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UPSC current affairs quiz, 19 September 2026

30 Prelims-style questions on the day's news, in the formats UPSC uses (statement-based, How many, Statement-I and II), each with the answer and an explanation. Try each one before you open the answer.

Read 19 September 2026 first18 September 2026 quiz20 September 2026 quizTimed test in the app

India's Russian oil purchases fall after new U.S. curbs

  1. CAATSA, often discussed in the context of India-Russia defence deals, is a law of:

    1. The European Union
    2. The United States
    3. The United Kingdom
    4. The United Nations
    Show answer

    Answer: (b) The United States. The Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act was passed by the US Congress in 2017.

  2. CAATSA is a law of:

    1. The United Kingdom
    2. The European Union
    3. The United Nations
    4. The United States
    Show answer

    Answer: (d) The United States. Passed by the US Congress in 2017.

  3. Consider the following about the 2026 US sanctions Act:
    1. It automatically imposes these tariffs on India.
    2. It authorises tariffs of up to 100% on countries buying Russian energy.
    Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

    1. 1 only
    2. 2 only
    3. Both 1 and 2
    4. Neither 1 nor 2
    Show answer

    Answer: (b) 2 only. It creates a power to impose tariffs under conditions, not an automatic tariff.

  4. Secondary sanctions are aimed at:

    1. UN member states only
    2. The sanctioning country's own firms
    3. Third countries that deal with the sanctioned state
    4. Individuals only
    Show answer

    Answer: (c) Third countries that deal with the sanctioned state. They extend pressure to third countries.

  5. The 'shadow fleet' targeted by the Act refers to:

    1. Fishing vessels
    2. Naval destroyers
    3. Submarines
    4. Tankers used to evade sanctions on Russian oil
    Show answer

    Answer: (d) Tankers used to evade sanctions on Russian oil. Ageing tankers with opaque ownership used to move sanctioned oil.

  6. The Act also extends the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996 until:

    1. 2028
    2. 2030
    3. 2035
    4. 2031
    Show answer

    Answer: (d) 2031. It extends the Iran Sanctions Act to 2031.

RBI may raise rates twice by the end of 2026, analysts say

  1. Consider the following about the Monetary Policy Committee:
    1. It has six members.
    2. All its members are RBI officials.
    Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

    1. 1 only
    2. 2 only
    3. Both 1 and 2
    4. Neither 1 nor 2
    Show answer

    Answer: (a) 1 only. The MPC has six members: three from the RBI including the Governor, and three external members appointed by the government.

  2. Consider the following about the Monetary Policy Committee:
    1. It has six members.
    2. All its members are RBI officials.
    Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

    1. 1 only
    2. 2 only
    3. Both 1 and 2
    4. Neither 1 nor 2
    Show answer

    Answer: (a) 1 only. Three members are external, appointed by the government.

  3. India's flexible inflation target is:

    1. 4% with a band of 2-6%
    2. 6% with a band of 4-8%
    3. 2% with a band of 1-3%
    4. 5% with a band of 3-7%
    Show answer

    Answer: (a) 4% with a band of 2-6%. 4% CPI with a 2-6% band.

  4. The repo rate is the rate at which:

    1. The government borrows from the RBI
    2. Banks lend to the RBI
    3. Banks lend to customers
    4. The RBI lends to banks
    Show answer

    Answer: (d) The RBI lends to banks. The RBI lends to banks against government securities.

  5. A supply-side shock like a poor monsoon mainly raises:

    1. Exports
    2. Asset prices
    3. Food inflation
    4. Wage deflation
    Show answer

    Answer: (c) Food inflation. Crop damage pushes up food prices.

  6. The legal basis of the MPC was created by amending the:

    1. FEMA
    2. FRBM Act
    3. Banking Regulation Act
    4. RBI Act, 1934
    Show answer

    Answer: (d) RBI Act, 1934. The 2016 amendment to the RBI Act.

New film certification guidelines notified for the CBFC

  1. Age-based film certificate categories such as UA 7+, UA 13+ and UA 16+ were introduced by:

    1. Cinematograph Act, 1952 (original)
    2. Cinematograph (Amendment) Act, 2023
    3. Information Technology Rules, 2021
    4. Press Council Act, 1978
    Show answer

    Answer: (b) Cinematograph (Amendment) Act, 2023. The 2023 amendment split the UA category into age-based sub-categories.

  2. Age-based categories UA 7+, UA 13+ and UA 16+ were introduced by:

    1. Cinematograph (Amendment) Act, 2023
    2. IT Rules, 2021
    3. Press Council Act, 1978
    4. Cinematograph Act, 1952 (original)
    Show answer

    Answer: (a) Cinematograph (Amendment) Act, 2023. The 2023 amendment; they were added to the guidelines in May 2025.

  3. Consider the following about the September 2026 guidelines:
    1. They replace the 1991 guidelines entirely.
    2. They require a warning on scenes showing drug use or trafficking.
    Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

    1. 1 only
    2. 2 only
    3. Both 1 and 2
    4. Neither 1 nor 2
    Show answer

    Answer: (b) 2 only. They keep the 1991 text and add two provisions.

  4. The 'S' film certificate is meant for:

    1. Short films
    2. Students
    3. Senior citizens
    4. Specialised audiences such as doctors
    Show answer

    Answer: (d) Specialised audiences such as doctors. S restricts exhibition to specialised classes of persons.

  5. The CBFC functions under which ministry?

    1. Electronics and IT
    2. Home Affairs
    3. Culture
    4. Information and Broadcasting
    Show answer

    Answer: (d) Information and Broadcasting. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

  6. The constitutional basis for film certification is:

    1. Article 21 only
    2. Article 368
    3. Article 51A
    4. Article 19(1)(a) read with Article 19(2)
    Show answer

    Answer: (d) Article 19(1)(a) read with Article 19(2). Reasonable restrictions on free speech under Article 19(2).

Stiff 'red entry' rules in land records to curb farm fires

  1. The Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and Adjoining Areas was established under a law passed in:

    1. 2018
    2. 2019
    3. 2021
    4. 2023
    Show answer

    Answer: (c) 2021. The CAQM Act was passed in 2021, replacing an ordinance of 2020.

  2. The Commission for Air Quality Management was established under a law passed in:

    1. 2021
    2. 2023
    3. 2018
    4. 2019
    Show answer

    Answer: (a) 2021. The CAQM Act, 2021.

  3. Consider the following about the 2026 draft rules:
    1. A red entry lasts 15 months.
    2. Compensation is the same for all farmers regardless of land size.
    Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

    1. 1 only
    2. 2 only
    3. Both 1 and 2
    4. Neither 1 nor 2
    Show answer

    Answer: (a) 1 only. Compensation is linked to landholding size.

  4. Paddy stubble is burnt mainly because:

    1. It is required by law
    2. Straw has no nutrients
    3. The gap between rice harvest and wheat sowing is short
    4. It improves soil permanently
    Show answer

    Answer: (c) The gap between rice harvest and wheat sowing is short. Farmers have little time to clear fields before sowing wheat.

  5. Which of these is an in-situ method of managing crop residue?

    1. Making briquettes
    2. Selling straw to power plants
    3. Using a Happy Seeder
    4. Burning
    Show answer

    Answer: (c) Using a Happy Seeder. In-situ methods keep residue in the field.

  6. In Haryana, a red entry on which portal bars farmers from schemes for two years?

    1. Meri Fasal Mera Byora
    2. PM-KISAN
    3. Kisan Suvidha
    4. e-NAM
    Show answer

    Answer: (a) Meri Fasal Mera Byora. The Meri Fasal Mera Byora portal.

Deep-sea discovery and environmental responsibility

  1. The International Seabed Authority is headquartered in:

    1. Geneva
    2. The Hague
    3. Kingston, Jamaica
    4. Nairobi
    Show answer

    Answer: (c) Kingston, Jamaica. The ISA, created under UNCLOS, is based in Kingston, Jamaica.

  2. The International Seabed Authority is headquartered in:

    1. Nairobi
    2. Geneva
    3. The Hague
    4. Kingston, Jamaica
    Show answer

    Answer: (d) Kingston, Jamaica. The ISA is based in Kingston.

  3. Consider the following statements:
    1. India holds three ISA exploration contracts.
    2. The ISA's mining code for commercial exploitation has been finalised.
    Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

    1. 1 only
    2. 2 only
    3. Both 1 and 2
    4. Neither 1 nor 2
    Show answer

    Answer: (a) 1 only. The mining code is still not finalised.

  4. Polymetallic nodules are valued mainly for:

    1. Nickel, cobalt, copper and manganese
    2. Oil and gas
    3. Uranium
    4. Gold and silver
    Show answer

    Answer: (a) Nickel, cobalt, copper and manganese. These battery and industrial metals.

  5. MATSYA-6000 is:

    1. A crewed deep-sea submersible
    2. A naval destroyer
    3. A research ship
    4. A satellite
    Show answer

    Answer: (a) A crewed deep-sea submersible. It is India's crewed submersible under Samudrayaan.

  6. India's newest ISA exploration contract, granted in 2025, is for the:

    1. Central Indian Ocean Basin
    2. Afanasy-Nikitin Seamount
    3. Mid-Atlantic Ridge
    4. Carlsberg Ridge
    Show answer

    Answer: (d) Carlsberg Ridge. The Carlsberg Ridge contract was granted in 2025.