A fortnightly newspaper, Khabar Lahriya, run by a group of women was initiated from which of the following regions of Uttar Pradesh?

The correct answer is B, Muskmelon. Durgapura Madhu is a muskmelon variety, and it takes its name from the Durgapura research farm of the agricultural research institute at Jaipur in Rajasthan, where it was developed. Hot dry summers and light sandy soils suit melons, so Rajasthan grows them on river beds and in field plots as a summer crop, and Durgapura has released a small family of melon varieties that carry the farm's name, Durgapura Madhu and Durgapura Meetha among them. Madhu is grown for its sweet flesh and is popular in the Jaipur, Tonk and Bharatpur belt. State exams usually ask such questions the other way round too, pairing a variety with its crop, so the name itself is the clue to learn. A is wrong because watermelon is a separate crop with its own varieties such as Sugar Baby and Arka Manik. C is wrong because rose is a flower crop. D is wrong because cucumber varieties, like Poona Khira, carry other names. Exam tip: Durgapura Madhu and Durgapura Meetha are muskmelon varieties from Durgapura, Jaipur.

The correct answer is D, January 2021. Maharashtra began its Jail Tourism scheme on 26 January 2021, Republic Day, at the Yerawada Central Jail in Pune, making it the first state in the country to open a working prison to visitors. The idea is to let people see the cells where freedom fighters were held, so the scheme was launched in the year that marked the 75th anniversary of the Indian National Army trials and the run-up to Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav. At Yerawada visitors are shown the yard linked to Mahatma Gandhi and the cell associated with Lokmanya Tilak and other leaders, on payment of a small fee. Options A, B and C are wrong because they name later months of 2021, while the launch was tied deliberately to Republic Day at the start of the year. Exam tip: Jail Tourism — Maharashtra, first in India, 26 January 2021, Yerawada Central Jail, Pune.

The correct answer is C, five. Maharashtra has five of the twelve Jyotirlingas, which is more than any other state: Bhimashankar in Pune district, Trimbakeshwar near Nashik, Grishneshwar near the Ellora caves, Aundha Nagnath in Hingoli and Parli Vaijnath in Beed. Trimbakeshwar is also one of the four sites of the Kumbh Mela and the source of the Godavari, while Grishneshwar stands beside the Ellora caves, so the two great sites of the state sit together.

Option A, two, and option B, three, understate the number and are the usual guesses. Option D, seven, overstates it. For comparison, Madhya Pradesh has two, Mahakaleshwar at Ujjain and Omkareshwar, while Gujarat has Somnath and Nageshwar, Uttarakhand has Kedarnath, Uttar Pradesh has Kashi Vishwanath and Jharkhand has Baidyanath, which together with Maharashtra's five make up the twelve.

The correct answer is A, Gharapuri. The island in Mumbai harbour that holds the Elephanta Caves is called Gharapuri locally, and the Portuguese named it Elephanta after a stone elephant found there. The caves are dedicated mainly to Shiva, and the great Trimurti bust in the main cave is their best known sculpture. UNESCO inscribed them on the World Heritage List in 1987.

Option B, Salsette, is the large island on which much of Mumbai and Thane stand. Option C, Butcher Island, is an oil terminal island in the same harbour. Option D, Madh, is a coastal locality in the north of Mumbai. All are places in or around the harbour, which is why they make good distractors, but Gharapuri is the island of the caves.

The correct answer is A, Amravati. Melghat lies in the Satpura hills of the Amravati district in Vidarbha, and it was among the first group of tiger reserves notified when Project Tiger began in 1973. The Gugamal National Park forms its core, the Tapi drains part of it, and the Korku people live in and around the forest. Melghat means the meeting of the ghats, a name that describes the folded hills of the reserve.

Option B, Chandrapur, is the district of the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve, the oldest national park of the state, and it is the strongest distractor here. Option C, Gadchiroli, is heavily forested but is not the seat of Melghat. Option D, Nagpur, is close to the Pench reserve, which is shared with Madhya Pradesh. Hold the pairing as Melghat with Amravati and Tadoba with Chandrapur.