All practice questions

With reference to the TRISHNA (Thermal InfraRed Imaging Satellite for High-resolution Natural Resource Assessment) mission featured in space technology developments, which of the following statements are correct?

Which international organization periodically releases the flagship 'Emissions Gap Report', which tracks progress toward global greenhouse gas reduction targets and evaluates the difference between projected emissions and climate policy goals?

Read the following passage carefully:

"In April 2026, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) notified the National Semiconductor Ecosystem Expansion Strategy (NSEES) to scale up compound semiconductor fabrication within India. Under the framework, fiscal support of up to 50% on a pari-passu basis is available for setting up compound semiconductor fabs, silicon photonics, and sensor fabs, provided the minimum capital investment reaches ₹500 crore. However, testing, assembly, marking, and packaging (ATMP) facilities receive a capped financial assistance of 30% of project cost, contingent upon utilizing at least 70% domestically sourced substrate materials. Crucially, units established in Special Economic Zones (SEZs) are explicitly barred from claiming the capital subvention if they already avail tax exemptions under the SEZ Act of 2005. Furthermore, foreign-owned entities operating through 100% Direct Foreign Investment (FDI) can access the subvention only if their technology transfer agreement grants full intellectual property rights to their Indian subsidiary within three years of operational commencement."

Based strictly on the explicit information provided in the passage, which of the following statements regarding financial assistance under the National Semiconductor Ecosystem Expansion Strategy (NSEES) is correct?

Read the following passage carefully:

"In January 2026, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change notified the High-Altitude Alpine Ecosystem Conservation Guidelines (HAECG). Under these guidelines, commercial infrastructure development is strictly prohibited at altitudes above 3,500 meters, except for defense-related strategic installations approved directly by the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL). Furthermore, existing eco-tourism facilities operating between 3,000 meters and 3,500 meters are required to transition to net-zero single-use plastic usage within 18 months of notification, provided their average daily visitor footfall exceeds 500 persons. For facilities in the same altitude band with an average daily footfall of 500 persons or fewer, the compliance window for net-zero single-use plastic usage is extended to 36 months."

Based on the passage above, evaluate the truth value of the following statement:

"Under the HAECG notified in January 2026, an existing eco-tourism facility located at an altitude of 3,200 meters with an average daily visitor footfall of 400 persons must achieve net-zero single-use plastic usage within 18 months of notification."

Read the following passage carefully:

In November 2025, the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare notified the National Urban Organic Farming Protocol (NUOFP). Under this protocol, urban local bodies (ULBs) with a population exceeding 500,000 are mandated to dedicate at least 5% of municipal parks for community organic farming. However, commercial sales of produce from these designated municipal parks are strictly prohibited, allowing only direct non-commercial consumption by participating local resident welfare associations. Furthermore, to receive federal technical subsidies, ULBs must ensure that 100% of the soil used undergoes bio-heavy metal screening prior to planting. The protocol explicitly exempts terrace-based home gardens from municipal inspection requirements, provided no commercial synthetic fertilizers have been applied in the preceding 12 months.

Based explicitly on the passage above, which of the following is a mandatory requirement for an Urban Local Body (ULB) to receive federal technical subsidies?

Read the following passage carefully:

'In November 2025, the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways launched the Green Tug Transition Programme (GTTP) Phase-II to decarbonize harbour operations. Under this framework, all major ports in India are mandated to replace at least 50% of their operational diesel harbour tugs with zero-emission green-fuelled tugs by December 2028, and achieve 100% replacement by December 2030. To promote domestic manufacturing, the Ministry provides a direct capital subsidy of 30% for green tug construction, provided the vessels are built in Indian shipyards using a minimum of 60% indigenous components. While Public-Private Partnership (PPP) terminal operators with concession terms of 10 years or more can access operational support grants, non-PPP private port terminals are strictly excluded from receiving capital subsidies under the framework.'

Based on the passage above, which of the following statements are correct?

With reference to prominent international and national awards, honors, and notable persons in the news during 2024, which of the following statements are correct?

Read the following passage carefully:

"While the implementation of Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanisms (CBAM) by developed economies aims to prevent carbon leakage by equalizing the price of carbon between domestic production and imports, its strict application creates structural asymmetric burdens for developing nations. These nations often lack the capital intensity and technology transfer mechanisms required to rapidly decarbonize their industrial export sectors. Proponents argue that CBAM incentivizes global adoption of stringent climate policies; however, this argument assumes equitable access to green financing and clean technology. Without concessionary technology transfers or financial offsets, tariffs levied on carbon-intensive imports from industrializing nations effectively penalize economies for historical developmental lags rather than current environmental non-compliance. Consequently, rather than accelerating a uniform global energy transition, an unmitigated border adjustment framework risks entrenching global trade disparities while failing to reduce aggregate global emissions if carbon-intensive manufacturing merely shifts to un-monitored domestic consumption within developing markets."

Which of the following statements can be logically inferred from the passage provided above? Select all the correct statements.

Read the passage carefully and answer the question that follows:

Community seed banks have emerged as a vital mechanism for preserving indigenous crop varieties across drought-prone agricultural districts. By maintaining locally adapted seeds, these community-managed repositories allow smallholder farmers to access drought-resistant crop varieties without relying on commercial seed suppliers. Recent field evaluations indicate that villages with active community seed banks sustained significantly lower crop losses during unexpected dry spells compared to neighboring villages reliant solely on hybrid commercial seeds. To ensure long-term agricultural sustainability in arid regions, state governments should subsidize the establishment of community seed banks in every drought-vulnerable block.

Which of the following is a crucial assumption underlying the author's recommendation to subsidize community seed banks in all drought-vulnerable blocks?

Read the following passage carefully:

In recent years, several municipal corporations have introduced incentive-based waste segregation programs to decrease the volume of unsorted municipal solid waste reaching landfills. Under these initiatives, households that consistently segregate organic and inorganic waste receive minor rebates on their annual property tax. Preliminary administrative reports indicate that in neighborhoods where these rebates were introduced, the total quantity of unsegregated waste collected by municipal workers declined by 35%. However, the total municipal expenditure on waste management increased overall due to the administrative overhead of monitoring compliance and processing tax rebates. Furthermore, private recycling facilities operating within these municipal areas reported a substantial increase in the purity of incoming recyclable materials, which reduced their processing costs.

Based strictly on the passage provided above, which of the following statements are valid logical inferences?

Read the passage carefully and answer the question that follows:

The systemic transition toward climate-resilient agriculture in semi-arid agrarian economies has increasingly centered on the integration of agroforestry systems into conventional farming landscapes. Historically, agrarian extension models prioritized monocultural production to maximize immediate crop yields, frequently overlooking the long-term ecological costs of soil degradation, groundwater depletion, and biodiversity loss. However, contemporary empirical evaluations demonstrate that multi-layered tree-crop integration enhances microclimate stability, augments soil organic carbon sequestration, and mitigates farm income volatility caused by erratic precipitation patterns. Despite these documented ecological and socioeconomic benefits, the widespread adoption of agroforestry remains constrained by institutional bottlenecks. Ambiguous land tenure frameworks prevent smallholder farmers from securing long-term rights to arboreal resources, while existing credit mechanisms systematically undervalue the multi-year gestation period required for perennial timber and fruit species to yield financial returns. Furthermore, state agricultural subsidies continue to disproportionately favor chemical inputs and water-intensive cash crops, thereby disincentivizing agroecological diversification. Consequently, realizing the full potential of agroforestry requires not merely localized technological interventions, but a comprehensive structural realignment of agrarian land governance, financial credit structures, and public subsidy frameworks to harmonize ecological sustainability with rural livelihood security.

Which of the following statements jointly summarize the author's primary thesis and core recommendation regarding agroforestry?

Read the following passage carefully:

The persistent degradation of soil health across semi-arid agricultural zones has ignited a critical debate regarding modern farming paradigms. For decades, state-sponsored agricultural policies heavily incentivized chemical-intensive monoculture to maximize immediate crop yields. While this high-input model achieved unprecedented short-term food security, it progressively depleted subsurface aquifers and eroded essential soil organic matter over time. Recent empirical evaluations demonstrate that transitioning toward agroecological practices—such as multi-crop rotation, organic mulching, and community-managed rainwater harvesting—can systematically restore soil vitality while maintaining long-term yield stability. However, scaling these traditional ecological methods requires a structural reorientation in rural governance. Current agricultural subsidy frameworks remain overwhelmingly skewed toward synthetic inputs and industrial machinery, effectively marginalizing smallholder farmers who adopt regenerative techniques. Therefore, achieving sustainable food security demands not merely modern technological innovation, but a deliberate administrative shift that embeds traditional ecological knowledge into mainstream agricultural planning, institutional extension services, and fiscal support mechanisms.

Based on the passage, which of the following statements correctly express the main idea and central theme articulated by the author?

Read the following passage carefully:

To accelerate urban climate adaptation, several sub-national municipal governments have issued green bonds backed by explicit central sovereign guarantees. While these guarantees significantly lower borrowing costs by aligning municipal credit risk with sovereign debt ratings, they alter the risk perception of institutional investors. Recent audit evaluations reveal that municipalities benefiting from sovereign-backed green debt experience a notable decline in local tax collection rigor compared to municipalities issuing unbacked bonds. Economists contend that sovereign guarantees create an implicit fiscal safety net, encouraging local administrations to divert municipal revenue streams toward non-essential administrative expenditures rather than maintaining dedicated local debt-servicing reserves. Consequently, while capital inflows for environmental infrastructure increase initially, the underlying fiscal solvency of these local authorities deteriorates. Furthermore, sovereign entities faced with escalating contingent liabilities may ultimately be compelled to absorb municipal debt defaults, thereby expanding national fiscal deficits.

Based on the passage above, which of the following statements can be logically inferred regarding sub-national municipal green bonds?

Read the following passage carefully:

"To combat childhood malnutrition and support smallholder agriculture, several state governments have recently integrated locally sourced bio-fortified millets into public school meal programs. Traditional supply chains, however, heavily favor water-intensive staple cereals like wheat and rice due to established minimum support price (MSP) frameworks and centralized procurement hubs. Policymakers argue that shifting state procurement targets toward indigenous climate-resilient grains will automatically incentivize local farming communities to diversify their crops away from water-depleting staples. Consequently, this policy shift is expected to improve regional groundwater tables while simultaneously enhancing dietary diversity among rural school children. However, agricultural economists point out that unless storage infrastructure at the village panchayat level is modernized to prevent post-harvest infestation, smallholders will remain hesitant to cultivate millets at a commercial scale, regardless of government procurement mandates."

Based on the passage above, which one of the following expresses the most crucial assumption on which the policymakers' argument relies?

Arrange the following host cities of the Summer Olympic Games in chronological order based on the year they hosted the games, from the earliest to the most recent. Which sequence represents the correct chronological order?

Read the passage below carefully:

"The enthusiastic adoption of electric buses in tier-2 urban transit networks is frequently touted by municipal authorities as a panacea for both rising urban air pollution and escalating diesel subsidies. While the environmental benefits of zero tailpipe emissions are indisputable, an uncritical celebration of electrification risks obscuring formidable operational and financial vulnerabilities. Municipal transit authorities in secondary cities often lack the high-voltage grid infrastructure necessary for fast-charging depots, leading to battery degradation and unpredicted fleet downtime during peak operational hours. Furthermore, the capital expenditure required for fleet conversion heavily cannibalizes municipal budgets that would otherwise sustain route expansion, suburban feeder connectivity, and routine maintenance of existing infrastructure. Rather than viewing electrification as an isolated technological solution, municipal planners must adopt a broader fiscal and logistical appraisal���integrating battery leasing frameworks, localized renewable microgrids, and phased fleet replacement—to prevent green transitions from crippling essential urban mobility services."

Which of the following best characterizes the author's tone and attitude toward the current municipal strategy for electric bus fleet adoption?

Consider the following statements regarding the Primary Deficit and Fiscal Deficit accounting concepts presented in Union Budget documents:

1. Primary Deficit measures the total borrowing requirements of the government inclusive of all past interest payment liabilities.
2. A zero Primary Deficit indicates that the government's borrowing is required strictly to meet past interest payment obligations.
3. Fiscal Deficit is defined as the excess of total government expenditure over revenue receipts only.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Match the following Indian sports personalities who achieved historic milestones at the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games with their respective events and achievements:

Regarding the 'Samudrayaan Mission' and the 'MATSYA 6000' submersible featured in indigenous science and technology developments, consider the following statements:

1. It is India's flagship manned deep-ocean exploration initiative implemented by the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) under the Ministry of Earth Sciences.
2. The main pressure hull of MATSYA 6000 is fabricated using high-strength titanium alloy designed to transport a crew of three to a depth of 6,000 meters.
3. The submersible is powered by a miniaturized onboard nuclear reactor that grants continuous operational endurance of up to 30 days under seabed conditions.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Read the following passage carefully:

The expanding frontier of synthetic biology presents a unique regulatory dilemma for contemporary public administration, demanding a recalibration of traditional risk assessment paradigms. Historically, biosecurity governance relied on static, agent-specific registries focused on pathogen classification. However, the democratisation of gene-editing technologies and dual-use genomic data rendering biological synthesis accessible outside institutional frameworks invalidates reactive oversight. Conventional command-and-control regulation struggles to contain decentralized innovation without stifling economic applications in agriculture and pharmaceuticals. To reconcile security imperatives with innovation trajectories, administrative bodies must transition toward adaptive governance models centered on platform-level monitoring and dynamic threat profiling. Yet, implementing adaptive oversight is constrained by institutional inertia, asymmetric technical expertise between regulators and developers, and jurisdictional fragmentation across federal entities. Crucially, embedding ethical compliance within synthetic biology requires not merely punitive legislative mandates, but structural co-regulation—where private developers, academic labs, and state actors jointly design real-time audit protocols. Without establishing integrated oversight architectures that harmonize subnational regulatory standards and continuous monitoring of gene-synthesis supply chains, administrative systems will remain perpetually reactive, risking catastrophic biosecurity failures while simultaneously impeding benign technological advances.

Based on the passage above, which of the following statements correctly articulate the author's primary thesis and core governance recommendations?