1. A recent study identified 219 hanging glaciers in which river basin of Uttarakhand?
A. Bhagirathi basin
B. Alaknanda basin
C. Mandakini basin
D. Dhauliganga basin
E. Pindar basin
View Answer
Explanation: The study identified 219 hanging glaciers in Uttarakhand’s Alaknanda basin and warned that warming and permafrost thaw are raising the risk of ice break-off. Such detachments can trigger ice-rock avalanches and outburst floods downstream. In India, hanging glaciers are concentrated along the steep glaciated slopes of the Garhwal and Kumaon Himalayas, Himachal Pradesh, Ladakh and Sikkim, making basin-level inventories important for disaster preparedness.
2. Which of the following best describes a hanging glacier?
A. A glacier that floats on the sea and calves icebergs into open water
B. A glacier that originates high on a mountain wall and terminates abruptly at a steep cliff face instead of reaching the valley floor
C. A glacier formed entirely from refrozen meltwater in a valley trough
D. A glacier that advances rapidly in surges every few decades
E. A glacier buried under a thick continuous layer of rock debris on a plateau
View Answer
Explanation: A hanging glacier ends high above the valley trough and routinely sheds ice through calving, icefalls and avalanches. They form through high-altitude accumulation of snow in niches and cirques that compacts into firn and ice, through glacial retreat that disconnects tributary glaciers from thinning trunk glaciers, and through thermal destabilisation as permafrost and basal ice thaw and meltwater lubricates the glacier-bedrock interface.
3. NCDEX launched RAINCHNNAI, India’s second rainfall-based weather derivatives contract. Which monsoon period does it cover?
A. The South-West monsoon, June to September
B. The North-East or retreating monsoon, September to December
C. The pre-monsoon showers of March to May
D. The western disturbance season, December to February
E. The full calendar year, January to December
View Answer
Explanation: RAINCHNNAI covers the North-East or retreating monsoon from September to December and settles against rainfall recorded at the IMD stations at Meenambakkam and Nungambakkam in Chennai. Weather derivatives let farmers, agri-businesses and insurers hedge rainfall risk directly, rather than relying only on indemnity-based crop insurance, and are especially relevant for Tamil Nadu where the retreating monsoon is the main rainfall season.
4. Fisheries infrastructure projects worth about Rs 36.49 crore are being launched in Puducherry under which scheme?
A. Blue Revolution Scheme
B. Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana
C. Fisheries and Aquaculture Infrastructure Development Fund
D. Pradhan Mantri Matsya Kisan Samridhi Sah-Yojana
E. Sagarmala Programme
View Answer
Explanation: The projects worth Rs 36.49 crore in Puducherry are being taken up under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana, the flagship scheme for the fisheries sector. They focus on sustainable livelihoods for fishers, modern fisheries infrastructure and value-chain efficiency, covering elements such as landing and handling facilities that reduce post-harvest losses and improve realisation for coastal fishing communities.
5. India’s real GDP growth in the April-June 2026 quarter (Q1 FY27) was recorded at what rate?
A. 6.9 per cent
B. 7.4 per cent
C. 7.8 per cent
D. 8.2 per cent
E. 8.6 per cent
View Answer
Explanation: Real GDP grew 7.8 per cent in Q1 FY27, faster than the 6.9 per cent recorded in Q1 FY26 but slower than the 8.6 per cent of the January-March 2026 quarter. Nominal GDP growth was 10.3 per cent and real GVA growth was 8.2 per cent. The gap between nominal and real growth reflects the deflator, since real figures are computed at constant prices and strip out price effects.
6. In Q1 FY27, real GVA growth of 8.2 per cent exceeded real GDP growth of 7.8 per cent. What does this normally indicate?
A. Subsidies on products rose faster than taxes on products
B. Taxes on products rose faster than subsidies on products
C. Depreciation of fixed capital increased sharply
D. Net factor income from abroad turned negative
E. Intermediate consumption fell to zero across sectors
View Answer
Explanation: GDP equals GVA plus taxes on products minus subsidies on products, where GVA itself is output minus intermediate consumption. When GDP grows more slowly than GVA, net product taxes have contributed negatively, which usually means subsidies rose faster than product taxes. This was consistent with the fertiliser subsidy overshoot in the quarter. NDP, by contrast, is GDP minus consumption of fixed capital or depreciation.
7. By the end of July, India’s fiscal deficit had reached what proportion of the full-year FY27 Budget Estimate?
A. 18.4 per cent
B. 22.1 per cent
C. 26.8 per cent
D. 31.5 per cent
E. 38.2 per cent
View Answer
Explanation: The fiscal deficit stood at 26.8 per cent of the full-year Budget Estimate by end-July, in absolute terms Rs 4.55 lakh crore. Net tax revenue over the period was Rs 8.45 lakh crore while total expenditure was Rs 17.62 lakh crore. Monthly deficit-to-BE ratios are closely watched because front-loaded capital spending or weak revenue can signal slippage risk well before the revised estimates are presented.
8. A Multi-Dimensional Capacity Building Conclave was organised to promote cooperative-led farming of which produce, linked to the Blue Economy?
A. Seaweed
B. Oil palm
C. Bamboo
D. Makhana
E. Coffee
View Answer
Explanation: The conclave promotes cooperative-led seaweed farming as part of the Blue Economy agenda. Seaweed cultivation is labour-intensive, needs little capital and no freshwater or fertiliser, and provides supplementary income to coastal households, particularly women’s self-help groups. Organising it through cooperatives strengthens the seaweed value chain by aggregating production, improving bargaining power and linking growers to processors of agar, carrageenan and biostimulants.
9. The 26th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit is being hosted by which city and country?
A. Astana, Kazakhstan
B. Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
C. Dushanbe, Tajikistan
D. Tashkent, Uzbekistan
E. Samarkand, Uzbekistan
View Answer
Explanation: Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, is hosting the 26th SCO Summit as the Eurasian bloc marks 25 years since its inception. Kyrgyzstan is a mountainous, landlocked Central Asian republic dominated by the Tien Shan system, formerly a Soviet union republic known as Kirgiziya, which declared independence on 31 August 1991. Bishkek lies in the fertile Chu river valley, and the country borders Kazakhstan, China, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
10. Where is the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation headquartered?
A. Beijing
B. Moscow
C. Tashkent
D. Almaty
E. Shanghai
View Answer
Explanation: The SCO’s Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure is headquartered at Tashkent, while the SCO Secretariat is at Beijing. The organisation was founded in 2001 in Shanghai out of the earlier Shanghai Five, with China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan as founding members. India and Pakistan joined in 2017, Iran in 2023 and Belarus in 2024. India hosted the 2023 summit in virtual format.
11. The Legal Metrology (Indian Standard Time) Rules, 2026, making IST the single time reference for official purposes, were notified by which department?
A. Department of Consumer Affairs
B. Department of Science and Technology
C. Department of Telecommunications
D. Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade
E. Department of Space
View Answer
Explanation: The Department of Consumer Affairs notified the Legal Metrology (Indian Standard Time) Rules, 2026, establishing IST as the single reference time for official purposes. The rules aim to improve accurate time-stamping, cybersecurity and synchronisation across networks, financial systems and critical infrastructure, where mismatched clocks can corrupt transaction records and audit trails. They will come into force 180 days after publication in the Gazette.
12. OIL Green Energy signed MoUs with the Gurugram, Faridabad, Hisar and Ambala municipalities for waste-to-clean-energy projects. How much municipal solid waste will these projects process?
A. 500 tonnes per day
B. 1,200 tonnes per day
C. 2,500 tonnes per day
D. 5,000 tonnes per day
E. 10,000 tonnes per day
View Answer
Explanation: The projects will process 5,000 tonnes per day of municipal solid waste, with an expected output of 70 to 75 tonnes per day of compressed biogas and around 50 MW of green power. Such projects support the circular economy by diverting waste from landfills, while CBG output feeds into the broader push for domestic biofuels and reduced dependence on imported natural gas.
13. National Small Industry Day, recognising the contribution of small industries and MSMEs, is observed in India on which date?
A. 27 August
B. 29 August
C. 30 August
D. 1 September
E. 5 September
View Answer
Explanation: National Small Industry Day is observed on 30 August and is linked to the comprehensive policy package announced for Small Scale Industries in the year 2000. The day recognises the role of small industries and MSMEs in employment generation, exports and inclusive economic development. The same date is also observed internationally as the Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances under UNGA Resolution A/RES/65/209.
14. NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, recently launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy, will operate from which location?
A. Low Earth orbit at about 550 km
B. Geostationary orbit at 36,000 km
C. Around Lagrange Point 2
D. Around Lagrange Point 1
E. In lunar polar orbit
View Answer
Explanation: The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will operate around Lagrange Point 2, the same broad region used by the James Webb Space Telescope, where a spacecraft can keep the Sun, Earth and Moon behind it for stable infrared observations. Costing about USD 4.3 billion, it will study dark energy, survey exoplanets and map the infrared universe with a very wide field of view.
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