Prelims Mantra (Practice Questions) (22 and 23/05/2026)

Answer: A

Explanation:

• • Statement 1 is correct: Cyprus commands one of the largest merchant shipping fleets in the world. Maritime security and infrastructure are pillars of their bilateral relationship, making it a critical focus area under India’s Sagarmala Project for port-led development.
  • Statement 2 is correct: Cyprus has historically and consistently backed India’s bid for a permanent seat in a reformed United Nations Security Council (UNSC). This support was firmly reiterated during the Cyprus President’s bilateral meetings in India.
  • Statement 3 is incorrect: India does not oppose Cyprus; instead, India has always maintained unwavering and steadfast support for the sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of the Republic of Cyprus. India vocally advocates for resolving the Cyprus dispute in accordance with UN resolutions, serving as a diplomatic counterweight to Turkey’s adversarial positions on Indian internal matters like Kashmir.

Answer: B

Explanation:

• • Statement 1 is incorrect: The Business Responsibility and Sustainability Reporting (BRSR) framework was developed and is strictly mandated and regulated by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) for listed companies, not exclusively by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA). While it aligns with the MCA’s National Guidelines for Responsible Business Conduct (NGRBC), the regulatory authority overseeing its compliance for the top 1,000 listed entities is SEBI.
  • Statement 2 is correct: Shifting small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to public equity platforms (like the BSE SME or NSE Emerge platforms) allows them to raise capital directly from the public. This equity financing significantly alters their capital structure, alleviating their traditional systemic dependence on high-cost banking sector credit lines and commercial loans.
  • Statement 3 is incorrect: The Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) is not an indigenous Indian framework. It is an international standard established in 2015 by the global Financial Stability Board (FSB) under the request of G20 finance ministers. It was not developed by the Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs (IICA).

Answer: B

Explanation:

• • Statement 1 is incorrect: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) does not upgrade a warning to a “Red Alert” based solely on maximum temperatures. While the base criteria for heatwaves use specific thresholds (e.g., 40°C for plains), color-coded impact warnings consider complex meteorological variables. A Red Alert indicates a severe heatwave lasting more than two consecutive days or a total duration exceeding six days, factoring in human vulnerability and thermal parameters.
  • Statement 2 is correct: Urban landscapes characterized by high concrete density, vast asphalt surfaces, and low vegetation cover experience the Urban Heat Island (UHI) These dense, structural building materials absorb immense solar radiation during the day and have high thermal mass. This traps the heat and slowly radiates it back out, which primarily delays nocturnal thermal cooling, keeping city nights significantly warmer than surrounding rural areas.
  • Statement 3 is incorrect: Even if relative humidity drops into the single digits, ambient temperatures exceeding 45°C still cause severe biological heat stress. While low humidity aids sweat evaporation, extreme ambient heat > 45°C exceeds normal human skin temperature (around 35°C), forcing the body to absorb net thermal energy from the surrounding air through convection and radiation, keeping physiological strain dangerously high.

Answer: B

Explanation:

• • Pair 1 is correctly matched: Sanghmitra is a state-of-the-art warship designed and built indigenously by Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE) in Kolkata, supporting India’s defense self-reliance goals.
  • Pair 2 is correctly matched: The vessel’s nomenclature is rooted in Indian history, named after Sanghmitra, the daughter of Emperor Ashoka.
  • Pair 3 is incorrectly matched: The primary role of an Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) is non-combat and low-intensity maritime operations. These include EEZ surveillance, anti-piracy, fishery protection, and asset protection. They do not possess the heavy hull design, sonar arrays, or supersonic missile systems required for supersonic deep-sea combat or advanced anti-submarine warfare (ASW).

Answer: A

Explanation:

• • Statement-I is correct: On 20 May 2026, the Director-General of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Dr. Qu Dongyu, officially presented the FAO Agricola Medal, the organization’s highest institutional accolade to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a high-level ceremony at the FAO Headquarters in Rome, Italy.
  • Statement-II is correct: The award was bestowed based on a comprehensive evaluation of India’s robust policy execution toward achieving global food security (UN SDG 2: Zero Hunger). The assessment explicitly recognized the scaling of the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY), which functions as the world’s largest food safety net by feeding 800 million citizens Insights IAS. It also highlighted India’s leadership in developing over 3,000 climate-resilient crop varieties and aggressively championing nutri-cereals (millets) globally through the International Year of Millets initiative.

Answer: C

Explanation:

• • Statement 1 is incorrect: The “Smart Border” concept does not advocate for replacing Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) like the BSF, SSB, or ITBP with autonomous robots. Instead, it acts as a force multiplier, integrating advanced technology to assist and optimize human patrolling, surveillance, and quick-reaction capabilities.
  • Statement 2 is correct: The framework relies heavily on the Comprehensive Integrated Border Management System (CIBMS). This system deploys a high-tech combination of virtual and physical barriers, including thermal imagers, infrared and laser fences, underground sensors, battlefield surveillance radars, and micro-aerostats to secure difficult terrains where physical fencing is impossible.
  • Statement 3 is incorrect: There is no such rigid mandate requiring all surveillance network data servers to be routed exclusively via India’s NavIC satellite system. While NavIC is increasingly integrated for localized positioning, timing, and tracking applications within defense frameworks, the broader CIBMS technical networks utilize multi-layered terrestrial fiber-optic lines, microwave links, and a variety of secure satellite communication (SATCOM) bands overseen by defense networks.