UPSC Current Affairs Quiz, 18 October 2026

Explanation

All three pairs are correctly matched. Western Disturbances are extratropical weather systems that originate in the Mediterranean region and travel eastward, bringing winter precipitation to north-western India — particularly to the Indo-Gangetic plains and the Himalayan foothills. This winter rainfall is critical for wheat cultivation in states like Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh, as it replenishes soil moisture during the grain-filling phase. The ENSO (El Niño–Southern Oscillation) teleconnection to South Asian winter weather is well-documented: during El Niño years, the jet stream and atmospheric circulation patterns are altered, reducing the frequency and intensity of Western Disturbances that reach north-western India. This suppression of Western Disturbance activity results in lower winter precipitation, warmer-than-normal temperatures across northern India, and greater drought risk for rabi crops — especially rain-fed pulses and oilseeds. The teleconnection between El Niño and suppressed Western Disturbance activity is a standard concept in Indian climatology.

Explanation

Statement 1 is correct. A positive Indian Ocean Dipole (+IOD) is defined by anomalously warm sea-surface temperatures in the western Indian Ocean and cooler-than-normal temperatures in the eastern Indian Ocean. This temperature gradient strengthens westerly winds over the Indian Ocean and enhances convection and moisture transport toward the Indian subcontinent, including potential support for northeast monsoon activity over the South Peninsula — though its effects are not uniform across all districts. Statement 2 is incorrect. The MJO is an eastward-propagating (not westward) pulse of enhanced tropical convection. It originates over the Indian Ocean/Africa region and moves eastward across the Indian Ocean, Maritime Continent, and into the Pacific. This direction of propagation is a defining feature that distinguishes the MJO from westward-moving equatorial waves. By influencing the distribution of moisture, clouds, and rising air, the MJO modulates the intensity of monsoon activity and the formation of low-pressure systems. Statement 3 is correct. El Niño (the warm phase of ENSO) is associated with a weakening of the Walker Circulation and generally suppresses Indian monsoon rainfall by reducing moisture supply and large-scale ascent over the Indian Ocean. However, a simultaneously positive IOD can partially offset El Niño's suppressing influence — since the IOD is an Indian-Ocean-internal mode that independently enhances convection over the western Indian Ocean. The net outcome for South Peninsula rainfall therefore depends on the relative dominance of these competing and sometimes reinforcing large-scale signals.

Explanation

Pair 1 is correctly described: under the EBLR framework mandated by the RBI since October 2019, all new floating-rate retail and MSME loans must be priced to an external benchmark (typically the repo rate). Any change in the repo rate by the Monetary Policy Committee is thus transmitted to such borrowers almost immediately — the next working day, in PNB's stated policy. This is the core mechanism of monetary policy transmission to the lending side. Pair 2 is also correctly described: Net Interest Margin is a standard banking metric — the spread between what a bank earns on its loan portfolio (yield on advances) and what it pays on its liabilities (cost of deposits). A narrowing NIM indicates compression in intermediation earnings; a widening NIM (as seen when bulk/high-cost deposits are replaced with cheaper funding) signals improved profitability from core operations. Pair 3 is incorrectly described. FCNR(B) — Foreign Currency Non-Resident (Banks) — deposits are accounts held by Non-Resident Indians (NRIs), not by resident Indians. These deposits are denominated in foreign currencies (USD, GBP, etc.) and are fully repatriable, meaning both principal and interest can be freely remitted abroad. The RBI does offer a swap facility to banks to hedge the currency risk on these deposits, which is correctly stated — but the fundamental characterisation of who holds them (NRIs, not resident Indians) and their repatriability status makes Pair 3 wrong.

Explanation

Pair 1 is correctly matched. Biofortification is a plant-breeding-based approach that builds enhanced micronutrient levels into the crop itself — distinct from conventional food fortification, which adds nutrients externally during processing. This makes biofortification a sustainable, supply-chain-independent route to addressing nutritional deficits in staple foods. Pair 2 is correctly matched. 'Hidden hunger' refers specifically to micronutrient deficiency that persists despite sufficient caloric intake — a condition where people eat enough food in quantity but remain deficient in iron, zinc, Vitamin C, or other essential micronutrients. Pair 3 is incorrectly matched. Anthocyanins are naturally occurring water-soluble pigments synthesised by the plant itself (a product of biofortification research, not conventional fortification). They give purple-, red-, and blue-fleshed potatoes their distinctive colour and also function as antioxidants. They are not synthetic additives, and they are not applied during post-harvest processing. The characterisation in Pair 3 conflates biofortified natural compounds with conventional fortification ingredients, which is a common misconception.

Explanation

All three pairs are correctly matched. Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 is the foundational US statute granting the USTR authority to investigate foreign government practices that burden or restrict US commerce — including 'overcapacity' investigations — and to impose retaliatory tariffs or other measures. It has been invoked against China's subsidised overcapacity in sectors such as EVs, solar panels, and semiconductors, and is the legal vehicle through which a prospective India-US trade deal's terms are being shaped. Secondary-sanctions-linked tariffs, exemplified by measures attached to legislation like the Graham Act, extend US economic pressure extraterritorially by threatening duties on third countries that continue purchasing goods (such as Russian crude oil) from sanctioned states; India's large Russian oil imports placed it squarely in the crosshairs of this mechanism. MFN obligations under the WTO Agreement (Article I of GATT) require any tariff concession given to one WTO member to be extended to all others immediately and unconditionally, which structurally constrains the US's ability to offer India a bilateral tariff preference outside a formal FTA framework — a key complexity in India-US trade negotiations.