APPSC General Studies Mock Test - 3 Free Online Test 2026

Article 3 of the Indian Constitution:

• It empowered the Parliament to make laws relating to the formation of new states and alteration of existing states.
• Parliament may by law:
  • Form a new State by separation of territory from a State or by uniting two or more States or parts of States
  • Increase the area of any State
  • Diminish the area of any State
  • Alter the boundaries of any State
  • Alter the name of any State

The correct answer is D as Ramananda was born in Allahabad. He was the worshiper of Lord Ram. Originally, he was a follower of Ramanuja, later he founded his own sect & preached his disciples in Hindi. He strongly believed in 2 ideals, namely:
1. Simplification of Worship.
2. Emancipation of people from traditional caste rule.

• Statement 1 – Incorrect
  While Article 227 grants wide powers of superintendence to the High Court, it is subject to legislation made by Parliament, and the High Court cannot interfere with administrative matters beyond what is constitutionally permitted.
  Hence, it is not entirely unrestricted.

• Statement 2 – Correct
  The High Court can exercise this power suo motu (on its own) without a formal appeal or petition.

• Statement 3 – Correct
  The power under Article 227 includes revisional elements, allowing the High Court to correct jurisdictional or legal errors in subordinate court judgments.

Therefore, Correct Answer - Option D

It is intended to strengthen the fabric of Indian parliamentary democracy by curbing unprincipled and unethical political defections. Rajiv Gandhi, the then Prime Minister, described it as the ‘first step towards cleaning-up public life’.

• Red soils are formed by weathering of the ancient crystalline and metamorphic rocks. Their colour is red due to their very high iron content. They are found in areas of low rainfall and are less leached than laterite soils.

• They are sandier and less clayey soils. Red Soil in India is poor in phosphorus, nitrogen and lime contents. The red soil covers a large portion of land in India. It is found in Indian states such as Tamil Nadu, southern Karnataka, north-eastern Andhra Pradesh and some parts of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh

A proclamation imposing President's Rule must be approved by both the Houses of Parliament within two months from the date of its issue. If approved by both the houses of Parliament, the President's rule continues for six months.

• Security of Tenure: Article 324 provides for the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and other Election Commissioners to hold office for a term as determined by the President. However, their term is not fixed by the Constitution itself. The conditions of service and tenure are subject to the provisions made by the President. Therefore, this statement is incorrect.

• Qualifications for Appointment: Article 324 does not prescribe specific qualifications for the appointment of the Chief Election Commissioner or other Election Commissioners. Their qualifications are left to the discretion of the appointing authority. Therefore, this statement is also incorrect.
  Both statements are incorrect, and the correct option is: d) None

• According to the variations in relief features, the Northern plains can be divided into four regions.

• After descending from the mountains, the rivers deposit pebbles in a narrow belt of about 8 to 16 km in width lying parallel to the slopes of the Shivalik.

• It is known as bhabar. All the streams disappear in this bhabar belt. South of this belt, the streams and rivers re-emerge and create a wet, swampy and marshy region known as Terai. This was a thickly forested region full of wildlife.

The forests have been cleared to create agricultural land and to settle migrants from Pakistan after partition. Dudhwa National Park is located in this region.

The largest part of the northern plain is formed of older alluvium. They lie above the flood plains of the rivers and present a terrace-like feature. This part is known as bhangar. The soil in this region contains calcareous deposits locally known as kankar. The newer, younger deposits of the flood plains are called khadar. They are renewed almost every year and so are fertile, thus, ideal for intensive agriculture.

• Individuals in identical or similar situations paying identical or similar taxes are known as horizontal equity'.

• When 'better-off' people pay more taxes, it is known as vertical equity.

• A mismatch between demand and supply pulls up prices.

• Either the demand increases over the same level of supply, or the supply decreases with the same level of demand and thus the situation of demand-pull inflation arises.

• This was a Keynesian idea. The Keynesian School suggests cuts in spending as the way of tackling excess demand mainly by increasing taxes and reducing government expenditure.

• Monetarists view Demand-pull inflation as the creation of extra purchasing power to the consumer over the same level of production.

• This is the type of creating extra money (either by the printing or public borrowing) without equivalent creation in production/supply i.e. too much money chasing too little output.

• Seals were primarily used for commercial purposes and helped in communication. Discovery of various seals in Mesopotamia and various sites such as Lothal points to the fact that seals were extensively used for trade. 
• Some seals with a hole on them have been found on dead bodies. This indicates they might have been used as amulets, carried on the persons of their owners, probably used as some form of identification.

Additional Information
Large square unicorn seal  with perforated boss on the back. The unicorn is the most common motif on Indus seals and appears to represent a mythical animal that Greek and Roman sources trace back to the Indian subcontinent.

The correct option is D.
All the other statements are correct regarding  the administration of the Cholas.
 

Zoji La Pass

• It is in the Zaskar range in the Indian union territory of Ladakh.
• The road route from Srinagar to Leh goes through this pass.
• It has been created by the Indus River.

As at the Centre, there is no provision in the Constitution for the system of legal responsibility of the minister in the states. It is not required that a minister should countersign an order of the governor for a public act. Moreover, the courts are barred from inquiring into the nature of advice rendered by the ministers to the governor.

As the wind blows across the smooth water surface, the friction or drag between the air and the water tends to stretch the surface. As waves form, the surface becomes rougher and it is easier for the wind to grip the water surface and intensify the waves.

(A) Elephant: iii) Tropical Deciduous Forest

(B) Silver Fox: ii) Mediterranean

(C) Wild buffalo or Bison: iv) Temperate Grasslands

(D) Horse: i) Coniferous Forest or Taiga

The establishment of the CBI was recommended by the Santhanam Committee on Prevention of Corruption (1962–1964). The CBI is not a statutory body. It derives its powers from the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, 1946.

• Looking at the resources available, agriculture would have been the obvious choice as the prime moving force (PMF) of the economy (i.e., cultivable land and human power).

• But as Indian Agriculture was using traditional tools and technology its modernisation, as well as future mechanisation (later to some extent), would have been blocked due to the lack of indigenous industrial support.

• If India would have gone for import this would have required enough foreign reserves and a natural dependence on foreign countries.

Answer: c

Explanation:

Under Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Unnat Krishi Shiksha (PDUUKS) Scheme the central government has opened 100 centres to promote agriculture education in the country. The Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Ministry has this information regarding opening up of new centres in the country.

Under the scheme the central government will provide the education to the agriculture graduates. From the year 2016-17, scholarship to the students has been increased from Rs 1000 to Rs 3000. Four new colleges have been opened in Rani Laxmibai Central Agricultural University, Jhansi, Bundelkhand, out of which 2 are in Uttar Pradesh and 2 Colleges are in Madhya Pradesh. IARI-Jharkhand has been established and students of the state are studying in various courses under Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Unnat Krishi Shiksha Scheme.

The correct option is C.

Explanation:

Statement 1 is incorrect because this is not related to smart cities. Statement 2 is correct and 3 is incorrect. The Smart India Hackathon was launched by the HRD ministry to provide opportunities for students across the country to give digital solutions to problems faced by people in India.

• The report had a human development index (HDI) which was the first attempt to define and measure the level of development of economies.

• The dilemma of measuring the developmental level of economies was solved once the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) published its first Human Development Report (HDR) in 1990.

• The ‘index’ was a product of a select team of leading scholars, development practitioners and members of the Human Development Report Office of the UNDP. The first such team which developed the HDI was led by Mahbub ul Haq and Inge Kaul.

The correct option is C.
Syed Abdullah Khan and Syed Husain Ali Khan Barha, who were powerful in the Mughal Empire during the early 18th century.

• Under the Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK), support is being provided to States/UTs for child health screening and early intervention services through early detection and early management of common health conditions.

• The National Iron Plus Initiative has been rolled out to address anaemia among children (6 months to 19 years) and women in reproductive age including pregnant and lactating women in both rural and urban areas throughout the country.

It is a 6 member body.3 members are nominated by the central government and 3 are from the RBI. It sets the policy rate to keep inflation within the band decided by the central government

The correct answer is C: 1 and 2 only.

• Provisions related to citizenship (Article 5) and the electoral process (Articles 324 to 329) were among those that came into effect on that date.
• Fundamental Rights (Part III) and the formation of states and union territories (Article 1) came into effect on January 26, 1950.
• Fundamental Duties were added later by the 42nd Amendment in 1976.

• A state legislature can impose taxes on professions, trades, callings and employments, sale or purchase of goods (other than newspapers), etc.

• However, a tax imposed on the sale or purchase of goods declared by Parliament to be of special importance in inter-state trade and commerce is subject to the Parliament's restrictions and conditions. Presidential assent is not generally required for the introduction of taxes by a state.

The Mercalli Scale is based on observable earthquake damage. From a scientific standpoint, the magnitude scale is based on seismic records while the Mercalli is based on observable data which can be subjective.

The Mercalli intensity scale (or more precisely the Modified Mercalli intensity scale) is a scale to measure the intensity of earthquakes. Unlike the Richter scale, the Mercalli scale does not take into account energy of an earthquake directly.