UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Glacial collapse unlikely to halt China’s plan to build mega dam

Q1. The Brahmaputra Board, the statutory body that prepares the Master Plan for flood control, anti-erosion works and drainage improvement in the valley of the river and its tributaries, was constituted under a Central Act enacted in which year?

  • A. 1956
  • B. 1976
  • C. 1980
  • D. 1986

Q2. In the upper course of the river in Tibet, the local name 'Tsangpo' carries which of the following meanings?

  • A. The Purifier
  • B. The Son of Brahma
  • C. The Great Bend
  • D. The Red River

Q3. With reference to the Yarlung Zangbo Lower Reaches Hydropower Project, consider the following: 1. Great Bend, Medog/Nyingchi, Tibet — the location of the project site 2. Zangmu Hydropower Station — an earlier Chinese hydropower station on the same river 3. Li Qiang — the Chinese Premier who announced the start of construction at the groundbreaking ceremony 4. Siang Upper Multipurpose Project — one of the cascade stations of this Chinese project Which of the above is/are correctly identified?

  1. Great Bend, Medog/Nyingchi, Tibet — the location of the project site
  2. Zangmu Hydropower Station — an earlier Chinese hydropower station on the same river
  3. Li Qiang — the Chinese Premier who announced the start of construction at the groundbreaking ceremony
  4. Siang Upper Multipurpose Project — one of the cascade stations of this Chinese project
  • A. 1 and 3 only
  • B. 1, 2 and 3
  • C. 2 and 4
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q4. Consider the following statements about the Yarlung Zangbo Lower Reaches Hydropower Project: 1. Chinese approval for its construction was announced in December 2024. 2. It is designed as a single run-of-the-river station without any cascade development. 3. Construction formally commenced with a ceremony held in July 2025. 4. Its planned annual electricity generation is of the order of 300 billion kWh. Which of the above is/are NOT correct?

  1. Chinese approval for its construction was announced in December 2024.
  2. It is designed as a single run-of-the-river station without any cascade development.
  3. Construction formally commenced with a ceremony held in July 2025.
  4. Its planned annual electricity generation is of the order of 300 billion kWh.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1, 3 and 4
  • D. 2 only

Q5. India's participation in the bilateral Expert Level Mechanism with China on trans-border rivers is led on the Indian side by an officer of which of the following?

  • A. Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Jal Shakti
  • B. East Asia Division of the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India
  • C. National Disaster Management Authority under the Ministry of Home Affairs
  • D. India Meteorological Department under the Ministry of Earth Sciences

Q6. Which one of the following is the principal standing bilateral institutional mechanism through which India and China discuss cooperation on trans-border rivers?

  • A. The Permanent Indus Commission constituted under a 1960 treaty
  • B. The Expert Level Mechanism agreed through a 2006 Joint Declaration
  • C. The Joint Rivers Commission dealing with common border rivers
  • D. The Joint Committee of the Mekong River Commission

Q7. Under the Indus Waters Treaty, 1960, a 'question' arising on the implementation of the treaty is, in the first instance, to be handled by which one of the following?

  • A. The Permanent Indus Commission, with one Commissioner from each country
  • B. A Neutral Expert appointed with the assistance of the World Bank
  • C. An ad hoc Court of Arbitration constituted by the two parties
  • D. The Indus Basin Development Fund administered by the World Bank

Q8. The National Disaster Management Authority has integrated the findings of various agencies into a consolidated and dynamic list of high-risk glacial lakes in the Indian Himalayan region. Approximately how many lakes does this list contain?

  • A. 56
  • B. 128
  • C. 195
  • D. 275

Q9. The Siang Upper Multipurpose Project proposed in Arunachal Pradesh, for which NHPC was directed to carry out a pre-feasibility survey, has a planned installed capacity of about how many megawatts?

  • A. 2,000 MW
  • B. 5,600 MW
  • C. 11,000 MW
  • D. 22,000 MW

Q10. The Eastern Himalayan Syntaxis, acknowledged as one of the most seismically active regions in the world, lies mainly within which one of the following Indian States and its adjoining borderlands?

  • A. Sikkim
  • B. Arunachal Pradesh
  • C. Nagaland
  • D. Uttarakhand

Q11. In the context of China's energy and climate policy under its 15th Five-Year Plan, the expression 'dual carbon' goals refers to which one of the following?

  • A. Peaking carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality by 2060
  • B. Halving carbon intensity by 2030 and reaching net-zero for all greenhouse gases by 2050
  • C. Peaking coal consumption by 2030 and completely phasing out coal-fired power by 2060
  • D. Doubling carbon-market coverage by 2030 and carbon-capture capacity by 2060