Match List I with List II: a. Coniferous forests, b. Mediterranean vegetation, c. Tropical evergreen forests, d. Temperate evergreen forests; i. Eastern margin of the continents, ii. Hardwood trees, iii. Softwood evergreen trees, iv. West and south-west margins of the continents.

The correct answer is A, (a)-(iv), (b)-(i), (c)-(ii), (d)-(iii). Marble is a metamorphic rock, formed when limestone is changed deep inside the earth by great heat and pressure; the Taj Mahal is built of it. Sandstone is a sedimentary rock, made of sand grains carried by wind or water and pressed together in layers over long periods, and it is the red stone of Fatehpur Sikri. Coal is counted as a fossil fuel, formed from plant remains buried in swamps millions of years ago and slowly changed by heat and pressure. Granite is an igneous rock, formed when molten magma cools and hardens below the surface, which gives it a coarse, grainy look and great hardness. B, C and D are wrong because each swaps at least two of these pairs, most often putting granite with sedimentary rocks or marble with igneous rocks. Exam tip: limestone becomes marble, magma gives granite, sand gives sandstone.

The correct answer is D, 16.68 percent. In the Census of 2011 the male literacy rate was 82.14 per cent and the female literacy rate was 65.46 per cent, so the gap between them was 16.68 percentage points. Overall literacy stood at 74.04 per cent. The gap had been more than twenty one points in 2001, so it narrowed over the decade because female literacy rose faster than male literacy. Kerala had the highest literacy at 93.91 per cent and Bihar the lowest at 61.80 per cent, while the union territory of Lakshadweep stood second after Kerala. A, B and C are wrong because 14.96, 15.23 and 17.98 do not match the difference between the two published figures. Exam tip: Census 2011 literacy, total 74.04, male 82.14, female 65.46, gap 16.68, Kerala highest and Bihar lowest.

The correct answer is D, Maharashtra. Maharashtra has by far the largest number of large dams in India, more than two thousand of the roughly 5,300 listed in the National Register of Large Dams, which is close to half the country's total. The rivers of its Deccan plateau, its dependence on irrigation for sugarcane and its long record of building storage projects explain the number, and Koyna, Jayakwadi, Ujani and Bhatsa are among its best known dams. Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat come next on the list. A is wrong because Rajasthan is dry and has few perennial rivers to dam, so its count is much smaller. B is wrong because Tamil Nadu has thousands of tanks but far fewer large dams. C is wrong because Gujarat, though high on the list and home to the Sardar Sarovar, stands behind Maharashtra. Exam tip: most large dams - Maharashtra, then Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat; a large dam is one more than 15 metres high.

The correct answer is C, Loo - Hot wind. The Loo is the strong, dry and very hot wind that blows over the plains of north and north-west India during the day in May and June. It moves from the west towards the east across Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, often pushing afternoon temperatures above 45 degrees Celsius, and long exposure to it can cause heat stroke. It dies down once the monsoon arrives in late June. A is wrong because Kaal Baisakhi is not an autumn wind; it is the violent evening thunderstorm of April and May in West Bengal, Odisha and Assam that brings sudden rain and squalls. B is wrong because trade winds are the steady tropical winds blowing from the subtropical high pressure belts towards the equator, not winter snow storms. D is wrong because the Loo is a summer wind, not a winter stormy wind. Exam tip: Loo - hot summer wind of the northern plains; Kaal Baisakhi - pre-monsoon thunderstorm of eastern India; mango showers - pre-monsoon rain of Kerala and Karnataka.

The correct answer is C, Doab. Doab, from the Persian words for two and water, is the name for the tract of land between two rivers. The Punjab plains, built by the Indus and its tributaries, are divided into such tracts, among them the Bari doab between the Beas and the Ravi, the Bist doab between the Beas and the Satluj, the Rachna doab between the Ravi and the Chenab and the Chaj doab between the Chenab and the Jhelum. Option A is wrong because a Dun is a longitudinal valley between the Shiwaliks and the Lesser Himalaya. Option B is wrong because Bhabar is the pebble belt at the foot of the Shiwaliks. Option D is wrong because Karewas are the lake deposits of the Kashmir valley on which saffron is grown.