UPSC Current Affairs Quiz, 11 October 2026

Explanation

Statement 1 is correct: the Houthis (Ansar Allah) are a Zaidi Shia revivalist movement that seized Sanaa in 2014, drawing in external powers — Iran backing the Houthis and the US and Saudi Arabia backing the internationally recognised government. Statement 2 is correct: the Bab al-Mandeb Strait connects the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean, making it a critical chokepoint for global maritime trade; Houthi control or leverage over it directly threatens international shipping lanes. Statement 3 is incorrect: although all three groups are part of Iran's 'Axis of Resistance' and receive Iranian support, characterising them uniformly as Shia organisations backed purely on a sectarian basis is a conceptual error. Hamas is a Sunni Islamist organisation (a Palestinian offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood), not Shia. Iran backs Hamas on the basis of shared opposition to Israel and anti-Western ideology, not Shia solidarity. Describing the Axis of Resistance as a uniformly Shia bloc misrepresents the ideological diversity within Iran's proxy network.

Explanation

Statement 1 is correct: CORSIA is an ICAO-administered market-based measure (MBM) designed to address CO₂ emissions from international aviation. Airlines that emit beyond the agreed baseline are required to offset the excess, either by purchasing eligible carbon credits or by using CORSIA-eligible SAF, which generates offsetting units. Statement 2 is correct: SAF derives its carbon-reduction benefit from the lifecycle perspective — the CO₂ released on combustion is partly offset by the CO₂ absorbed when the biological feedstock (e.g. agricultural residues, waste oils) grew, resulting in a lower net lifecycle emission compared with conventional jet fuel. This lifecycle reduction is what CORSIA recognises and rewards. Statement 3 is false: CORSIA does not limit obligations to State/military aircraft; on the contrary, State aircraft (military, customs, police) are explicitly EXEMPTED from CORSIA. It is commercial international aviation that CORSIA targets. The 'pilot phase' (2021–2023) involved voluntary participation by States, but commercial carriers operating international routes between participating states were covered — not excluded. The statement inverts the actual exemption structure.

Explanation

Statement 1 is incorrect. Article 324 does not fix the number of Election Commissioners. It states that the Commission shall consist of the CEC and 'such number of other Election Commissioners, if any, as the President may from time to time fix.' The composition is thus left to presidential discretion, subject to any law made by Parliament — which is why the ECI has moved historically between one member and three. This is a critical constitutional design point: the number is not entrenched in the Constitution. Statement 2 is correct. The ECI, constituted under Article 324, is responsible for superintendence, direction, and control of elections to Parliament, State Legislatures, and the offices of President and Vice-President. The separate constitutional mechanism for Panchayat and Municipality elections — created by the 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments — vests that authority in the State Election Commission under Articles 243K and 243ZA respectively. The two bodies have entirely distinct constitutional bases and jurisdictions. Statement 3 is correct. The CEC enjoys constitutional protection from removal: the procedure mirrors the impeachment of a Supreme Court judge (addressed by Parliament through a special majority). An Election Commissioner, however, does not have the same level of constitutional protection — the Constitution itself provides that an EC can be removed on the recommendation of the CEC, making the two positions structurally unequal in terms of security of tenure despite parity in salary and service conditions.

Explanation

Statement 1 is correct: the CCPA is a statutory body constituted under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019. It has the mandate to protect consumers from unfair trade practices and misleading advertisements, including authority to investigate and impose penalties on e-commerce platforms engaging in dark patterns. Statement 2 is correct: the Guidelines for Prevention and Regulation of Dark Patterns, 2023 define 'drip pricing' as the non-disclosure of price elements upfront, or their surreptitious disclosure within the user journey, including revealing a higher charge only after the consumer has confirmed a purchase. Statement 3 is incorrect: it conflates two distinct dark patterns. 'Basket sneaking' refers to the automatic addition of an extra product or service into a user's shopping cart without explicit consent — typically via pre-checked boxes or forced bundles. It is 'drip pricing', not basket sneaking, that involves revealing mandatory charges incrementally as the customer progresses through checkout. The description in Statement 3 is the definition of drip pricing, not basket sneaking.

Explanation

Biofortification is correctly described as a process in which crop varieties are developed through conventional plant breeding to naturally accumulate higher levels of micronutrients during growth — no genetic modification is involved and no nutrients are added post-harvest. Industrial fortification is correctly described as the addition of nutrients during food processing or manufacturing, i.e., after the crop has already been grown. Pair 3 is incorrect: ICAR's biofortified varieties are developed using conventional plant breeding, NOT genetic modification. This is a defining distinction between biofortification and GM crops — biofortification relies on natural selection and cross-breeding within species to enhance micronutrient uptake, while genetic modification involves direct manipulation of an organism's DNA. Conflating the two reflects a common misconception.