UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — New LPG connections still on hold amid West Asia tensions
Q1. Consider the following statements comparing major maritime chokepoints:
1. The Strait of Malacca, which links the Andaman Sea with the South China Sea, accounts for about 30 per cent of all global trade.
2. The Strait of Hormuz is the only sea channel linking the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman, and about a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas passes through it.
3. Bab el-Mandeb is the busiest of these chokepoints in global oil trade, ranking ahead of both the Strait of Hormuz and the Strait of Malacca.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- The Strait of Malacca, which links the Andaman Sea with the South China Sea, accounts for about 30 per cent of all global trade.
- The Strait of Hormuz is the only sea channel linking the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman, and about a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas passes through it.
- Bab el-Mandeb is the busiest of these chokepoints in global oil trade, ranking ahead of both the Strait of Hormuz and the Strait of Malacca.
- A. 1 and 2 only
- B. 2 and 3 only
- C. 1 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3
Q2. Musandam, which forms the southern shore of the Strait of Hormuz, is best described as which one of the following?
- A. An exclave of Oman on the Arabian Peninsula, cut off from the rest of Omani territory by the United Arab Emirates
- B. An enclave of the United Arab Emirates lying wholly surrounded by the territory of the Sultanate of Oman
- C. A condominium on the Arabian Peninsula jointly administered by Oman and Iran under a bilateral seabed agreement
- D. An island group belonging to Iran situated at the mouth of the Persian Gulf close to the island of Qeshm
Q3. As stated by the Government of India in 2026, approximately what proportion of India's imported LPG transits the Strait of Hormuz?
- A. About 40 per cent
- B. About 60 per cent
- C. About 75 per cent
- D. About 90 per cent
Q4. In India's LPG supply balance, the portion of consumption described as met from 'domestic production' consists principally of which one of the following?
- A. Propane and butane streams recovered as by-products at refineries and at natural gas processing and fractionation units
- B. Propane brought in under long-term term contracts and bottled at the oil marketing companies' domestic bottling plants
- C. Cooking gas produced by city gas distribution entities such as IGL and MGL from piped natural gas supplied to households
- D. Cooking gas blended from kerosene and naphtha at petrochemical complexes for supply to subsidised domestic consumers
Q5. Which one of the following bodies, an attached office of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, handles the administration of the LPG subsidy under PAHAL and maintains the oil and gas data bank?
- A. Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell
- B. Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board
- C. Directorate General of Hydrocarbons
- D. Oil Industry Development Board
Q6. PAHAL (DBTL) has been entered in the Guinness World Records as the world's largest programme of which one of the following kinds?
- A. Cash transfer programme measured by the number of households covered
- B. Cooking-fuel subsidy programme measured by the number of cylinders delivered
- C. Biometric enrolment programme measured by the number of residents registered
- D. Food-grain distribution programme measured by the number of ration cards served
Q7. For the financial year 2025-26, the Union Cabinet approved continuation of the targeted subsidy of Rs 300 per 14.2-kg cylinder to Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana beneficiaries for up to how many refills in a year?
- A. 6 refills
- B. 9 refills
- C. 12 refills
- D. 15 refills
Q8. With reference to the categories of households eligible for a connection under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, consider the following:
1. Tea garden and ex-tea garden tribe households
2. Beneficiaries of the Antyodaya Anna Yojana
3. Residents of islands and river islands
4. Beneficiaries of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban)
Which of the above is/are correctly identified?
- Tea garden and ex-tea garden tribe households
- Beneficiaries of the Antyodaya Anna Yojana
- Residents of islands and river islands
- Beneficiaries of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban)
- A. 1 and 3 only
- B. 2 and 4 only
- C. 1, 2 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2, 3 and 4
Q9. Under the Natural Gas Control Order issued in March 2026 in response to the West Asia conflict, which one of the following was placed at the top of the priority order, with supply maintained at 100 per cent without any cut?
- A. Domestic piped natural gas for households and CNG for the transport sector
- B. Fertiliser plants drawing natural gas as feedstock from the national gas grid
- C. Refineries and petrochemical units drawing natural gas from the national gas grid
- D. Tea processing units and other industrial consumers connected to the gas grid
Q10. With reference to the strategic petroleum reserve facilities already established by Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserves Limited (ISPRL), consider the following:
1. Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh — 1.33 MMT
2. Mangaluru, Karnataka — 1.5 MMT
3. Padur, Karnataka — 2.5 MMT
4. Chandikhol, Odisha — 4 MMT
Which of the above is/are correctly identified?
- Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh — 1.33 MMT
- Mangaluru, Karnataka — 1.5 MMT
- Padur, Karnataka — 2.5 MMT
- Chandikhol, Odisha — 4 MMT
- A. 1 and 4 only
- B. 2 and 3 only
- C. 1, 2 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2, 3 and 4
Q11. In which year was the Act enacted that constituted India's downstream regulator for the refining, transportation, distribution and marketing of petroleum products and natural gas, and empowered the Central Government to appoint its Chairperson and members?
- A. 1998
- B. 2002
- C. 2006
- D. 2016
Q12. According to the Government, the number of active domestic LPG consumers in the country as on 1 March 2025 was closest to which one of the following?
- A. 22.9 crore
- B. 28.9 crore
- C. 32.9 crore
- D. 38.9 crore