Minimalist IAS
International relations & current affairs

Prelims · International relations & current affairs · 20 questions

Persons, awards & miscellany

Every UPSC Prelims question on this topic, 2016–2026, newest first. Tap an option to check yourself; the answer and explanation open below it.

Persons, awards & miscellany questions per year: 2016: 1, 2017: 0, 2018: 1, 2019: 0, 2020: 0, 2021: 5, 2022: 0, 2023: 2, 2024: 1, 2025: 3, 2026: 4 Asked in 7 of 11 years · most in 2021 (5)

UPSC syllabus: “Current events of national and international importance.” See the full syllabus →

Prelims 2026 · Q65

Hard Provisional key

Consider the following statements with respect to the AI Impact Summit, 2026 held in New Delhi:

  1. 1.The Summit’s intellectual framework was based on three foundational Sutras: People, Planning, and Progress.
  2. 2.The Preamble of the Summit stresses Democratising AI Resources, which acknowledges the Charter for Democratic Diffusion of AI as a binding framework to support locally relevant innovation and strengthen resilient AI ecosystems while respecting national laws.
  3. 3.The New Delhi Declaration on AI Impact was structured around seven Chakras (Pillars), which included Access for Social Empowerment, AI for Science, and Secure and Trusted AI.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Answer & explanation

Answer: (d) 3 only

The Summit's three foundational Sutras were People, Planet and Progress, so 'Planning' in Statement 1 is wrong. The Declaration only takes note of the Charter for the Democratic Diffusion of AI as a voluntary and non-binding framework, so Statement 2 is wrong. The Declaration is structured around seven Chakras (pillars) that include the three named in Statement 3.

  • ✗ 1. The government's backgrounder says the Summit is anchored in three foundational pillars, or Sutras: People, Planet and Progress. 'Planning' is not one of them.
  • ✗ 2. The Declaration takes note of the Charter as a voluntary and non-binding framework, not a binding one.
  • ✓ 3. The Declaration is structured around seven pillars (Chakras), among them Access for Social Empowerment, AI for Science and Secure & Trusted AI; the others are Democratizing AI Resources, Economic Growth & Social Good, Human Capital Development, and Resilient, Efficient & Innovative AI Systems.

Remember · AI Impact Summit 2026 (New Delhi): three Sutras (People, Planet, Progress); the Declaration has seven Chakras; the Democratic Diffusion Charter is voluntary and non-binding.

Sources

Question and answer: UPSC's provisional GS Paper I (2026, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink ·

Prelims 2026 · Q81

Medium Provisional key

‘X’, born in the UK, was conferred the Nobel Prize in 2025. He was a professor in an American university when this prize was announced. Identify ‘X’:

Answer & explanation

Answer: (c) John Clarke

John Clarke, a 2025 Nobel laureate in Physics, was born in Cambridge, UK, and is a professor at the University of California, Berkeley. The other laureates named were either not born in the UK or did not hold an American professorship.

  • ✓ (c) John Clarke (Physics 2025) was born in 1942 in Cambridge, UK, and is Professor at the University of California, Berkeley, USA.
  • ✗ (a) Michel H. Devoret shared the same Physics prize but was born in Paris, France.
  • ✗ (b) Richard Robson (Chemistry 2025) was born in Glusburn, UK, but is Professor at the University of Melbourne, Australia.
  • ✗ (d) Joel Mokyr (Economic Sciences 2025) works at Northwestern University, USA, but was born in Leiden, the Netherlands.

Remember · Physics Nobel 2025: John Clarke (UK-born, UC Berkeley), Michel Devoret and John Martinis, for macroscopic quantum tunnelling in an electric circuit.

Sources

Question and answer: UPSC's provisional GS Paper I (2026, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink ·

Prelims 2026 · Q82

Medium Provisional key

Which of the following statements with regard to the Grand Slam Tennis Tournaments is/are correct?

  1. 1.The tournaments have a shared governance structure establishing the partnership among the four Grand Slam tournaments.
  2. 2.They are open for entry to all internationally ranked tennis players above the age of 14.
  3. 3.There is a limitation on the number of ‘Wild Cards’ a player may receive to compete in a Grand Slam Tournament.

Select the answer using the code given below:

Answer & explanation

Answer: (a) 1 and 2 only

Statements 1 and 2 are correct and statement 3 is not: the Grand Slam Rule Book says there is no limit on how many wild cards a player may receive. The four Slams (Australian Open, Roland-Garros, Wimbledon, US Open) work as one partnership, Grand Slam Tennis, under a shared governance structure.

  • ✓ 1. Grand Slam Tennis is the partnership between the four Grand Slam tournaments, set up through a shared governance structure; its Grand Slam Board takes decisions on common rules, regulations and code of conduct.
  • ✓ 2. The Rule Book says the four Slams are open for entry to all internationally ranked players on merit and without discrimination; the only age bar is that minors under fourteen are not eligible.
  • ✗ 3. The Rule Book has a rule titled 'Wild Cards / No Limitation': there is no limit on the number of wild cards a player may receive. Wild cards are chosen at the host tournament's own discretion.

Remember · Grand Slam Tennis = shared governance of the four Slams; open to all ranked players (under-14s barred); no cap on wild cards per player.

Sources

Question and answer: UPSC's provisional GS Paper I (2026, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink ·

Prelims 2026 · Q85

Medium Provisional key

Consider the following statements with regard to the film ‘Boong’:

  1. 1.The film has recently won the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Award in the Children’s and Family Film category.
  2. 2.The film is directed by Lakshmipriya Devi.
  3. 3.This is the first Indian film to win a BAFTA award in the Children’s and Family Film category.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Answer & explanation

Answer: (a) 1, 2 and 3

Boong, by filmmaker Lakshmipriya Devi, was announced as the winner of Children’s & Family Film at the 2026 EE BAFTA Film Awards. UPSC’s key treats all three statements as correct, including the claim that it is the first Indian film to win in this category.

  • ✓ 1. BAFTA announced Boong as the winner in the Children’s & Family Film category at the EE BAFTA Film Awards in February 2026; PIB reported the Prime Minister’s congratulations on 23 February 2026.
  • ✓ 2. PIB (Ministry of Information and Broadcasting) calls it ‘Lakshmipriya Devi’s Boong’ and congratulates filmmaker Lakshmipriya Devi on the win; BAFTA’s category page lists her name with the film. She is its director.
  • ✓ 3. The key accepts this: the win was reported as the first by an Indian film in this category. The official pages read do not use the word ‘first’ (see flag).

Remember · Boong (director Lakshmipriya Devi) won the 2026 BAFTA for Children’s & Family Film, reported as the first Indian film to win in that category.

Sources

Question and answer: UPSC's provisional GS Paper I (2026, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink ·

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