Previous Years Practice Questions for Prelims

China Coast Guard ships sail through Japan-administered Senkaku Islands

The Senkaku Islands (called Diaoyu by China) are a small group of uninhabited islands in the East China Sea. They are currently administered by Japan, but claimed by both China and Japan.

Why the dispute?

1. Strategic location – The islands lie on important shipping routes.

   
   

2. Rich resources – Possible oil, gas reserves, and rich fishing grounds.

   
   

3. Historical claims –

   • Japan says it incorporated the islands legally in 1895 and has controlled them (except during US occupation after WWII).

     
     

   • China says the islands have been part of its territory since ancient times and were wrongfully taken by Japan.

Russia Cauotures 2 New Villages in Ukraine

Russia announced on Sunday that its forces have captured two more villages—Rivnopillia and Mala Tokmachka—in the Zaporizhzhia region of southern Ukraine.

These gains reflect Russia’s slow but steady advance in the area, where Ukrainian troops are outnumbered and under pressure.

India’s Shipping & Shipbuilding Sector - The Case for Domestic Shipbuilding

Context

• India imports large volumes of oil, gas, coal, fertilisers.

• Annual shipping requirement: ~$85 billion.

• 85% of cargo moved by foreign vessels → high dependence & vulnerability.

Key Concerns

• Strategic risk: Any global shipping disruption can hit India’s economy.

• Low domestic capacity: India has 0.5% of global shipbuilding share.

• High finance costs, lack of long-term credit.

• Technology gaps; limited scale; slow modernisation of shipyards.

Government Initiatives

• ₹70,000 crore maritime & shipbuilding package to push India into top 10 by 2030.

• Focus on:

  • Long-term financing

  • Expanding shipyards

  • Technology upgradation

  • Policy/tax reforms

    
    

• PSU orders: 59 ships worth ₹47,800 crore; SCI expanding to 216 vessels.

  
  

• Green Tug Transition Programme: 100 green tugboats by 2040.

  
  

• Coastal states (TN, AP, Odisha, Gujarat, Maharashtra) drafting dedicated policies.

Economic & Strategic Importance

• Strong multiplier effect: boosts steel, engineering, logistics, jobs.

• Reduces freight outflow; improves export competitiveness.

• Strengthens India’s maritime power & blue economy.

Way Forward

• Long-term demand mapping (15+ years).

• Dedicated maritime financing mechanism.

• Modernisation, R&D, green shipping, and PPP shipyard expansion.

Post War/ Post Socialist Novels getting Booker and Nobel Prize

• David Szalay, Hungarian-British writer, won the 2025 Booker Prize for his novel Flesh.

• Flesh explores late-socialist Hungary, institutions that persist despite political change.

• Rise in post-war / post-socialist European fiction, especially after Svetlana Alexievich won the Nobel Prize in Literature (Belarus).

• László Krasznahorkai (Hungary) awarded the 2025 Nobel Prize in Literature.

Precision Biotherapeutics

What are Precision Biotherapeutics?

• Medical interventions tailored to patient-specific genetic, molecular, or cellular profiles.

  
  

• Key technologies:

  • Genomic & proteomic analysis – identifies mutations/protein dysfunctions.

  • Gene editing (e.g., CRISPR therapies).

  • mRNA & nucleic acid therapeutics.

  • Monoclonal antibodies & biologics.

  • AI-driven drug discovery.

    
    

Why India Needs It

• NCDs cause ~65% of deaths in India.

• India has high genetic diversity → foreign-tested drugs may not work effectively.

• National programmes: IndiGen, GenomeIndia.

• Potential shift to predictive, preventive, personalised healthcare.

  
  

India’s Current Status

• Precision biotherapeutics identified as focus area under DBT’s Biotechnology for Economy, Environment & Employment Policy.

  
  

• Key institutes:

  • IGIB, NIBMG, THSTI.

    
    

• Private sector players:

  • Biocon Biologics, Dr. Reddy’s (biosimilars, monoclonal antibodies)

  • Immuneel Therapeutics (immuno-oncology)

  • Bugworks Research (novel antibiotics)

  • Akrivia Biosciences (cancer diagnostics)

  • 4baseCare (precision oncology + AI)

  • ImmunoACT – India’s first CAR-T therapy company.

    
    

Key Challenges

• No clear regulatory framework for gene/cell therapies.

• Limited local manufacturing capacity for biologics.

• High cost → access limited to affluent urban patients.

• Ethical issues: genetic data privacy, consent, possible misuse.

  
  

Opportunities for India

• Global precision medicine market projected to exceed $22 billion by 2027.

• India has advantages: skilled workforce, strong data analytics, lower costs.

• Potential to emerge as a hub for affordable precision therapies.

Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, 2023 & Rules, 2025

Context

• DPDP Rules, 2025 notified → formation of Data Protection Board of India (DPBI).

• DPDP Act passed in August 2023; draft Rules released January 2025.

  
  

Key Features of the DPDP Act (similar to GDPR)

• Applicable to digital personal data.

• Data Fiduciary = company handling data; Data Principal = user.

  
  

Obligations on Data Fiduciaries

• Must ensure access control, encryption, security audits.

• Significant Data Fiduciaries (large firms) must appoint a Data Protection Officer (DPO).

• Must report data breaches “as soon as possible”.

• Must delete user data after period of inactivity.

  
  

User Rights

• Right to informed consent.

• Right to erase, modify, or delete personal data.

• Restrictions on targeted advertising & child data processing (with exemption for parents tracking children's location).

  
  

Consent Manager

• A central service for users to manage permissions across platforms.

  
  

Penalties

• Fines range from ₹10,000 to ₹250 crore.

Enforcement Timeline

• Full compliance delayed: government gives 18 more months to companies.

• DPO requirement starts 1 year from now.

• DPBI formation is active.

• DPBI → 4 members; subordinate office of MeitY.

Controversial Amendment to RTI Act, 2005

• DPDP Act amended Section 8(1)(j) of RTI.

• Earlier: personal info could be disclosed if public interest outweighed privacy.

• Now: public interest override removed → govt can refuse disclosure of personal information more broadly.

  
  

Why activists oppose it

• Limits citizens’ ability to access public records.

• Could obstruct social audits (ration muster rolls, work logs).

• May enable shielding of official misconduct.

• Groups opposing: MKSS, NCPRI.

Other Points

• Amendment to IT Act, 2000 not yet in force.

• Govt invoked special powers to notify the RTI amendment despite protests.

Stellar Storm on Distant Star

Discovery

Astronomers detected a powerful coronal mass ejection (CME) on a star other than the Sun — first-ever confirmed detection.

Published in Nature journal.

Why it matters

Such stellar storms can be violent enough to strip atmospheres of nearby exoplanets → affects habitability.

Until now, detecting CMEs on distant stars was extremely difficult.

Instrument used

Discovery made using LOFAR (Low Frequency Array) — a European network of radio telescopes.

LOFAR operates in low-frequency radio and is used to study extreme cosmic phenomena (e.g., black holes, stellar flares).

Comparison with Solar Storms

Solar CMEs cause satellite disruptions, power grid effects, and auroras on Earth.

Example: 11–12 November 2025 storm caused auroras as far south as Tennessee (U.S.) and visible over New Zealand.