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UPSC current affairs quiz, 22 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 22 September 2026 first21 September 2026 quiz23 September 2026 quizTimed test in the app

Supreme Court: an accused must be released if not told the grounds of arrest

  1. Under Article 22, an arrested person must be produced before the nearest magistrate within:

    1. 12 hours
    2. 24 hours
    3. 48 hours
    4. 72 hours
    Show answer

    Answer: (b) 24 hours. Article 22(2) sets 24 hours, excluding travel time.

  2. Under Article 22, an arrested person must be produced before the nearest magistrate within:

    1. 72 hours
    2. 12 hours
    3. 48 hours
    4. 24 hours
    Show answer

    Answer: (d) 24 hours. Article 22(2) sets 24 hours, excluding travel time.

  3. Consider the following about the 2026 ruling:
    1. It applies only to offences under special laws.
    2. A later chargesheet cannot cure an arrest that breached Article 22(1).
    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. The ruling applies to all offences, ordinary and special.

  4. The requirement to supply grounds of arrest in writing under PMLA was laid down in:

    1. Arnesh Kumar
    2. Maneka Gandhi
    3. D.K. Basu
    4. Pankaj Bansal
    Show answer

    Answer: (d) Pankaj Bansal. Pankaj Bansal v. Union of India (2023).

  5. Under the 2026 ruling, re-arrest after an illegal arrest can be made by:

    1. A different officer, with the Magistrate's sanction
    2. Only the CBI
    3. Any officer after 24 hours
    4. The same officer, freely
    Show answer

    Answer: (a) A different officer, with the Magistrate's sanction. Re-arrest needs the Magistrate's sanction and must be by a different officer.

  6. Which Article protects life and personal liberty?

    1. Article 22
    2. Article 21
    3. Article 19
    4. Article 20
    Show answer

    Answer: (b) Article 21. Article 21; Article 22 adds specific safeguards on arrest and detention.

Article 371 A to J, and what a new 371K could do for Ladakh

  1. Article 371J of the Constitution makes special provisions for which State?

    1. Goa
    2. Karnataka
    3. Sikkim
    4. Arunachal Pradesh
    Show answer

    Answer: (b) Karnataka. Article 371J (98th Amendment, 2012) covers the Hyderabad-Karnataka (Kalyana-Karnataka) region of Karnataka.

  2. Article 371J makes special provisions for which State?

    1. Goa
    2. Arunachal Pradesh
    3. Karnataka
    4. Sikkim
    Show answer

    Answer: (c) Karnataka. Article 371J (98th Amendment, 2012) covers Kalyana-Karnataka.

  3. The Sixth Schedule applies to tribal areas in:

    1. All north-eastern States
    2. Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh
    3. Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram
    4. Nagaland and Manipur
    Show answer

    Answer: (c) Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram. The Sixth Schedule covers Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram.

  4. Consider the following about the proposed Article 371K:
    1. It already exists in the Constitution.
    2. It would need a constitutional amendment.
    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. Article 371 currently runs from 371 to 371J.

  5. Ladakh became a Union Territory on:

    1. 5 August 2019
    2. 26 January 2020
    3. 31 October 2019
    4. 15 August 2020
    Show answer

    Answer: (c) 31 October 2019. It became a UT on 31 October 2019.

  6. Which Article allows the President to make regulations for certain Union Territories?

    1. Article 240
    2. Article 239
    3. Article 244
    4. Article 370
    Show answer

    Answer: (a) Article 240. Article 240; the proposed body would legislate on subjects reserved under it.

India-New Zealand trade deal to take effect on 20 October

  1. India withdrew from which trade agreement in 2019, partly over concerns about dairy imports?

    1. CPTPP
    2. RCEP
    3. IPEF
    4. SAFTA
    Show answer

    Answer: (b) RCEP. India left the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) negotiations in November 2019.

  2. India withdrew from which trade agreement in 2019, partly over dairy concerns?

    1. CPTPP
    2. SAFTA
    3. IPEF
    4. RCEP
    Show answer

    Answer: (d) RCEP. India left RCEP in November 2019.

  3. Consider the following about the India-NZ FTA:
    1. India opened its dairy market to New Zealand.
    2. It gives duty-free access to all Indian exports to New Zealand.
    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. India excluded dairy entirely.

  4. The India-New Zealand FTA was signed on:

    1. 27 April 2026
    2. 22 December 2025
    3. 16 September 2026
    4. 20 October 2026
    Show answer

    Answer: (a) 27 April 2026. Signed on 27 April 2026; in force from 20 October 2026.

  5. A tariff-rate quota means:

    1. A lower tariff up to a set quantity, and a higher tariff beyond it
    2. A total ban on imports
    3. A quota on exports
    4. Zero tariffs on all quantities
    Show answer

    Answer: (a) A lower tariff up to a set quantity, and a higher tariff beyond it. TRQs allow limited quantities at lower duty.

  6. New Zealand's largest export category is:

    1. Wool
    2. Timber
    3. Kiwifruit
    4. Dairy
    Show answer

    Answer: (d) Dairy. Dairy, which is why its exclusion is significant.

How Gaganyaan's crew module will deploy its parachutes

  1. Gaganyaan's crew module is designed to return to Earth by:

    1. Landing on a runway like a spaceplane
    2. Splashing down at sea under parachutes
    3. Propulsive landing on a pad
    4. Landing on land with airbags only
    Show answer

    Answer: (b) Splashing down at sea under parachutes. The crew module decelerates using parachutes and splashes down at sea for recovery.

  2. Gaganyaan's crew module is designed to return to Earth by:

    1. Propulsive landing on a pad
    2. Landing on a runway
    3. Splashing down at sea under parachutes
    4. Landing on land with airbags only
    Show answer

    Answer: (c) Splashing down at sea under parachutes. It splashes down at sea.

  3. Consider the following statements:
    1. The Gaganyaan crew module uses 10 parachutes.
    2. All three main parachutes must open for a safe landing.
    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. Two of three main parachutes are enough, giving redundancy.

  4. Which parachutes deploy first in the Gaganyaan sequence?

    1. Pilot
    2. Main
    3. Apex cover separation
    4. Drogue
    Show answer

    Answer: (c) Apex cover separation. Apex cover separation parachutes remove the compartment cover first.

  5. Parachutes are deployed only after the module slows to subsonic speed because:

    1. Radio contact is lost
    2. It saves fuel
    3. Supersonic deployment would shred the canopy
    4. The heat shield must cool
    Show answer

    Answer: (c) Supersonic deployment would shred the canopy. High dynamic pressure at high speed would destroy the parachutes.

  6. The ADRDE, which develops Gaganyaan's parachutes, is a lab of:

    1. DRDO
    2. ISRO
    3. CSIR
    4. HAL
    Show answer

    Answer: (a) DRDO. ADRDE, Agra, is a DRDO laboratory.

Nearly 40% of coal power plants are critically low on fuel

  1. Which body sets norms for coal stock levels at thermal power plants in India?

    1. Coal India Limited
    2. Central Electricity Authority
    3. NITI Aayog
    4. Central Electricity Regulatory Commission
    Show answer

    Answer: (b) Central Electricity Authority. The Central Electricity Authority prescribes stock norms and monitors plant stocks.

  2. Which body sets norms for coal stock levels at thermal power plants?

    1. NITI Aayog
    2. CERC
    3. Central Electricity Authority
    4. Coal India Limited
    Show answer

    Answer: (c) Central Electricity Authority. The CEA prescribes norms and publishes daily stock data.

  3. A plant is classified as 'critical' when its coal stock is below:

    1. 10% of norm
    2. 50% of norm
    3. 75% of norm
    4. 25% of norm
    Show answer

    Answer: (d) 25% of norm. Below 25% of the normative requirement.

  4. Consider the following statements:
    1. The September 2026 shortage was mainly due to exhausted reserves.
    2. India produces over a billion tonnes of coal a year.
    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. The shortage came from demand and logistics, not reserves.

  5. A 'pithead' power plant is one located:

    1. Near a city
    2. Near a coal mine
    3. Near a port
    4. Near a river
    Show answer

    Answer: (b) Near a coal mine. Pithead plants are close to mines and need smaller stocks.

  6. Which of these helped push up power demand in 2026?

    1. Falling solar output
    2. La Niña
    3. El Niño-driven heat
    4. A cold winter
    Show answer

    Answer: (c) El Niño-driven heat. Hotter weather raised cooling demand.