UPSC Prelims Practice
Current Affairs Quiz 26 April 2026
Test Your Knowledge
15 questions based on today’s current affairs & editorials
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Question 1 of 15
The PFBR at Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu achieved first criticality on April 6, 2026 at 08:25 PM IST. PM Modi highlighted this as a ‘historic milestone’ in his Mann Ki Baat 133rd episode on April 26, 2026.
Concept note
First criticality means a self-sustaining chain reaction is achieved, not the same as grid connection or commercial power generation, which follow after safety testing.
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Question 2 of 15
The PFBR was indigenously designed by IGCAR (Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research), a research and development centre of the Department of Atomic Energy. It was built and is operated by BHAVINI (Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam Limited). NPCIL operates Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (Stage 1).
Concept note
IGCAR designs; BHAVINI builds and operates, two distinct DAE organisations. BARC handles basic nuclear research and fuel reprocessing.
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Question 3 of 15
The PFBR at Kalpakkam is a pool-type, sodium-cooled fast breeder reactor. It uses liquid sodium as coolant, not heavy water (used in PHWRs) or light water (used in BWRs like Tarapur). Sodium enables the fast neutron spectrum necessary for breeding, as it does not slow (moderate) neutrons the way water does.
Concept note
Liquid sodium burns on contact with air and water, this is why sodium-cooled reactors require highly specialised engineering and were a major source of PFBR’s construction delays.
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Question 4 of 15
The SOE 2026 report confirms that 7 of the 9 planetary boundaries have now been breached. The 7th boundary newly identified as breached in the 2026 report is ocean acidification. The two remaining safe boundaries are stratospheric ozone (recovering due to the Montreal Protocol) and atmospheric aerosols (uncertain, with regional violations).
Concept note
The 7 breached are, climate change, biosphere integrity, land system change, freshwater depletion, biogeochemical flows (nitrogen/phosphorus), novel entities (plastics/PFAS), and ocean acidification.
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Question 5 of 15
The SOE 2026 report found that India experienced extreme weather on 331 out of 334 days in 2025, meaning approximately 99% of the year had at least one extreme weather event somewhere in the country. At least 4,419 people died and 17.4 million hectares of cropped land were affected.
Concept note
The remaining 3 ‘normal’ days in 2025 represent an astonishing data point, climate shocks are no longer discrete events but a near-continuous background condition across India’s diverse geography.
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Question 6 of 15
For the first time in Gujarat’s history, 7 out of 34 District Panchayat President posts were reserved for OBC candidates in the 2026 local body elections. This follows the Supreme Court’s ‘triple test’ framework for OBC reservation in local bodies, requiring empirical inquiry, proportionality, and a 50% aggregate cap.
Concept note
The Supreme Court’s triple test for OBC reservation in local bodies requires states to conduct an empirical inquiry, determine proportional reservation, and ensure total reservation (SC+ST+OBC) does not exceed 50%.
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Question 7 of 15
Tamil Nadu recorded a historic voter turnout of 85.15% in the April 23, 2026 Assembly elections, the highest ever in a state assembly election in Tamil Nadu, up from approximately 74.3% in both 2016 and 2021. Karur district led all districts with 92.63% turnout.
Concept note
Higher turnout historically favours the incumbent in Tamil Nadu, but the +10 percentage points jump also signals strong opposition mobilisation. Results will be known on May 4, 2026.
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Question 8 of 15
TVK (Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam) was founded by Tamil film actor Vijay, who contested himself from Virugambakkam constituency in Chennai. TVK contested all 234 seats independently without any alliance, positioning itself as a third force between the ruling DMK-led SPA and the opposition AIADMK-led NDA.
Concept note
Tamil Nadu’s political history includes another actor-turned-politician, Kamal Haasan (Makkal Needhi Maiam, founded 2018), who preceded Vijay’s entry. Both attempt to leverage mass film appeal for electoral politics.
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Question 9 of 15
The Census 2027 self-enumeration portal (se.census.gov.in) is available in 16 languages. Citizens can fill in household census data online before the enumerator’s visit, generating a unique Self-Enumeration ID that the enumerator verifies. Census 2027 is India’s first fully digital census, using mobile apps for enumerators and the CMMS portal for real-time monitoring.
Concept note
The 22 figure relates to India’s Eighth Schedule languages, all officially recognised, but the census portal covers 16 languages. Not all Eighth Schedule languages have equal digital infrastructure.
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Question 10 of 15
The 106th Constitutional Amendment (2023) reserves 33% of seats for women in Lok Sabha and State Assemblies, but the operative provision is linked to post-delimitation census data, making Census 2027 the trigger for implementing women’s reservation. Until Census 2027 data is available and delimitation is carried out using it, the reservation cannot formally kick in.
Concept note
The Finance Commission uses census data but is not constitutionally linked to a specific census cycle. The Delimitation Act 2026 and Census 2027 together form the legal architecture for both women’s reservation and revised constituency boundaries.
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Question 11 of 15
The Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO) functions under the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry. PESO administers the Explosives Act, 1884 and issues licences for manufacture, storage, transport, and use of explosives.
Concept note
The Explosives Act, 1884 carries a maximum penalty of only ₹5,000, widely criticised as having no deterrent value given modern industrial disaster risks. This was highlighted after the Mundathikode explosion killed 15 people.
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Question 12 of 15
PM Modi extended advance greetings for Buddha Purnima in his Mann Ki Baat 133rd episode on April 26, 2026. Buddha Purnima 2026 falls on May 1. He also highlighted the Kalpakkam PFBR first criticality as a historic milestone and urged citizens to participate in Census 2027 self-enumeration.
Concept note
Buddha Purnima commemorates the birth, enlightenment (Bodhi), and death (Parinirvana) of Gautama Buddha, all believed to have occurred on the same lunar date (Vaishakha Purnima). It is a gazetted public holiday in India.
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Question 13 of 15
First criticality means that the nuclear fission chain reaction in the PFBR has become self-sustaining for the first time, each fission event produces enough neutrons to trigger at least one more. This is a milestone in commissioning, but grid connection and commercial operation require further safety testing, power ascension, and AERB approval.
Concept note
The PFBR was originally planned to be commissioned by 2010. Achieving first criticality in April 2026 marks 15+ years of delay, primarily due to sodium handling complexity, MOX fuel supply chain, and post-Fukushima safety reviews.
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Question 14 of 15
As of April 25, 2026, Brent crude was trading at approximately $106.20/barrel, up ~17% week-on-week due to Middle East conflict disruptions and OPEC+ production discipline. India imports approximately 85% of its crude oil, making every $10/barrel rise equivalent to an additional $15–20 billion annually to India’s import bill.
Concept note
Brent crude at $106/barrel directly pressures the Indian rupee (increased USD demand for oil imports) and widens the Current Account Deficit, the twin mechanisms through which oil price spikes transmit into India’s macroeconomic headwinds.
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Question 15 of 15
The Supreme Court’s triple test for OBC reservation in local bodies (Vikram Singh and related cases) requires, (1) empirical inquiry into OBC backwardness at local body level, (2) proportionality based on population data, and (3) aggregate reservation not exceeding 50%. Central Government approval is not a component of the triple test, it is a state-level process administered by State Election Commissions and state governments.
Concept note
The triple test replaced the earlier practice of states directly notifying OBC reservation without data backing. States like Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Gujarat have been required to conduct fresh surveys to meet this standard.
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