Daily UPSC Prelims Test

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Q1. With reference to India's monsoon rainfall situation in July 2026, consider the following statements: 1. As per the IMD, when the monsoon trough is positioned south of its normal location, it favours rainfall over central India at the expense of northeast India. 2. India's national July rainfall deficit was eliminated after heavy rainfall in Gujarat, driven by the interaction of a Bay of Bengal low-pressure system with a western disturbance. 3. As of July 24, cumulative monsoon rainfall since June 1 stood above the Long Period Average on a nationwide basis. 4. East and northeast India recorded the highest percentage seasonal rainfall deficit among all regions during this monsoon season. How many of the above statements are correct?

A. Only one B. Only two C. Only three D. All four

Marks: 2.00 · Negative: 0.67 Source article →

easy

Q2. Which of the following statements best describes the Supreme Court's interim order of July 2026 on livestreamed court proceedings?

A. It banned livestreaming of all Supreme Court proceedings with immediate effect B. It restricted unauthorised extraction, editing and monetisation of livestreamed proceedings while explicitly exempting bona fide news reporting C. It restricted only the monetisation of court proceedings but permitted unrestricted editing and reposting D. It barred livestreaming of proceedings unless a fresh constitutional amendment was passed

Marks: 2.00 · Negative: 0.67 Source article →

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Q3. With reference to the recent developments concerning India's public examination system, consider the following statements: 1. The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024 came into force only after the Cabinet's 2026 amendment; prior to this, paper leaks carried no statutory criminal penalty. 2. The 2026 Cabinet-approved amendments provide statutory backing for fast-track courts and a five-month timeline for investigation and trial. 3. The National Testing Agency's ongoing structural overhaul follows recommendations of a committee headed by a former ISRO chairman. 4. Personnel for the National Testing Agency's overhaul are being recruited partly through the UPSC's Pratibha Setu portal. How many of the above statements are correct?

A. Only one B. Only two C. Only three D. All four

Marks: 2.00 · Negative: 0.67 Source article →

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Q4. Consider the following pairs: Item (Provision/Precedent) - Correct Association 1. Article 142 - Power to pass orders necessary for "complete justice" in a cause or matter pending before the Supreme Court 2. Zahira Habibullah Sheikh v. State of Gujarat (2004) - Established that transferring trials and mandating day-to-day hearings is a legitimate remedy when local conditions threaten a fair trial 3. Manipur special courts proposal - To be constituted with the concurrence of the State of Manipur and the High Courts of Manipur and Gauhati 4. Article 21 - Directly empowers the Supreme Court to constitute special courts in any state without concurrence of the state government How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?

A. Only one pair B. Only two pairs C. Only three pairs D. All four pairs

Marks: 2.00 · Negative: 0.67 Source article →

easy

Q5. With reference to the Indus Waters Treaty, 1960 and recent developments, which one of the following statements is correct?

A. The Chenab is one of the three Eastern Rivers allocated to India under the treaty B. India has placed the treaty's formal mechanisms, including Permanent Indus Commission meetings, in abeyance since the Pahalgam terror attack, while continuing to share flood data with Pakistan on humanitarian grounds C. India has completely terminated the Indus Waters Treaty and ceased all data sharing with Pakistan D. Pakistan's own Flood Forecasting Division attributed the Chenab's high water levels to deliberate release of water by India

Marks: 2.00 · Negative: 0.67 Source article →

easy

Q6. With reference to the Ken-Betwa Link Project, which one of the following statements is correct?

A. It is India's first river interlinking project to reach implementation under the National Perspective Plan B. The project's submergence zone does not overlap with any protected wildlife habitat C. Rehabilitation of displaced families under this project is governed by the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885 D. The hunger strike over rehabilitation irregularities ended after the government agreed to immediately disburse full compensation to all excluded families

Marks: 2.00 · Negative: 0.67 Source article →

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Q7. With reference to the Sundarbans mangrove ecosystem, consider the following statements: 1. West Bengal holds the largest share of India's total mangrove cover. 2. Bheries are shallow, embanked ponds used for brackish-water aquaculture, typically found in West Bengal's deltaic regions. 3. The MISHTI scheme is a central government scheme that funds mangrove restoration along India's coastline. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

A. 1 only B. 2 and 3 only C. 1, 2 and 3 D. 1 and 3 only

Marks: 2.00 · Negative: 0.67 Source article →

easy

Q8. With reference to Qdenga, India's first dengue vaccine, consider the following statements: 1. It is a tetravalent vaccine that, unlike its predecessor Dengvaxia, can be given without screening for prior dengue infection. 2. It requires a single dose for full protection against all four dengue serotypes. 3. Its protection is strongest against DENV-2 and weaker and more uncertain against DENV-3. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

A. 1 and 3 only B. 2 only C. 1 and 2 only D. 1, 2 and 3

Marks: 2.00 · Negative: 0.67 Source article →

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Q9. With reference to the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991 and the Adina Masjid dispute, consider the following statements: 1. Section 4 of the 1991 Act exempts monuments already protected under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958 from the Act's freeze on religious character. 2. The Adina Masjid was declared a Centrally Protected Monument only after the current religious dispute began in 2026. 3. Unlike at Gyanvapi and Bhojshala, where ASI surveys were authorised only after prolonged litigation, the restriction on religious activity at Adina Masjid has so far been enforced entirely through administrative refusal rather than a court order. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

A. 1 and 2 only B. 2 and 3 only C. 1 and 3 only D. 1, 2 and 3

Marks: 2.00 · Negative: 0.67 Source article →

hard

Q10. Consider the following Assertion (A) and Reason (R): Assertion (A): Prior to the Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, 2026, insulting the National Song 'Vande Mataram' carried no criminal liability under the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971, despite the 1950 declaration of its equal status with the National Anthem. Reason (R): The Fundamental Duty under Article 51A(a), inserted in 1976, also names only the Constitution, the National Flag and the National Anthem and does not mention the National Song.

A. Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A B. Both A and R are true but R is NOT the correct explanation of A C. A is true but R is false D. A is false but R is true

Marks: 2.00 · Negative: 0.67 Source article →

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Q11. With reference to recent state-level Uniform Civil Code (UCC) initiatives, consider the following statements: 1. Article 44 directs the state to secure a Uniform Civil Code for citizens "throughout the territory of India," implying a single central law rather than separate state-level codes. 2. Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai has headed the UCC drafting committees for Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, producing legally identical codes in each state. 3. Madhya Pradesh's UCC Bill, passed before Chhattisgarh's committee held its first meeting, included an exemption for Scheduled Tribes. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

A. 1 and 3 only B. 2 and 3 only C. 1 only D. 1, 2 and 3

Marks: 2.00 · Negative: 0.67 Source article →

hard

Q12. With reference to the Delhi High Court's ruling in ANI Media Pvt Ltd vs OpenAI (2026), consider the following statements: 1. The Court held that training an AI model on copyrighted content falls under the "fair dealing" exception for research under Section 52(1)(a) of the Copyright Act, 1957. 2. The Court's order is a final judgment, conclusively disposing of ANI's copyright infringement claim against OpenAI. 3. The Court found that ChatGPT's outputs were not "substantially similar" to ANI's original articles. 4. The ruling drew upon similar 2025 United States court rulings involving Anthropic and Meta. How many of the above statements are correct?

A. Only one B. Only two C. Only three D. All four

Marks: 2.00 · Negative: 0.67 Source article →

hard

Q13. Consider the following pairs: Country/Entity - Tariff Tier or Action under the 2026 US Section 301 Regime 1. India - Placed in the lower 10 percent tariff tier after a DGFT notification banning forced-labour imports 2. China and Vietnam - Placed in the higher 12.5 percent tariff tier as non-compliant economies 3. DGFT - Inserted a new paragraph into the Foreign Trade Policy banning forced-labour imports through a multilateral WTO ruling 4. US Trade Representative - Determines Section 301 tariff tiers through a unilateral investigation process outside the WTO dispute settlement system How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?

A. Only one pair B. Only two pairs C. Only three pairs D. All four pairs

Marks: 2.00 · Negative: 0.67 Source article →

hard

Q14. With reference to Telangana's agricultural situation during the Vanakalam 2026 season, which one of the following statements is NOT correctly described?

A. The state's El Niño contingency plan advised a shift toward drought-resistant millets and pulses given the confirmed rainfall deficit B. Despite the advisory, both paddy and cotton acreage increased compared to the same period last year, driven largely by assured MSP procurement for paddy C. The Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme's barrages were functioning at full operational capacity throughout the rainfall deficit period, providing farmers an alternative irrigation buffer D. The state's 27-member expert committee recommended measures including subsidised seeds and a loan moratorium for affected farmers

Marks: 2.00 · Negative: 0.67 Source article →

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Q15. With reference to the Telecommunications (Authorisation for Telecommunication Network) Rules, 2026, consider the following statements: 1. The rules were notified under the Telecommunications Act, 2023, which replaced the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885. 2. The data localisation mandate applies exclusively to physical mobile tower infrastructure and does not extend to cloud-hosted telecom networks. 3. The Act's shift from a licensing regime to an "authorisation" framework was intended to ease entry into the telecom infrastructure sector. 4. The rules permit telecom infrastructure providers to store backup copies of network data on servers located outside India, provided the primary copy remains in India. How many of the above statements are correct?

A. Only one B. Only two C. Only three D. All four

Marks: 2.00 · Negative: 0.67 Source article →

hard

Q16. Consider the following Assertion (A) and Reason (R): Assertion (A): The Delhi High Court questioned the Election Commission's characterisation of teacher deployment as Booth Level Officers as "voluntary." Reason (R): Under Section 27 of the Right to Education Act, 2009, teachers cannot be deployed for any non-educational work, including election duty, without an explicit exemption.

A. Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A B. Both A and R are true but R is NOT the correct explanation of A C. A is true but R is false D. A is false but R is true

Marks: 2.00 · Negative: 0.67 Source article →

hard

Q17. Consider the following pairs: Item - Correct Description 1. PESA Act, 1996 - Requires Gram Sabha consultation and a No Objection Certificate before land acquisition in Fifth Schedule Scheduled Areas 2. Niyamgiri judgment (2013) - Orissa Mining Corporation Ltd. v. Ministry of Environment & Forests, upholding the Gram Sabha's authority to decide on mining clearances affecting tribal rights 3. South Eastern Coalfields Limited (SECL) - A private multinational mining corporation unaffiliated with any central public sector undertaking 4. Surajpur clash - Arose from villagers' resistance to a survey team accompanying a police operation, in a village that had not issued an NOC for the proposed coal project How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?

A. Only one pair B. Only two pairs C. Only three pairs D. All four pairs

Marks: 2.00 · Negative: 0.67 Source article →

Q2. Which of the following statements best describes the Supreme Court's interim order of July 2026 on livestreamed court proceedings?

Q5. With reference to the Indus Waters Treaty, 1960 and recent developments, which one of the following statements is correct?

Q6. With reference to the Ken-Betwa Link Project, which one of the following statements is correct?

Q14. With reference to Telangana's agricultural situation during the Vanakalam 2026 season, which one of the following statements is NOT correctly described?

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