UPSC Current Affairs Quiz : 2 October 2025

Solution: A

• Statement 1 is incorrect. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) was established in 1944 under the Convention on International Civil Aviation, commonly known as the Chicago Convention, not the Warsaw Convention of 1929 which dealt with unifying rules related to international carriage by air. ICAO became a specialized agency of the United Nations in 1947.
• Statement 2 is incorrect. The Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) are not automatically legally binding. While member states are expected to conform to ICAO Standards, the Chicago Convention allows a state to notify the Council if it finds it impracticable to comply. This notification of difference is a key principle of the convention, recognizing national sovereignty. Therefore, the standards are not binding without some form of domestic adoption or in cases where no difference is filed.
• Statement 3 is correct. The ICAO Council is the permanent governing body of the organization. It is composed of 36 member states elected by the ICAO Assembly for a three-year term. The Assembly, which is the sovereign body, meets at least once every three years.

Solution: B

• Statement 1 is correct. A key and legally binding component of the TEPA is the commitment from the EFTA states to invest $100 billion in India over 15 years, which is linked to the creation of 1 million direct jobs. This is a novel feature for an Indian FTA.
• Statement 2 is incorrect. The TEPA facilitates the mobility of professionals (Mode 4 of services supply) but does not grant blanket visa-free access. It establishes frameworks for Mutual Recognition Agreements (MRAs) in professions like nursing and architecture, which streamlines the process for professionals to work in EFTA countries but is subject to specific conditions and regulations of each member state.
• Statement 3 is correct. The agreement incorporates intellectual property standards that are “TRIPS-plus”, meaning they go beyond the baseline requirements of the WTO’s TRIPS agreement. However, India successfully negotiated safeguards to protect its generic drug manufacturing, such as provisions to prevent “evergreening” of patents, ensuring access to affordable medicines is not unduly hampered.
• Statement 4 is incorrect. The EFTA is an intergovernmental organisation that operates in parallel with, but is separate from, the European Union (EU). None of the EFTA members (Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein) are part of the EU. They participate in the EU’s single market through separate agreements.

Solution: A

• Statement 1 is incorrect. Polymetallic Sulphides (PMS) are not formed by sedimentation of organic matter. They are formed through hydrothermal processes. Cold seawater seeps into the ocean crust, gets heated by magma, and is then ejected as hot, mineral-rich fluid through vents. As this fluid mixes with cold seawater, minerals precipitate and form deposits. Polymetallic nodules, not sulphides, are found on abyssal plains.
• Statement 2 is correct. The formation of PMS is intrinsically linked to hydrothermal vents, which are commonly found along mid-ocean ridges, especially slow-spreading ones like the Carlsberg Ridge and Central Indian Ridge. The tectonic activity and heat flow in these zones create the necessary conditions for vent formation.
• Statement 3 is incorrect. While PMS deposits contain various metals, they are particularly rich in copper, zinc, and lead, along with significant amounts of gold and silver. Polymetallic nodules, a different type of deep-sea mineral resource, are the ones primarily composed of manganese and iron oxides. This distinction is crucial.

Solution: B

The Carlsberg Ridge is a significant feature of the Indian Ocean’s seafloor topography.

• It is a mid-ocean ridge, a divergent plate boundary where new oceanic crust is formed through seafloor spreading.
• Specifically, it is characterized as a slow-spreading ridge, with a rate of 2.4–3.3 cm/year, leading to rugged topography and a distinct median valley.
• Geographically, it extends from a triple junction of tectonic plates towards the Gulf of Aden and acts as a natural boundary separating the Arabian Sea to its northeast from the Somali Basin to its southwest.
• This location is known for hydrothermal vent systems, which are rich in Polymetallic Sulphide (PMS) deposits, making it a target for deep-sea mineral exploration.

Solution: B

• The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) was established as a direct outcome of the Convention on International Civil Aviation, which was signed in Chicago on December 7, 1944. As World War II was nearing its end, the Allied powers recognized the urgent need for a framework to govern the anticipated explosion in international civil air travel.
• The Chicago Conference was convened to establish rules and standards for a safe, orderly, and fair system of global aviation. ICAO was created to oversee the implementation of this convention and to develop international standards and recommended practices.
• While it later became a specialized UN agency in 1947, its creation predates the UN’s formal establishment and was specifically driven by the Chicago Convention.

Solution: D

• Statement 1 is incorrect. This is India’s second contract for PMS exploration. The first contract was signed in 2016 for an area in the Central and Southwest Indian Ridges. India also has an earlier contract for Polymetallic Nodules in the Central Indian Ocean Basin.
• Statement 2 is incorrect. The contract, granted under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), provides exclusive rights for exploration of mineral resources on the seabed in the designated area. It does not confer any sovereign rights over the water column or for activities like fishing, which remain part of the high seas.
• Statement 3 is correct. With this second contract for Polymetallic Sulphides, India has become the first country to hold two such contracts from the ISA. This also gives India the largest allocated exploration area for PMS globally, underscoring its growing capabilities in deep-sea exploration.
• Statement 4 is incorrect. The Carlsberg Ridge is a prominent mid-ocean ridge located in the Indian Ocean, separating the Arabian Sea and the Somali Basin. It is not in the Atlantic Ocean.

Solution: C

• Statement 1 is correct. India is a founding member of ICAO, having been part of the Chicago Convention in 1944. It has maintained an uninterrupted presence on the ICAO Council since its formation, highlighting India’s significant and consistent contribution to global civil aviation governance.
• Statement 2 is correct. ICAO develops and implements the Global Aviation Safety Plan (GASP), which serves as a high-level strategic roadmap for enhancing aviation safety worldwide. It assists states in managing their safety oversight responsibilities and promotes a coordinated approach to reducing accident risks.
• Statement 3 is correct. Under its strategic objective for Environmental Protection, ICAO is actively involved in efforts to make aviation more sustainable. It promotes policies and standards aimed at reducing the carbon footprint of air travel, including encouraging the development and deployment of sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs) and other climate-friendly technologies and practices.

Solution: C

1. This is correct. The agreement has a dedicated chapter on Trade and Sustainable Development, which emphasizes green growth, social inclusion, and environmental protection, encouraging collaboration in areas like renewable energy.
2. This is correct. While adopting TRIPS+ standards for intellectual property, the TEPA includes crucial safeguards for India’s public health interests. These provisions are designed to prevent the evergreening of patents, thereby supporting the production and accessibility of affordable generic medicines.
3. This is correct. The agreement aims to enhance trade in services by facilitating professional mobility. It includes provisions for Mutual Recognition Agreements (MRAs) in professions such as nursing, architecture, and chartered accountancy, which would streamline the process for qualifications to be recognized across borders.
4. This is incorrect. A Free Trade Agreement like TEPA focuses on reducing trade barriers, promoting investment, and harmonizing regulations. It does not involve monetary integration or the establishment of a common currency, which is a feature of much deeper economic unions.

Solution: D

The nomination process for the Nobel Peace Prize is quite broad, allowing for a diverse range of nominators to ensure global representation. According to the statutes of the Nobel Foundation, all the categories listed are eligible to submit nominations.

• (a) Members of national parliaments and national governments (cabinet members/ministers) of sovereign states as well as current heads of state are qualified nominators.
• (b) University rectors; professors of social sciences, history, philosophy, law and theology; directors of peace research institutes and foreign policy institutes are also eligible.
• (c) Persons who have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize (former laureates) can nominate others.
• Other eligible nominators include members of The International Court of Justice in The Hague and The Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, and members of international boards of organizations that have received the prize.

Solution: C

• (a) While the non-participation of countries like China is a long-standing issue, the most pressing current challenge relates to the nature of technology itself.
• (b) The consensus-based model is a feature, not a bug, designed to respect national sovereignty. While it can be slow, the core issue is what it is failing to regulate, not just the decision-making process.
• (c) The Wassenaar Arrangement was designed in the 1990s to control the physical export of goods. Its framework struggles to cope with the modern digital economy where dual-use technology is often delivered as a service (SaaS), through the cloud, or as intangible software. This creates loopholes that allow for the proliferation of digital surveillance tools and other sensitive technologies, bypassing traditional export controls.
• (d) The arrangement has always been voluntary and has never had a legal enforcement mechanism. This is a foundational aspect of its design, not a new challenge prompting reform.