Review answers

Explanation: Aurangzeb (ruled 1658–1707) was called 'Zinda Pir' because of his simple, austere personal life: he is said to have met his personal expenses by stitching caps and copying the Quran. Akbar founded Din-i-Ilahi, Jahangir is known for his 'chain of justice', and Shah Jahan built the Taj Mahal.

Explanation: Akashvani reported that Lula defeated Senator Flavio Bolsonaro with about 51% of the vote, an unprecedented fourth non-consecutive term. At 80 he will be sworn in on 5 January, breaking his own record as Brazil's oldest president to take the oath since the return to democracy.

Explanation: The Siachen Glacier lies in the eastern Karakoram Range in Ladakh, close to the Line of Control; the Nubra river rises from its snout. It is one of the longest glaciers outside the polar regions. The Zanskar, Pir Panjal and Dhauladhar are ranges of the Himalayas proper, not the Karakoram.

Explanation: ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan said India will have four functional launch pads by 2029, including a 2,000-acre dedicated Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) complex at Kulasekarapattinam in Tuticorin (Thoothukudi) district of Tamil Nadu and a third launch pad at Sriharikota.

Explanation: PIB (26 October 2026): IIT Kharagpur signed a tripartite MoU with alumnus Vinod Gupta and IITKGP Foundation USA to set up the Benjamin Gupta School of Physical AI, envisioned as India's first dedicated academic school on Physical AI. It is a Rs 35 crore initiative, with Rs 12.5 crore from the Vinod Gupta family.

Explanation: Statements 1, 3 and 4 are correct. The Defence Acquisition Council chaired by Rajnath Singh accorded AoN to proposals worth about Rs 2,12,000 crore; the LMRH will be used by both the Army and the Air Force; the Navy's approvals include the Active Offboard Decoy System (AODS). Statement 2 is wrong: about 82% (not 62%) of the procurement will be from Indian industry.

Explanation: IMD said cyclonic storm Arnab over the Bay of Bengal was likely to intensify into a very severe cyclonic storm and cross the Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coasts between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam with sustained winds of 115–125 km/h gusting to 140 km/h by Wednesday forenoon. It was not forecast to cross the Odisha coast; Odisha was expected to get heavy to very heavy rain.

Explanation: Statements 1–3 are correct as per PIB: ADMM-Plus joins the ASEAN members and eight Dialogue Partners (India, US, China, Russia, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand); the inaugural meeting was in Hanoi on 12 October 2010; India co-chairs the Experts' Working Group on Counter-Terrorism with Malaysia for 2024–2027. Statement 4 is wrong: India became an ASEAN dialogue partner in 1992. Rajnath Singh leads India's delegation.

Explanation: The Kirana gharana takes its name from Kairana, a town now in Shamli district of western Uttar Pradesh. Ustad Abdul Karim Khan is regarded as its founder, and Pandit Bhimsen Joshi and Gangubai Hangal were among its best-known singers. The Gwalior, Patiala and Indore gharanas are named after cities outside UP.

Explanation: 'Operation Vijay' (1961) ended Portuguese rule in Goa, Daman and Diu; Goa was not a princely state. Travancore acceded to India in 1947 after its Dewan C.P. Ramaswami Aiyar gave up his plan of independence. Hyderabad was integrated after 'Operation Polo' (September 1948), Junagadh after a plebiscite in February 1948, and Maharaja Hari Singh signed J&K's Instrument of Accession on 26 October 1947.