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1.  
Kadayanallur, where India's first field study on dengue vaccine and repellents began, is in which district?

Correct Answer: A [Tenkasi]

Notes:

Tenkasi – carved out of Tirunelveli in 2019. The study covers the 33 wards of Kadayanallur municipality.

2.  
Which company developed 'Qdenga', the dengue vaccine approved in India?

Correct Answer: A [Takeda (Japan)]

Notes:

Takeda; its Indian manufacturing partner is Biological E. Sanofi's 'Dengvaxia' was an earlier dengue vaccine.

3.  
The dengue virus belongs to which genus?

Correct Answer: B [Flavivirus]

Notes:

Flavivirus – the same genus has Zika, yellow fever and Japanese encephalitis viruses. Chikungunya is an Alphavirus.

4.  
Which day-biting mosquito is the main vector of dengue?

Correct Answer: D [Aedes aegypti]

Notes:

Aedes aegypti – breeds in stored clean water. Anopheles spreads malaria; Culex spreads filariasis and Japanese encephalitis.

5.  
The ICMR–National Institute of Epidemiology (NIE), which is conducting this study, is located in which city?

Correct Answer: B [Chennai]

Notes:

Chennai. The National Institute of Virology (NIV) is in Pune. National Dengue Day is 16 May.

6.  
The late composer Deva is hailed as the 'King/Father' of which music form?

Correct Answer: C [Gaana]

Notes:

Gaana – North Chennai's urban folk music. Deva's other title was 'Thenisai Thendral'.

7.  
In which district was composer Deva laid to rest with State honours?

Correct Answer: D [Ranipet]

Notes:

Ranipet – Sakkaramallur near Arcot; 72-gun salute. Ranipet was carved out of Vellore in 2019.

8.  
Which body confers Tamil Nadu's 'Kalaimamani' award?

Correct Answer: C [TN Iyal Isai Nataka Manram]

Notes:

Tamil Nadu Iyal Isai Nataka Manram – for artistes in literature, music, drama, dance and cinema. Sangeet Natak Akademi is the national body.

9.  
India's highest film honour, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, is given under which ministry?

Correct Answer: B [Information & Broadcasting]

Notes:

Information & Broadcasting Ministry, along with the National Film Awards. From Tamil cinema, Sivaji Ganesan (1996), K. Balachander (2010) and Rajinikanth (2019) have received it.

10.  
Composer Ilaiyaraaja was nominated to the Rajya Sabha in 2022. Which Article provides for nominating members from the arts?

Correct Answer: B [Article 80]

Notes:

Article 80 – the President nominates 12 members from literature, science, art and social service. Article 81 deals with the composition of the Lok Sabha.

11.  
Which Union Ministry implements the Pradhan Mantri Anusuchit Jaati Abhyuday Yojana (PM-AJAY)?

Correct Answer: D [Social Justice & Empowerment]

Notes:

Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment; 100% centrally funded. 18,093 villages were declared Adarsh Grams by 8 Sept 2026.

12.  
Which of the following schemes was NOT merged into PM-AJAY in 2021–22?

Correct Answer: C [Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana]

Notes:

Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY) – 2014, Rural Development Ministry; each MP adopts villages.

13.  
Which southern State was among the pilot States of PMAGY in 2009–10?

Correct Answer: B [Tamil Nadu]

Notes:

Tamil Nadu (225 villages); the other pilot States were Assam, Bihar, Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan – 1,000 villages in all.

14.  
Which Article empowers the President to specify the Scheduled Castes of a State?

Correct Answer: C [Article 341]

Notes:

Article 341; only Parliament can amend the list by law. Art 342 – Scheduled Tribes; 338 – NCSC; 340 – Backward Classes Commission.

15.  
Article 46, on promoting the educational and economic interests of SCs and STs, is part of which section of the Constitution?

Correct Answer: C [Directive Principles]

Notes:

Directive Principles of State Policy (Part IV, Arts 36–51) – not enforceable by courts but fundamental to governance.

16.  
Which sugarcane-based feedstock is still allowed for ethanol procurement in ESY 2026–27?

Correct Answer: A [C-heavy molasses]

Notes:

C-heavy molasses – final molasses left after sugar extraction; using it does not reduce sugar output.

17.  
Which microorganism is used to ferment sugar solution into ethanol?

Correct Answer: C [Saccharomyces cerevisiae]

Notes:

Saccharomyces cerevisiae (yeast) – anaerobic respiration gives ethanol and CO₂. Lactobacillus curdles milk; Rhizobium fixes nitrogen.

18.  
On whose recommendation does the Centre fix the Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) of sugarcane?

Correct Answer: B [CACP]

Notes:

Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP); the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approves it. Tamil Nadu pays a special incentive above FRP.

19.  
Where is India's first second-generation (2G) ethanol plant, which makes ethanol from crop residue?

Correct Answer: D [Panipat]

Notes:

Panipat (Haryana) – Indian Oil, 2022; uses paddy straw, helping cut stubble-burning pollution.

20.  
Which is the nodal ministry for the National Policy on Biofuels 2018?

Correct Answer: C [Petroleum & Natural Gas]

Notes:

Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas; the 2022 amendment advanced the E20 target to 2025–26. World Biofuel Day is 10 August.

21.  
Which US company, planning to supply sunlight at night using orbital mirrors, signed a launch deal with Skyroot?

Correct Answer: D [Reflect Orbital]

Notes:

Reflect Orbital (California) – two launches on Vikram-1 and Vikram-1U. Axiom runs private space-station missions (Shubhanshu Shukla, Ax-4).

22.  
Skyroot Aerospace, which launched India's first private rocket, is based in which city?

Correct Answer: A [Hyderabad]

Notes:

Hyderabad. Chennai's IIT-M-incubated Agnikul Cosmos flew 'Agnibaan SOrTeD' (2024) with a single-piece 3D-printed engine.

23.  
Skyroot's 'Vikram' series of rockets is named after whom?

Correct Answer: C [Vikram Sarabhai]

Notes:

Vikram Sarabhai – father of the Indian space programme; pioneer of INCOSPAR (1962) and ISRO (1969). The Chandrayaan lander is also 'Vikram'.

24.  
Which is the single-window body that promotes and authorises private space activities in India?

Correct Answer: B [IN-SPACe]

Notes:

IN-SPACe – set up in 2020, HQ Ahmedabad; an autonomous body under the Department of Space. NSIL and Antrix are ISRO's commercial arms.

25.  
Kulasekarapattinam, site of India's second launch port for SSLV rockets, is in which district?

Correct Answer: C [Thoothukudi]

Notes:

Thoothukudi district – close to the equator and allows launches straight south without skirting Sri Lanka. Kulasekarapattinam is also famous for its Dasara festival.

26.  
Which new weapon, using AI to detect and strike targets, did North Korea test in Oct 2026?

Correct Answer: D [High-speed guided torpedo]

Notes:

A high-speed precision-guided torpedo – 15 Oct 2026, reported by KCNA on 17 Oct. A torpedo is a self-propelled underwater weapon.

27.  
SONAR, used to detect underwater targets, works on which principle?

Correct Answer: C [Reflection of sound (echo)]

Notes:

Reflection (echo) of sound/ultrasonic waves; sound travels about 1,500 m/s in water – roughly four times faster than in air. RADAR uses radio waves.

28.  
Where was the Korean War armistice signed in 1953?

Correct Answer: D [Panmunjom]

Notes:

Panmunjom – 27 July 1953; no peace treaty has been signed to this day. Korea was divided along the 38th parallel in 1945.

29.  
From which international treaty did North Korea announce its withdrawal in 2003?

Correct Answer: B [Non-Proliferation Treaty]

Notes:

The NPT (signed 1968, in force 1970) – North Korea is the only country to withdraw. India has not signed the NPT, calling it discriminatory.

30.  
INS Kattabomman, the Navy's VLF station for communicating with submarines, is in which district?

Correct Answer: B [Tirunelveli]

Notes:

Vijayanarayanam, Tirunelveli district (1990), named after Veerapandiya Kattabomman; INS Parundu, a naval air station, is at Uchipuli, Ramanathapuram.

31.  
India's Department of Space functions directly under whom?

Correct Answer: D [The Prime Minister]

Notes:

The Prime Minister – the Department of Atomic Energy too is under the PM. Dr Jitendra Singh is the MoS for both.

32.  
Which public sector commercial company under the Department of Space was set up in 2019?

Correct Answer: A [NewSpace India Limited]

Notes:

NSIL (March 2019) – it transferred SSLV technology to HAL and PSLV production to an industry consortium. Antrix dates from 1992.

33.  
What is the name of India's planned space station, to be set up by 2035 under Space Vision 2047?

Correct Answer: A [Bharatiya Antariksh Station]

Notes:

Bharatiya Antariksh Station (BAS); there is also a goal to land an Indian on the Moon by 2040. Aryabhata was India's first satellite (1975).

34.  
Where is the headquarters of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)?

Correct Answer: B [Bengaluru]

Notes:

Bengaluru (Antariksh Bhavan). Thiruvananthapuram has the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre; Ahmedabad has the Space Applications Centre (SAC) and IN-SPACe.

35.  
What is the main work of the ISRO Propulsion Complex at Mahendragiri, Tirunelveli district?

Correct Answer: D [Testing rocket engines]

Notes:

Testing and integration of rocket engines (cryogenic, liquid) and stages. Satellites are launched from Sriharikota (Satish Dhawan Space Centre).

36.  
The 30% trade-margin cap announced in Oct 2026 applies to which category of anti-cancer drugs?

Correct Answer: A [Non-scheduled drugs]

Notes:

Non-scheduled drugs (outside price ceilings) – branded, generic and patented alike. NLEM drugs already have ceiling prices.

37.  
Under which Ministry does the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) function?

Correct Answer: A [Chemicals and Fertilizers]

Notes:

Department of Pharmaceuticals, Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers; NPPA dates from 1997. Drug quality regulation (CDSCO) is under the Health Ministry.

38.  
Under DPCO 2013, 'scheduled' drugs are those in which list?

Correct Answer: D [Essential Medicines List (NLEM)]

Notes:

NLEM (now NLEM 2022, 384 drugs) – NPPA fixes ceiling prices for these. DPCO 2013 was issued under the Essential Commodities Act, 1955.

39.  
Who was the moving force behind the founding of the Cancer Institute, Adyar, Chennai, in 1954?

Correct Answer: C [Dr Muthulakshmi Reddy]

Notes:

Dr Muthulakshmi Reddy – through the Women's Indian Association (WIA); India's first woman legislator. Dr V. Shanta later led the institute.

40.  
Cancer results from the uncontrolled occurrence of which type of cell division?

Correct Answer: D [Mitosis]

Notes:

Uncontrolled mitosis (body-cell division) forms a tumour; its spread to other sites is 'metastasis'. Meiosis occurs in reproductive cells.

41.  
Which institute developed the purple-fleshed potato variety 'Kufri Jamunia'?

Correct Answer: A [ICAR-CPRI, Shimla]

Notes:

Central Potato Research Institute, Shimla; all its varieties carry the prefix 'Kufri'.

42.  
Which pigment gives purple/blue potatoes their colour?

Correct Answer: A [Anthocyanin]

Notes:

Anthocyanin – a water-soluble flavonoid antioxidant. Lycopene gives tomatoes their red colour.

43.  
Botanically, a potato is a –

Correct Answer: B [Stem tuber]

Notes:

Stem tuber – its 'eyes' are nodal buds. Sweet potato is a root tuber; onion is a bulb.

44.  
Which region is regarded as the original home of the potato?

Correct Answer: D [Andes, South America]

Notes:

The Andes (Peru–Bolivia). The International Potato Center (CIP) is in Lima, Peru.

45.  
Where is ICAR-CPRI's potato research station in Tamil Nadu located?

Correct Answer: B [Muthorai, Udhagamandalam]

Notes:

Muthorai, Ooty (Nilgiris) – since 1957; it released a cyst-nematode-resistant variety in 1985.

46.  
Which body leads the global observance of World Menopause Day (18 Oct)?

Correct Answer: C [Intl. Menopause Society]

Notes:

The International Menopause Society (IMS); its 20th World Congress was held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 30 Sep to 3 Oct 2026.

47.  
What is the theme of World Menopause Day 2026?

Correct Answer: B [Chronic Pain at Midlife]

Notes:

'Chronic Pain at Midlife'. The 2025 theme was 'Lifestyle Medicine'.

48.  
Menopause mainly results from the decline of which ovarian hormone?

Correct Answer: A [Oestrogen]

Notes:

Oestrogen (progesterone also falls). WHO definition: 12 consecutive months without menstruation.

49.  
Which bone-weakening condition becomes more common in women after menopause?

Correct Answer: D [Osteoporosis]

Notes:

Osteoporosis – loss of oestrogen reduces bone density. Rickets is vitamin D deficiency in children.

50.  
Tamil Nadu's free sanitary napkin scheme for adolescent girls began in 2011 under which CM?

Correct Answer: D [J. Jayalalithaa]

Notes:

J. Jayalalithaa; extended to urban areas in 2020. In 2026 the Supreme Court held menstrual health to be part of Article 21.

51.  
The 'One World TB Summit', where the PM launched the TB Mukt Panchayat initiative, was held in –

Correct Answer: A [Varanasi]

Notes:

Varanasi, on World TB Day (24 March 2023). A family-centric care model was also announced there.

52.  
TB Mukt Panchayats receive a statuette of whom along with the certificate?

Correct Answer: D [Mahatma Gandhi]

Notes:

A Mahatma Gandhi statuette – bronze for one year, silver for two, gold for three; the certificate is valid for a year.

53.  
Who discovered the TB bacterium? (the day he announced it is World TB Day)

Correct Answer: B [Robert Koch]

Notes:

Robert Koch (Germany) – 24 March 1882; germ: Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Vaccine: BCG.

📰 Read the news behind these questions
› India's first field study of dengue vaccine (Qdenga) and mosquito repellents begins at Kadayanallur: Minister Arunraj › 'Thenisai Thendral' composer Deva (75) passes away – laid to rest with State honours and 72-gun salute in Ranipet district › PM-AJAY: 18,093 Scheduled Caste-majority villages declared 'Adarsh Grams' (model villages) › Zero sugar diversion to ethanol in ESY 2026–27 – cane juice, sugar syrup, B-heavy molasses excluded: Centre › US firm Reflect Orbital, which plans to 'sell sunlight at night', books two launches with India's Skyroot Aerospace › North Korea successfully tests a new high-speed torpedo that uses AI to detect and precisely hit targets › India's space economy is about $9 billion now and may reach $40–45 billion in 7–8 years – Minister Jitendra Singh (17 Oct) › Trade margins on anti-cancer drugs capped at 30% – prices may fall by up to 70% › Nutrient-rich purple potato 'Kufri Jamunia' – anthocyanin-rich variety developed by ICAR-CPRI › 18 October – World Menopause Day; 2026 theme: 'Chronic Pain at Midlife'
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