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Home » UPSC Prelims Quiz » UPSC Prelims Quiz: May 15, 2026

UPSC Prelims Quiz: May 15, 2026

Q1. Consider the following pairs:

Fuel / Technology : Correct description

1. Green hydrogen : Produced by splitting water using an electrolyser powered by renewable energy

2. Flex-fuel vehicle : Vehicle system designed to run only on pure ethanol without any petrol blend

3. E100 : Use of pure or near-pure ethanol as fuel without a petrol mix

4. Standard petrol engine : Generally supports higher ethanol blends such as E85 and E100 without special design changes

How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?

(a)

Only one

(b)

Only two

(c)

Only three

(d)

All four

Explanation

Pair 1 – Correct: Green hydrogen is produced by splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen through electrolysis, with the electrolyser powered by renewable energy such as solar or wind.

Pair 2 – Incorrect: A flex-fuel vehicle is not limited to pure ethanol. It uses an internal combustion engine that can run on different petrol-ethanol blends, including higher blends such as E85 and, where designed, E100.

Pair 3 – Correct: E100 refers to pure or near-pure ethanol used as fuel without a petrol mix. The ethanol remains chemically the same whether produced from sugarcane, maize or rice.

Pair 4 – Incorrect: Standard engines generally support only specified lower blends such as E20. Higher blends such as E85 and E100 require flex-fuel capability and suitable engine-management systems.

Answer: (b) Only two
Q2. Consider the following statements:

Statement-I: Green hydrogen is described as having zero or near-zero operational carbon emissions when produced using renewable energy.

Statement-II: Green hydrogen is produced by splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen through electrolysis powered by sources such as solar or wind energy.

Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

(a)

Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, and Statement-II explains Statement-I

(b)

Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I

(c)

Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect

(d)

Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct

Explanation

Statement-I – Correct: Green hydrogen is called green because its production has zero or near-zero operational carbon emissions when renewable energy is used to power the process.

Statement-II – Correct: The production process involves splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen using an electrolyser, and the electricity can come from renewable sources such as solar or wind energy.

Explanation Link – Correct: Statement-II explains Statement-I because the use of renewable energy in electrolysis is the reason green hydrogen has a zero or near-zero operational carbon profile.

Answer: (a) Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, and Statement-II explains Statement-I
Q3. Which one of the following statements is correct?
(a)

Climate adaptation mainly refers to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

(b)

Climate finance taxonomy helps identify climate-aligned activities.

(c)

NDCs are submitted only once under the Paris Agreement.

(d)

Adaptation finance is assessed mainly through emission-intensity reduction.

Explanation

Option (a) – Incorrect: Climate adaptation refers to adjustment to actual or expected climate impacts. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions is mitigation, not adaptation. The source distinguishes adaptation from mitigation by linking adaptation with resilience, vulnerability reduction and management of climate impacts.

Option (b) – Correct: A climate finance taxonomy is a classification framework for identifying environmentally sustainable or climate-aligned economic activities. India’s draft taxonomy is also described by the Government of India as a tool to identify activities consistent with the country’s climate action goals and transition pathway.

Option (c) – Incorrect: NDCs are not submitted only once. Under the Paris Agreement, countries submit NDCs every five years, and each successive NDC is expected to show progression over the previous one.

Option (d) – Incorrect: Emission-intensity reduction is mainly mitigation-linked. Adaptation gains are better assessed through avoidable losses and socio-economic and environmental benefits, because adaptation deals with reducing climate vulnerability and climate-related damage.

Answer: (b) Climate finance taxonomy helps identify climate-aligned activities.
Q4. Consider the following pairs:

Initiative / Concept: Feature

1. NICRA : Climate-smart agriculture

2. Tamil Nadu CRV model : Community consultation

3. Locally Led Adaptation : Community ownership

4. State adaptation facilities : Bankable project identification

5. Climate finance taxonomy : Only disaster-relief accounting

How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?

(a)

Only two

(b)

Only three

(c)

Only four

(d)

All five

Explanation

Pair 1 – Correct: ICAR’s National Innovations in Climate Resilient Agriculture promotes climate-smart agriculture and farmer capacity-building. It covers 448 villages across 151 climate-vulnerable hotspots and maps risks in 651 districts.

Pair 2 – Correct: Tamil Nadu’s Climate Resilient Villages model works through local community and administrative consultation across 11 vulnerable districts. It includes water management, flood and drought mitigation, waste management, renewable energy, biodiversity conservation, alternative livelihoods and climate information.

Pair 3 – Correct: Locally Led Adaptation requires communities to participate in planning, implementation, management, ownership and leadership of adaptation interventions.

Pair 4 – Correct: State-level adaptation facilities are proposed to identify bankable projects, map benefits and widen the resource base for adaptation finance.

Pair 5 – Incorrect: A climate finance taxonomy is not limited to disaster-relief accounting. It classifies climate-aligned or environmentally sustainable economic activities and supports transparent financial flows toward climate goals.

Answer: (c) Only four
Q5. Consider the following:

Statement-I: Developing countries face a large adaptation finance gap through 2035.

Statement-II: Their estimated needs far exceed current international public adaptation finance.

Which one of the following is correct?

(a)

Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, and Statement-II explains Statement-I

(b)

Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I

(c)

Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect

(d)

Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct

Explanation

Statement-I – Correct: UNEP’s Adaptation Gap Report 2025 estimates the adaptation finance gap for developing countries at about US$284–339 billion per year through 2035. The source text also uses the same finance-gap range.

Statement-II – Correct: UNEP estimates developing-country adaptation needs at US$310 billion per year by 2035 on a modelled-cost basis and US$365 billion per year when based on extrapolated needs from NDCs and National Adaptation Plans. International public adaptation finance flows to developing countries were only US$26 billion in 2023.

Explanation Link – Correct: The gap exists because estimated adaptation needs are much higher than current international public adaptation finance flows. Therefore, Statement-II explains Statement-I.

Answer: (a) Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, and Statement-II explains Statement-I