Pratidin

UPSC current affairs quiz, 23 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 23 September 2026 first22 September 2026 quiz24 September 2026 quizTimed test in the app

Supreme Court: refusing to sing the National Song cannot be punished

  1. Which of the following is specifically mentioned in Article 51A(a) as something every citizen must respect?

    1. National Song and National Flag
    2. National Anthem and National Flag
    3. National Emblem and National Song
    4. National Calendar and National Anthem
    Show answer

    Answer: (b) National Anthem and National Flag. Article 51A(a) refers to the Constitution, its ideals and institutions, the National Flag and the National Anthem.

  2. Which of the following is specifically mentioned in Article 51A(a)?

    1. National Calendar and National Anthem
    2. National Song and National Flag
    3. National Emblem and National Song
    4. National Anthem and National Flag
    Show answer

    Answer: (d) National Anthem and National Flag. Article 51A(a) names the Flag and the Anthem.

  3. In Bijoe Emmanuel v. State of Kerala (1986), the Supreme Court protected students who:

    1. Refused to stand for the anthem
    2. Left the assembly
    3. Stood respectfully but did not sing the anthem
    4. Sang a different song
    Show answer

    Answer: (c) Stood respectfully but did not sing the anthem. The students stood respectfully; not singing was held to be protected.

  4. Consider the following statements:
    1. The 2026 amendment extended penal protection to Vande Mataram.
    2. The Supreme Court held that the Centre cannot choose the National Song.
    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 Court said choosing the National Song is for the State.

  5. The Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act was originally passed in:

    1. 1950
    2. 1986
    3. 1971
    4. 2005
    Show answer

    Answer: (c) 1971. It was passed in 1971.

  6. Which fundamental rights did the Bijoe Emmanuel judgment rely on?

    1. Articles 19(1)(a) and 25
    2. Articles 29 and 30
    3. Articles 14 and 21
    4. Articles 15 and 17
    Show answer

    Answer: (a) Articles 19(1)(a) and 25. Freedom of speech (including silence) and freedom of religion.

Karnataka's legislature asks the Centre to shrink the Western Ghats eco-sensitive area

  1. The High-Level Working Group on the Western Ghats that recommended about 37% of the region as ecologically sensitive was headed by:

    1. Madhav Gadgil
    2. K. Kasturirangan
    3. M.S. Swaminathan
    4. B.N. Srikrishna
    Show answer

    Answer: (b) K. Kasturirangan. The Kasturirangan working group (2013) reduced the Gadgil panel's 64% to about 37%.

  2. The High-Level Working Group that recommended about 37% of the Western Ghats as ecologically sensitive was headed by:

    1. B.N. Srikrishna
    2. M.S. Swaminathan
    3. Madhav Gadgil
    4. K. Kasturirangan
    Show answer

    Answer: (d) K. Kasturirangan. The Kasturirangan group (2013).

  3. Ecologically Sensitive Areas are notified under:

    1. Environment (Protection) Act, 1986
    2. Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972
    3. Biological Diversity Act, 2002
    4. Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980
    Show answer

    Answer: (a) Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. ESAs are notified under the Environment (Protection) Act.

  4. Consider the following about Karnataka's 2026 resolution:
    1. It rejected the seventh draft ESA notification in its present form.
    2. It asked for the ESA to include all villages with any forest area.
    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. It asked to confine the ESA to notified forests and other forest areas.

  5. Which of these States is NOT part of the Western Ghats?

    1. Goa
    2. Telangana
    3. Tamil Nadu
    4. Gujarat
    Show answer

    Answer: (b) Telangana. The Western Ghats span Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

  6. The Western Ghats are a:

    1. Ramsar site
    2. National park
    3. Biosphere reserve only
    4. UNESCO World Heritage Site
    Show answer

    Answer: (d) UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Western Ghats were inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2012.

Towards recognising women as farmers

  1. The Hindu Succession (Amendment) Act, 2005 is significant because it:

    1. Abolished dowry
    2. Gave daughters equal coparcenary rights
    3. Created the Mahila Kisan scheme
    4. Reserved land titles for women
    Show answer

    Answer: (b) Gave daughters equal coparcenary rights. It made daughters coparceners by birth with the same rights as sons.

  2. The Hindu Succession (Amendment) Act, 2005 is significant because it:

    1. Abolished dowry
    2. Reserved land titles for women
    3. Gave daughters equal coparcenary rights
    4. Created the Mahila Kisan scheme
    Show answer

    Answer: (c) Gave daughters equal coparcenary rights. Daughters became coparceners by birth with the same rights as sons.

  3. According to the Agriculture Census 2015-16, women held about what share of operational holdings?

    1. 33%
    2. 6%
    3. 25%
    4. 14%
    Show answer

    Answer: (d) 14%. 13.96% of holdings.

  4. Consider the following statements:
    1. Rural female labour force participation rose between 2017-18 and 2023-24.
    2. Most of this rise came from factory employment.
    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 rise came largely from self-employment in agriculture.

  5. 2026 was declared by the UN as the International Year of the:

    1. Cooperatives
    2. Millets
    3. Rangelands and Pastoralists
    4. Woman Farmer
    Show answer

    Answer: (d) Woman Farmer. 2026 is the International Year of the Woman Farmer.

  6. Which survey measures labour force participation in India?

    1. NFHS
    2. Economic Census
    3. Agriculture Census
    4. PLFS
    Show answer

    Answer: (d) PLFS. The Periodic Labour Force Survey.

Drug trade to be uprooted by the end of 2029, says Home Minister

  1. The 'Golden Crescent', often mentioned in the context of drug trafficking, includes:

    1. Myanmar, Laos and Thailand
    2. Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan
    3. Colombia, Peru and Bolivia
    4. Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh
    Show answer

    Answer: (b) Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan. The Golden Crescent is Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan; the Golden Triangle is Myanmar, Laos and Thailand.

  2. The 'Golden Crescent' includes:

    1. Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh
    2. Myanmar, Laos and Thailand
    3. Colombia, Peru and Bolivia
    4. Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan
    Show answer

    Answer: (d) Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan. The Golden Triangle is Myanmar, Laos and Thailand.

  3. India's principal anti-narcotics law is the:

    1. NDPS Act, 1985
    2. UAPA, 1967
    3. Customs Act, 1962
    4. Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940
    Show answer

    Answer: (a) NDPS Act, 1985. The Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985.

  4. Consider the following statements:
    1. The NCB conviction rate fell in 2025 compared with 2024.
    2. The Narcotics Control Bureau was set up in 1986.
    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 conviction rate rose to 66.8% in 2025 from 60.8%.

  5. The target year set for a drug-free India is:

    1. 2029
    2. 2030
    3. 2047
    4. 2027
    Show answer

    Answer: (a) 2029. The Home Minister set 31 December 2029.

  6. The government describes its approach to harm reduction as:

    1. Ruthless
    2. Strategic
    3. Punitive
    4. Humane
    Show answer

    Answer: (d) Humane. Ruthless on supply, strategic on demand reduction, humane on harm reduction.

Green clearances for ports now valid for 20 years

  1. The Environmental Impact Assessment Notification, 2006 was issued under:

    1. Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972
    2. Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980
    3. Environment (Protection) Act, 1986
    4. Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974
    Show answer

    Answer: (c) Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. The EIA Notification draws its authority from the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.

  2. The EIA Notification, 2006 was issued under:

    1. Water Act, 1974
    2. Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972
    3. Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980
    4. Environment (Protection) Act, 1986
    Show answer

    Answer: (d) Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. It draws its authority from the Environment (Protection) Act.

  3. Consider the following statements:
    1. The final rule was less generous than the May 2026 draft.
    2. Port clearances are now valid for 20 years.
    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 draft proposed 15 years; the final rule gives 20.

  4. Under the 2022 EIA amendment, the validity of clearance for mining projects is:

    1. 30 years
    2. 10 years
    3. 20 years
    4. 15 years
    Show answer

    Answer: (a) 30 years. 30 years, extendable by 20.

  5. Which committee recommends extensions of environmental clearance?

    1. Expert Appraisal Committee
    2. Central Pollution Control Board
    3. National Green Tribunal
    4. NITI Aayog
    Show answer

    Answer: (a) Expert Appraisal Committee. The central or State Expert Appraisal Committee.

  6. The current Coastal Regulation Zone Notification is of:

    1. 2015
    2. 2023
    3. 2011
    4. 2019
    Show answer

    Answer: (d) 2019. The CRZ Notification, 2019.