27 July 2026

Quiz — 27 July 2026

Every prelims question from this edition. Tap an option to check it; what you answer is remembered on this device.

Questions

1. Which of the following bodies is responsible for the implementation of the final award of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal?

   1. A Cauvery Water Management Authority
   2. B National Water Development Agency
   3. C Central Water Commission
   4. D Inter-State Council

2. Which of the following bodies is primarily responsible for the conduct of the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) in India?

   1. A National Testing Agency
   2. B National Board of Examinations
   3. C University Grants Commission
   4. D All India Council for Technical Education

3. What is the primary objective of a 'tetravalent' dengue vaccine?

   1. A To provide immunity against four different strains of mosquito vectors
   2. B To provide protection for four distinct age groups
   3. C To target all four DENV serotypes simultaneously and equally
   4. D To reduce the dosage requirement to four separate injections

4. What is 'Antibody-Dependent Enhancement' (ADE) in the context of dengue infection?

   1. A The process where a vaccine completely eliminates the risk of all four dengue serotypes
   2. B The process where antibodies from a first infection increase the severity of a secondary infection by a different serotype
   3. C The mechanism by which the immune system prevents the virus from entering host cells
   4. D The natural immunity developed after a single exposure to any dengue serotype

5. Which of the following best describes the 'salami-slicing' tactic often attributed to China in the context of the Line of Actual Control (LAC)?

   1. A A series of small, incremental actions designed to alter the status quo without triggering a large-scale conflict.
   2. B A diplomatic approach to resolve border disputes through international arbitration.
   3. C A strategy of full-scale military invasion to capture territory.
   4. D The use of economic sanctions to force a change in border policies.

6. What is a primary advantage of 'open-source' AI models as discussed in the context of global technological competition?

   1. A They allow third-party developers to run models locally, offering greater cost predictability.
   2. B They are guaranteed to be free of any geopolitical bias or security risks.
   3. C They require no electricity to run inference.
   4. D They are exclusively controlled by a single government entity.

7. Which of the following best describes the functionality of a Bluetooth mesh messaging application like BitChat?

   1. A It creates ad hoc networks using devices in physical proximity, where each device acts as both client and server.
   2. B It mandates user registration and phone number verification to ensure network security.
   3. C It relies on centralised servers to relay encrypted messages between users.
   4. D It requires a stable internet connection to establish peer-to-peer links.

8. Under which provision of the Information Technology Act, 2000, is the Union government empowered to direct the blocking of public access to information on grounds of national security and public order?

   1. A Section 43A
   2. B Section 79(3)(b)
   3. C Section 69A
   4. D Section 66A

9. The Godawan Conservation Centre, recently in the news for its rewilding tunnel for the Great Indian Bustard, is located in which state?

   1. A Madhya Pradesh
   2. B Gujarat
   3. C Rajasthan
   4. D Haryana

10. Which of the following bodies is primarily responsible for the oversight of criminal cases pending against sitting legislators as per the recent judicial reporting trends in India?

    1. A The Central Bureau of Investigation
    2. B The Election Commission of India
    3. C The Ministry of Law and Justice
    4. D The District Judiciary

11. Which of the following is the primary mandate of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) in India?

    1. A Inflation and price stability
    2. B Fiscal deficit management
    3. C Foreign direct investment promotion
    4. D Exchange rate targeting

12. What is the stated approach of the Reserve Bank of India regarding the valuation of the Indian Rupee?

    1. A Maintaining a fixed peg against the US Dollar
    2. B Intervening only to curb excessive volatility
    3. C Devaluing the currency to boost exports
    4. D Targeting a specific exchange rate band

13. Which of the following statements regarding India's current defence production status is accurate based on recent government reports?

    1. A The DRDO is no longer responsible for the testing of long-range guided rockets.
    2. B India currently imports over 80% of its total defence equipment requirements.
    3. C India has completely ceased all defence imports to achieve total self-reliance.
    4. D The indigenisation level of defence equipment has reached approximately 65%.

14. Which of the following entities is responsible for the periodic inspection of physical gold underlying Electronic Gold Receipts (EGRs)?

    1. A Depository
    2. B Stock Exchange
    3. C Vault Manager
    4. D Clearing Corporation

15. What does the term 'fungibility' imply in the context of the Gold Exchange ecosystem?

    1. A The representation of standard quantity and purity, allowing for the delivery of equivalent gold rather than the specific deposited bar.
    2. B The automatic conversion of gold jewellery into electronic receipts.
    3. C The process of merging multiple small gold deposits into a single large bullion bar.
    4. D The ability to trade gold across international borders.

16. Which of the following is an international markup standard designed specifically for the structure and semantics of legal documents?

    1. A PDF/A
    2. B JSON-LD
    3. C Akoma Ntoso
    4. D CLML-Standard

17. What is the primary objective of the 'Mera Yuva Bharat' (MY Bharat) platform?

    1. A To provide financial subsidies to rural youth entrepreneurs
    2. B To provide vocational training exclusively for urban youth
    3. C To engage young citizens in national development initiatives
    4. D To facilitate international student exchange programs

18. In the context of recent government policy, what does the shift from 'last villages' to 'first villages' signify?

    1. A Prioritizing the development and integration of border regions
    2. B Focusing exclusively on coastal village development
    3. C Relocating border populations to urban centers
    4. D Reducing the military presence in border areas

19. Which of the following is identified as a major systemic issue in the current Indian doctoral research ecosystem for Social Sciences?

    1. A Excessive focus on patentable technological prototypes
    2. B Mandatory publication requirements leading to the growth of predatory journals
    3. C Lack of funding from international research organizations
    4. D Over-collaboration between Social Science and Science departments

20. Which of the following districts in Assam were identified as severely affected by the recent floods?

    1. A Dibrugarh, Tinsukia, Cachar, and Karimganj
    2. B Sivasagar, Charaideo, Jorhat, and Golaghat
    3. C Barpeta, Nalbari, Bongaigaon, and Kokrajhar
    4. D Guwahati, Kamrup, Nagaon, and Dhemaji

21. The 'City Flood Alert' platform, recently launched to predict urban flooding in Andhra Pradesh, was developed in collaboration with which institution?

    1. A IIT-Madras
    2. B IIT-Bombay
    3. C IIT-Gandhinagar
    4. D IIT-Delhi

22. Which of the following is a primary reason why State governments seek a joint venture with the Central government for metro rail projects?

    1. A To eliminate the need for Detailed Project Reports
    2. B To secure sovereign guarantees for accessing multilateral funding
    3. C To bypass the requirement for environmental impact assessments
    4. D To transfer the entire financial burden of land acquisition to the Centre

23. Which of the following countries shares the opposite coast of the Strait of Hormuz with Iran?

    1. A Oman
    2. B Saudi Arabia
    3. C United Arab Emirates
    4. D Qatar

24. Which of the following best describes the core objective of 'future readiness' in the context of modern higher education?

    1. A Developing adaptable capabilities such as critical thinking and complex problem-solving to navigate changing career landscapes.
    2. B Prioritizing vocational training over foundational academic disciplines like the Arts and Humanities.
    3. C Focusing exclusively on digital literacy and AI-based technical proficiency to ensure immediate employability.
    4. D Equipping students with a fixed set of industry-specific technical skills for long-term employment.

25. What does the acronym 'PRAXIS' stand for in the context of NASA's recent mission concept selection?

    1. A Planetary Rings Advanced X-ray and In-situ Survey
    2. B Planetary Rings Autonomous EXploration with In-situ Sampling
    3. C Planetary Research Autonomous X-ray In-situ Sampling
    4. D Planetary Robotic Analysis and X-ray In-situ System

26. Which of the following best describes the operational strategy of the proposed PRAXIS mission?

    1. A Directly flying through the center of ring systems to collect data
    2. B Utilizing high-powered lasers to vaporize ring particles for remote sensing
    3. C Landing on the surface of ring particles to conduct long-term geological studies
    4. D Grazing the ring plane and using a deployable boom for touch-and-go sampling

27. Which of the following factors is primarily cited by scientists for the increasing frequency and intensity of wildfires in Europe?

    1. A Deforestation
    2. B Climate change
    3. C Urbanization
    4. D Agricultural expansion

28. Which of the following forms are primarily used for the transfer of ownership of a motor vehicle in India?

    1. A Forms 15 and 16
    2. B Forms 45 and 46
    3. C Forms 10 and 11
    4. D Forms 29 and 30

29. Which of the following best describes the primary objective of the Viking lander mission mentioned in the context of Martian exploration?

    1. A To conduct soil sampling and seismic analysis of the Martian environment
    2. B To map the entire topography of the Chryse plain using high-resolution radar
    3. C To establish a permanent human colony on the Martian surface
    4. D To search for evidence of ancient Martian civilizations

30. The 'Amrit Bharat Station Scheme' is primarily aimed at:

    1. A Redeveloping railway stations across the country
    2. B Providing free rail travel to senior citizens
    3. C Electrifying all rural railway lines
    4. D Increasing the speed of freight trains

31. Under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, which body is responsible for setting science-based standards for articles of food?

    1. A Ministry of Agriculture
    2. B Ministry of Consumer Affairs
    3. C Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS)
    4. D Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)

32. Which of the following authorities is primarily responsible for the investigation of motor vehicle accidents and enforcement of road safety norms in India?

    1. A Motor Vehicles Department
    2. B National Highways Authority of India
    3. C Central Road Research Institute
    4. D Ministry of Road Transport and Highways

33. Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) is primarily used to treat which of the following conditions?

    1. A Chronic kidney disease
    2. B Movement disorders like Parkinson’s disease
    3. C Congenital heart defects
    4. D Acute respiratory distress syndrome

34. Which of the following best describes the primary objective of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in the context of India's national security?

    1. A To achieve self-reliance in critical defense technologies and systems
    2. B To regulate the private sector participation in the defense manufacturing industry
    3. C To facilitate the import of advanced military hardware from developed nations
    4. D To oversee the deployment of armed forces in border regions

35. Which of the following government bodies is primarily responsible for issuing maritime safety advisories to Indian seafarers?

    1. A Indian Coast Guard
    2. B Directorate General of Maritime Administration
    3. C Ministry of Defence
    4. D Ministry of Home Affairs