UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Core sector growth slows to 0.5%; crude, coal contract

Q1. The monthly Index of Eight Core Industries (ICI), whose May 2026 reading slowed to 0.5%, is compiled and released by which one of the following bodies?

  • A. Office of the Economic Adviser
  • B. National Statistical Office
  • C. Reserve Bank of India
  • D. Central Statistics Office

Q2. The Office of the Economic Adviser, which publishes the Index of Eight Core Industries, functions under which one of the following Union Ministries?

  • A. Ministry of Commerce and Industry
  • B. Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation
  • C. Ministry of Finance
  • D. Ministry of Heavy Industries

Q3. Among the eight core industries, which one carries the single largest weight in the Index of Eight Core Industries?

  • A. Refinery Products
  • B. Electricity
  • C. Steel
  • D. Coal

Q4. In the context of the Index of Eight Core Industries, which one of the following best describes what the index measures?

  • A. Production performance of eight infrastructure industries that together account for about 40.27% of the IIP, serving as an advance indicator of industrial output
  • B. The total value of output of all eight sectors expressed as a share of India's Gross Domestic Product
  • C. The wholesale price movements of eight infrastructure commodities used to compute headline inflation
  • D. The capacity utilisation rate across the eight largest manufacturing firms in each core sector

Q5. With reference to the Index of Eight Core Industries data for May 2026 compared with the previous year, consider the following statements: 1. Overall ICI growth in May 2026 was lower than the growth recorded in May 2025. 2. Crude oil contracted more sharply in May 2026 than it did in May 2025. 3. In May 2026, refinery products posted their worst performance in 10 months, while coal posted its worst in three-and-a-half years. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Overall ICI growth in May 2026 was lower than the growth recorded in May 2025.
  2. Crude oil contracted more sharply in May 2026 than it did in May 2025.
  3. In May 2026, refinery products posted their worst performance in 10 months, while coal posted its worst in three-and-a-half years.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3