Answer: (c) 3 November

1. The International Day for Biosphere Reserves falls on 3 November. UNESCO proclaimed it in 2021, with the first observance held in 2022.
2. UNESCO means United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Its Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme began in 1971.
3. Biosphere reserves combine three functions: conserving biodiversity, supporting sustainable development, and providing logistic support for research, monitoring and education.
4. The 2026 global network comprises 797 reserves in 145 countries. India has 18 nationally notified reserves, of which 13 belong to the UNESCO network.

Answer: (b) Cnidaria

1. World Jellyfish Day is observed on 3 November to encourage appreciation of jellyfish and the marine ecosystems in which they live.
2. True jellyfish are cnidarians, belonging to the phylum Cnidaria. Their specialised stinging cells help them capture prey and defend themselves.
3. Jellyfish play a role in marine food webs as both predators and prey. Their soft bodies are largely composed of water.
4. Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP), originally studied in the jellyfish Aequorea victoria, became an important tool for observing biological processes.

Answer: (d) 54.7

1. The HSBC India Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) stood at 54.7 in October 2026, compared with 55.1 in September.
2. A PMI above 50 indicates expansion relative to the previous month; below 50 indicates contraction. Thus, the lower October reading still signalled growth.
3. The survey is compiled by S&P Global for HSBC. New export orders grew at their fastest rate in six months.
4. Input cost inflation eased, while employment continued to rise. The headline result therefore indicates slower expansion rather than a fall in manufacturing activity.

Answer: (c) 15 days

1. The Ministry of Rural Development notified the grievance rules on 2 November 2026. A complaint must be resolved within 15 days of receipt.
2. The enquiry must be completed within seven working days. This enquiry period should not be confused with the overall resolution deadline.
3. The mechanism operates at gram panchayat, block and district levels. Complaints can be submitted through physical, telephone and digital channels.
4. VB–G RAM G stands for Viksit Bharat–Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin). Registration numbers, tracking, escalation and appeals support accountability.

Answer: (a) EPFO

1. The Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) introduced the services on 1 November 2026, during its 74th Foundation Day celebrations.
2. Union Labour and Employment Minister Mansukh Mandaviya launched the facility. Members can obtain PF balance, passbook information and their latest five transactions.
3. The service also provides assistance related to the Pradhan Mantri Viksit Bharat Rozgar Yojana (PMVBRY).
4. A separate initiative enables automatic settlement of eligible Aadhaar-verified inoperative accounts with balances up to ₹1,000. It is expected to benefit about one lakh accounts.

Answer: (b) Nandan Nilekani

1. The six-member task force on examination reforms is chaired by Nandan Nilekani, the Infosys co-founder.
2. The Centre extended its tenure until January 2027, allowing additional time for consultations and recommendations on improving examination systems.
3. The panel was constituted in July 2026 amid concerns about examination irregularities and paper leaks. It received more than 50,000 stakeholder suggestions.
4. Its membership includes S. Somanath, Tapan Deka and V. Kamakoti. The chairperson should be distinguished from these other members.

Answer: (c) Gopal Vittal

1. The GSMA Board re-elected Gopal Vittal on 2 November 2026 for its 2027–2028 term, extending his chairmanship until December 2028.
2. Vittal is Bharti Airtel’s Executive Vice-Chairman. He has served on the GSMA Board for a decade and as its chair since 2025.
3. GSMA is the GSM Association, an international body representing the mobile communications industry.
4. Vodafone’s Margherita Della Valle and MTN’s Ralph Mupita serve as deputy chairpersons. Priorities include network security, advanced connectivity and artificial intelligence.

Answer: (d) ONGC

1. Deepali Masirkar assumed charge as Executive Director–Chief Security at ONGC on 28 October 2026.
2. ONGC stands for Oil and Natural Gas Corporation. The appointment places an experienced police officer in a senior corporate security role.
3. Masirkar is a 2008-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of the Nagaland cadre. Her earlier policing experience includes assignments in Nagaland and Maharashtra.
4. Her career also includes central government assignments. The examination-relevant pairing is Deepali Masirkar — ONGC — Executive Director (Chief Security).

Answer: (a) Hyderabad

1. The first International Maize Conference was held at JD Convention Centre in Hyderabad from 2 to 4 November 2026.
2. Its theme was Maize Revolution for Food, Feed, Fodder, Fuel and Sustainability in the Changing World, abbreviated as M4FS.
3. Dr. M. L. Jat, Director General of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), called for increasing maize production to 75 million tonnes over the next decade.
4. The discussions covered crop productivity, improved breeding, efficient resource use and value chains. Farmer participation was emphasised alongside the multiple uses of maize.

Answer: (b) IISc Bengaluru

1. Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, developed a low-cost 3D-printed device for investigating solid-tumour microenvironments.
2. The device supports the Cells-in-Gel-in-Paper (CiGiP) model, which uses stacked paper layers containing cells to reproduce three-dimensional tissue conditions.
3. The layered arrangement helps study how oxygen, nutrients and anticancer drugs reach different depths. Deeper layers can become hypoxic, meaning oxygen-deficient.
4. Experiments examined cell survival and doxorubicin penetration. The work, published in Analytical Methods, supports laboratory drug screening rather than constituting an approved cancer treatment.

Answer: (c) DICE

1. William D. Nordhaus died on 30 October 2026 at the age of 85. He was a long-serving Yale University economist.
2. He developed DICE, the Dynamic Integrated Climate-Economy model, which links economic activity, emissions, climate change and their economic consequences.
3. He shared the 2018 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences with Paul Romer. Nordhaus was recognised for integrating climate change into long-run macroeconomic analysis.
4. His work supported carbon pricing as an approach to reducing emissions. DICE helps compare the costs of climate damage with the costs of mitigation.

Answer: (d) United States

1. Tiger Triumph 2026 is an India–United States bilateral tri-service exercise. Its opening ceremony took place in Visakhapatnam on 2 November.
2. The fifth edition was conducted as a Tabletop Exercise (TTX), concentrating on joint planning and coordination.
3. Its main focus is Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR), with participation across the Army, Navy, Air Force and specialist operational domains.
4. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) participated for the first time in this edition. The exercise aims to improve interoperability during large-scale relief operations.

Answer: (a) Andaman and Nicobar Islands

1. The inaugural exercise took place in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, bringing together all seven BIMSTEC member countries.
2. BIMSTEC means Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation. Its members are Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand.
3. The programme sought stronger maritime domain awareness, interoperability and coordination in the Bay of Bengal.
4. The Andaman and Nicobar Command, India’s first integrated tri-service command, provides a strategically important base close to major sea lanes.

Answer: (b) 5 and 3

1. The Ministry of Defence signed contracts on 2 November 2026 for eight Next Generation Corvettes (NGCs), valued at ₹53,866.50 crore.
2. Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) will construct five ships, while Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) will build three.
3. The warships are designed indigenously by the Indian Navy. Their roles include anti-submarine warfare, coastal defence and maritime surveillance.
4. The programme strengthens domestic shipbuilding and associated supply chains. It also supports employment in shipyards, ancillary industries and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

Answer: (c) Glenn Maxwell

1. Glenn Maxwell announced his retirement from international cricket after a career of approximately 14 years.
2. The Australian all-rounder was known for aggressive batting, off-spin bowling and athletic fielding.
3. He was part of Australia’s ODI World Cup-winning teams in 2015 and 2023, and its 2021 T20 World Cup-winning squad.
4. His unbeaten 201 against Afghanistan in the 2023 ODI World Cup remains a signature innings. International retirement is separate from continued participation in franchise T20 cricket.

Answer: (d) Prema Rawat

1. Prema Rawat reached her half-century in 14 balls for Uttarakhand against Hyderabad at Gahunje, Pune.
2. Her unbeaten 50 helped Uttarakhand reach 187/2. She then returned bowling figures of 2/12 in four overs.
3. Uttarakhand restricted Hyderabad to 98/8 and won by 89 runs. Rawat’s all-round performance earned particular attention.
4. The innings surpassed the previous fastest recorded women’s T20 half-century mark of 15 balls. The record concerns women’s T20 cricket generally, rather than only T20 Internationals.

Answer: (a) Dhinidhi Desinghu

1. Dhinidhi Desinghu won bronze in the women’s 100m freestyle at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Senegal.
2. The 16-year-old swimmer from Bengaluru clocked 56.27 seconds, establishing a national record.
3. She finished behind Croatia’s Ana Bobanovic and New Zealand’s Alyssa Lawson, who won gold and silver respectively.
4. The result marked India’s first Youth Olympic swimming medal. Remember the pairing Dhinidhi Desinghu — 100m freestyle — bronze.

Answer: (b) 14

1. India won 14 medals at the 46th International Tammer Boxing Tournament, held in Tampere, Finland.
2. The tally comprised four gold, two silver and eight bronze medals. This placed India at the top of the standings.
3. Aarti Dhariyal, Ankushita Boro, Arundhati Chaudhary and Pawan Bartwal won gold. Mohammed Hussamuddin and Jaismine Lamboria secured silver.
4. The event was held from 30 October to 1 November 2026. Tammer is an international boxing tournament associated with Tampere.

Answer: (c) India Childcare Champion Awards

1. Manju Pradhan and Sonamoni Halder were honoured at the India Childcare Champion Awards for their work in child care and safety.
2. They are associated with the Child in Need Institute (CINI) and its KAVACH initiative in West Bengal’s Sundarbans.
3. The recognition highlights the contribution of frontline care workers to early childhood development and safe crèche services.
4. The New Delhi ceremony recognised 14 care workers. It was linked to the International Day of Care and Support, observed on 29 October.

Answer: (d) Mothers of Courage

1. Mothers of Courage won the Creativity category at the 2026 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Action Awards.
2. The documentary presents a women-led grassroots movement supporting girls’ education and challenging child marriage, particularly in Bihar.
3. Directed by Vandana R Jayakumar and produced by Butterfly Effect Media, it showcases the Shikshagraha movement and community Shiksha Chaupals.
4. The award ceremony took place in Rome on 29 October 2026. Its recognition connects creative storytelling with collective action for sustainable development.

Answer: (a) Azim Premji Foundation

1. The Azim Premji Foundation launched the Social Startups Programme to help experienced development professionals establish locally rooted civil society organisations.
2. The first cohort will include about 100 participants from Odisha, Northeast India, eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bengaluru Urban.
3. Applicants must be below 40, hold a graduate degree and have at least three years of field experience. Applications run from 1 November to 31 December 2026.
4. An eight-month seeding phase begins on 1 April 2027. Successful participants may subsequently qualify for a two-year seed grant after evaluation.