1. Which Chola-era arrangement is regarded as a proto-democratic way of choosing representatives?
Answer: E. Under Kudavolai, representatives were picked using palm-leaf ballots, making it one of the earliest known democratic practices in Indian history.
2. What was the main purpose of the Maharashtra Special Public Security Bill, 2024?
Answer: A. The bill seeks to curb unlawful acts by LWE organisations and their alleged urban networks, though critics fear misuse and harm to civil liberties.
3. Which statement about India's food security is true according to the SOFI 2025 report?
Answer: B. SOFI 2025 shows about 6% of the population cannot pay for a nutritious diet even with surplus grain stocks, which points to affordability and distribution gaps.
4. As of 2022, how many Project Tiger reserves does India have?
Answer: C. By 2022 Project Tiger had grown to 58 reserves spread over 18 states, covering around 2.5% of India's land area.
5. What is the RBI's draft ECBA framework for co-operative banks meant to do?
Answer: D. ECBA, short for Eligibility Criteria for Business Authorisation, governs how Urban Co-operative Banks expand and replaces the earlier FSWM criteria.
6. Which kind of mutual fund did Bank of India Mutual Fund newly launch?
Answer: E. BoI Mutual Fund's new midcap equity fund aims to tap India's growing mid-sized firms in areas like finance, healthcare and consumer goods.
7. Which area does the MSME Ministry's SPICE scheme promote?
Answer: A. SPICE stands for Scheme for Promotion and Investment in Circular Economy and gives credit-linked subsidies for green technology to micro and small enterprises.
8. What is the aim of the course IN-SPACe launched with ISRO and Amity University?
Answer: B. The short course, titled "Essentials of Space Technology in Agriculture Sector", gives stakeholders knowledge of satellite data, remote sensing and GPS for farming.
9. Which of these is not a focus of IN-SPACe's agriculture space-tech course?
Answer: C. The course covers peaceful farm uses of space technology such as remote sensing and GPS; drone warfare is a military subject and is left out.
10. Which of these is a service under the Veer Parivar Sahayata Yojana?
Answer: C. The scheme includes online filing, video consultations, e-Lok Adalats and online mediation.
11. Which city did Rajendra Chola I found as a new imperial capital?
Answer: C. He founded Gangaikonda Cholapuram.
12. How many wild tigers did India record in 2022 according to the notes?
Answer: C. India recorded 3,682 wild tigers in 2022.
13. Which state legislature passed the Special Public Security Bill aimed at urban Naxal fronts?
Answer: D. The Maharashtra Legislature passed the Bill.
14. Which institution implements the National Mission on Cultural Mapping?
Answer: D. IGNCA implements NMCM.
15. According to SOFI 2025, what share of the world's population was chronically hungry in 2024?
Answer: B. SOFI 2025 puts chronic hunger at 8.2%, about 720 million people.