1. As per the WMO State of Global Water Resources 2025, what share of monitored groundwater stations recorded below or much-below-normal levels in 2025?
A. 18 per cent
B. 25 per cent
C. 34 per cent
D. 36 per cent
E. 42 per cent
View Answer
Explanation: Up from 25 per cent in 2024 — both years are in the options. The 36 per cent figure is a different finding: about 36 per cent of global catchment area was drier than normal, making 2025 one of the driest years for river discharge in 35 years. The report has expanded over five years from 3 to 15 hydrological variables. WMO is a UN specialised agency, founded 1950, headquartered at Geneva.
2. Glaciers lost how much mass globally in 2025, according to the report?
A. 148 ±60 Gt
B. 274 ±90 Gt
C. 408 ±132 Gt
D. 612 ±150 Gt
E. 805 ±210 Gt
View Answer
Explanation: Equivalent to about 1.1 ±0.4 mm of sea-level rise, and the fourth consecutive year in which every major glaciated region recorded net ice loss. Global terrestrial water storage — all water on and below the land surface, measured by satellite gravimetry such as GRACE — has been declining persistently since 2014-16, with below-normal storage in northern India in 2025.
3. Groundwater supports roughly what share of irrigation and rural drinking water in India?
A. 40 per cent of irrigation and 60 per cent of rural drinking water
B. 50 per cent of irrigation and 70 per cent of rural drinking water
C. 60 per cent of irrigation and 85 per cent of rural drinking water
D. 75 per cent of irrigation and 90 per cent of rural drinking water
E. 85 per cent of irrigation and 60 per cent of rural drinking water
View Answer
Explanation: India is the world’s largest user of groundwater — more than the United States and China combined. The Central Ground Water Board assesses it and classifies blocks as Safe, Semi-critical, Critical and Over-exploited; Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Delhi hold the most over-exploited blocks. Parts of India ran persistent groundwater deficits through 2022-2025, with over-abstraction an important driver.
4. APEDA signed an MoU with InD Events Dubai, the organiser of which trade fair?
A. SIAL Paris
B. Gulfood
C. Anuga
D. Fruit Logistica
E. Foodex Japan
View Answer
Explanation: India will be the Official Partner Country at Gulfood 2027 for the second consecutive year. The partnership is aimed at MSMEs, FPOs, startups and women- and SC/ST-led exporters, through buyer linkages and market access. APEDA was established in 1986 under the APEDA Act, 1985 and works under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry — note the gap between the Act and the body.
5. Madhya Pradesh’s Swamitva Adhikar Abhilekh Nispadan Evam Panjiyan Yojana 2026 provides free registration of about how many rural properties?
A. 10 lakh
B. 25 lakh
C. 50 lakh
D. 75 lakh
E. 1 crore
View Answer
Explanation: The scheme covers all 55 districts and works through door-to-door visits, village camps and panchayat-level camps, with no stamp duty or registration charges. The purpose is to put a legal ownership document in rural hands — which is what converts an occupied house into collateral a bank will lend against.
6. Under the proposed FCRA Amendment Bill, 2026, an appeal against the vesting of assets lies before a District Judge within:
A. 30 days
B. 45 days
C. 60 days
D. 90 days
E. 180 days
View Answer
Explanation: If an NGO’s registration is cancelled, surrendered or lapses, unutilised foreign contributions and assets created from foreign funds provisionally vest in a government-appointed Designated Authority; if registration is not restored within the prescribed window they vest permanently, and may be transferred to public departments or auctioned with proceeds credited to the Consolidated Fund of India. The Bill also cuts the maximum prison term for specified compliance violations from five years to one. FCRA is administered by the Ministry of Home Affairs.
7. Which FCRA amendment introduced the 20 per cent ceiling on administrative expenses and the designated SBI account?
A. 1976
B. 2010
C. 2011
D. 2020
E. 2022
View Answer
Explanation: The timeline to memorise: FCRA first enacted 1976; FCRA 2010 replaced it; Rules notified 2011; major amendments in 2020 bringing the 20 per cent administrative-expense cap and the designated SBI New Delhi Main Branch account; in 2022 the limit on foreign contributions from relatives abroad rose from ₹1 lakh to ₹10 lakh a year; and in 2026 the Amendment Bill was introduced with new Rules notified.
8. novio, which launched a co-branded RuPay credit card with Indian Overseas Bank, is operated by:
A. Credilio Financial Technologies
B. Zeta Services
C. M2P Fintech
D. Juspay Technologies
E. Perfios Software
View Answer
Explanation: The card comes in RuPay Select and RuPay Platinum variants and can be linked to UPI for credit-based payments. The design point worth remembering is the FD-backed credit facility — a fixed deposit standing as security lets someone with no formal credit history get a card and start building a credit profile, which is a standard financial-inclusion route.
9. SLINEX-26, the bilateral naval exercise under way at Visakhapatnam, is held between India and:
A. Singapore
B. Sri Lanka
C. Seychelles
D. Maldives
E. Indonesia
View Answer
Explanation: This is the 13th edition, first held in 2005, conducted under the Eastern Naval Command. It tests coordinated manoeuvres, tactical communications and maritime interdiction. Other India-Sri Lanka exercises are Mitra Shakti (army) and the trilateral Dosti with the Maldives (coast guards). The policy frame is SAGAR, announced in 2015 in Mauritius, extended in 2025 as MAHASAGAR.
10. The Houthis captured Mayun (Perim) Island, which lies in which strait?
A. Strait of Hormuz
B. Bab el-Mandeb
C. Strait of Malacca
D. Gulf of Aqaba
E. Strait of Tiran
View Answer
Explanation: Bab el-Mandeb, the “Gate of Tears”, connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden between Yemen and Djibouti/Eritrea, and Perim Island sits in the middle, splitting it into two channels. About 12 per cent of global trade uses the Red Sea-Suez route; a detour via the Cape of Good Hope adds roughly 10-14 days to an Asia-Europe voyage. India’s exposure is direct — most India-Europe trade and the planned IMEC corridor depend on it, and the Navy has deployed ships under Operation Sankalp. The Houthis, officially Ansar Allah, are a Zaidi Shia movement of northern Yemen; they also took the port of Mokha, which gave its name to mocha coffee.
11. How many countries share a land border with Ukraine?
A. Five
B. Six
C. Seven
D. Eight
E. Nine
View Answer
Explanation: Belarus, Russia, Moldova, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia and Poland. Ukraine has coastlines on the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, its capital Kyiv stands on the Dnieper, and its highest peak is Mount Hoverla (2,061 m) in the Carpathians. Its chernozem black soil makes it the “breadbasket of Europe” and a major wheat, maize and sunflower oil exporter — India is a large buyer of its sunflower oil. The news peg was Ukraine’s largest-ever overnight drone offensive, using over 1,000 long-range UAVs and domestic cruise missiles.
12. During the External Affairs Minister’s visit, India extended a concessional Line of Credit of what value to Bhutan for energy-sector projects?
A. ₹1,000 crore
B. ₹2,500 crore
C. ₹4,000 crore
D. ₹5,000 crore
E. ₹10,000 crore
View Answer
Explanation: S. Jaishankar visited Bhutan from 16 to 18 September 2026, reviewing energy, connectivity, healthcare, agriculture, education and clean mobility. Progress was reviewed on Punatsangchhu-II (1,020 MW) and Punatsangchhu-I (1,200 MW) — note which number goes with which project, since the smaller-numbered project is the larger one.
13. Which film has been selected as India’s official entry for the Oscars 2027 Best International Feature Film category?
A. Court
B. Gondhal
C. Shwaas
D. Harishchandrachi Factory
E. Laapataa Ladies
View Answer
Explanation: A Marathi psychological and cultural thriller set in rural Maharashtra, directed by Santosh Davakhar, chosen from 33 entries. Davakhar won the Silver Peacock for Best Director at IFFI 2025. Gondhal is the fourth Marathi film to be India’s official entry, after Shwaas, Harishchandrachi Factory and Court — the three distractors in this question.
14. The indigenous One-Way Attack drone ‘KAL’, tested at the Pokhran Field Firing Range, has a reported range of up to:
A. 300 km
B. 500 km
C. 750 km
D. 1,000 km
E. 1,500 km
View Answer
Explanation: Developed by IG Defence as part of its GRID STRIKE portfolio, KAL has an endurance of 7-8 hours, a 50 kg payload and GNSS plus INS-based navigation for autonomous long-endurance operations. Separately the same week, HAL handed over 2 LCA Tejas FOC twin-seat trainers and 3 HTT-40 trainers to the IAF, and 4 Dhruv NG helicopters to Pawan Hans.
ARD notes, the monthly current affairs PDF and a descriptive English sample — all free, on WhatsApp.
Get it on WhatsApp — one tap or just leave your number