Revision Set – 1

The correct answer is option 2 i.e 2 and 4 only.

Tyagaraja was born on 14th May 1767 in the village of Thiruvayaru in the Thanjavur district of Tamil Nadu whereas TaḷḷapākaAnnamācārya (or Annamayya) (22 May 1408 – 4 April 1503) was a 15th-century Hindu saint. Hence statement 3 is incorrect.

Tyagaraja was an ardent devotee of lord Rama. In his praise and honour he wrote numerous musical operas, and about twenty four thousand songs, a claim that has been speculated among music historians.

Tyagaraja’s songs and compositions are full of devotion to his god Rama. (Hence statement 1 is incorrect)

Tyagaraja introduced several unusual ragas in Carnatic music. (Hence statement 2 is correct)

Annamacharya kirtanas are devotional songs in prais of Lord Venkateshwara.

TaḷḷapākaAnnamācārya (or Annamayya) is the earliest known Indian musician to compose songs called sankirtanas in praise of the god Venkateswara, a form of Vishnu. (Hence statement 4 is correct)

Champaran Satyagraha marked the integration of peasant grievances with the national movement, making it broader and mass-based.

The correct answer is Yemen and South Sudan.

Yemen and South Sudan are two countries in which lakhs of people suffered from acute famine/ malnutrition and died due to starvation caused by war or conflicts.

These countries are facing a humanitarian crisis due to famine and civil war.

Yemen is now on the brink of “the world’s largest famine”, according to the United Nations.

Already, 17 million people are dependent on external aid for food and medicine, while the country is fighting a massive cholera outbreak.

The breakdown of government services, lack of drinking water and a crumbling health sector, besides the miseries of civil war and aerial bombardment, are fast turning Yemen into a failed state, and a breeding ground for extremist groups such as al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.

One year after South Sudan briefly declared a famine, more than half of the people in the world’s youngest nation face extreme hunger amid civil war. A new report by the United Nations and South Sudan’s government says more than six million people are at threat without aid, up about 40% from a year ago.

The Correct Answer is Option 3 i.e Both 1 and 2.

Key Points:-

Santhals were the agricultural people settled in Rajmahal Hills of Bihar.

They are native to the Indian states of predominantly Jharkhand, West Bengal and Odisha.

It was after the Santhal Revolt (1855-56) that the Santhal Pargana was created, carving out 5,500 square miles from the districts of Bhagalpur and Birbhum.

The colonial state hoped that by creating a new territory for the Santhals and imposing some special laws within it, the Santhals could be conciliated.

It became illegal for a Santhal to transfer land to a non-Santhal. British government enacted laws so that the land of tribals could not be taken by outsiders (dikus).

The incorrect statetment is option 3.

Key Points:-

A money bill cannot be introduced in Rajya Sabha.

Rajya Sabha can neither reject a Money Bill nor amend it

The Speaker of the Lok Sabha decides whether the Bill is a Money Bill or not.

Also, the Speaker’s decision shall be deemed to be final.

Article 110 of the constitution deals with Money Bill in India.

A Money Bill may only be introduced in Lok Sabha, on the recommendation of the President.

It must be passed in Lok Sabha by a simple majority

It may be sent to the Rajya Sabha for its recommendations, which Lok Sabha may reject if it chooses to.

If such recommendations are not given within 14 days, it will be deemed to be passed by Parliament.

A Bill is said to be a Money Bill if it only contains provisions related to taxation, borrowing of money by the government, expenditure from or receipt to the Consolidated Fund or Contingency Fund of India, (Hence option 1, 2 and 4 is correct) and the appropriation of money out of the consolidated Fund of India (Option 3 is incorrect.).

The correct answer is WTO.

Geographical Indications (GI) are one of the eight intellectual property items coming under WTO’s TRIPs (Trade-Related Intellectual Property Rights).

India enacted the Geographical Indication of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999 which came into force with effect from September 15, 2003, to comply with India’s obligations under the TRIPS agreement.

The Correct answer is Option 1.

Key Points

The European Union (EU) enacted the Nature Restoration Law (NRL) as part of its broader environmental strategy.

This landmark legislation aims to restore at least 20% of the EU’s land and sea areas by 2030, with further goals to restore all ecosystems in need by 2050.

It is a key component of the EU’s Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 and the European Green Deal, reflecting the EU’s commitment to reversing biodiversity loss and enhancing ecosystem resilience

The correct answer is the World Justice Project.

The World Justice Project (WJP) releases the WJP Rule of Law Index.

This index measures how the rule of law is experienced and perceived worldwide based on household and expert surveys in 128 countries and jurisdictions.

The World Justice Project Rule of Law Index is a quantitative assessment tool designed to offer a detailed and comprehensive picture of the extent to which countries adhere to the rule of law in practice.

The Index provides data on eight dimensions of the rule of law: limited government powers; absence of corruption; order and security; fundamental rights; open government; regulatory enforcement; civil justice; and criminal justice.

These factors are further disaggregated into forty-four indicators. Together, they provide a comprehensive picture of the rule of law compliance. The index is typically published annually.

The Rule of Law Index is an annual report based on national surveys of more than 130,000 households and 4,000 legal practitioners and experts around the world.

It is the world’s leading source for original, independent data on the rule of law.

The correct answer is Lala Lajpat Rai.

Key Points

Lala Lajpat Rai was gifted with a perceptive mind, he was a prolific writer and authored several works like – “Unhappy India”, “Young India: An Interpretation”, “History of Arya Samaj”, “England’s Debt to India” and a series of popular biographies.

His biographies of Mazzini, Garibaldi, and Shivaji were published in 1896 and those of Dayanand and Shri Krishna in 1898.

His purpose in selecting Mazzini and Garibaldi was to infuse patriotic sentiment in the youth of Punjab, who had no access to books in English.

He wanted his countrymen to become acquainted with the teachings of Italian leaders who had so impressed his own mind.

He traveled to the US in 1907 and noted sociological similarities between the notion of ‘color-caste’ there and within castes in India.

He joined the Swaraj Party in 1926 and was elected as its Deputy Leader in the Central Legislative Assembly.

He later resigned from the Swaraj Party in August 1926.

The correct answer is 1, 2, and 3.

Key Points

There are some plants that grow in extremely dry conditions throughout the year.

Structural adaptations are important to plant survival in the desert.

For this purpose, they undergo some morphological adaptations in the xerophyte stem. These are as follows –

The stems of woody xerophytes are comparatively stunted, hard, and rigid. They may be covered with thick bark. e.g. Acacia arabica.

Wax coatings on leaves prevent water loss through evaporation because the loss of water from both the surface and the inside of leaves occurs in the hot desert.

The stem is covered by hairs or waxy coating.

Hence, statement 1 is correct.

The main stem and branches may occur thick, fleshy, flattened, and have a green modified structure called phylloclade.

Hence, statement 2 is correct.

Leaves are also smaller on desert plants, further reducing the possibility of water loss.

Phylloclades are found in succulent xerophytes. They do photosynthesis. e.g. Opuntia, Cacti etc.

Usually, in phylloclade bearing xerophytes, leaves are modified into spines that are known to check the rate of transpiration.

They have hard, thick coatings and some are covered in prickly spines to prevent water loss.

Hence, statement 3 is correct.

It is to protect them from animals who might try to chew through them to get to their moisture.

The stem may occur as an underground modified structure to store food and takes part in reproduction. e.g. Saccharum.

The correct answer is option 1 i.e 1 and 2 only.

The Global Climate Change Alliance (GCCA) was established by the European Union (EU) in 2007 to strengthen dialogue and cooperation with developing countries, in particular least developed countries (LDCs) and small island developing States (SIDS). (Hence statement 1 is correct)

The GCCA also provides technical and financial support to partner countries to integrate climate change into their development policies and budgets, and to implement projects that address climate change on the ground, promoting climate-resilient, low-emission development. (Hence statement 2 is correct)

By fostering effective dialogue and cooperation on climate change, the Alliance helps to ensure that poor developing countries most vulnerable to climate change increase their capacities to adapt to the effects of climate change, in support of the achievement of the Millenium Development Goals (MDGs).

There is no mention of WRI and WBCSD at the official partner’s page of GCCA, even though a lot of other institutions are mentioned like FAO, UNDP etc. (Hence statement 3 is not correct)

The correct answer is option 1 i.e European Union

Broad-based Trade and Investment Agreement (BTIA)

On 28th June 2007, India and the EU began negotiations on a broad-based Bilateral Trade and Investment Agreement (BTIA) in Brussels, Belgium. Hence option 1 is correct.

India and the EU expect to promote bilateral trade by removing barriers to trade in goods and services and investment across all sectors of the economy.

Both parties believe that a comprehensive and ambitious agreement that is consistent with WTO rules and principles would open new markets and would expand opportunities for Indian and EU businesses.

The negotiations cover the trade-in Goods, Trade in Services, Investment, Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures, Technical Barriers to Trade, Trade Remedies, Rules of Origin, Customs and Trade Facilitation, Competition, Trade Defence, Government Procurement, Dispute Settlement, Intellectual Property Rights & Geographical Indications, Sustainable Development.

The issue involved in this negotiation is that the EU wanted to labour, environment and government procurement to be included in the talks and India’s demand for an easier work visa and study visa norms as well as data secure status, that would make it easier for European companies to outsource business to India, was also not received enthusiastically by the EU countries

The correct answer is option 3, i.e The European Union.

The General Data Protection Regulation (EU) (“GDPR”) is a regulation in EU law on data protection and privacy for its citizens of the European Union (EU) and the European Economic Area (EEA).

The EU GDPR replaces the Data Protection Directive and started the implementation of it from 25th May 2018.

It also addresses the export of personal data outside the EU and EEA areas.

Correct Answer: Option 4 (1, 2 and 3)

🧠 Short Explanation

All three statements are correct because they describe the distribution, conditions, and biodiversity of coral reefs:

🔹 Statement 1 ✔️

Most coral reefs lie between 30°N and 30°S

→ Because they require warm (22–30°C), shallow (<200m), and saline water

🔹 Statement 2 ✔️

A large share of reefs is found in:

→ Australia, Indonesia, Philippines (Coral Triangle region)

→ This region has ideal conditions for reef formation

🔹 Statement 3 ✔️

Coral reefs have extremely high biodiversity

→ ~25,000 species across 32 out of 33 animal phyla

→ Even richer than tropical rainforests in terms of phyla diversity

The correct answer is the option 3.

Key Points

Digital Single Market Strategy

Announced by the Juncker Commission (2015):

The Digital Single Market Strategy was introduced by the European Union (EU) to strengthen its digital economy.

Scope:

It covers areas such as Telecommunications, Digital Marketing, and E-commerce.

Hence, option 3 is correct.

Three Pillars of the Strategy

Developing Digital Networks and Services:

Enhance the infrastructure and services required for digital networks.

Boosting the European Digital Economy:

Foster economic growth by leveraging digital technology.

Ensuring Access to Online Products and Services:

Improve consumer access to digital goods and services across the EU.

Correct Answer: Option (d) 1, 2 and 3

Explanation:

Statement 1 ✅

Germline gene therapy allows genetic changes in reproductive cells (egg/sperm), which can be inherited.

Statement 2 ✅

Genome editing (e.g., CRISPR) can be done at the early embryonic stage to correct genetic defects.

Statement 3 ✅

Human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) can be introduced into animal embryos (e.g., pig) for research in regenerative medicine.

Core Insight: Modern biotechnology enables gene editing at germline and embryonic levels, and even cross-species stem cell experiments.

Correct Answer: 2 and 3 only

Explanation:

Aurang – In-charge of treasury ❌

Aurang refers to a warehouse/place for storage of goods, not a treasury official.

Banian – Indian agent of East India Company ✅

Banian were Indian agents, brokers, and intermediaries working with the East India Company.

Mirasidar – Designated revenue payer ✅

Mirasidars were landholders with hereditary rights, responsible for paying land revenue under systems like Ryotwari.

Core Insight: Banian (EIC agent) and Mirasidar (revenue-paying landholder) are correct; Aurang means warehouse, not treasury official.

Correct Answer: Option (c) 1 and 3 only

Explanation:

Alma-Ata Declaration – Healthcare ✅

Focuses on primary healthcare and universal access (1978).

Hague Convention – Biological & chemical weapons ❌

Deals with laws of war and humanitarian issues, not specifically bio/chemical weapons.

Talanoa Dialogue – Climate change ✅

Initiative under the Paris Agreement for global climate action dialogue.

Under2 Coalition – Child rights ❌

A global initiative for climate action by states/regions, not child rights.

Core Insight: Alma-Ata (healthcare) and Talanoa Dialogue (climate) are correct; Hague and Under2 are often confused with unrelated themes.

Correct Answer: Option (c) 1, 3 and 4 only

Explanation:

Statement 1 ✅

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) can be functionalized to carry drugs, DNA, and antigens, making them useful in targeted drug delivery.

Statement 2 ❌

CNTs are not suitable for artificial blood capillaries due to risks like toxicity and blood clotting.

Statement 3 ✅

Used in biochemical sensors due to high electrical conductivity and sensitivity.

Statement 4 ✅

Functionalized CNTs can be biodegraded by enzymes and some microorganisms.

Core Insight: CNTs are useful in drug delivery and sensors, and can be biodegradable, but are unsafe for artificial blood vessels.

Correct Answer: Option (a) Digital security infrastructure

Explanation:

Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) refers to a system used for secure digital communication and authentication.

It uses cryptographic keys (public & private) to ensure data encryption, integrity, and identity verification.

Key components include:

→ Digital Certificates (electronic identity)

→ Certificate Authority (CA) (issues/authenticates certificates)

Widely used in:

→ Digital signatures

→ Secure websites (SSL)

→ Online transactions

Core Insight: PKI forms the backbone of digital security by enabling encryption and authentication in online communication.