not an established UN day.

World Soil Day, FAO and Important Food and Agriculture Days:

Answer: (D) Kolkata

Explanation: The headquarters of the Eastern Railway is at Fairlie Place in Kolkata, West Bengal. The Eastern Railway was formed on 14 April 1952 by merging the East Indian Railway with parts of the Bengal Nagpur Railway. It is one of the oldest railway zones in India. Kharagpur is a railway town known for its long platform and for being a division of the South Eastern Railway, but it is not the Eastern Railway’s headquarters. Ranchi is a division of the South Eastern Railway, and Dispur is the capital of Assam, whose railway zone is the Northeast Frontier Railway, headquartered at Maligaon, Guwahati.

Eastern Railway Zone and Railway Zones with Headquarters in Kolkata:

Answer: (C) Both (A) and (B)

Explanation: A ring road is a road that goes around a city. Its main benefit is that traffic which has no reason to enter the city can bypass the centre. This reduces congestion and pollution in the core area. Heavy vehicles such as trucks, which are often banned from the city centre, can use the ring road to avoid it. So both statements (A) and (B) are true, and the answer is both. The Ring Road of Delhi is a major route around the city, and the Outer Ring Road and the Eastern and Western Peripheral Expressways add to this system.

Ring Roads and Peripheral Expressways around Delhi:

Answer: (C) funds projects in cities and villages for transport, housing and environmental protection

Explanation: Option C is the closest of the four, but I could not find the commission’s marked answer, so please confirm it against the official key. JNNURM (Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission) was launched in December 2005 to fund urban infrastructure, including water supply, sewerage, drainage, solid waste management, urban transport and housing and basic services for the urban poor. Its infrastructure components ended in March 2014, and it was succeeded in 2015 by AMRUT (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation) and the Smart Cities Mission. This is the point of the “(AMRUT)” note in your paper. Options A, B and D are too narrow, because they limit funding to transport or roads. Option C is the broadest and covers transport, housing and the environment. The word “villages” in C is not accurate, since both JNNURM and AMRUT are urban missions, so treat this as the best available option and not as a perfect statement.

JNNURM, AMRUT and the Smart Cities Mission:

Answer: (C) Canada

Explanation: Only the five permanent members of the UN Security Council have veto power. They are the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Russia and China. A negative vote by any one of them blocks a substantive resolution, even if all the other members vote in favour. Canada is not a permanent member of the Security Council, so it has no veto. In the question, “United America” is a careless way of writing the United States of America, which does hold the veto, as do the United Kingdom and France.

UN Security Council:

Answer: (C) 16-Sep

Explanation: The International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer, also called World Ozone Day, is observed on 16 September every year. The UN General Assembly designated the day in 1994 to commemorate the signing of the Montreal Protocol on 16 September 1987. The Montreal Protocol is the international treaty that phases out substances that damage the ozone layer, such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). It is the first treaty in UN history to be ratified by every country. The other dates in the options (12, 14 and 20 September) are not linked with this day.

World Ozone Day, Montreal Protocol and Ozone Layer Protection:

Answer: (B) Washington DC

Explanation: The World Bank has its headquarters in Washington DC, USA. It was set up in 1944 at the Bretton Woods Conference as the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), and it began operations in 1946. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is also headquartered in Washington DC. New York is the seat of the United Nations, Vienna is the seat of organisations such as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and OPEC, and Brussels is the seat of NATO and the main institutions of the European Union.

World Bank Group:

Answer: (B) Malthus

Explanation: “An Essay on the Principle of Population” was written by Thomas Robert Malthus and first published in 1798. Malthus argued that human population grows faster than the food supply, so it is held in check by famine, disease and war. Charles Darwin read the essay in 1838 and Alfred Russel Wallace read it around 1858. Both used the idea of a struggle for existence to develop the theory of natural selection. Erasmus Darwin was Charles Darwin’s grandfather and a naturalist, and Lamarck proposed the theory of inheritance of acquired characters. “Volthus” is not a real name.

Malthus, Darwin, Wallace and Theories of Evolution:

Answer: (D) Ebola virus

Explanation: The Ebola virus is named after the Ebola River in the Democratic Republic of Congo (then Zaire). The disease was first identified in 1976 in a village near this river, during a simultaneous outbreak in Yambuku, in the DRC, and another in Sudan. Ebola causes a severe and often fatal haemorrhagic fever, and it spreads through direct contact with the blood or body fluids of infected people or animals. Chikungunya is named from a word of the Makonde language of Tanzania and Mozambique, Lassa fever is named after the town of Lassa in Nigeria, and Salmonella is named after the American veterinary scientist Daniel Salmon.

Diseases Named After Places and People, with Ebola Facts:

Answer: (B) 4th February

Explanation: World Cancer Day is observed every year on 4 February. It was started in 2000 at the World Summit Against Cancer for the New Millennium held in Paris. The day is led by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) and aims to raise awareness, improve education and push governments and individuals to act against cancer. The date is fixed every year, so in 2015 it also fell on 4 February. The theme for 2015 was “Not Beyond Us”. The other dates in the options (10 January, 5 June and 15 July) are not linked with this day. 5 June is World Environment Day.

World Cancer Day and Cancer Awareness Days:

Answer: (A) Sampooran Singh Kalra

Explanation: Gulzar’s real name is Sampooran Singh Kalra. He was born on 18 August 1934 in Dina, in Punjab (now in Pakistan), and moved to India after Partition. He is a poet, lyricist, writer and film director, and he began his film career as a lyricist with the film Bandini (1963), directed by Bimal Roy. He directed films such as Mere Apne, Aandhi, Mausam, Ijaazat and Maachis. He won the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2013, the Padma Bhushan in 2004, the Sahitya Akademi Award for Urdu in 2002 and an Academy Award for Best Original Song for “Jai Ho” (Slumdog Millionaire) in 2009. The other names in the options are not his name.

Gulzar: