UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — A climate resilience pathway between India and China

Q1. With reference to the performance of the 2026 southwest monsoon over India, consider the following statements: 1. As of the last week of July 2026, cumulative all-India monsoon rainfall was about 16 per cent below normal. 2. Assam recorded flooding in about a dozen districts even while carrying a seasonal rainfall deficit of roughly 30 per cent. 3. Every district of Central India recorded excess rainfall, and the national shortfall was entirely on account of the peninsular region. 4. Regional departures from normal rainfall were uniform across the country, with no meteorological division departing by more than 5 per cent. Which of the above is/are correctly identified?

  1. As of the last week of July 2026, cumulative all-India monsoon rainfall was about 16 per cent below normal.
  2. Assam recorded flooding in about a dozen districts even while carrying a seasonal rainfall deficit of roughly 30 per cent.
  3. Every district of Central India recorded excess rainfall, and the national shortfall was entirely on account of the peninsular region.
  4. Regional departures from normal rainfall were uniform across the country, with no meteorological division departing by more than 5 per cent.
  • A. 1 and 2
  • B. 2 and 4
  • C. 1, 3 and 4
  • D. 3 only

Q2. Consider the following statements comparing the India Meteorological Department's seasonal outlooks for the 2025 and 2026 southwest monsoons: 1. The 2025 season was forecast at 105 per cent of the Long Period Average, whereas the 2026 season was forecast at about 92 per cent of the Long Period Average. 2. Neutral ENSO conditions were expected to persist through the 2025 monsoon season, whereas El Niño was expected to develop during the course of the 2026 season. 3. In the months preceding both seasons, Northern Hemisphere snow cover was above normal, a condition that IMD associates with a stronger Indian summer monsoon. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The 2025 season was forecast at 105 per cent of the Long Period Average, whereas the 2026 season was forecast at about 92 per cent of the Long Period Average.
  2. Neutral ENSO conditions were expected to persist through the 2025 monsoon season, whereas El Niño was expected to develop during the course of the 2026 season.
  3. In the months preceding both seasons, Northern Hemisphere snow cover was above normal, a condition that IMD associates with a stronger Indian summer monsoon.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1 and 3 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q3. In the flooding that struck southern China in early July 2026, the single largest cluster of deaths occurred at which one of the following places, following the partial collapse of a reservoir dam?

  • A. Guigang city in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region
  • B. Hengzhou city in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region
  • C. Coastal Fujian province, where Typhoon Bavi later made landfall
  • D. Central Hubei province, struck by thunderstorms and tornadoes

Q4. As reported on 9 July 2026, how many deaths had been attributed to the flooding caused by the tropical storm over southern China, excluding the separate severe-weather fatalities in central China?

  • A. Nine
  • B. Eleven
  • C. Twenty-six
  • D. Thirty-nine

Q5. Official-level consultations between India and China on border affairs, bringing together diplomatic and military officials of the two sides and serviced by the Ministry of External Affairs, are conducted under which one of the following mechanisms?

  • A. The Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs
  • B. The Expert Level Mechanism on Trans-border Rivers between India and China
  • C. The India-China Joint Group of Economists under the Strategic Economic Dialogue
  • D. The India-China High Level Mechanism on People-to-People Exchanges

Q6. When India took over the Chair of the Asian Disaster Preparedness Centre in July 2024, it succeeded which one of the following countries in that position?

  • A. Thailand
  • B. Bangladesh
  • C. China
  • D. The Philippines

Q7. How many National Missions constitute India's National Action Plan on Climate Change, the umbrella framework under which its adaptation and mitigation programmes are organised?

  • A. Five
  • B. Six
  • C. Eight
  • D. Eleven

Q8. Which one of the following has been designated the National Implementing Entity for the National Adaptation Fund for Climate Change, receiving project funds in instalments for release to State projects?

  • A. The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development
  • B. The National Disaster Management Authority
  • C. The National Institution for Transforming India
  • D. The Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency

Q9. The operational Long Range Forecast for southwest monsoon seasonal rainfall, issued in two stages in April and at the end of May, is prepared by which one of the following?

  • A. The Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services under the Ministry of Earth Sciences
  • B. The India Meteorological Department under the Ministry of Earth Sciences
  • C. The Central Water Commission under the Ministry of Earth Sciences
  • D. The India Meteorological Department under the Ministry of Science and Technology

Q10. Which one of the following monitors over 900 glacial lakes and water bodies in the Indian Himalaya and has finalised the criteria for risk indexing of glacial lakes?

  • A. The Geological Survey of India, under the Ministry of Mines
  • B. The Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, under the Department of Science and Technology
  • C. The Central Water Commission, under the Ministry of Jal Shakti
  • D. The National Remote Sensing Centre, under the Department of Space