Statements 1, 2, and 3 are correct. The Swadeshi Movement was triggered by Lord Curzon's decision to partition Bengal announced in 1905. Internal discord culminated in the Surat Split of 1907, which severely fractured the leadership and diminished mass mobilization, while the reunification of Bengal by Lord Hardinge in 1911 brought an end to the core political grievance.

Statements 1 and 2 are correct. The open uprising broke out at Meerut cantonment on 10 May 1857, after which the sepoys marched overnight to Delhi. On 11-12 May 1857, the rebellious troops captured Delhi and persuaded the elderly Mughal ruler Bahadur Shah Zafar to accept the titular leadership of the rebellion as Shahenshah-e-Hindustan.

Pairs 1, 3, and 4 are correctly matched. Raja Ram Mohan Roy founded the Brahmo Samaj in Calcutta in 1828, Jyotiba Phule established the Satyashodhak Samaj in Maharashtra in 1873, and Swami Vivekananda founded the Ramakrishna Mission in 1897. Pair 2 is incorrectly matched because the Arya Samaj was founded by Swami Dayananda Saraswati in Bombay in 1875.

Events 1, 2, and 3 occurred during Lord Dalhousie's tenure (1848–1856). The first passenger railway ran between Bombay and Thane in 1853, principalities like Satara and Jhansi were annexed under the Doctrine of Lapse, and Charles Wood's educational despatch was issued in 1854. Event 4 is incorrect because the abolition of Sati was enacted earlier in 1829 under Lord William Bentinck.

Statements 1 and 2 are correct because differential heating creates an intense low-pressure cell over northwestern India, drawing moisture-laden winds from the Indian Ocean, assisted by the northward migration of the ITCZ over the Ganga plain. Statement 3 is incorrect because warm El Niño episodes in the eastern Pacific weaken the Walker circulation and are correlated with deficient monsoon rainfall and droughts in India.

Statement 1 is correct because the Western Ghats have an average elevation of 900–1600 metres and form a continuous scarp passable only through specific gaps, whereas the Eastern Ghats average around 600 metres and are deeply dissected by east-flowing rivers. Statement 2 is incorrect because the Western Ghats were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2012, while the Eastern Ghats do not hold this designation.

Pairs 1, 2, and 4 are correctly matched. The Palk Strait separates Tamil Nadu (India) from Sri Lanka, the Strait of Malacca separates Peninsular Malaysia from Sumatra (Indonesia), and the Strait of Gibraltar separates Spain (Europe) from Morocco (Africa). Pair 3 is incorrectly matched because the Bering Strait separates Russia (Chukchi Peninsula, Asia) from the United States (Alaska, North America), not Japan.

Statement 1 is correct because the Kyoto Protocol's first commitment period ran from 2008 to 2012. Statement 2 is incorrect because although the Doha Amendment establishing the second commitment period (2013–2020) was adopted in December 2012, it did not enter into force until 31 December 2020 upon reaching the requisite 144 ratifications. Statement 3 is incorrect because under the principle of Common But Differentiated Responsibilities, developing countries including India (non-Annex I parties) were not subject to legally binding emission reduction targets.

Statements 1 and 2 are correct. Article 21 explicitly protects life and personal liberty from executive and legislative deprivation except by procedure established by law, and Article 32 empowers citizens to move the Supreme Court directly for the enforcement of Fundamental Rights via prerogative writs. Statement 3 is incorrect because the fundamental freedoms under Article 19 are exclusively reserved for citizens of India.

Statements 1 and 2 are correct. The 101st Constitutional Amendment Act, 2016, established the constitutional architecture for GST by dismantling cascading indirect taxes. It added Article 246A, granting concurrent legislative competence to Parliament and State Legislatures over goods and services tax, and created Article 279A for the GST Council.

Pairs 1, 2, and 3 are correctly matched. The Eighth Schedule lists 22 recognized languages, the Tenth Schedule contains provisions on disqualification on grounds of defection (added by the 52nd Amendment in 1985), and the Seventh Schedule specifies the Union, State, and Concurrent Lists. Pair 4 is incorrectly matched because Panchayati Raj institutions are covered under the Eleventh Schedule, whereas the Ninth Schedule contains land reform laws protected from judicial scrutiny.

Statements 1, 2, and 3 are correct. Under Article 54, the electoral college consists solely of elected members of Parliament and State Legislative Assemblies (including Delhi and Puducherry). Under Article 55(3), the election follows proportional representation via single transferable vote, and the explanation to Article 55 clarifies that the population benchmark remains pegged to the 1971 Census until the first census post-2026.

Statements 1, 2, and 3 are correct. On the night of 8 November 2016, existing ₹500 and ₹1000 notes ceased to be legal tender from midnight. The notification was issued invoking statutory powers under Section 26(2) of the RBI Act, 1934, following the RBI Central Board's recommendation, and new banknotes featuring the Mangalyaan motif (₹2000) and Red Fort (₹500) were rolled out.

Statements 1 and 2 are correct. WPI captures bulk transactional goods without including services, whereas CPI captures retail prices paid by households for a combined basket of goods and services. Following the Urjit Patel Committee recommendations and the 2016 amendment to the RBI Act, 1934, headline CPI (Combined) became the official target at 4% with a tolerance band of +/- 2%.

All three statements are correct. The Supreme Court of India held its inaugural sitting on 28 January 1950, Article 141 explicitly establishes that its rulings bind all lower courts in India, and the collegium system was created judge-made jurisprudence through the Second (1993) and Third (1998) Judges Cases.

Statements 1, 2, and 3 are correct. PMJDY was rolled out on 28 August 2014 to ensure universal banking access across households with zero minimum balance and built-in accidental insurance on RuPay debit cards. Satisfactory operation of the basic savings bank deposit account unlocks an overdraft limit, which was enhanced from ₹5,000 to ₹10,000.

Statements 1 and 2 are correct. The Paris Agreement was concluded at COP21 in December 2015 to limit global temperature rise well below 2°C, and India deposited its instrument of ratification on Mahatma Gandhi's birth anniversary, 2 October 2016. Statement 3 is incorrect because the treaty rejects uniform mandatory cuts, relying instead on voluntary Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) reflecting common but differentiated responsibilities.

Match between Medieval Smriti Digest Writers (Nibandhakaras) and their Legal Treatises:

| List-I (Essayist/Jurist) | List-II (Treatise) |

| :--- | :--- |

| A. Devana Bhatta | 1. Smritichandrika |

| B. Jimutavahana | 4. Dayabhaga |

| C. Vijnaneshwara | 2. Mitakshara |

| D. Chandeshvara | 3. Vivada Ratnakara |

• Devana Bhatta: 12th-century southern jurist who composed Smritichandrika, a celebrated digest on inheritance and civil law.
• Jimutavahana: 12th-century Bengali legal scholar who authored Dayabhaga, governing Hindu inheritance in Bengal and Assam.
• Vijnaneshwara: Court scholar of Western Chalukya King Vikramaditya VI who composed Mitakshara (commentary on Yajnavalkya Smriti), governing Hindu law across most of India.
• Chandeshvara Thakura: 14th-century minister and jurist of Mithila who composed the celebrated Ratnakara series, including Vivada Ratnakara and Rajaniti Ratnakara.

Hence, the correct matching code is A-1, B-4, C-2, D-3 (Option b).

Protected areas 1, 2, and 4 are designated tiger reserves. Jim Corbett (Uttarakhand), Kanha (Madhya Pradesh), and Bandipur (Karnataka) were among the original nine reserves established at the inauguration of Project Tiger in 1973. Area 3 is incorrect because Gir National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary in Gujarat is the world's exclusive natural habitat of the Asiatic lion, not a tiger reserve.

Statements 1, 2, and 3 are correct. Cryogenic propulsion relies on liquid hydrogen stored at -253°C and liquid oxygen at -183°C. ISRO mastered this technology through the CE-7.5 engine used in GSLV Mk II and the high-thrust CE-20 in LVM3, utilizing their exceptional specific impulse for upper-stage payload delivery despite solid boosters delivering larger instantaneous liftoff thrust.

Statements 1 and 2 are correct. Zika virus is an arbovirus transmitted mainly by daytime-biting Aedes mosquitoes, principally Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. Maternal infection during pregnancy triggers congenital Zika syndrome, leading to severe fetal brain abnormalities including congenital microcephaly, which prompted the World Health Organization to declare a global emergency in 2016.

Statements 1 and 2 are correct. The 16th SAARC Summit was hosted by Bhutan in its capital Thimphu on 28–29 April 2010 to commemorate the silver jubilee of the association, adopting the official theme 'Towards a Green and Happy South Asia' alongside the Thimphu Statement on Climate Change. Statement 3 is incorrect because SAARC comprises eight member nations: Afghanistan (admitted 2007), Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, not ten.

Statements 1, 2, and 3 are correct. The Games of the XXXI Olympiad were hosted by Rio de Janeiro in August 2016. India claimed two medals at the Games: P.V. Sindhu secured silver in the women's singles badminton final against Carolina Marin, while Sakshi Malik earned bronze in the 58 kg freestyle wrestling repechage, becoming India's first female Olympic wrestling medalist.

Statements 1 and 2 are correct. On 18 September 2016, four heavily armed terrorists attacked the Indian Army brigade headquarters in Uri, Jammu and Kashmir, killing 19 soldiers. In retaliation, on the night of 28–29 September 2016, the Indian Army's special forces carried out surgical strikes targeting multiple terrorist launch pads across the Line of Control in Pakistan-occupied territory.

All four pairs are correctly matched. The UK held its historic referendum to leave the EU in June 2016, the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists published the Panama Papers leak in April 2016, COP22 took place in Marrakech in November 2016 to draft rules for the Paris Accord, and former Portuguese Prime Minister António Guterres was appointed UN Secretary-General in October 2016.

Statement 1 is correct because the Karakoram range constitutes part of the Trans-Himalayan complex situated northwest of the Great Himalayas. Statements 2 and 3 are incorrect because the Siwalik range forms the outermost and lowest foothills of the Himalayas, whereas Pir Panjal belongs to the Middle (Lesser) Himalayas and the Great Himalayas (Himadri) is the highest range.

Statement 2 is correct because Vardhamana Mahavira is traditionally venerated as the 24th and concluding Tirthankara who codified Jain monastic philosophy, following Parshvanatha. Statement 1 is incorrect because Siddhartha Gautama attained enlightenment under the Bodhi tree at Uruvela (Bodh Gaya), whereas Sarnath is where he delivered his first sermon (Dharmachakrapravartana).

Statement 1 is correct because James Prinsep, an officer in the Calcutta Mint and secretary of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, successfully deciphered the Brahmi and Kharosthi scripts of Ashokan inscriptions in 1837. Statement 2 is incorrect because the Arthashastra was authored by Kautilya (Chanakya), while Megasthenes authored Indica. Statement 3 is incorrect because Ashoka's remorse and conquest of Kalinga are chronicled in Major Rock Edict XIII, not Edict II.

Statements 1 and 2 are correct. The Human Development Index (HDI) is compiled and released annually by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) within its global Human Development Report, combining life expectancy at birth, educational attainment (mean and expected years of schooling), and gross national income (GNI) per capita. Statement 3 is incorrect because the 2014 Human Development Report ranked India 135th out of 187 countries with an HDI value of 0.586, placing it in the 'medium human development' tier, far below the 'very high' category.

Leading Producers of Iron Ore in India (Ministry of Mines Data):

• According to the Annual Report 2020-21 and Indian Minerals Yearbook published by the Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM), Ministry of Mines, Government of India:

1. Odisha (1): The undisputed largest producer of iron ore in India, accounting for over 53% to 55% of India's total iron ore production (major mining areas: Badampahar, Gorumahisani, Joda, Barbil, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Sundargarh).
2. Chhattisgarh (2): The second largest producer, accounting for approximately 16% to 17% of national production (major mining areas: Bailadila in Dantewada and Dalli-Rajhara in Durg).
3. Karnataka and Jharkhand follow as 3rd and 4th producers (~12-14% and ~11% respectively).

Therefore, the two leading producers are Odisha and Chhattisgarh (1 and 2) (Option D).

Statements 1 and 2 are correct. Akbar institutionalized the Mansabdari system in 1571 to organize civil and military officers into graded ranks with specific zat (personal status) and sawar (cavalry quota). Furthermore, Raja Todar Mal, Akbar's finance minister, devised the Zabt (or Dahsala) system based on meticulous land measurement, soil classification, and 10-year rolling averages of crop yields and prices.

Pairs 1, 2, and 3 are correctly matched. Rani Lakshmibai led the revolt in Jhansi, Begum Hazrat Mahal mobilized resistance from Lucknow, and Babu Kunwar Singh led the armed uprising in Arrah and Jagdishpur in Bihar. Pair 4 is incorrectly matched because Mangal Pandey staged his rebellion on 29 March 1857 at Barrackpore in Bengal, whereas the sepoy mutiny broke out at Meerut on 10 May.

Statements 1, 2, and 3 are correct. The Swadeshi Movement formally commenced on 7 August 1905 at the Calcutta Town Hall following Curzon's partition proclamation. Ideological conflict over the scope of swadeshi and boycotts led to the historic split between Moderates and Extremists at Surat in December 1907, while the All-India Muslim League was formed in December 1906 at Dhaka under Nawab Salimullah and Aga Khan III.

Statement 1 is correct because Gandhi launched his first successful civil disobedience movement in India at Champaran, Bihar in 1917 to protect indigo farmers from the exploitative tinkathia system. Statement 2 is incorrect because the Dandi Salt March (12 March – 6 April 1930) inaugurated the Civil Disobedience Movement, whereas the Non-Cooperation Movement had been launched a decade earlier in 1920.

Statements 1, 2, and 3 are correct. The Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms (1919 Act) bifurcated provincial administration into transferred and reserved subjects (dyarchy). The 1935 Act proposed an All-India Federation uniting British Indian provinces and princely states with provincial autonomy, while the Morley-Minto Reforms (1909 Act) institutionalized communal representation through separate electorates for Muslim voters.

Pairs 1 and 2 are correctly matched. Raja Rammohan Roy founded the Brahmo Samaj in 1828 to advocate monotheism, and Swami Dayananda Saraswati founded the Arya Samaj in 1875 championing Vedic revivalism. Pairs 3 and 4 are incorrectly matched because the Ramakrishna Mission was founded in 1897 by Swami Vivekananda in honor of his guru, and the Satyashodhak Samaj was founded in 1873 by Jyotirao Phule.

Statements 1 and 2 are correct. Captain Mohan Singh of the British Indian Army originally formed the first division of the Indian National Army in Malaya in 1942 with Japanese assistance using Indian prisoners of war. On 21 October 1943, Subhas Chandra Bose revitalized the movement and proclaimed the Provisional Government of Free India (Arzi Hukumat-e-Azad Hind) at Cathay Cinema hall in Singapore.

All three statements are correct. The Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 empowers state governments to declare protected areas, strictly prohibits the grazing of livestock inside national parks under Section 35(6), and as of 2015 maintained six schedules that categorized species according to penal severity and protection levels.

Statements 1, 2, and 3 are correct. Insulin, secreted by the beta cells of pancreatic islets of Langerhans, facilitates cellular uptake of glucose to regulate blood sugar; vitamin D deficiency impairs intestinal calcium absorption and bone mineralization causing rickets in growing children; and iron-bearing haemoglobin in erythrocytes binds reversibly with molecular oxygen in the pulmonary capillaries to transport oxyhaemoglobin to peripheral tissues.

Pairs 1, 2, 3, and 4 are correctly matched. Alluvial soils dominate the depositional Indo-Gangetic plains; black regur soil formed by weathering of basaltic lava covers Maharashtra and western Madhya Pradesh in the Deccan Trap; laterite soil develops by intense leaching under heavy precipitation along the Western Ghat summits; and red soils develop on crystalline igneous rocks across eastern and southern peninsular India.

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

• Statement(s) 1, 2 are correct:
• 1. The Right to Equality is enshrined in Articles 14 to 18 of the Constitution.
• 2. The Right to Constitutional Remedies is provided under Article 32.
• Statement(s) 3 is/are incorrect:
• 3. The Right to Property continues to be a Fundamental Right.

Pairs 1, 2, 3, and 4 are correctly matched. The Strait of Gibraltar links the Atlantic with the Mediterranean; the Bering Strait connects the Arctic Ocean with the Bering Sea between Russia and Alaska; the Strait of Malacca forms the critical shipping corridor between Peninsular Malaysia and Sumatra connecting the Indian and Pacific Oceans; and the Bab-el-Mandeb connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden.

Statements 1 and 2 are correct. The Tropic of Cancer (23°30'N) traverses eight Indian states: Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Tripura, and Mizoram. Indian Standard Time is calculated based on the standard meridian of 82°30'E passing through Mirzapur in Uttar Pradesh, placing IST exactly 5 hours and 30 minutes ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (UTC+5:30).

Statements 1 and 2 are correct. Tropical wet evergreen forests thrive in warm, humid regions of the Western Ghats and Northeast receiving over 200 cm of precipitation. Littoral mangrove forests flourish in tidal deltaic zones of major eastward-flowing rivers including the Sundarbans (Ganga-Brahmaputra) and Mahanadi-Godavari deltas. Statement 3 is incorrect because Alpine vegetation occurs at sub-glacial altitudes above 2,800 to 3,500 metres, while sub-tropical pine and oak dominate 1,000–2,000 metres.

Statements 1 and 2 are correct. India is the world's leading producer, consumer, and importer of pulses, accounting for nearly 25% of global output. In domestic commercial crop production, Uttar Pradesh consistently leads all Indian states in total sugarcane cultivation area and gross harvest output, supported by the fertile alluvial soils of the Ganga plain.

Pairs 1, 2, and 3 are correctly matched. Jharia in Jharkhand is India's prime storehouse of metallurgical coking coal, Kudremukh in Karnataka is known for extensive magnetite iron ore deposits, and Khetri in the Jhunjhunu district of Rajasthan is famous for copper mining. Pair 4 is incorrectly matched because Bailadila in the Bastar district of Chhattisgarh is famous for world-class high-grade hematite iron ore, not bauxite.

Statements 1 and 2 are correct. The Gulf Stream is an intense warm western boundary current in the North Atlantic that moderates western European climates, while the Labrador Current flows southward from the Arctic transporting cold polar waters. Statement 3 is incorrect because the Kuroshio (Japan Current) is a powerful warm western boundary current in the North Pacific Ocean, analogous to the Gulf Stream, whereas the Oyashio is the cold subarctic current.

Statement 1 is correct because the ongoing continent-continent convergent collision of the northward-drifting Indian Plate with the Eurasian Plate generates intense compressional stress along thrust faults (MCT, MBT, HFT), making the Himalayas seismically prone. Statement 2 is incorrect because the Circum-Pacific Belt or 'Ring of Fire' encircles the Pacific Ocean basin along subduction zones, hosting over 75% of Earth's volcanoes.

Statements 1 and 3 are correct. India's border with Bangladesh spans 4,096.7 km, the longest with any neighboring country, and the McMahon Line, negotiated at the 1914 Simla Convention, demarcates the eastern boundary between India (Arunachal Pradesh) and Tibet/China. Statement 2 is incorrect because the Radcliffe Line demarcated the boundary between India and Pakistan in 1947, whereas the Durand Line originally separated British India and Afghanistan in 1893.

Statement 2 is correct because the Preamble solemnly resolves to constitute India into a 'Sovereign Socialist Secular Democratic Republic'. Statement 1 is incorrect because the Preamble has been amended only once in constitutional history, by the 42nd Constitutional Amendment Act of 1976, which added the words 'Socialist', 'Secular', and 'Integrity'.

Statement 1 is correct because Article 21 explicitly provides that no person shall be deprived of life or personal liberty except according to procedure established by law. Statement 2 is incorrect because the 44th Constitutional Amendment Act, 1978 repealed the right to property as a Fundamental Right from Article 19(1)(f) and Article 31, reclassifying it as a constitutional/legal right under Article 300A in Part XII. Statement 3 is incorrect because the six democratic freedoms under Article 19 are exclusively conferred upon citizens of India.

Statement 1 is correct because Article 53(1) of the Constitution mandates that the executive power of the Union shall be vested in the President and exercised either directly or through subordinate officers. Statement 2 is incorrect because under Article 66(1), the Vice-President is elected by an electoral college consisting exclusively of members of both Houses of Parliament (both elected and nominated), with no representation from State Legislative Assemblies.

Statement 1 is correct because Article 109(1) explicitly stipulates that a Money Bill shall not be introduced in the Council of States (Rajya Sabha), but solely in the Lok Sabha on the President's prior recommendation. Statement 2 is incorrect because Rajya Sabha cannot reject or amend a Money Bill; it can only formulate recommendations within 14 days, failing which the bill is deemed passed. Statement 3 is incorrect because under Article 118(4), a joint sitting of Parliament is presided over by the Speaker of the Lok Sabha, not the Vice-President.

Matching Indian Hills/Ranges with their Native States:

| Hill / Mountain Range | State Location |

| :--- | :--- |

| A. Bateshwar Hills | 3. Bihar (Historic archaeological hills located at Kahalgaon in Bhagalpur district, Bihar, famous for rock-cut caves, Vikramashila university ruins, and Bateshwar Nath temple) |

| B. Biligiriranga (Bilari) Range | 4. Karnataka (The Biligirirangana Hills / BR Hills are a protected wildlife sanctuary and tiger reserve located at the confluence of the Western and Eastern Ghats in Chamarajanagar district, Karnataka) |

| C. Chin Range (Chin Hills) | 2. Manipur / Myanmar Border (Mountainous range in northwestern Myanmar extending along the international border of Manipur and Mizoram) |

| D. Dhosi Hill | 1. Haryana (Extinct volcanic hill situated on the border of Mahendragarh district of Haryana and Rajasthan, celebrated in Vedic literature as the ashram of Rishi Chyavana of Chyawanprash fame) |

Hence, the correct matching code is A-3, B-4, C-2, D-1 (Option C).

Statements 1 and 2 are correct. Article 246 read with the Seventh Schedule delineates threefold legislative powers (Union, State, and Concurrent Lists), and Article 248 vests exclusive residuary legislative powers over subjects not enumerated in any list in Parliament. Statement 3 is incorrect because a proclamation of President's Rule under Article 356 must be approved by both Houses of Parliament within two months from its date of issuance (unlike National Emergency under Article 352, which requires approval within one month).

Statement 1 is correct because the 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1992 inserted Part IX and the Eleventh Schedule encompassing 29 developmental and administrative subjects devolved to Panchayati Raj bodies. Statement 2 is incorrect because Article 243E prescribes a tenure of five years for every Panchayat from the date appointed for its first meeting, not four years.

Pairs 1, 2, 3, and 4 are correctly matched. Article 324 provides for the superintendence, direction, and control of elections by the Election Commission; Article 315 establishes Public Service Commissions for the Union and States; Article 280 mandates the quinquennial constitution of the Finance Commission by the President; and Article 148 provides for an independent Comptroller and Auditor General.

The 10th annual BRICS Summit was held from 25 to 27 July 2018 in Johannesburg, South Africa. Hosted by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa at the Sandton Convention Centre, the summit was held under the theme 'BRICS in Africa: Collaboration for Inclusive Growth and Shared Prosperity in the 4th Industrial Revolution'. The summit brought together the heads of state of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, concluding with the adoption of the Johannesburg Declaration.

Statement 2 is correct because the Sardar Swaran Singh Committee was set up in 1976 to formulate recommendations on constitutional amendments, leading directly to the insertion of Part IVA (Article 51A) via the 42nd Amendment Act, 1976. Statement 1 is incorrect because Fundamental Duties are non-justiciable moral obligations that cannot be directly enforced through writs by courts of law unless backed by specific statutory enactments.

Statements 1 and 3 are correct. Under Article 155, the Governor is appointed by the President by warrant under his hand and seal, and under Article 200, the Governor possesses constitutional discretion to reserve certain bills for presidential consideration. Statement 2 is incorrect because the Constitution (Articles 157 and 158) only specifies citizenship and age (35 years) as qualifications; being an outsider to the state is merely a political convention (endorsed by the Sarkaria Commission), not a mandatory constitutional requirement.

Statements 1, 2, and 3 are correct. Article 368 in Part XX prescribes the constituent power and procedures for amending the Constitution. Any amendment affecting federal provisions (such as the election of the President, Seventh Schedule lists, or representation of States in Parliament) requires ratification by resolutions passed by not less than half the State Legislatures, and each House must pass the bill independently with a special majority without any mechanism for a joint sitting.

Statements 1, 2, and 3 are correct. The RBI commenced operations on 1 April 1935 as a private shareholders' bank based on the Hilton Young Commission recommendations under the RBI Act, 1934. Following independence, it was fully nationalised on 1 January 1949 under the RBI (Transfer to Public Ownership) Act, 1948, and serves as the lender of last resort providing liquidity to solvent commercial banks facing liquidity crunches.

Statement 1 is correct because the Wholesale Price Index is compiled and released monthly by the Office of the Economic Adviser in the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (Ministry of Commerce and Industry). Statement 2 is incorrect because Consumer Price Index numbers (CPI Combined, Rural, Urban) are compiled and published monthly by the National Statistical Office (NSO) under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), not the RBI.

Pairs 1, 2, 3, and 4 are correctly matched. MGNREGA legally guarantees 100 days of unskilled wage work annually per rural household; NRLM (Aajeevika) mobilizes rural women into self-help groups and federations; PMJDY provides universal access to basic banking services and credit; and DDU-GKY operates as a dedicated placement-linked skill development programme for rural poor youth under the Ministry of Rural Development.

Statement 1 is correct because Market Prices incorporate the Net Product/Production Taxes (Indirect Taxes minus Subsidies) levied on output over and above factor costs. Statement 2 is incorrect because GNP = GDP + Net Factor Income from Abroad (NFIA); since India consistently registers negative NFIA due to heavy net payments made to foreign capital and debt servicing abroad, India's GDP consistently exceeds its GNP.

Statements 1 and 2 are correct. Fiscal deficit represents the government's total borrowing requirements, defined as Total Expenditure minus Total Non-Debt Receipts, and the FRBM Act was legislated in 2003 to enforce fiscal prudence and intergenerational equity. Statement 3 is incorrect because fiscal deficit comprises revenue deficit plus capital expenditures net of non-debt capital receipts, making fiscal deficit substantially larger than revenue deficit under normal fiscal circumstances.

Correct Option: Option (D) — 1, 2 and 3 is the correct answer.

• All given statements are correct:
• 1. Verses of Kabir are included in the Guru Granth Sahib.
• 2. The Chishti and Suhrawardi were prominent Sufi orders in medieval India.
• 3. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu popularised congregational singing (kirtans) in Bengal.

Statements 1 and 2 are correct. The National Institution for Transforming India (NITI Aayog) was constituted via a Cabinet resolution on 1 January 2015, replacing the 65-year-old Planning Commission to champion cooperative federalism. Under its foundational framework, the Prime Minister of India serves as the ex-officio Chairperson, heading its Governing Council consisting of all State Chief Ministers and Lieutenant Governors.

Statements 1 and 2 are correct. The Indian Ocean Dipole is characterized by an anomalous sea surface temperature gradient between the western tropical Indian Ocean and the eastern tropical Indian Ocean, and its positive phase boosts moisture convergence toward the Indian subcontinent, supporting robust monsoon rains. Statement 3 is incorrect because asserting that it 'always causes drought' in Australia is factually inaccurate; rainfall patterns depend on coupled interactions with ENSO and the Southern Annular Mode.

Statements 1 and 2 are correct. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approves and notifies MSPs based on detailed economic reports and cost formulas (A2, A2+FL, C2) submitted by the CACP. To give farmers forward-looking price assurance and guide acreage allocation decisions, MSPs for Kharif crops like paddy are declared prior to the onset of the monsoon sowing season.

Statement 1 is correct because NPCI piloted and launched the Unified Payments Interface in April 2016 under RBI guidance to facilitate seamless real-time mobile interbank transfers. Statements 2 and 3 are incorrect because UPI relies on mobile smartphones and virtual tokens rather than physical POS hardware or plastic cards, and transactions are routed securely via Virtual Payment Addresses (VPAs) or QR codes without exposing bank account or IFSC credentials.

Statements 1 and 2 are correct. GST operates as a destination-based tax levied at the point of consumption rather than the point of origin, ensuring tax revenue accrues to the importing jurisdiction. Under Article 279A, the GST Council is a joint federal constitutional forum chaired by the Union Finance Minister, with State Finance Ministers serving as voting members.

Statements 1 and 2 are correct. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare launched Mission Indradhanush on 25 December 2014 (Good Governance Day) to accelerate universal immunisation coverage for all unvaccinated or partially vaccinated children and pregnant mothers. Statement 3 is incorrect because the programme originally protected against seven life-threatening diseases (diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, tuberculosis, polio, hepatitis B, and measles), rather than just two.

Statements 1 and 2 are correct. India hosts four global biodiversity hotspots either entirely or partially: the Himalayas, Indo-Burma, the Western Ghats (and Sri Lanka), and Sundaland (Nicobar Islands). The Western Ghats were designated a UNESCO natural World Heritage site in 2012 for their immense biodiversity. Statement 3 is incorrect because biodiversity hotspots are identified and designated by Conservation International based on Norman Myers' criteria (containing >= 1,500 endemic vascular plants and having lost >= 70% of primary vegetation), not UNEP.

Pairs 1, 2, 3, and 4 are correctly matched. Kaziranga in Assam protects the world's largest population of the great Indian one-horned rhinoceros; Gir in Gujarat is the only natural sanctuary of the endangered Asiatic lion; the mangrove swamps of Sundarbans in West Bengal host the iconic Royal Bengal tiger; and Periyar in Kerala's Cardamom Hills is celebrated for its wild elephant and tiger populations.

The correct alignment is A-2, B-3, C-1, D-4. Sclerophyllous shrublands in Mediterranean climatic biomes bear distinct regional nomenclature: Maquis around the Mediterranean Basin, Fynbos in the Cape Floral Region of South Africa, Chaparral in coastal California, and Matorral in central Chile.

Statement 1 is correct because Biochemical Oxygen Demand quantifies the amount of dissolved oxygen consumed by aerobic microorganisms to decompose organic matter in a water sample. Statement 2 is incorrect because high BOD indicates heavy organic pollution and severe oxygen depletion. Statement 3 is incorrect because eutrophication is caused by an excess enrichment of nutrients (especially nitrates and phosphates) leading to algal blooms and subsequent hypoxia, not nutrient depletion.

Statements 1 and 2 are correct. The umbrella Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 was enacted under Article 253 of the Constitution following the Bhopal Gas Tragedy of 1984 to implement decisions of the 1972 Stockholm Conference. The National Green Tribunal was established in October 2010 under the NGT Act, 2010 for effective and expeditious disposal of cases relating to environmental protection and conservation of forests.

Statements 1, 2, and 3 are correct. Chilika Lake in Odisha was designated as India's first Ramsar wetland of international importance alongside Keoladeo National Park (located in Bharatpur, Rajasthan) in 1981. Loktak Lake, the largest freshwater lake in Northeast India situated in Manipur, is also a Ramsar site and Montreux Record wetland noted for its floating phumdis and Keibul Lamjao National Park.

Statement 1 is correct because Project Tiger was launched on 1 April 1973 under Prime Minister Indira Gandhi at Corbett National Park to protect the Bengal tiger from extinction. Statement 2 is incorrect because Project Elephant was initiated by the Ministry of Environment and Forests in February 1992, not 1982, to provide financial and technical support for managing wild Asian elephant populations and their migration corridors.

Statements 1, 2, and 3 are correct. The Montreal Protocol (1987) targets the phase-out of ozone-depleting substances like CFCs and halons. In October 2016 in Kigali, Rwanda, parties adopted the Kigali Amendment to phase down potent non-ozone-depleting greenhouse gases (HFCs), while ground-level tropospheric ozone acts as a secondary photochemical pollutant triggering severe respiratory damage and smog.

Statements 1 and 2 are correct. The International Solar Alliance was jointly unveiled on 30 November 2015 at COP21 in Paris by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President François Hollande to mobilize solar deployment across Sunshine countries (initially between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn). Its interim and permanent secretariat is headquartered at the National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE) campus in Gurugram, Haryana, making it the first treaty-based intergovernmental organization headquartered in India.

Statements 1 and 2 are correct. Force is measured in newtons (1 N = 1 kg·m/s²), and mechanical acoustic waves propagate faster through denser, more elastic media (approximately 1,480 m/s in water compared to ~343 m/s in air at 20°C). Statement 3 is incorrect because a light-year is a unit of astronomical distance (the distance light traverses through vacuum in one Julian year, roughly 9.46 trillion kilometres), not a unit of time.

Statement 1 is correct because at standard temperature (25°C), pure water auto-ionises yielding equal concentrations of hydrogen and hydroxide ions ([H+] = [OH-] = 10⁻⁷ M), rendering a neutral pH of 7. Statement 2 is incorrect because baking soda is chemically sodium hydrogen carbonate or sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3), whereas sodium carbonate (Na2CO3·10H2O) is washing soda.

Statement 1 is correct because mitochondria generate the majority of cellular chemical energy in the form of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) through oxidative phosphorylation. Statement 2 is incorrect because photosynthesis in eukaryotic plant and algal cells occurs within chloroplasts containing chlorophyll, not mitochondria. Statement 3 is incorrect because a rigid outer cell wall is characteristic of plant, fungal, and bacterial cells, whereas animal cells lack a cell wall and are bounded solely by a flexible plasma membrane.

Pairs 1, 2, 3, and 4 are correctly matched. Malaria is caused by the unicellular protozoan parasite Plasmodium; tuberculosis is caused by the acid-fast bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis; dengue fever is triggered by an arbovirus of the Flaviviridae family; and ringworm (tinea) is a cutaneous dermatophytic fungal infection caused by genera such as Trichophyton and Microsporum.

Statements 1 and 2 are correct. On 22 June 2016, ISRO accomplished a landmark record by launching 20 satellites simultaneously—including Cartosat-2 series, academic satellites SATHYABAMASAT and SWAYAM, and 17 international customer co-passengers—aboard PSLV-C34 from Sriharikota. India's maiden interplanetary probe to Mars, inserted successfully into Martian orbit on 24 September 2014, is celebrated globally as Mangalyaan.

Statements 1, 2, and 3 are correct. Mithali Raj was the first woman cricketer in history to surpass 6,000 ODI runs, scored an unbeaten 114 against Ireland on debut in 1999, and registered seven consecutive half-centuries in 2017. Statement 4 is incorrect because Australia's Meg Lanning held the world record for the highest number of centuries in women's ODIs.

Statements 1 and 2 are correct. Solar ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation converts 7-dehydrocholesterol in epidermal keratinocytes into cholecalciferol (Vitamin D3), which undergoes subsequent hydroxylation in the liver and kidneys into active calcitriol. Deficiency of ascorbic acid (Vitamin C), an indispensable cofactor for collagen biosynthesis, causes scurvy characterized by bleeding gums, cutaneous petechiae, and impaired wound healing.

Statement 1 is correct because Li-Fi (Light Fidelity) is an optical wireless networking technology that uses Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) for high-speed Visible Light Communication (VLC). Statement 2 is incorrect because IPv6 addresses are 128 bits long (represented in hexadecimal), whereas older legacy IPv4 addresses are 32 bits long. Statement 3 is incorrect because Wi-Fi is an untethered wireless local area networking standard (IEEE 802.11) communicating via radio waves without requiring physical cables to individual client devices.

Statements 1 and 2 are correct. Bt cotton incorporates endotoxin-producing cry genes from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis to impart intrinsic resistance against bollworm pests. Golden Rice is genetically engineered with daffodil and bacterium genes in the endosperm to biosynthesise beta-carotene, combating widespread nutritional Vitamin A deficiency and childhood blindness.

Statements 1 and 2 are correct. India ranks as the third-largest producer of electronic waste globally (after China and the USA), and the E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2016 mandate Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), requiring manufacturers and brand owners to ensure environmentally sound take-back and recycling. Statement 3 is incorrect because discarded electronics contain dangerous heavy metals and toxic chemicals such as lead, mercury, cadmium, arsenic, and brominated flame retardants.

Statements 1 and 2 are correct. On 18 September 2016, Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed militants stormed an Indian Army installation in Uri, Kashmir, resulting in the sacrifice of 19 soldiers. In a calibrated strategic response on the intervening night of 28–29 September 2016, Indian Special Forces crossed the Line of Control and destroyed multiple terror launch pads staging infiltrations.

Statements 1 and 2 are correct. In the nationwide consultative referendum held on 23 June 2016, 51.9% of UK voters chose to withdraw from the European Union ('Brexit'). Following the immediate resignation of Prime Minister David Cameron who campaigned to remain, Conservative Party leader Theresa May assumed office as Prime Minister on 13 July 2016 to negotiate Article 50 withdrawal proceedings.

Statements 1 and 2 are correct. Republican nominee Donald J. Trump won the 58th quadrennial US presidential election on 8 November 2016, securing 304 Electoral College votes compared to 227 for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, and was subsequently inaugurated as the 45th President of the United States on 20 January 2017.

Statements 1 and 2 are correct. The Swadeshi and Boycott Movement erupted in August 1905 to protest Lord Curzon's partition of Bengal, and following widespread patriotic agitation, the partition was officially annulled by King George V at the Delhi Durbar in December 1911. Statement 3 is incorrect because the ideological split between Moderates and Extremists occurred at the Surat session in December 1907 under the presidency of Rash Behari Ghosh, whereas the 1906 session took place in Calcutta under Dadabhai Naoroji.

Statement 1 is correct because India hosted the 8th BRICS Summit in Benaulim, Goa, on 15–16 October 2016, which adopted the Goa Declaration and held outreach with BIMSTEC leaders. Statement 2 is incorrect because the 19th SAARC Summit scheduled for November 2016 in Islamabad was cancelled after India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Afghanistan boycotted it following the Uri terror attack. Statement 3 is incorrect because the 2016 G20 summit was hosted by China in Hangzhou, not New Delhi (India hosted G20 in 2023).

Pairs 1, 2, 3, and 4 are correctly matched. Eminent Gujarati author Dr. Raghuveer Chaudhary won the 51st Jnanpith Award for 2015; American author Paul Beatty won the 2016 Man Booker Prize for his novel 'The Sellout'; Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos received the 2016 Nobel Peace Prize for negotiating the landmark peace treaty with FARC guerrillas; and 'Spotlight' directed by Tom McCarthy clinched Best Picture at the 88th Academy Awards.

Statements 1 and 2 are correct. In October 2016, host nation India captured the Kabaddi World Cup (Standard Style) in Ahmedabad by defeating Iran 38–29 in the final. In cricket, the West Indies created history by winning the 2016 ICC Men's World Twenty20 at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, defeating England in the final, alongside the West Indies women's team winning the women's title on the same day.

Statements 1, 2, and 3 are correct. Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana was launched on 1 May 2016 at Ballia (UP) to provide deposit-free LPG connections to women of impoverished households; Stand Up India was launched on 5 April 2016 to facilitate bank loans between ₹10 lakh and ₹1 crore to SC, ST, and women greenfield entrepreneurs; and Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana was launched in February 2016 to offer low-premium comprehensive risk cover against crop failure.