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Minerals and Energy

1 UPSC Prelims MCQs tagged "Minerals and Energy". 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 of the following statements about Rare Earth Elements (REEs) and Critical Minerals is/are correct?

    Which of the following statements about Rare Earth Elements (REEs) and Critical Minerals is/are correct?

    1. Modern technological innovations including Artificial Intelligence, robotics and space exploration extensively utilise Rare Earth Elements (REEs).


    2. China has the highest share in mining of REEs followed by India.


    3. The Government of India launched the National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM) in 2025 to establish a robust framework for self-reliance in the critical mineral sector.


    4. Rare Earth Elements are a set of 13 metallic elements.

    Select the answer using the code given below:

    1. A1 and 3 only
    2. B3 only
    3. C1, 3 and 4
    4. D1, 2 and 4
    Answer and explanation

    Correct answer: A

    Rare Earth Elements are a group of 17 metallic elements — the 15 lanthanides plus scandium and yttrium (per USGS, IUPAC and standard chemistry references). Statement 4, which calls REEs '13 metallic elements', is therefore wrong. Statement 1 is correct: REEs are critical to AI chips, robotics, EVs and space tech. Statement 2 is wrong: China dominates global REE mining (~60-70%), but India is not second — the United States (~13% via the Mountain Pass mine) is the world's second-largest REE producer, followed by Myanmar and Australia. Statement 3 is correct: the Union Cabinet approved the National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM) in January 2025 to build self-reliance in critical minerals. Hence only 1 and 3 are correct.

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    Science & Tech UPSC 2026 Hard