Current affairs

Practice questions

4 Prelims questions, on the most important items above.

Prelims

1. Q1

   Consider the following statements about the National HPV Vaccination Campaign:

   1. 1.It offers a single dose of HPV vaccine to 14 year old girls.
   2. 2.HPV types 16 and 18 cause most cervical cancers.
   3. 3.Coverage under the campaign is tracked on the U-WIN platform.

   How many of the statements given above are correct?

   1. (a)Only one
   2. (b)Only two
   3. (c)All threeAnswer
   4. (d)None
   Show answer and explanationHide answer and explanation

   All three are correct. The campaign gives one free, voluntary dose at 14, which WHO accepted in 2022 protects about as well as two; types 16 and 18 cause most cervical cancers; and coverage is tracked on U-WIN.

   From HPV vaccination campaign crosses 80 lakh doses

2. Q2

   With reference to the ICMR study on carbapenem resistant infections, consider the following statements:

   1. 1.Carbapenems are antibiotics held in reserve for serious and resistant infections.
   2. 2.Most bloodstream infections in the study were acquired outside hospitals.
   3. 3.Patients with carbapenem resistant infections were more likely to die than those infected by susceptible strains.

   How many of the statements given above are correct?

   1. (a)Only one
   2. (b)Only twoAnswer
   3. (c)All three
   4. (d)None
   Show answer and explanationHide answer and explanation

   Statements 1 and 3 are correct. Statement 2 is wrong: more than 85 per cent of bloodstream infections in the study were healthcare associated.

   From ICMR study: carbapenem resistant Gram-negative infections are deadlier and costlier to treat

3. Q3

   Consider the following statements:

   1. 1.H1N1 is a subtype of influenza A named after two proteins on the virus surface.
   2. 2.The H1N1 strain behind the 2026 surge in India is a novel strain that first emerged this year.
   3. 3.Incidence, rather than a raw count of cases, allows fair comparison between places of different size.

   Which of the statements given above are correct?

   1. (a)1 only
   2. (b)1 and 3 onlyAnswer
   3. (c)2 and 3 only
   4. (d)1, 2 and 3
   Show answer and explanationHide answer and explanation

   Statements 1 and 3 are correct. Statement 2 is wrong: H1N1 caused the 2009 pandemic and now circulates as a seasonal strain.

   From H1N1 flu surge tests the disease surveillance India built after COVID-19

4. Q4

   Consider the following statements:

   1. 1.Vilayati kikar (Prosopis juliflora) is a tree native to the Aravalli hills.
   2. 2.Chasmophytes are plants that grow in cracks of rock.
   3. 3.Endozoochory is the dispersal of seeds by animals that eat fruit and pass the seeds in their droppings.

   Which of the statements given above are correct?

   1. (a)1 and 2 only
   2. (b)1 and 3 only
   3. (c)2 and 3 onlyAnswer
   4. (d)1, 2 and 3
   Show answer and explanationHide answer and explanation

   Statements 2 and 3 are correct: chasmophytes grow in cracks of rock, and in endozoochory animals eat fruit and pass the seeds in their droppings. Statement 1 is wrong: vilayati kikar is an invasive tree introduced from the Americas.

   From Wild Capital, a book on Delhi's nature, and what it teaches about invasive species and restoration