(i) Population census is the total process of collecting, compiling, analysing or other wise disseminating demographic, economic and social data pertaining, at a specific time, of all persons in a country or a well-defined part of a country.
(ii) The data collected through the census are used for administration, planning, policy making as well as management and evaluation of various programmes by the government.

The main problems of the Indian soils are
(i) Soil erosion
(ii) Degradation of Soil
(iii) Water-logging
(iv) Saline and Alkaline, and
(v) Salt Flats, types of soils have different erosion.

(i) Andhra Pradesh
(ii) Rajasthan
(iii) Odisha
(iv) Jharkhand

(i) Globalization was characterized by the rise of maritime European empires, in the 16^th and 17^th centuries.
(ii) In 17^th century, globalization became private business phenomenon like British East India Company described as the first multinational company.

(i) Net National Product (NNP) is arrived by making some adjustment with regard to depreciation.
(ii) Net National Product (NNP) is arrived by deducting the value of depreciation from Gross National Product.
(iii) NNP = GNP - Depreciation

(i) 1/3 of the members are elected by local bodies.
(ii) 1/112 of the members are elected by Graduates of the universities in the State.
(iii) 1/12 of the members are elected by Graduate teachers
(iv) 1/3 of the members are elected by the members of the Legislative Assembly
(v) 1/6 is nominated by the Governor who is eminent in the field of literary excellence art, social services or Co-operation.

The Constitution of India restricts the number the Council of Ministers including the Prime Minister to fifteen per cent of the total members of the Lok Sabha.

The Constitution can be amended in three ways:
(i) Amendment by simple majority of the Parliament
(ii) Amendment by special majority of the Parliament
(iii) Amendment by special majority of the Parliament and the ratification of half of the state legislatures.

Natural vegetation can be classified as tropical evergreen forests, tropical deciduous forests, tropical dry forests, desert and semi desert vegetation, mountain forests, Alpine forests, Tidal forests, coastal forests, and Riverine forest.

(i) The deltaic plain is an extension of the Khadar land. It covers about 1.9 lakh sq.km in the lower reaches of the Ganga River.
(ii) It is an area of deposition as the river flows in this tract sluggishly.
(iii) The deltaic plain consists mainly of old mud, new mud, and marsh.
(iv) In the delta region, the uplands are called 'Chars' while the marshy areas are called 'Bils'.

(i) Baba Dayal Das was the founder of the Nirankari Movement.
(ii) Stressed the worship of God as Nirankar (formless). Rejection of idols, rejection of rituals associated with idolatry, reverence for the authority of Guru Nanak and of the Adi Granth formed the essence of his teachings. He reiterated the prohibition on meat-eating, and liquor consumption.

The televised images of the shooting and the fall of the Berlin Wall galvanized the process of the breaking up of the communist world. In six months the political map of half of Europe had been redrawn.

(i) The International Development Agency (IDA) also lends money to governments for developmental activities.
(ii) These loans are "soft" loans and are given at very low rates of interest for a period of 50 years.

The discovery of gold in Transvaal, in 1886, led to large numbers of British miners settling in and around Johannesburg.

After 1905 Japan took control of Korean domestic and foreign policy. The assassination of a prominent Japanese diplomat provided the excuse in 1910 for Japan's annexation of Korea.

1) Gross National Happiness (GNH):-
The term GNH was coined in 1972
The four pillars of GNH:
i) Sustainable and equitable socio-economic development
ii) Environmental conservation
iii) Preservation and promotion of culture.
iv) Good governance.
The nine domains of GNH:
i) Psychological well-being,
ii) Health,
iii) Time use,
iv) Education
v) Cultural diversity & resilience
vi) Good governance,
vii) Community vitality
viii) Ecological diversity & resilience
ix) Living standards.
2) Human Development Index (HDI):-
In 1990 Mahbub ul Haq, a Pakistani Economist at the United Nations, introduced the Human Development Index.
Composition:
It is a composite index of
i) life expectancy at birth
ii) adult literacy and
iii) Standard of living
India's HDI level:
i) India's HDI value for 2017 is 0.640
ii) Between 1990 and 2017, HDI value increased nearly 50% - an indicator of achievement in lifting millions of people out of poverty.

Indian agriculture and Indian farmers are plagued by several problems; some of them are natural and some others are manmade.
(i) Small and fragmented land-holdings: The problem of small and fragmented holdings is more serious in densely populated and intensively cultivated states in India.
(ii) High Costs of Inputs: Seed is a critical and basic input for attaining higher crop yields and sustained growth in agricultural production.
(iii) Infertile Soil: Indian soils have been used for growing crops over thousands of years without caring much for replenishing. This has led to depletion and exhaustion of soils resulting low productivity.
(iv) Lack of Irrigation: Only one- third of the cropped area falls under irrigated area. To make agriculture reliable, irrigation facility has to be developed.
(v) Soil erosion:  Large tracts of fertile land suffer from soil erosion by wind and water. Such kind of areas must be properly treated and restored to its original fertility.
(vi) Agricultural marketing: In rural India, agricultural marketing continues in bad shape. Due to the absence of sound marketing facility, the farmers have to depend on local traders and middlemen for the disposal of their farm products which is sold at a low price.
(vii) Inadequate storage facilities: Storage facilities in the rural areas are either totally absent or grossly inadequate. Under such conditions, the farmers are compelled to sell their products immediately after the harvest irrespective of the condition of market.

Electronic Media:
(i) Mass Communication enables millions of people to get the information at the same time.
(ii) It is a great way to provide education as well as entertainment.
(iii) It helps in creating awareness among the people regarding various national policies and programmes.
(iv) The Mass Communication Systems can provide the information to people in two methods.
Electronic Media:
(i) Radio broadcasting in India was started in 1923 by the Radio club of Bombay.
(ii) It was named as All India Radio (AIR) in 1936 and again it was renamed as Akashwani in 1957.
(iii) It broadcasts a variety of programs related to information, education and entertainment.
Print Media:
(i) Newspapers are the most common but powerful means of communication come under print media.
(ii) India has many newspapers which carry information on local, national and international events to the people

Major challenges of Indian Industries:
i) Industries in India face many problems. Some major problems are listed below.
ii) Shortage and fluctuation in Power Supply.
ii) Non- availability of large blocks of land.
iv) Poor access to credit.
v) High rate of interest for borrowed loan.
vi) Non - availability of cheap labourers.
vii) Lack of technical and vocational training for employees.
viii) Inappropriate living conditions nearby industrial estates.

(i) Sony Corporation
(ii) Hew left Packard (HP)
(iii) Tata Group
(iv) Microsoft corporation
(v) IBM
(vi) Nettle
(vii) Procter and Gamble
(viii) Pepsi company
(ix) The Coca-Cola company
(x) City group

Categories of the Ministers The ministers are classified under three ranks 
(I) Cabinet Minister
(II) Ministers of State
(III) Deputy Ministers.
Cabinet Ministers
(i) The Cabinet is an informal body of senior ministers who form the nucleus of administration.
(ii) Important decisions of the government are taken by the Cabinet, such as defence, finance, external affairs and home.
(iii) The Cabinet recommends to the President to promulgate an ordinance.
(iv) It is instrumental in moving Amendments to the Constitution.
Ministers of State
(i) These ministers belong to the second category of ministers in the council.
(ii) They are also in charge of ministries or departments but they do not participate in the meetings of the cabinet unless invited to do so.
Deputy Ministers
They are the lowest ranked ministers in the cabinet. They assist either the Ministers of Cabinet or state in the performance of the duties entrusted to them

The Citizenship Act of 1955 prescribes five ways of acquiring citizenship, viz, birth, descent, registration, naturalisation and incorporation of territory:
According to the Citizenship Act, 1955, the citizenship could be acquired through any of the following methods.
(i) By Birth : All persons born in India on or after January 26, 1950 are treated as citizens by birth.
(ii) By Descent: A person born outside India on or after January 26, 1950 shall be a citizen of India by descent, if his father is a citizen of India at the time of his birth.
(iii) By Registration : A person can acquire citizenship of India by registration with appropriate authority.
(iv) By Naturalisation : A foreigners can' acquire Indian citizenship, on application for naturalization to the Government of India.
(v) By Incorporation of Territory : In the event of a certain territory being added to the territory of India, the Government of India shall specify the persons of that territory who shall be citizen of India.

(i) The southwest monsoon begins to retreat from north India by the end of September due to the southward shifting pressure belts.
(ii) The southwest monsoon wind returns from Indian landmass and blows towards Bay of Bengal.
(iii) The Coriolis force deflects this wind and makes it to blow from northeast. Hence, it is known as Northeast monsoon or Postmonsoon season.
(iv) The season is associated with the establishment of the north -easterly wind system over the Indian subcontinent.
(v) Many parts of Tamil Nadu and some parts of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka receive rainfall during this season due to the storms forming in the Bay of Bengal.
(vi) Large scale losses to life and property occur due to heavy rainfall, strong winds and storm surge in the coastal regions.
(vii) The day time temperatures start falling sharply all over the country.
(viii) The mean temperature over north-western parts of the country shows a decline from about 38°C in October to 28°C in November.

(i) Himalayas blocks southwest monsoon winds and causes heavy rainfall to north India.
(ii) It forms a natural barrier to the subcontinent.
(iii) It is the source for many perennial rivers like Indus, Ganges, Brahmaputra, etc.
(iv) The Northern Mountains are described as the paradise of tourists due to its natural beauty.
(v) Many hill stations and pilgrim centers like Amarnath, Kedarnath, Badrinath, and Vaishnavi Devi temples are situated here.
(vi) It provides raw material for many forest based industries.
(vii) It prevents the cold winds blowing from the central Asia and protects India from severe cold.
(viii) Himalayas are renowned for the rich biodiversity.

(i) Born to poor parents in Kerala, Narayana Guru (1854-1928) evolved into a poet and scholar in Malayalam, Tamil, and Sanskrit.
(ii) In his days the people of depressed classes had no access to temples, streets, public tanks and wells, and educational institutions.
(iii) Men and women belonging to lower castes were not allowed to wear the upper garments.
(iv) Disturbed by the terrible caste tyranny, that the lower caste people suffered, he dedicated his whole life for the betterment of the oppressed.
(v) He set up the Sri Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam, an organization to work for the uplift of the "depressed classes'. 
(vi) He established a grand temple at Aruvipuram and dedicated it to all.
(vii) His movement inspired a radical transformation of Kerala society, especially among the Ezhavas.
(viii) Thinkers and writers such as Kumaran Asan and Dr. Palpu were influenced by his ideas and carried forward the movement.

(i) By the end of Second World War Viet Minh controlled the northern half of Vietnam. Viet Minh formed a government led by Ho Chi Minh in Hanoi.
(ii) This Viet Minh government quickly occupied the southern half of Vietnam. However, the Allied Powers decided at Potsdam that the British in the south and the Chinese in the north should defend Indo-China from the Japanese.
(iii) In March the two governments (French and Viet Minh) reached an agreement by which North Vietnam was to be a free state, within an Indo-Chinese Federation. But the new French constitution included all overseas colonies in a French Union.
(iv) In 1949 the French attempted to secure the support of the population by declaring Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia independent within the French Union, retaining only foreign affairs and defense under French control. However, the problem of Indo- China soon became involved in the Cold War.
(v) While the French were receiving considerable financial aid from America, the Viet Minh were helped by the new Chinese communist government. The French troops were eventually defeated.
(vi) South Vietnam, approximately of the same size and population, was ruled by Ngo Dinh Diem.
(vii) Diem refused to hold the elections to decide on a united Vietnam.
(viii) However, by 1962, it was clear that Diem was incapable of controlling the situation. This led to the posting of more US armed forces in the area.
(ix) The US bombed both North and South in the hope that it could force the liberation forces to abandon the struggle.
(x) The fighters of North Vietnam, trained in guerilla warfare, had grown out of spontaneous struggles against a repressive regime.
(xi) The American troops also used bacteriological weapons.
(xii) Incendiary bombs such as napalm and Agent Orange (to defoliate the forest cover) were used.
(xiii) Escalation of the total military outlay caused the US big business to protest. The youths rebelled against the conscription and the horrors of war.
(xiv) Anti-Vietnam War protests rocked universities and colleges across the US and in Europe and became part of the 1960s counterculture.
(xv) No other single issue united millions of people all over the world as the war of Vietnam.

(i) The Treaty also set up the League of Nations, on the initiative of President Woodrow Wilson of the United States.
(ii) The League was expected to mediate between countries and take action against countries which indulged in military aggression.
(iii) However, the United States was not interested in playing a global role or any role in European politics.
(iv) The popular mood favoured the traditional isolationist approach, and therefore the United States did not become a member of the League.
(v) The other Allied nations were also determined to maintain a noninterventionist attitude and, in consequence, the League remained an ineffectual international body.

(i) The relations between the two British colonies of Natal and Cape Colony and the two independent Boer states of Transvaal and the Orange Free State had long been unfriendly.
(ii) The discovery of gold in Transvaal, in 1886, led to large numbers of British miners settling in and around Johannesburg.
(iii) The Boers hated these people whom they referred to as Uitlanders (foreigners). The Boers taxed them heavily and denied political rights to them.
(iv) So the question was whether the British or the Boers were to be supreme in South Africa.
(v) Fearing attacks from the British, the Boers armed themselves and decided to attack.
(vi) The Boer War lasted for three years, from 1899 to 1902. Initially, the Boers were successful.
(vii) But by the first half of 1900, the Boer army was defeated. Pretoria was occupied.
(viii) In retaliation, the British destroyed farms and crops. They set up internment camps for Boer women and children.
(ix) Shortage of food, medical and sanitary facilities caused the death of 26,000 people.
(x) The British annexed the two Boer states. Boers were however promised self-government in due course.
(xi) In 1907 full responsible government was given to the Transvaal and the Orange Free State.
(xii) The four states formed into a union and the South Africa Act passed by the British parliament in 1909 provided for a Union Parliament at Cape Town.
(xiii) In May 1910 the Union of South Africa came into being.

(i) The Russian Communist Party could eliminate illiteracy and poverty in Russia within a record time.
(ii) Russian industry and agriculture had developed remarkably.
(iii) Women were given equal rights, including rights to vote.
(iv) Industries and banks were nationalized. Land was announced as social property.
(v) Land was distributed to poor peasants.
(vi) Lenin thought the most important factor for the fall of Provisional government was its failure to withdraw from World War.
(vii) So Lenin immediately appealed for peace.
(viii) Unmindful of the harsh terms dictated by the Central Powers, Lenin opted for withdrawing from the War to concentrate on the formation of new government.
(ix) In March 1918 the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was signed.

(a) (i) and (ii) are correct