State and Union Territories of India

135

Q80. Which of the following is Nagaland’s official language?

[DSSSB TGT Mathematics (14 Nov 2025, Shift 2), 2025]

1. English
2. Nagamese
3. Assamese
4. Hindi

Answer: (A) English

Explanation: English serves as Nagaland’s official language in government and education. Many Naga languages are used by different communities, and Nagamese helps communication across groups. The official designation should not be confused with the language most widely used conversationally.

Q79. Which state has the Indian roller, called Pala Pitta, as its state bird?

[Telangana High Court Record Assistant (20 Apr 2025), 2025]

1. Tamil Nadu
2. Telangana
3. Kerala
4. Andaman and Nicobar Islands

Answer: (B) Telangana

Explanation: Telangana recognizes the Indian roller as its state bird. Called Pala Pitta in Telugu, it is known for striking blue wing feathers. State birds are chosen by individual governments and should not be confused with India’s national bird, the peacock.

Q78. Match First, Third, Fifth and Seventh Schedules with territories, oaths, Scheduled Areas and Union-State legislative subjects.

[SSC Stenographer (07 Aug 2025, Shift 3), 2025]

1. First-territories; Third-oaths; Fifth-Scheduled Areas; Seventh-legislative lists
2. First-oaths; Third-territories; Fifth-lists; Seventh-Scheduled Areas
3. First-lists; Third-Scheduled Areas; Fifth-oaths; Seventh-territories
4. First-Scheduled Areas; Third-lists; Fifth-territories; Seventh-oaths

Answer: (A) First-territories; Third-oaths; Fifth-Scheduled Areas; Seventh-legislative lists

Explanation: The First Schedule lists States and Union Territories; Third prescribes oaths; Fifth governs Scheduled Areas and certain Scheduled Tribes; and Seventh divides legislative subjects among Union, State and Concurrent Lists. Each schedule serves a distinct constitutional purpose.

Q77. During 2021, which state had India’s largest forest cover by absolute area?

[MPPSC State Service Prelims (16 Feb 2025), 2025]

1. Maharashtra
2. Madhya Pradesh
3. Odisha
4. Andhra Pradesh

Answer: (B) Madhya Pradesh

Explanation: The India State of Forest Report 2021 put Madhya Pradesh first in total forest cover area. A state’s absolute forest cover must be distinguished from the percentage of its geographic area under forest, where smaller northeastern states often rank higher.

Q76. Which of the following had the smallest population in Census 2011: Assam, Manipur, Mizoram or Tripura?

[SSC GD Constable (07 Feb 2025, Shift 1), 2025]

1. Assam
2. Manipur
3. Mizoram
4. Tripura

Answer: (C) Mizoram

Explanation: Mizoram had approximately 10.91 lakh residents in Census 2011, fewer than Assam, Manipur and Tripura. The comparison is only among these four options: nationally, Sikkim had the smallest population of any Indian state that year.

Q75. Which Indian state contains Kanchenjunga, India’s highest peak outside the disputed Pakistan-occupied region?

[RRB NTPC Undergraduate (18 Aug 2025, Shift 2), 2025]

1. Himachal Pradesh
2. Sikkim
3. Uttarakhand
4. Arunachal Pradesh

Answer: (B) Sikkim

Explanation: Kanchenjunga rises to approximately 8,586 metres near the Sikkim-Nepal border. It is the third-highest mountain in the world. The question tests an important geographical association with Sikkim, a Himalayan state whose capital is Gangtok.

Q74. Among these states, where is the Sundarbans Biosphere Reserve?

[RRB NTPC Undergraduate (14 Aug 2025, Shift 2), 2025]

1. Tamil Nadu
2. West Bengal
3. Assam
4. Odisha

Answer: (B) West Bengal

Explanation: The Sundarbans Biosphere Reserve lies in southern West Bengal within the Ganga-Brahmaputra delta. Its mangrove ecosystem is shared across the wider delta with Bangladesh. The Indian reserve is particularly associated with tidal channels and Royal Bengal tiger habitats.

Q73. In which state is Konkani prominently spoken?

[RRB NTPC Undergraduate (04 Sep 2025, Shift 1), 2025]

1. Assam
2. Tripura
3. Goa
4. Arunachal Pradesh

Answer: (C) Goa

Explanation: Konkani is Goa’s official language and is widely spoken in the Konkan coastal region. Goa’s official-language legislation recognizes Konkani in Devanagari script. The language is also found in adjoining areas of Maharashtra and Karnataka.

Q72. Which of these states did not possess a Legislative Council as of July 2024?

[DSSSB PGT Political Science (13 Jul 2025, Shift 1), 2025]

1. Rajasthan
2. Bihar
3. Maharashtra
4. Telangana

Answer: (A) Rajasthan

Explanation: Rajasthan has a unicameral legislature. Bihar, Maharashtra and Telangana have Vidhan Parishads, the upper houses of state legislatures. The Constitution permits councils to be established or abolished under Article 169, following the prescribed assembly resolution and parliamentary law.

Q71. Which person’s death following a hunger strike accelerated creation of the first Telugu-speaking state?

[SSC Selection Post Higher Secondary (29 Jul 2025, Shift 2), 2025]

1. Potti Sriramulu
2. Pingali Venkayya
3. R. K. Shanmukham Chetty
4. Jagjivan Ram

Answer: (A) Potti Sriramulu

Explanation: Potti Sriramulu died during a fast seeking a separate Telugu-speaking state. Public protests thereafter led to Andhra State’s formation on 1 October 1953 from Madras State. The wider Andhra Pradesh came into being in 1956 after another reorganisation.