UPSC Daily Current Affairs Quiz : 03 June 2026

Correct Answer: (a) Only 1 is correct

Explanation:

• Statement 1 is correct: The report clearly says India has almost lost the ability to build its own instruments. We depend on imported equipment that is often uncalibrated, leading to wrong data.
• Statement 2 is incorrect: The report does not recommend stopping renewable energy. It only says we need long-term studies to understand the climate effects of large solar and wind farms. It supports renewable energy but wants careful research before uncontrolled growth.

Correct Answer: (b) 1 and 3 only

Explanation:

• Statement 1 is correct: The RudraM-II is an indigenous (made in India) air-to-surface missile (fired from an aircraft towards a target on land or sea). It was developed jointly by DRDO and the Indian Air Force (IAF).
• Statement 2 is incorrect: The news clearly says the missile was test-fired from an airborne platform (i.e., from an aircraft in the air), not from a naval ship. There is no mention of extreme sea conditions.
• Statement 3 is correct:
  The nodal DRDO laboratory for the RudraM-II programme is the Research Centre Imarat (RCI), Hyderabad. Other DRDO labs and industry partners also supported it.

The correct answer is (c) 1 and 3 only.

Explanation:

• Statement 1 is correct: The study explicitly mapped the biological pathway through which urban air pollution affects foetuses. It found that exposure to urban particulate matter activates inflammatory pathways that inhibit the expression of IGFBP3, a key protein that governs the equilibrium of the placenta and the growth of the embryo. This directly supports the statement.
• Statement 2 is incorrect: The research methodology was not limited to human subjects. It was a comprehensive study that focused on both rodent models (pregnant rats) and the delivery records of 994 women from two cities (high-pollution Delhi and low-pollution Deoghar, Jharkhand). The use of rodent models was crucial for demonstrating the step-by-step biological pathway and the transgenerational neurological effects, which cannot be ethically or practically studied in the same detail in humans. Therefore, stating that the research was conducted "exclusively on human subjects" is false.
• Statement 3 is correct: The article clearly mentions that in the rodent studies, pollution "rewrote the cells’ epigenetic switches, permanently altering which genes are switched on or off." This confirms that the study found air pollution exposure can cause epigenetic changes, which are modifications that affect gene expression without altering the DNA sequence itself.

The correct answer is (b).

Explanation: The NITI Aayog's Frontier Tech Hub report, 'Future of India's Semiconductor Industry', advises a strategy of "selective depth, capital efficiency and system-level differentiation, rather than attempting to replicate the full global manufacturing spectrum." It recommends focusing on mature and advanced nodes with strategic relevance, rather than directing public funds toward the most expensive frontier chips (3 to 7 nanometres), and it identifies packaging as a "core production pillar." This makes option (b) the precise summary of the report's recommended approach.

Answer: (a) 1, 3 and 4 only

Explanation:

• Statement 1 is correct. India's LPG consumption declined by about 19.2%, from 2.62 MMT in May 2024 to 2.12 MMT in May 2025.
• Statement 2 is incorrect. Experts noted that the decline was mainly due to supply disruptions, an increase in the interim LPG booking period, and government supply management measures. There was no major structural shift from LPG to PNG, although PNG connections have been increasing.
• Statement 3 is correct. Petrol consumption increased by 2.8%, while diesel consumption rose marginally (less than 1%).
• Statement 4 is correct. Consumption of Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) declined by about 0.8% during the period.