Which of the following countries has the highest Hindu population after India?

The correct answer is B, 1961. The Dowry Prohibition Act was passed in 1961 and came into force on 1 July that year.

The Act makes the giving, taking or demanding of dowry a punishable offence, and defines dowry as property or valuable security given in connection with a marriage. It was strengthened by amendments in 1984 and 1986, which fixed a minimum punishment and provided for Dowry Prohibition Officers. Around the same years criminal law added cruelty to a wife as an offence and made a death within seven years of marriage in suspicious circumstances a dowry death, with the burden of explanation on the husband's family.

A is wrong: no dowry law was passed in 1967. C is wrong: 1952 saw no such legislation. D is wrong: 1959 is when the bill was under discussion, but the Act carries the year 1961.

Exam tip: Dowry Prohibition Act - 1961, in force 1 July 1961, amended in 1984 and 1986.

The correct answer is B, Majuli Island. Majuli, lying in the Brahmaputra in Assam, is the largest river island in the world. It was made India's first island district in 2016 and is the heart of Assamese Vaishnavite culture: Srimanta Sankardeva and his disciple Madhavdeva set up satras, or monastic centres, there, and the Raas Mahotsav is its best known festival. The island has been shrinking for decades as the Brahmaputra eats into its banks, which is why it is often in the news for erosion control. Option A is wrong because Srirangam, a river island on the Kaveri in Tamil Nadu famous for the Ranganathaswamy temple, is much smaller. Option C is wrong because Bhavani Island lies in the Krishna near Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh. Option D is wrong because Agatti is a coral island of Lakshadweep in the Arabian Sea and not a river island at all. Exam tip: Majuli, on the Brahmaputra in Assam, is the largest river island and India's first island district.

The correct answer is D, Hubli. The South Western Railway zone has its headquarters at Hubballi, still widely written as Hubli, in Karnataka. The zone was carved out of the Southern and South Central Railways and began work on 1 April 2003; it runs the Hubballi, Bengaluru and Mysuru divisions and covers most of Karnataka with a little of Goa, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra. Option A is wrong because Chennai is the headquarters of Southern Railway, the first zone of independent India, formed in 1951. Option B is wrong because Secunderabad is the headquarters of South Central Railway. Option C is wrong because Kolkata is the headquarters of Eastern Railway and of Metro Railway, while South Eastern Railway sits at Garden Reach in the same city. Indian Railways is managed by the Railway Board, and the first train in India ran from Bori Bunder to Thane on 16 April 1853. Exam tip: Hubballi South Western, Jabalpur West Central, Bilaspur South East Central, Hajipur East Central, Bhubaneswar East Coast.

The correct answer is B, Shri Krishna Sinha. Shri Krishna Sinha, affectionately called Shri Babu, is remembered as Bihar Kesari, the lion of Bihar. He was the first Premier of Bihar under the 1937 provincial elections and then the first Chief Minister of the state after independence, holding office until 1961. He led the Barahiya Tal satyagraha against illegal levies, joined the salt satyagraha, and made Bihar the first state in India to abolish the zamindari system in 1950. He also worked with Dr Rajendra Prasad to have the Deoghar temple opened to Dalits. Option A is wrong because Rajendra Prasad, independent India's first President, is called Desh Ratna and Bihar Vibhuti. Option C is wrong because Karpoori Thakur is remembered as Jannayak, the people's leader. Option D is wrong because Lala Lajpat Rai was Punjab Kesari and Sher-e-Punjab. Exam tip: Punjab Kesari is Lajpat Rai, Bihar Kesari is Shri Krishna Sinha, Andhra Kesari is T. Prakasam.

The correct answer is A, Shillong. Shillong, the capital of Meghalaya, sits on rolling grassy uplands with pine woods, waterfalls and a cool damp climate, and British officers thought the landscape resembled the Scottish highlands, so the name Scotland of the East stuck. Meghalaya itself is called the Abode of Clouds, and Mawsynram and Cherrapunji nearby are among the wettest places on earth.

Option B, Gangtok, is the capital of Sikkim and is known for its views of Kanchenjunga, not by this name. Option C, Darjeeling in West Bengal, is the Queen of the Hills and is famous for its tea. Option D, Munnar in Kerala, is a Western Ghats tea town. Khajjiar in Himachal Pradesh is separately called the Mini Switzerland of India, and that is the nickname most often swapped with this one.