1. What shift in India–EU relations does the Security and Defence Partnership (SDP) mainly represent?
Answer: D. At the 16th India–EU Summit, security, defence and global strategic concerns were added alongside the long-standing focus on trade.
2. India–EU FTA talks began in 2007 but were put on hold in 2013. What was the main reason?
Answer: B. Differing ambitions and expectations stalled the negotiations in 2013, and they were revived in June 2022.
3. Which institution has funded metro rail and sustainable transport projects in India under India–EU cooperation?
Answer: D. The EIB has backed India by financing urban rail, metro and sustainable transport schemes.
4. What does an Advance–Decline Ratio (ADR) below 1 signal?
Answer: A. A reading under 1 means more stocks are falling than rising, a sign of thin and narrow participation in the market.
5. In its analysis of State Finances, RBI identifies which structural factor as a long-run fiscal risk for Indian States?
Answer: E. An older population pushes up pension and healthcare spending while slowing revenue growth, which RBI sees as a structural challenge.
6. Why does UBS continue to hold an underweight view on Indian equities?
Answer: B. UBS observes that India has few listed firms that directly gain from investment cycles in AI, cloud and semiconductors.
7. Why is the renewed ESMA–RBI information-sharing agreement important?
Answer: C. The pact resolves a regulatory deadlock so Indian CCPs can win back ESMA recognition, which makes access easier for EU banks.
8. What is the main criticism made in the article 'Niyat vs Niti in Farm Policy'?
Answer: E. The writer says political will exists, but the country has no structured, transparent and long-term framework for agriculture.
9. Which Indian sector is explicitly shielded from import concessions in the India–EU FTA?
Answer: B. Sensitive areas such as dairy, cereals and poultry are protected to safeguard food security and the livelihoods of farmers.
10. In the India–EU FTA, what do Tariff Rate Quotas (TRQs) mean?
Answer: C. A limited volume of imports gets the concessional duty, and anything above the quota is charged more, balancing trade opening with domestic protection.
11. Where is the headquarters (Secretariat) of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation located?
Answer: D. The SCO Secretariat is in Beijing.
12. NITI Aayog's report on ELVs says India's end-of-life vehicles may reach about how many by 2030?
Answer: C. The ELV stock may rise from 23 million in 2025 to nearly 50 million.
13. By about what percentage had urban tap water coverage in India reached in 2025-26?
Answer: C. Coverage rose from 49% in 2011 to about 77%.
14. Which pact was India and the EU expected to sign at the 16th India-EU Summit?
Answer: A. The summit was to sign the India-EU SDP.
15. PANCHAM, launched by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, was developed in collaboration with which agency?
Answer: A. MoPR developed the chatbot with UNICEF.