UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Govt. intervenes as shipping shocks expose container vulnerability

Q1. Under which of the following was the ₹10,000 crore Container Manufacturing (Assistance) Scheme announced?

  • A. Union Budget 2026-27, presented by Nirmala Sitharaman
  • B. Union Budget 2025-26, presented by Nirmala Sitharaman
  • C. Interim Budget 2024-25, presented by Nirmala Sitharaman
  • D. Union Budget 2026-27, presented by Piyush Goyal

Q2. Which single country accounts for the largest share — estimated at over 90% — of global shipping-container manufacturing?

  • A. China
  • B. South Korea
  • C. Vietnam
  • D. India

Q3. The first India-manufactured EXIM shipping container, built by the DCM Shriram Group and unveiled at Dadri, was produced in partnership with which global shipping line?

  • A. A.P. Moller-Maersk
  • B. Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC)
  • C. CMA CGM
  • D. Hapag-Lloyd

Q4. Following the Red Sea disruptions, which alternative became the de facto standard route for Asia-Europe container shipping, adding roughly 10-14 extra sailing days?

  • A. Around the Cape of Good Hope
  • B. Through the Panama Canal
  • C. Via the Northern Sea Route
  • D. Through the Strait of Malacca

Q5. The disruption of Red Sea shipping since late 2023, which forced carriers to reroute around the Cape of Good Hope, has been primarily attributed to attacks by which group?

  • A. Houthi forces based in Yemen
  • B. Al-Shabaab based in Somalia
  • C. The Islamic State (ISIS)
  • D. Somali maritime pirates

Q6. With reference to India's major ports, which of the following are correctly identified?

  1. Deendayal (Kandla) Port is located in the Gulf of Kutch in Gujarat.
  2. Jawaharlal Nehru Port (JNPT), India's largest container port, is located in Kerala.
  3. Cochin Port hosts India's largest International Container Transshipment Terminal.
  4. As of 2024, India has 14 major ports.
  • A. 1, 3 and 4 only
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 2, 3 and 4 only
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q7. In container shipping, the standard unit used to measure the cargo capacity of ships and ports, based on a 20-foot container, is known as which of the following?

  • A. Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit (TEU)
  • B. Forty-foot Equivalent Unit (FEU)
  • C. Deadweight Tonnage (DWT)
  • D. Gross Registered Tonnage (GRT)