1. What made the May 2024 solar storm (Gannon's storm) so unusually strong, according to Aditya-L1 observations?
Answer: E. When two CMEs collided on their way to Earth, a rare reconnection inside them amplified the storm, as Aditya-L1 and other satellites confirmed.
2. India and France held a trilateral air combat exercise over the Arabian Sea in December 2025 with which third country?
Answer: B. The Indian Air Force, French Air and Space Force and the UAE Air Force took part, deepening three-way defence cooperation.
3. SURYAKIRAN-XIX, the India–Nepal army exercise, mainly concentrated on:
Answer: C. Joint counter-terrorism drills and modern military technology were emphasised, in line with Chapter VII of the UN Charter.
4. Under the RBI's final guidelines on bank groups, how are overlapping lending activities between a bank and group entities treated?
Answer: A. Softening its draft, the RBI permits overlapping business provided there is board-level oversight and prudential safeguards.
5. At least what percentage of its gross income must come from financial assets for an entity to be classed as an NBFC?
Answer: D. The RBI requires both the financial assets and the income from them to be above 50% for NBFC classification.
6. Airpay obtained RBI approval as a cross-border payment aggregator under which framework?
Answer: A. Airpay finished every approval needed under the RBI's unified Payment Aggregator framework, which lets it handle international transactions.
7. The IMF recognises UPI as the world's largest real-time payment system on what basis?
Answer: C. The IMF noted that, counted by number of transactions, UPI is the biggest real-time retail payment system worldwide.
8. Why is Senna spectabilis regarded as ecologically damaging?
Answer: B. This invasive tree grows thick canopies that cut biodiversity and block forests from regenerating.
9. The India–Brazil MoU on dairy genomics mainly focuses on improving which animals?
Answer: D. The partnership addresses cattle and buffalo genomics, aiming at better milk yield, reproduction and climate resilience.
10. A key criticism of the Draft Seeds Bill 2025 is that it:
Answer: E. Experts say licensing concentrated at the Centre erodes state authority and overlooks local agro-climatic conditions.
11. By what percentage was UNEP's regular budget cut, as reported at UNEA-7?
Answer: A. UNEP's regular budget fell 20%; the separate Environment Fund contributions dropped 11-12%.
12. Amazon's total investment in India since 2010, mentioned in the December 2025 announcement, was about:
Answer: E. Amazon had invested USD 40 billion since 2010; the new USD 35 billion pledge runs to 2030.
13. Why is Lagrange Point 1 useful for the Aditya-L1 mission?
Answer: B. At L1 the craft is never blocked by Earth or Moon, so viewing is continuous.
14. Which three countries took part in the trilateral air combat exercise over the Arabian Sea in December 2025?
Answer: B. The IAF, French Air and Space Force and UAE Air Force took part.
15. Where was the 19th edition of the India-Nepal exercise SURYAKIRAN held?
Answer: A. SURYAKIRAN-XIX concluded at Pithoragarh in Uttarakhand.