Explanation:

The Annual Groundwater Quality Report (2024) is prepared by the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB), the apex national agency for groundwater under the Ministry of Jal Shakti. CGWB operates a nationwide network of observation wells and routinely publishes annual assessments of groundwater quality.
Why others are incorrect:
– Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB): Primarily deals with pollution control and reports under the National Water Quality Monitoring Programme, focusing largely on surface water; it does not publish the nationwide Annual Groundwater Quality Report.
– Central Water Commission (CWC): Concerned with surface water (rivers, reservoirs, hydrology) and does not prepare groundwater quality reports.
Hence, only statement 3 is correct.

Explanation:

Statement 1 is correct: Baking soda is sodium hydrogen carbonate (sodium bicarbonate), chemical formula NaHCO3.
Statement 2 is correct: Sodium bicarbonate is used in fire extinguishers. In dry chemical (Class B and C) extinguishers, sodium bicarbonate powder smothers flames; in older soda–acid extinguishers, it reacts to release CO2, which displaces oxygen.
Therefore, both statements are correct.

Explanation:

Pairs check:
– 1. Budapest – Danube: Correct. The Danube flows through Budapest, dividing Buda and Pest.
– 2. Cologne – Rhine: Correct. Cologne (Köln) lies on the Rhine River.
– 3. New Orleans – Missouri: Incorrect. New Orleans is on the Mississippi River; the Missouri joins the Mississippi at St. Louis, far upstream.
– 4. Hyderabad (India) – Paleru: Incorrect. Hyderabad is on the Musi River (a Krishna tributary); Paleru is a different Krishna tributary in Telangana (not flowing through Hyderabad).

Thus, the NOT correctly matched pairs are 3 and 4.

Explanation:

The First Carnatic War (1746–1748) was the Indian theatre of the War of the Austrian Succession. The Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (1748) ended that European war and mandated mutual restitution of conquests. In India, this resulted in the end of the First Carnatic War and the return of Madras—captured by the French in 1746—to the British, in exchange for Britain returning Louisbourg to France in North America. Hence, both statements 1 and 2 are correct.

Explanation:

Mapping the Lok Sabhas to their Speakers:
– 11th Lok Sabha (1996–1998): P. A. Sangma
– 12th Lok Sabha (1998–1999): G. M. C. Balyogi (also re-elected in 13th LS)
– 14th Lok Sabha (2004–2009): Somnath Chatterjee
– 17th Lok Sabha (2019– ): Om Birla
Thus A-2, B-4, C-3, D-1, which is Option 1.

Explanation:

Social indicators of poverty capture non-income deprivations in education, health, basic amenities, and employment.
– Illiteracy (1): A classic social indicator reflecting educational deprivation among the poor.
– Safe drinking water (2): Access (or lack thereof) to safe drinking water is a key social indicator of living conditions.
– Job opportunities (3): Lack of job opportunities/unemployment is commonly included among social indicators of poverty.
– Size of the house (4): Not a standard social indicator in the usual NCERT/UPSC listing; it pertains more to housing/asset characteristics rather than the conventional social indicators such as education, health, water/sanitation, and employment.

Therefore, the item that is NOT a social indicator is Only 4.

Explanation:

Correct matching:
– Eleventh Finance Commission (2000–05): Prof. A. M. Khusro → 3
– Twelfth Finance Commission (2005–10): Dr. C. Rangarajan → 1
– Thirteenth Finance Commission (2010–15): Dr. Vijay L. Kelkar → 4
– Fourteenth Finance Commission (2015–20): Dr. Y. V. Reddy → 2
Thus, A-3, B-1, C-4, D-2 → Option 1.

Explanation:

Statement 1 is correct: The Amazonian equatorial rainforests are commonly referred to as ‘Selvas’ in classical geography (selva/selvas meaning jungle in Portuguese/Spanish).

Statement 2 is incorrect: ‘Terra roxa’ literally means ‘purple earth’ and is a reddish to purplish, highly fertile soil derived from basalt in southern Brazil, famous for coffee cultivation—not a dark black soil. The black, very fertile anthropogenic soil in the Amazon is called ‘terra preta’, not terra roxa.

Therefore, only Statement 1 is correct.

Explanation:

Pairs analysis:
– 1. International Ozone Day – 16 September: Correct. The UN General Assembly designated 16 September (date of the 1987 Montreal Protocol) as the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer.
– 2. World Environment Day – 5 June: Correct. Observed annually on 5 June, marking the opening of the 1972 Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment.
– 3. World Wildlife Day – 22 March: Incorrect. World Wildlife Day is on 3 March (the date CITES was signed in 1973). 22 March is World Water Day.

Explanation:

Statement 1 is correct: Lichens are well-known bioindicators of air pollution, especially sulfur dioxide. They absorb water and nutrients directly from the atmosphere and lack protective structures, making them highly sensitive to airborne pollutants; their presence, absence, or diversity reliably reflects air quality.
Statement 2 is incorrect: Lichens do not grow well in polluted (urban/industrial) areas; high levels of pollutants like SO2 suppress or eliminate them.