Static GK Previous Year Questions (PYQ) with Answers

The correct answer is C, 1959. Parliament passed the Arms Act in 1959, and it came into force in 1962 along with the Arms Rules. It replaced the colonial Indian Arms Act of 1878, which the British had brought in after the Revolt of 1857 to disarm Indians while exempting Europeans. The 1959 Act governs who may acquire, keep, carry, make, sell or import firearms and ammunition, and it makes a licence necessary for almost all of them. An amendment in 2019 cut the number of licensed firearms a person may hold from three to two and raised the punishment for illegal manufacture and trade. Option A is wrong because 1951 is the year of the first general election and the first constitutional amendment. Option B is wrong because 1955 gave India the Citizenship Act and the Hindu Marriage Act. Option D is wrong because no arms law was enacted in 1964. Exam tip: Indian Arms Act 1878 was colonial; the Arms Act 1959 is the law in force, amended in 2019.

The correct answer is A, 1927. The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) was formed in 1927 and was recognised by the International Olympic Committee the same year. Sir Dorabji Tata, who had helped fund India's team at the 1920 Antwerp Olympics, was its first president, and Dr A. G. Noehren was its first secretary. The IOA is India's National Olympic Committee: it sends Indian teams to the Olympics, the Asian Games and the Commonwealth Games, and its headquarters is in New Delhi. A year after it was formed, India won its first Olympic hockey gold at Amsterdam in 1928. B is wrong because by 1934 the IOA had already existed for seven years. C is wrong because 1928 is the year of India's first Olympic hockey gold, not the year the IOA was formed. D is wrong because 1943 is sixteen years too late. Exam tip: IOA 1927 with Dorabji Tata as first president; first hockey gold 1928; SAI 1984.

The correct answer is D, 1984. The Sports Authority of India (SAI) was set up by the Government of India in January 1984 as a registered society under the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. It was created to make good use of the stadiums and facilities built for the 1982 Asian Games in New Delhi and to train athletes for international events. Its headquarters is at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi, and it runs training centres across the country, including the Netaji Subhas National Institute of Sports at Patiala. A is wrong because 1982 is the year India hosted the Asian Games in Delhi, which led to SAI's creation two years later. B is wrong because 1983 is remembered for India winning the Cricket World Cup under Kapil Dev. C is wrong because by 1987 SAI had already been working for three years. Exam tip: Asian Games in Delhi 1982, SAI formed 1984, headquarters at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, New Delhi.

The correct answer is B, Insat-1B. It was the first working satellite of the Indian National Satellite (INSAT) system, carried to orbit by the US Space Shuttle Challenger in August 1983. INSAT-1B was a multipurpose satellite: its transponders gave national television coverage, telephone links and weather pictures from one spot in geostationary orbit, about 36,000 km above the equator. It made nationwide Doordarshan broadcasts possible and began the INSAT series that still serves communication and meteorology. Its predecessor INSAT-1A, launched in 1982, failed early, which is why 1B is remembered as the real start. A is wrong because Bhaskara-I, launched in 1979 on a Soviet rocket, was an experimental earth-observation satellite, not a geostationary broadcaster. C is wrong because GSAT-7, launched in 2013, is the Indian Navy's dedicated communication satellite, often called Rukmini. D is wrong because RISAT-1, launched in 2012 on a PSLV, is a radar imaging satellite for earth observation. Exam tip: INSAT = communication and weather in geostationary orbit; Bhaskara and RISAT = observing the earth.

The correct answer is B, Assam Rifles. It is the only such force whose administrative control lies with the Ministry of Home Affairs while its operational control lies with the Indian Army. The Assam Rifles is also India's oldest paramilitary force, raised in 1835 as the Cachar Levy to guard British tea estates and settlements in the North East. Most of its officers come on deputation from the Army; it guards the India–Myanmar border and runs counter-insurgency operations in the North East, which is why it is called the Sentinels of the North East and the Friends of the Hill People. A is wrong, because the CRPF, India's largest central armed police force, is fully under the Home Ministry. C is wrong, because the ITBP, raised in 1962 to guard the border with China, is also under the Home Ministry alone. D is wrong, because the CISF, set up in 1969 to protect industrial units, airports and metros, reports only to the Home Ministry. Exam tip: Assam Rifles, raised 1835, Home Ministry for administration and Army for operations, guards the Myanmar border.

The correct answer is B, Vairengte. The Counter Insurgency and Jungle Warfare School, known as CIJWS, is at Vairengte in the Kolasib district of Mizoram, close to the Assam border. It trains Indian soldiers in fighting insurgents and in surviving and operating in dense jungle, and its motto is Fight a Guerrilla like a Guerrilla. Soldiers from many friendly foreign armies, including the United States and the United Kingdom, have also trained here, and every army unit going for counter-insurgency duty passes through its courses. A, Dehradun, has the Indian Military Academy, which trains officers before commissioning. C, Gulmarg, in Jammu and Kashmir, has the High Altitude Warfare School, which trains for mountain and snow warfare. D, Mhow, in Madhya Pradesh, has the Infantry School, the Army War College and the Military College of Telecommunication Engineering. Exam tip: jungle warfare at Vairengte in Mizoram, high altitude warfare at Gulmarg, infantry at Mhow, officers at IMA Dehradun and NDA Khadakwasla.

The correct answer is C, 1962. The Battle of Rezang La was fought on 18 November 1962 during the India-China war, at a pass about 16,000 feet high near Chushul in Ladakh. The Charlie Company of 13 Kumaon, 120 men mostly Ahirs from Haryana under Major Shaitan Singh, held the post against repeated Chinese attacks in freezing cold and without artillery support; 114 of them died fighting almost to the last man and the last round. Major Shaitan Singh was awarded the Param Vir Chakra posthumously, and the battle is remembered as one of the greatest last stands in military history. A rebuilt memorial at Rezang La was inaugurated in 2021. A, 1948, falls in the first India-Pakistan war over Kashmir (1947 to 1948), remembered for the tank assault on Zoji La. B, 1956, saw no war fought by India. D, 1972, is the year of the Shimla Agreement, after the 1971 Bangladesh war. Exam tip: Rezang La, 18 November 1962, 13 Kumaon, Major Shaitan Singh, Param Vir Chakra.

The correct answer is D, Uttar Pradesh. Prathama Bank, the first Regional Rural Bank of India, opened on 2 October 1975 with its head office at Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh, sponsored by Syndicate Bank. It was one of the first five RRBs set up that day under an ordinance that became the Regional Rural Banks Act 1976, following the recommendation of the Narasimham working group of 1975. Their capital is shared 50 per cent by the Central Government, 15 per cent by the State Government and 35 per cent by the sponsor bank; they are regulated by the RBI and supervised by NABARD. Option A is wrong because Prathama Bank never sat in Rajasthan; that state's first RRB was the Jaipur-Nagaur Anchalik Gramin Bank, another of the first five. Option B is wrong because none of the first five RRBs was in Madhya Pradesh. Option C is wrong because Punjab was not in the first batch either; the other first-day banks were in Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, West Bengal and Rajasthan. Exam tip: first RRB = Prathama Bank, Moradabad (UP), 2 October 1975, sponsor Syndicate Bank; shareholding 50:15:35.

The correct answer is B, Indonesia. President Sukarno of Indonesia was the chief guest at India's first Republic Day on 26 January 1950, the day the Constitution came into force and Dr Rajendra Prasad took oath as the first President. Indonesia had won its own independence from the Dutch only weeks earlier, in December 1949, and Sukarno and Nehru were close partners in the Asian anti-colonial movement that later became the Non-Aligned Movement, which is why he was chosen. That first parade was held at the Irwin Amphitheatre, today the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium, not on Rajpath. A, Bhutan, sent King Jigme Dorji Wangchuck as chief guest in 1954. C, China, was represented by Marshal Ye Jianying in 1958. D, Japan, had its Prime Minister Shinzo Abe as chief guest in 2014. Exam tip: first Republic Day chief guest, Sukarno of Indonesia, 1950; Indonesia's President Joko Widodo was chief guest again in 2018 with the ASEAN leaders.

The correct answer is D, New Delhi. The National Dope Testing Laboratory, NDTL, is in New Delhi and works under the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. It analyses the urine and blood samples of athletes for banned substances and is accredited by the World Anti-Doping Agency, WADA, which allows its results to be used in international sport. The other arm of the system, the National Anti-Doping Agency, NADA, which collects the samples and decides the cases, is also in New Delhi, so both national anti-doping bodies share the capital. NDTL is an autonomous body; NADA was set up in 2005 under the Societies Registration Act. A, Mumbai, has no national anti-doping facility. B, Bangalore, hosts a Sports Authority of India centre but not the laboratory. C, Punjab, has the Netaji Subhas National Institute of Sports at Patiala, India's main coaching institute, which is a different body. Exam tip: NDTL tests, NADA polices, both in New Delhi; WADA, the world body, is in Montreal.

The correct answer is C, Aditya Nath Jha. He became the first Lieutenant Governor of Delhi in 1966 and held the post until January 1972. Before 1966, Delhi was run by a Chief Commissioner. The Delhi Administration Act, 1966 created an elected Metropolitan Council and raised the head of the administration to the rank of Lieutenant Governor. A. N. Jha, an ICS officer, had in fact been Delhi's last Chief Commissioner for a short while before taking up the new post. Today the Lieutenant Governor is the administrator of the National Capital Territory under Article 239AA and is appointed by the President. Option A is wrong because Krishan Chand held the post later, from 1974 to 1978, including the Emergency years. Option B is wrong because Baleshwar Prasad served from 1972 to 1974. Option D is wrong because M. C. Pimputkar came after Jha and served for only a few months in 1972. Exam tip: Delhi had Chief Commissioners until 1966; its first Lieutenant Governor was A. N. Jha.

The correct answer is A, Black Francolin. The black francolin, known locally as kala teetar, is the state bird of Haryana. It belongs to the pheasant family, and the male is easy to recognise by its black face and breast, white cheek patch and chestnut collar, while the female is mostly brown. It lives in grassland, scrub and farmland with tall crops such as sugarcane, and its loud, repeated call is heard mostly at dawn and dusk. Haryana's other state symbols are the blackbuck as the state animal, the peepal as the state tree and the lotus as the state flower. Option B is wrong because the house sparrow is the state bird of Delhi and Bihar, not Haryana. Option C is wrong because the great egret is a large white wading bird of wetlands and is not Haryana's symbol. Option D is wrong because hummingbirds are found only in the Americas and do not live in India at all. Exam tip: Haryana's symbols are black francolin (bird), blackbuck (animal), peepal (tree) and lotus (flower).

The correct answer is C, 24 January. On 24 January 1950, two days before the Constitution came into force, the United Provinces was officially renamed Uttar Pradesh. The state government began celebrating this date as Uttar Pradesh Diwas, or UP Foundation Day, in 2018, with events across the state showing its culture, crafts and achievements. The One District One Product (ODOP) scheme, which promotes a special product from each district, was launched on the first UP Diwas in 2018. Conveniently, the short form ‘U.P.’ stayed the same, since both names begin with the same letters. Option A is wrong because 26 January is Republic Day, when the Constitution came into force in 1950. Option B is wrong because 25 January is National Voters’ Day, marking the founding of the Election Commission in 1950, and also Himachal Pradesh’s statehood day. Option D is wrong because 23 January is the birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, observed as Parakram Diwas. Exam tip: on 24 January 1950 the United Provinces became Uttar Pradesh; the day has been celebrated as UP Diwas since 2018.

The correct answer is B, New Delhi. The Ministry of Panchayati Raj is a Union ministry, and like every ministry of the Government of India it works from the national capital, New Delhi. It was set up as a separate ministry in May 2004 to look after the three-tier system of village, block and district panchayats. That system got constitutional status through the 73rd Amendment Act, 1992, which came into force on 24 April 1993; this is why 24 April is observed as National Panchayati Raj Day. Part IX of the Constitution and the Eleventh Schedule, with 29 subjects, deal with panchayats. A is wrong because Jaipur is the capital of Rajasthan; Rajasthan was the first state to start Panchayati Raj, at Nagaur on 2 October 1959, but the ministry is not there. C is wrong because Chennai is the capital of Tamil Nadu. D is wrong because Pune is a city of Maharashtra, not a seat of Union ministries. Exam tip: Union ministries = New Delhi; 73rd Amendment = panchayats; first Panchayati Raj = Nagaur, Rajasthan, 2 October 1959.

The correct answer is B, Hirakud dam – Odisha. The Hirakud dam stands on the Mahanadi near Sambalpur in Odisha. Completed in 1957, it was among the first big multipurpose river valley projects after Independence, built to control the Mahanadi's floods and to give irrigation and hydroelectric power. With its long earthen dykes it is one of the longest earthen dams in the world, about 26 km in total length. A is wrong because the Tehri dam, India's tallest, is on the Bhagirathi in Uttarakhand; it was in Uttar Pradesh only until Uttarakhand was formed in 2000, which is the trap here. C is wrong because Bhakra Nangal is on the Sutlej, with the Bhakra dam in Himachal Pradesh and the Nangal dam in Punjab, and its reservoir is the Gobind Sagar. D is wrong because Nagarjuna Sagar is on the Krishna, on the border of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, far from Rajasthan. Exam tip: match dams with rivers too, Hirakud–Mahanadi, Tehri–Bhagirathi, Bhakra–Sutlej, Nagarjuna Sagar–Krishna.

The correct answer is D, Beijing. China's capital hosted the Summer Olympics in 2008 and the Winter Olympics in 2022, which made it the first city ever to stage both. The 2008 Games are remembered for the Bird's Nest stadium and for Abhinav Bindra's gold in the 10 m air rifle, India's first individual Olympic gold. In 2022 the ice events were held in Beijing itself, with snow events in the nearby hill areas, and several 2008 venues were reused, such as the Water Cube, which became the curling venue. A is wrong because Tokyo has hosted only the Summer Games, in 1964 and 2020, while Japan's Winter Games went to Sapporo in 1972 and Nagano in 1998. B is wrong because Sydney hosted only the Summer Olympics of 2000. C is wrong because New York City has never hosted the Olympics; the Winter Games of 1932 and 1980 were at Lake Placid, a small town in New York State. Exam tip: Beijing 2008 summer plus 2022 winter; first city with both.

The correct answer is D, 1927. The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry was set up in 1927 by G.D. Birla and Purshottamdas Thakurdas on the advice of Mahatma Gandhi, so that Indian business would have a voice of its own during the freedom struggle. It is the oldest and largest apex business organisation in the country, a non-government body funded by its member companies and chambers, with its head office in New Delhi. Its well known arms include the FICCI Frames media conference and its ladies' organisation, FLO. Option A is wrong because 1948 is the year of the first Industrial Policy Resolution, not of FICCI. Option B is wrong because 1952 saw the first Parliament meet after the general election. Option C is wrong because 1939 is the year the Second World War began. Exam tip: FICCI 1927 with its head office in New Delhi; CII traces itself to 1895 and ASSOCHAM to 1920.

The correct answer is C, Vini Mahajan. Vini Mahajan, an IAS officer of the 1987 batch of the Punjab cadre, was appointed Chief Secretary of Punjab in June 2020, the first woman to hold the state's top civil service post since Punjab was formed in 1966. The Chief Secretary is the senior-most IAS officer of a state and heads its entire administration. She had earlier served in the Prime Minister's Office and as Punjab's Additional Chief Secretary for Investment Promotion, and after her state tenure she moved to the Centre as Secretary of the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation. A is wrong because Akanksha Juneja is a television actress, not a civil servant. B is wrong because Dr Navjot Kaur Sidhu is a doctor and politician who was a member of the Punjab assembly. D is wrong because Kiran Bedi was India's first woman IPS officer (1972) and later Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry, but she was a police officer, never a Chief Secretary. Exam tip: first woman Chief Secretary of Punjab, Vini Mahajan, June 2020; first woman IPS officer, Kiran Bedi, 1972.

The correct answer is D, Chennai. The All India Chess Federation, the national body for chess, was founded in 1951 and has its headquarters at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai. It is affiliated to FIDE, the world chess federation founded in Paris in 1924 and now based in Lausanne, and to the Indian Olympic Association. Chennai is called the chess capital of India: Viswanathan Anand, the first Indian Grandmaster (1988) and five-time world champion, is from the city, D Gukesh, who became world champion in December 2024, grew up there, and the 44th Chess Olympiad of 2022 was held at nearby Mamallapuram. Option A is wrong because Bengaluru houses no national chess body; it is known for the National Cricket Academy. Option B is wrong because Hyderabad is linked with badminton through the Gopichand academy, not with the AICF. Option C is wrong because Mumbai is the home of the BCCI, the cricket board. Exam tip: AICF = Chennai (1951), BCCI = Mumbai, Hockey India and AIFF = New Delhi, FIDE = Lausanne.

The correct answer is A, Roman. The rupee sign blends the Devanagari letter "र" (Ra) with the Roman capital "R" with its vertical stem removed, so that it reads as an Indian letter and an international one at the same time. It was designed by D. Udaya Kumar, then a student at IIT Bombay and later a professor at IIT Guwahati, who won a nationwide open competition; the Union Cabinet approved it on 15 July 2010. The two parallel horizontal lines across the top stand for the tricolour and for the equality sign, a nod to a balanced economy. With this sign the rupee joined the dollar, pound, euro and yen as currencies with their own symbol. B, Ol Chiki, is the script created for the Santali language and has no part in the design. C, Brahmi, is the ancient script of Ashoka's edicts, not used here. D, Cyrillic, is the script of Russian and other Slavic languages. Exam tip: rupee symbol = Devanagari Ra + Roman R, designed by Udaya Kumar, adopted 15 July 2010.