UPSC Prelims Practice
Current Affairs Quiz 22 April 2026
Test Your Knowledge
10 questions based on today’s current affairs & editorials
Choose number of questions
Question 1 of 10
The first Earth Day was observed on April 22, 1970 in the United States. It was founded by Senator Gaylord Nelson and coordinated by Denis Hayes, triggered partly by the 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill and Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring (1962). Earth Day went global in 1990.
The 2026 theme is ‘Our Power, Our Planet.’
Concept note
Earth Day 1970 led directly to the creation of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). India ratified the Paris Agreement on October 2, 2016 (Gandhi Jayanti).
Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring (1962) catalysed modern environmentalism, Earth Day came 8 years later.
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Question 2 of 10
1. 500 GW non-fossil electricity capacity by 2030.
2. 45% reduction in emissions intensity from 2005 levels by 2030.
3. Net Zero emissions by 2050.
Select the correct answer:
Statements 1 and 2 are correct. India’s Updated NDC (2022) targets 500 GW non-fossil capacity and 45% emissions intensity reduction from 2005 levels, both by 2030.
Statement 3Incorrect
India’s Net Zero target is 2070, not 2050.
Concept note
India’s NDC also includes a 50% renewable share in electricity mix by 2030 and creating an additional carbon sink of 2.5-3 billion tonnes CO₂ equivalent through forest cover. India ratified the Paris Agreement on October 2, 2016.
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Question 3 of 10
Khasi is an Austroasiatic language (Mon-Khmer branch), related to Vietnamese and Khmer (NOT Munda branch; Santali is Munda). Garo is a Tibeto-Burman language (Sino-Tibetan family), related to Bodo, Mizo, and Tibetan. Both communities are matrilineal.
IMPORTANT: Neither Khasi nor Garo is in the Eighth Schedule, the Meghalaya ordinance grants state-level official status under Article 345, not Eighth Schedule inclusion (which requires a constitutional amendment).
Concept note
India’s four language families: Indo-Aryan (~75%), Dravidian (~20%), Austroasiatic (~1.2%), Tibeto-Burman (~1.8%). Last Eighth Schedule addition: 92nd Constitutional Amendment (2003), Bodo, Dogri, Maithili, Santali (22 total).
Article 345 allows states to adopt any language for official use. Eighth Schedule inclusion ≠ state-level official status.
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Question 4 of 10
The K.S. Puttaswamy judgment (9-judge Constitution bench, 2017) established the Right to Privacy as a Fundamental Right under Article 21. This directly applies to AI policing tools, facial recognition, predictive surveillance, and mass CCTV analytics, which must be evaluated against the privacy rights of citizens.
Concept note
The Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, 2023 exempts national security and law enforcement data processing from most consent requirements, giving police wide latitude, but the Puttaswamy judgment’s proportionality principle still applies. Facial recognition has documented higher false positive rates for darker-skinned individuals.
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Question 5 of 10
Water neutrality means zero external water dependency, all water needs are met internally through rainwater harvesting (rooftop collection) and wastewater recycling (treated wastewater reused for coach washing). This aligns with Indian Railways’ Mission Green target of Net Zero Carbon by 2030.
Concept note
Indian Railways uses ~20 billion units of electricity annually and is targeting 100% renewable electricity by 2030. Bio-toilets (2.5 lakh+ installed) eliminate track-side discharge.
National Water Mission is one of 8 NAPCC missions; target: 20% water use efficiency improvement.
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Question 6 of 10
India Post’s primary competitive advantage is physical reach, ~1.46 lakh rural post offices (total ~1.65 lakh) vs. SBI’s ~22,000+ branches. India Post Payments Bank (IPPB, launched September 2018) extends doorstep banking via ~2.4 lakh Gramin Dak Sevaks using handheld devices. IPPB is a payments bank, it cannot grant loans.
Concept note
IPPB deposit limit: ₹2 lakh per customer (payments bank regulatory cap, cannot lend). POSB total deposits: ₹14+ lakh crore.
India Post services include Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana, PPF, SCSS, NSC, all available at post offices. India Post is the world’s largest postal network by post offices.
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Question 7 of 10
Refinery Products has the highest weight in the Index of Eight Core Industries at 28.04%, followed by Electricity (19.85%) and Steel (17.92%). Coal is 10.33%. Together the eight core sectors comprise ~40.27% of the Index of Industrial Production (IIP).
Concept note
IIP is published by MoSPI monthly (6-week lag). Base year: 2011-12.
IIP components: Manufacturing (77.6%), Mining (14.4%), Electricity (7.9%). Core sector contraction is a leading signal for broader industrial slowdown.
RBI’s MPC targets CPI inflation at 4% (±2%) under the Flexible Inflation Targeting framework.
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Question 8 of 10
SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) satellites emit their own radar signals and detect the reflected energy, making them functional in all weather conditions (clouds, rain, fog) and in complete darkness. This is critical for LoC surveillance in Jammu & Kashmir (cloudy terrain) and LAC in Ladakh. Optical satellites like Cartosat require sunlight and clear skies.
Concept note
Cartosat-3 provides 25cm resolution (optical). RISAT-2B provides sub-metre SAR resolution.
EMISAT is an electronic intelligence satellite that tracks enemy radar emissions. Mission Shakti (March 27, 2019): India’s ASAT test, 4th country to demonstrate ASAT capability after USA, Russia, China.
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Question 9 of 10
Mission Shakti (March 27, 2019) was India’s successful ASAT test, a DRDO-developed kinetic kill vehicle destroyed an Indian satellite in Low Earth Orbit. This made India the 4th country to demonstrate ASAT capability after the USA, Russia, and China. The DSA was established in 2019 to coordinate all military space activities.
Concept note
NavIC (Navigation with Indian Constellation): India’s regional GPS alternative; 7 operational satellites covering India and 1,500 km neighbourhood. EMISAT was also launched in 2019.
DSA is under Integrated Defence Staff (IDS); HQ Bengaluru.
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Question 10 of 10
The 8 NAPCC missions are: National Solar Mission, National Mission for Enhanced Energy Efficiency, National Mission on Sustainable Habitat, National Water Mission, National Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem, National Mission for a Green India, National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture, and National Mission on Strategic Knowledge for Climate Change. There is NO ‘National Mission on Coastal Protection and Resilience’ in the original NAPCC (2008).
Concept note
NAPCC was launched in 2008 under PM Manmohan Singh. National Water Mission targets 20% water use efficiency improvement.
National Mission for a Green India targets afforestation of 5 million hectares. Kankaria Depot’s water-neutral model aligns with the National Water Mission.
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Performance
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