Statements 1 and 2 are correct as Lord Curzon announced the Partition of Bengal in 1905, and during the resulting Swadeshi movement, the National Council of Education set up the Bengal National College with Aurobindo Ghosh as its first principal. Statement 3 is incorrect because in 1911 the capital of British India was shifted from Calcutta to Delhi, not Bombay.

Pairs 1 and 2 are correctly matched because Bhagat Singh was a leading founder-member of the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association established in 1928, and Subhas Chandra Bose formed the Forward Bloc in 1939. Pair 3 is incorrectly matched because the Ghadar Party was founded in San Francisco in 1913 by Lala Har Dayal and Sohan Singh Bhakna.

Both statements 1 and 2 are correct. James Prinsep, an officer in the Calcutta Mint, deciphered the Brahmi and Kharosthi scripts of Ashoka's edicts in 1837. The Shar-i-Kuna rock inscription discovered at Kandahar in Afghanistan is bilingual, inscribed in Greek and Aramaic for the Hellenistic and Iranian populations of the region.

The correct chronological sequence is: Battle of Haldighati in 1576 between Maharana Pratap and the Mughal army, Battle of Plassey in 1757 where Robert Clive defeated Siraj-ud-Daulah, Third Battle of Panipat in January 1761 between the Marathas and Ahmad Shah Abdali, and Battle of Buxar in October 1764.

All three statements are correct. The Narmada originates near Amarkantak and flows westward through a rift valley between the Vindhyan and Satpura ranges. The Godavari (1,465 km) is the longest peninsular river and is called Dakshin Ganga, while the Kaveri originates in the Brahmagiri hills of Kodagu district in Karnataka.

Pairs 1, 2, and 4 are correctly matched. The Strait of Malacca links the Andaman Sea to the South China Sea, Bab-el-Mandeb links the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden, and Palk Strait links the Bay of Bengal with the Gulf of Mannar. Pair 3 is incorrectly matched because the Bosphorus Strait connects the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara.

Both statements 1 and 2 are correct. The southwest monsoon (June to September) contributes around 75% of India's total annual precipitation across the country. The retreating or northeast monsoon picks up moisture as it crosses the Bay of Bengal and causes substantial rainfall over the Coromandel coast of Tamil Nadu and southern Andhra Pradesh during October and November.

Pairs 1, 2, and 3 are correctly matched. Zoji La connects Srinagar with Kargil and Leh, Shipki La is located in Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh providing passage to Tibet, and Nathu La connects Sikkim with the Chumbi Valley of Tibet. Pair 4 is incorrectly matched because Bomdi La is located in Arunachal Pradesh, not Assam.

Statements 1 and 3 are correct as the RTI Act was enacted in 2005 and Section 7(1) mandates the Public Information Officer to provide requested information within 30 days. Statement 2 is incorrect because Section 1(2) as originally enacted explicitly stated that the Act extended to the whole of India except the State of Jammu and Kashmir.

Both statements 1 and 2 are correct. The 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act of 1992 added Part IX and the Eleventh Schedule containing 29 functional subjects under Article 243G. Article 243D(3) explicitly mandates reservation of not less than one-third of all seats in Panchayats for women, including those reserved for SC and ST women.

Statements 2 and 3 are correct. Under Article 123, an ordinance ceases to operate six weeks after the reassembly of Parliament unless approved earlier by both Houses, and the President's ordinance-making power has the same limits as Parliament's legislative power. Statement 1 is incorrect because an ordinance can be issued when either of the two Houses is not in session.

Pairs 1, 2, and 3 are correctly matched. The 42nd Amendment of 1976 added 'Socialist', 'Secular', and 'Integrity' to the Preamble, the 52nd Amendment of 1985 introduced the Anti-Defection Law via the Tenth Schedule, and the 61st Amendment of 1988 lowered the voting age to 18 years. Pair 4 is incorrectly matched because the 73rd Amendment relates to rural Panchayats, while the 74th Amendment relates to urban local bodies.

All three statements are correct. NREGA 2005 legally guarantees 100 days of unskilled manual wage employment per fiscal year to adult members of rural households. The scheme was rolled out nationally to cover all rural districts on 1 April 2008, and Section 7(1) guarantees payment of an unemployment allowance if employment is not provided within 15 days of submitting an application.

Statement 1 is correct because headline inflation in India was traditionally measured through the Wholesale Price Index (WPI) before the Reserve Bank adopted the Consumer Price Index (CPI-Combined) in 2014. Statement 2 is incorrect because the WPI basket tracks only manufactured and primary goods, completely excluding services.

Statements 1 and 2 are correct as the RBI was nationalized on 1 January 1949, and the repo rate is the policy rate at which the RBI provides liquidity to commercial banks against eligible securities. Statement 3 is incorrect because raising the CRR forces commercial banks to lock away a higher share of their net demand and time liabilities with the RBI, shrinking their lendable resources.

All three pairs are correctly matched. The First Plan (1951-56) adopted the Harrod-Domar growth model with a focus on agriculture and irrigation. The Second Plan (1956-61) implemented P.C. Mahalanobis's heavy capital goods industrial model, and the Tenth Plan (2002-07) set an ambitious target of 8% annual GDP growth.

All three statements are correct. Norman Myers introduced the hotspot concept in 1988, which requires an area to contain at least 1,500 species of vascular plants as endemics and to have suffered at least a 70% loss of its primary natural habitat. India hosts parts of four global hotspots, including the Western Ghats and the Himalayas.

Both statements 1 and 2 are correct. Project Tiger was launched by the Union Government on 1 April 1973 to save Bengal tigers from extinction. Jim Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand was chosen as the venue for its formal launch and was designated as India's first tiger reserve.

Pairs 1, 2, and 3 are correctly matched because Kaziranga is located in Assam (noted for one-horned rhinos), Gir is in Gujarat (the exclusive home of Asiatic lions), and Kanha is in Madhya Pradesh. Pair 4 is incorrectly matched because Periyar National Park is situated in the Idukki and Pathanamthitta districts of Kerala, not Tamil Nadu.

All three statements are correct. Vitamin C deficiency leads to defective collagen synthesis resulting in scurvy with bleeding gums. Vitamin D is synthesised in the epidermis when 7-dehydrocholesterol reacts to solar ultraviolet-B radiation, and Vitamin B12 deficiency leads to pernicious anaemia due to improper maturation of red blood cells.

Statement 1 is correct because Chandrayaan-1 was launched on 22 October 2008 by PSLV-C11 from Sriharikota. Statement 2 is incorrect because the orbiter carried 11 payloads, of which six were from international partners including NASA, the European Space Agency, and Bulgaria.

Statements 1 and 2 are correct because Bt cotton was approved for commercial cultivation in 2002 and incorporates endotoxin Cry genes from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis to resist bollworms. Statement 3 is incorrect because Bt brinjal was never released for commercial farming in India, having been subjected to an indefinite moratorium in 2010.

Statements 1 and 2 are correct as the NSG granted a clean waiver to India on 6 September 2008, and the pact signed under Section 123 of the US Atomic Energy Act governs civilian nuclear trade between the two countries. Statement 3 is incorrect because the waiver was based on India's voluntary testing moratorium, and conducting nuclear explosive tests would terminate international nuclear supply cooperation.

All three statements are correct. At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Usain Bolt clocked a world record of 9.69 seconds in the 100m sprint. Abhinav Bindra secured India's historic first individual Olympic gold medal in the men's 10m air rifle shooting event, and American swimmer Michael Phelps set an all-time record by winning eight gold medals in a single Games.

Both statements 1 and 2 are correct. Lehman Brothers collapsed on 15 September 2008, filing the largest Chapter 11 bankruptcy in history due to subprime mortgage exposure. In the aftermath, the first-ever G20 Leaders' Summit convened in Washington D.C. on 14–15 November 2008 to coordinate global fiscal stimulus and financial regulatory reforms.

All three statements are correct. The 1857 uprising began on 10 May 1857 with the mutiny of sepoys at Meerut, who marched to Delhi and proclaimed Mughal ruler Bahadur Shah Zafar as the Emperor of India (Shahenshah-e-Hindustan). In the aftermath, the British Parliament enacted the Government of India Act 1858, transferring power from the East India Company to the British Crown.

Statements 1 and 2 are correct. The Non-Cooperation Movement was launched in 1920 integrating the Khilafat agitation and Punjab grievances, and was suspended by Gandhi following the violent Chauri Chaura incident on 4 February 1922. Statement 3 is incorrect because the goal of 'Purna Swaraj' (complete independence) was adopted at the Lahore session of December 1929, inaugurating the Civil Disobedience Movement.

Statement 1 is correct as the monumental public Great Bath with watertight bitumen lining was unearthed at Mohenjo-daro. Statement 2 is incorrect because the Indus Valley was a Bronze Age civilization that had no knowledge of iron, which appeared during the later Vedic age. Statement 3 is incorrect because the Harappan pictographic script remains undeciphered.

Statements 1 and 3 are correct. Kabir's verses and philosophical hymns are compiled in the holy text Bijak, and Guru Nanak Dev established Sikhism in 15th-century Punjab preaching devotion to the one formless God. Statement 2 is incorrect because Chaitanya Mahaprabhu of Bengal was a supreme exponent of the Saguna school of Vaishnavism, popularizing ecstatic Krishna and Radha devotion.

DDT Environmental Classification:

• DDT (Dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane) is a synthetic organochlorine chemical insecticide first synthesized by Othmar Zeidler (1874) and discovered as an insecticide by Paul Hermann Müller (1939, Nobel Prize 1948).
• DDT is a classic Non-biodegradable pollutant because:

1. It has high chemical stability and lipid solubility, resisting degradation by micro-organisms, sunlight, and moisture (environmental half-life of 2 to 15 years in soil).
2. It accumulates in fatty tissues of living organisms and exhibits severe Biomagnification along ecological food chains, leading to eggshell thinning and population collapse in birds of prey (as documented by Rachel Carson in Silent Spring, 1962).

Therefore, DDT is a Non-biodegradable pollutant (Option B).

In colloid chemistry, an emulsion is a colloidal dispersion of microscopic droplets of one liquid dispersed in another immiscible liquid medium:

• Milk is an oil-in-water (O/W) emulsion, where liquid butterfat globules are dispersed within an aqueous solution containing water, lactose, and proteins (stabilized by casein acting as an emulsifier).
• Foam: Gas dispersed in liquid (e.g., whipped cream, shaving cream).
• Sol: Solid dispersed in liquid (e.g., paint, cell fluids, ink).
• Aerosol: Solid or liquid dispersed in gas (e.g., fog, mist, smoke).

Therefore, milk is a textbook example of an emulsion.

Statements 1 and 3 are correct. Major Rock Edict XIII provides a moving account of the bloodshed in the Kalinga War and Ashoka's transformation to Dhamma Vijaya, and the Ashokan Sarnath Lion Capital was adopted as the National Emblem of India on 26 January 1950. Statement 2 is incorrect because Ashoka's Brahmi inscriptions were deciphered by James Prinsep in 1837, not Sir William Jones.

All three statements are correct. Mahatma Gandhi launched the Quit India Movement on 8 August 1942 at the Gowalia Tank Maidan in Bombay with the historic slogan 'Do or Die'. Following the pre-dawn arrests of the top Congress leadership under Operation Zero Hour, socialist leaders including Jayaprakash Narayan, Ram Manohar Lohia, and Aruna Asaf Ali led the underground struggle and clandestine Congress Radio broadcasts.

Statements 1 and 2 are correct. Viceroy Lord Curzon ordered the partition of Bengal in 1905, triggering widespread resistance through the Swadeshi and Boycott movements across the country. Statement 3 is incorrect because while the partition was indeed annulled in 1911 at the Delhi Durbar by King George V, the imperial capital was transferred from Calcutta to Delhi, not Bombay.

Statement 1 is correct as Harisena, court poet of Samudragupta, inscribed the classical Sanskrit Prayag Prashasti on the Ashokan pillar at Allahabad praising his extensive conquests. Statement 2 is incorrect because Sangam literature dates from the earlier period between roughly 300 BCE and 300 CE in Tamilakam. Statement 3 is incorrect because Buddhist monk Fa-Hien travelled through northern India during the reign of Chandragupta II (Vikramaditya).

Statements 1 and 3 are correct. Womesh Chandra Bonnerjee presided over the inaugural session of the Congress held at Bombay in December 1885, and the historic Lucknow Pact of December 1916 united the Congress and the All-India Muslim League on a joint scheme of constitutional reforms. Statement 2 is incorrect because the Surat Split of 1907 was an internal fracture dividing the Moderates and Extremists.

All three statements are correct. Raja Rammohan Roy founded the Brahmo Sabha in Calcutta in August 1828, campaigning against idol worship and sati. Swami Dayananda Saraswati established the Arya Samaj in Bombay in April 1875 upholding Vedic supremacy, and Sir Syed Ahmad Khan led the Aligarh Movement promoting modern scientific and English education among Indian Muslims.

Correct Option: Option (B) — 1 and 2 only is the correct answer.

• Statement(s) 1, 2 are correct:
• 1. The Karakoram range lies to the north-west of the main Himalayan ranges.
• 2. K2 (Mount Godwin-Austen) is located in the Karakoram range.
• Statement(s) 3 is/are incorrect:
• 3. The Shivalik is the innermost range of the Himalayas.

Both statements 1 and 2 are correct. The Indus river rises in the Tibetan plateau in the vicinity of Lake Mansarovar from the Bokhar Chu glacier (Singi Khamban). In Uttarakhand, the Bhagirathi originating from Gaumukh and the Alaknanda originating from the Satopanth glacier unite at Devprayag to officially form the Ganga.

Statements 1 and 3 are correct as laterite soils result from intense silica leaching in humid tropical conditions with alternating wet and dry seasons, and alluvial soils deposited by river systems cover roughly 40% of the total land area of India. Statement 2 is incorrect because black regur soil is developed over Deccan basaltic lava plateaus and is typically deficient in humus, nitrogen, and phosphorus.

All three statements are correct. The Mediterranean climatic zone is positioned on western continental margins between 30° and 45° latitude, experiencing dry summers under high-pressure trade wind belts and cyclonic rain-bearing westerlies in winter. The long sunny ripening seasons make these regions world-renowned for viticulture, olives, figs, and citrus horticulture.

Statements 1 and 2 are correct as the Gulf Stream carries warm tropical water northward along eastern North America, whereas the Labrador Current carries freezing Arctic water southward. Statement 3 is incorrect because while their collision produces navigational dense fog, the mixing of nutrients triggers massive phytoplankton growth, creating world-famous productive fishing zones like the Grand Banks of Newfoundland.

Correct Option: Option (A) — 1 only is the correct answer.

• Statement(s) 1 are correct:
• 1. Mumbai and Ahmedabad are major cotton textile centres located close to cotton-growing regions.
• Statement(s) 2, 3 is/are incorrect:
• 2. The first successful cotton textile mill in India was established at Kanpur.
• 3. The cotton textile industry in India is concentrated in the northeastern states.

Statements 1 and 3 are correct. The 5,846-km Golden Quadrilateral highway network links the four major metropolitan hubs of Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, and Kolkata, developed and supervised by the National Highways Authority of India. Statement 2 is incorrect because the route bypasses several state capitals of the territories it crosses, including Gandhinagar in Gujarat and Jaipur in Rajasthan along certain alignments.

All three statements are correct. Tropical cyclones originate over warm tropical oceans where sea surface temperatures exceed 26.5°C to 27°C providing sensible heat and latent heat of condensation. The Bay of Bengal witnesses far more frequent and intense cyclones than the Arabian Sea due to warmer waters and higher moisture flux, and the Earth's Coriolis deflection causes cyclonic winds to rotate counter-clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere.

Statements 1 and 2 are correct. Wheat is the premier temperate rabi crop of India sown during October-December and reaped during March-May, with Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, and Haryana producing the vast majority of national output. Statement 3 is incorrect because wheat thrives in cool growing weather (10°C to 15°C at sowing) and requires moderate rainfall of only 50 to 75 cm.

Pair 1 is correctly matched because the Strait of Hormuz connects the oil-rich Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the wider Indian Ocean. Pair 2 is incorrectly matched because the Strait of Gibraltar links the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea (the Suez Canal connects the Mediterranean to the Red Sea). Pair 3 is incorrectly matched because the Bering Strait connects the Arctic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean.

Statements 1 and 3 are correct. El Niño represents the warm phase of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), characterized by unseasonal warming of surface waters in the central and eastern tropical Pacific, which displaces atmospheric convection eastward and brings acute droughts to Australia, Indonesia, and southern Asia. Statement 2 is incorrect because El Niño occurs when easterly trade winds weaken or collapse.

All three pairs are correctly matched. The high-grade haematite iron ore belt extends across Jharkhand (Singhbhum) and Odisha (Mayurbhanj and Keonjhar). The historic Kolar Gold Fields in Karnataka were India's primary domestic source of mined gold, and Mumbai High located on the continental shelf 160 km off the coast of Maharashtra is India's largest producing offshore oil field.

Statements 1 and 2 are correct. Article 21 guarantees that no person shall be deprived of his life or personal liberty except according to procedure established by law, and Dr. Ambedkar famously described Article 32 as the heart and soul without which the Constitution would be a nullity. Statement 3 is incorrect because Fundamental Rights are qualified by reasonable restrictions and, under Articles 358 and 359, can be suspended during a National Emergency (except Articles 20 and 21).

Statements 1 and 3 are correct. The 42nd Constitutional Amendment Act of 1976 added 'Socialist', 'Secular', and 'Integrity' to the Preamble, which embodies the fundamental philosophy of Jawaharlal Nehru's Objectives Resolution moved in December 1946. Statement 2 is incorrect because the Supreme Court in the Berubari Union and Kesavananda Bharati cases affirmed that the Preamble is neither a source of power to the legislature nor a prohibition upon legislative authority.

Statement 1 is correct because under Article 123(1), an ordinance can be issued whenever either of the two Houses of Parliament is not in session, as no ordinary bill can become law without the concurrence of both Houses. Statement 2 is incorrect because an ordinance automatically lapses six weeks after the reassembly of Parliament unless approved earlier. Statement 3 is incorrect because an ordinance cannot be promulgated if both Houses are in session.

All three statements are correct. The 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act 1992 added the Eleventh Schedule detailing 29 functional responsibilities for local bodies (Article 243G). Article 243D(3) reserves not less than one-third of all seats in every Panchayat for women, and Article 243E prescribes a mandatory duration of five years from the date of the first meeting for every tier of Panchayati Raj.

Statements 1 and 2 are correct. The RTI Act came fully into force on 12 October 2005 (120 days after presidential assent) and Section 31 specifically repealed the Freedom of Information Act, 2002. Statement 3 is incorrect because Section 1(2) as originally enacted stated that the Act extended to the whole of India except the State of Jammu and Kashmir.

Statements 1 and 3 are correct. Under Article 131, the Supreme Court possesses exclusive original jurisdiction to resolve intergovernmental legal disputes in the Indian federation, and under Article 32, it has the constitutional power to issue prerogative writs to safeguard Fundamental Rights. Statement 2 is incorrect because the advisory opinion given under Article 143 is consultative in nature and not binding on the President.

Statement 1 is correct because Article 109(1) of the Constitution mandates that a Money Bill shall not be introduced in the Rajya Sabha, requiring introduction only in the Lok Sabha upon the prior recommendation of the President. Statement 2 is incorrect because under Article 109, the Rajya Sabha cannot amend or reject a Money Bill; it can only return it with recommendations within 14 days, which the Lok Sabha may accept or reject.

All three statements are correct. The Election Commission is a permanent body vested with superintendence, direction, and control of elections under Article 324. Proviso to Article 324(5) accords the Chief Election Commissioner security of tenure equivalent to a Supreme Court judge, requiring an address by both Houses of Parliament on grounds of proved misbehaviour or incapacity. It administers elections to Parliament, State Legislatures, and the offices of the President and Vice-President.

Statements 1 and 2 are correct. The Seventh Schedule divides legislative powers into List I (Union List covering defence, external affairs, railways), List II (State List covering public order, police, public health), and List III (Concurrent List). Statement 3 is incorrect because under Article 248 and Entry 97 of the Union List, residuary powers on any matter not enumerated in the Concurrent or State Lists belong exclusively to Parliament, not the States.

Statements 1 and 3 are correct. The 42nd Constitutional Amendment Act of 1976 acted on the Swaran Singh Committee's report to incorporate Part IV-A containing Article 51A listing Fundamental Duties. Statement 2 is incorrect because Fundamental Duties are non-justiciable moral obligations that cannot be directly enforced by courts unless backed by parliamentary enactments.

Statement 1 is correct because under Article 93, the Lok Sabha chooses two members from amongst its members to be the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker. Statement 2 is incorrect because under the second proviso to Article 94, the Speaker does not vacate office on dissolution but continues until immediately before the first meeting of the new Lok Sabha. Statement 3 is incorrect because the Speaker's salary and allowances are charged on the Consolidated Fund of India (Article 112(3)(b)), not the Public Account.

The 52nd Amendment of 1985 enacted the Tenth Schedule disqualifying legislators for defection (A-2). The 61st Amendment of 1988 amended Article 326 reducing the minimum voting age from 21 to 18 years (B-3). The 86th Amendment of 2002 inserted Article 21A recognizing free and compulsory elementary education as a Fundamental Right (C-1). Therefore, the correct matching code is 2 3 1.

Statements 1 and 3 are correct. The Sixth Central Pay Commission was headed by Justice B.N. Srikrishna and introduced a novel pay structure comprising four running Pay Bands alongside Grade Pay to de-clutter hierarchical pay scales. Statement 2 is incorrect because the Commission's pay recommendations were given retrospective effect from 1 January 2006, not 2001.

Salma Bint Hizab al-Oteibi made history by being elected as the first female municipal council member for the Madrakah council in the holy province of Mecca during Saudi Arabia's historic municipal elections, which marked the first time Saudi female citizens were allowed to register as voters and stand as candidates.

Statement 1 is correct because the Wholesale Price Index (WPI) was traditionally used as the headline inflation indicator in India prior to the RBI adopting the CPI-Combined index in 2014. Statement 2 is incorrect because the WPI commodity basket completely excludes services. Statement 3 is incorrect because WPI is compiled and released by the Office of the Economic Adviser, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, not the CSO.

All three statements are correct. The RBI commenced its operations on 1 April 1935 under the RBI Act 1934 as a shareholders' bank and was subsequently nationalized on 1 January 1949 under the RBI (Transfer to Public Ownership) Act 1948. Under Section 22 of the Act, it acts as the banker to the Union and State governments and possesses the sole authority to issue banknotes, while one-rupee currency notes and metallic coins are issued by the Ministry of Finance.

Statements 1 and 2 are correct. The FRBM Act was passed in 2003 to introduce fiscal prudence, setting medium-term targets to eliminate the revenue deficit and compress the fiscal deficit to 3% of GDP. Statement 3 is incorrect because the central Act governed only the Union finances; State governments independently legislated their own respective state-level FRBM Acts guided by the Twelfth Finance Commission.

Statements 1 and 3 are correct. The Special Economic Zones Act was passed by Parliament in May 2005 to provide comprehensive fiscal and regulatory incentives, and Asia's first Export Processing Zone (the precursor of SEZs) was established at Kandla in Gujarat in 1965. Statement 2 is incorrect because the primary objective of SEZs is precisely to generate additional economic activity and boost exports of goods and services.

Statement 1 is correct because GDP at Factor Cost equals GDP at Market Prices minus Net Indirect Taxes (Indirect Taxes minus Subsidies). Statement 2 is incorrect because national income accounts in India are compiled and released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO, now NSO under MoSPI), not the RBI. Statement 3 is incorrect because per capita income is derived by dividing national income by the total mid-year population of the country.

All three statements are correct. On 19 July 1969, the Government nationalized 14 leading private commercial banks holding deposits over Rs 50 crore, followed by another six banks on 15 April 1980 with deposits exceeding Rs 200 crore. The State Bank of India was constituted on 1 July 1955 under the State Bank of India Act 1955 to take over the banking operations of the Imperial Bank of India.

Statements 1 and 2 are correct as the Planning Commission historically based official poverty estimates on the Task Force and Lakdawala Committee methodology using rural norms of 2400 kcal and urban norms of 2100 kcal per capita per day. Statement 3 is incorrect because the Suresh Tendulkar Expert Group was appointed in December 2005 and submitted its final landmark report in December 2009.

Statements 1 and 3 are correct. FEMA 1999 replaced the rigid FERA 1973 to facilitate external trade and liberalize cross-border capital flows, and India's official foreign exchange reserves reported by the RBI include foreign currency assets, gold bullion, SDRs, and the Reserve Tranche Position in the IMF. Statement 2 is incorrect because FEMA decriminalized foreign exchange violations, treating them as civil infractions punishable by compounding and civil penalties.

Statement 1 is correct because the Government of India launched the Targeted Public Distribution System in June 1997 to focus subsidized grains on impoverished sections. Statement 2 is incorrect because TPDS established the explicit differential entitlement and pricing system between Below Poverty Line (BPL) and Above Poverty Line (APL) beneficiaries. Statement 3 is incorrect because the Food Corporation of India (FCI) was set up under the Food Corporations Act 1964, commencing operations in 1965.

All three statements are correct. The Prime Minister's High Level Committee on the Social, Economic and Educational Status of the Muslim Community was chaired by Justice Rajinder Sachar, former Chief Justice of Delhi High Court. Appointed in March 2005, the committee laid its comprehensive 403-page report before Parliament in November 2006, documenting critical gaps in literacy, formal employment, and civic infrastructure.

All three statements are correct. Project Tiger was launched by the Ministry of Environment and Forests on 1 April 1973 to safeguard dwindling tiger populations, with Jim Corbett National Park serving as the flagship reserve among nine designated sites. Under the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972, the tiger is placed under Schedule I, providing it the highest statutory protection against hunting and poaching.

Statements 1 and 2 are correct as Norman Myers originated the biodiversity hotspot framework in 1988, and both the Western Ghats and the Eastern Himalayas represent major global hotspots encompassing Indian territory. Statement 3 is incorrect because Conservation International's criteria require that a region must have lost at least 70% of its original primary habitat, not 50%.

Statements 1 and 3 are correct. The Kyoto Protocol was adopted in December 1997 and came into force in February 2005, introducing market-based flexibility mechanisms including emissions trading, the Clean Development Mechanism, and Joint Implementation. Statement 2 is incorrect because, adhering to the principle of Common But Differentiated Responsibilities (CBDR), the Protocol imposed legally binding emission reduction targets exclusively on Annex I developed countries, exempting developing nations like India and China.

Statement 1 is correct because the Sundarbans delta spanning India and Bangladesh is the largest contiguous halophytic mangrove tract globally. Statement 2 is incorrect because mangroves are halophytes specialized to survive in saline and brackish intertidal marine and estuarine environments, not freshwater high-altitude alpine lakes. Statement 3 is incorrect because dense mangrove stilt and prop root systems trap tidal sediments and dissipate wave energy, protecting coastlines against erosion and storm surges.

The global COVID-19 pandemic that led to worldwide lockdowns and economic pauses was caused by the novel coronavirus officially designated as SARS-CoV-2 (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2) by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV). SARS-CoV-1 caused the 2002–2004 SARS outbreak in Asia, H5N1 causes avian influenza (bird flu), and MERS-CoV causes Middle East Respiratory Syndrome.

Statements 1 and 2 are correct. The IPCC was set up in 1988 jointly by the WMO and UNEP and received the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize alongside Al Gore for disseminating knowledge about anthropogenic climate change. Statement 3 is incorrect because the IPCC does not carry out its own original laboratory research or atmospheric measurements; it comprehensively evaluates and synthesizes published peer-reviewed scientific studies across the globe.

Statements 1 and 3 are correct. The Convention on Wetlands signed in Ramsar, Iran in 1971 provides an international framework for wetland stewardship, acknowledging their ecological roles as biological filters, flood retention basins, and groundwater recharge zones. Statement 2 is incorrect because Chilika Lake, India's largest coastal lagoon and first Ramsar Site, is situated in Odisha, not Kerala.

Statement 1 is correct because CITES provides a legally binding international system of permits across three Appendices to protect over 38,000 species from overexploitation through cross-border trade. Statement 2 is incorrect because CITES was agreed in Washington D.C. in 1973 and entered into force in 1975, not at the 1992 Rio Earth Summit. Statement 3 is incorrect because the Red Data Book and Red List of Threatened Species are compiled and maintained by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), not CITES.

All three statements are correct. The Montreal Protocol was adopted on 16 September 1987 under the Vienna Convention to phase out production and emissions of halogenated ozone-depleting substances including CFCs, carbon tetrachloride, and halons. Stratospheric ozone thinning is severe over Antarctica during austral spring because extreme cold forms polar stratospheric clouds that trigger catalytic ozone destruction by chlorine radicals within the circumpolar polar vortex.

In October 2015, the Communist Party of China formally announced the historic abolition of its 35-year-old coercive 'One-Child Policy' (originally introduced by Deng Xiaoping in 1979). The new policy, effective from January 1, 2016, allowed all married Chinese couples to have two children (Two-Child Policy) in order to combat an aging workforce, falling fertility rates, and severe gender imbalances.

Correct Option: Option (C) — 1 and 3 only is the correct answer.

• Statement(s) 1, 3 are correct:
• 1. Heavy water (D2O) is used as a moderator in certain types of nuclear reactors.
• 3. Uranium-235 is a fissile isotope.
• Statement(s) 2 is/are incorrect:
• 2. Apsara, commissioned in 1956, was India's first commercial nuclear power reactor.

Statement 1 is correct because red blood cells of type O lack both A and B surface agglutinogens, allowing safe transfusion into recipients of any ABO group (making O-negative the universal donor). Statement 2 is incorrect because blood group AB individuals possess both A and B antigens and lack plasma antibodies, making them universal recipients. Statement 3 is incorrect because the Rhesus (Rh) blood factor was first discovered in 1940 by Landsteiner and Wiener in the red blood cells of Rhesus macaque monkeys, not humans.

All three statements are correct. Rayleigh scattering causes shorter blue wavelengths of solar light to scatter far more intensely off atmospheric molecules than red light, creating the blue sky. Suspended raindrops act as miniature prisms, refracting, chromatically dispersing, and internally reflecting sunlight to project the rainbow spectrum. Stellar scintillation (twinkling) occurs because starlight travels through turbulent atmospheric layers of varying temperature and refractive indices.

Statements 1 and 2 are correct. Polio is an acute infectious viral disease caused by the poliovirus affecting motor neurons in the spinal cord, and the Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine provides immunisation against Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Statement 3 is incorrect because malaria is caused by single-celled protozoan parasites of the genus Plasmodium (such as P. falciparum and P. vivax) transmitted through female Anopheles mosquitoes, not by a bacterium.

Statements 1 and 3 are correct. At 25°C, neutral aqueous solutions possess hydrogen ion concentrations equal to 10^-7 mol/L yielding a pH of exactly 7, and sodium hydroxide (NaOH) is a classic strong Arrhenius base that ionizes fully in water. Statement 2 is incorrect because lemon juice is rich in citric and ascorbic acids, possessing a strongly acidic pH between 2.0 and 2.6.

Statement 1 is correct because the Indian National Satellite (INSAT) constellation consists of multi-mission geostationary satellites supporting telecommunications, television broadcasting, and meteorology. Statement 2 is incorrect because geostationary satellites operate in an equatorial orbit at an altitude of approximately 35,786 km (roughly 36,000 km, while 360 km represents Low Earth Orbit). Statement 3 is incorrect because the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC SHAR) is situated at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh, whereas Thiruvananthapuram is home to the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre.

Statements 1 and 2 are correct. Pig iron, wrought iron, and steel account for over 90% of global metal tonnage consumed, making iron the foundation of modern infrastructure, and aluminium is commercially smelted from its principal hydrated aluminium oxide ore, bauxite. Statement 3 is incorrect because mercury has an exceptionally low melting point (-38.8°C) and exists as a liquid metal under standard room conditions.

All three statements are correct. Insulin is an essential peptide hormone synthesized by beta cells in the islets of Langerhans within the pancreas, driving cellular uptake of glucose to maintain normal plasma sugar concentrations. Healthy human homeostatic internal core temperature averages 37°C (98.6°F), and the human circulatory pump is a four-chambered muscular heart consisting of two thin-walled atria and two muscular ventricles that prevent mixing of oxygenated and deoxygenated blood.

Statements 1 and 3 are correct. The bilateral agreement finalized under Section 123 of the US Atomic Energy Act governs civilian nuclear cooperation, and the 35-member IAEA Board of Governors approved the India-Specific Safeguards Agreement by consensus on 1 August 2008. Statement 2 is incorrect because the Nuclear Suppliers Group granted its crucial waiver to India in September 2008, not 2006.

All three statements are correct. Chandrayaan-1 was launched by ISRO using PSLV-C11 from Sriharikota on 22 October 2008. Its Moon Impact Probe detached from the orbiter and struck the lunar south polar surface near Shackleton crater (named Jawahar Point) on 14 November 2008, and the spacecraft carried 11 payloads including instruments from NASA (Moon Mineralogy Mapper) and the European Space Agency which confirmed the presence of water molecules across lunar soil.

Statement 1 is correct because Abhinav Bindra clinched gold in the men's 10-metre air rifle event at the Beijing Olympic Games on 11 August 2008, achieving India's first-ever individual Olympic gold medal. Statement 2 is incorrect because the host country, China, finished atop the official gold medal standings with 48 gold medals, whereas India won three medals overall (one gold, two bronze).

Statements 1 and 2 are correct. Lehman Brothers filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on 15 September 2008, triggered by heavy losses on credit derivatives tied to defaults in the US subprime home mortgage market. Statement 3 is incorrect because foreign institutional investors aggressively withdrew capital, resulting in severe liquidity tightening and causing the BSE Sensex and NSE Nifty to drop by more than 50% during 2008.

Statements 1 and 3 are correct. In the wake of the 2008 global financial crisis, the inaugural G20 Leaders' Summit convened in Washington D.C. on 14–15 November 2008, elevating the forum to head-of-state level, and the European Union represents one of its permanent institutional members alongside nineteen sovereign nations. Statement 2 is incorrect because India is a founding member of the G20 since its creation in 1999.

Statement 1 is correct as ten heavily armed terrorists targeted prominent civilian sites across Mumbai including the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus railway station, the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, the Oberoi Trident, Cama Hospital, and Nariman House. Statement 2 is incorrect because the perpetrators belonged to the Pakistan-based terror organisation Lashkar-e-Taiba. Statement 3 is incorrect because the attacks unfolded from the night of 26 November until 29 November 2008.

Statements 1 and 2 are correct. On 28 May 2008, Nepal's newly elected Constituent Assembly formally abolished the 240-year-old Shah monarchy and proclaimed the country a federal democratic republic, and CPN (Maoist) leader Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' was elected Prime Minister in August 2008. Statement 3 is incorrect because the Constituent Assembly governed under an interim constitution, only promulgating the permanent constitution in September 2015.

All three statements are correct. In the election held on 4 November 2008, Democratic Senator Barack Obama won 365 electoral college votes to become the 44th President of the United States. He became the first African-American to hold the nation's highest office, decisively defeating Republican nominee Senator John McCain of Arizona.

Statement 1 is correct because the Left front (59 MPs from CPI(M), CPI, RSP, and Forward Bloc) formally withdrew outside support to the Manmohan Singh-led government on 8 July 2008 in protest against moving forward with the Indo-US civil nuclear deal at the IAEA. Statements 2 and 3 are incorrect because the DMK remained loyal to the ruling coalition, and the UPA survived the crucial confidence vote on 22 July 2008 winning 275 votes against 256 with the decisive support of the Samajwadi Party.