Current Affairs — UPSC Prelims practice questions

Question 1

Consider the following statements about the 'Indian Ocean Commission (IOC)':
1. India became an observer of the IOC in 2020.
2. The IOC is a grouping of island nations in the southwestern Indian Ocean.
3. Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, Reunion (France) and Seychelles are members of the IOC.
Which of the statements given above are correct? (A) 1 and 2 only (B) 2 and 3 only (C) 1 and 3 only (D) 1, 2 and 3

Accepted Answer

(D) 1, 2 and 3 — Correct. India became an IOC observer in 2020, the IOC groups southwestern Indian Ocean island states, and its five members are Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, Reunion (France) and Seychelles.

Question 2

Consider the following pairs:
Place recently in news — Country
1. Bakhmut — Ukraine
2. Kandahar — Iraq
3. Port Sudan — Sudan
Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched? (A) 1 and 3 only (B) 1 and 2 only (C) 2 and 3 only (D) 1, 2 and 3

Accepted Answer

(A) 1 and 3 only — Correct. Bakhmut is in Ukraine's Donetsk Oblast and Port Sudan is Sudan's main seaport. Kandahar is in Afghanistan, not Iraq.

Question 3

The 'Nile River' has been in the news due to disputes over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). Which of the following statements is correct? (A) The GERD is built on the White Nile (B) The GERD is built on the Blue Nile (C) The GERD is a joint project of Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia (D) The GERD is built on the main Nile downstream of Khartoum

Accepted Answer

(B) The GERD is built on the Blue Nile — Correct. The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam is built on the Blue Nile in the Benishangul-Gumuz region of Ethiopia, near the Sudanese border.

Question 4

Consider the following statements about the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI):
1. It derives its powers from the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, 1946.
2. It requires the consent of the State Government to investigate a case within that State.
3. It is a constitutional body established under Article 252.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct? (A) 1 and 2 only (B) 1 only (C) 2 and 3 only (D) 1, 2 and 3

Accepted Answer

(A) 1 and 2 only — Correct. The CBI derives authority from the DSPE Act, 1946 and generally needs state consent to investigate within a state (general consent or specific consent). It is not a constitutional body.

Question 5

Consider the following pairs of recently GI-tagged food products:

Product — Region
1. Marayoor Jaggery — Kerala
2. Shahi Litchi — Bihar
3. Banaras Paan — Uttar Pradesh

Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched? (A) 1 and 2 only (B) 2 and 3 only (C) 1 only (D) 1, 2 and 3

Accepted Answer

(D) 1, 2 and 3 — Correct. Marayoor Jaggery is from Kerala, Shahi Litchi is from Bihar (Muzaffarpur), and Banaras Paan holds a GI tag from Uttar Pradesh.

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