UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — INDEX OF EIGHT CORE INDUSTRIES (BASE YEAR: 2011-12=100) FOR MARCH, 2026

Q1. The infrastructure-output index released monthly by the Office of the Economic Adviser, and popularly cited as a lead indicator of industrial activity, tracks the production of how many core industries?

  • A. Six
  • B. Seven
  • C. Eight
  • D. Nine

Q2. The current base year of the Index of Eight Core Industries (2011-12=100) was adopted in alignment with the revised series of which one of the following?

  • A. Wholesale Price Index (WPI)
  • B. Index of Industrial Production (IIP)
  • C. Consumer Price Index (CPI)
  • D. Gross Value Added (GVA) series

Q3. In the expression 'Index of Eight Core Industries (Base Year: 2011-12=100)', what does the term '2011-12=100' precisely denote?

  • A. 2011-12 is the reference year whose production level is set at 100, against which every later month's output is measured
  • B. 2011-12 is the year in which combined core-sector output first crossed a value of 100
  • C. The eight core industries together grew by 100 per cent in 2011-12
  • D. The index cannot exceed a maximum value of 100 in any month after 2011-12

Q4. The Index of Eight Core Industries combines the eight industries using fixed base-year weights. Which index-number formula is used to aggregate them?

  • A. Paasche's formula
  • B. Fisher's ideal formula
  • C. Laspeyres formula
  • D. Marshall-Edgeworth formula

Q5. The sectoral weights currently in force in the ICI — Petroleum Refinery Products 28.04, Electricity 19.85, Steel 17.92 and so on — belong to which base year?

  • A. 1993-94
  • B. 1999-2000
  • C. 2004-05
  • D. 2011-12

Q6. Under the current 2011-12 series the eight core industries account for 40.27 per cent of the IIP. Under the earlier 2004-05 base-year series, what share of the IIP did they account for?

  • A. 26.7 per cent
  • B. 37.9 per cent
  • C. 40.27 per cent
  • D. 45.5 per cent

Q7. Within the Index of Eight Core Industries, which single industry carries the highest weight?

  • A. Electricity
  • B. Steel
  • C. Petroleum Refinery Products
  • D. Coal

Q8. The Index of Core Industries expanded from six industries to eight when two industries — Natural Gas and Fertilizers — were added. This expansion coincided with the adoption of which base year?

  • A. 1993-94
  • B. 1999-2000
  • C. 2004-05
  • D. 2011-12

Q9. In the provisional Index of Eight Core Industries for March 2026, how many of the eight industries recorded negative (year-on-year) growth?

  • A. Two
  • B. Three
  • C. Four
  • D. Five

Q10. Unlike the Index of Eight Core Industries, which is released by the Office of the Economic Adviser (Ministry of Commerce & Industry), the Index of Industrial Production (IIP) is released by which one of the following?

  • A. Reserve Bank of India
  • B. NITI Aayog
  • C. National Statistical Office (MoSPI)
  • D. Office of the Economic Adviser