KEA VAO 2024 — Paper 1 - General Studies (GS)

Pulicat, Surat, Machilipatnam and Nagapattinam were among the Dutch East India Company's business/trading centers in India.

The Kasturirangan Committee was set up in 2013 (not 2022) to study ecologically sensitive areas of the Western Ghats, and the Karnataka Government accepted its report in September 2024 — so only statement (b) is correct.

This matches Harappan sites with findings: Harappa - Granaries, Mohenjodaro - Statue of the Dancing Girl, Kalibangan - Fire altars, Lothal - Dockyard.

Article 14 deals with Equality before Law; Article 21 deals with Protection of Life and Personal Liberty (not abolition of titles, which is Article 18); Article 24 deals with prohibition of child labour (not untouchability, which is Article 17); Article 30 deals with minorities' right to establish educational institutions (not right to freedom of religion, which is Articles 25-28) — only (a) is correctly matched.

This matches schemes with objectives: PM Shram Yogi Maan-dhan Yojana - pension for unorganized workers, PM Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana - one-year life insurance for any-cause death, National Social Assistance Programme - social benefits for old age/death/maternity, PM Suraksha Bima Yojana - accidental insurance.

The correct sequence of dynasties ruling Magadha runs: Haryanka, Shishunaga, Nanda, Maurya, Shunga.

A Gram Panchayat covers a village or group of villages, and its President can sign cheques for financial affairs — statements (a) and (b) are correct, while VAOs work under state administrative hierarchy (not directly under the Gram Panchayat President's orders), and reservation does exist for President/Vice-President selection.

By Newton's Third Law, the force on the bullet equals and opposes the force on the gun (A), and by conservation of momentum, total momentum is conserved (B); however, kinetic energy is not conserved in this process, as some energy converts to heat/sound.

In diamond, each carbon atom is covalently bonded to four other carbon atoms in a tetrahedral structure.

This matches organisations with headquarters: African Union - Addis Ababa, ASEAN - Jakarta, NATO - Brussels, WTO - Geneva.

The QUAD (Quadrilateral Security Dialogue) comprises India, Japan, USA and Australia.

Trygve Lie was from Norway and U Thant was from Myanmar (Burma) — both correctly matched; Javier Pérez de Cuéllar was from Peru (not Portugal) and Antonio Guterres is from Portugal (not Peru) — these two are mismatched.

Vira Narasimha and Mallikarjuna were kings of the Sangama dynasty of the Vijayanagara Empire; Bukka II and Deva Raya I were also Sangama dynasty rulers, but per the given answer only (b) and (d) are selected.

Chandragupta Maurya (who is said to have spent his final years there), Chavundaraya (who commissioned the Gomateshwara statue), Queen Shantala, and Chikka Devaraja Wodeyar all have historical associations with Shravanabelagola, while Malik Kafur (a Delhi Sultanate general) does not.

According to Ferishta (Perista), Ali Adil Shah I provided the water supply system to Bijapur during the Adil Shahi period.

The chronological order of these armed revolts against the British in Karnataka runs: Bidar revolt, Sindagi revolt, Nippani revolt, Supa revolt.

Twinkling of stars is due to atmospheric refraction, rainbows form due to dispersion and total internal reflection, and the sky's blue colour is due to scattering of light — all three pairs are correctly matched.

The Karnataka State Pollution Control Board was constituted under the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974.

Jaya, Ratna and IR-8 are rice varieties, while Kalyan Sona and Sonalika are wheat varieties.

Prolactin is the hormone essential for stimulating milk secretion and release from the mammary glands after childbirth.

Only the Right Atrium's description (receiving impure/deoxygenated blood from body parts) is correctly matched; the Left Atrium receives pure blood from the lungs (not body parts), the Right Ventricle receives impure blood from the Right Atrium (not Left Atrium), and the Left Ventricle receives pure blood from the Left Atrium (not directly from the Right Ventricle).

Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman won the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their mRNA vaccine technology discoveries enabling effective COVID-19 vaccines.

The First Carnatic War ended with the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, and the Third Carnatic War ended with the Treaty of Paris — only the Second Carnatic War's pairing with the Treaty of Pondicherry is correct among these listed pairs.

Champaran Satyagraha (1917) was Gandhi's first major civil-rights movement in India (though not the 'Civil Disobedience Movement' by that specific name), the Ahmedabad Mill Strike involved a hunger strike (not the Non-Cooperation Movement), and the Kheda Satyagraha was a tax-resistance movement (not a hunger strike) — only one of these three pairings holds up as correct.

Alexander Read and Thomas Munro were key figures in implementing the Ryotwari system in South India (Madras Presidency).

Manu Bhaker and Vinesh Phogat carried the Indian flag during the closing ceremony of the Paris Olympics 2024.

The BJP has the highest number of MPs in the 18th Lok Sabha.

The 2024 Paralympics were held in Paris, and China, Britain and USA topped the medal tally — statements (a), (c) and (d) are correct, while the Paralympics are held once every 4 years (not 5), making statement (b) incorrect.

India celebrated its first National Space Day on 23rd August 2024, marking the anniversary of the Chandrayaan-3 Moon landing.

The Indian National Emblem (Ashoka's Lion Capital and its base) features a lion, elephant, bull (horse in relief) and a wheel/chakra motif — bull, lion, elephant and horse (b, c, d, e) are depicted, while the tiger is not part of this specific emblem.

Tarangam and Varnam are sequences/pieces specific to other classical dance forms (e.g. Kuchipudi, generic Bharatanatyam repertoire terms), while Lasya refers to a graceful dance style concept rather than a specific sequence in the traditional Bharatanatyam margam — Alarippu and Tillana are standard Bharatanatyam repertoire items.

Nanjarayan Bird Sanctuary, Kazhuveli Bird Sanctuary and Tawa Reservoir were among the new Ramsar sites added around Independence Day 2024, while Sharavathi Kandla Mangrove was not part of this specific addition.

DigiYatra is the collaborative facial-recognition based system developed involving AAI and ISRO technology inputs to streamline airport processes.

The Angel Tax, abolished to boost Indian startups, was charged at a rate of 30.9% (comprising the base rate plus surcharge and cess) before its abolition.

Anura Kumara Dissanayake, President of Sri Lanka, belongs to the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) party.

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman is known as the 'Father of the Nation' of Bangladesh.

Mithun Chakraborty was honoured with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award at a different edition (not the 69th), and Dr. Rajkumar received it during a different edition than the 43rd — per the given answer, statements (c) and (d) are the incorrect ones.

HSRP stands for High Security Registration Plate, a vehicle number plate standard.

Ram Nath Kovind chaired the High-Level Committee on 'One Nation, One Election'.

This matches Karnataka dynasties with emblems: Kadambas - Lion and Monkey flag, Gangas - Bull, Chalukyas - Varaha (boar), Rashtrakutas - Garuda.

The August Offer was made in 1940 (not 1939), making this pairing the incorrect one among the options.

DIPAM stands for the Department of Investment and Public Asset Management.

The KHIR City (Knowledge, Healthcare, Innovation and Research City) is planned to be established at Bengaluru.

This matches educational schemes with objectives: National Means-cum-Merit Scholarship - scholarships for meritorious economically weaker students, Vidyanjali - remedial classes/training via voluntarism, Unnat Bharat Abhiyan - connecting higher education with villages/society, Pragati - scholarships for girls in technical education.

The first flood forecasting station was established by the Central Water Commission at the Old Railway Bridge, Delhi.

Bhadravati, home to Vishveshvaraya Iron and Steel Works using charcoal (not coal), was the exception among India's early coal-based iron and steel industries.

The Toda tribe's original habitat is the Nilgiri Hills.

This matches countries with port cities: China - Shanghai, Egypt - Alexandria, Netherlands - Rotterdam, United Kingdom - London.

This matches Karnataka beaches with locations: Padubidri Beach - Udupi, Half Moon Beach - Gokarna, Devbagh Beach - Karwar, Tannirbhavi Beach - Mangaluru.

Raichur, Ballari and Vijayanagara are indeed known for cotton cultivation (Assertion true), and canal irrigation from the Tungabhadra project is dominant there (Reason true), but the reason given does not fully explain the specific assertion about cotton cultivation dominance.

Let salary = x; after food (1/7x), remaining = 6/7x; clothing takes half, leaving 3/7x; entertainment takes 1/3 of that = 1/7x, leaving 2/7x = 600, so x=2100; entertainment spend = 1/7 x 2100 = 300.

The full order runs Mohan > Shilpa > Ravi > Shyam > Savitha, making Ravi and Shilpa the 3rd and 2nd positions respectively.

Using combined rates (1/6, 1/10, 1/7.5) and solving for individual pipe rates, pipe A alone takes 10 hours to fill the tank.

The series alternates two patterns: A,C,E,G (odd positions, consonant-skip) and E,G,I (even positions); the next term in sequence following the pattern would be G.

Using set theory: pass I only + pass II only + pass both + fail both = 100%; solving with the given percentages and a known 'failed both' count allows determination of total students as 1000.

Careful counting of all possible triangle combinations in the given figure yields a total of 22 triangles.

Two equilateral triangles of side 2√2 joined along a common side form a rhombus with area = 2 x (√3/4)(2√2)^2 = 2 x (√3/4)(8) = 4√3 sq. cm.

Substituting the symbol swaps ('x' for division, '-' for multiplication, '÷' for addition, '+' for subtraction) and evaluating the resulting expression gives a final value of 1.

Let son's present age = x, father's = 3x; five years ago, 3x-5 = 4(x-5), solving gives x=15.

With 45 students, a rank of 20th from the top means 25 students are ranked below (26th from bottom is a rank of 20); when 3 more boys join and his rank drops by 3 (to 23rd from top), recalculating his rank from the bottom (in a class of 48) gives the 26th position.

If a sum doubles in 8 years at simple interest, the interest earned equals the principal in 8 years; to reach four times the principal (3 times the principal as interest) takes 3 x 8 = 24 years.

The Yettinahole Integrated Drinking Water Supply Project is a flagship project of the Visvesvaraya Jala Nigam Limited.

The Central Soil and Water Conservation Research and Training Institute was established in 1954 at Bellary.

Arranging Karnataka districts by 2021 geographical area from smallest to largest gives: Bengaluru Rural, Ramanagara, Kodagu, Tumakuru, Belagavi.

The Belagavi revenue division consists of 7 districts and is also known as 'Kittur Karnataka', but it does not contain Karnataka's smallest district by area (that being Bengaluru Rural, part of the Bengaluru division) — so only statement (iii) is incorrect.

Samrat Choudhary, Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar, was appointed convenor of the GST rate rationalisation panel in June 2024.

Uttarakhand became the first state in Independent India to enforce a Uniform Civil Code.

The Vice-President of India (not elected members of the Rajya Sabha) serves as the ex-officio Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, making the claim that 'members elect its Chairman' incorrect.

The motto of Karnataka State Rural Development and Panchayat Raj University, Gadag is 'Rural Roots Global Heights'.

The Central Vigilance Commission was set up based on the recommendations of the Santhanam Committee.

The Public Accounts Committee comprises members from both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, not Rajya Sabha members only, making this statement incorrect.

Hydrofluoric acid reacts with and corrodes glass (which contains silica), so it cannot be stored in glass vessels; it is typically stored in plastic/wax-lined containers instead.

Urea and Ammonium Nitrate are nitrogenous fertilizers, while Triple Super Phosphate is a phosphatic fertilizer and Potassium Sulphate is a potash fertilizer.

Hormones are indeed intercellular chemical messengers, and they are produced by endocrine glands in the body — both statements are correct.

Flint glass is used for camera lenses, Crooke's glass is used for goggle lenses (to block UV rays), and Soda-lime glass is used for reagent bottles — all three pairs are correctly matched.

MRI scanning uses radio waves in conjunction with strong magnetic fields to produce detailed body images.

Article 243D deals with reservation of seats in Panchayats and Article 243G deals with powers/authority/responsibilities of Panchayats — both correctly matched; Article 243 is a definitions clause (not specifically Gram Sabha, which is Article 243A), and Article 243J relates to audit of accounts (not elections, which is Article 243K).

The Karnataka Souharda Sahakari Act, 1997 aimed to allow the formation of more autonomous, self-reliant cooperative societies free from excessive government control.

The superintendence, direction and conduct of elections to the Panchayats is vested with the State Election Commission.

After the new moon day, the illuminated (visible) part of the moon increases each day (waxing phase).

The correct chronological order of these Governors-General/Governors-General runs: William Bentinck, Lord Amherst, Lord Auckland, Lord Ellenborough.

HRA stands for the Hindustan Republican Association, a revolutionary organisation of the Indian independence movement.

The Sattriya dance form was introduced by the Vaishnavite saint Shankaradeva in Assam.

Srinivasa Koujalagi and Govindrao Yalagi established the 'Mazzini Club', a revolutionary association in Belagavi.

Samudragupta did not begin the 'Gupta Era' in 320 CE — that era was actually founded by Chandragupta I, making this statement about the Guptas incorrect.

'Mattavilasa Prahasana' was actually written by the Pallava king Mahendravarman I, not Dharmapala, making this the incorrect literature-author pairing.

Iltutmish is indeed considered the real founder/consolidator of the Delhi Sultanate (Assertion correct), but he was actually the son-in-law (and former slave/general), not the son, of Qutb-ud-din Aibak, making the Reason incorrect.

Rh incompatibility causing severe anemia/jaundice in a newborn (Erythroblastosis Fetalis) typically occurs when an Rh-negative mother carries an Rh-positive baby (from an Rh-positive father), and her antibodies attack the baby's blood cells.

Two balloons charged by rubbing with wool acquire like charges, so they repel each other when brought close.

This matches devices with applications: Spring balance - measuring force, Ammeter - measuring electric current, Electroscope - detecting charge, Seismograph - measuring earthquake magnitude.

Nitrogen gas is commonly used as an inert filling gas in packaged fried snacks to prevent rancidification of oils/fats through oxidation.

The three loan categories under the MUDRA scheme are Shishu, Kishor and Tarun.

This matches organisations with headquarters: BIMSTEC - Dhaka, IMF - Washington D.C., Asian Development Bank - Manila, WHO - Geneva.

Airtel Payments Bank was India's first Payments Bank to commence operations.

Kurukh, Malto, Kolami and Parji are all languages belonging to the Dravidian language family.

India has notified separate air quality standards for industrial, residential and sensitive areas, while WHO guidelines are indeed common across all land-use categories — both statements are correct.

The Konkan Railway's first passenger train ran on a route other than Mangalore-Karwar in 1993, making this specific claim incorrect.

'One State Many Worlds' is the tourism slogan of the Karnataka State Tourism Department.

'Bhoomi' is the Karnataka Revenue Department's portal allowing citizens to track land-record documents and transaction status online.

Dadabhai Naoroji held the longest record of service (across multiple terms) as President of the Indian National Congress.