26/08/2026
# # # **Current Affairs & General Knowledge**
**1. Who took the oath as the new Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu on May 10, 2026?**
* **Options:** (A) M.K. Stalin (B) C. Joseph Vijay (C) Edappadi K. Palaniswami (D) O. Panneerselvam
* **Solution:** **(B) C. Joseph Vijay** [1, 2]
* **Explanation:** C. Joseph Vijay, popularly known as **Thalapathy Vijay**, was sworn in as the Chief Minister on May 10, 2026 [2].
* **Extra Points:** His political party is named **TVK (Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam)**, which was formed in February 2024 [2].
**2. What is India's rank in the Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) 2026?**
* **Options:** (A) 10th (B) 23rd (C) 13th (D) 7th
* **Solution:** **(B) 23rd** [2, 3]
* **Explanation:** India's rank dropped by 13 positions to reach 23rd in the CCPI 2026 report [3].
* **Extra Points:** In CCPI 2025, India held the 10th position [3]. **Denmark** was the highest-performing country, ranked 4th, as the first three positions remained vacant [3].
**3. Who became the first BJP leader to be sworn in as the Chief Minister of West Bengal in May 2026?**
* **Options:** (A) Mamata Banerjee (B) Suvendu Adhikari (C) Dilip Ghosh (D) Sukanta Majumdar
* **Solution:** **(B) Suvendu Adhikari** [4]
* **Explanation:** Suvendu Adhikari took the oath on May 9, 2026, becoming the first BJP Chief Minister in the history of West Bengal [4].
* **Extra Points:** In the 2026 West Bengal assembly elections, the **AITC (TMC)** won 80 seats, while the **BJP** won 207 seats [5, 6].
**4. What is the official theme for International Women's Day 2026?**
* **Options:** (A) Invest in Women (B) Right, Justice, Action for All Women and Girls (C) DigitALL (D) Gender Equality Today
* **Solution:** **(B) Right, Justice, Action for All Women and Girls** [7]
* **Explanation:** The United Nations declared this theme for March 8, 2026. The Hindi translation is *"अधिकार, न्याय, कार्रवाई हर महिला और बालिका के लिए"* [7].
* **Extra Points:** The global campaign theme for 2026 was **"Give to Gain"** [7].
**5. Which state became the third in independent India to pass the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) bill in May 2026?**
* **Options:** (A) Uttarakhand (B) Assam (C) Gujarat (D) Goa
* **Solution:** **(B) Assam** [8]
* **Explanation:** Following Uttarakhand (first) and Gujarat (second), Assam became the third state to move towards implementing UCC by passing the bill in its assembly [8].
* **Extra Points:** Goa has had a Portuguese Civil Code since 1867, but Uttarakhand was the first to pass a UCC bill through a state assembly in independent India [8].
**6. Who was awarded the Padma Vibhushan 2026 in the field of Public Affairs?**
* **Options:** (A) Dharmendra Singh Deol (B) Ms. N. Rajam (C) Justice K.T. Thomas (D) P. Narayanan
* **Solution:** **(C) Justice K.T. Thomas** [9, 10]
* **Explanation:** Former Supreme Court judge Justice K.T. Thomas from Kerala was honored for his work in Public Affairs [9, 10].
* **Extra Points:** Another recipient in the same category (posthumously) was **V.S. Achuthanandan**, former CM of Kerala [9, 10]. **Dharmendra Singh Deol** received it posthumously for Art [10].
**7. Who won the Gold Medal in the women's 25m pistol event at the ISSF Shooting World Cup 2026?**
* **Options:** (A) Manu Bhaker (B) Esha Singh (C) Sanyam Viz (D) Zhang Yu
* **Solution:** **(B) Esha Singh** [11]
* **Explanation:** Esha Singh won gold in Hangzhou, China. In the same event, **Manu Bhaker** won the bronze medal [11].
* **Extra Points:** Esha Singh defeated China's **Zhang Yu** (Silver) in the final [12].
---
# # # **Science & Numericals**
**8. Why does the clear sky appear blue during the day?**
* **Options:** (A) Higher scattering of short-wavelength light (B) Higher scattering of long-wavelength light (C) Reflection from oceans (D) Refraction through clouds
* **Solution:** **(A) Higher scattering of short-wavelength light** [13]
* **Explanation:** According to Rayleigh's scattering law, short-wavelength colors like blue and violet scatter the most in the atmosphere, making the sky appear blue [13].
* **Extra Points:** At sunset, light travels a longer distance, scattering away the blue light and leaving only the longer-wavelength **red/orange** light to reach our eyes [14, 15].
**9. A 20cm focal length convex mirror is placed 40cm away from an object. What will be the nature of the image?**
* **Options:** (A) Real, Inverted, Diminished (B) Virtual, Erect, Diminished (C) Real, Inverted, Magnified (D) Virtual, Erect, Magnified
* **Solution:** **(B) Virtual, Erect, Diminished** [16, 17]
* **Explanation:** Using the mirror formula (\\(1/f = 1/v + 1/u\\)) with \\(f = +20\\) and \\(u = -40\\), the image distance (\\(v\\)) is \\(+13.33\\) cm. A positive \\(v\\) and magnification (\\(m = -v/u\\)) of \\(+0.33\\) indicate a virtual, erect, and smaller image [18, 19].
**10. What is the weight ratio of Nitrogen and Hydrogen in a molecule of Ammonia (NH₃)?**
* **Options:** (A) 1:3 (B) 14:3 (C) 3:14 (D) 7:1
* **Solution:** **(B) 14:3** [20]
* **Explanation:** The atomic mass of Nitrogen (N) is 14 and Hydrogen (H) is 1. In \\(NH_3\\), there is one Nitrogen and three Hydrogen atoms, making the mass ratio 14:(3x1) = 14:3 [20].
**11. Which plant tissue is primarily responsible for the hardness and mechanical strength of a plant?**
* **Options:** (A) Parenchyma (B) Collenchyma (C) Sclerenchyma (D) Xylem
* **Solution:** **(C) Sclerenchyma** [21, 22]
* **Explanation:** Sclerenchyma is composed of dead cells with thick walls containing **lignin**, providing structural support and rigidity [22].
**12. If a machine uses 85 Watts of power for 30 seconds, find the total work done.**
* **Options:** (A) 255 Joules (B) 2550 Joules (C) 115 Joules (D) 850 Joules
* **Solution:** **(B) 2550 Joules** [16, 23]
* **Explanation:** Work Done = Power × Time. Therefore, \\(85 \text{ W} \times 30 \text{ s} = 2550 \text{ Joules}\\) [16].
**13. In a food chain consisting of Grass → Grasshopper → Frog → Hawk, which organism will have the highest concentration of toxic chemicals like DDT?**
* **Options:** (A) Grass (B) Grasshopper (C) Frog (D) Hawk
* **Solution:** **(D) Hawk** [24, 25]
* **Explanation:** This phenomenon is called **Biomagnification**, where non-biodegradable chemicals accumulate in higher concentrations at the top of the food chain [24, 26].
**14. What happens to the image size of an object as it is moved from infinity closer toward a convex lens?**
* **Options:** (A) Remains same (B) Continuously increases (C) Continuously decreases (D) First increases then decreases
* **Solution:** **(B) Continuously increases** [27, 28]
* **Explanation:** As an object like a candle moves from infinity toward a convex lens, the size of the image increases and the image shifts further away from the lens [28].
**15. Which mirror property explains why Diamond acts as an insulator while Graphite is a good conductor of electricity?**
* **Options:** (A) Both are isotopes (B) Both are allotropes of carbon with different structures (C) Diamond has free electrons (D) Graphite has a rigid 3D structure
* **Solution:** **(B) Both are allotropes of carbon with different structures** [29]
* **Explanation:** Although both are carbon, diamond's rigid structure lacks free electrons, whereas graphite's layered structure allows electron flow [29].
