With reference to the India–New Zealand Free Trade Agreement, consider the following statements:
- It entered into force on 20 October 2026 and gives duty-free access to 100% of India's exports.
- India has opened its dairy sector fully to New Zealand under the agreement.
- New Zealand has committed USD 20 billion investment in India over 15 years.
- 1 only
- 1 and 2 only
- 1 and 3 only
- 1, 2 and 3
Answer: (C) 1 and 3 only
Explanation: Statements 1 and 3 are correct. Statement 2 is wrong: dairy (milk, cream, cheese etc.) is kept in India's exclusion list. The FTA was signed on 27 April 2026 in New Delhi.
Match India's trade agreement with the date it entered into force:
| List I | List II |
|---|
| A. India–Australia ECTA | 1. 15 July 2026 |
| B. India–EFTA TEPA | 2. 29 December 2022 |
| C. India–Oman CEPA | 3. 1 June 2026 |
| D. India–UK CETA | 4. 1 October 2025 |
- A-2, B-1, C-3, D-4
- A-2, B-4, C-3, D-1
- A-4, B-2, C-1, D-3
- A-2, B-4, C-1, D-3
Answer: (B) A-2, B-4, C-3, D-1
Explanation: Australia ECTA — 29 December 2022 (2); EFTA TEPA — 1 October 2025 (4); Oman CEPA — 1 June 2026 (3); UK CETA — 15 July 2026 (1). Hence A-2, B-4, C-3, D-1. The New Zealand FTA followed on 20 October 2026.
Which of the following were added to India's UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List in October 2026?
- Karst-mud-volcano Complex of Baratang
- Andaman Subduction Volcanoes (Barren and Narcondam Islands)
- Sirpur Cultural and Archaeological Landscape
- 1 only
- 1 and 2 only
- 1 and 3 only
- 1, 2 and 3
Answer: (D) 1, 2 and 3
Explanation: All three were added, taking India's Tentative List to 81. The first two are natural sites in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands; Sirpur is a cultural site in Mahasamund district, Chhattisgarh.
Which site became India's 45th UNESCO World Heritage Site in July 2026?
- Ancient Buddhist Site of Sarnath
- Maratha Military Landscapes
- Ramappa Temple
- Moidams of Charaideo
Answer: (A) Ancient Buddhist Site of Sarnath
Explanation: Sarnath (Uttar Pradesh) was inscribed on 25 July 2026 at the 48th World Heritage Committee session in Busan, South Korea. India now has 45 sites — 37 cultural, 7 natural, 1 mixed. Ramappa (2021) is Telangana's only World Heritage Site.
Consider the Assertion (A) and Reason (R):
Assertion (A): India announced at the 25th SCO Council of Heads of Government in Dushanbe that it will host the first SCO Civilisation Dialogue Forum by the end of 2026.
Reason (R): The Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) of the SCO is located in Tashkent.
- Both A and R are true, and R explains A
- Both A and R are true, but R does not explain A
- A is true, R is false
- A is false, R is true
Answer: (B) Both A and R are true, but R does not explain A
Explanation: Both statements are true, but the location of RATS has nothing to do with India hosting a cultural dialogue forum. So R does not explain A.
'Swavlamban 2026', to be held on 26–27 October 2026 at the Manekshaw Centre, New Delhi, is a seminar of which force?
- Indian Army — artillery modernisation
- Indian Air Force — drone warfare
- Indian Navy — innovation and indigenisation
- Indian Coast Guard — search and rescue
Answer: (C) Indian Navy — innovation and indigenisation
Explanation: Swavlamban is the Indian Navy's flagship Naval Innovation and Indigenisation Seminar; 2026 is its 5th edition. The first edition (July 2022) launched the SPRINT challenges for 75 indigenous technologies.
Consider the following statements about highway tolling in India:
- India's first Multi-Lane Free Flow (MLFF) barrier-less tolling began at the Choryasi fee plaza on NH-48 in Gujarat.
- MLFF uses only GPS satellite tracking and does not read FASTag.
- The Rajmargyatra app was launched by the Ministry of Railways.
- 1 only
- 1 and 2 only
- 1 and 3 only
- 1, 2 and 3
Answer: (A) 1 only
Explanation: Only statement 1 is correct (MLFF launched on 1 May 2026, Surat–Bharuch stretch). MLFF reads the FASTag with RFID readers and the number plate with ANPR cameras. Rajmargyatra is NHAI's app (launched 2023); it added toll plaza feedback on 19 October 2026.
Consider the Assertion (A) and Reason (R):
Assertion (A): Green crackers developed by CSIR-NEERI do not use barium nitrate.
Reason (R): The National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) was launched in 2015 and covers only the six metro cities.
- Both A and R are true, and R explains A
- Both A and R are true, but R does not explain A
- A is true, R is false
- A is false, R is true
Answer: (C) A is true, R is false
Explanation: A is true. R is false: NCAP was launched by MoEFCC in January 2019 and covers 130 cities — the focus cities of WWF-India's Green Diwali Campaign (20 October – 8 November 2026).
Match the country with the correct grouping:
| List I | List II |
|---|
| A. Liechtenstein | 1. Nordic country, also a Baltic coastal State, not in EFTA |
| B. Lithuania | 2. Both a Nordic country and an EFTA member |
| C. Norway | 3. EFTA member, not a Nordic country |
| D. Finland | 4. Baltic coastal State, neither Nordic nor EFTA |
- A-4, B-3, C-2, D-1
- A-3, B-4, C-1, D-2
- A-2, B-4, C-3, D-1
- A-3, B-4, C-2, D-1
Answer: (D) A-3, B-4, C-2, D-1
Explanation: Liechtenstein — EFTA only (3); Lithuania — Baltic coastal State (4); Norway — Nordic and EFTA (2); Finland — Nordic and on the Baltic, but an EU member, not EFTA (1). Hence A-3, B-4, C-2, D-1.
A missile is called 'hypersonic' when its speed is at least:
- Mach 1
- Mach 5
- Mach 3
- Mach 10
Answer: (B) Mach 5
Explanation: Hypersonic means Mach 5 or more; Mach 1 to 5 is supersonic. Pakistan tested an extended-range Fatah-II — a guided surface-to-surface missile of the ballistic class, not a cruise missile — on 13 October 2026.