1. BIO-NIVESH, a platform connecting biotechnology startups with investors, was launched under which ministry?
A. Ministry of Commerce and Industry
B. Ministry of Science and Technology
C. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
D. Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises
E. Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology
View Answer
Explanation: Dr Jitendra Singh launched it at a joint roundtable with startups and investors in New Delhi. Unlike a conventional pitching event, BIO-NIVESH is designed as a two-way mechanism: startups learn what investors expect, while investors gain insight into biotechnology’s long scientific, regulatory and clinical development pathways, which is precisely why biotech struggles to attract private capital.
2. The co-branded Scapia Axis Bank Credit Card was launched on which card networks?
A. Visa only
B. Mastercard only
C. RuPay only
D. Mastercard and RuPay
E. Visa and American Express
View Answer
Explanation: The card carries zero joining fee, zero annual fee and zero forex mark-up, targeting digitally native, travel-focused users. Issuing on RuPay alongside an international network matters because RuPay credit cards can be linked to UPI, which has become a major distribution advantage for co-branded cards in India.
3. ICICI Bank acquired an additional 2 per cent stake in ICICI Prudential Life Insurance. What was the approximate transaction value?
A. Rs 760 crore
B. Rs 1,120 crore
C. Rs 1,470 crore
D. Rs 1,980 crore
E. Rs 2,350 crore
View Answer
Explanation: The purchase, made through the stock exchange mechanism, raised ICICI Bank’s holding to about 52.8 per cent. It was driven by regulatory requirements arising from Prudential’s proposed acquisition of Bharti Life Insurance, since a promoter cannot hold controlling interests in two competing life insurers, forcing a rebalancing of shareholding.
4. As per UNEP’s “Limiting Overshoot” report, how much of the carbon budget remains for a 50 per cent chance of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius?
A. About 60 GtCO2
B. About 130 GtCO2
C. About 220 GtCO2
D. About 400 GtCO2
E. About 500 GtCO2
View Answer
Explanation: At current emission rates that budget would be exhausted in roughly three years, which is why the report treats overshoot as unavoidable rather than hypothetical. A carbon budget is the cumulative quantity of CO2 that can still be emitted for a given probability of staying under a temperature limit, so it shrinks every year emissions continue.
5. According to the UNEP report, human-induced warming is currently around what level, and rising at what rate?
A. 1.1 degrees Celsius, rising 0.10 degrees per decade
B. 1.2 degrees Celsius, rising 0.15 degrees per decade
C. 1.4 degrees Celsius, rising 0.25 degrees per decade
D. 1.5 degrees Celsius, rising 0.30 degrees per decade
E. 1.8 degrees Celsius, rising 0.40 degrees per decade
View Answer
Explanation: At that rate the remaining gap to 1.5 degrees closes within a few years. Note the distinction between human-induced warming, which strips out natural variability such as El Nino, and observed annual temperature, which can cross 1.5 degrees in a single hot year without meaning the long-term limit has been breached.
6. The WMO estimates what probability that the 2026-2030 average temperature will exceed 1.5 degrees Celsius?
A. 40 per cent
B. 55 per cent
C. 60 per cent
D. 75 per cent
E. 90 per cent
View Answer
Explanation: The World Meteorological Organization is the UN’s specialised agency for weather, climate and water, headquartered at Geneva. A five-year average crossing the threshold is far more significant than a single year doing so, because averaging smooths out short-term natural swings and therefore points to a structural breach of the Paris goal.
7. The climate overshoot pathway described by UNEP has four stages. Which is the correct sequence?
A. Plateau, Exceedance, Decline, Stabilization
B. Exceedance, Plateau/Peak, Decline, Stabilization
C. Exceedance, Decline, Plateau/Peak, Stabilization
D. Stabilization, Exceedance, Peak, Decline
E. Peak, Exceedance, Stabilization, Decline
View Answer
Explanation: The full report title is “Limiting Overshoot: Navigating Exceedance of 1.5 degrees Celsius and Pathways Towards Return”. The decline stage is the hard part, because falling below the peak requires net-negative emissions, meaning more CO2 must be removed from the atmosphere than is emitted, not merely a cut in emissions.
8. The report warns that every five years of continued high emissions could add about 0.1 degrees Celsius to peak warming, requiring the removal of roughly how much CO2 to return to lower temperatures?
A. 80 GtCO2
B. 130 GtCO2
C. 180 GtCO2
D. 220 GtCO2
E. 300 GtCO2
View Answer
Explanation: This quantifies the cost of delay: waiting makes the eventual clean-up larger than the emissions saved. The report cautions that engineered removal such as DACCS and BECCS demands heavy energy, water and land, while nature-based removal faces saturation and wildfire risk, so removal should supplement rather than substitute for emission cuts.
9. Without adequate adaptation, by how much could food production decline by 2050, according to the UNEP report?
A. Up to 5 per cent
B. Up to 8 per cent
C. Up to 11 per cent
D. Up to 14 per cent
E. Up to 20 per cent
View Answer
Explanation: The report also flags mountain glaciers losing over 25 per cent of their mass by 2100 and roughly 40 cm of extra sea-level rise by 2300 for each century spent above 1.5 degrees. For agricultural economies, rising humid heat is an additional channel of loss because it directly cuts outdoor labour productivity during peak farm operations.
10. The RAKSHA document released by the Defence Minister sets out India’s defence diplomacy vision for what period?
A. 3 years
B. 5 years
C. 10 years
D. 15 years
E. 25 years
View Answer
Explanation: Released at Kartavya Bhawan, RAKSHA rests on four pillars: Strategic Partnerships, Capacity Building, Indigenous Exports and Maritime Security. It was formulated by the Ministry of Defence in coordination with the Ministry of External Affairs and the National Security Council Secretariat, and frames India as a Net Security Provider and First Responder in the Indian Ocean Region.
11. The Odisha State Disaster Management Authority signed an MoU under which UNDP will conduct a Hazard, Risk and Vulnerability Assessment across how many districts?
A. 12 districts
B. 18 districts
C. 24 districts
D. 30 districts
E. 36 districts
View Answer
Explanation: A parallel MoU with CivicDataLab covers the IDS-DRR platform, with both focused on floods, coastal flooding and heatwaves. The work underpins Odisha’s Zero Casualty approach, which shifted the state from reactive relief to anticipatory evacuation and is widely cited as a national model in disaster management questions.
12. ISRO launched EOS-05 aboard GSLV-F17 on 4 September 2026. What is the satellite’s approximate mass?
A. 1,240 kg
B. 1,850 kg
C. 2,367 kg
D. 2,980 kg
E. 3,420 kg
View Answer
Explanation: That makes EOS-05, also known as GISAT-1A, the heaviest payload carried by a GSLV so far, and the mission demonstrated improved reliability of the GSLV Mk II. It is India’s first Earth-imaging satellite placed in geosynchronous orbit at about 36,000 km, allowing it to stare continuously at the same region instead of revisiting every few days like LEO satellites.
13. The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution on 4 September 2026 declaring which date as the International Day for the Elimination of Child Marriage?
A. 11 October
B. 20 November
C. 25 November
D. 27 November
E. 10 December
View Answer
Explanation: The observance targets child, early and forced marriage through stronger laws, social awareness and coordinated action, linking to children’s rights, education and health. It is distinct from the International Day of the Girl Child on 11 October and the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on 25 November, which are common distractors.
14. The MoU between the Government e-Marketplace and the Textiles Committee aims to build which ecosystem?
A. Farm-to-Fork ecosystem
B. Waste-to-Value-to-Market ecosystem
C. Design-to-Delivery ecosystem
D. Fibre-to-Fashion ecosystem
E. Source-to-Store ecosystem
View Answer
Explanation: The Textiles Committee will identify and certify producers and provide standardisation support while GeM handles onboarding, market access and procurement of recycled and upcycled products. Using public procurement to create guaranteed demand is a standard tool for making circular-economy products commercially viable before private markets mature.
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