Q1. What is the name of the missile recently test-fired by DRDO and IAF from a Su-30 MKI?
[a] Agni-V
[b] Akash-NG
[c] Astra
[d] Nirbhay
View Answer
Answer: [c] Astra
Explanation:
Astra is an indigenous Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missile (BVRAAM) developed by DRDO. The latest test featured an indigenously developed RF seeker, enhancing its targeting accuracy and making it fully self-reliant. Successfully test-fired from a Su-30 MKI fighter jet by the Indian Air Force. Test conducted off the coast of Odisha in July 2025. Astra is intended to engage and destroy highly maneuvering supersonic aircraft beyond visual range. It is a critical part of India’s drive towards Atmanirbhar Bharat in defence production.
Q.2) What is the name of the naval drill recently conducted between India and Greece?
[a] VARUNA
[b] PASSEX
[c] INDO-HELLAS
[d] HELINAVEX
View Answer
Answer: [b] PASSEX
Explanation:
The Indian Navy and Hellenic (Greek) Navy conducted a bilateral PASSEX (Passing Exercise) in the Arabian Sea off the Mumbai coast in July 2025. Indian ship: INS Tarkash (Talwar-class stealth frigate); Greek ship: HS Psara. Activities included: Surface firing drills; Cross-deck helicopter landings; Replenishment-at-sea; Steam-past evolutions; Firefighting & communication exercises. This is a confidence-building and interoperability exercise that strengthens India-Greece naval ties and enhances maritime cooperation in the Indo-Mediterranean strategic corridor.
Q.3) Who won the 2025 PEN Pinter Prize?
[a] Arundhati Roy
[b] Leila Aboulela
[c] Chimamanda Adichie
[d] Bernardine Evaristo
View Answer
Answer: [b] Leila Aboulela
Explanation:
Leila Aboulela, a Sudanese-Scottish author, has been awarded the 2025 PEN Pinter Prize. The award honours writers who display an “unflinching, unswerving gaze upon the world,” a legacy of Harold Pinter, Nobel laureate and human rights advocate. She will formally receive the prize on October 10, 2025, at the British Library. As part of the honour, she will name the “Writer of Courage”, an individual persecuted for defending freedom of expression, with whom she will share the prize. The PEN Pinter Prize is a joint initiative by PEN English Centre and the estate of Harold Pinter.
Q.4) In which edition of the Talisman Sabre exercise did India participate for the first time?
[a] 9th
[b] 10th
[c] 11th
[d] 12th
View Answer
Answer: [c] 11th
Explanation:
Talisman Sabre 2025 is the 11th edition of the largest and most advanced multinational military drill hosted by Australia. The exercise involved over 35,000 personnel from 19 countries, including the United States, Australia, India, and others. India participated for the first time, signifying growing Indo-Pacific security cooperation and India’s expanding military diplomacy. Focus of the exercise: Joint warfighting capabilities, interoperability, logistics, and tactical coordination among partner nations.
Q.5) As per the IMF report “Growing Retail Digital Payments: The Value of Interoperability”, which country has become the world leader in real-time digital payments?
[a] China
[b] USA
[c] UK
[d] India
View Answer
Answer: [d] India
Explanation:
The IMF’s note “Growing Retail Digital Payments: The Value of Interoperability” praises India’s role as the global leader in real-time digital payments, driven by UPI. India’s payment ecosystem has become a benchmark for emerging and developed nations due to its interoperability, scale, and inclusion. On July 2025, 13 more Indian banks were integrated into the UPI-PayNow cross-border payment system between India and Singapore.
Q.6) Which IIM recently launched the ‘Gyanodaya Centre for Pedagogical Innovation and Publishing’?
[a] IIM Ahmedabad
[b] IIM Bangalore
[c] IIM Kozhikode
[d] IIM Calcutta
View Answer
Answer: [c] IIM Kozhikode
Explanation:
Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode (IIM-K) launched Gyanodaya Centre for Pedagogical Innovation and Publishing. To reimagine knowledge creation, contextualisation, and dissemination, making Indian management education more inclusive, innovative, and globally aligned. Its focus areas are: Pedagogical tools, educational publishing, and ecosystem development for future-ready education. It supports the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 goals of promoting innovation and indigenous knowledge systems.
Q.7) What is the name of the AI system launched by Microsoft to accelerate protein research?
[a] BioMimic-1
[b] ProteinSim-AI
[c] BioEmu-1
[d] ProteoAI
View Answer
Answer: [c] BioEmu-1
Explanation:
BioEmu-1 (Biomolecular Emulator-1) is an AI system developed by Microsoft in collaboration with Rice University. It is designed to dramatically accelerate protein behavior simulations which are crucial for drug discovery, disease modeling, and biological understanding. Traditionally, protein simulations can take years using high-performance computing — BioEmu-1 offers faster and more accurate results using AI. It uses advanced deep learning and neural networks to model molecular dynamics. Part of Microsoft’s broader push in AI for scientific discovery.
Q.8) Which regulatory body has recommended a ban on mergers between insurance and non-insurance firms?
[a] SEBI
[b] RBI
[c] IRDAI
[d] NABARD
View Answer
Answer: [c] IRDAI
Explanation:
High-powered committee set up by the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has recommended a ban on mergers between insurers and non-insurance companies. The committee was chaired by Dinesh Khara, former Chairman of State Bank of India (SBI). The primary concern highlighted was “moral hazard”, which refers to the risk of inappropriate risk-taking by entities using policyholder funds for unrelated businesses. The panel seeks to preserve the financial integrity and solvency of insurance companies and protect policyholders’ interests. This recommendation could have regulatory and business model implications for conglomerates operating across financial and non-financial sectors.
Q.9) The GE-F404 engine, recently acquired by India, is intended to power which Indian fighter aircraft?
[a] Tejas Mk-2
[b] LCA Mk-1A
[c] AMCA
[d] Rafale-M
View Answer
Answer: [b] Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Mk-1A
Explanation:
India has received the second GE-F404 engine from the United States for the LCA Mk-1A program. These engines will power the Light Combat Aircraft Mk-1A, an upgraded version of Tejas. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) is the public sector company responsible for integrating the engines. A total of 13 GE-F404 engines are to be delivered by the end of the 2025–26 financial year. The procurement supports India’s efforts to boost indigenous defence manufacturing under the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative while maintaining high-performance propulsion capabilities in the short term.
Q.10) Which company has become the first in the world to hit a $4 trillion market valuation?
[a] Apple
[b] Microsoft
[c] Nvidia
[d] Amazon
View Answer
Answer: [c] Nvidia
Explanation:
Nvidia Corporation became the first company in history to cross the $4 trillion market capitalization milestone in July 2025. This is a landmark moment reflecting Wall Street’s confidence in AI technology, where Nvidia leads in producing high-performance chips used in generative AI, deep learning, and large language models. Nvidia’s Blackwell chip architecture and partnerships with top tech firms have further fueled its dominance. Though the price settled slightly below the $4 trillion threshold by market close, Nvidia momentarily overtook Microsoft and Apple in market value. This underscores the growing economic shift toward AI infrastructure and compute power.