1. Which ministry organises "Srijan: Voices from the Loom", an event that celebrates women weavers, with over 100 participants from six handloom clusters?
Answer: D. The Textiles Ministry's event in New Delhi gathers over 100 women weavers to share first-person stories, with an anthology being released. Women make up about 70% of the roughly 35 lakh handloom workers, the highest female share in any Indian industry.
2. The babirusa, or "pig-deer", made news with the birth of a piglet named "Rana" at Chester Zoo. It is found only on four islands belonging to which country?
Answer: E. Babirusas live only on Sulawesi, Togian, Sula and Buru, all Indonesian islands, in rainforest, swamp and wetland. Their name joins the Malay words for pig and deer, and the IUCN lists them as Vulnerable.
3. Parliament passed the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026, to rename the state "Keralam". Under which Article is a law of this kind not treated as a constitutional amendment, so a simple majority is enough?
Answer: A. Article 3 lets Parliament change a state's name, and Article 4 states that such a law is not an amendment under Article 368. This is why simple majority passage works, as with the earlier change from Orissa to Odisha.
4. The renewed "One Herb, One Standard" (OHOS) initiative aligns herb monographs of PCIM&H under Ayush with which autonomous body of the Health Ministry?
Answer: B. PCIM&H and the Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission jointly prepare common monographs so that quality standards for herbs no longer conflict between pharmacopoeias. The first phase from 2022 produced 50 single-herb monographs across Ayurveda, Siddha, Sowa-Rigpa, Unani and Homoeopathy.
5. UPI marked ten years since its pilot in April 2016. Which existing payment system is it built upon?
Answer: C. UPI, developed by RBI and NPCI, sits on top of IMPS and uses VPAs and QR codes for instant transfers between banks. It was fully live by August 2016, and the pandemic boosted QR use further.
6. Under the proposed calibrated MDR approach following the Taxation Bill 2026, to which payments would a small MDR (about 0.05% up to 0.3-0.6%) apply?
Answer: D. Only large businesses would pay on person-to-merchant payments above ₹2,000, while consumers, P2P transfers and small merchants such as kiranas pay nothing. The change to Section 10A of the PSS Act only removes the ban and does not itself impose fees.
7. Beforest, the regenerative land restoration effort founded in 2018 and led by CEO Sunith Reddy, runs six "collectives" across about 1,300 acres. About how much land must a collective have at minimum?
Answer: E. A collective is a group of people who co-own and co-manage one landscape of roughly 100 acres or more. Beforest's six sit in Kodagu, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Bhopal and involve 196 members.
8. How many ICAR research institutes take part in the ICAR Network Programme on Precision Agriculture (ICAR-NePPA)?
Answer: A. ICAR-NePPA brings together 16 institutes that use sensors, remote sensing, AI and ICT in crop and soil work, post-harvest, vertical farming, aquaculture and livestock. Precision agriculture means supplying the right input amount, at the right place and time.
9. To what level did India's retail inflation (CPI) climb in July 2026, reaching a 19-month peak?
Answer: B. CPI inflation reached 4.45% in July 2026, its highest in 19 months, pushed up mainly by food and fuel prices.
10. President Murmu gave her assent to the Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, 2026. What does it extend legal protection to?
Answer: C. With the assent, deliberately obstructing or stopping the singing of Vande Mataram becomes an offence, giving it protection like that of the national anthem under the 1971 Act.
11. SBI Research lifted its Q1 FY27 GDP growth estimate to roughly 8%. How many high-frequency indicators was this based on?
Answer: D. The estimate of about 8%, against RBI's 7% for the quarter, draws on 54 high-frequency indicators across agriculture, industry and services. Strong consumption, industrial output and government capex support it.
12. Which valuation did the 2026 Hurun India Most Valuable Family Businesses list assign to the Ambani family, which tops the ranking?
Answer: E. The Ambani family under Mukesh Ambani leads at ₹25.8 lakh crore, followed by the Birla family and then the Jindal family. The top 300 family businesses together are valued at about ₹138 lakh crore.
13. Which former chief of the Supreme Court did Hungary's Parliament elect President, by 140 votes to 6, to take office on 19 August 2026?
Answer: A. András Baka, formerly head of the Supreme Court, won the parliamentary vote 140 to 6. His term can last up to five years from 19 August 2026.
14. "Shruti" is the second of four NGOPVs that GRSE Kolkata is constructing. What is the value of the whole programme?
Answer: B. The ₹9,781-crore programme covers four Next-Generation Offshore Patrol Vessels at GRSE, and Shruti is the second. It strengthens indigenous warship building and maritime security.
15. Skyroot Aerospace has a Multi-Launch Agreement with HEX20 for three dedicated missions, beginning Q4 2027. Which launch vehicle series will fly them?
Answer: C. The agreement covers three Vikram-series missions for Earth observation, payload demonstrations and rideshare, with the first launch from Q4 2027.
16. Don Nelson, the celebrated NBA coach, died at 86. With which team did he win five NBA championships as a player?
Answer: D. Nelson collected five titles as a Celtics player, then coached for 31 years with 1,335 regular-season wins, and entered the Hall of Fame in 2012. The obituaries also noted nuclear scientist M.P. Parameswaran, aged 91.
17. What is the title of former President Ram Nath Kovind's autobiography, published by Rupa Publications and released by PM Modi?
Answer: E. The book traces Kovind's childhood, legal career, public service and time as India's 14th President.
18. What theme was chosen for International Youth Day on 12 August 2026?
Answer: A. International Youth Day, first marked in 2000, had the 2026 theme "Different Contexts, Common Aspirations".
19. PM Modi said on World Elephant Day (12 August, observed since 2012) that India holds roughly what share of the world's wild Asian elephants?
Answer: B. India is home to more than 60% of wild Asian elephants, a point MoS Kirti Vardhan Singh also made. The day was conceived by Patricia Sims, Michael Clarke and Sivaporn Dardarananda.
20. Gujarat sanctioned ₹20 crore for 2026-27 to set up four Centres of Excellence in Natural Farming. Where will they be located?
Answer: C. The four centres will provide training, technology help, soil testing, value addition and post-harvest facilities for natural farming.
21. The National Biodiversity Authority released over ₹15 crore under the Access and Benefit Sharing mechanism. Which genetic resource generated these funds?
Answer: D. The ₹15+ crore from mustard genetic resources will be shared among 26 State Biodiversity Boards and 3 UT Biodiversity Councils, putting fair benefit-sharing into practice. Also, Amit Shah launched the Gramin Gyan Setu app for libraries in Gandhinagar.
22. Indian Railways cleared Kavach 4.0 on 660 route km of the Izzatnagar Division of North Eastern Railway. What is the estimated cost?
Answer: E. Version 4.0 of Kavach, India's home-grown Automatic Train Protection system, will cover 660 route km of the Izzatnagar Division at an estimated ₹295 crore.
23. India and Nepal signed MoUs for eight development projects funded by Indian grant assistance. Which sectors do they cover?
Answer: A. The eight grant-funded projects cover education, health and agriculture, strengthening people-focused development cooperation between the two countries.
24. For the first time, 18 metric tonnes of GI-tagged Mithila Makhana went from Bihar to which country, bought straight from Darbhanga farmers?
Answer: B. The maiden shipment of 18 MT, sourced directly from Darbhanga farmers, went to Australia and widens overseas markets for Bihar's GI-tagged farm products.
25. India signed Terms of Reference for a Preferential Trade Agreement with SACU, described as the world's oldest customs union. In what year was SACU set up and where is its secretariat?
Answer: C. SACU dates from 1910 and has its secretariat in Windhoek, with South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Lesotho and Eswatini as members. This is India's first such ToR with an African grouping and starts PTA talks.