1. In coal-fired power stations, what is a Flue Gas Desulphurisation (FGD) unit mainly used for?
Answer: E. FGD units strip out SO₂, a pollutant behind acid rain and breathing problems, making them central to controlling thermal plant emissions.
2. To which subfamily does the newly found spider species Spartaeus karigiri belong?
Answer: D. This jumping spider was found in Karnataka and sits in Spartaeinae, which extends that group's known range into India.
3. In July 2024, which country became the tenth member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO)?
Answer: B. Belarus gained full membership of the Eurasian political and security bloc in July 2024, joining nine existing members.
4. Which area is the focus of the NAKSHA programme run under the Ministry of Rural Development?
Answer: E. NAKSHA updates urban land records with GNSS, ETS and GIS tools to improve parcel mapping and digital record keeping in urban habitations.
5. Regarding tax refunds, what inconsistency is found in the draft Income Tax Bill 2025?
Answer: A. Sections 433 and 263 of the draft clash, since one lets late filers claim refunds while the other limits them to returns filed on time.
6. Which of these is NOT a feature of SEBI's new ESG bond framework?
Answer: C. The framework adds to disclosure obligations rather than waiving them, so issuers must explain impact, use of funds and possible harms, which discourages purpose-washing.
7. The Central Government holds what percentage of ownership in Regional Rural Banks (RRBs)?
Answer: B. RRB ownership is divided between the Centre at 50%, state governments at 15% and sponsor banks at 35%, which shares governance.
8. The NPCI-IDRBT tie-up announced in June 2025 is aimed mainly at what?
Answer: A. Their MoU covers capacity building, threat intelligence through the Sachet platform, and secure digital infrastructure.
9. CreditAccess Grameen Ltd raised which kind of loan facility in 2025?
Answer: D. CA Grameen mobilised a $100 million multi-currency syndicated social loan, which counts as External Commercial Borrowing under the RBI's automatic route.
10. As per ancient Indian farming practice, which Nakshatra is regarded as the most favourable for sowing?
Answer: C. Vedic tradition holds that Rohini, ruled by the Moon and tied to fertility and abundance, is the best time to plant crops.
11. Cumulative CO2 emissions linked to India's tree cover loss from 2001 to 2024 were about:
Answer: C. The loss over 2001-2024 is tied to about 1.29 gigatonnes of CO2; 68 million tonnes relates to 2024 alone.
12. The Eurasian otter is called a keystone and indicator species mainly because its presence signals which condition?
Answer: A. Its presence is seen as an indicator of clean water and healthy aquatic biodiversity in river ecosystems.
13. Which pollutant do Flue Gas Desulphurisation units remove from coal plant emissions?
Answer: C. FGD units are designed to remove SO2 from flue gas.
14. The new jumping spider Spartaeus karigiri was discovered near which place in Karnataka?
Answer: B. It was found near Karigiri (Elephant Hill) at Devarayanadurga.
15. Where is the headquarters of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation located?
Answer: C. The SCO is headquartered in Beijing; RATS is in Tashkent.