Current Affairs MCQs for UPSC Prelims — May 2026

Q1. Which one of the following aircraft of the Indian Air Force was used to airlift the sacred relics from Delhi to Mongolia on 30 May 2026?

  • A. IL-76 'Gajraj'
  • B. C-17 Globemaster III
  • C. C-130J Super Hercules
  • D. An-32

Q2. Admiral Krishna Swaminathan is the 27th holder of which single office, the professional head and highest-ranking uniformed officer of the Indian Navy?

  • A. Chief of the Naval Staff
  • B. Vice Chief of the Naval Staff
  • C. Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Naval Command
  • D. Chief of Defence Staff

Q3. The CPI(M)-led Left Front that governed West Bengal from 1977 to 2011 is most notably distinguished as which one of the following?

  • A. The longest-serving democratically elected communist government in the world
  • B. India's first elected communist State government
  • C. The first non-Congress government formed in independent India
  • D. The longest-serving coalition government at the Union level

Q4. In the 2026 West Bengal Assembly election, to how many seats was the outgoing Trinamool Congress reduced?

  • A. 80
  • B. 118
  • C. 164
  • D. 211

Q5. Under the National Sports Governance Act, 2025, disputes concerning selection and eligibility of athletes set by national sports federations are, as a rule, to be adjudicated primarily by which one of the following?

  • A. The National Sports Board
  • B. The National Sports Tribunal
  • C. The Court of Arbitration for Sport, Lausanne
  • D. The High Court exercising Article 226 jurisdiction

Q6. Vinesh Phogat is distinguished as the first Indian woman wrestler to achieve which one of the following?

  • A. Win an Olympic wrestling gold medal
  • B. Reach an Olympic wrestling final
  • C. Win a World Wrestling Championship gold medal
  • D. Win an Asian Games wrestling gold medal

Q7. Vinesh Phogat's appeal against her disqualification from the 50 kg final at the 2024 Paris Olympics was ultimately rejected by which one of the following authorities?

  • A. The International Olympic Committee
  • B. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS)
  • C. United World Wrestling
  • D. The Wrestling Federation of India

Q8. The awarding of hosting rights and the overall governance of the Asian Games, including the 2026 edition at Aichi-Nagoya, is the responsibility of which one of the following bodies?

  • A. The International Olympic Committee (IOC)
  • B. The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA)
  • C. The Asian Athletics Association (AAA)
  • D. The Indian Olympic Association (IOA)

Q9. The 2026 Asian Games to be held at Aichi-Nagoya will feature how many sports in all?

  • A. 32
  • B. 40
  • C. 41
  • D. 45

Q10. Which one of the following, for the first time, created a statutory authority empowered to grant recognition to National Sports Federations in India?

  • A. The National Sports Development Code, 2011
  • B. The National Sports Governance Act, 2025
  • C. The Sports Authority of India (established 1984)
  • D. The Indian Olympic Association Constitution, 1927

Q11. The National Sports Board constituted under the National Sports Governance Act, 2025 consists of a Chairperson and how many other Members?

  • A. Two
  • B. Four
  • C. Six
  • D. Eight

Q12. The Supreme Court's Victim Protection Plan is expressly anchored in a fixed set of guiding principles (including non-criminalisation and informed consent). How many such guiding principles underpin the Plan?

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

Q13. The Victim Protection Plan laid down by the Supreme Court follows a six-stage lifecycle for trafficking survivors. Which one of the following is the FIRST stage of this framework?

  • A. Rescue
  • B. Pre-rescue
  • C. Rehabilitation
  • D. Prosecution

Q14. The Supreme Court noted that the Prajwala matter had been pending before it for over two decades. Reckoned from its filing to the final 2026 judgment, the litigation spanned approximately how many years?

  • A. 16 years
  • B. 18 years
  • C. 22 years
  • D. 26 years

Q15. With reference to the litigation timeline of the Prajwala case, consider the following statements. Which of the above is/are NOT correct?

  1. The writ petition was filed in 2004.
  2. An earlier order in the same matter was passed on 9 December 2015.
  3. The 2015 order was passed by a Bench that included Justice Madan B. Lokur.
  4. The final judgment was delivered in 2024, exactly twenty years after the petition was filed.
  • A. 4 only
  • B. 3 only
  • C. 2 and 4
  • D. 1 and 3

Q16. With reference to the 2026 Prajwala v. Union of India judgment, consider the following statements. Which of the above is/are NOT correct?

  1. The judgment is cited as 2026 INSC 609.
  2. It was pronounced on 29 May 2026.
  3. Prajwala is a Hyderabad-based anti-trafficking NGO.
  4. The judgment established a statutory 'National Anti-Trafficking Bureau' as a permanent central body.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 4 only
  • C. 2 and 3
  • D. 1 and 4

Q17. With reference to the security dimension of the 2026 Iran war and the US command overseeing it, consider the following statements: 1. During the 2026 Iran war, Iranian retaliatory strikes hit US installations across several Gulf states, including Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and the UAE. 2. US Central Command (CENTCOM), which directed US operations in the 2026 Iran conflict, was the same combatant command that had earlier overseen the 1991 Gulf War (Operation Desert Storm). 3. Operation Epic Fury (2026) targeted Iran, exactly as Operation Iraqi Freedom (2003) had also targeted Iran. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. During the 2026 Iran war, Iranian retaliatory strikes hit US installations across several Gulf states, including Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and the UAE.
  2. US Central Command (CENTCOM), which directed US operations in the 2026 Iran conflict, was the same combatant command that had earlier overseen the 1991 Gulf War (Operation Desert Storm).
  3. Operation Epic Fury (2026) targeted Iran, exactly as Operation Iraqi Freedom (2003) had also targeted Iran.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q18. On the Iranian side, the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding of 17 June 2026 was signed by which one of the following, acting as Iran's Head of State?

  • A. Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei
  • B. President Masoud Pezeshkian
  • C. Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf
  • D. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi

Q19. In the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding signed on 17 June 2026, what does the stipulated '60-day' period specifically denote?

  • A. The window within which the US and Iran were to negotiate a final agreement on Iran's unresolved nuclear programme
  • B. The period within which Iran had to clear all mines it had laid in the Strait of Hormuz
  • C. The duration for which US oil sanctions on Iran were to be permanently lifted
  • D. The fixed term of office granted to the Pakistani mediation team

Q20. The June 2026 Memorandum of Understanding that sought to formally end the 2026 Iran war was brokered, and its finalisation announced, by the head of government of which country, which alone hosted the direct US–Iran talks that preceded it?

  • A. Oman
  • B. Qatar
  • C. Pakistan
  • D. Switzerland

Q21. Which one of the following events marked the very outbreak of the 2026 Iran war, chronologically preceding every other listed milestone?

  • A. The direct US–Iran talks held at Islamabad on 11–12 April 2026
  • B. The US–Israel opening strikes on Iran of 28 February 2026 (Operation Epic Fury)
  • C. The first US–Iran ceasefire of 7–8 April 2026
  • D. The signing of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding on 17 June 2026

Q22. The contractual disputes between Amazon and Future Group over the 2019 investment agreement were to be arbitrated under the rules of which one of the following institutions?

  • A. Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC)
  • B. London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA)
  • C. International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), Paris
  • D. Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA), The Hague

Q23. In the Amazon–Future–Reliance dispute, which one of the following was the first legal step Amazon took to block Future Group's proposed sale of retail assets to Reliance Retail?

  • A. Invoking emergency arbitration before the Singapore International Arbitration Centre
  • B. Filing a complaint before the Competition Commission of India
  • C. Moving the Supreme Court against the deal
  • D. Filing a suit before the Delhi High Court

Q24. With reference to the Supreme Court's May 2026 judgment in the Amazon–Future Coupons matter, consider the following statements: 1. The Court set aside the Rs 202-crore penalty imposed on Amazon by the CCI. 2. The Bench comprised Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta. 3. The Court also set aside the NCLAT order of June 2022 that had rejected Amazon's appeal. 4. The Court held that any amount already recovered from Amazon need not be refunded. Which of the statements given above are correct?

  1. The Court set aside the Rs 202-crore penalty imposed on Amazon by the CCI.
  2. The Bench comprised Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta.
  3. The Court also set aside the NCLAT order of June 2022 that had rejected Amazon's appeal.
  4. The Court held that any amount already recovered from Amazon need not be refunded.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 2, 3 and 4
  • D. 1, 3 and 4

Q25. The May 2026 Supreme Court judgment setting aside the Rs 202-crore penalty on Amazon was delivered by a two-judge Bench. The judgment was authored by which one of the following judges?

  • A. Justice Vikram Nath
  • B. Justice Sandeep Mehta
  • C. Justice B.R. Gavai
  • D. Justice Surya Kant

Q26. As part of the 2026 Kharif preparedness exercise, how many districts has the Centre identified as vulnerable to a weak/deficient monsoon?

  • A. 111
  • B. 176
  • C. 315
  • D. 420

Q27. IMD's 2026 forecast places the seasonal southwest monsoon rainfall for the country as a whole at approximately what percentage of the Long Period Average?

  • A. 86%
  • B. 90%
  • C. 96%
  • D. 104%

Q28. According to IMD's 2026 southwest monsoon forecast, which one of the following regions is expected to be the LEAST affected, receiving rainfall closest to normal?

  • A. Northwest India
  • B. Central India
  • C. South Peninsular India
  • D. Northeast India

Q29. With reference to Vinesh Phogat's disqualification at the Paris 2024 Olympics, consider the following statements: 1. She was disqualified from the women's 50 kg final. 2. She was found to be 100 grams over the weight limit at the morning weigh-in. 3. The Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld her appeal and awarded her a joint-silver medal. 4. Sarah Hildebrandt of the USA won the gold medal in that category. Which of the above is/are NOT correct?

  1. She was disqualified from the women's 50 kg final.
  2. She was found to be 100 grams over the weight limit at the morning weigh-in.
  3. The Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld her appeal and awarded her a joint-silver medal.
  4. Sarah Hildebrandt of the USA won the gold medal in that category.
  • A. 1 and 2
  • B. 3 only
  • C. 3 and 4
  • D. 4 only

Q30. At the 2023 Asian Games, comprising one silver and the rest bronze, how many medals in all did Indian wrestlers win?

  • A. 4
  • B. 5
  • C. 6
  • D. 7