UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — China is building launch pads near its nuclear missile silos in remote desert

Q1. With reference to the concepts of first-strike and second-strike in nuclear deterrence theory, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. A second-strike capability is a state's ability to launch a retaliatory nuclear attack after having absorbed an adversary's first strike.
  2. Mutual assured destruction (MAD) operates as a stable deterrent only when just one of the two adversaries possesses a secure second-strike capability.
  3. Dispersing and making nuclear forces mobile enhances their survivability against a disarming first strike.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 1 and 3 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q2. Satellite imagery analysed in 2026 revealed a desert military complex near China's Hami silo fields, assessed as designed to bolster China's second-strike (retaliatory) capability. Approximately how many launch pads for mobile missile launchers and air-defence batteries were identified in this complex?

  • A. More than 30
  • B. More than 50
  • C. More than 80
  • D. More than 120

Q3. With reference to China's three major intercontinental ballistic missile silo fields, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The Yumen silo field lies in Gansu province, whereas the Hami silo field lies in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.
  2. The Hami silo field is situated to the northwest of the Yumen silo field.
  3. The Ordos (Yulin) silo field is located within the Tibet Autonomous Region.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q4. The silos in China's Yumen, Hami and Ordos fields are built to house ICBMs. In this context, an 'intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM)' is best defined as:

  • A. A ballistic missile with a range generally exceeding 5,500 km, following an unpowered ballistic trajectory to strike targets on another continent
  • B. A cruise missile that flies at low altitude under continuous power, hugging the terrain to evade radar
  • C. A short-range, battlefield ballistic missile with a range below 1,000 km
  • D. A ballistic missile designed to be launched only from submerged submarines at medium range

Q5. With reference to the 'No First Use' (NFU) nuclear postures of India and China, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. China conducted its first nuclear test in 1964, and both China and India today maintain declared No First Use pledges.
  2. Pakistan, like India, formally maintains a declared No First Use nuclear doctrine.
  3. India couples its No First Use posture with a doctrine of credible minimum deterrence.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 1 and 3 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q6. Which one of the following was the first among the present nuclear-armed states to formally adopt a 'No First Use' nuclear policy?

  • A. China
  • B. India
  • C. United States
  • D. Russia (erstwhile Soviet Union)

Q7. The 'nuclear triad' distributes strategic forces across distinct delivery platforms. Which of the following are correctly identified as legs of the nuclear triad? Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles
  2. Submarine-launched ballistic missiles
  3. Strategic bomber aircraft carrying nuclear weapons
  4. Ground-based ballistic-missile-defence interceptors
  • A. 1, 2 and 3
  • B. 1, 2 and 4
  • C. 2, 3 and 4
  • D. 1, 3 and 4

Q8. Among the legs of the nuclear triad, which one is generally regarded as the most survivable platform and hence the most assured guarantor of a second-strike capability?

  • A. Land-based silo ICBMs
  • B. Sea-based ballistic-missile submarines (SSBNs)
  • C. Strategic bomber aircraft
  • D. Road-mobile air-defence batteries

Q9. With reference to the 2026 satellite-imagery assessment of China's new desert military infrastructure near the Hami silos, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The infrastructure is centred on two octagon-shaped installations built over roughly the past six years.
  2. Both octagon complexes lie to the southwest of the Hami silo fields, at distances of about 140 km and 230 km.
  3. The imagery indicated that the complex had rendered China's silo-based missiles obsolete and slated for decommissioning.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q10. SIPRI's 2025-26 assessment noted that India had, for the first time, 'deployed' some of its nuclear warheads. In SIPRI's terminology, 'deployed warheads' are best defined as:

  • A. Warheads placed on missiles or located on bases with operational forces
  • B. Warheads that have been retired and are awaiting dismantlement
  • C. The cumulative total of all warheads a state has ever manufactured
  • D. Warheads declared and offered for verification under an arms-control treaty

Q11. With reference to the international boundaries of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, consider the following countries claimed to share a land border with it: Which of the statements given above is/are NOT correct?

  1. Kazakhstan
  2. Nepal
  3. Afghanistan
  4. Mongolia
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 2 only
  • C. 2 and 4
  • D. 1 and 3

Q12. In the strategic context of the China-US nuclear relationship, a 'disarming first strike' — which China's new dispersed, mobile basing is designed to guard against — refers to:

  • A. A pre-emptive nuclear attack aimed at destroying an adversary's nuclear forces before they can be launched, thereby preventing retaliation
  • B. A nuclear strike directed primarily at an adversary's cities and population centres
  • C. A single, limited demonstration detonation intended only to signal political resolve
  • D. The mutual, treaty-based elimination of both sides' nuclear weapons