UPSC Editorials Quiz : 18 June 2026

Solution: D

• Statement 1 is incorrect. E85, which contains up to 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline, cannot generally be used safely in conventional gasoline vehicles that are not designed for high-ethanol blends. Ethanol is more corrosive and hygroscopic than gasoline, and prolonged use in standard vehicles can damage fuel lines, seals, gaskets, injectors, and other components not designed for such fuel.
• Statement 2 is incorrect. Ethanol contains less energy per unit volume than gasoline. As a result, E85 has a lower energy density than pure gasoline. Vehicles running on E85 typically experience lower fuel economy (fewer kilometers per liter) even though ethanol may offer benefits such as higher octane ratings and cleaner combustion.
• Statement 3 is correct. Flex-Fuel Vehicles (FFVs) are specially designed to operate on gasoline, ethanol blends, or E85. They incorporate corrosion-resistant materials in the fuel system and use modified engine management systems, sensors, and engine control unit calibrations to adjust fuel-air mixtures and ignition timing according to the ethanol content.

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Solution: A

• Direct Air Capture (DAC) is a carbon removal technology designed to extract carbon dioxide directly from the atmosphere. DAC systems use chemical sorbents, solvents, or specialized filters that selectively bind with CO₂ present in ambient air. The captured carbon dioxide can then be permanently stored underground through geological sequestration or utilized in industrial processes, synthetic fuels, and other products.
• Option (b) is incorrect because it refers to methane capture technologies used in agriculture and waste management, not DAC.
• Option (c) is incorrect because satellite-based forest monitoring systems are used for environmental observation and carbon accounting, not for physically removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
• Option (d) is incorrect because it describes conventional Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) at industrial facilities, where CO₂ is captured from concentrated emission sources such as power plants and cement factories. DAC differs by removing already-emitted CO₂ from the ambient atmosphere, where concentrations are much lower.
• DAC is increasingly being discussed as a potential tool for achieving net-zero emissions and addressing residual emissions that are difficult to eliminate through conventional mitigation measures.

Solution: B

• Schedule K of the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945, details a specific class of medicines that are granted exemptions from certain regulatory requirements regarding their manufacture, sale, and distribution. For example, these exemptions historically permitted general merchants in smaller villages (with a population under 1,000) to stock and sell basic over-the-counter (OTC) medicines without needing a licensed pharmacist on site.
• In June 2026, the Union Health Ministry amended these rules to delete “syrups… for cough” from Schedule K. This crucial regulatory action was taken in response to a tragic string of child fatalities linked to contaminated cough syrups containing toxic industrial solvents like diethylene glycol (DEG) and ethylene glycol (EG).
• By removing cough syrups from Schedule K, the government has ended their over-the-counter sale, mandating a Registered Medical Practitioner’s (RMP) prescription to purchase them. However, cough lozenges, pills, and herbal remedies continue to remain in Schedule K.

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Solution: A

• The Asiatic lion population is concentrated largely in and around Gir National Park, making it vulnerable to a catastrophic event such as a disease outbreak. Therefore, Statement I is correct.
• Statement II is also correct. The Asiatic lion underwent a severe population bottleneck in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, when only a small number of individuals survived. Such bottlenecks reduce genetic diversity, limiting the population’s ability to adapt to diseases and environmental changes. Low genetic variation can weaken overall immunological resilience and increase susceptibility to epidemics.
• Statement III is correct as well. Lions living in and around the Gir landscape frequently come into contact with domestic dogs, livestock, and other animals in peripheral areas. These animals can serve as reservoirs and transmission pathways for infectious diseases such as Canine Distemper Virus (CDV). The 2018 deaths of several Asiatic lions due to CDV highlighted this risk.
• Thus, both Statements II and III are valid and each independently contributes to explaining why the Gir lion population remains highly vulnerable to a major disease outbreak. Hence, both statements explain Statement I.

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Solution: C

• Statement 1 is correct. El Niño is the warm phase of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation and is characterized by an abnormal warming of sea-surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean. This warming alters atmospheric circulation patterns across the tropics and affects weather conditions worldwide.
• Statement 2 is incorrect. El Niño is generally associated with a weakening of the normal Pacific trade winds and a weakening of the Walker Circulation. For India, El Niño often suppresses monsoon circulation and is associated with weaker monsoon rainfall rather than strengthening conditions that accelerate monsoon onset. While the precise impact on onset may vary from year to year, the statement’s claim that El Niño strengthens trade winds and accelerates the Southwest Monsoon is contrary to the usual relationship.
• Statement 3 is incorrect. Although many El Niño years have been associated with below-normal monsoon rainfall in India, the relationship is not deterministic. Several El Niño years have witnessed normal or near-normal monsoon rainfall due to the influence of other factors such as the Indian Ocean Dipole, intra-seasonal variability, and regional ocean-atmosphere interactions.