1. What message did China's foreign minister Wang Yi give about ties with India?
Answer: C. Wang Yi called for cooperation and described the relationship through the image of an elephant (India) and a dragon (China) dancing a ballet. He urged peaceful coexistence.
2. What reason lay behind Iran's refusal to hold nuclear talks with the US?
Answer: A. Iran will not negotiate under American pressure, pointing to the collapse of the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action after Washington withdrew. Tensions rose as a result.
3. What is the chief aim of the proposed US-India Free Trade Agreement (FTA)?
Answer: D. The proposed pact would deepen trade cooperation by trimming tariff and non-tariff barriers and widening market access, strengthening economic links between the two countries.
4. To tackle duplicate voter ID cards, the Election Commission has begun:
Answer: B. The Commission admitted that duplicate voter IDs exist. It is fixing this by issuing distinct EPIC (Electors Photo Identity Card) numbers, which should prevent mistakes and fraud.
5. Why does the deciphering of the Indus Valley script matter?
Answer: E. Cryptographer Yajnadevam's results cast doubt on the Aryan Migration Theory. They tie the script to Sanskrit and Brahmi, pointing to a continuous linguistic tradition.
6. Which major defence agreement did India conclude with Russia?
Answer: C. India agreed a $248M contract with Russia to fit its T-72 tanks with 1,000 HP engines. The upgrade should improve how the tanks perform in battle.
7. What is the reason behind the new SEBI chief's emphasis on "optimum regulation"?
Answer: C. SEBI's new head, Tuhin Kanta Pandey, wants to strike a balance by removing needless rules while keeping the market transparent and efficient.
8. What motivates India's growing gold reserves?
Answer: A. India has been adding gold to reinforce financial stability, support independence in trade and cushion itself against global economic shocks.
9. What does the recent trend in RBI's VRR auctions suggest?
Answer: E. Weaker demand at the RBI's repo auctions means banks have more liquidity. That lets the RBI follow a more balanced policy and could lead to lower interest rates.
10. How does the government's subsidised loan scheme help sugar mills?
Answer: B. Cooperative sugar mills get a 50% interest subvention, enabling them to make ethanol from sources other than cane. This supports biofuel goals and cuts energy dependence.
11. International Women's Day is observed on which date each year?
Answer: B. International Women's Day falls on 8 March every year.
12. G-SAFAL is aimed at SHG women of Antyodaya families in how many aspirational districts and blocks?
Answer: B. It covers two aspirational districts and 13 aspirational blocks of Gujarat.
13. Which of these players was NOT an Indian World Junior Chess champion before Pranav Venkatesh?
Answer: D. Anand, Harikrishna and Gupta were earlier Indian winners; Praggnanandhaa is not listed among them.
14. Which pilgrimage did India and China agree to restart in summer under the thaw in ties?
Answer: B. The Mansarovar Yatra was set to resume, along with flights and visas.
15. Whom did U.S. President Trump write to, urging negotiations on preventing nuclear weapon development?
Answer: B. Trump's letter went to Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.