1. Türkiye hosted the NATO Ankara Summit 2026, the alliance's 36th. Which country will host the following summit?
Answer: B. The 36th summit (7-8 July 2026, Beştepe complex, Ankara) ended with the Ankara Summit Declaration, Türkiye's second after Istanbul 2004, and Albania hosts next. NATO, created by the 1949 Washington Treaty and led by Mark Rutte from Brussels, has 32 members (Finland 2023, Sweden 2024); Article 5 has been invoked just once, after 9/11.
2. India slipped to which position in the Henley Passport Index 2026 (20th anniversary edition), with access to 55 destinations?
Answer: D. India fell to 81st with 55 destinations, from 75th in the February 2026 edition, level with Mauritania and Algeria; its worst-ever place was 90th in 2021. Henley & Partners compiles the index from IATA data on 199 passports and 227 destinations, counting visa-free, visa-on-arrival and eTA entry but not e-visas needing prior approval.
3. Which country's passport ranked first in the Henley Passport Index 2026, with visa-free entry to 192 destinations?
Answer: A. Singapore was first at 192 destinations, with Japan, South Korea and the UAE tied second at 188 (the UAE's climb being notable) and Sweden third at 187. Afghanistan stayed last with 22, ahead of Syria (25), Iraq (28), Pakistan (29) and Yemen (30).
4. Which three existing laws would the Securities Markets Code (SMC) Bill merge and replace?
Answer: C. The 157-clause Bill, brought to Lok Sabha by FM Nirmala Sitharaman on 18 December 2025, combines the SEBI Act 1992, the Securities Contracts (Regulation) Act 1956 and the Depositories Act 1996, like the Labour Codes. The Finance Standing Committee under Bhartruhari Mahtab accepted 85+ suggestions, including deleting Clause 93(g), listing offences explicitly, a 120-day ombudsperson timeline, and 25% of SEBI surplus going to a reserve fund.
5. Sarnath's "Ancient Buddhist Site" was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List on 25 July 2026. Which numbered Indian World Heritage Site did it become?
Answer: E. It became India's 45th, inscribed at the 48th Committee session at Busan, and Uttar Pradesh's fourth after the Taj Mahal, Agra Fort and Fatehpur Sikri. It includes the Chaukhandi Stupa with its octagonal Mughal tower (AD 1588, by Govardhan, son of Todar Mal, for Humayun) and the Sarnath remains such as Dhamek Stupa, Dharmarajika Stupa and the Ashokan column; ICOMOS evaluated it and it had been on the Tentative List since 3 July 1998.
6. Three of the four main Buddhist pilgrimage sites are now World Heritage Sites after Sarnath's inscription. Which one is still not inscribed?
Answer: C. Kushinagar, site of the mahaparinirvana in Uttar Pradesh, remains uninscribed. Lumbini (birth, 1997), Bodh Gaya (enlightenment, Mahabodhi Temple 2002) and Sarnath (first sermon, 2026) are listed; at Sarnath the Buddha preached the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta to five disciples and founded the Sangha, and its Ashokan Pillar's Lion Capital became India's National Emblem in 1950.
7. Within how many days must investigations be completed under the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026?
Answer: E. The Bill, circulated to MPs on 25 July 2026, sets 60 days for investigation, while the three-month limit applies to trial after the chargesheet. It also provides fines up to ₹10 crore for organised networks, Special Task Forces, Special Fast Track Courts with day-to-day trial, new Sections 12A and 12B limiting adjournments, and appeals within 30 days to be decided in 3 months.
8. In which landmark case did the Supreme Court read the right to a speedy trial into Article 21?
Answer: B. Hussainara Khatoon v. State of Bihar (1979) did so. Later, Brij Mohan Lal (2012) directed States to make Fast-Track Courts permanent or phase them out; the 11th Finance Commission funded 1,734 FTCs, and Fast Track Special Courts (Oct 2019) handle rape and POCSO cases, with BNSS 2023 requiring sexual-offence trials to end within two months of chargesheet.
9. According to a NABARD study, what share of rural households said they borrow from fintech firms?
Answer: D. Under 2% of rural households do, even though India has the world's third-largest fintech ecosystem, projected beyond $400 billion by 2028-29. The barriers are trust, awareness and suitability rather than digital infrastructure, along with high rates compared with the 7% KCC credit, loan-app scandals and remote grievance redress; rural borrowers prefer PACS acting as Common Service Centres.
10. Which measure is NABARD reinforcing as a rural alternative to fintech credit?
Answer: E. Every listed step is under way: ERP-based computerisation of about 1 lakh PACS (about ₹2,516 crore), turning PACS into multipurpose societies with CSC, fair price shop, PM-KUSUM and Jan Aushadhi services, eKisanCredit linking land records, Aadhaar, eKYC and core banking (NABARD took a 10% stake in developer 24×7 Moneyworks in 2025), and working with RBI on NSFI 2.0.
11. About how much methane do India's irrigated paddy fields release in a year, per the Nature Food study?
Answer: D. About 3.9 million tonnes a year, from the world's leading rice grower (154 million tonnes in 2025-26), with Eastern India a global methane hotspot. Paddy emissions worldwide have doubled since the 1960s to 1.1 billion tonnes CO₂e; standing water creates oxygen-free conditions that produce methane, and India is outside the Global Methane Pledge with agriculture left out of its NDC mitigation goals.
12. By what range can Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD) cut methane emissions in paddy farming?
Answer: A. AWD, which periodically dries the fields, lowers methane by 30-70% and saves 15-30% of irrigation water but needs reliable irrigation. Alternatives include Direct Seeded Rice, System of Rice Intensification, crop diversification, neem-coated urea, PM-PRANAM and biochar; the Odisha Millet Mission of 2017 shows diversification working with procurement support.
13. Mirabai Chanu won India's first gold at Glasgow 2026 in the women's 48 kg class, completing a CWG gold hat-trick. What was her record total lift?
Answer: C. She lifted a total of 190 kg (snatch 85 kg, clean & jerk 105 kg), both Games records, adding to golds from Gold Coast 2018 and Birmingham 2022. Glasgow 2026 (23 July to 2 August), the XXIII CWG, is a smaller edition after Victoria withdrew in 2023, with Scotland hosting a fourth time and Chanambam Rishikanta Singh taking men's 60 kg silver.
14. Which team did U Mumba TT beat 8-5 in the Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) Season 7 final in Panaji, Goa, to hold on to the title?
Answer: E. U Mumba TT overcame Dempo Goa Challengers 8-5, ending Goa's unbeaten run with Manush Shah starring. Separately, CPCB told the Supreme Court there is no agreement on commercial production of next-generation green firecrackers because of a banned chemical, leaving it for the court.
15. Which upgraded KYC system will banks and insurers roll out in August 2026, letting verified KYC records be fetched with OTP-based consent?
Answer: B. CKYC 2.0 begins in August 2026 for banks and insurers, with mutual funds later. Institutions can pull verified records from the central registry after the customer consents by OTP, so PAN, Aadhaar or address proof need not be submitted repeatedly.
16. Harrisons Malayalam Limited introduced India's first drone-based transport of freshly plucked tea leaves in Idukki, Kerala. Which company partnered with it?
Answer: E. Tropoworks was the partner. Drones now carry the leaves from plantations to processing centres, cutting transport time and fuel cost and improving plantation logistics.
17. The CCEA cleared the 3rd and 4th lines on the Ballari-Guntakal section (about ₹1,264 crore). Which two states does it span?
Answer: B. The 46-km multitracking project, targeted for 2028-29, crosses Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh and improves access for about 99 villages and 7 lakh people. Separately, the CSIR-CSIO technology transfer event moved four technologies and earned ₹1.67 crore in royalties, with BEL receiving licensed defence technologies.
18. Where will the permanent National Skill Training Institute for Women (NSTI-W) campus announced by Bihar and MSDE be built?
Answer: D. It will be at Bihta, costing ₹99.97 crore, along with a ₹7 crore Skill India International Centre in Patna, to promote women's skilling and overseas jobs.
19. ICAR-CMFRI's "DeepDATA" mobile app, which gives verified information on deep-sea fish species, was launched under which mission?
Answer: A. It comes under the Deep Ocean Mission and provides scientifically verified data on deep-sea fish while letting citizens help record marine biodiversity, backing research, conservation and sustainable fisheries.
20. Who took over as Interim President of FIDE, the International Chess Federation, becoming the first Indian to head it?
Answer: C. Viswanathan Anand, a five-time World Champion and FIDE Deputy President since 2022, stepped up as Interim President when Arkady Dvorkovich suspended his duties, the first Indian to lead FIDE even on an interim basis.
21. Who has Infosys named CEO-Designate from 1 April 2027 to follow Salil Parekh?
Answer: A. Ashiss Kumar Dash, an Infosys veteran of over 30 years, is named for a five-year term (2027-2032), subject to shareholder approval.
22. ZSI researchers described two new spiders, "Simonia lawbah" and "Hamataliwa papikonda". Which states did they come from, in that order?
Answer: C. Simonia lawbah, from Meghalaya, is the first Indian record of its genus, and Hamataliwa papikonda, from Andhra Pradesh, is the first of its genus in that state. Also, Argentina's Nicolás Otamendi retired from international football after 17 years and 139 matches, following the 2026 World Cup final.
23. Who was the first IVF baby, born in 1978, whose birth World IVF Day (25 July) commemorates?
Answer: E. The day, also World Embryologist Day, marks the 1978 birth of Louise Brown, the first baby born through IVF, and spreads awareness of IVF and Assisted Reproductive Technology.
24. The International Day for Judicial Well-being on 25 July marks the adoption of which 2024 declaration?
Answer: B. The day, proclaimed by the UNGA in 2025, recalls the Nauru Declaration on Judicial Well-being (2024), which supports the mental, emotional and physical health of judges and magistrates. 25 July also hosts the International Day of Women and Girls of African Descent, with the 2026 theme "Right to Health – A Fundamental Right Still Denied".