Current Affairs MCQs for UPSC Prelims — August 2026

Question 1

The magnitude-5.2 signal registered by the United States Geological Survey at the time of the August 2026 Rasuwa disaster is best understood as which one of the following?

Accepted Answer

The seismic signature produced by the mass movement of ice and rock itself, rather than by any tectonic event

Answer

A tectonic rupture along the Main Central Thrust which, in turn, dislodged the ice mass from the slope above

Answer

An aftershock of the 2015 earthquake, which alone had destabilised every slope in the surrounding catchment

Answer

Ground shaking generated entirely by the sudden collapse of the debris barrier obstructing the Lhende Khola

Question 2

In the assessment of damage from the Bhote Koshi–Trishuli flash flood of August 2026, how many motorable bridges were reported destroyed?

Accepted Answer

35

Answer

25

Answer

45

Answer

55

Question 3

With reference to the petition against the Marathi-language condition for commercial passenger-vehicle permits decided by the Bombay High Court, consider the following:
1. It was filed by four drivers attached to an app-based cab aggregator.
2. The Court held the amended State rules to be ultra vires the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 and set them aside.
3. The State told the Court that all auto-rickshaw, taxi and cab drivers would be given one year to acquire working knowledge of Marathi.
4. The Court permanently restrained the transport department from taking any action whatsoever against non-compliant drivers.
Which of the above is/are correctly identified?

Accepted Answer

1 and 3

Answer

2 and 4

Answer

1, 3 and 4

Answer

2 and 3 only

Question 4

The Division Bench of the Bombay High Court that disposed of the petition against the Marathi-language condition for commercial drivers was presided over by which one of the following?

Accepted Answer

Acting Chief Justice Ravindra Ghuge

Answer

Justice Gautam Ankhad

Answer

Chief Justice Alok Aradhe

Answer

Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya

Question 5

With reference to the demands pressed by the Andhra Pradesh Junior Doctors' Association during its August 2026 agitation, consider the following:
1. A 30% hike in stipends, sought with effect from January 2026.
2. Withdrawal of the proposal to raise the retirement age of senior government doctors from 62 to 65 years.
3. Recruitment of MSc and PhD candidates as assistant professors strictly in accordance with National Medical Commission norms.
4. Extension of the District Residency Programme posting for postgraduate students from three months to six months.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Accepted Answer

1, 2 and 3 only

Answer

1 and 2 only

Answer

2, 3 and 4 only

Answer

1, 3 and 4 only

Question 6

Consider the following statements about the 2026 agitation by junior doctors in Andhra Pradesh:
1. In Phase II (12-15 August 2026) emergency services were completely boycotted, whereas the withdrawal of non-emergency services began only on 17 August 2026.
2. The agitation was called off on 25 August 2026 after sixteen days, and doctors resumed duty from 26 August 2026.
3. The association leading the agitation represented about 9,000 doctors across 19 government medical colleges in the State.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Accepted Answer

2 and 3 only

Answer

1 and 2 only

Answer

1 and 3 only

Answer

1, 2 and 3

Question 7

India was placed 151st, an improvement from 159th the previous year, in the most recent edition of the World Press Freedom Index. Which one of the following correctly describes what this Index is?

Accepted Answer

An annual ranking of 180 countries and territories compiled by Reporters Without Borders

Answer

A biennial ranking of United Nations member States compiled by UNESCO for its World Trends report

Answer

An annual ranking of media plurality compiled by the International Federation of Journalists for its member unions

Answer

A periodic ranking of internet and media freedom compiled by the International Telecommunication Union

Question 8

In early 2021, First Information Reports were registered over tweets concerning the violence during the farmers' tractor rally in Delhi, naming a sitting Member of Parliament along with a group of journalists. How many journalists were named in those First Information Reports?

Accepted Answer

Six

Answer

Four

Answer

Five

Answer

Eight

Question 9

Consider the following statements regarding the Supreme Court's August 2026 interim order in the matter of journalist Abhishek Upadhyay:
1. The order was passed by a three-judge Bench of the Supreme Court.
2. The Commissioner of Police, Ghaziabad, was directed to file a compliance report before the next date of hearing.
3. While barring coercive action, the Court simultaneously quashed the First Information Report and transferred the investigation to the Central Bureau of Investigation.
4. Counsel for the petitioner submitted before the Court that he was seeking only a fair investigation and not quashing of the First Information Report at that stage.
Which of the above is/are NOT correct?

Accepted Answer

3 only

Answer

1 and 3 only

Answer

2 and 4 only

Answer

3 and 4 only

Question 10

With reference to the Supreme Court's 2026 interim order in favour of journalist Abhishek Upadhyay and the earlier 2024 round of litigation involving the same journalist, consider the following statements:
1. In the earlier 2024 proceedings the Supreme Court had granted the same journalist protection from arrest and observed that criminal cases should not be instituted merely because journalistic writing is perceived as criticism of the government.
2. The First Information Report that led to the 2026 interim order was registered by the Uttar Pradesh Police over an alleged road-rage incident in Ghaziabad and invoked provisions of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
3. Unlike the 2024 round, the protection granted in 2026 was confined strictly to the First Information Report already registered and did not extend to any fresh First Information Report.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Accepted Answer

1 and 2 only

Answer

2 only

Answer

1 and 3 only

Answer

1, 2 and 3

Question 11

With reference to the recruitment examinations at the centre of the 2026 Jharkhand agitation, which one of the following statements is correct?

Accepted Answer

The Combined Graduate Level examination is conducted by the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission, while the Civil Services examination that fills posts such as Deputy Collector is conducted by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission

Answer

Both the Combined Graduate Level examination and the Civil Services examination for posts such as Deputy Collector are conducted by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission, the Staff Selection Commission being confined to Group D posts

Answer

The Combined Graduate Level examination is conducted by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission, while appointments of food safety officers are made directly by the Jharkhand High Court on the basis of a separate merit list

Answer

Both examinations are conducted by the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission, the Jharkhand Public Service Commission functioning only as the appellate authority for examination grievances

Question 12

In August 2026, responding to the agitation in Ranchi over alleged irregularities in state recruitment examinations, the Government of Jharkhand issued notifications dealing with 44 examinations conducted since 2014. How many of these examinations were cancelled outright, the remainder being referred for investigation?

Accepted Answer

22

Answer

11

Answer

23

Answer

44

Question 13

Consider the following statements regarding the dharna held by the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha at the Parliament Street police station in August 2026:
1. It was held to demand registration of an FIR over pellet injuries suffered by Sahil Lochab at a students' protest against alleged irregularities in a national entrance examination.
2. Before going to the Parliament Street police station, the Leader of the Opposition had first approached the Mandir Marg police station along with the injured youth.
3. It followed a written complaint given by the injured youth on 14 August 2026, on which no FIR had been registered.
4. The police force manning the station where the dharna was held is administratively controlled entirely by the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi.
Which of the statements given above is/are correctly identified?

Accepted Answer

1, 2 and 3 only

Answer

1 and 4 only

Answer

2, 3 and 4 only

Answer

1, 3 and 4 only

Question 14

Consider the following statements about the NEET-UG 2026 paper-leak episode:
1. The examination conducted on 3 May 2026 was cancelled and a re-examination was announced for 21 June 2026.
2. The Central Bureau of Investigation arrested nine accused from places including Delhi, Jaipur, Gurugram, Nashik, Pune and Ahilyanagar.
3. Three subject experts appointed by the National Testing Agency, in Botany, Chemistry and Physics, were alleged to have been part of the conspiracy.
4. Following the leak, the Union Education Minister announced that all examinations conducted by the National Testing Agency, without exception, would move to computer-based mode from 2027.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Accepted Answer

1, 2 and 3 only

Answer

1 and 2 only

Answer

2, 3 and 4

Answer

1 and 4 only

Question 15

In its investigation into the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak, the CBI identified one individual as the principal source, or 'kingpin', of the leak. That person was:

Accepted Answer

Prahlad Vithalrao Kulkarni, a Chemistry expert with access to the papers through the NTA examination process

Answer

Manisha Gurunath Mandhare, a Botany expert with access to the papers through the NTA examination process

Answer

Manisha Sanjay Havaldar, a Physics expert with access to the papers through the NTA examination process

Answer

A Biology paper-setter deputed by the CBSE, which conducted such entrance tests before the NTA was created in 2017

Question 16

In the Supreme Court's 2026 proceedings on the student protests, the relief contemplated under Article 142 — the 'quashing' of the FIRs — would mean which one of the following?

Accepted Answer

Termination of the criminal proceedings arising from those FIRs, without any trial verdict on guilt or innocence

Answer

A permanent bar on the registration of any fresh first information report against any student anywhere in India

Answer

A blanket amnesty covering every person present at the protest sites, including those with serious criminal antecedents

Answer

An acquittal after trial which operates as a conclusive finding of innocence binding on every court in the country

Question 17

In August 2026, while hearing petitions concerning FIRs against student protesters, the Supreme Court decided to entrust the fact-finding into allegations of excessive police force and of assault and online harassment of women protesters to which one of the following?

Accepted Answer

A three-member committee consisting of a former Supreme Court judge, a former High Court Chief Justice and a senior retired police officer

Answer

A Special Investigation Team headed by a serving Joint Director of the Central Bureau of Investigation

Answer

The National Human Rights Commission, acting through a statutory inquiry under its parent enactment

Answer

A commission of inquiry appointed by the Union Home Ministry under the Commissions of Inquiry Act, 1952

Question 18

Consider the following statements regarding the two weapons discharged during the Siwan protest incident, as set out in the Bihar Police affidavit before the Supreme Court:
1. The constable who found himself surrounded by the crowd fired four rounds from an AK-47 into the air, and no injuries resulted from those rounds.
2. The three protesters who sustained minor firearm injuries were struck by rounds from the AK-47 rather than from the 9 mm pistol discharged by the other officer.
3. Bihar Police itself characterised the AK-47 as a platoon-level weapon meant for special operations rather than for routine law-and-order duty.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Accepted Answer

1 and 3 only

Answer

1 only

Answer

2 and 3 only

Answer

1, 2 and 3

Question 19

While shielding student protesters from coercive action in 2026, the Supreme Court carved out an exception for persons with 'criminal antecedents'. On the Court's own subsequent clarification, that expression was confined to which category of persons?

Accepted Answer

Those shown to be involved in offences of a grave and heinous character

Answer

Those named in any first information report registered in the course of the protests themselves

Answer

Those against whom a first information report of any description was pending before the protests began

Answer

Those previously convicted by a competent criminal court of an offence of any description

Question 20

Consider the following statements regarding the Supreme Court's 2024 decision on the NEET-UG paper leak:
1. The Court held that the material on record was not indicative of a systemic leak of the question paper.
2. The Court directed that the entire examination be cancelled and that every candidate without exception sit a fresh test.
3. The Bench that decided the matter was headed by the then Chief Justice of India, D.Y. Chandrachud.
4. In arriving at its conclusion the Court relied, among other material, on data furnished by the National Testing Agency and on a report of IIT Madras.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Accepted Answer

1, 3 and 4 only

Answer

1 and 2 only

Answer

2, 3 and 4 only

Answer

1 and 4 only

Question 21

The NEET-UG examination whose conduct was challenged before the Supreme Court in 2024 was held simultaneously across how many cities?

Accepted Answer

571

Answer

371

Answer

1,571

Answer

4,750

Question 22

Consider the following statements about India's recent performance at the Olympic and Paralympic Games:
1. India won 7 medals at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games with a contingent of 119 athletes, improving on 2 medals won at Rio 2016.
2. India's tally of 6 medals at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games comprised one silver and five bronze medals.
3. Neeraj Chopra won India's first Olympic gold medal in athletics at Tokyo 2020 and retained the title with a gold medal at Paris 2024.
4. At the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games India won 29 medals, including 7 gold medals, from a contingent of 84 athletes.
Which of the above is/are correctly identified?

Accepted Answer

1, 2 and 4 only

Answer

1 and 3 only

Answer

2, 3 and 4 only

Answer

1, 2, 3 and 4

Question 23

Under the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, the expression 'public examination' extends to which one of the following sets of examinations?

Accepted Answer

Examinations of the Union Public Service Commission, Staff Selection Commission, Railways and banking recruitment bodies, and computer-based tests of the National Testing Agency

Answer

Only entrance tests for professional and higher-education courses conducted by the National Testing Agency, such as NEET, JEE and CUET

Answer

Only recruitment examinations conducted by Union-level bodies such as the Union Public Service Commission and the Staff Selection Commission, excluding all entrance tests

Answer

Examinations conducted by the Union as well as by all State public service commissions and State secondary school examination boards

Question 24

Which one of the following correctly pairs the agency to which the investigation into the alleged NEET-UG 2026 paper leak was entrusted with the Union Ministry under whose administrative aegis the examination is conducted?

Accepted Answer

Central Bureau of Investigation; Ministry of Education

Answer

National Investigation Agency; Ministry of Education

Answer

Central Vigilance Commission; Ministry of Home Affairs

Answer

Central Bureau of Investigation; Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

Question 25

In the 2026 Upper Assam floods, which single district accounted for the largest share of the State's flood deaths?

Accepted Answer

Sivasagar

Answer

Charaideo

Answer

Golaghat

Answer

Jorhat

Question 26

With reference to the Monsoon Session, 2026 of Parliament and the stand-off over police action on student protesters, consider the following:
1. The session commenced on 20 July 2026.
2. The government's readiness for a full discussion was conveyed by the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs following a meeting of the Business Advisory Committee.
3. The government designated the Prime Minister to reply to the proposed discussion on behalf of the Treasury benches.
4. Among the Opposition's demands during the logjam was a statement on the alleged theft of donations at the Ram temple at Ayodhya.
Which of the above is/are correctly identified?

Accepted Answer

1, 2 and 4

Answer

1, 2 and 3

Answer

2, 3 and 4

Answer

1 and 3 only

Question 27

Consider the following statements regarding the JSSC Combined Graduate Level examination controversy in Jharkhand:
1. The Combined Graduate Level examination at the centre of the controversy is conducted by the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission.
2. A report of the State Criminal Investigation Department indicated that a large majority of the questions in the 2024 examination had been circulated in advance through a messaging application.
3. The third-shift General Knowledge paper of the 2024 examination was cancelled after allegations of leakage surfaced.
4. The 14th Civil Services Preliminary Examination whose cancellation the aspirants demanded was also conducted by the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission.
Which of the statements given above is/are NOT correct?

Accepted Answer

4 only

Answer

1 and 3

Answer

2 and 4

Answer

1, 2 and 4

Question 28

With reference to the Jharkhand government's August 2026 response to the recruitment-examination agitation, consider the following statements:
1. The government agreed to cancel three JPSC examinations, including the 14th Civil Services Preliminary Examination, but declined to cancel the JSSC Combined Graduate Level examination.
2. Its refusal to cancel the JSSC-CGL examination was justified on the ground that appointments arising from that examination had already been finalised under judicial oversight.
3. The protesting aspirants accepted the offer of a probe by the State's Criminal Investigation Department, their remaining demand being only the constitution of a judicial commission under a sitting High Court judge.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Accepted Answer

1 and 2 only

Answer

1 and 3 only

Answer

2 and 3 only

Answer

1, 2 and 3

Question 29

In the 2026 Jharkhand recruitment-examination agitation, the protesting aspirants demanded cancellation of the JSSC Combined Graduate Level, Junior Engineer and Post Graduate Teacher examinations conducted after which one of the following years?

Accepted Answer

2019, the year after which the aspirants allege the irregularities became systemic

Answer

2014, the year in which the reconstituted Commission first notified these recruitments

Answer

2016, the year from which the Commission adopted a common written examination pattern

Answer

2021, the year in which the Commission resumed recruitment after the pandemic

Question 30

In its 2026 reply to Parliament on the proposed domestic civil enclave at Thanjavur, what exactly did the Ministry of Civil Aviation convey about the status of the proposal?

Accepted Answer

That it stands deferred for the present for want of operational viability, an operational airport existing nearby

Answer

That it stands finally rejected and closed, the site having been returned to the Air Force for exclusive military use

Answer

That it has been sanctioned and taken up under the Regional Connectivity Scheme, with commercial flights to begin shortly

Answer

That it has been transferred to the State Government, which will build and run the enclave at its own cost

Current Affairs MCQs for UPSC Prelims — August 2026

Q1. The magnitude-5.2 signal registered by the United States Geological Survey at the time of the August 2026 Rasuwa disaster is best understood as which one of the following?

Q2. In the assessment of damage from the Bhote Koshi–Trishuli flash flood of August 2026, how many motorable bridges were reported destroyed?

Q4. The Division Bench of the Bombay High Court that disposed of the petition against the Marathi-language condition for commercial drivers was presided over by which one of the following?

Q7. India was placed 151st, an improvement from 159th the previous year, in the most recent edition of the World Press Freedom Index. Which one of the following correctly describes what this Index is?

Q8. In early 2021, First Information Reports were registered over tweets concerning the violence during the farmers' tractor rally in Delhi, naming a sitting Member of Parliament along with a group of journalists. How many journalists were named in those First Information Reports?

Q11. With reference to the recruitment examinations at the centre of the 2026 Jharkhand agitation, which one of the following statements is correct?

Q15. In its investigation into the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak, the CBI identified one individual as the principal source, or 'kingpin', of the leak. That person was:

Q16. In the Supreme Court's 2026 proceedings on the student protests, the relief contemplated under Article 142 — the 'quashing' of the FIRs — would mean which one of the following?

Q17. In August 2026, while hearing petitions concerning FIRs against student protesters, the Supreme Court decided to entrust the fact-finding into allegations of excessive police force and of assault and online harassment of women protesters to which one of the following?

Q19. While shielding student protesters from coercive action in 2026, the Supreme Court carved out an exception for persons with 'criminal antecedents'. On the Court's own subsequent clarification, that expression was confined to which category of persons?

Q21. The NEET-UG examination whose conduct was challenged before the Supreme Court in 2024 was held simultaneously across how many cities?

Q23. Under the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, the expression 'public examination' extends to which one of the following sets of examinations?

Q24. Which one of the following correctly pairs the agency to which the investigation into the alleged NEET-UG 2026 paper leak was entrusted with the Union Ministry under whose administrative aegis the examination is conducted?

Q25. In the 2026 Upper Assam floods, which single district accounted for the largest share of the State's flood deaths?

Q29. In the 2026 Jharkhand recruitment-examination agitation, the protesting aspirants demanded cancellation of the JSSC Combined Graduate Level, Junior Engineer and Post Graduate Teacher examinations conducted after which one of the following years?

Q30. In its 2026 reply to Parliament on the proposed domestic civil enclave at Thanjavur, what exactly did the Ministry of Civil Aviation convey about the status of the proposal?