1. Which city is the host of BRICS Agriculture Meeting 2026?
[A] Ahmedabad
[B] Chennai
[C] Bengaluru
[D] Indore
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [Indore]
Notes:
Indore is hosting the five-day BRICS Agriculture Meeting 2026 from June 9–13 under India’s BRICS Presidency. BRICS countries collectively represent nearly half of the world’s population and contribute over 42% of global agricultural production. The meeting aims to strengthen cooperation in sustainable agriculture, innovation, and agricultural technology among BRICS members.
2. Which Indian was honoured as the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) “Soil Farmer Hero” in May 2026?
[A] Ramasamy
[B] Valluvan
[C] Perumal
[D] Gurudev
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Valluvan]
Notes:
Valluvan from Pollachi district in Tamil Nadu was honoured as a FAO Soil Farmer Hero Award in May 2026. The award was given by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Valluvan transformed his 11-hectare farm into a highly profitable multi-crop, tree-based farming enterprise. He was supported by Isha Foundation under the Save Soil-Cauvery Calling Programme led by Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev. He adopted multi-crop and multi-tier tree-based agriculture practices.
3. The National Conference on Agriculture for Kharif Campaign 2026 was held in which city?
[A] Chennai
[B] Hyderabad
[C] Bengaluru
[D] New Delhi
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [New Delhi ]
Notes:
The National Conference on Agriculture for Kharif Campaign 2026 was held on 28–29 May 2026 at the NASC Complex Pusa, New Delhi. The conference was organised by the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. It brought together State Agriculture Ministers, ICAR officials, agricultural scientists, and representatives from States and Union Territories. The conference aimed to strengthen Centre-State coordination, promote innovative farming practices, and improve agricultural productivity and resilience.
4. The term “De-industrialization” in colonial Indian history refers to a structural shift in the workforce and economy during the 19th century. Consider the following statements regarding how this process occurred:
- It was driven by the asymmetric tariff policy that admitted British machine-made goods into India duty-free while taxing Indian textile exports to Britain heavily.
- It led to a unique “progressive ruralization” of India, where the percentage of the population dependent on agriculture increased.
- The collapse of indigenous luxury handicraft industries was accelerated by the disappearance of traditional Indian royal courts.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
[A] 1 and 2 only
[B] 2 and 3 only
[C] 1 and 3 only
[D] 1, 2 and 3
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [1, 2 and 3]
Notes:
Statement 1 is correct: One-way free trade allowed cheap, mass-produced British cotton goods to flood Indian markets virtually duty-free. At the same time, protective tariffs in Britain kept Indian handloom products out, destroying India’s competitive edge. Statement 2 is correct: As millions of urban weavers, spinners, tanners, and smelters lost their livelihoods, they were forced to migrate back to ancestral villages to survive. This created an backward economic shift known as “progressive ruralization,” overloading the agricultural sector. Statement 3 is correct: Traditional fine arts, specialized weapon-smithing, and luxury textile industries (like Dacca Muslin) relied heavily on patronage from Indian royal courts and aristocrats. As the British annexed these states under doctrines like Lapse and Subsidiary Alliance, this domestic luxury market collapsed completely.
5. Under the forced commercialisation of agriculture in Bihar, planters implemented a notorious exploitative arrangement known as the Tinkathia system. What did this system legally obligate the peasant to do?
[A] Pay three-twentieths of their total annual crop yield directly to the landlord as an un-free tax.
[B] Cultivate indigo on three-twentieths of their total land holding for European planters.
[C] Share three-tenths of their water supply with neighboring cash-crop plantations.
[D] Work three days every week without wages on the private estate of the local Zamindar.
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Cultivate indigo on three-twentieths of their total land holding for European planters.]
Notes:
The Tinkathia system was a specific colonial arrangement used in Champaran, Bihar. A standard unit of land measurement was the Bigha, which consisted of 20 Katthas. Under this system, landlords and European planters legally forced peasants to grow indigo on 3 out of every 20 Katthas (three-twentieths) of their land. This occupied their most fertile soil and left them with insufficient land to grow food for their own survival.
6. In 1793, Lord Cornwallis introduced the Permanent Settlement in the Bengal Presidency, fixing land revenue demands in perpetuity. How did the structural operation of this system generate the socio-economic friction that led to widespread rural uprisings?
- It transformed traditional zamindars into absolute proprietors of the land, dismantling the customary occupancy rights of the peasantry.
- The rigid enforcement of the “Sunset Law” forced the rapid sale and transfer of defaulted estates to urban merchants and moneylenders.
- It led to a decline in commercial agriculture by prohibiting zamindars from cultivating high-value cash crops like indigo and poppy.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
[A] 1 and 2 only
[B] 3 only
[C] 1 and 3 only
[D] 1, 2 and 3
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [1 and 2 only]
Notes:
Statements 1 and 2 are correct: The Permanent Settlement made the Zamindars absolute owners of the land, removing peasants’ customary rights and enforcing the strict “Sunset Law” which led to confiscation and auction of defaulted estates. Statement 3 is incorrect because the system did not prohibit cultivation of cash crops; rather, landlords and British planters encouraged profitable cash crops like indigo and opium.
7. Consider the following early nineteenth-century British economic and revenue innovations:
- The introduction of the Ryotwari system in the Madras and Bombay Presidencies.
- The de-industrialization of local textile centers due to one-way free trade tariffs.
- The Mahalwari land settlements in the North-Western Provinces.
- The commercialization of agriculture through forced poppy and indigo cultivation.
How many of the above economic factors directly contributed to creating the explosive agrarian distress that fueled the rural civilian uprisings of 1857?
[A] Only two factors
[B] Only three factors
[C] All four factors
[D] None of the factors
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Only three factors]
Notes:
Ryotwari system (1): This system applied to the Madras and Bombay Presidencies, which remained mostly stable and quiet during the 1857 revolt. It was not a direct driver for the specific geographic core of the 1857 uprising (North India). De-industrialization (2): The collapse of indigenous weaving centers due to British tariff manipulation forced millions of unemployed urban artisans back onto the land, driving rural underemployment and deep-seated structural poverty. Mahalwari settlements (3): This system covered the North-Western Provinces and Awadh, the heartland of the rebellion. The exorbitant, rigid revenue demands and reliance on judicial land confiscation directly triggered the civilian explosion of 1857. Commercialization of agriculture (4): Forcing peasants to allocate fertile tracts to cash crops like indigo and opium damaged food security, ruined soil productivity, and tied subsistence farmers to unpredictable global price swings, which caused severe economic stress. Therefore, exactly three factors (2, 3, and 4) directly created the explosive agrarian distress in the key northern rebel zones.
8. The Eastern Regional Agriculture Conference 2026 was organised in which city?
[A] Ranchi
[B] Patna
[C] Bhubaneswar
[D] Kolkata
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Bhubaneswar]
Notes:
The Eastern Regional Agriculture Conference 2026 was held in Bhubaneswar on May 19, 2026. The conference is organised by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. The event aims to strengthen agricultural development, improve farmers’ income, and enhance Centre-State coordination.
9. The National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture was launched under which framework?
[A] National Green Tribunal
[B] National Action Plan on Climate Change
[C] National Biodiversity Mission
[D] National Water Mission
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [National Action Plan on Climate Change]
Notes:
The Government has set a target of bringing 100 lakh hectares under micro-irrigation during 2025–26 to 2029 under the National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture. It was launched in 2014–15 under the framework of the National Action Plan on Climate Change. The mission aims to reduce the adverse impacts of climate variability on agriculture while ensuring food and livelihood security. Since 2022–23, it has been integrated under the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana. It promotes climate-resilient agriculture by improving water-use efficiency, soil health, and sustainable farming practices.
10. Which city is the host of BRICS Agriculture Ministers’ Meeting 2026?
[A] Indore
[B] Lucknow
[C] Jaipur
[D] Chennai
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Indore]
Notes:
BRICS Agriculture Ministers’ Meeting 2026 will be hosted by India in Indore during June 2026 under India’s BRICS presidency. Agriculture ministers from BRICS countries — Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa — will participate in the meeting. The discussions will focus on food security, modern agricultural practices, international agricultural trade, and farmers’ welfare. The meeting will also highlight climate-resilient agriculture, digital agriculture, and strengthening agricultural supply chains.
