1. Why is the Ganges River Dolphin regarded as an 'indicator species'?
Answer: D. A flourishing dolphin population signals clean water and a balanced river ecosystem.
2. Which ecological danger mainly arises when dams fragment a river?
Answer: B. Fragmented habitats isolate dolphin groups, leading to inbreeding and lower genetic diversity, which leaves the species more vulnerable.
3. In which year did Arunachal Pradesh get full statehood?
Answer: A. The region became a Union Territory in 1972 and was elevated to a full state in 1987.
4. At which event was the McMahon Line put forward?
Answer: E. British India and Tibet took part in that 1914 meeting, and the line became the basis for India's eastern boundary.
5. Which statement best defines 'Lawfare' in geopolitics?
Answer: C. It is the strategic use of legal systems, names and maps to strengthen claims, as China's renaming approach shows.
6. In UPI, what is a Virtual Payment Address (VPA) mainly used for?
Answer: C. With a VPA, people can pay and receive money without exposing details like the account number or IFSC code.
7. Who developed the Unified Payments Interface (UPI)?
Answer: A. The National Payments Corporation of India built UPI, while RBI plays the role of regulator.
8. What reason led RBI to turn down universal bank licence applications from Ujjivan and Jana SFBs?
Answer: E. The regulator wanted varied loan books, and heavy reliance on microfinance made the two banks unfit for universal status.
9. What is the chief shortcoming of using granular urea in India?
Answer: B. Plants use only 35 to 40 percent of its nitrogen, and the remainder is lost through leaching and volatilisation, which pollutes.
10. Why do fertilizer reforms favour Triple Super Phosphate (TSP) over DAP?
Answer: D. Unlike DAP, TSP has no nitrogen, which helps fix the nutrient imbalance and trims excess nitrogen use.
11. Operation Meghdoot saw Indian troops secure positions at which pass on the Siachen Glacier?
Answer: B. Troops secured strategic positions at Bilafond La during Operation Meghdoot.
12. The Jallianwala Bagh crowd had gathered during which festival, amid protests against the Rowlatt Act?
Answer: C. The gathering took place on Baisakhi, 13 April 1919, in protest against the Rowlatt Act.
13. The F404-IN20 engine under the new depot arrangement powers which Indian aircraft?
Answer: B. These engines power the indigenous Light Combat Aircraft, the LCA Tejas.
14. Gigin Technologies expects how many verified job opportunities annually under its MoU?
Answer: A. Gigin is expected to enable 2-3 lakh verified opportunities every year.
15. Which observance number was World Chagas Disease Day in 2026?
Answer: D. First observed in 2020, 2026 was the 7th.