1. Which prestigious international music festival featured Pandit Ravi Shankar in 1969?
A. Glastonbury Festival
B. Woodstock Festival
C. Coachella Festival
D. Montreux Jazz Festival
2. Pandit Ravi Shankar was awarded the Bharat Ratna in:
A. 1985
B. 1992
C. 1999
D. 2005
3. Rameshwaram is closest to which country?
A. Maldives
B. Indonesia
C. Sri Lanka
D. Myanmar
4. The bridge connecting Rameshwaram to mainland India is called:
A. Howrah Bridge
B. Bandra–Worli Sea Link
C. Pamban Bridge
D. Godavari Bridge
5. Rameshwaram is located in which Indian state?
A. Kerala
B. Tamil Nadu
C. Andhra Pradesh
D. Karnataka
6. Which language is believed to have evolved directly from Magadhi Prakrit?
A. Gujarati
B. Bengali
C. Punjabi
D. Marathi
7. Mughal emperor Babur died in:
A. 1526
B. 1529
C. 1530
D. 1531
8. The National Cadet Corps (NCC) was established in:
A. 1947
B. 1948
C. 1949
D. 1950
9. Venus shows phases like the Moon because:
A. It has its own light
B. It reflects sunlight
C. It revolves around the Sun inside Earth’s orbit
D. It has an elliptical orbit
10. Venus is also known as the:
A. Evening Star
B. Morning Star
C. Earth’s twin
D. All of the above
11. Which movement led to the liberation of Goa from Portuguese rule?
A. Quit India Movement
B. Civil Disobedience Movement
C. Operation Vijay
D. Operation Polo
12. In a primary rainbow, which colour appears on the outer edge?
A. Violet
B. Blue
C. Green
D. Red
13. The capital of Kanishka’s empire was:
A. Pataliputra
B. Taxila
C. Purushapura
D. Mathura
14. The Fourth Buddhist Council was held during the reign of Kanishka at:
A. Rajgir
B. Vaishali
C. Pataliputra
D. Kundalvan (Kashmir)
15. Which soil type is BEST suited for tea cultivation?
A. Alluvial soil
B. Black soil
C. Laterite soil
D. Red and lateritic soil
16. Which soil–crop pair is INCORRECT?
A. Black soil – Cotton
B. Laterite soil – Tea
C. Alluvial soil – Jute
D. Red soil – Sugarcane
***Sugarcane prefers deep loamy/alluvial soil, not red soil***
17. The title “Mumtaz Mahal” means:
A. Jewel of the Empire
B. Light of the World
C. Chosen of the Palace
D. Ornament of the Crown
18. Which strait separates Minicoy Island from the Maldives?
A. Sunda Strait
B. Palk Strait
C. Nine Degree Channel
D. Eight Degree Channel
19. Annie Besant founded the newspaper:
A. Kesari
B. Young India
C. New India
D. Bande Mataram
20. Madan Mohan Malaviya was awarded the Bharat Ratna in:
A. 1954
B. 1961
C. 2014
D. 2015
21. With reference to soil pH, which crop grows best in acidic soils?
A. Wheat
B. Tea
C. Cotton
D. Barley
22. The symbol of Mahavira (jain tirthankar) is:
A. Bull
B. Lion
C. Snake
D. Deer
23. The first Jain Tirthankara was:
A. Parshvanatha
B. Mahavira
C. Rishabhanatha
D. Neminatha
24. Who designed the Ashoka Chakra for the Indian National Flag?
A. Rabindranath Tagore
B. Pingali Venkayya
C. Jawaharlal Nehru
D. B. R. Ambedkar
25. The idea of a Constituent Assembly for India was first proposed by:
A. Mahatma Gandhi
B. Jawaharlal Nehru
C. M. N. Roy
D. B. R. Ambedkar
26. The Legislative Assembly is also known as:
A. Upper House
B. Council of States
C. Vidhan Sabha
D. Lok Sabha
27. Money Bills in a state can be introduced only in the:
A. Legislative Council
B. Governor’s office
C. Legislative Assembly
D. High Court
28. Which battle established Babur’s supremacy in North India?
A. Battle of Khanwa
B. Battle of Ghaghra
C. First Battle of Panipat
D. Battle of Chanderi
29. Which Buddhist sect received royal patronage under Kanishka?
A. Theravada
B. Hinayana
C. Mahayana
D. Vajrayana
30. Who gave the Law of Floating?
A. Newton
B. Archimedes
C. Galileo
D. Pascal
31. The Treaty of Amritsar (1846) was signed between:
A. British East India Company and Ranjit Singh
B. British East India Company and Gulab Singh
C. British Government and Maharaja Hari Singh
D. British Government and Sikh Confederacy
32. The term “Zimmi” in medieval India referred to:
A. Non-Muslims who paid Jizya
B. Converted Muslims under Sultanate
C. Hindu soldiers in Sultan’s army
D. Land revenue officials
33. Which of the following committees of the Constituent Assembly was NOT chaired by Jawaharlal Nehru?
A. Union Powers Committee
B. Union Constitution Committee
C. Provincial Constitution Committee
D. Drafting Committee
34. Which of the following tributaries of the Godavari originates from the Western Ghats?
A. Sabari
B. Indravati
C. Manjira
D. Wainganga
35. Babur claimed descent from:
A. Timur and Chengiz Khan
B. Ashoka and Chandragupta
C. Alauddin Khilji
D. Balban
36. Which Mughal architectural masterpiece was commissioned by Shah Jahan in memory of Mumtaz Noor Jahan?
A. Red Fort
B. Jama Masjid
C. Taj Mahal
D. Shalimar Gardens
37. The capital of Lakshadweep is:
A. Minicoy
B. Kavaratti
C. Agatti
D. Andrott
38. Which is the southernmost island of Lakshadweep?
A. Andrott
B. Kavaratti
C. Agatti
D. Minicoy
39. Madan Mohan Malaviya was the founder of:
A. Aligarh Muslim University
B. Banaras Hindu University
C. Delhi University
D. Visva-Bharati
40. Which was the first newspaper in the world?
A. The Times
B. Relation
C. The Hindu
D. Gazette
41. Who was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize?
A. Marie Curie
B. Mother Teresa
C. Jane Addams
D. Selma Lagerlöf
42. Which was the first civilization in the world?
A. Egyptian
B. Indus Valley
C. Mesopotamian
D. Chinese
43. Mount Everest is known as Sagarmatha in Nepal and Chomolungma in:
A. Bhutan
B. India
C. Tibet
D. Pakistan
44. Which mountain in Nepal was the first to be climbed above 8,000 metres?
A. Mount Everest
B. Kanchenjunga
C. Annapurna I
D. Dhaulagiri
45. Which famous peak in Nepal is known as the “Fishtail Mountain”?
A. Annapurna
B. Dhaulagiri
C. Manaslu
D. Machhapuchhre
46. Who among the following condemned the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre and returned his knighthood?
A. Mahatma Gandhi
B. Jawaharlal Nehru
C. Rabindranath Tagore
D. Subhas Chandra Bose
47. Which committee was appointed to investigate the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre?
A. Hunter Committee
B. Simon Commission
C. Butler Committee
D. Fraser Commission
48. Who founded the "Bengal School of Art?"
A. Abanindranath Tagore
B. Rabindranath Tagore
C. Nandalal Bose
D. Jamini Roy
49. Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, author of Vande Mataram, hailed from:
A. Kolkata
B. Murshidabad
C. Naihati
D. Hooghly
50. Saraswati Puja in West Bengal usually falls in which month?
A. January–February
B. March–April
C. October–November
D. July–August