UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi commissions three indigenously designed and built naval ships – INS Dunagiri, INS Sanshodhak and INS Agray at Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, Kolkata, West Bengal

Q1. With reference to the Indian Navy's Project 17A, of which the recently commissioned INS Dunagiri is a part, the term 'Project 17A' most precisely refers to a class of:

• A. Indigenous advanced stealth guided-missile frigates, built as a follow-on to the Project 17 Shivalik-class frigates
• B. Next-generation guided-missile destroyers built under Project 15B as a follow-on to the Kolkata class
• C. Anti-submarine warfare shallow-water corvettes built under Project 28 (Kamorta class)
• D. Diesel-electric attack submarines built under Project 75 (Kalvari class)

Q2. The seven frigates of Project 17A (Nilgiri class) are being constructed at two Indian shipyards. Under which pair of shipyards, and in what split, are these frigates being built?

• A. Four at Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd (MDL) and three at Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE)
• B. Four at Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE) and three at Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd (MDL)
• C. Four at Cochin Shipyard Ltd (CSL) and three at Hindustan Shipyard Ltd (HSL)
• D. Five at Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd (MDL) and two at Goa Shipyard Ltd (GSL)

Q3. With reference to the Survey Vessel (Large) project of the Indian Navy, consider the following ships. Which of the above are correctly identified as ships of the Survey Vessel (Large) project?

1. INS Sandhayak, the first ship of the project, commissioned at Visakhapatnam
2. INS Nirdeshak, the second ship of the project
3. INS Agray, which is the only frontline craft of the project
4. INS Sanshodhak, the fourth and last ship of the project

• A. 1 and 2
• B. 1, 2 and 4
• C. 3 and 4
• D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q4. Among the indigenous warships built by GRSE, which one belongs to the Nilgiri (Project 17A) class — the largest and most sophisticated class of guided-missile stealth frigate built by GRSE in its 65-year history?

• A. INS Dunagiri
• B. INS Agray
• C. INS Sanshodhak
• D. INS Anjadip

Q5. Among the three indigenously built naval ships commissioned by the Prime Minister at Kolkata in June 2026, which one has the highest indigenous content by cost, exceeding 80%?

• A. INS Dunagiri
• B. INS Sanshodhak
• C. INS Agray
• D. INS Nilgiri

Q6. With reference to the three indigenous naval ships commissioned at Kolkata in June 2026, consider the following statements: 1. INS Dunagiri is a Project 17A (Nilgiri class) stealth frigate. 2. INS Sanshodhak is a Survey Vessel (Large) used for hydrographic work. 3. INS Agray is an Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft. 4. All three ships were built by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited, Mumbai. Which of the above is/are correctly identified?

1. INS Dunagiri is a Project 17A (Nilgiri class) stealth frigate.
2. INS Sanshodhak is a Survey Vessel (Large) used for hydrographic work.
3. INS Agray is an Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft.
4. All three ships were built by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited, Mumbai.

• A. 1, 2 and 3
• B. 1 and 4 only
• C. 2, 3 and 4
• D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q7. The Port of Calcutta (now Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port) first came to be governed by a Board of Commissioners/Trust in 1870 under which one of the following enactments?

• A. Act V of 1870
• B. Indian Ports Act, 1908
• C. Major Port Trusts Act, 1963
• D. Major Port Authorities Act, 2021

Q8. Under the contract signed between the Ministry of Defence and Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE) for the Arnala class Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft (ASW-SWC) — of which INS Agray is a part — how many such craft were ordered to be built?

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

Q9. Among the Project 17A (Nilgiri-class) frigates inducted in 2025-26, which one was specifically noted at its commissioning as the 100th ship designed by the Indian Navy's Warship Design Bureau (WDB)?

• A. INS Udaygiri
• B. INS Himgiri
• C. INS Mahendragiri
• D. INS Dunagiri

Q10. Project 17A frigates such as INS Udaygiri and INS Himgiri are described as capable of operating in 'Blue Water' conditions. In naval terminology, 'Blue Water' capability precisely denotes the ability to:

• A. Operate across deep open oceans far from the home coastline, executing the full spectrum of maritime missions
• B. Operate only in shallow coastal and harbour-approach waters for territorial defence
• C. Operate primarily in littoral zones and river estuaries close to shore
• D. Operate exclusively in polar and ice-bound waters with reinforced hulls