Current Affairs Quiz — 08 August 2026

13 current affairs MCQs for 08 August 2026, framed UPSC-style from the day's reporting, each verified against its source and explained. Click a question to reveal the answer, or take the quiz interactively.

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13 Questions with Answers & Explanations
Q1. India holds the BRICS chair in 2026. The BRICS Culture Ministers' meeting, which adopted a declaration, was hosted in which Indian city?
  1. (a) Bhopal
  2. (b) Jaipur
  3. (c) Lucknow
  4. (d) Bhubaneswar

Answer: (a) Bhopal

Under India's 2026 BRICS presidency, the BRICS Culture Ministers' meeting was held in Bhopal and adopted the 'Bhopal Declaration'. Hosting such sectoral ministerial meetings across cities is a feature of the rotating BRICS chairship.

Q2. The 16th BRICS Trade Ministers' meeting, held under India's 2026 presidency, took place in which city?
  1. (a) New Delhi
  2. (b) Jaipur
  3. (c) Mumbai
  4. (d) Hyderabad

Answer: (b) Jaipur

The 16th BRICS Trade Ministers' meeting was successfully held in Jaipur under India's 2026 BRICS presidency. BRICS is an intergovernmental grouping whose members account for a large share of the world's population and economic output.

Q3. Varsha Ashok Aglawe was appointed the 54th Director General of the Geological Survey of India (GSI), becoming the first woman to head it. The GSI functions under which Union Ministry?
  1. (a) Ministry of Earth Sciences
  2. (b) Ministry of Mines
  3. (c) Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
  4. (d) Ministry of Science and Technology

Answer: (b) Ministry of Mines

The Geological Survey of India, established in 1851, works under the Ministry of Mines and is the country's premier body for geoscientific surveys and mineral exploration. Varsha Aglawe is the first woman to lead the 176-year-old organisation and has prioritised the search for critical minerals like lithium and cobalt.

Q4. Parliament passed the MSME Development (Amendment) Bill, 2026. MSMEs in India are administered by which Union Ministry?
  1. (a) Ministry of Commerce and Industry
  2. (b) Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises
  3. (c) Ministry of Finance
  4. (d) Ministry of Corporate Affairs

Answer: (b) Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises

Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises are administered by the dedicated Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises. MSMEs are classified using a composite criterion of investment in plant and machinery and annual turnover, which such amendments periodically revise.

Q5. The 'e-Zero FIR' system, seen in the news, is designed primarily to tackle which of the following?
  1. (a) Traffic rule violations
  2. (b) Cyber financial fraud
  3. (c) Passport-related offences
  4. (d) Wildlife smuggling

Answer: (b) Cyber financial fraud

The e-Zero FIR system automatically converts high-value cyber financial fraud complaints filed on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal into a Zero FIR, speeding up investigation. A Zero FIR can be registered at any police station regardless of jurisdiction and later transferred to the correct one.

Q6. The National Gopal Ratna Award, for which nominations were invited, recognises excellence in which sector?
  1. (a) Fisheries
  2. (b) Dairying and indigenous cattle breeding
  3. (c) Horticulture
  4. (d) Sericulture

Answer: (b) Dairying and indigenous cattle breeding

The National Gopal Ratna Award is one of the highest national awards in the field of livestock and dairy, recognising work in rearing indigenous cattle and buffalo breeds. It is conferred by the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying.

Q7. The NUCFDC, whose new office was inaugurated in Mumbai, serves as an umbrella organisation for which of the following?
  1. (a) Urban cooperative banks
  2. (b) Regional rural banks
  3. (c) Microfinance institutions
  4. (d) Small finance banks

Answer: (a) Urban cooperative banks

The National Urban Cooperative Finance and Development Corporation (NUCFDC) is the umbrella organisation for urban cooperative banks, providing them capital, technology and support. It operates in the cooperative sector under the Ministry of Cooperation.

Q8. The Central Armed Police Forces (Assistant Commandants) Examination, notified recently, is conducted by which body?
  1. (a) Staff Selection Commission
  2. (b) Union Public Service Commission
  3. (c) The concerned CAPF directly
  4. (d) Ministry of Home Affairs

Answer: (b) Union Public Service Commission

The CAPF (Assistant Commandants) Examination is conducted by the Union Public Service Commission to recruit officers for forces such as the BSF, CRPF, CISF, ITBP and SSB. The UPSC also conducts the Civil Services, NDA, CDS and other central examinations.

Q9. DigiLocker, which partnered to speed up document verification for Indian students going to Australia, is an initiative under which programme?
  1. (a) Skill India
  2. (b) Digital India
  3. (c) Startup India
  4. (d) Make in India

Answer: (b) Digital India

DigiLocker is a flagship initiative under the Digital India programme, providing citizens a secure cloud-based platform to store and share authenticated documents. Its integrations let institutions verify credentials digitally without physical paperwork.

Q10. APEDA, which facilitated the first air shipment of mangoes from Kolar to the Maldives, works under which Union Ministry?
  1. (a) Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare
  2. (b) Ministry of Commerce and Industry
  3. (c) Ministry of Food Processing Industries
  4. (d) Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying

Answer: (b) Ministry of Commerce and Industry

The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) functions under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and promotes exports of scheduled agricultural and processed products. It helps farmers access overseas markets, often fetching higher returns than domestic sales.

Q11. The KPSC released its KAS 2026 notification for 319 posts. In Karnataka, the recruitment for the state's civil services (KAS) is conducted by:
  1. (a) The Karnataka Public Service Commission
  2. (b) The Union Public Service Commission
  3. (c) The Karnataka State Recruitment Board
  4. (d) The Staff Selection Commission

Answer: (a) The Karnataka Public Service Commission

The Karnataka Administrative Service (KAS) is recruited by the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC), a state-level constitutional body under Article 315. Its 2026 notification advertised 319 Group A and B posts through a prelims, mains and interview process.

Q12. Karnataka exported its first air shipment of mangoes to the Maldives from Kolar district. Which two mango varieties were part of this consignment?
  1. (a) Alphonso and Kesar
  2. (b) Neelam and Totapuri
  3. (c) Dasheri and Langra
  4. (d) Banganapalli and Himsagar

Answer: (b) Neelam and Totapuri

The consignment comprised Neelam and Totapuri mangoes procured from a Farmer Producer Company in Kolar, with growers reportedly earning over 50% higher returns. Totapuri, a parrot-beak-shaped variety, is widely grown in southern India for pulp and processing.

Q13. Kolar district of Karnataka, in the news for its mango exports, is historically most famous for which of the following?
  1. (a) Coffee plantations
  2. (b) Gold mining
  3. (c) Silk weaving
  4. (d) Coal reserves

Answer: (b) Gold mining

Kolar is historically famous for the Kolar Gold Fields (KGF), once among the deepest gold mines in the world before operations ceased in 2001. The district also has a strong horticulture base, including the mango and tomato belts around Kolar.

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