Geopolitics & International Relations (Questions 1-10)

Q1. On 22 February 2026, India strongly condemned Pakistan’s airstrikes on Afghan territory that caused civilian casualties, including women and children, during Ramadan. The Ministry of External Affairs described the action as Pakistan attempting to:
A) Strengthen bilateral ties with Afghanistan
B) Externalise its internal failures
C) Support counter-terrorism efforts in the region
D) Fulfil UN Security Council resolutions
Correct Answer: B.
Explanation: MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated that the strikes were “another attempt by Pakistan to externalise its internal failures” while reiterating India’s support for Afghanistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Q2. Which of the following correctly describes India’s response to Pakistan’s 22 February 2026 airstrikes on Afghanistan?
A) India supported the strikes as legitimate self-defence
B) India remained silent to maintain regional balance
C) India condemned the strikes and backed Afghanistan’s sovereignty
D) India called for UN mediation without taking a position
Correct Answer: C.
Explanation: India strongly condemned the civilian casualties during Ramadan and affirmed support for Afghan sovereignty.

Q3. The New Delhi Declaration on AI Impact, endorsed on/around the India AI Impact Summit, was signed by approximately how many countries and organisations in February 2026?
A) 88
B) 90
C) 120
D) 200
Correct Answer: A.
Explanation: 86–88 countries plus two international organisations endorsed the declaration focusing on democratic diffusion of AI, “AI for All”, human-centric development, and national sovereignty.

Geopolitics & World News (Questions 1-12)

Q1. On 21 February 2026, the Indian government stated it is studying the implications of a new U.S. global tariff measure. What is the temporary import surcharge rate now applicable to Indian goods entering the U.S.?
A) 18%
B) 15%
C) 10%
D) 5%
Correct Answer: C.
Explanation: Following the U.S. Supreme Court ruling striking down earlier country-specific tariffs, President Trump imposed a temporary 10% ad valorem surcharge effective 24 February 2026 for 150 days. India’s rate dropped from the previous 18% level under the interim trade agreement.

Q2. Which U.S.-led initiative for resilient supply chains in electronics, AI, and critical minerals did India formally join, as reported on 21 February 2026?
A) Quad Critical Minerals Forum
B) Pax Silica
C) Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF)
D) Minerals Security Partnership
Correct Answer: B.
Explanation: India became a signatory to the Pax Silica initiative (along with Australia, Japan, South Korea, UAE, UK etc.) to counter non-market practices and diversify supply chains.

Q3. India assumed the Chairmanship of which multilateral naval forum for the 2026-28 term during the 9th Conclave of Navy Chiefs held in Visakhapatnam?
A) MILAN
B) ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus
C) Quad Maritime Dialogue
D) Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS)
Correct Answer: D.
Explanation: Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi took over as Chairman of IONS from the Royal Thai Navy.

Geopolitics & World News Involving India (Questions 1–10)

Q1. On 20 February 2026, India signed an agreement to join which U.S.-led coalition aimed at building resilient supply chains for critical minerals, electronics and AI?
A) Quad Critical Minerals Forum
B) Pax Silica
C) Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) Supply Chain Pillar
D) Minerals Security Partnership (MSP)
Correct Answer: B.
Explanation: Pax Silica (signed by Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw with U.S. Under Secretary Jacob Helberg at the AI Impact Summit) counters China’s dominance in rare earth refining and economic coercion. Members include US, Canada, Japan, South Korea and EU.

Q2. What is the primary objective of Pax Silica as stated by U.S. Under Secretary Jacob Helberg on 20 Feb 2026?
A) Military alliance against China
B) Joint space exploration programme
C) Reclaiming sovereignty over economic security and rejecting “weaponised dependency”
D) Global climate finance mechanism
Correct Answer: C.

Q3. At the India AI Impact Summit 2026 (concluding phase on 20 Feb), Google CEO Sundar Pichai announced which initiative involving three new subsea cable corridors to make India a global AI hub?
A) India Stack 2.0
B) Indo-Pacific Cable Initiative
C) Digital Silk Road
D) America-India Connect (AIC)
Correct Answer: D.
Explanation: AIC includes India–South Africa, India–Singapore and India–Australia corridors with Visakhapatnam as the third international landing station; part of Google’s $15 billion India AI plan.

Indian Polity (Questions 1-5)

1. The Election Commission of India on 18 February 2026 announced biennial elections to fill how many Rajya Sabha seats falling vacant in April 2026 across 10 states?
(A) 27
(B) 37
(C) 47
(D) 57
Correct Answer: B.
Explanation: The vacancies arise as terms of 37 members end in April 2026; polling is scheduled for 16 March 2026 with notification on 26 February.

2. Polling for the 37 Rajya Sabha seats announced on 18 February 2026 is scheduled on:
(A) 5 March
(B) 10 March
(C) 16 March
(D) 26 February
Correct Answer: C.
Explanation: Voting will be held on 16 March with counting the same day; the process concludes by 20 March.

3. The last date for filing nominations for the Rajya Sabha biennial elections announced on 18 February 2026 is:
(A) 26 February
(B) 5 March
(C) 6 March
(D) 16 March
Correct Answer: B.
Explanation: Scrutiny is on 6 March as per the schedule released by ECI on 18 February.