CTET 2024 Previous Year GK Questions with Answers

The correct answer is D, (A) is true but (B) is false. James Mill did publish A History of British India in 1817 in three volumes, so the first statement is correct. The second is not. Mill did not use the labels Ancient, Medieval and Modern; he split India's past into Hindu, Muslim and British periods, treating the first two as ages of superstition and British rule as the bringer of progress. Historians reject that scheme because it fixes a whole age by the religion of its rulers and hides everything else happening beneath. The Ancient, Medieval and Modern division came later, borrowed from European practice, and it too is criticised. A is wrong because the first statement is true, not false. B is wrong because the second statement is false. C is wrong because only one of the two is false. Exam tip: Mill, 1817, three volumes, and the Hindu, Muslim, British periodisation.

The correct answer is A, Bihu - Assam. Bihu is the chief festival and folk dance of Assam. The dance is performed by young men and women in groups to the beat of the dhol and the pepa, a pipe made of buffalo horn, with quick steps and graceful hand movements. Assam celebrates three Bihus: Rongali or Bohag Bihu in April at the Assamese New Year and the start of sowing, Kongali or Kati Bihu in October, and Bhogali or Magh Bihu in January after the harvest. The Bihu dance belongs mainly to Rongali Bihu. B is wrong because Lavani is a folk dance of Maharashtra, not Tamil Nadu. C is wrong because Bharatanatyam belongs to Tamil Nadu, while the classical dance of Odisha is Odissi. D is wrong because Kathak grew up in north India, especially Uttar Pradesh, while Karnataka is known for Yakshagana. Exam tip: Bihu, Assam; Lavani, Maharashtra; Bharatanatyam, Tamil Nadu; Odissi, Odisha; Kathak, Uttar Pradesh; Yakshagana, Karnataka.

The correct answer is B, Telangana. Pochampalli, also written Pochampally, is a weaving town in the Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district of Telangana, not far from Hyderabad. It is famous for ikat sarees, in which the threads are tied and dyed before weaving, so the pattern appears as the cloth is woven. The result is bright, geometric designs with softly blurred edges. Pochampalli ikat carries a Geographical Indication (GI) tag, which protects the name for weavers of this region. The town is also known as Bhoodan Pochampally, because Vinoba Bhave began the Bhoodan, or land-gift, movement here in 1951. A is wrong because Maharashtra is known for Paithani sarees, not Pochampalli. C is wrong because Tamil Nadu is famous for Kanjeevaram silk sarees. D is wrong because Karnataka is known for Mysore silk and Ilkal sarees. Exam tip: Pochampalli ikat, Telangana; Paithani, Maharashtra; Kanjeevaram, Tamil Nadu; Patola, Gujarat; Chanderi, Madhya Pradesh.

The correct answer is C, It is a community based rain water harvesting system. A johad is a small crescent-shaped earthen dam that villagers build together to catch and store rainwater. It is used mainly in Rajasthan and Haryana, where rain is scarce and falls in only a few months of the year. The water held behind the bund is used for cattle and farming, and much of it soaks into the ground, refilling wells and raising the water table. In Alwar district of Rajasthan, villagers working with the Tarun Bharat Sangh built many johads, and the Arvari river, which had dried up, began to flow again. A is wrong because a johad does not pump groundwater; it helps to recharge it. B is wrong because it collects rainwater running off the land, not water drawn from rivers. D is wrong because a johad is a storage structure, not a water filter. Exam tip: johad, Rajasthan and Haryana; kul, western Himalayas; bamboo drip irrigation, Meghalaya; zing, Ladakh.

The correct answer is B, 5th June. The United Nations General Assembly named 5 June as World Environment Day in 1972, and the day has been observed every year since 1974. The date recalls the opening day of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment held at Stockholm from 5 to 16 June 1972, the first big world meeting on the environment. The same conference led to the creation of the United Nations Environment Programme, or UNEP, which leads the celebrations each year. Every year the day has a new theme and a host country; India hosted it in 2018 with the theme 'Beat Plastic Pollution'. A is wrong because May's main environment date is 22 May, the International Day for Biological Diversity. C is wrong because July has World Population Day on 11 July, not World Environment Day. D is wrong because 5 August is not linked with this day at all. Exam tip: 22 April, Earth Day; 22 May, Biodiversity Day; 5 June, World Environment Day; 16 September, World Ozone Day.

The correct answer is A, (d) and (e). Sulphur dioxide and nitric oxide are the gases behind acid rain. When coal, petrol and diesel are burnt in power plants, factories and vehicles, they release sulphur dioxide and oxides of nitrogen such as nitric oxide. These gases dissolve in the water droplets of clouds and form sulphuric acid and nitric acid, which then come down with the rain. Acid rain harms crops, soil, lakes and forests, and it eats into buildings and monuments. NCERT's Class 8 science book describes how acid rain corrodes the white marble of the Taj Mahal at Agra, a damage called marble cancer, with industries around Agra and the Mathura refinery among the sources. B is wrong because nitrogen and oxygen are the main, harmless gases of the air. C is wrong because oxygen and ozone do not form the acids that fall as acid rain. D is wrong because it pairs sulphur dioxide with ozone, which is not a cause of acid rain. Exam tip: acid rain, sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides; marble cancer, the Taj Mahal.

The correct answer is A, The pressure in blood vessels exceeds outside pressure. At great heights the air is thin, so the atmospheric pressure acting on the body is much lower than at sea level. The blood inside our vessels keeps pushing outwards at nearly its usual pressure. In the nose the blood vessels are very fine and lie close to the surface, so when the pressure inside them becomes greater than the pressure outside, some of them burst and the nose bleeds. The cold, dry mountain air also makes the lining of the nose crack more easily. The same fall in air pressure is why water boils below 100 °C on mountains and food takes longer to cook. B is wrong because the pressure inside the vessels becomes more than, not less than, the outside pressure. C is wrong because equal pressures would give no push to burst the vessels. D is wrong because blood does not become thick enough at a height to cause nose bleeding. Exam tip: higher altitude, lower air pressure, so the pressure in blood vessels is relatively higher and the nose can bleed.

The correct answer is A, Zinc, Iron, Manganese. All three are needed by plants only in very small amounts, which makes them micronutrients. Plants need macronutrients in large amounts: nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium as primary nutrients, and calcium, magnesium and sulphur as secondary ones. Micronutrients such as iron, manganese, zinc, copper, boron, molybdenum and chlorine are needed only in traces, yet a shortage of any one of them still harms the plant. For example, a lack of zinc causes khaira disease in rice, and a lack of iron makes young leaves turn yellow. B is wrong because potassium and magnesium are macronutrients, even though copper is a micronutrient. C is wrong because phosphorus and calcium are macronutrients. D is wrong because sulphur is a macronutrient and aluminium is not an essential plant nutrient at all. Exam tip: macro, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium and sulphur; micro, iron, manganese, zinc, copper, boron, molybdenum and chlorine.

The correct answer is C, Only (b). Of the three, only citrus canker is caused by bacteria; rust of wheat is caused by a fungus and yellow vein mosaic of bhindi by a virus. Citrus canker produces raised, corky brown spots on the leaves, twigs and fruits of lemon, orange and other citrus plants, and it spreads through the air. Rust of wheat forms reddish-brown powdery patches on the leaves and stems, which is how it got its name. Yellow vein mosaic turns the veins of bhindi, or okra, leaves yellow, and insects carry the virus from plant to plant. NCERT's Class 8 science book gives exactly these three as its examples of bacterial, fungal and viral diseases of plants. A is wrong because yellow vein mosaic is a viral disease, not a bacterial one. B is wrong because it adds rust of wheat, which is a fungal disease. D is wrong because it adds the viral yellow vein mosaic. Exam tip: citrus canker, bacteria; rust of wheat, fungus; yellow vein mosaic of bhindi, virus.

The correct answer is C, Both (A) and (R) are true but (R) does not explain (A). Both events are real steps in the reorganisation of states on the basis of language, but the division of Punjab in 1966 cannot be the reason for what happened to Bombay six years earlier. The States Reorganisation Act of 1956 redrew state boundaries along linguistic lines, yet the bilingual state of Bombay was left in place. On 1 May 1960 it was split into Maharashtra for Marathi speakers and Gujarat for Gujarati speakers. In 1966 Punjab was divided in the same spirit, giving Punjab to Punjabi speakers and creating Haryana for Haryanvi or Hindi speakers. Option A is wrong because the Assertion about Bombay is correct. Option B is wrong because an event of 1966 cannot explain an event of 1960. Option D is wrong because the Reason about Punjab is also a true statement. Exam tip: Andhra state 1953; States Reorganisation Act 1956; Maharashtra and Gujarat 1960; Haryana 1966.

The correct answer is D, (A), (B) and (D) only. The ward member, the Panchayat President and the ward councillor are all chosen by voters, but the Secretary is an appointed official. In a village, the Gram Panchayat is made up of ward members, called Panchs, and a President, called the Sarpanch, and all of them are elected by the people. In a town or city, each ward elects a ward councillor to the Municipal Council or Municipal Corporation. The Secretary of the Gram Panchayat, who is also the secretary of the Gram Sabha, is not elected but appointed by the government, and he calls meetings and keeps the records. Option A is wrong because it leaves out the ward councillor, who is also elected. Option B is wrong because it leaves out the Panchayat President. Option C is wrong because it includes the Secretary, who is not elected. Exam tip: Panch, Sarpanch and ward councillor are elected; the Panchayat Secretary and the Municipal Commissioner are appointed.

The correct answer is D, French Revolution. The ideals of liberty, equality and fraternity in the Preamble of the Indian Constitution come from the French Revolution of 1789, whose famous slogan was made of these three words. The makers of the Constitution borrowed from many countries and then shaped the ideas to suit India. From France came these three ideals and the idea of a republic. From the former USSR came the ideals of social, economic and political justice and, later, the Fundamental Duties. Britain gave the parliamentary system and Ireland the Directive Principles. A is wrong because the Russian Revolution of 1917 is linked with the ideal of justice, not with this trio. B is wrong because the Magna Carta of 1215 was an English charter that limited the king's power, and it is linked with the idea of rights in general. C is wrong because the American model gave India its Fundamental Rights, judicial review and an independent judiciary. Exam tip: liberty, equality, fraternity, France; justice, USSR; Directive Principles, Ireland; parliamentary system, Britain.

The correct answer is A, Andhra Pradesh. Andhra Pradesh lies on the east coast of India, so its shoreline faces the Bay of Bengal. Its coast runs from the border of Odisha in the north to Tamil Nadu in the south, and the Godavari and Krishna rivers build rich deltas on it before entering the sea. The states with a coast on the Bay of Bengal are West Bengal, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, along with the union territories of Puducherry and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The stretch of the east coast in Andhra Pradesh is often called the Northern Circars, while the southern part in Tamil Nadu is the Coromandel Coast. B is wrong because Karnataka lies on the west coast and faces the Arabian Sea. C is wrong because Kerala also has its coast on the Arabian Sea, not the Bay of Bengal. D is wrong because Telangana is a landlocked state with no coastline at all. Exam tip: east coast states from north to south, West Bengal, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu; Telangana has no sea coast.

The correct answer is B, Local winds. Land and sea breezes blow over a small coastal area and change direction every day, so they are local winds. By day the land heats up faster than the sea, the warm air over the land rises, and cooler air moves in from the sea as a sea breeze. At night the land cools faster, so the breeze blows from the land towards the sea as a land breeze. NCERT groups winds into three kinds: permanent, seasonal and local. Another local wind is the loo, the hot and dry wind of north India in summer. A is wrong because a cyclone is a large low-pressure storm system, not a daily coastal breeze. C is wrong because seasonal winds, like the monsoons, change direction with the seasons, not between day and night. D is wrong because permanent winds, such as the trade winds and the westerlies, blow in the same direction all year round. Exam tip: permanent, trade winds and westerlies; seasonal, monsoons; local, land and sea breeze and loo.

The correct answer is D, (a) and (b). Mount Kilimanjaro and Fujiyama were both built up by volcanic eruptions, while the Alps were formed by folding. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania is the highest mountain in Africa, and Fujiyama, or Mount Fuji, is the highest mountain in Japan. Both are cone-shaped mountains made of layers of lava and ash piled up over many eruptions. The Alps in Europe are young fold mountains, raised when the African plate pushed against the Eurasian plate and the rock layers crumpled, much like the Himalayas. A is wrong because it includes the Alps, which are fold mountains. B is wrong for the same reason, even though Fujiyama is volcanic. C is wrong because the Alps alone are not volcanic, and this option leaves out both of the real volcanic mountains. Exam tip: volcanic, Kilimanjaro and Fujiyama; fold, Himalayas, Alps and Andes; block, the Vosges and the Black Forest along the Rhine valley.

The correct answer is B, The Vernacular Press Act was passed in 1880, to support the Government. This statement is wrong on both counts: the Act was passed in 1878, and it was meant to silence newspapers that criticised the Government, not to support it. The Act, passed under Viceroy Lord Lytton, allowed the Government to confiscate the assets of newspapers, including their printing presses, if they published anything found 'objectionable'. It angered educated Indians so much that Lord Ripon later repealed it. NCERT lists it among the measures of the 1870s and 1880s that turned Indians against British rule. A is a correct statement, since the Arms Act of 1878 disallowed Indians from possessing arms. C is correct, because the Ilbert Bill of 1883, which allowed Indian judges to try British persons, caused a furore among the British in India. D is correct, since dissatisfaction with British rule grew sharply in these two decades and led to the founding of the Congress in 1885. Exam tip: Arms Act and Vernacular Press Act, both 1878 under Lytton; Ilbert Bill, 1883 under Ripon.

The correct answer is D, Zabt. Under Akbar, each province was divided into revenue circles, each with its own schedule of revenue rates for individual crops, and this system was called zabt. Akbar's revenue minister Todar Mal carried out a careful survey of crop yields, prices and the area cultivated over ten years, from 1570 to 1580. On the basis of this data, tax was fixed in cash on each crop. Zabt worked only where Mughal officials could survey the land and keep careful accounts, so it was not possible in provinces such as Gujarat and Bengal. A is wrong because zat was the rank of a mansabdar that fixed his position and salary, not a tax system. B is wrong because iqta was a land assignment under the Delhi Sultans, and its holders were called iqtadars or muqtis. C is wrong because a jagir was the revenue assignment given to a mansabdar in place of a cash salary. Exam tip: Todar Mal, ten-year survey 1570 to 1580, crop-wise cash rates, zabt.

The correct answer is D, the mid-day sun is exactly overhead. Vertical rays pour the Sun's energy onto a small area, so this zone gets the most heat. The Torrid Zone lies between the Tropic of Cancer (23½° N) and the Tropic of Capricorn (23½° S), and it is the only belt where the mid-day sun is exactly overhead at least once a year. North and south of it the rays fall at a slant, so the same energy spreads over a larger area. That is why the Temperate Zones get moderate heat and the Frigid Zones near the poles stay very cold. A is wrong because slanting rays give less heat, which is the case in the Temperate and Frigid Zones. B is wrong because the zone is not landlocked, and being landlocked does not decide how much heat the Sun gives. C is wrong because oceans only make the climate milder, they do not add solar heat. Exam tip: Torrid, between the two Tropics; Temperate, from the Tropics to the Arctic and Antarctic Circles; Frigid, beyond the Circles.

The correct answer is D, Nitrogen and Oxygen. Together these two gases make up about 99 percent of the air around the Earth. Nitrogen alone is about 78 percent of the atmosphere and oxygen about 21 percent. The remaining 1 percent is mostly argon, with very small amounts of carbon dioxide, helium, ozone, hydrogen and water vapour. NCERT's Class 7 geography book puts it in one line: nitrogen and oxygen are the two gases that make up the bulk of the atmosphere. Plants need nitrogen to grow, and all living things need oxygen to breathe. A is wrong because ozone and helium are found only in tiny amounts, though ozone shields us from ultraviolet rays. B is wrong because hydrogen, unlike nitrogen, is present only in traces in the air. C is wrong because carbon dioxide is a very small share of the air, even though it traps heat and matters for climate. Exam tip: nitrogen about 78 percent, oxygen about 21 percent, argon about 0.93 percent.

The correct answer is D, Sulaiman and Kirthar hills. These hills in the north-west of the subcontinent, now in Pakistan, are among the places where people first began to grow wheat and barley. NCERT's Class 6 history book says this happened about 8000 years ago, when people here also began rearing sheep, goats and cattle and started living in villages. Mehrgarh, a fertile plain near the Bolan Pass in this region, is one of the earliest farming villages known to us. A is wrong because the Nilgiri hills in the far south are not linked with the first wheat and barley farming. B is wrong because the Garo hills in the north-east are named as a place where agriculture developed, but not as the home of the earliest wheat and barley. C is wrong because the Malabar area on the south-west coast is not where wheat and barley farming began. Exam tip: first wheat and barley, Sulaiman and Kirthar hills; oldest farming village, Mehrgarh near the Bolan Pass.