Today in History (April 26^th,1858)

Kunwar Singh, revolutionary of Indian mutiny and freedom fighter, passed away. He fought his last battle near Jagdishpur, Bihar on April 23, 1858 and defeated the Britishers but was deeply wounded. He also organised the national rebels.

Weekly Current Affairs (19 Apr – 26 Apr)

1. Who recently visited India to discuss bilateral ties and trade agreements with PM Modi?

1. Kamala Harris
2. J.D. Vance
3. Joe Biden
4. Ron DeSantis

Answer: b)
Rationale: J.D. Vance, the U.S. Vice-President, visited India for diplomatic talks.

2. What key agreement is India discussing with the U.S. during this visit?

1. Civil Nuclear Agreement
2. Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA)
3. Environmental Pact
4. Free Movement Pact

Answer: b)
Rationale: The visit focused on making progress in BTA negotiations.

3. Which vision is India pursuing for national development mentioned during the visit?

1. Digital India 2025
2. Viksit Bharat 2047
3. Bharat Nirman 2030
4. AatmaNirbhar Bharat 2022

Answer: b)
Rationale: India’s long-term goal, “Viksit Bharat 2047”, was discussed in alignment with the U.S. vision.

4. Where did the Vance family visit as part of their cultural itinerary?

1. Qutub Minar
2. Red Fort
3. Akshardham Temple
4. India Gate

Answer: c)
Rationale: The Vance family engaged in cultural activities, including a visit to Akshardham.

5. Which article of the Constitution was in news in relation to the West Bengal violence?

1. Article 356
2. Article 370
3. Article 355
4. Article 324

Answer: c)
Rationale: Article 355 concerns Union responsibility to protect states against disturbances.

6. What was the plea regarding the West Bengal violence asking the SC to invoke?

1. Governor’s rule
2. Article 355
3. National Emergency
4. President’s Rule

Answer: b) Article 355
Rationale: The plea was to urge the Union government to act under Article 355.

7. What recent controversy was referenced in the Supreme Court’s discussion?

1. Farm law protests
2. Timeline for clearing pending bills
3. Triple talaq case
4. Article 370 abrogation

Answer: b)
Rationale: A past ruling on the timeline for presidential assent to bills was cited as an example of judicial overreach.

8. Who criticized the judiciary for acting like a “super-Parliament”?

1. Narendra Modi
2. Amit Shah
3. Jagdeep Dhankhar
4. Rajnath Singh

Answer: c)
Rationale: The Vice-President made this statement about judicial activism.

9. What is the name of ISRO’s docking experiment mission?

1. AstraNet
2. Chandrayaan
3. SpaDeX
4. Gaganyaan

Answer: c)
Rationale: SpaDeX (Space Docking Experiment) is the mission name.

10. What did ISRO achieve in the second phase of SpaDeX?

1. Human spaceflight
2. Moon landing
3. Satellite docking
4. Rocket reusability

Answer: c)
Rationale: The mission involved successful satellite docking between SDX01 and SDX02.

11. With the success of SpaDeX, India became the ___ country to achieve satellite docking.

1. Second
2. Third
3. Fourth
4. Fifth

Answer: c)
Rationale: Only the U.S., Russia, and China had done it before India.

12. Where did the recent targeted terrorist attack on tourists occur in Jammu and Kashmir?

1. Gulmarg
2. Sonamarg
3. Pahalgam
4. Srinagar

Answer: c)
Rationale: The attack occurred in the Baisaran meadows of Pahalgam.

13. Which group claimed responsibility for the Pahalgam attack?

1. Jaish-e-Mohammed
2. Hizbul Mujahideen
3. The Resistance Front
4. Al-Badr

Answer: c)
Rationale: The Resistance Front, linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba, claimed responsibility.

14. What was the alleged motive behind the attack, according to the terrorists?

1. Military occupation
2. CAA/NRC
3. Issuance of domicile certificates
4. Abrogation of Article 370

Answer: c)
Rationale: The group cited opposition to 85,000 domicile certificates issued to non-locals.

15. What chilling method did the terrorists use to target victims?

1. Random firing only
2. Targeting only police
3. Religious identity verification
4. Nighttime attack

Answer: c)
Rationale: Victims were asked to identify their religion before being attacked.

16. Which global summit was mentioned as an upcoming key event in Indo-Pacific cooperation?

1. G7 Summit
2. COP29
3. Quad Leaders’ Summit
4. SAARC Summit

Answer: c)
Rationale: The Quad Summit was cited as important for Indo-Pacific strategy.

17. What did Pakistan do to its airspace in response to India’s actions after the Pahalgam attack?

1. Opened for military flights only
2. Closed to Indian airliners
3. Increased air surveillance
4. Signed a new aviation pact

Answer: b) Closed to Indian airliners
Rationale: Pakistan shut its airspace to Indian flights as a retaliatory step.

18. What happened to trade relations between India and Pakistan after the attack?

1. They increased
2. They remained unchanged
3. They were suspended
4. A new trade deal was signed

Answer: c)
Rationale: Pakistan fully suspended all trade with India following rising tensions.

19. What warning did Pakistan issue about the Indus Waters Treaty?

1. It would be revised
2. It will build more dams
3. Any changes would be an act of war
4. India would get more water

Answer: c)
Rationale: Pakistan warned that any diversion of Indus waters by India would be seen as a hostile act.

20. What step did Pakistan take regarding Indian diplomats?

1. Granted them immunity
2. Expelled Indian defence, naval, and air advisors
3. Invited them for talks
4. Gave them awards

Answer: b)
Rationale: Pakistan downgraded diplomatic ties by expelling key Indian staff.

21. What major agreement did Pakistan threaten to revoke?

1. Indus Waters Treaty
2. SAARC Charter
3. Shimla Accord
4. WTO Agreement

Answer: c)
Rationale: Pakistan warned that it might withdraw from the 1972 Shimla Accord.

22. What language did PM Modi switch to during his speech in Bihar?

1. Tamil
2. Bengali
3. French
4. English

Answer: d)
Rationale: PM Modi switched to English to address an international audience.

23. What was the Indian Air Force exercise called, recently conducted after Pehlgam attack?

1. Surya Shakti
2. Garuda
3. Vajra
4. Akraman

Answer: d)
Rationale: The IAF conducted the ‘Akraman’ exercise in the central sector.