UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — A.P. and the next El Niño challenge

Q1. With reference to the Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority (APSDMA) and the statutory framework it belongs to, consider the following statements. Which of the above is/are NOT correct?

  1. APSDMA was set up in the aftermath of the 2015 heat wave, in which Andhra Pradesh recorded the largest heat-related death toll of any Indian State.
  2. A State Disaster Management Authority is a statutory body owing its existence to the Disaster Management Act, 2005.
  3. The State Disaster Management Authority of a State is chaired ex officio by the Governor of that State.
  4. Following the Disaster Management (Amendment) Act, 2025, the State Disaster Management Authority — rather than the State Executive Committee — prepares the State disaster management plan.
  • A. 1 and 3
  • B. 2 and 4
  • C. 1, 2 and 4
  • D. 3 only

Q2. The Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority draws its statutory existence and its ex officio chairperson from which one of the following arrangements?

  • A. It is constituted under the Disaster Management Act, 2005 and is chaired ex officio by the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh
  • B. It is constituted under the Disaster Management Act, 2005 and is chaired ex officio by the Chief Secretary of Andhra Pradesh
  • C. It is constituted by an executive resolution of the State Cabinet and is chaired by the State Minister for Revenue and Disaster Management
  • D. It is constituted under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 and is chaired ex officio by the Governor of Andhra Pradesh

Q3. The monthly ENSO/Indian Ocean Dipole bulletin and the long-range monsoon forecasts of the India Meteorological Department are generated principally with the help of which one of the following forecasting systems?

  • A. Monsoon Mission Climate Forecasting System (MMCFS)
  • B. Pratyush high-performance computing system
  • C. Sagar Vani integrated information dissemination system
  • D. Meghdoot agro-advisory platform

Q4. In the context of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation, El Niño is most precisely defined as which one of the following?

  • A. The warm phase of ENSO, marked by an abnormal warming of sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean
  • B. The cool phase of ENSO, marked by cooler-than-usual sea surface temperatures in the east-central Pacific Ocean
  • C. The difference in sea surface temperature between the western and the south-eastern equatorial Indian Ocean
  • D. The seasonal reversal of the Walker circulation over the equatorial Atlantic Ocean

Q5. Consider the following statements comparing the 2015 heat wave in India with the years that followed it in Andhra Pradesh. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. In 2015 roughly 2,300 heat-related deaths were reported nationally, with the toll concentrated in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Punjab, Odisha and Bihar.
  2. Andhra Pradesh recorded the single largest State-wise heat-wave death toll in the country in 2015, of the order of 1,369 deaths.
  3. In the years immediately after the State disaster management authority became operational, Andhra Pradesh's annual heat-wave death toll rose steadily above its 2015 level.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q6. In its updated Long Range Forecast for the 2026 southwest monsoon, the India Meteorological Department put the forecast probability of El Niño conditions developing in the equatorial Pacific during the season at approximately how much?

  • A. 45 per cent
  • B. 60 per cent
  • C. 84 per cent
  • D. 92 per cent

Q7. According to the India Meteorological Department's updated Long Range Forecast for the 2026 southwest monsoon season, which single rainfall category carries the highest forecast probability for the country as a whole?

  • A. Deficient rainfall
  • B. Below-normal rainfall
  • C. Normal rainfall
  • D. Above-normal rainfall

Q8. Consider the following statements regarding the criteria used by the India Meteorological Department to declare a heat wave and a severe heat wave. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. A heat wave is considered only if the maximum temperature of a station reaches at least 40°C in the plains and at least 30°C in hilly regions.
  2. A departure of 4.5°C to 6.4°C above the normal maximum temperature qualifies as a heat wave, while a departure exceeding 6.4°C qualifies as a severe heat wave.
  3. For coastal stations, the threshold maximum temperature above which a severe heat wave is declared is 45°C.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q9. The technical criteria on the basis of which a 'heat wave' and a 'severe heat wave' are declared for a station in India are laid down by which one of the following?

  • A. The India Meteorological Department, under the Ministry of Earth Sciences
  • B. The National Disaster Management Authority, under the Ministry of Home Affairs
  • C. The National Crisis Management Committee, headed by the Cabinet Secretary
  • D. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, under the National Action Plan on Climate Change

Q10. Consider the following statements about the institutional architecture of disaster management in India as it stands after the Disaster Management (Amendment) Act, 2025. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Under the Disaster Management Act, 2005, the National Disaster Management Authority is chaired by the Prime Minister, while a District Disaster Management Authority is chaired by the District Collector or District Magistrate.
  2. The 2025 amendment enables State Governments to constitute Urban Disaster Management Authorities in State capitals and in cities having a Municipal Corporation, with the Municipal Commissioner as chairperson.
  3. The 2025 amendment transferred the responsibility of preparing the national and State disaster management plans from the National and State Disaster Management Authorities to the National and State Executive Committees.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q11. The national guidelines titled 'Preparation of Action Plan – Prevention and Management of Heat Wave', on which State and city Heat Action Plans in India are modelled, were issued by which authority and in which year?

  • A. The National Disaster Management Authority, in 2016, with a revised version in 2017
  • B. The India Meteorological Department, in 2016, as part of its impact-based forecasting framework
  • C. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, in 2015, following the Andhra Pradesh heat wave
  • D. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, in 2019, under the National Action Plan on Climate Change