Current Affairs MCQs – June 11-12

Consider the following pairs:

How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?

1. Only one
2. Only two
3. All three
4. None

Explanation

Pair 1 is correctly matched

• The Kerch Strait is a narrow waterway that connects the Sea of Azov with the Black Sea. The Sea of Azov is a shallow inland sea located between Ukraine and Russia, and access to it is possible only through the Kerch Strait.

Pair 2 is incorrectly matched

• The Bosporus does not directly connect the Black Sea with the Mediterranean Sea. Instead, it connects the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara. The Black Sea reaches the Mediterranean only through a chain of waterways: Bosporus → Sea of Marmara → Dardanelles → Mediterranean Sea.

Pair 3 is correctly matched

• The Bab-el-Mandeb is a strategically important chokepoint connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden. Through this route, ships can travel between the Mediterranean Sea (via the Suez Canal) and the Indian Ocean.

Answer: (b) Only two; Difficulty Level: Medium

SIPRI Consider the following statements regarding the SIPRI Yearbook 2026:

1. The SIPRI Yearbook has been published annually by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
2. India was the third-largest importer of major arms during the period covered by the report.
3. The United States remained the world’s largest military spender in 2025.
4. SIPRI assessed that India had deployed some nuclear warheads during peacetime for the first time.

How many of the statements given above are correct?

1. Only one
2. Only two
3. Only three
4. All four

Explanation

Statement 1 is correct

• The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute has published the SIPRI Yearbook annually since 1969, covering military expenditure, arms transfers, armed conflicts, and nuclear forces.

Statement 2 is incorrect

• According to SIPRI Yearbook 2026, India was the second-largest importer of major arms, accounting for 8.2% of global imports, behind Ukraine.

Statement 3 is correct

• The United States remained the world’s largest military spender in 2025, ahead of China, Russia, Germany, and India.

Statement 4 is correct

• SIPRI estimated that India’s nuclear arsenal increased to about 190 warheads by January 2026. It also assessed that, for the first time, around 12 Indian nuclear warheads were deployed during peacetime, indicating a possible shift from the traditional practice of storing warheads separately from delivery systems.

Answer: (c) Only three; Difficulty Level: Medium

The total fertility rate in an economy is defined as:

1. the number of children born per 1000 people in the population in a year.
2. the number of children born to a couple in their lifetime in a given population.
3. the birth rate minus the death rate.
4. the average number of live births a woman would have by the end of her childbearing age.

Option (d) is correct: The total fertility rate (TFR) is the average number of children a woman would have at the end of her reproductive years, expressed as births per woman. How is the Total Fertility Rate calculated?

• TFR is directly calculated as the sum of age-specific fertility rates (usually referring to women aged 15 to 49), or five times the sum if data are given in five-year age groups.
• An age- or age-group-specific fertility rate is calculated as the ratio of annual births to women at a given age or age group to the population of women at the same age or age group in the same year for a given country, territory, or geographic area.

Answer: (c) the average number of live births a woman would have by the end of her childbearing age; Difficulty Level: Easy

Consider the following statements regarding rip currents:

1. Rip currents are narrow, fast-moving currents that generally flow from the shoreline towards the open sea through the surf zone.
2. They are caused solely by rocky coastal topography and do not occur on sandy beaches.
3. Rip currents are formed when water accumulated near the shore by breaking waves returns seaward through a concentrated channel.
4. Rip currents always remain confined within the surf zone and do not extend beyond the line of breaking waves.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

1. 1 and 3 only
2. 2 and 4 only
3. 1, 3 and 4 only
4. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Explanation

Statements 1 and 3 are correct

• Rip currents are narrow, powerful currents that flow away from the shore, typically perpendicular to the coastline. They form when water piled up near the shore by breaking waves returns to the sea through a concentrated channel.

Statement 2 is incorrect

• Rip currents can occur on both hard-bottom (rocky) and soft-bottom (sandy or silty) beaches.

Statement 4 is incorrect

• Rip currents often extend beyond the surf zone and the line of breaking waves, sometimes reaching hundreds of feet offshore before dissipating.

Answer: (a) 1 and 3 only; Difficulty Level: Medium

Consider the following statements:

1. India and Nepal share a 1,751-km-long border across 5 Indian states, namely Sikkim, West Bengal, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand.
2. Bangladesh shares its border with five Indian states: West Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Mizoram.

Which of the statements given above are is/are correct?

1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2

Explanation

Statement 1 is incorrect

• India and Nepal share a border of about 1,751 km, but the border runs through five Indian states: Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, and Sikkim. Himachal Pradesh does not share a border with Nepal, while Bihar has been omitted from the statement.

Statement 2 is correct

• Bangladesh shares its border with five Indian states: West Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Mizoram.

Answer: (a) 2 only; Difficulty Level: Easy