1. Giriraj Singh opened IIHT SUTRA 2026, the first national conclave of the Indian Institutes of Handloom Technology. What was its theme?
Answer: C. The conclave concentrated on education, research, skills and innovation in handlooms. Agreements were signed with Grasim Industries, NITRA and IIM Sambalpur.
2. A team headed by Prof. S. D. Biju of the University of Delhi found three new species of which kind of amphibian in Northeast India?
Answer: B. The new cascade frogs are Ammachi's, Sendenyu and Beautiful Cascade Frogs, identified through field surveys, DNA sequencing and body-structure studies.
3. The Gaj Gaurav Awards, presented at World Elephant Day 2026 in Visakhapatnam, were created in which year to mark three decades of Project Elephant?
Answer: B. MoEF&CC instituted Gaj Gaurav in 2022, thirty years after Project Elephant began in 1992. It honours frontline workers in Asian elephant conservation and is given on 12 August.
4. Select the statement about the Asian elephant in India that is NOT correct.
Answer: C. India actually has 33 Elephant Reserves, not 45, and the other four statements hold true. Project Elephant has been a Centrally Sponsored Scheme since 1992.
5. Under the Nuclear Energy Mission, the Government intends to build and operate at least how many indigenous Small Modular Reactors by 2033?
Answer: D. At least five home-grown SMRs are targeted by 2033 as a step toward 100 GWe of nuclear capacity by 2047. The SHANTI Act, 2025 lets private firms join nuclear manufacturing and deployment.
6. NITI Aayog's report 'Key Sectors to Position India as a Global Manufacturing Hub' covers four sectors in this first edition, with eight more to come. Which four?
Answer: A. The report examines these four sectors against seven factors, including infrastructure, technology readiness and raw materials. The aim is to shift from mere assembly toward domestic value addition.
7. The NITI report says textiles account for about 2% of GDP, 11% of manufacturing GVA and 9% of merchandise exports. How many people does the sector employ?
Answer: E. Textiles employ over 45 million people, second only to agriculture, and bring in about 37.7 billion dollars of exports a year. India ranks sixth among textile exporters.
8. At the new NUCFDC premises in Mumbai, inaugurated by Amit Shah, which integrated technology platform for Urban Cooperative Banks was launched?
Answer: C. NUCFDC, the umbrella body for UCBs, introduced Bank in a Box at the Sahkar Nav-Kranti event. It also signed an MoU with NFSU on cybersecurity and digital forensics.
9. Which of these is among SEBI's proposed changes to the Accredited Investor Framework 2026?
Answer: B. The proposals make accreditation easier to obtain. Accredited investors enjoy lower investment thresholds and can access products with more regulatory flexibility.
10. Bank of America and Jio Financial Services agreed a joint venture in which BofA may hold up to 49.9% of Jio Credit for about Rs 18,268 crore. What stake will BofA take first through preferential allotment?
Answer: D. BofA starts with 26.5% of Jio Credit by preferential allotment and has room to go up to 49.9%, which would involve around Rs 18,268 crore.
11. Cochin Shipyard handed over 'MS Maria', the second of eight HS EcoFreighter 7,000 DWT multi-purpose ships, to a shipping firm from which country?
Answer: A. The ship went to HS Schiffahrts of Germany. It is a multi-purpose vessel able to carry containers, steel coils, timber, dry bulk and project cargo.
12. Zhu Rongji, former Chinese Premier who died at 97, helped bring China into which organisation in 2001?
Answer: E. As Premier from 1998 to 2003, Zhu pushed reform of state enterprises and the financial system and drove China's 2001 entry into the WTO.
13. Which Bill did the Lok Sabha send to a Joint Parliamentary Committee despite objections from the Opposition and civil society?
Answer: B. The FCRA Amendment Bill will be examined clause by clause by a JPC, which can call for records, officials and experts, hold public consultations and attach dissent notes.
14. Which statement about a Joint Parliamentary Committee is NOT correct?
Answer: E. A JPC is ad hoc and dissolves automatically once it presents its report. Standing committees, by contrast, are reconstituted every year.
15. 'Udara Shakti 2026' is the third edition of a bilateral air exercise in which India sent Rafales and C-17s. The IAF's partner is the air force of:
Answer: A. The exercise took place in Malaysia, where the IAF flew alongside the Royal Malaysian Air Force's Su-30MKM, F/A-18D and A400M aircraft to improve interoperability.
16. In which year did Dean Robert Campbell conceive International Left-Handers Day, observed on 13 August?
Answer: C. Campbell came up with the idea in 1976, and the Left-Handers Club formally launched the day in 1992 to celebrate left-handed people.