40. In what year was the Steel Authority of India Limited incorporated?
[RRB Group D, 28 September 2022 Shift 1 — 2022]
(A) 1956
(B) 1981
(C) 1973
(D) 1963
Answer: (C) 1973
Explanation: SAIL was incorporated in January 1973 and developed into a major government-owned integrated steel producer. Its group of steel plants supplies construction, rail, machinery and manufacturing needs. The date relates to the corporate entity, not to the initial commissioning of each plant.
39. In which year was the Industries (Development and Regulation) Act enacted?
[RRB Group D, 9 September 2022 Shift 1 — 2022]
(A) 1951
(B) 1950
(C) 1949
(D) 1948
Answer: (A) 1951
Explanation: The Industries (Development and Regulation) Act, 1951 supplied the legislative framework for regulating specified industrial undertakings, including licensing and development controls. It followed the 1948 Industrial Policy Resolution and preceded the more expansive state-led orientation of the 1956 industrial policy.
38. Which Indian region has the highest concentration of iron-and-steel industries?
[RRB Group D, 30 August 2022 Shift 1 — 2022]
(A) Baghelkhand Plateau
(B) Chota Nagpur Plateau
(C) Malwa Plateau
(D) Bundelkhand Plateau
Answer: (B) Chota Nagpur Plateau
Explanation: The Chota Nagpur Plateau region offers proximity to iron ore, coal, limestone, water and transport routes. These natural and infrastructure advantages helped create major steel centres around Jamshedpur and Bokaro and other industrial settlements in eastern India.
37. When was Tata Iron and Steel Company incorporated?
[RRB Group D, 19 September 2022 Shift 2 — 2022]
(A) 1907
(B) 1906
(C) 1905
(D) 1908
Answer: (A) 1907
Explanation: TISCO was incorporated in 1907 and laid the foundation for large-scale integrated steel production at Jamshedpur. Now known as Tata Steel, it became a landmark private industrial enterprise. Iron ore, coal, water and rail connectivity contributed to its location.
36. Which industrial-policy document reflected the Mahalanobis growth model?
[WBCS Mains 2021, held May 2022 — 2021]
(A) Industrial Policy Resolution 1956
(B) Industrial Policy Statement 1973
(C) Industrial Policy Statement 1977
(D) None
Answer: (A) Industrial Policy Resolution 1956
Explanation: The Mahalanobis strategy emphasised investment in capital goods and heavy industries as the basis of long-term industrial capacity. The 1956 Industrial Policy Resolution complemented this Second Five-Year Plan approach by assigning the state a commanding role in major industries.
35. Which is NOT one of India’s eight core industries?
[RRB NTPC CBT-I, 19 January 2021 Shift 1 — 2021]
(A) Cement
(B) Crude oil
(C) Sugar
(D) Fertilisers
Answer: (C) Sugar
Explanation: Sugar processing is an important agro-based industry but does not enter the official eight-core-industries index. Cement, crude oil and fertilizer production are among its components. Other constituents include coal, natural gas, refinery products, steel and electricity.
34. Which body was established to deal with financially sick industrial enterprises?
[RRB NTPC CBT-I, 11 March 2021 Shift 2 — 2021]
(A) Reserve Bank of India
(B) Housing Development Finance Corporation
(C) Board for Industrial and Financial Reconstruction
(D) Industrial Development Bank of India
Answer: (C) Board for Industrial and Financial Reconstruction
Explanation: The Board for Industrial and Financial Reconstruction operated under the Sick Industrial Companies framework to examine industrial sickness and potential revival. Its earlier institutional role must be understood historically: insolvency reforms subsequently replaced that structure with newer company-resolution mechanisms.
33. Which is regarded as India’s first major large-scale integrated iron-and-steel plant?
[RRB NTPC CBT-I, 18 January 2021 Shift 2 — 2021]
(A) Bhilai
(B) Bokaro
(C) Rourkela
(D) TISCO
Answer: (D) TISCO
Explanation: Tata Iron and Steel Company, established at Jamshedpur in 1907, was a pioneer of modern integrated steel production in India. The other listed major public-sector steelworks developed decades later after Independence as part of state-led industrialisation.
32. Which steel plant is NOT situated immediately beside a river among these options?
[UPPSC RO/ARO General Studies, 5 December 2021 — 2021]
(A) Bhilai
(B) Bokaro
(C) Jamshedpur
(D) Bhadravati
Answer: (A) Bhilai
Explanation: Bokaro, Jamshedpur and Bhadravati are closely associated with river locations, including the Damodar, Subarnarekha–Kharkai and Bhadra systems. Bhilai’s water infrastructure is linked instead to the Tandula reservoir. This contrast distinguishes its site from the other alternatives.
31. What is West Texas Intermediate (WTI)?
[UPSC CSE Prelims — 2020]
(A) A crude-oil grade
(B) A bullion standard
(C) A rare-earth mineral
(D) A uranium grade
Answer: (A) A crude-oil grade
Explanation: WTI is a light, sweet crude-oil grade used as an international price benchmark. Its relatively low sulphur content makes it attractive for refining. WTI prices influence energy markets and industrial input costs, alongside benchmarks such as Brent crude.
