UPSC Quiz – 2026 : IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs Quiz 23rd September 2026

Solution (a)
Explanation: The OST, 1967 prohibits national appropriation under Article II but is silent on a detailed regime for commercial ownership of extracted resources—this is precisely the legal grey zone that lunar mining debates exploit. The Moon Agreement, 1979 goes further, treating the Moon and its resources as the “common heritage of mankind” and envisaging an international exploitation regime. Statement 3 is incorrect: the Artemis Accords (2020) operate alongside—not as a replacement for—the OST, supporting resource extraction while affirming that such activities do not constitute sovereignty over celestial territory. The “replacement” trap is the key discriminator here.
Why this question? The “alongside vs. replacement” distinction is a classic UPSC trap testing institutional relationships between overlapping international frameworks.
Why important for UPSC? Space law is an emerging area at the intersection of S&T, IR and governance; treaty relationships are high-yield.
PYQ Pattern Link: Similar to questions testing the relationship between overlapping international regimes (e.g., UNFCCC–Paris Agreement, NPT–CTBT).

Solution (d)
Explanation: Dermatophytes are keratinophilic fungi that obtain nutrients from keratin and colonise keratinised tissues—skin, hair and nails—causing dermatophytosis (tinea/ringworm). They generally remain confined to superficial tissues rather than invading living tissue. Transmission occurs through anthropophilic (human-to-human), zoophilic (animal-to-human) and geophilic (soil-to-human) routes, besides indirect fomite transmission (towels, clothing, footwear). Trichophyton indotineae is a significant emerging pathogen causing widespread, inflammatory and recurrent infections, often resistant to terbinafine—a first-line antifungal. All three statements are factually accurate.
Why this question? Tests precise biological classification (keratinophilic fungi) plus emerging public health concern—a static-dynamic linkage typical of UPSC.
Why important for UPSC? Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in fungi is an under-examined but increasingly relevant health-security theme.
PYQ Pattern Link: Similar to questions on drug-resistant pathogens and zoonotic/transmission classifications in health S&T.

Solution (c)
Explanation: The Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission (IPC) publishes the NFI under the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare—correct. The 7th Edition (2026) contains 653 drugs, 42 fixed-dose combinations and 30 immunologicals, with monographs aligned to the National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM)—correct. Statement 2 is the trap: it is the Indian Pharmacopoeia (IP), not the NFI, that is the official book prescribing standards of identity, purity and strength for medicines. NFI is a guidance document for rational prescribing, dispensing and administering. This NFI-IP distinction is the conceptual core.
Why this question? The NFI-IP role reversal is a precise factual trap; candidates often conflate guidance documents with statutory standards.
Why important for UPSC? Health governance and rational drug use link to government schemes and institutional mandates—recurring in prelims.
PYQ Pattern Link: Similar to questions distinguishing statutory bodies from advisory/guidance bodies and their parent ministries.

Solution (d)
Explanation: Exercise Nomadic Elephant is an annual bilateral, platoon-level military exercise between the Indian Army and Mongolian Armed Forces, conducted alternately in India and Mongolia. The 18th edition (2026) commenced at the Foreign Training Node, Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand, running from 21 September to 3 October 2026, with 45 personnel from each side. The exercise aims to enhance joint capability for Counter-Insurgency (CI) operations in semi-urban and mountainous terrain under a UN mandate, covering cordon-and-search, room intervention, special heliborne operations, cyber security, and drone/counter-drone employment. All three statements are accurate.
Why this question? Combines static (India-Mongolia defence ties) with dynamic (venue, edition, focus areas) in the standard UPSC bilateral-exercise format.
Why important for UPSC? Military exercises with neighbouring/strategic partners are a recurring IR prelims theme; Mongolia’s Central Asian significance adds depth.
PYQ Pattern Link: Mirrors questions testing exercise names, participating countries, and venues (e.g., Yudh Abhyas, Vajra Prahar, Hand-in-Hand).

Solution (c)
Explanation: The V4 comprises Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic, all EU members since 2004—correct. Statement 2 is the trap: the V4 was established on 15 February 1991 at Visegrád, Hungary, but originally consisted of Poland, Hungary and Czechoslovakia (three members). It became four only after Czechoslovakia’s peaceful dissolution in 1993, when the Czech Republic and Slovakia emerged as separate states. Statement 3 is correct: the WMO’s State of Global Water Resources 2025 report notes persistent groundwater deficits in India during 2022–2025, especially in northwestern India, driven by over-abstraction, with deeper reserves not recovering despite above-normal flows in the Ganga, Godavari, Krishna and Indus systems.
Why this question? Combines IR (V4 founding composition trap) with environment (water stress), testing two topics in one stem.
Why important for UPSC? Regional groupings (EU, V4, etc.) and WMO reports are recurring; the Czechoslovakia dissolution detail is a precision discriminator.
PYQ Pattern Link: Similar to questions on regional organisations’ founding membership and global environmental reports’ India-specific findings.