1. In August 2025, Washington justified a 25% levy on Indian imports mainly by pointing to what?
Answer: C. The levy was tied to the proposed Russia Sanctions Act 2025, which targets India's ongoing energy and defence trade with Russia, and it also pushed India to ease barriers facing American goods.
2. To press its rights under the Indus Waters Treaty against Pakistan, India brought back which hydropower project?
Answer: A. Sawalkote is a 1,856 MW scheme in Jammu & Kashmir first conceived in the 1980s. India revived it as a strategic step to make use of its entitlement on the western rivers.
3. The NISAR satellite, built by NASA and ISRO, is notable mainly for carrying what?
Answer: E. NISAR combines an L-band radar from NASA with an S-band radar from ISRO, letting it track changes on the Earth's surface for climate and disaster-management purposes.
4. Which change did the Banking Laws (Amendment) Act, 2025 bring for directors of cooperative banks?
Answer: B. The law raised the maximum term of cooperative bank directors to 10 years, bringing governance in line with the 97th Constitutional Amendment. Chairpersons are not covered by this extension.
5. What led Indian Overseas Bank to go back to its earlier internet banking portal in July 2025?
Answer: D. Users of the new platform met login failures and patchy service, so the bank rolled back to the old portal to keep customer service running without interruption.
6. Which feature marks the revised Enhanced Surveillance Mechanism (ESM) that SEBI framed for small-cap stocks?
Answer: E. Under the revised framework, firms showing positive short-term price momentum along with very high or negative price-to-earnings ratios are picked for tighter trading curbs.
7. Tenant farmers can now claim PMFBY crop insurance and MSP benefits on what basis?
Answer: B. The Union Agriculture Minister said tenants may access the PMFBY and MSP schemes when the landowner authorises it and the state government permits it.
8. Drone-based sowing in the waterlogged Pokkali paddy fields of Kerala is mainly useful because it does what?
Answer: D. Drones scattered pre-germinated seeds evenly across Pokkali fields, which cut the time needed and helped crops establish better, lifting yields.
9. AI-driven climate advisories for smallholder farmers in India were rolled out by which body?
Answer: A. ICRISAT started an AI-powered agromet advisory service under Monsoon Mission III, which reaches farmers through local-language WhatsApp bots to support climate-resilient farming.
10. What is SusMafia's 'Climate-Tech Opportunity Map' meant to do?
Answer: C. The map lists 25 high-impact problems in areas such as energy, water and agriculture, to guide climate-tech innovation and startup growth in India.
11. Who is the Patron-in-Chief of NALSA, the body discussed in the India Justice Report 2025?
Answer: B. The Chief Justice of India is NALSA's Patron-in-Chief.
12. Which shipyard built the Project-17A frigate Himgiri?
Answer: B. Himgiri was made by GRSE, Kolkata; Udaygiri came from MDL.
13. Under which scheme was Gujarat described as a front-runner in mangrove restoration, with over 19,000 ha restored?
Answer: A. Gujarat restored over 19,000 ha in two years as MISHTI front-runner.
14. Which safety rating does Kavach 4.0 carry, as noted in the notes on the indigenous train protection system?
Answer: C. Kavach 4.0 is designed to Safety Integrity Level 4, the highest global rating.
15. Which bank began charging payment aggregators for UPI processing from 1 August 2025?
Answer: B. ICICI Bank started the charge on 1 August 2025.