UPSC CSE 2026 Essay Paper Discussion
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Agriculture and Crops

7 UPSC Prelims MCQs tagged "Agriculture and Crops". Free practice with answer keys, explanations, and timed mock tests on Anantam IAS.

Agriculture and Allied Activities 56 Money, Banking and Monetary Policy 43 Environmental Pollution 43 Biotechnology 37 Parliament 33 Climate Change 32 Finance and Financial Markets 29 Emerging Technologies 28 Trade and External Sector 26 Life Sciences 26 Core Concepts and Foundational Science 20 Public Finance in India 19 International Environmental Framework 18 Continents 18 Religions in India 18 Fundamental Rights 18 Concept and Salient Features of the Constitution 17 Indian Biodiversity - Fauna 17 Renewable Energy 16 Major Physical Divisions of India 16 Multilateral Groupings 16 International Institutions 15 Art and Architecture 15 Drainage System 15 Institutional Measures for Environment Conservation 14 Regional Groupings 14 Rivers and Drainage 14 Infrastructure and Investment Models in India 14 Atmosphere 13 Space Technology 13

  1. Which one of the following best describes the key objective of India’s ‘Open Network for Digital Commerce’ (ONDC) initiative?

    Which one of the following best describes the key objective of India's 'Open Network for Digital Commerce' (ONDC) initiative?

    1. ATo allow government control over all digital commerce transactions
    2. BTo replace private e-commerce players
    3. CTo break the dominance of large e-commerce platforms by enabling interoperability across networks
    4. DTo mandate UPI-based payments for all online transactions
    Answer and explanation

    Correct answer: C

    ONDC, incubated by DPIIT and run by a Section 8 company, is an open protocol that decouples buyers, sellers and logistics from any single platform, enabling interoperability across e-commerce networks. The aim is to democratise digital commerce and break the dominance of large platforms like Amazon and Flipkart, not to give the government control, replace private players, or mandate UPI. Option (c) captures the policy intent stated in the DPIIT strategy paper. Read more: Indian Space Policy 2023: Liberalising India’s Space Sector for Private Players.

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    Science & Tech UPSC 2026 Easy

  2. The Bureau of Indian Standard (BIS) recently introduced a national standard to test and assess bomb disposal system. Which of the following statements with regard to this system is/are correct?

    The Bureau of Indian Standard (BIS) recently introduced a national standard to test and assess bomb disposal system. Which of the following statements with regard to this system is/are correct?

    1. The new standard is known as IS 19445 : 2025.


    2. It will improve interoperability of equipment across agencies.


    3. It was developed by TBRL, DRDO in collaboration with the 30ᵗʰ Central Scientific Research Institute, Russia.

    Select the answer using the code given below:

    1. A1, 2 and 3
    2. B2 and 3 only
    3. C1 and 2 only
    4. D1 only
    Answer and explanation

    Correct answer: C

    BIS notified IS 19445:2025 as India's first national standard for Bomb Disposal Suits/Systems, developed jointly by DRDO's Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory (TBRL), Chandigarh. The standard prescribes test protocols for blast and fragmentation resistance and will enable interoperability of bomb-disposal equipment across CAPFs, state police and the armed forces, validating statements 1 and 2. There is no involvement of any '30th Central Scientific Research Institute of Russia'; the standard was developed indigenously, so statement 3 is incorrect. Answer (c).

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    Science & Tech UPSC 2026 Medium

  3. Which of the following statements about DHRUV64 is/are correct?

    Which of the following statements about DHRUV64 is/are correct?

    1. It is the third chip fabricated under the DIR-V Programme with an overall aim to enable the creation of microprocessors for India.


    2. It is India's first homegrown 1·0 GHz, 64-bit dual-core microprocessor.

    Select the answer using the code given below:

    1. A1 only
    2. B2 only
    3. CBoth 1 and 2
    4. DNeither 1 nor 2
    Answer and explanation

    Correct answer: C

    DHRUV64, unveiled by MeitY in 2025, is indeed India's first homegrown 1.0 GHz, 64-bit dual-core RISC-V microprocessor and is the third silicon-validated chip rolled out under the Digital India RISC-V (DIR-V) Programme after VEGA and SHAKTI variants. The DIR-V Programme, launched in 2022, aims to make India a hub for RISC-V design and to enable indigenous microprocessors for strategic, automotive and IoT applications. Both statements are factually correct, so the answer is (c). Read more: Gaganyaan Mission: India’s First Human Spaceflight Programme (UPSC Science & Tech).

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    Science & Tech UPSC 2026 Easy

  4. Ships from which of the following countries have to cross the Strait of Hormuz to reach out to the Indian Ocean?

    Ships from which of the following countries have to cross the Strait of Hormuz to reach out to the Indian Ocean?

    1. Bahrain


    2. Syria


    3. Qatar


    4. Egypt

    Select the answer using the code given below:

    1. A1 and 2
    2. B1 and 3
    3. C2 and 3
    4. D3 and 4
    Answer and explanation

    Correct answer: B

    The Strait of Hormuz connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. Countries whose maritime traffic must transit Hormuz to reach the Indian Ocean are those bordering the Persian Gulf: Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Iraq, the UAE (mostly), Saudi Arabia (eastern coast) and Iran. Syria's coast lies on the Eastern Mediterranean and Egypt's main maritime access is via the Suez/Mediterranean and the Red Sea — neither needs Hormuz. Hence Bahrain (1) and Qatar (3) are correct, giving (b).

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    International Relations UPSC 2026 Hard

  5. Which among the following is/are the objective(s) of the Rainfed Area Development (RAD) initiative under the National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA)?

    Which among the following is/are the objective(s) of the Rainfed Area Development (RAD) initiative under the National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA)?

    1. Encouraging monoculture in rainfed areas


    2. Increasing rice cultivation in irrigated regions


    3. Enhancing productivity and minimising climatic risks through Integrated Farming Systems (IFS)

    Select the answer using the code given below:

    1. A1 only
    2. B1 and 2
    3. C2 and 3
    4. D3 only
    Answer and explanation

    Correct answer: D

    The Rainfed Area Development (RAD) component of the National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA), launched in 2014-15, promotes Integrated Farming Systems combining crops with horticulture, livestock, fisheries, agroforestry and apiculture to enhance productivity, diversify incomes and minimise climatic risk for rainfed farmers. It explicitly discourages monoculture (rejecting 1) and is targeted at rainfed, not irrigated rice, areas (rejecting 2). Only statement 3 captures the stated objective.

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    Indian Economy UPSC 2026 Medium

  6. In which one among the following texts does the term kshetra-patni (‘mistress of the field’) originate?

    In which one among the following texts does the term kshetra-patni ('mistress of the field') originate?

    1. ARigveda
    2. BAtharvaveda
    3. CAshtadhyayi
    4. DArthashastra
    Answer and explanation

    Correct answer: B

    The term kshetra-patni ('mistress/lady of the field'), invoked in agrarian/fertility rituals, occurs in the Atharvaveda, which is the Vedic text most concerned with agriculture, healing, magic and household ritual. The Rigveda is overwhelmingly hymnic/cosmological; Panini's Ashtadhyayi is a grammar; Kautilya's Arthashastra is a political-economic treatise. R.S. Sharma's Material Culture and Social Formations in Ancient India cites this Atharvavedic reference while discussing women's relation to land. (early consensus; verify with official UPSC key when released). Read more: Kshetra-patni in the Atharvaveda: The ‘Mistress of the Field’ and Vedic Agricultural Ritual.

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    History UPSC 2026 Easy

  7. With reference to the current trends in the cultivation of sugarcane in India, consider the following statements:

    With reference to the current trends in the cultivation of sugarcane in India, consider the following statements:

    1. A1 and 2 only
    2. B 3 only
    3. C 1 and 4 only
    4. D 2, 3 and 4 only
    Answer and explanation

    Correct answer: C

    This question concerns sugarcane propagation methods and comparative performance of different sett types. Statement 1 states that substantial saving in seed material is achieved when bud chip settlings are raised in a nursery and transplanted. Nursery-raised bud chip settlings use small propagules derived from a single bud or bud chips, thereby multiplying planting material more efficiently than using large setts. This reduces the quantity of seed cane required per hectare and is therefore correct from the standpoint of seed economy and modern propagation technology.

    Statement 2 asserts that when direct planting of setts is done, germination percentage is better with single-budded setts than with setts with many buds. In reality, larger setts with multiple buds generally have higher germination and tillering potential under direct planting, because they contain more reserve food and meristematic tissue; single-budded setts may have lower germination when directly placed in the field. Therefore statement 2 is incorrect. Statement 3 claims that under bad weather during direct planting, single-budded setts have better survival than large setts; this is contrary to agronomic experience because larger setts tolerate adverse conditions better due to greater reserves, so statement 3 is incorrect.

    Statement 4 states that sugarcane can be cultivated using settlings prepared from tissue culture. Tissue culture raised planting material is an established method to produce disease-free, true-to-type sugarcane plantlets that are subsequently hardened and used as settlings or transplants. This practice is part of modern seed production and nursery techniques and is correct. Combining the correct statements yields 1 and 4 only, which corresponds to option c.

    Exam traps include confusing nursery transplanting advantages with direct planting responses and assuming single-budded setts always outperform larger setts; careful reading of physiological reserves and propagation science resolves the options. The final takeaway is that nursery bud chip multiplication and tissue culture derived settlings are resource-efficient and modern propagation tools, while single-budded setts are not superior for direct planting or in adverse conditions.

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    Geography UPSC 2020 Medium