CURRENT AFFAIRS | MARCH 2026
Prelims: Comprehensive coverage — polity, economy, environment, science & tech, international relations, geography, sports
Mains: GS-I to GS-IV — cross-cutting themes from March 2026 current affairs
Judicial Services Relevance: Constitutional provisions (Art 280, 371A, 21A, 48A, 51A), statutory frameworks (DM Act 2005, WPA 1972, NGT Act 2010, IT Act 2000), international law (UNCLOS, ICJ advisory opinions)
50 MCQs — March 2026 Current Affairs Comprehensive Practice
This compilation contains 50 MCQs drawn from the UPSC Essentials March 2026 magazine, covering all topics from Pages 77-102. Work through all questions first, then check the answer key below. Aim for 35+ correct to be exam-ready.
Questions 1-10: International Relations & Polity
Q1. Which country’s President made a state visit to India from February 18-22, 2026?
(a) France (b) Japan (c) Germany (d) Brazil
Q2. What is the vertical devolution recommended by the 16th Finance Commission?
(a) 41% (b) 42% (c) 38% (d) 40%
Q3. PM CARES Fund was established in which year?
(a) March 2020 (b) 2019 (c) 2018 (d) 2021
Q4. How many full members does the Board of Peace have?
(a) 15 (b) 22 (c) 27 (d) 30
Q5. Who heads the 16th Finance Commission?
(a) Dr. Arvind Panagariya (b) N.K. Singh (c) Bibek Debroy (d) Nand Kishore
Q6. Bharat Taxi operates on which model?
(a) 5% commission (b) 10% commission (c) Zero-commission (d) 15% commission
Q7. How many stanzas does Vande Mataram have per the MHA protocol?
(a) 2 (b) 4 (c) 5 (d) 6
Q8. FNTA covers how many districts in Nagaland?
(a) 4 (b) 5 (c) 7 (d) 6
Q9. India’s status in Trump’s Board of Peace is:
(a) Full member (b) Observer (c) Chair (d) Not involved
Q10. The Urban Challenge Fund corpus is:
(a) Rs 50,000 Cr (b) Rs 1 lakh Cr (c) Rs 75,000 Cr (d) Rs 1.5 lakh Cr
Questions 11-20: Economy & Environment
Q11. The new CPI base year is:
(a) 2020 (b) 2022 (c) 2024 (d) 2023
Q12. COICOP 2018 has how many divisions?
(a) 12 (b) 10 (c) 14 (d) 8
Q13. Food weightage in the new CPI basket:
(a) 32.50% (b) 36.75% (c) 40.00% (d) 42.50%
Q14. How many items in the new CPI basket?
(a) 299 (b) 320 (c) 400 (d) 358
Q15. INCOIS proposes RSC at:
(a) Port Blair (b) Vijaynagar, Swaraj Dweep (c) Kavaratti (d) Car Nicobar
Q16. What percentage of tsunamis from undersea earthquakes?
(a) 60% (b) 80% (c) 70% (d) 90%
Q17. January inflation under new CPI base:
(a) 2.75% (b) 3.00% (c) 2.50% (d) 3.25%
Q18. Sub-sea cable length planned:
(a) 170 km (b) 220 km (c) 320 km (d) 270 km
Q19. Storm Marta affected which region?
(a) France-Italy (b) Greece-Turkey (c) Spain-Portugal (d) Germany-Poland
Q20. RBI digital fraud compensation cap:
(a) Rs 10,000 (b) Rs 25,000 (c) Rs 15,000 (d) Rs 50,000
Questions 21-30: Science & Technology
Q21. J1007+3540 was discovered using:
(a) Hubble (b) uGMRT Pune (c) ISRO satellite (d) Chandra X-ray
Q22. uGMRT has how many antennas?
(a) 20 (b) 25 (c) 30 (d) 35
Q23. SFDR propulsion type:
(a) Solid fuel (b) Liquid fuel (c) Nuclear (d) Air-breathing
Q24. IDS budget for railways:
(a) Rs 208 Cr (b) Rs 108 Cr (c) Rs 158 Cr (d) Rs 258 Cr
Q25. IDS uses which detection phenomenon?
(a) Doppler effect (b) Infrared (c) EM induction (d) Rayleigh scattering
Q26. NLST location:
(a) Merak, Pangong Tso (b) Hanle (c) Udaipur (d) Kodaikanal
Q27. NLOT mirror aperture:
(a) 8 m (b) 10.4 m (c) 2 m (d) 13.7 m
Q28. Bharat-VISTAAR budget:
(a) Rs 150 Cr (b) Rs 100 Cr (c) Rs 75 Cr (d) Rs 200 Cr
Q29. Bharat-VISTAAR helpline:
(a) 155261 (b) 155255 (c) 155270 (d) 155280
Q30. IDS covers how many railway zones?
(a) 4 (b) 6 (c) 10 (d) 8
Questions 31-40: Persons, Places & Geography
Q31. First Dalit Cardinal:
(a) George Alencherry (b) Oswald Gracias (c) Baselios Cleemis (d) Poola Anthony
Q32. Narges Mohammadi is from:
(a) Iran (b) Afghanistan (c) Iraq (d) Syria
Q33. Brahmaputra tunnel length:
(a) 25.5 km (b) 33.7 km (c) 40.2 km (d) 28.3 km
Q34. Naneghat caves period:
(a) 3rd century BCE (b) 2nd century CE (c) 1st century BCE (d) 5th century CE
Q35. Strait of Hormuz global oil share:
(a) 10-15% (b) 15-20% (c) 20-25% (d) 25-30%
Q36. Great Nicobar project approved by:
(a) Supreme Court (b) MoEFCC (c) NBWL (d) NGT
Q37. Durgavati Tiger Reserve is in:
(a) Rajasthan (b) Madhya Pradesh (c) Maharashtra (d) Uttarakhand
Q38. BNP won how many seats in Bangladesh?
(a) 175 (b) 209 (c) 250 (d) 190
Q39. India’s first solar observatory was at:
(a) Kodaikanal (b) Udaipur (c) Hanle (d) Merak
Q40. Strait of Hormuz width:
(a) 20 km (b) 33 km (c) 45 km (d) 55 km
Questions 41-50: Sports, Awards & Miscellaneous
Q41. India won which U-19 WC title number?
(a) 5th (b) 6th (c) 7th (d) 4th
Q42. Who scored 175 in U-19 WC?
(a) Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (b) Ayush Mhatre (c) Musheer Khan (d) Abhishek Sharma
Q43. Global Teacher Prize winner:
(a) Rouble Nagi (b) Ranjitsinh Disale (c) Peter Tabichi (d) Andria Zafirakou
Q44. Vibrant Villages Phase 2 covers which border?
(a) Indo-China (b) Indo-Myanmar (c) Indo-Nepal (d) Indo-Bangladesh
Q45. NDMA SOP came how many years after Gujarat earthquake?
(a) 20 years (b) 25 years (c) 23 years (d) 30 years
Q46. Bodhan AI was discussed at:
(a) MoE Conclave Feb 12-13 (b) AI Summit 2026 (c) Digital India Week (d) NITI Aayog Forum
Q47. PM Modi visited Brasilia ending a gap of:
(a) 57 years (b) 45 years (c) 30 years (d) 25 years
Q48. Asian Shooting — India’s total medal count:
(a) 75 (b) 82 (c) 88 (d) 94
Q49. Bharat EduAI Stack is conceptualized as:
(a) Commercial platform (b) DPI (c) Government portal (d) Private service
Q50. Chess960 champion:
(a) Viswanathan Anand (b) Ding Liren (c) Fabiano Caruana (d) Magnus Carlsen
Answer Key with Explanations
Q1(d) Q2(a) Q3(a) Q4(c) Q5(a) Q6(c) Q7(d) Q8(d) Q9(b) Q10(b)
Q11(c) Q12(a) Q13(b) Q14(d) Q15(b) Q16(b) Q17(a) Q18(d) Q19(c) Q20(b)
Q21(b) Q22(c) Q23(d) Q24(a) Q25(d) Q26(a) Q27(d) Q28(a) Q29(a) Q30(d)
Q31(d) Q32(a) Q33(b) Q34(c) Q35(c) Q36(d) Q37(b) Q38(b) Q39(a) Q40(b)
Q41(b) Q42(a) Q43(a) Q44(d) Q45(b) Q46(a) Q47(a) Q48(d) Q49(b) Q50(d)
Detailed Explanations
Q1(d): Brazil President Lula made a state visit to India, Feb 18-22, 2026, coinciding with AI Summit.
Q2(a): The 16th FC recommended 41% vertical devolution to states under Article 280(1).
Q3(a): PM CARES was established in March 2020 during Covid-19 as a public charitable trust.
Q4(c): Board of Peace has 27 full members and 22 observers.
Q5(a): Dr. Arvind Panagariya heads the 16th Finance Commission.
Q6(c): Bharat Taxi operates on zero-commission, backed by STCL, NCDC, NABARD.
Q7(d): MHA protocol mandates all 6 stanzas, 3 min 10 sec duration.
Q8(d): FNTA covers 6 districts with 46 subjects; Art 371(A) unaffected.
Q9(b): India is an observer in the Board of Peace, reflecting circumspect engagement.
Q10(b): Urban Challenge Fund is Rs 1 lakh crore (25% central, 50% market-based).
Q11(c): MoSPI revised CPI base year from 2012 to 2024.
Q12(a): COICOP 2018 has 12 divisions, 43 groups, 92 classes, 162 subclasses, 358 items.
Q13(b): Food has 36.75% weightage, the highest in the new CPI basket.
Q14(d): New CPI basket has 358 items (up from 299).
Q15(b): INCOIS proposes RSC at Vijaynagar, Swaraj Dweep (A&N Islands).
Q16(b): 80% of tsunamis are caused by undersea earthquakes.
Q17(a): January inflation under new base was 2.75%.
Q18(d): 270-km sub-sea cable along the subduction zone.
Q19(c): Storm Marta struck Spain and Portugal (Iberian Peninsula).
Q20(b): RBI compensation capped at Rs 25,000 from DEA Fund (2014).
Q21(b): J1007+3540 discovered using uGMRT at Pune (NCRA-TIFR).
Q22(c): uGMRT has 30 antennas, each 45m diameter, spread over 25 km.
Q23(d): SFDR uses air-breathing propulsion (no oxidiser needed).
Q24(a): IDS budget is Rs 208 Cr for 1,158 route-km across 8 zones.
Q25(d): IDS uses Rayleigh scattering in fibre-based DAS technology.
Q26(a): NLST (2m solar telescope) at Merak, Pangong Tso, Ladakh.
Q27(d): NLOT has 13.7-metre segmented mirror at Hanle.
Q28(a): Bharat-VISTAAR allocated Rs 150 Cr.
Q29(a): Bharat-VISTAAR helpline: 155261, AI assistant “Bharati”.
Q30(d): IDS covers 8 railway zones.
Q31(d): Poola Anthony — first Dalit Cardinal, CBCI President, Hyderabad.
Q32(a): Narges Mohammadi — Nobel Peace 2023, from Iran, 7 more years sentenced.
Q33(b): Brahmaputra tunnel: 33.7 km, Gohpur-Numaligarh, Rs 18,662 Cr.
Q34(c): Naneghat caves: 1st century BCE, Satavahana dynasty, Brahmi script.
Q35(c): Strait of Hormuz: 20-25% global oil, 33 km wide.
Q36(d): Great Nicobar got NGT clearance; 166 sq km, ANIIDCO, NITI Aayog 2021.
Q37(b): Durgavati Tiger Reserve: Madhya Pradesh, 2,339 sq km, connected to Nauradehi.
Q38(b): BNP won 209/300 seats under Tarique Rahman.
Q39(a): Kodaikanal (1899) — India’s first solar observatory.
Q40(b): Strait of Hormuz: 33 km wide.
Q41(b): India won 6th U-19 World Cup title.
Q42(a): Vaibhav Sooryavanshi scored 175.
Q43(a): Rouble Nagi won $1M Global Teacher Prize.
Q44(d): Vibrant Villages Phase 2: Indo-Bangladesh border, Rs 6,839 Cr, 1,954 villages.
Q45(b): NDMA SOP released 25 years after 2001 Gujarat earthquake.
Q46(a): Bodhan AI discussed at MoE Conclave Feb 12-13.
Q47(a): PM Modi visited Brasilia after 57-year gap (July 7-8, 2025).
Q48(d): India topped Asian Shooting with 94 medals.
Q49(b): Bharat EduAI Stack conceptualized as DPI.
Q50(d): Magnus Carlsen won Chess960 championship.
• Constitutional provisions tested: Art 280(1) (FC), Art 371(A) (Nagaland), Art 21A (RTE), Art 48A (environment), Art 51A (fundamental duties)
• Statutory frameworks: Disaster Management Act 2005, Wildlife Protection Act 1972, NGT Act 2010, IT Act 2000, Essential Commodities Act 1955
• International law: UNCLOS (Strait of Hormuz — transit passage), ICJ advisory opinions (Gaza), Vienna Convention on Treaties
• Environmental jurisprudence: Precautionary principle (Vellore Citizens 1996), polluter pays, absolute liability
• Emerging areas: AI regulation (no comprehensive legislation), DPI framework, digital fraud compensation
Source: UPSC Essentials, The Indian Express — March 2026
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