MCQs on Current Affairs 22.12.2025

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Q1. What distinguishes a superkilonova from a regular kilonova?

  1. It is caused by the collision of a neutron star and a black hole
  2. It emits only gamma rays instead of optical and infrared light
  3. It has an additional energy source that makes it brighter and longer-lasting
  4. It produces only light elements such as hydrogen and helium

Correct Option: 3. It has an additional energy source that makes it brighter and longer-lasting
Explanation:
A kilonova occurs when two neutron stars merge, producing heavy radioactive elements whose decay emits optical and infrared light.
A superkilonova includes an extra energy source (such as fallback heating or a preceding supernova), which:
• Increases brightness
• Makes the emission bluer
• Extends the duration of the event

Q2. Which of the following elements is produced in the material ejected during a kilonova or superkilonova?

  1. Hydrogen
  2. Helium
  3. Gold
  4. Carbon

Correct Option: 3. Gold
Explanation:
• When two neutron stars merge, the ejected material is rich in heavy, radioactive elements like gold, platinum, and neodymium.
• These elements are much heavier than hydrogen, helium, or carbon, which are more common in stars.
• The radioactive decay of these heavy elements produces the optical and infrared light observed in a kilonova or superkilonova.
• Therefore, the correct choice is gold (option 3).

Q3. Which of the following is a key trade benefit India gains under the India–New Zealand Free Trade Agreement?

  1. Partial tariff reduction on select agricultural exports
  2. Duty-free access for Indian exports across all tariff lines
  3. Exclusive access to New Zealand’s defence market
  4. Removal of visa requirements for all Indian workers

Correct Option: 2. Duty-free access for Indian exports across all tariff lines
Explanation:
• The FTA eliminates tariffs on 100% of New Zealand’s tariff lines for Indian exports.
• This provides duty-free market access and significantly boosts the competitiveness of Indian labour-intensive sectors such as textiles, leather, gems and jewellery, engineering goods, and automobiles.

Q4. Which feature of the India–New Zealand FTA directly supports skilled mobility and services trade?

  1. A Temporary Employment Entry Visa with defined quotas and duration
  2. Automatic recognition of all Indian educational qualifications
  3. Complete liberalisation of New Zealand’s labour market
  4. A permanent residency programme for all Indian professionals

Correct Option: 1. A Temporary Employment Entry Visa with defined quotas and duration
Explanation:
• The FTA introduces a Temporary Employment Entry Visa pathway for Indian professionals.
Key features include:
• A quota of 5,000 visas available at any given time
• A maximum stay of up to three years
• Coverage of sectors such as IT, engineering, healthcare, education, construction, and traditional professions like yoga instructors and AYUSH practitioners
This strengthens workforce mobility, people-to-people ties, and services exports.
Other options exaggerate or misrepresent the agreement’s scope.

Q5. Which of the following sectors recorded the highest year-on-year growth in November 2025 according to the Index of Eight Core Industries?

  1. Steel
  2. Fertilizers
  3. Cement
  4. Coal

Correct Option: 3. Cement
Explanation:
• In November 2025, Cement production increased by 14.5%, which was the highest growth rate among all eight core industries.
• Steel grew by 6.1%, Fertilizers by 5.6%, and Coal by 2.1%, all significantly lower than Cement’s growth.
• The strong performance of Cement reflects robust activity in construction and infrastructure sectors.

Q6. What does the Index of Eight Core Industries (ICI) primarily indicate in the Indian economy?

  1. Agricultural productivity trends
  2. Service sector expansion
  3. Overall industrial performance and future IIP trends
  4. Fiscal deficit and revenue performance

Correct Option: 3. Overall industrial performance and future IIP trends
Explanation:
• The ICI measures the production performance of eight key infrastructure industries and carries a 40.27% weight in the Index of Industrial Production (IIP).
• Because of this significant weight, changes in ICI act as a leading indicator of overall industrial growth.
• It does not measure agriculture, services, or fiscal indicators, making options A, B, and D incorrect.

Q7. What is the primary purpose of the Financial Fraud Risk Indicator (FRI) introduced by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT)?

  1. To block all unknown mobile numbers automatically
  2. To classify mobile numbers based on their risk of involvement in financial fraud
  3. To replace existing cybercrime reporting portals
  4. To track personal financial transactions of citizens

Correct Option: 2. To classify mobile numbers based on their risk of involvement in financial fraud
Explanation:
• The Financial Fraud Risk Indicator (FRI) is a risk-based metric that categorizes suspected mobile numbers into Medium, High, or Very High risk of financial fraud.
• This classification is derived from inputs from multiple stakeholders such as I4C’s National Cybercrime Reporting Portal, DoT’s Chakshu platform, banks, financial institutions, and telecom service providers.
• The objective is to enable banks, NBFCs, and UPI service providers to take preventive actions, such as declining suspicious transactions or issuing alerts, thereby protecting customers.
• It does not block all numbers automatically nor does it track personal financial transactions.

Q8. How does the Sanchar Saathi initiative strengthen India’s cyber fraud prevention ecosystem?

  1. By acting solely as a government monitoring tool
  2. By replacing banks and telecom operators in fraud detection
  3. By enabling citizen participation in reporting and preventing telecom-related frauds
  4. By providing direct financial compensation to fraud victims

Correct Option: 3. By enabling citizen participation in reporting and preventing telecom-related frauds
Explanation:
• Sanchar Saathi is a citizen-centric initiative that leverages Jan Bhagidari (public participation) to combat cyber fraud.
• It allows users to report suspected fraud calls/SMS (Chakshu), identify unauthorized mobile connections, block lost or stolen handsets, and verify handset genuineness.
• This crowdsourced intelligence helps authorities and telecom operators identify fraud patterns, block offending numbers, and disable fake connections, thereby protecting less-aware citizens as well.
• The initiative does not replace institutions or provide compensation; instead, it empowers citizens as active partners in cyber security.

Q9. Which of the following features best distinguishes the Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft (ASW SWC) ‘Anjadip’ delivered to the Indian Navy?

  1. It is India’s first nuclear-powered warship
  2. It is among the largest Indian naval warships propelled by waterjets
  3. It is designed primarily for blue-water aircraft carrier operations
  4. It is an imported platform built under a foreign collaboration

Correct Option: 2. It is among the largest Indian naval warships propelled by waterjets
Explanation:
• Anjadip is approximately 77 metres long and is described as the largest Indian naval warship class to be propelled by waterjets.
• Waterjet propulsion enhances maneuverability, speed, and performance in shallow waters, making it ideal for littoral and coastal operations.
• The ship is indigenously designed and built, not nuclear-powered, not intended for carrier operations, and not imported—eliminating options 1, 3, and 4.

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