UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Independent India’s Major Share of Technological Transformation Happened in the Last One Decade, says Dr. Jitendra Singh while addressing the 'National Technology Day' programme

Q1. Which one of the following is the primary trigger event behind the institution of India's National Technology Day, observed every 11 May?

  • A. Successful conduct of the Pokhran-II nuclear tests (Operation Shakti) in 1998
  • B. Maiden flight of the indigenous Hansa-3 trainer aircraft at Bangalore in 1998
  • C. Successful test-firing of the Trishul surface-to-air missile in 1998
  • D. Commissioning of the indigenously developed PARAM series of supercomputers

Q2. Which one of the following best describes 'Operation Shakti'?

  • A. India's first peaceful nuclear explosion conducted at Pokhran in 1974
  • B. The series of five nuclear tests conducted by India at Pokhran in May 1998
  • C. DRDO's indigenous ballistic missile defence development programme
  • D. The integrated guided missile development programme launched in the 1980s

Q3. The nuclear tests conducted under 'Operation Shakti' at Pokhran were carried out under the Prime Ministership of which one of the following?

  • A. P. V. Narasimha Rao
  • B. H. D. Deve Gowda
  • C. I. K. Gujral
  • D. Atal Bihari Vajpayee

Q4. Which one of the following best describes the Technology Development Board (TDB)?

  • A. An autonomous society under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry that regulates the import and licensing of foreign technology into India
  • B. A statutory body constituted under an Act of Parliament that provides equity capital, soft loans and grants to industrial concerns for commercial application of indigenous technology
  • C. A non-statutory expert committee under NITI Aayog that ranks Indian states on innovation and technology readiness
  • D. A constitutional body that advises the President on matters relating to national science and technology policy

Q5. The Global Innovation Index, in which India was ranked 39th out of 133 economies in 2024 and emerged as the leader of the lower-middle-income group, is released annually by which one of the following organisations?

  • A. World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)
  • B. United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
  • C. World Economic Forum (WEF)
  • D. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)

Q6. For recognition as a 'startup' by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) under the Startup India initiative, which of the following are correctly identified as eligibility conditions?

  1. The entity is incorporated as a Private Limited Company, a registered Partnership firm or a Limited Liability Partnership.
  2. The period since its incorporation has not exceeded ten years.
  3. Its turnover for any financial year since incorporation has not exceeded ₹100 crore.
  4. It has been formed by splitting up or reconstruction of a business already in existence.
  • A. 1 and 3 only
  • B. 2 and 4 only
  • C. 1, 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q7. With reference to 'Vigyan TECH 2026', inaugurated on National Technology Day, consider the following pairings of body and its parent administrative arrangement: 1. Department of Atomic Energy — works under the Ministry of Science and Technology 2. Department of Space — works under the Prime Minister's Office 3. Department of Biotechnology — works under the Ministry of Science and Technology 4. Ministry of Earth Sciences — is an independent Union Ministry The above bodies were among the fourteen Science Ministries/Departments converged at Vigyan TECH 2026. Which of the pairings given above is/are correctly matched?

  1. Department of Atomic Energy — works under the Ministry of Science and Technology
  2. Department of Space — works under the Prime Minister's Office
  3. Department of Biotechnology — works under the Ministry of Science and Technology
  4. Ministry of Earth Sciences — is an independent Union Ministry
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 2, 3 and 4 only
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q8. The annual observance of National Technology Day on 11 May, on the occasion of which Vigyan TECH 2026 was inaugurated, is administered by which one of the following bodies?

  • A. Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)
  • B. Technology Development Board under the Department of Science & Technology
  • C. Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India
  • D. Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR)

Q9. With reference to the indigenously developed Hansa-3(NG) trainer aircraft, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are NOT correct?

  1. It has been designed and developed by CSIR-National Aerospace Laboratories, Bengaluru.
  2. It is a two-seater aircraft with an all-composite airframe.
  3. It is Type Certified by the DGCA for both Day-VFR and Night-VFR operations.
  4. It is powered by twin turboprop engines indigenously developed by HAL.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 4 only
  • D. 1 and 4 only

Q10. With reference to the Hansa-3(NG) aircraft recently in the news, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. It is a two-seater light trainer aircraft designed and developed by CSIR-National Aerospace Laboratories.
  2. It is primarily intended for Private Pilot Licence (PPL) and Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL) training.
  3. Its airframe is built using all-composite materials.
  4. The aircraft is powered by an indigenously developed turbofan engine.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3 only
  • B. 2 and 4 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q11. The 'Seven-Point Appeal' made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which Dr. Jitendra Singh urged the scientific community to follow at the National Technology Day 2026 programme, primarily refers to:

  • A. A call to citizens to conserve foreign exchange and strengthen economic resilience by limiting imports of fuel, gold and edible oils amid the West Asia crisis
  • B. A charter of research priorities in deep-tech, quantum and AI laid down for the Anusandhan National Research Foundation
  • C. A blueprint for inter-ministerial scientific convergence operationalised through the Vigyan TECH 2026 platform
  • D. A set of indigenisation targets for defence and dual-use technologies under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan

Q12. Which one of the following was the principal external trigger that prompted Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Seven-Point Appeal' for economic resilience to the citizens of India?

  • A. The West Asia conflict and the resulting deadlock over the Strait of Hormuz
  • B. The Russia-Ukraine war and disruption of Black Sea grain corridors
  • C. The renewed US-China tariff war and semiconductor export controls
  • D. Houthi-led Red Sea shipping disruptions affecting Suez Canal traffic