Preparing for the India Post Postman, Mail Guard, and Multi-Tasking Staff (MTS) examination? The paper on Basic Postal Knowledge and General Awareness is one of the most scoring sections — provided you revise the right sources. This practice set of 50 solved MCQs is drawn straight from the syllabus core: the Post Office Guide Part I, Postal Manual Volume V, general awareness, and basic arithmetic. Attempt them, check your answers against the key, and track your weak areas.
Why This Section Matters
For Postman, Mail Guard, and MTS aspirants, questions on postal rules and procedures are high-return: the syllabus is finite, the concepts are stable, and the same themes recur across recruitment cycles. A candidate who has worked through the Post Office Guide and the Mail Manual can lock in these marks with confidence, leaving more exam time for the arithmetic and reasoning sections.
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This set mirrors the actual weightage many candidates report:
Post Office Guide, Part I — 23 questions
Postal Manual Volume V (Mail operations) — 7 questions
General Awareness & Knowledge — 10 questions
Basic Arithmetic — 10 questions
Basic Postal Knowledge & General Awareness
Postman / Mail Guard / MTS — 50 Question Quiz
Model Questions Postman/Mail Guard & MTS Exam 2026 Paper I
PART A — POST OFFICE GUIDE, PART I (Q1–23)
- Which class of mail is defined as correspondence in the nature of a communication in written form?
(a) Parcel (b) Letter (c) Book packet (d) Registered newspaper - What is the maximum weight limit for an inland letter transmissible by post?
(a) 1 kg (b) 2 kg (c) 4 kg (d) No limit - A Post Card is classified under which category of postal articles?
(a) First class mail (b) Second class mail (c) Registered article (d) Parcel - Which of the following is treated as “First Class Mail”?
(a) Book packet (b) Pattern packet (c) Letter and Post Card (d) Registered newspaper - The maximum weight limit prescribed for an inland parcel is:
(a) 4 kg (b) 20 kg (c) 35 kg (d) 50 kg - Which service provides an official record of posting and delivery of an article?
(a) Ordinary post (b) Registration (c) Book packet (d) Printed post - Acknowledgement Due (AD) can be availed only in respect of which articles?
(a) Ordinary letters (b) Registered/Insured/VP articles (c) Post cards only (d) Book packets only - Under Value Payable Post (VPP), the amount recovered from the addressee is paid to the:
(a) Addressee (b) Sender/Remitter (c) Post Office (d) Postman - Insurance of a postal article covers the risk of:
(a) Late delivery (b) Loss, damage or theft (c) Wrong address (d) Non-payment - What is the term for redirecting an article to a new address at the request of the addressee?
(a) Return (b) Redirection (c) Recall (d) Refusal - A letter which cannot be delivered or returned is treated as a:
(a) Missent article (b) Insufficiently addressed article (c) Undeliverable / Dead letter (d) Redirected article - Which document authorises the sender to reclaim an article after posting but before despatch?
(a) AD form (b) Application for return/recall (c) VP form (d) Customs declaration - “Poste Restante” refers to an arrangement where an article is:
(a) Delivered at residence (b) Held at Post Office for collection by addressee (c) Returned to sender (d) Sent abroad - The prohibition on transmission by post applies to which of the following?
(a) Books (b) Explosive/dangerous substances (c) Documents (d) Greeting cards - Speed Post is a category of which type of service?
(a) Premium/Time-bound delivery (b) Ordinary mail (c) Second class mail (d) Money remittance - A “Book Packet” primarily consists of:
(a) Personal letters (b) Printed books, papers and documents (c) Perishable goods (d) Coins - Postage stamps affixed on an article represent the:
(a) Fine (b) Prepayment of postage (c) Registration fee only (d) Insurance charge - Which article is chargeable with double the deficient postage as postage due when posted unpaid or under-paid?
(a) Fully prepaid letter (b) Insufficiently prepaid letter (c) Registered parcel (d) Speed Post - The service by which money is remitted through the Post Office is called:
(a) Money Order / eMO (b) Book Post (c) VPP (d) Registration - A Customs Declaration is required for which category of articles?
(a) Inland letters (b) Foreign/International articles containing goods (c) Local post cards (d) Book packets within India - A “Registered Newspaper” enjoys concessional postage if registered with the:
(a) Post Office only (b) Registrar of Newspapers for India (c) Customs (d) Municipality - Delivery of an article to a person other than the addressee is permitted only when that person is a duly:
(a) Neighbour (b) Authorised agent/representative (c) Postman (d) Shopkeeper - Postage prepaid articles wrongly sent to a Post Office to which they are not addressed are termed:
(a) Missent articles (b) Insured articles (c) VP articles (d) Redirected articles
PART B — POSTAL MANUAL VOLUME V (Q24–30)
- Postal Manual Volume V primarily deals with the rules relating to:
(a) Savings Bank (b) Mail operations, sorting and mail offices (c) Recruitment (d) Pension - The document that accompanies mail bags and shows their contents and despatch particulars is the:
(a) Mail list / Bag label (b) Delivery slip (c) Error book (d) Beat book - A “Set” in mail sorting terminology refers to:
(a) A group of sorted articles for a particular office/line (b) A bundle of stamps (c) A mail van (d) A postman’s beat - The register maintained to record irregularities detected in received mails is the:
(a) Error Book (b) Stock Book (c) Cash Book (d) Beat Book - Closing of a mail bag involves fastening and securing the bag with a:
(a) Rubber band (b) Seal / Label (c) Staple (d) Clip - A “Sorting List” is used by a sorting assistant to determine the:
(a) Correct routing/office to which an article is to be sorted (b) Salary of staff (c) Leave record (d) Postage rates - The abstract prepared showing the number of bags received and despatched is part of the:
(a) Mail statement/returns (b) Savings ledger (c) Establishment register (d) Complaint book
PART C — GENERAL AWARENESS & KNOWLEDGE (Q31–40)
- The PIN Code system in India was introduced in the year:
(a) 1947 (b) 1972 (c) 1985 (d) 1991 - How many digits are there in an Indian PIN Code?
(a) 5 (b) 6 (c) 7 (d) 8 - The headquarters of the Universal Postal Union (UPU) is located at:
(a) Geneva (b) Bern (c) Paris (d) New York - India Post’s banking arm is known as:
(a) IPPB (b) SBI (c) NABARD (d) RBI - Which is the capital city of Kerala?
(a) Kochi (b) Kozhikode (c) Thiruvananthapuram (d) Thrissur - The first digit of a PIN Code represents the:
(a) Post Office (b) Region/Zone (c) District (d) Delivery beat - Who is the head of a Postal Circle in India?
(a) Postmaster General (b) Chief Postmaster General (c) Superintendent (d) Director General - The National Emblem of India is adapted from the:
(a) Konark Sun Temple (b) Sarnath Lion Capital of Ashoka (c) Red Fort (d) Sanchi Stupa - The apex authority that administers the Department of Posts is the:
(a) Ministry of Finance (b) Ministry of Communications (c) Ministry of Home Affairs (d) Ministry of Railways - Speed Post service was launched by India Post in the year:
(a) 1986 (b) 1994 (c) 2000 (d) 2004
PART D — BASIC ARITHMETIC (Q41–50)
- A parcel weighs 3 kg. If the rate is ₹35 per 500 g, the total charge is:
(a) ₹175 (b) ₹210 (c) ₹245 (d) ₹280 - The simple interest on ₹6,000 at 5% per annum for 2 years is:
(a) ₹500 (b) ₹600 (c) ₹700 (d) ₹800 - If a postman delivers 40 letters in 1 hour, how many will he deliver in 6 hours at the same rate?
(a) 200 (b) 220 (c) 240 (d) 260 - 15% of 480 is:
(a) 64 (b) 72 (c) 78 (d) 84 - The average of 20, 30, 40, 50 and 60 is:
(a) 30 (b) 35 (c) 40 (d) 45 - A train covers 300 km in 5 hours. Its speed is:
(a) 50 km/h (b) 55 km/h (c) 60 km/h (d) 65 km/h - The LCM of 6, 8 and 12 is:
(a) 24 (b) 36 (c) 48 (d) 72 - An item marked at ₹800 is sold at 10% discount. The selling price is:
(a) ₹700 (b) ₹720 (c) ₹740 (d) ₹760 - Convert 3/5 into a percentage:
(a) 50% (b) 55% (c) 60% (d) 65% - If 25% of a number is 60, the number is:
(a) 180 (b) 200 (c) 220 (d) 240
ANSWER KEY
1-b, 2-b, 3-a, 4-c, 5-c, 6-b, 7-b, 8-b, 9-b, 10-b
11-c, 12-b, 13-b, 14-b, 15-a, 16-b, 17-b, 18-b, 19-a, 20-b
21-b, 22-b, 23-a, 24-b, 25-a, 26-a, 27-a, 28-b, 29-a, 30-a
31-b, 32-b, 33-b, 34-a, 35-c, 36-b, 37-b, 38-b, 39-b, 40-a
41-b, 42-b, 43-c, 44-b, 45-c, 46-c, 47-a, 48-b, 49-c, 50-d
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