UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Op Sindoor demonstrated India’s firm resolve that terrorism epicentres are no longer immune to justifiable punishment: Raksha Mantri at SCO Defence Ministers’ Meeting in Kyrgyzstan

Q1. Which one of the following best describes Operation Sindoor as officially characterised by the Government of India?

  • A. A tri-services precision strike on nine terror infrastructure targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu & Kashmir in May 2025
  • B. A sustained ground offensive by the Indian Army to capture territory across the Line of Control
  • C. A naval blockade of Pakistani ports to interdict weapons meant for terror outfits
  • D. A counter-insurgency clearing operation confined to the Kashmir Valley

Q2. The Resistance Front (TRF), which claimed responsibility for the April 2025 Pahalgam attack, is best described as:

  • A. An offshoot/proxy of Lashkar-e-Taiba
  • B. A breakaway faction of Jaish-e-Mohammed
  • C. The armed wing of Hizbul Mujahideen
  • D. An affiliate of Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent

Q3. The Pahalgam terror attack that India cited as the trigger for Operation Sindoor took place in which month and year?

  • A. April 2025
  • B. May 2025
  • C. February 2025
  • D. April 2024

Q4. Which permanent organ of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation is specifically tasked with coordinating member states' cooperation against terrorism, separatism and extremism?

  • A. The Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS), Tashkent
  • B. The SCO Secretariat, Beijing
  • C. The Council of Heads of State
  • D. The SCO Interbank Consortium

Q5. Which Union ministry led India's participation at the 2026 SCO Defence Ministers' Meeting in Bishkek?

  • A. Ministry of Defence
  • B. Ministry of External Affairs
  • C. Ministry of Home Affairs
  • D. Cabinet Secretariat

Q6. Who led the Indian delegation to the SCO Defence Ministers' Meeting held at Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan on 28 April 2026?

  • A. Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh
  • B. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar
  • C. National Security Adviser Ajit Doval
  • D. Chief of Defence Staff

Q7. On the sidelines of the 2026 Bishkek SCO Defence Ministers' Meeting, how many indigenously-developed Bhishm Aarogya Maitri Health Cubes did India gift to the Kyrgyz side?

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

Q8. Operation Sindoor was operationalised as which of the following?

  • A. A joint tri-services action of the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force under the Ministry of Defence
  • B. An Indian Air Force operation carried out solely by fighter aircraft
  • C. An operation led by the National Security Guard
  • D. An operation conducted by the Border Security Force along the international boundary