12 sample questions are shown here; sign up free to practise all 80.
Q1Current Affairs·Books, Personalities and Obituaries in NewsPYQ 2016
A recent movie titled 'The Man Who Knew Infinity' is based on the biography of:
- AS. RamanujanCorrect
- BS. Chandrasekhar
- CS. N. Bose
- DC. V. Raman
Explanation
Correct. The film The Man Who Knew Infinity (2015) is based on the biography of mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan and his collaboration with G. H. Hardy at Cambridge.
Why the other options are incorrect
- Option B
S. Chandrasekhar was an astrophysicist known for the Chandrasekhar limit; the film is not about him.
- Option C
S. N. Bose was a physicist known for Bose-Einstein statistics; the film depicts Ramanujan's life.
- Option D
C. V. Raman won the Nobel Prize for the Raman effect; the movie is about Ramanujan.
Q2Current Affairs·Books, Personalities and Obituaries in News
Which Indian personality's birth anniversary (October 31) is observed as 'Rashtriya Ekta Diwas' (National Unity Day)?
- AMahatma Gandhi
- BJawaharlal Nehru
- CSardar Vallabhbhai PatelCorrect
- DSubhas Chandra Bose
Explanation
Correct. October 31 is the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. Rashtriya Ekta Diwas has been observed since 2014 to honour his role in unifying India's princely states.
Why the other options are incorrect
- Option A
Gandhi's birthday (October 2) is observed as Gandhi Jayanti and International Day of Non-Violence.
- Option B
Nehru's birthday (November 14) is celebrated as Children's Day in India.
- Option D
Subhas Chandra Bose's birthday is January 23, observed as Parakram Diwas.
Q3Current Affairs·Books, Personalities and Obituaries in News
M. S. Swaminathan, who passed away in September 2023, is often called the 'Father of the Green Revolution in India'. Which crop was central to the Green Revolution?
- ARice only
- BWheat and riceCorrect
- CSugarcane
- DCotton
Explanation
Correct. The Green Revolution in India primarily focused on high-yielding varieties of wheat and rice, transforming India from a food-deficit nation to self-sufficient in foodgrain production.
Why the other options are incorrect
- Option A
Rice was important, but wheat was equally central to the Green Revolution.
- Option C
Sugarcane was not the central crop of the Green Revolution.
- Option D
Cotton was not a focus crop; the revolution targeted staple foodgrains.
Q4Current Affairs·Books, Personalities and Obituaries in News
Who among the following was the author of the book 'India Wins Freedom'?
- AKhan Abdul Ghaffar Khan
- BMaulana Abul Kalam AzadCorrect
- CMuhammad Ali Jinnah
- DSyed Ahmad Khan
Explanation
Correct. Maulana Abul Kalam Azad authored 'India Wins Freedom', published posthumously in 1959, recounting events leading to India's independence and partition.
Why the other options are incorrect
- Option A
Ghaffar Khan's autobiography is 'My Life and Struggle', not 'India Wins Freedom'.
- Option C
Jinnah did not author this book; it was written by Azad.
- Option D
Syed Ahmad Khan was a 19th-century reformer and did not write this book.
Q5Current Affairs·Books, Personalities and Obituaries in News
Consider the following pairs:
Book — Subject matter
1. The Second Sex — Feminist philosophy
2. The Prince — Political realism
3. A Theory of Justice — Social contract and distributive justice
Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?
- A1 and 2 only
- B2 and 3 only
- C1 and 3 only
- D1, 2 and 3Correct
Explanation
Correct. 'The Second Sex' by Simone de Beauvoir (1949) is a feminist philosophy classic, 'The Prince' by Machiavelli (1532) is about political realism, and 'A Theory of Justice' by John Rawls (1971) presents a social contract theory of distributive justice.
Why the other options are incorrect
- Option A
Pair 3 is also correct; John Rawls' work addresses distributive justice.
- Option B
Pair 1 is also correct; Simone de Beauvoir's book is foundational to feminist thought.
- Option C
Pair 2 is also correct; Machiavelli's 'The Prince' is a classic of political realism.
Q6Current Affairs·Books, Personalities and Obituaries in News
Consider the following statements about Hilary Mantel, who passed away in 2022:
1. She was a British author.
2. She won the Booker Prize twice for her novels on Thomas Cromwell.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- A1 only
- B2 only
- CBoth 1 and 2Correct
- DNeither 1 nor 2
Explanation
Correct. Hilary Mantel was a British author who won the Booker Prize for 'Wolf Hall' (2009) and 'Bring Up the Bodies' (2012), both novels about Thomas Cromwell in Tudor England.
Why the other options are incorrect
- Option A
Statement 2 is also correct; she won the Booker Prize in 2009 and 2012.
- Option B
Statement 1 is also correct; she was a British writer.
- Option D
Both statements are factually accurate.
Q7Current Affairs·Books, Personalities and Obituaries in News
The book 'Midnight's Children' by Salman Rushdie is set against the backdrop of which historical event?
- AThe Partition of Bengal in 1905
- BIndia's independence and the events surrounding itCorrect
- CThe Emergency of 1975-1977
- DThe India-Pakistan War of 1971
Explanation
Correct. 'Midnight's Children' (1981) uses the conceit of children born at the exact moment of India's independence (midnight, 15 August 1947) to narrate the nation's post-independence history.
Why the other options are incorrect
- Option A
The Partition of Bengal is not the central backdrop of Midnight's Children.
- Option C
The Emergency features in the novel but is not its central setting; the book spans from independence onwards.
- Option D
The 1971 war appears in the narrative but the novel's framework begins with independence itself.
Q8Current Affairs·Books, Personalities and Obituaries in News
Consider the following pairs:
Book — Theme
1. Arthashastra — Statecraft and governance
2. Natyashastra — Performing arts
3. Charaka Samhita — Astronomy
Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?
- A1 and 2 onlyCorrect
- B2 and 3 only
- C1 and 3 only
- D1, 2 and 3
Explanation
Correct. Arthashastra deals with statecraft and Natyashastra with performing arts. Charaka Samhita deals with medicine (Ayurveda), not astronomy.
Why the other options are incorrect
- Option B
Pair 3 is incorrect; Charaka Samhita is a medical text, not an astronomy text.
- Option C
Pair 3 is wrong; the Charaka Samhita is the foundational Ayurvedic medical treatise.
- Option D
Pair 3 is incorrectly matched; the astronomy text is Surya Siddhanta.
Q9Current Affairs·Books, Personalities and Obituaries in News
The book 'The White Tiger', which won the Man Booker Prize in 2008, was written by:
- AAmitav Ghosh
- BAravind AdigaCorrect
- CVikram Seth
- DJhumpa Lahiri
Explanation
Correct. Aravind Adiga won the 2008 Man Booker Prize for 'The White Tiger', a novel about class struggle in modern India told through the story of a village boy's rise.
Why the other options are incorrect
- Option A
Amitav Ghosh is known for the Ibis trilogy; he did not write 'The White Tiger'.
- Option C
Vikram Seth is known for 'A Suitable Boy', not 'The White Tiger'.
- Option D
Jhumpa Lahiri won the Pulitzer Prize for 'Interpreter of Maladies'.
Q10Current Affairs·Books, Personalities and Obituaries in News
The book 'Glimpses of World History' contains letters written by Jawaharlal Nehru to his daughter from prison. How many letters does it approximately contain?
- AAbout 50 letters
- BAbout 100 letters
- CAbout 200 lettersCorrect
- DAbout 400 letters
Explanation
Correct. 'Glimpses of World History' (1934) comprises about 196 letters written by Nehru to his daughter Indira from various prisons between 1930 and 1933.
Why the other options are incorrect
- Option A
The collection is much larger than 50 letters.
- Option B
100 is an underestimate; the book contains nearly 200 letters.
- Option D
400 significantly overestimates the number of letters in the collection.
Q11Current Affairs·Books, Personalities and Obituaries in News
Consider the following pairs:
Person — Country
1. Aung San Suu Kyi — Myanmar
2. Malala Yousafzai — Pakistan
3. Wangari Maathai — Kenya
All three are Nobel Peace Prize laureates. Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?
- A1 and 2 only
- B2 and 3 only
- C1 and 3 only
- D1, 2 and 3Correct
Explanation
Correct. Aung San Suu Kyi (Myanmar, 1991 Nobel), Malala Yousafzai (Pakistan, 2014 Nobel), and Wangari Maathai (Kenya, 2004 Nobel) are all correctly matched with their countries.
Why the other options are incorrect
- Option A
Pair 3 is also correct; Wangari Maathai was a Kenyan environmentalist.
- Option B
Pair 1 is also correct; Aung San Suu Kyi is from Myanmar.
- Option C
Pair 2 is also correct; Malala Yousafzai is from Pakistan.
Q12Current Affairs·Books, Personalities and Obituaries in News
Lata Mangeshkar, who passed away in February 2022, was the recipient of which of the following awards?
1. Bharat Ratna
2. Padma Bhushan
3. Dadasaheb Phalke Award
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
- A1 and 2 only
- B1 and 3 only
- C2 and 3 only
- D1, 2 and 3Correct
Explanation
Correct. Lata Mangeshkar received the Padma Bhushan (1969), the Dadasaheb Phalke Award (1989), and the Bharat Ratna (2001) among numerous other honours.
Why the other options are incorrect
- Option A
She also received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 1989.
- Option B
She also received the Padma Bhushan in 1969.
- Option C
She also received the Bharat Ratna in 2001.