The correct answer is 943.

Key Points

• The sex ratio is defined as the ratio of women per thousand males.
•  According to the population census of 2011, the sex ratio of India is 943 females per thousand males.
• Census 2011 is indeed an upward trend as in census 2003 it was 933 females per thousand males.

Important Points

• Source - censusindia.gov.in
• 2011 Census Data.

The correct answer is Lord Warren Hastings.

Key Points

Warren Hastings:

• Warren Hastings (1732-1818) became the first Governor of the Presidency of Fort William (Bengal) in 1772 and the first Governor-General of Bengal in 1774 till he resigned in 1785.
• During his term, the First Anglo-Maratha war and the second Anglo-Mysore war were fought.
• The Regulating Act of 1773 was passed during his term.
• He supported Sir William Jones in the formation of the Asiatic Society of Bengal in 1784.
• Hastings abolished the Dual System that had been established by Robert Clive.
• Warren Hastings abolished the system of dastaks prevalent among the employees of the British EIC.

Additional Information

Confusion Points

• Warren Hastings and Lord Hastings were two different Governor Generals of Bengal.
• Tenure of Warren Hastings- 1772-1785 (First Governor General of Bengal)
• Tenure of Lord Hastings - 1813-1823

The correct answer is Camel Fair.

Key Points

• Pushkar Fair is also known as Camel Fair.
• The Pushkar fair is an annual livestock fair that is held in Pushkar, a town in the Ajmer district of Rajasthan.
• It is 5 days fair which begins on Kartik Shukla Ekadashi and ends on Kartik Purnima.
• Besides trading of livestocks, the fair also involves cultural events and competitions like dance, music and games.
• The Pushkar Fair is celebrated in the month of October or November.
• It is one of the famous Fairs of Rajasthan.
• It is considered the largest platform to buy and sell the cattles like Horse and Camel.
• Pushkar becomes an important tourist destination because of the Pushkar camel fair.

The correct answer is 12.

• There are 12 Schedules in the Constitution of India.
• One of the first mentions of Schedules was made in the Government of India Act, 1935 where it included 10 Schedules.
• Indian Constitution originally had eight schedules.

Key Points

The correct answer is Bihar.

In News

• Former Bihar CM Karpoori Thakur honored with Bharat Ratna posthumously.

Key Points

• Bharat Ratna for Karpoori Thakur:
  • Former Bihar CM Karpoori Thakur has been posthumously awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honor.
  • The recognition highlights his significant contributions to uplift backward classes and implement reservations for Other Backward Classes (OBCs).
• Champion of Social Justice:
  • Karpoori Thakur actively advocated for the rights of marginalized communities, including scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, and OBCs.
  • His political ideology was centered around a commitment to social justice and inclusive development.
• Reservation for OBCs:
  • During his tenure as Bihar CM from 1977 to 1979, Karpoori Thakur played a pioneering role in providing reservations for OBCs.
  • The implementation was based on the recommendations of the Mungeri Lal Commission.
• Mentor to Political Leaders:
  • Karpoori Thakur served as a mentor to prominent political figures like Lalu Prasad Yadav and Nitish Kumar.
  • His influence extended beyond his time in office, shaping the political landscape in Bihar.
• Birth Centenary Recognition:
  • The award comes during the birth centenary of Karpoori Thakur, adding significance to the recognition.
  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed delight, emphasizing Thakur's enduring efforts as a champion for the marginalized and a symbol of equality and empowerment.

The correct answer is ​Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh.

In News

• Defence Minister Shri Rajnath Singh inaugurated first all-girls Sainik School at Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh.

Key Points

• The first all-girls Sainik School in India, Samvid Gurukulam Girls Sainik School, has been inaugurated at Vrindavan in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh.
• The initiative was undertaken by Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh.
• This initiative is part of the plan to establish 100 new Sainik Schools in a partnership mode with NGOs/Public/State Government Schools in all states.
• The announcement was made on January 01, 2024.
• The event marked a significant moment in the history of women empowerment in India, providing an opportunity for girls to join the Armed Forces and protect the country.
• This ushered a new era in the Armed Forces, shifting from an erstwhile pattern to equal opportunities for both genders.

The correct answer is Dr Arvind Panagariya.

In News

• Centre has constituted the 16th Finance Commission with Dr Arvind Panagariya as its Chairman.

Key Points

• Prior to this, Dr Panagariya served as the Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog and is currently a Professor at Columbia University.
• As the Chairman, his responsibilities will include making recommendations on important matters such as the distribution of net tax proceeds between the Union and the States and actions needed to augment the Consolidated Fund of a State to supplement the resources of its Panchayats and Municipalities.
• He will also possibly review the existing arrangements for financing Disaster Management initiatives.
• The Finance Commission, under Dr Panagariya's leadership, is expected to present its report by October 31, 2025, which will cover five years starting from April 1, 2026.

Additional Information

• FINANCE COMMISSION:
  • Finance Commissions (FCs) are constitutional entities established under Article 280 of the Indian Constitution, with the mandate to advise on the distribution of financial resources between Union and State governments.
  • The recommendations by FCs cover three main aspects: The share of states in central tax pool (Vertical Devolution), allocation of resources among states based on a formula reflecting fiscal needs and performances (Horizontal Distribution), and Grants-in-aid for states or sectors in need of assistance.
  • Some notable initiatives by FCs include: Higher tax devolution to states, performance-based incentives for fiscal discipline, disaster relief funds, grants for local bodies and sectors such as health, education and justice delivery.
  • Despite the recommendations being advisory in nature, they are typically accepted by the Union government with only minor modifications and deviations.
  • The Union government indicates acceptance of the recommendations through a Presidential Order, which specifies the period of their validity.

The correct answer is All-Women Tri-Services Group.

In News

• All-women tri-services group has participated in the Republic Day Parade 2024 for the first time.

Key Points

• An all-women tri-services group has participated in the Republic Day Parade for the first time, as confirmed by Major General Sumit Mehta on January 22.
• This historic contingent included women troops from the Army's military police and personnel from the other two services.
• The participation of this group signifies a significant milestone in gender inclusivity and representation in the armed forces.

Additional Information

• President Emmanuel Macron is the sixth French leader to grace the prestigious annual event.
• Macron is scheduled to witness the Republic Day Parade as the Chief Guest and will also participate in the 'At Home' Reception hosted by the President of India at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
• Squadron Leader Sumita Yadav, an air traffic controller in the Indian Air Force, participated in the Bastille Day parade in Paris. She now has participated in Republic Day Parade 2024, saluting the Supreme Commander alongside the French President.

The correct answer is Seismograph.

Key Points

• A seismograph is an instrument used to detect and record earthquakes.
• The first seismograph was developed in 1890.
  • It consists of a mass attached to a fixed base and during an earthquake, the base moves and the mass does not.
  • The motion of the base with respect to the mass is commonly transformed into an electrical voltage.
  • The electrical voltage is recorded on paper, magnetic tape, or another recording medium.
  • This record is proportional to the motion of the seismometer mass relative to the earth, but it can be mathematically converted to a record of the absolute motion of the ground.

Additional Information

• Earthquake: 
  • Earthquakes are caused by seismic waves that are generated due to a sudden movement in the earth's crust. 
  • Earthquakes may occur naturally or as a result of human activities.
  • Tectonic earthquakes are generated due to the sliding of rocks along a fault plane. 
  • Volcanic earthquakes are caused due to violent volcanic eruptions.

Important Points

The correct answer is Newton's first law.

Key Points

• Newton's laws of motion-
  • ​Newton’s first law states that, if a body is at rest or moving at a constant speed in a straight line, it will remain at rest or keep moving in a straight line at constant speed unless it is acted upon by force.
    • This postulate is known as the law of inertia. The law of inertia was first formulated by Galileo Galilei for horizontal motion on Earth and was later generalized by René Descartes.
    • Before Galileo, it had been thought that all horizontal motion required a direct cause. Still, Galileo deduced from his experiments that a body in motion would remain in motion unless a force (such as friction) caused it to come to rest.
  • Newton’s second law is a quantitative description of the changes that a force can produce in a body's motion.
    • It states that the time rate of change of a body's momentum is equal in both magnitude and direction to the force imposed on it.
    • The momentum of a body is equal to the product of its mass and its velocity. Momentum, like velocity, is a vector quantity, having both magnitude and direction.
    • A force applied to a body can change the magnitude of the momentum, direction, or both.
    • For a body whose mass m is constant, it can be written in F = ma, where F (force) and an (acceleration) are vector quantities.
    • If a body has a net force acting on it, it is accelerated by the equation. Conversely, if a body is not accelerated, there is no net force acting on it.
  • Newton’s third law states that when two bodies interact, they apply forces to one another that are equal in magnitude and opposite in direction.
  • The third law is also known as the law of action and reaction. This law is important in analyzing static equilibrium problems, where all forces are balanced, but it also applies to bodies in uniform or accelerated motion.
  • The forces it describes are real ones, not mere bookkeeping devices. For example, a book resting on a table applies a downward force equal to its weight on the table.
  • According to the third law, the table applies an equal and opposite force to the book. This force occurs because the book's weight causes the table to deform slightly so that it pushes back on the book like a coiled spring.