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Daily quiz archive · 11 July 2026

Daily Current Affairs Quiz for UPSC Prelims 2027 — 11 July 2026

Of this day’s ten questions, 5 were built from that morning’s news. They are below, with the answers. The rest of the set came from Prelimo’s practice bank and stays in the app, because a bank question can still turn up in a live quiz.

Each question below is followed by the keyed answer, why that answer is right, and the static syllabus concept the question is really testing. Where a question came from a specific news story, that story is linked.

Q1 · Social Issues · Education Policy — NEP & Curriculum Reform

The recent All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) highlights progress in female enrolment but also persistent challenges in STEM fields and the job market. In this context, which of the following best describes the primary objectives of the 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao' (BBBP) scheme?

  1. ATo address the declining Child Sex Ratio (CSR) and promote the empowerment of the girl child through education and protection.Correct answer
  2. BTo provide exclusive financial scholarships for girls pursuing higher education in STEM fields.
  3. CTo improve maternal mortality rates by providing institutional delivery facilities in rural areas.
  4. DTo mandate compulsory vocational training for all adolescent girls in government schools.

Why this answer

The correct option accurately describes the comprehensive goals of the 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao' (BBBP) scheme. It is a tri-ministerial effort (Ministries of Women and Child Development, Health & Family Welfare, and Education) launched in 2015. Its primary objectives are to prevent gender-biased sex-selective elimination, ensure the survival and protection of the girl child, and ensure her education and participation. The other options are incorrect as they either represent a different scheme's objective or are too narrow. Providing STEM scholarships is a specific intervention, not the core of BBBP. Improving maternal mortality is the focus of health schemes like Janani Suraksha Yojana. Mandating vocational training falls under the broader skill development and education policy ambit, not specifically BBBP.

The static concept

Government Schemes for Women and Child Development, focusing on education, health, and social protection.

From the news: Over and above: On the All India Survey on Higher Education data

The full Deep Proof for this question — the news angle, the static-dynamic link, the source chapter and an autopsy of every wrong option — lives in the app.

Q2 · Social Issues · Public Health & Immunization

In the context of India's efforts to reduce neonatal mortality, a challenge underscored by issues like antimicrobial resistant neonatal sepsis, what is the primary objective of the Navjat Shishu Suraksha Karyakram (NSSK)?

  1. ATo train healthcare providers in essential newborn care and resuscitation, focusing on preventing deaths from asphyxia and hypothermia at birth.Correct answer
  2. BTo provide conditional cash transfers to mothers for ensuring institutional delivery and completing the infant's immunization schedule.
  3. CTo establish and equip Special Newborn Care Units (SNCUs) at district and sub-district levels for the management of sick newborns.
  4. DTo track and manage high-risk pregnancies through a centralized digital platform to prevent preterm births.

Why this answer

The correct answer accurately describes the core function of the Navjat Shishu Suraksha Karyakram (NSSK). NSSK is a targeted training program for health personnel on basic newborn care and resuscitation at the point of delivery, specifically addressing leading causes of neonatal death like birth asphyxia and hypothermia. The option concerning conditional cash transfers describes the Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY). The option about establishing Special Newborn Care Units (SNCUs) refers to a different, facility-based vertical under the National Health Mission for treating sick neonates. Tracking high-risk pregnancies is part of broader maternal health and digital health initiatives, not the primary role of NSSK.

The static concept

National Health Mission (NHM) - Interventions for reducing Neonatal Mortality Rate (NMR), including Navjat Shishu Suraksha Karyakram (NSSK).

From the news: Multi-centric study to contain antimicrobial resistant neonatal sepsis begins in India

The full Deep Proof for this question — the news angle, the static-dynamic link, the source chapter and an autopsy of every wrong option — lives in the app.

Q3 · Environment · Ecosystem Structure & Energy Flow

Large-scale infrastructure projects, such as dams and highways, often lead to significant habitat fragmentation. This process, as highlighted in recent debates over projects in ecologically sensitive areas like the Western Ghats, has profound consequences for biodiversity. Which of the following best describes a primary ecological consequence of habitat fragmentation?

  1. AIt creates smaller, isolated populations of species, making them more vulnerable to genetic drift and local extinction.Correct answer
  2. BIt increases the overall genetic diversity of species by creating 'edge effects' that foster new evolutionary pathways.
  3. CIt accelerates the process of biomagnification by concentrating pollutants in the newly created habitat boundaries.
  4. DIt primarily benefits apex predators by creating concentrated pockets of prey, making hunting more efficient.

Why this answer

The correct statement accurately describes a core consequence of habitat fragmentation. By breaking up large, contiguous habitats, it creates smaller, isolated 'islands' of ecosystems. This isolation prevents gene flow between populations, leading to inbreeding, loss of genetic diversity (genetic drift), and a much higher risk of local extinction for the separated populations. The other options are incorrect. 'Edge effects' often harm specialist species and reduce overall biodiversity, not increase genetic diversity. Biomagnification is a distinct process related to toxin accumulation in the food chain, not a direct result of physical fragmentation. Apex predators are severely harmed, not benefited, by fragmentation as they require large territories to hunt and thrive.

The static concept

Habitat Fragmentation: The process by which a large and continuous habitat is divided into smaller, more isolated remnants, leading to biodiversity loss and increased extinction risk for species, particularly specialists and those with large home ranges.

From the news: Expert panel against approving ₹10,000 crore Sharavathi Pumped Storage Project citing irreversible ecological harm

The full Deep Proof for this question — the news angle, the static-dynamic link, the source chapter and an autopsy of every wrong option — lives in the app.

Q4 · Economy · Monetary Policy & RBI

In a scenario where India's headline inflation is rising primarily due to cost-push factors, such as a sharp increase in global oil prices and supply chain disruptions affecting transport costs, which of the following statements most accurately describes the likely response and rationale of the Reserve Bank of India's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC)?

  1. AThe MPC will immediately and aggressively raise the repo rate to curb aggregate demand, as its primary mandate is to keep inflation within the target band, regardless of the source.
  2. BThe MPC will likely lower the repo rate or adopt an accommodative stance to support economic growth, as monetary policy is largely ineffective against supply-side inflation.
  3. CThe MPC may 'look through' the initial price shock but will act decisively by tightening monetary policy if there is evidence of second-round effects that unanchor inflation expectations.Correct answer
  4. DThe MPC will recommend fiscal measures to the government, such as cutting fuel taxes, and will hold policy rates steady, as cost-push inflation falls completely outside its purview.

Why this answer

The most accurate statement describes the nuanced approach of the MPC. Monetary policy, which primarily manages aggregate demand, is a blunt instrument against supply-side shocks. Therefore, the MPC often 'looks through' the initial impact of such shocks, expecting them to be transient. However, its primary mandate is to anchor inflation expectations. If the initial cost-push shock leads to broader price increases and higher wage demands (known as second-round effects), it risks unanchoring these expectations. In such a scenario, the MPC will act decisively by raising interest rates to curb demand and prevent a wage-price spiral, even though the initial trigger was from the supply side. The other options are incorrect: an immediate aggressive hike could stifle growth unnecessarily; lowering rates would be irresponsible amidst rising inflation; and while fiscal measures are important, cost-push inflation does not fall 'completely outside' the MPC's mandate to control overall inflation.

The static concept

Flexible Inflation Targeting Framework (FITF) and the Monetary Policy Committee's (MPC) response to supply-side inflation shocks.

From the news: Graphs, Data and Perspectives | June inflation may breach RBI’s 4% target. What’s driving this?

The full Deep Proof for this question — the news angle, the static-dynamic link, the source chapter and an autopsy of every wrong option — lives in the app.

Q5 · International Relations · Geopolitical Conflicts & Regional Crises

Assertion (A): Assertion (A): The weaponization of critical resources in international trade is an increasing trend, with major economic powers leveraging their control over supply chains for geopolitical objectives.

Reason (R): Reason (R): China, which holds a dominant position in the global production of rare earth elements, has historically used export restrictions on these minerals as a form of economic statecraft.

  1. ABoth A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of ACorrect answer
  2. BBoth A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A
  3. CA is true but R is false
  4. DA is false but R is true

Why this answer

Both statements are factually correct. Assertion (A) correctly identifies the growing trend of 'resource nationalism', where countries use their control over critical materials (like natural gas, helium, or rare earths) to achieve foreign policy goals. Reason (R) provides a prime example of this trend. China's restriction of rare earth exports to Japan in 2010 during a territorial dispute is a well-documented case of using resource control as a political lever. Because this specific, historical action by a major power (R) is a textbook illustration of the general trend described in (A), R serves as a correct explanation for A.

The static concept

Geoeconomics and Resource Nationalism: The use of economic instruments, particularly control over critical resources and supply chains, to achieve geopolitical objectives.

From the news: China’s temporary export ban on helium| Explained

The full Deep Proof for this question — the news angle, the static-dynamic link, the source chapter and an autopsy of every wrong option — lives in the app.