UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — What do the new E100 vehicle rules mean?

Q1. With reference to the amended motor vehicle rules permitting high-ethanol fuels in India, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Flex-fuel vehicles certified for E85 or E100 must still meet the emission and safety norms applicable to their vehicle category.
  2. A vehicle certified as compatible with E20 may be filled with E85, since both fuels are ethanol–petrol blends.
  3. The amended rules require owners of existing petrol vehicles to modify them so that they can run on E100.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q2. With reference to first-generation and second-generation ethanol, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Ethanol made from broken rice or damaged food grains counts as second-generation ethanol because the grain is unfit for human consumption.
  2. Second-generation ethanol is produced from lignocellulosic material such as crop and forestry residues, and does not divert the edible portion of food crops to fuel.
  3. Producing ethanol from crop residues can give farmers an income from biomass that would otherwise be wasted.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 1, 2 and 3
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1 and 3 only

Q3. Consider the following facts about India's biofuel policy: The National Policy on Biofuels, as amended, permits ethanol to be produced from sugarcane juice, molasses, maize, damaged food grains and broken rice, and allows surplus food grains to be used for ethanol only with the approval of a national coordination committee. Which of the following inferences can be drawn from the above?

  1. The policy seeks to keep the use of food grains for fuel subordinate to food-security considerations.
  2. Ethanol production in India no longer competes with food crops for land or water.
  3. Widening the range of permitted feedstocks reduces the programme's reliance on any single crop.
  4. The policy has shifted ethanol production away from first-generation feedstocks towards crop residues.
  • A. 1, 3 and 4 only
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 2 and 4 only
  • D. 1 and 3 only

Q4. Consider the following statements: Which of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

  1. Raising the ethanol share of general-sale petrol beyond 20% would affect the existing vehicle fleet in a way that permitting E100 for flex-fuel vehicles does not.
  2. Vehicles in use are certified for specified blend levels and cannot be assumed suitable for higher ethanol content, whereas flex-fuel vehicles are designed to run on any blend.
  • A. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I
  • B. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I
  • C. Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect
  • D. Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct

Q5. With reference to the legal route by which India permitted vehicles running on E100, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Permitting E100 vehicles required Parliament to pass an amendment to the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.
  2. The Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989 are framed by the Central Government under rule-making powers delegated by the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.
  3. Once notified, an amendment to these rules prevails over any inconsistent provision of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.
  • A. 2 only
  • B. 1 and 3 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1 only

Q6. Consider the following statements: Which of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

  1. Because permission for E100 vehicles came through an amendment to the motor vehicle rules, the fuel-supply side, including blending policy and retail sale of ethanol fuels, is also governed by those rules.
  2. Retail supply of ethanol fuels is undertaken by oil marketing companies, which had begun selling ETHANOL 100 at their outlets before the vehicle rules were amended.
  • A. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I
  • B. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I
  • C. Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect
  • D. Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct

Q7. Consider the following assertion: The notification permitting E100 vehicles will not, by itself, make the use of E100 widespread in India. Which of the following statements support/supports the above assertion?

  1. E100 can be used only in vehicles designed and certified for it by manufacturers, and such models must first reach the market.
  2. Motorists can buy E100 only where oil marketing companies have set up dispensing for it at retail outlets.
  3. Ethanol supply depends on feedstocks such as sugarcane and grains, whose availability varies with harvests and food-security priorities.
  • A. 2 and 3 only
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 1 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q8. With reference to replacing petrol with higher shares of ethanol, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Ethanol has a lower energy content per litre than petrol, so covering a given distance generally needs more litres of a high-ethanol fuel.
  2. Substituting domestically produced ethanol for petrol refined from imported crude reduces foreign exchange outgo on oil imports.
  3. Ethanol's higher octane number means each litre of ethanol-blended fuel carries more energy than a litre of petrol.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1 and 3 only
  • C. 1, 2 and 3
  • D. 2 only