1. The drafting of a fresh national policy on senior citizens is being handled by which Union ministry?
Answer: D. Social Justice and Empowerment is preparing the new policy, which responds to a changing age profile and the concerns of the elderly.
2. What kind of help does the IPSrC mainly extend?
Answer: E. Under IPSrC, grant-in-aid goes to NGOs that operate homes offering older people shelter, meals, medical care and recreation.
3. Mount Etna belongs to which category of volcano?
Answer: C. Etna is a textbook stratovolcano, like Mount Fuji: a tall, steep cone that often erupts explosively.
4. The upcoming national Census is slated to be carried out in two phases starting on which dates?
Answer: B. After being delayed from 2021, the Census will now run in two stages, with the first beginning 1 October 2026 and the second on 1 March 2027.
5. India's first digital Census of 2026-27 will gather which kind of information that has not been collected since 1931?
Answer: A. For the first time in almost a century, this Census will record detailed caste data going beyond the broad SC/ST categories.
6. The country's first variable-speed pumped-storage plant is found at which place?
Answer: A. THDC commissioned the 250 MW variable-speed unit at its Tehri pumped-storage project in Uttarakhand, a first for India.
7. Compared with conventional pumped-storage plants, what is a main strength of variable-speed ones?
Answer: C. Precise control of the pump-turbine lets these plants adjust fast to swings in grid load and in renewable output.
8. Plastic pollution in the oceans bears most directly on which Sustainable Development Goal?
Answer: B. Marine plastic reflects the waste generated by consumption and production, which is why it works against SDG 12 and drives calls for less use and more recycling.
9. Stampedes in crowds most often arise from what underlying cause?
Answer: D. Most stampedes are crowd-crush events in which movement is blocked and people get trapped, rather than the result of anyone deliberately shoving.
10. Ahead of the July 2025 IIAS election, which country pulled out of the race for the presidency to back India?
Answer: E. South Africa stepped aside in India's favour before the vote, and India went on to defeat Austria in the election.
11. Which year did the Supreme Court mandate Permanent Commission for women across all eligible arms of the Army?
Answer: D. The Supreme Court ordered Permanent Commission for women in all eligible arms in 2020; 2008 saw it only in limited branches.
12. How many acceptances does the WTO Fisheries Subsidies Agreement need to enter into force?
Answer: B. The notes say 111 acceptances are required; Nicaragua's made 101.
13. As cited in UNESCO's GEM Report 2024-25, what share of Class 3 students can read a Class 2-level text per ASER 2023?
Answer: B. ASER 2023 found only 43% of Class 3 students could do so.
14. Which ministry is preparing the new National Policy for Senior Citizens?
Answer: B. The notes name the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
15. Under which law is the Census conducted in India, as per the notes on the 2027 Census?
Answer: A. The Census is a mandatory exercise under the Census Act, 1948.