Daily Prelims MCQs — Science, Technology, Environment and Geography — 17th June 2025
- TPP
- Jun 17
- 14 min read
Welcome to today’s handpicked set of Multiple-Choice Questions (MCQs) from the Science, Technology, Environment and Geography section — crafted specially for the UPSC Prelims! These questions aren’t just a quiz — they’re a smart way to see how current affairs connect with core concepts, just like UPSC asks in the exam.
Each question is based on recent news and backed by clear explanations to help you build strong links between dynamic events and static knowledge.
Today’s topics include: sodium-ion batteries, lithium-ion batteries, Starlink manages the world’s largest satellite constellation, Hakuto-R mission, Large Hadron Collider, ‘Ebb’ and ‘Flow’, the twin spacecraft, high seas treaty, BBNJ, South Lhonak Lake, Banas River, Teesta River, UNESCO World Heritage Convention, The Man Who Fed the World, UNOC 3, and more...
Use this as your daily revision boost to sharpen your understanding, stay exam-ready, and master how UPSC turns news into questions.
Click Here to read the Current Affairs Pointers (CAP) for January 2025- April 2025.
QUESTION 1
What are the advantages of sodium-ion batteries over lithium-ion batteries?
It is way more abundant than lithium and can be extracted from seawater at relatively lower costs.
It is more environmentally friendly.
It can be transported at zero volt, making it safer.
It uses aluminum, which is cheaper than copper used in the lithium-ion battery tech.
How many of the statements given above are correct?
(a) Only one
(b) Only two
(c) Only three
(d) All four
Answer (d)
Explanation:
A fast-charging sodium-ion (Na-ion) battery that can charge up to 80% in six minutes and claims to survive over 3,000 charge cycles, making it virtually similar to more common lithium-ion batteries. This is a breakthrough claimed by a research team at the Bengaluru-based Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), an autonomous institute of the Department of Science and Technology, and is being hailed as yet another promising step in India’s efforts to develop an alternative to lithium-ion chemistry, the most common element in battery manufacturing, where China has a virtual stranglehold.
The new battery, developed by a JNCASR team led by Prof. Premkumar Senguttuvan and Ph.D. scholar Biplab Patra, is based on a ‘NASICON-type’ chemistry, a class of polyanionic materials with a known structure in electrochemical materials, but with significantly improved performance claims using novel material engineering. Unlike ordinary sodium-ion batteries, which have slow charging and short lifespans, this new battery combines a clever combination of chemistry and nanotechnology to achieve a substantially shorter charge time and more charge cycles.
Advantages over li-ion batteries
It is way more abundant than lithium and can be extracted from seawater at relatively lower costs.
It is more environmentally friendly.
It can be transported at zero volt, making it safer, unlike lithium, which is less environmentally friendly and must be always stored with a minimum charge, increasing fire risks.
It uses aluminum, which is cheaper than copper used in the lithium-ion battery tech.
Sodium-ion batteries also have a higher operating temperature range and are hence safer, given that these can be used in more extreme temperatures without the risk of thermal runaway.
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QUESTION 2
With reference to Satellite communication, consider the following statements:
Satellite communication services rely on an array of satellites in orbit to offer connectivity to homes and businesses on the ground.
It requires a vast network of wires to transmit data.
OneWeb operates the world’s largest satellite constellation.
How many of the statements given above are correct?
(a) Only one
(b) Only two
(c) All three
(d) None
Answer (a)
Explanation:
Elon Musk’s Starlink, which offers satellite internet services, has won regulatory permission from the government, nearly three years after originally seeking for an operator licence, opening the way for the company to begin selling the service in the country.
Satellite communication services rely on a constellation of satellites in orbit to provide connectivity to homes and businesses on Earth. They are an alternative to ground-based communication, known as terrestrial networks, such as cable, fibre, or digital subscriber line (DSL), and they do not need wires to transport data. Hence, statement 1 is correct and statement 2 is not correct.
Starlink manages the world’s largest satellite constellation, with around 7,000 satellites in orbit. Hence, statement 3 is not correct.
Satellite-based communication and broadband services benefit end users in two ways: they provide larger coverage and a more resilient network. Even though satcom services have higher latency than terrestrial broadband networks, they may cover large areas with very little physical equipment installed.
The approval of Starlink comes just days after the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) issued guidelines for satellite communication businesses. The recommendations require enterprises to establish local manufacturing, data localisation, use domestic navigation systems, install a blocking mechanism, and collaborate with law enforcement agencies.
QUESTION 3
Hakuto-R mission, in which the spacecraft was likely unable to decelerate sufficiently in the final moments, and crashed on the lunar surface. The mission was launched by:
(a) South Korea
(b) China
(c) Japan
(d) Taiwan
Answer (c)
Explanation:
A Japanese space mission designed to land on the Moon has failed. Like Chandrayaan-2, the spacecraft was most likely unable to decelerate sufficiently in its last seconds and crashed on the lunar surface.
The Hakuto-R mission was led by the private Japanese corporation ispace, which sent the lander Resilience and the rover Micro. Just before the touchdown this morning, mission control lost contact with the spacecraft.
“The lander dropped from an altitude of around 100 km to 20 km before successfully firing its main engine to begin deceleration. While the lander’s height was confirmed to be nearly vertical, telemetry was lost after that, and no data indicating a successful landing was received, even after the intended landing time had passed,” ispace stated.
QUESTION 4
Consider the following statements:
Statement 1: The most common black holes are formed when massive stars — more than eight times the mass of the Sun — run out of fuel.
Statement 2: As long as the star burns hydrogen in its core, it generates energy that pushes outward, balancing the inward pull of gravity. But when the fuel is exhausted, this balance tips. Gravity takes over. The core collapses in on itself.
Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?
(a) Both Statement 1 and Statement 2 are correct and Statement 2 is the correct explanation for Statement 1.
(b) Both Statement 1 and Statement 2 are correct and Statement 2 is not the correct explanation for Statement 1.
(c) Statement 1 is correct but Statement 2 is incorrect.
(d) Statement 1 is incorrect but Statement 2 is correct.
Answer (a)
Explanation:
A black hole is a region of space where gravity is so strong that nothing can escape — not even light.
At the heart of a black hole is a “singularity” – a place where our physical laws break down and gravity becomes infinite.
The most common black holes arise when huge stars—more than eight times the mass of the Sun—run out of fuel. As long as the star burns hydrogen in its core, it produces energy that pushes outward, counterbalancing gravity’s inward pull. However, as the fuel is depleted, this balance shifts. Gravity takes over. The centre collapses into itself. Hence, statements 1 and 2 are correct.
If the remaining mass is huge enough — usually more than three times the mass of the Sun — not even neutron pressure (the final barrier) can stop the collapse. A black hole is created.
Both Statement 1 and Statement 2 are correct and Statement 2 is the correct explanation for Statement 1.
QUESTION 5
With reference to the Large Hadron Collider, consider the following statements:
It has been developed by the European Organisation for Nuclear Research.
It uses a distribution system of liquid sodium to keep its critical components ultracold at minus 271.3 degrees Celsius.
It has been built to study infrared rays.
How many of the statements given above are correct?
(a) Only one
(b) Only two
(c) All three
(d) None
Answer (a)
Explanation:
The Large Hadron Collider is a giant, complex machine built to study particles that are the smallest known building blocks of all things. Hence, statement 3 is not correct.
It is structurally a 27-km-long track loop buried 100 metres underground on the Swiss-French border. It fires two beams of protons almost at the speed of light in opposite directions inside a ring of superconducting electromagnets.
The magnetic field created by the superconducting electromagnets keeps the protons in a tight beam and guides them along the way as they travel through beam pipes and finally collide.
Prior to the collision, another type of magnet is used to ‘squeeze’ the particles closer together to increase the chances of collisions.
The particles are so tiny that the task of making them collide is akin to firing two needles 10 km apart with such precision that they meet halfway,” according to the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire, or CERN, in French), which runs the particle accelerator complex that houses the LHC. Hence, statement 1 is correct.
The LHC’s powerful electromagnets carry almost as much current as a bolt of lightning, they must be kept chilled. The LHC uses a distribution system of liquid helium to keep its critical components ultracold at minus 271.3 degrees Celsius, which is colder than interstellar space. Given these requirements, it is not easy to warm up or cool down the gigantic machine. Hence, statement 2 is not correct.
QUESTION 6
Consider the following statements:
Indian Space Research Organisation operates under the Ministry of Science & Technology.
The Ministry of Earth Sciences was formerly the Department of Ocean Development.
India Meteorological Department operates under the Ministry of Earth Science.
Which of the above given statements is/are true?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) 2 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Answer (c)
Explanation:
According to moes.gov.in, “MoES was formerly the Department of Ocean Development (DOD), which was created in July 1981 as a part of the Cabinet Secretariat directly under the charge of the Prime Minister of India.” Hence, statement 2 is correct.
According to isro.gov.in, ISRO, the Indian Space Research Organisation, operates under the Department of Space (DoS). Hence, statement 1 is not correct.
According to mausam.imd.gov.in, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) works under the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) of the Government of India. Hence, statement 3 is correct.
QUESTION 7
Consider the following Indian origin scientists:
Venkatraman Ramakrishnan
Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar
Hargovind Khorana
Which of the above mentioned scientists were also the recipients of the Nobel Prize?
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 1 and 3 only
(c) 2 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Answer (d)
Explanation:
It has been 95 years since an Indian won a Nobel Prize in the sciences — Physics, Chemistry or Medicine — while working in India. CV Raman’s Nobel Prize in Physics in 1930 remains the only such honour. Three more Indian-origin scientists have won — Hargovind Khorana in Medicine in 1968, Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar in Physics in 1983, and Venkatraman Ramakrishnan in Chemistry 2009 — but they did their work outside India and were not Indian citizens when they were honoured.
QUESTION 8
‘Ebb’ and ‘Flow’, the twin spacecraft, were part of which NASA mission?
(a) Hakuto-R
(b) Atmospheric Limb Tracker for Investigation of the Upcoming Stratosphere (Altius)
(c) BepiColombo
(d) Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL)
Answer (d)
Explanation:
According to science.nasa.gov,
“NASA’s GRAIL mission flew twin spacecraft—Ebb and Flow—in tandem around the Moon to map variations in the lunar gravitational field. The probes generated the highest resolution gravity map of any celestial body to date. At the end of the mission, the probes purposely crashed on the Moon.”
QUESTION 9
With reference to the High Seas Treaty, consider the following statements:
The treaty deals only with oceans that are outside the national jurisdiction of any country.
Its objective is to demarcate marine protected areas (MPAs), rather like there are protected forests or wildlife areas.
India has not signed the High Seas Treaty.
The aim of the treaty aligns with Sustainable Development Goal-10.
How many of the statements given above are correct?
(a) Only one
(b) Only two
(c) Only three
(d) All four
Answer (b)
Explanation:
At the United Nations Oceans Conference (UNOC) in Nice, France, India announced that it is currently in the process of ratifying the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) agreement, also known as the high seas treaty, and reaffirmed its commitment to conserving and using oceans sustainably, as outlined in Sustainable Development Goal-14. Hence, statement 4 is not correct.
India signed an important international agreement called the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement, or the High Seas Treaty at the United Nations General Assembly in New York on September 25, 2024. Hence, statement 3 is not correct.
The high seas cover 64% of the ocean surface and approximately 43% of the Earth. These habitats are home to around 2.2 million marine species and trillions of microbes. They belong to no one, and everyone has equal rights to navigation, overflight, economic operations, scientific research, and the installation of infrastructure such as underwater cables.
The convention, signed in March 2023, only applies to oceans that are not under any country’s jurisdiction. Hence, statement 1 is correct.
Objectives of the High Seas Treaty
(i) Demarcation of marine protected areas (MPAs), rather like there are protected forests or wildlife areas; Hence, statement 2 is correct.
(ii) Sustainable use of marine genetic resources and equitable sharing of benefits arising from them;
(iii) Initiation of the practice of environmental impact assessments for all major activities in the oceans; and
(iv) Capacity building and technology transfer.
The treaty makes it mandatory to carry out a prior environmental impact assessment (EIA) for any activity that is potentially polluting or damaging to the marine ecosystems, or to conservation efforts.
QUESTION 10
With reference to the Banas River, consider the following statements:
The Banas River Basin is located in the western part of Rajasthan.
It is bounded in the east by Chambal river basin and in the north by Gambhir and Banganga river basins.
It is a tributary of the Luni River.
The entire length of the river flows through Rajasthan only.
How many of the statements given above are correct?
(a) Only one
(b) Only two
(c) Only three
(d) All four
Answer (b)
Explanation:
Eight men drowned in the Banas river in Rajasthan’s Tonk district, police said.
About Banas River
The Banas River Basin is located in eastern Rajasthan and covers a substantial area to the east of the Aravali mountain range. Hence, statement 1 is not correct.
It is bordered in the east by the Chambal river basin, in the north by the Gambhir and Banganga river basins, in the west by the Shekhawati and Luni river basins, and in the south by the Sabarmati and Mahi river basins. It feeds into the Chambal River, which then flows into the Yamuna. Hence, statement 2 is correct.
The Banas River originates in the Khamnor Hills of the Aravali Range, approximately 5 km from Kumbhalgarh in Rajsamand District, and runs entirely through Rajasthan. Hence, statement 4 is correct.
It flows northeast through Rajasthan’s Mewar area, eventually meeting the Chambal River near the village of Rameshwar in Khandar Block, Sawai Madhopur District. Hence, statement 3 is not correct.
QUESTION 11
South Lhonak Lake was in the news due to a devastating flood in the Teesta River. The lake is located in:
(a) Sikkim
(b) Arunachal Pradesh
(c) Assam
(d) West Bengal
Answer (a)
Explanation:
Scientific studies have long demonstrated that climate change is causing Himalayan glaciers to melt at an unprecedented rate, affecting water resources, agriculture, and livelihoods.
“Global warming is causing Himalayan glaciers to deplete, resulting in the formation of artificial lakes known as GLOFs. When they burst, they cause mayhem. In October 2023, a flood generated by South Lhonak Lake in Sikkim devastated the Teesta River valley. It wrecked the Teesta III hydroelectric dam and caused widespread damage,” says Guman Singh, an environmental activist and coordinator for Himalaya Niti Abhiyan, a grassroots organisation calling for a sustainable, mountain-specific development model in the Himalayas.
QUESTION 12
With reference to the tardigrades, which of the statements given above is/are correct?
They are also known as “water bears”.
They have survived all five major mass extinction events that have taken place.
They can be found only in the deepest oceans.
Select the correct answer using the codes given below:
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 2 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Answer (c)
Explanation:
One of the scientific investigations astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla will do during his two-week stay on the International Space Station (ISS) is to investigate the recovery, survival, and reproduction of tardigrades in space.
Tardigrades, sometimes known as “water bears,” are muscular aquatic animals that have existed for around 600 million years, 400 million years before dinosaurs roamed the earth. They have survived all five main mass extinction events that have occurred so far, and scientists anticipate they will be around long after humanity has been wiped out. Hence, statements 1 and 2 are correct.
Tardigrades are typically around 0.5 mm long when fully grown, with four pairs of legs and 4-6 claws on each foot. They also have a unique mouth that allows them to extract nutrients from plant cells, algae, and other tiny invertebrates.
Tardigrades can be found practically anywhere, including the highest mountains and the deepest oceans. Their most common habitat, however, is the thin film of water found on mosses and lichens, earning these critters the nickname “moss piglets”. Hence, statement 3 is not correct.
QUESTION 13
Scientists made a surprising discovery — a mushroom growing out of the side of the frog, in the:
(a) Western Ghats
(b) Andaman and Nicobar Islands
(c) Barak Valley
(d) Eastern Himalayas
Answer (a)
Explanation:
Scientists uncovered an unexpected find in India’s Western Ghats foothills: a mushroom growing out of the side of a frog. This is the first time a mushroom has been witnessed growing from a living organism.
On June 19, 2023, the researchers discovered several “Rao’s Golden-backed frogs” in a rainwater-fed pond on the roadside in the foothills of the Kudremukha mountains near Mala, Karkala, Karnataka. However, one of the frogs appeared to have a white growth on the right side of its body. As it turned out, that was a mushroom growing from a live frog.
The frog was not taken; rather, the researchers photographed it and described it in a note published in the journal Reptiles and Amphibians. Fungus experts who examined the photographs identified the white growth as a Bonnet mushroom, which often grows on dead and rotting wood.
There are numerous fungi that form symbiotic relationships with other creatures. Some are parasitic, causing illnesses such as mucormycosis, sometimes known as “black fungus.” The Independent, however, reports that this is the first time a fungus has been seen growing on a living organism.
QUESTION 14
With reference to the United Nations Ocean Conference 2025, consider the following statements.
France and Colombia are co-organizing the Conference.
The overarching theme of the Conference is “Accelerating action and mobilizing all actors to conserve and sustainably use the ocean”
This is the first ever Conference on Ocean by the United Nations.
Which of the statements given above is/are true?
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 1 only
(c) 2 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3 only
Answer (c)
Explanation:
France and Costa Rica are co-organizing the 3rd United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3) in Nice from June 9 to 13, 2025. The overarching theme of the Conference is “Accelerating action and mobilizing all actors to conserve and sustainably use the ocean.”
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QUESTION 15
Consider the following statements:
It is inhabited by the world’s largest population of one-horned rhinoceroses.
It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Endangered Ganges dolphin is found in some of the closed oxbow lakes of this site.
Which is the site that the above statements indicate?
(a) Khangchendzonga National Park
(b) Keoladeo National Park
(c) Kaziranga National Park
(d) Manas Wildlife Sanctuary
Answer (c)
Explanation:
According to UNESCO World Heritage Convention:
“Kaziranga National Park represents one of the last unmodified natural areas in the north-eastern region of India. Covering 42,996 ha, and located in the State of Assam it is the single largest undisturbed and representative area in the Brahmaputra Valley floodplain…The park’s contribution in saving the Indian one-horned rhinoceros from the brink of extinction at the turn of the 20th century to harbouring the single largest population of this species is a spectacular conservation achievement. The property also harbours significant populations of other threatened species including tigers, elephants, wild water buffalo and bears as well as aquatic species including the Ganges River dolphin.”
QUESTION 16
The biography titled ‘The Man Who Fed the World’ is based on the life and achievements of which of the following internationally renowned figures?
(a) Norman Borlaug
(b) M.S.Swaminathan
(c) Lester R. Brown
(d) Rachel Carson
Answer (a)
Explanation:
‘The Man Who Fed the World: Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Norman Borlaug and His Battle to End World Hunger’ is a biography written by Leon Hesser.
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