PPSC Assistant Director Research Past Paper 2025

Explanation: Why? In a vacuum, electromagnetic waves always travel at the speed of light (≈ 3×10⁸ m/s), regardless of their frequency or intensity.

Explanation: Why: The Watergate scandal (1972–74) involved a break-in at the Democratic headquarters and the Nixon administration’s cover-up. It forced Richard Nixon to resign, the only U.S. President ever to do so.

Explanation: Why? The August Offer of 1940 by the British promised Indian dominion status after WWII, but was rejected by Congress and Muslim League.

Explanation: ANSI

Explanation: Why: Ibn Arabi, the Andalusian Sufi mystic, authored Al-Futuhat al-Makkiyah (“The Meccan Revelations”), a monumental work on spirituality and metaphysics.

Explanation: Why? Fatima Bhutto, granddaughter of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, wrote this memoir about her family’s political struggles.

Explanation: Why? The COUNTA() function counts all non-empty cells, including those with numbers, text, logical values, or formulas. It does not count only numeric cells (that is COUNT()).

Explanation: Why: The UK functions under an unwritten constitution, based on statutes, conventions, judicial decisions, and traditions, unlike codified constitutions in most states.

Explanation: Why? The US Navy SEALs conducted Operation Neptune Spear in May 2011 in Abbottabad, Pakistan, eliminating Osama bin Laden.

Explanation: Why? A20:A31 refers to a continuous range of cells starting from cell A20 down to A31 in column A.

Explanation: Why: French thinker Auguste Comte introduced sociology as a discipline to scientifically study society and human behavior.

Explanation: Why? Founded in 1885 by Allan Octavian Hume and others, the INC became the main political platform for India’s independence movement.

Explanation: Why? A pixel is the smallest individual element of a digital image or display. Each pixel carries color and brightness information to form a complete picture.

Explanation: Why: The Durand Line agreement (1893) was concluded after the Second Anglo-Afghan War, demarcating the frontier between British India and Afghanistan.

Explanation: Why? Husain Haqqani, former diplomat, authored this book analyzing Pakistan’s civil–military relations and religious politics.

Explanation: Why? Let the original price be x. After 20% discount, selling price = 80% of x. So, 0.8x = 596 → x = 596 ÷ 0.8 = 745.

Explanation: Why: The Ottomans rose in Anatolia after the decline of the Seljuk Sultanate of Rum, building a vast empire that lasted until 1924.

Explanation: Why? Baltit Fort, a UNESCO heritage site, is located in Hunza Valley, Gilgit-Baltistan, showcasing Tibetan and Balti architecture.

Explanation: Why? “Prolong” means to lengthen or extend the duration of something, so the closest synonym is “Extend.”

Explanation: Why: Biography literally means the written account of a person’s life, focusing on experiences, achievements, and significance.

Explanation: Why? Siberia, particularly Oymyakon, records the world’s coldest inhabited places, with temperatures dropping below –60°C.

Explanation: Why: Action research is practitioner-focused, aiming to solve immediate problems and improve professional practices through iterative cycles of planning, acting, and reflecting.

Explanation: Why? Equatorial regions receive convectional rainfall due to intense heating, rapid evaporation, and rising moist air.