UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — CIA was unable to predict Indian nuclear test

Q1. With reference to Operation Smiling Buddha, India's first nuclear test, consider the following statements. Which of the above is/are NOT correct?

  1. It was conducted at the Pokhran Test Range in Rajasthan.
  2. The nuclear device was designed under the leadership of Raja Ramanna.
  3. India's Ministry of External Affairs officially described it as a 'peaceful nuclear explosion'.
  4. The test was carried out during the prime ministership of Morarji Desai.
  • A. 1 and 2
  • B. 2 and 3
  • C. 3 only
  • D. 4 only

Q2. The nuclear device used in the 1974 Operation Smiling Buddha was developed and the test operationalised primarily by which one of the following organisations?

  • A. Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)
  • B. Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC)
  • C. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)
  • D. Physical Research Laboratory (PRL)

Q3. Consider the following statements about India's atomic energy institutions. Which of the above is/are correctly identified?

  1. Atomic Energy Commission — established in 1948 with Homi J. Bhabha as its first chairman.
  2. Department of Atomic Energy — created in 1954.
  3. Bhabha Atomic Research Centre — was originally set up as the Atomic Energy Establishment, Trombay.
  4. Atomic Energy Establishment, Trombay — was renamed as BARC in the year 1954.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3
  • B. 1 and 4 only
  • C. 2, 3 and 4
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q4. Consider the following statements comparing the Atomic Energy Commission of 1948 with the arrangements introduced in 1954. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The 1948 Commission functioned under the Department of Scientific Research, whereas the reconstituted 1954 Commission was placed under the Department of Atomic Energy.
  2. Homi Bhabha was the first chairman of the 1948 Commission and also served as secretary of the Department of Atomic Energy.
  3. Unlike the earlier set-up, the Department of Atomic Energy created in 1954 was headquartered in Mumbai (Bombay).
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q5. The CIA's internal 'Post-Mortem Report' examining the intelligence failure preceding India's May 1974 nuclear test was prepared for scrutiny by which one of the following bodies?

  • A. US Senate Foreign Relations Committee
  • B. US House Select Committee on Intelligence
  • C. United Nations Security Council
  • D. IAEA Board of Governors

Q6. According to the declassified 'Post-Mortem Report', which one of the following was identified as the principal consequence of the intelligence community's failure to anticipate the 1974 Indian test?

  • A. It denied the US government the option of mounting diplomatic or other initiatives to prevent the test
  • B. It caused the immediate cancellation of the Tarapur nuclear power agreement
  • C. It triggered India's expulsion from the International Atomic Energy Agency
  • D. It forced the United States to abandon the Non-Proliferation Treaty

Q7. The Nuclear Suppliers Group held its first meeting in London — earning it the nickname the 'London Club' — in which one of the following years?

  • A. 1974
  • B. 1975
  • C. 1968
  • D. 1978

Q8. Within the Government of India, engagement with the Nuclear Suppliers Group and the pursuit of India's membership application to it are coordinated primarily by which one of the following?

  • A. Ministry of Defence
  • B. Ministry of External Affairs
  • C. Department of Atomic Energy
  • D. Ministry of Home Affairs

Q9. Within India's Nuclear Command Authority, the Executive Council — which provides inputs for and executes decisions on the use of nuclear weapons — is headed by which one of the following?

  • A. The Prime Minister
  • B. The National Security Advisor
  • C. The Defence Minister
  • D. The Chief of Defence Staff

Q10. Consider the following statements comparing India's 1974 and 1998 nuclear tests. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Whereas the 1974 test was officially framed as a 'peaceful nuclear explosion', the 1998 Pokhran-II tests led India to declare itself a nuclear-weapon state.
  2. Both the 1974 test and the 1998 tests were conducted at the Pokhran range in Rajasthan.
  3. Pokhran-II in 1998 consisted of a single detonation, whereas the 1974 test involved five separate devices.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q11. Under the Non-Proliferation Treaty, a 'nuclear-weapon state' is one that manufactured and exploded a nuclear device before 1 January 1967. Which one of the following was the last country to qualify under this criterion?

  • A. France
  • B. China
  • C. United Kingdom
  • D. India

Q12. Consider the following statements on the evolution of the India-US civil nuclear relationship. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The 2008 India-US civil nuclear cooperation framework is governed by the '123 Agreement', named after Section 123 of the US Atomic Energy Act of 1954.
  2. The 2008 NSG waiver made India the only state not party to the NPT that is permitted to engage in civil nuclear commerce with the rest of the world.
  3. The SHANTI Bill of 2025 replaced India's earlier Atomic Energy Act of 1962 and the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act of 2010.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3