1. The pillar with the highest weightage reflects factors largely outside the direct control of State governments.
2. The combined weight of outcome-oriented indicators is equal to the combined weight of infrastructure-oriented indicators.
3. The design of EPI implicitly prioritises export capacity creation over realised export outcomes.
4. Export Performance is assigned the same weight as Policy & Governance to ensure inter-State comparability.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
Statement 1 – Incorrect: The highest-weight pillar is Business Ecosystem (40%), which largely falls within State-level influence such as regulations, industrial climate, and facilitation, not outside it.
Statement 2 – Incorrect: Infrastructure (20%) plus Export Performance (20%) equals 40%, and does not match any single outcome group; the statement incorrectly mixes categories.
Statement 3 – Correct: Greater weight to Business Ecosystem, Infrastructure, and Policy & Governance (80%) over Export Performance (20%) shows emphasis on capacity creation and export readiness.
Statement 4 – Correct: Export Performance and Policy & Governance are each assigned 20%, ensuring balance between realised outcomes and institutional quality.
Correct – (b): The Export Preparedness Index is aligned with the goal of achieving USD 1 trillion in merchandise exports by 2030 and the vision of Viksit Bharat @2047, which requires emphasis on long-term structural readiness rather than short-term export volatility.
(a) Incorrect: Geographic constraints are indirectly addressed through export infrastructure indicators, not by reducing the weight of export performance.
(c) Incorrect: GDP and aggregate industrial output metrics are not included within the EPI’s indicator framework.
(d) Incorrect: EPI 2024 is explicitly designed around merchandise exports and does not aim for parity with services exports.
1. La Niña is the cold phase of ENSO, and El Niño is the warm phase.
2. La Niña strengthens trade winds in the equatorial Pacific, whereas El Niño weakens them.
3. Both La Niña and El Niño phases typically lead to below-normal monsoon rainfall over India.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Statement 1 – Correct: La Niña represents the cold phase of the El Niño Southern Oscillation, while El Niño corresponds to its warm phase.
Statement 2 – Correct: During La Niña, trade winds over the equatorial Pacific strengthen, whereas El Niño is associated with weakened trade winds; this contrast is central to ENSO dynamics.
Statement 3 – Incorrect: La Niña conditions are generally neutral or favourable for the Indian monsoon and often result in normal to above-normal rainfall, not deficient rainfall.
Reason (R): La Niña typically has a cooling influence on global temperatures, so a record warm year under La Niña suggests strong underlying warming trends.
Assertion – True: It is a cause for concern that 2025 recorded the highest global annual temperature during a La Niña year, because La Niña conditions generally suppress global temperatures.
Reason – True and Explains Assertion: La Niña has a cooling influence on the global climate system; therefore, a record warm year occurring under La Niña conditions indicates strong underlying anthropogenic warming, directly explaining the concern stated in the assertion.
1. They consist of underground fungal networks that connect the roots of multiple plants through hyphae.
2. They involve a symbiotic relationship in which plants supply carbohydrates to fungi, while fungi enhance plants’ access to water and nutrients.
3. They are commonly referred to as the “Wood Wide Web” in forest ecosystems.
4. They play a significant role in global carbon cycling by drawing down large quantities of carbon dioxide into soil systems.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
Statement 1 – Correct: Mycorrhizal networks are underground fungal systems in which hyphae interconnect the roots of multiple plants.
Statement 2 – Correct: The relationship is symbiotic—plants supply carbohydrates to fungi, while fungi enhance plant access to water and essential nutrients.
Statement 3 – Correct: In forest ecosystems, these interconnected fungal networks are widely referred to as the “Wood Wide Web.”
Statement 4 – Correct: Mycorrhizal networks play a major role in global carbon cycling by drawing down large quantities of carbon dioxide—estimated at around 13 billion tonnes annually—into soil systems.
1. It is native to South Asia, with its distribution mainly concentrated in the Indian subcontinent.
2. It feeds by skimming the water surface using a specialised beak in which the lower mandible is longer than the upper mandible.
3. It is primarily found in dense tropical forests and hill streams.
4. It is classified as Endangered in the IUCN Red List.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
Statement 1 – Correct: The Indian Skimmer is native to South Asia, occurring mainly in India, Bangladesh and Pakistan, with extensions into Nepal and Myanmar.
Statement 2 – Correct: It feeds by skimming the water surface using a specialised beak in which the lower mandible is longer than the upper mandible, enabling efficient capture of fish and aquatic prey.
Statement 3 – Incorrect: The species primarily inhabits large sandy lowland rivers, lakes, estuaries and coastal wetlands, not dense tropical forests or hill streams.
Statement 4 – Correct: The Indian Skimmer is classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List due to habitat loss, river modification and declining populations.