Daily Current Affairs UPSC: News Based MCQs Quiz | 13th August 2025

Answer: (D) None of the above

Detailed Explanation

• While the Consumer Price Index (CPI) is a common tool used to calculate core inflation, it is not the only one. Core inflation is also frequently calculated using the Core Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) index. Additionally, core inflation is derived by excluding volatile components like food and energy from the CPI or PCE, rather than being based solely on the CPI.
• A “high base effect” in the context of inflation refers to a situation where the year-on-year inflation rate appears lower than it actually is due to a high rate of price increases in the same period of the previous year. This happens because the percentage change is being calculated against a higher starting point. Essentially, the “base” (the starting point for comparison) is high, which can mask a continued rise in prices or even a small increase in prices.
• High Base does not benefit RBI in the longer run for monetary policy. As the real time data is not available.
• Central banks and governments need to consider the high base effect when making monetary and fiscal policy decisions. If inflation is actually higher than reported due to this effect, it could lead to underestimation of the need for measures to control inflation.

Answer: (C) who has been ordinarily resident in the territory of India for not less than ten years immediately preceding such commencement.

Detailed Explanation

Answer: (A) 1 only

Detailed Explanation

• The order also banned export by Bangladesh of fruits, fruit flavoured drinks, and processed food items (baked goods, snacks, chips, and confectionery); cotton and cotton yarn waste; plastic and PVC finished goods except pigments, dyes, plasticisers, and granules; and wooden furniture via the land ports of Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, and Tripura. The same goods were also banned from entering India through the Land Customs Stations of Changrabandha and Fulbari.
• Bangladesh is the second largest manufacturer of readymade garments in the world after China.

Answer: (D) High on Resistance

Detailed Explanation

Answer: (B) 7 mach speed

Detailed Explanation

• In a significant development for India’s air defense capabilities, Russia has reportedly offered the Indian Air Force (IAF) the R-37M, a hypersonic long-range air-to-air missile, to equip its fleet of Su-30MKI fighters. Known by its NATO designation AA-13 Axehead, the R-37M boasts a range of 300 to 400 kilometers and a top speed of Mach 6, making it one of the most formidable beyond-visual-range (BVR) missiles in the world. The offer, comes at a critical juncture as India seeks to bolster its air dominance amid regional tensions with Pakistan and China.
• The R-37M, developed by Russia’s Vympel Design Bureau, is designed to neutralize high-value aerial targets such as Airborne Warning and Control Systems (AWACS), tanker aircraft, and enemy fighters, allowing the launching platform to remain outside the range of adversary defenses.
• Its jettisonable rocket booster enables the missile to achieve an extended range of 300-400 km (160-220 nautical miles), significantly outpacing India’s current R-77 missiles, which have a range of approximately 100 km. The missile’s hypersonic speed of up to Mach 6 (approximately 7,400 km/h) ensures rapid engagement of fast-moving targets, making it difficult for adversaries to evade.
• Weighing approximately 510 kg with a 60 kg high-explosive fragmentation warhead, the R-37M features a sophisticated guidance system combining inertial navigation with mid-course updates, active radar homing, and semi-active radar guidance for the terminal phase.
• This “fire-and-forget” capability allows the missile to autonomously track targets after launch, enhancing its effectiveness in complex combat scenarios.
• The R-37M is compatible with multiple Russian platforms, including the Su-30, Su-35, Su-57, MiG-31BM, and MiG-35, and Russia has proposed integrating it with India’s 272 Su-30MKI fighters, which are slated for upgrades.

Answer: (B) 2 only

Detailed Explanation

• When central banks purchase gold, it affects the supply and demand of the domestic currency and may result in inflation. This is largely due to the fact that banks rely on printing more money to buy gold, thereby creating an excess supply of fiat currency.
• The value of a nation’s currency is strongly tied to the value of its imports and exports. When a country imports more than it exports, the value of its currency will decline. On the other hand, the value of its currency will increase when a country is a net exporter. Thus, a country that exports gold or has access to gold reserves will see an increase in the strength of its currency when gold prices increase, since this increases the value of the country’s total exports.
• In other words, an increase in the price of gold can create a trade surplus or help offset a trade deficit.
• Conversely, countries that are large importers of gold will inevitably end up having a weaker currency when the price of gold rises. For example, countries that specialize in producing products made with gold, but lack their own reserves, will be large importers of gold. Thus, they will be particularly susceptible to increases in the price of gold.

Answer: (C) All three

Detailed Explanation

• GEO – Heavy and Large satellites
• MEO – Lower Latency than GEO
• LEO – Cheap