41. Biswa Bandhu, who recently passed away, was the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of which state?
[A] Tripura
[B] Assam
[C] Nagaland
[D] Sikkim
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Tripura]
Notes:
Tripura Assembly Speaker Biswa Bandhu, aged 72, passed away at a private hospital in Bengaluru following a massive cerebral stroke. A four-time MLA from the Dharmanagar constituency, he started his political career with Congress, joined Trinamool Congress in 2016, and later BJP before the 2018 Assembly elections. The state government declared three days of mourning and ordered the closure of all government offices, schools, colleges, and institutions on 26 December as a mark of respect.
42. Which Indian city secured the 5th position globally in the Global Food City Rankings 2025–26?
[A] Delhi
[B] Mumbai
[C] Ahmedabad
[D] Amritsar
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Mumbai]
Notes:
TasteAtlas World Food Awards 2025–26 ranked the top 10 best food cities globally out of 18,828 cities, based on average ratings of regional and national dishes. European cities dominate the list, occupying 8 of the top 10 positions. Italy leads overwhelmingly, with six Italian cities in the top 10, and Italian cuisine ranked the world’s best in 2025–26. Mumbai, India, ranked 5th globally, making it the only Indian city in the top 10, celebrated for its iconic street food such as vada pav, pav bhaji, and bhelpuri. Other Indian cities in the top 100 include Delhi (48), Amritsar (53), Hyderabad (54), Kolkata (73), and Chennai (93).
43. Kanger Valley National Park is located in which state?
[A] Madhya Pradesh
[B] Jharkhand
[C] Uttar Pradesh
[D] Chhattisgarh
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [Chhattisgarh]
Notes:
The Chhattisgarh government has intensified efforts to secure UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) World Heritage Site status for Kanger Valley National Park. The Wildlife Institute of India (WII) has been assigned to conduct a biodiversity survey for submission to UNESCO. Currently, Kanger Valley National Park and the Sirpur archaeological site are on UNESCO’s Tentative List. Kanger Valley National Park is located in Jagdalpur, in the Bastar district of Chhattisgarh.
44. National Council for Cement and Building Materials (NCB) functions under the administrative control of which ministry?
[A] Ministry of Heavy Industries
[B] Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs
[C] Ministry of Commerce and Industry
[D] Ministry of Mines
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Ministry of Commerce and Industry]
Notes:
The Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA) India–NCB Carbon Uptake Report was released on the 63rd Foundation Day of the National Council for Cement and Building Materials (NCB). NCB was established in 1962 as India’s apex research and development organisation for the cement and building materials sector. Its main objective is to promote scientific research and innovation related to cement manufacturing and building materials. NCB functions under the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India.
45. Which city is the host of 72nd Senior National Volleyball Championship 2026?
[A] Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh
[B] Indore, Madhya Pradesh
[C] Jaipur, Rajasthan
[D] Patna, Bihar
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh]
Notes:
Varanasi will host the 72nd Senior National Volleyball Championship from January 4 to 11, 2026. The championship will be held under the Khelo India initiative of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It will be the first national-level volleyball event of this scale to be organised in the Purvanchal region. Two mascots reflecting local culture have been chosen, namely ‘Nandu’ inspired by Nandi and ‘Neera’ representing the Ganga Dolphin. A total of 73 teams from across India will participate, with more than 1,000 players competing in the tournament.
46. Which Indian tennis player won the Women’s Singles title at the W35 Solapur Tennis Tournament in Maharashtra?
[A] Ria Bhatia
[B] Vaishnavi Adkar
[C] Vaidehi Chaudhary
[D] Rutuja Bhosale
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Vaidehi Chaudhary]
Notes:
Indian tennis player Vaidehi Chaudhary won the Women’s Singles title at the W35 Solapur Tennis Tournament in Maharashtra. The 25-year-old, seeded sixth, defeated Japan’s Michika Ozeki in a three-set final, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, after losing the first set. In the semifinals, Vaidehi defeated national champion Vaishnavi Adkar to reach the final. This victory is her fourth career International Tennis Federation (ITF) singles title and her first since June 2024, when she won the W35 Taipei Formosa Cup in Chinese Taipei.
47. Shipbuilding Financial Assistance Scheme (SBFAS) is implemented by which ministry?
[A] Ministry of Heavy Industries
[B] Ministry of Commerce and Industry
[C] Ministry of Defence
[D] Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways]
Notes:
The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW) notified guidelines for Shipbuilding Financial Assistance Scheme (SBFAS) and Shipbuilding Development Scheme (SbDS). These schemes aim to strengthen India’s domestic shipbuilding capacity and global competitiveness. The scheme will remain valid until the year 2036 and is implemented by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways (MoPSW). Under this scheme, the government provides financial assistance to shipbuilders depending on the category of the vessel. A National Shipbuilding Mission is established under the scheme to ensure coordinated planning and effective execution of shipbuilding initiatives.
48. Narsapuram Lace Craft, that was recently seen in news, is associated with which state?
[A] Uttar Pradesh
[B] Kerala
[C] Karnataka
[D] Andhra Pradesh
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [Andhra Pradesh]
Notes:
Recently, the Prime Minister of India praised Narsapuram Lace Craft made by self-help groups of Narsapur in Andhra Pradesh during the “Man Ki Baat” programme. Narsapuram Lace Craft is primarily made in Andhra Pradesh. Narsapur is located on the banks of the Godavari River. About 150 years ago, women from farming families began making decorative items using colourful lace. It mainly uses fine cotton threads, along with silk, rayon, synthetic threads, beads, and sequins. The main tool used is a crochet hook of different sizes. It has received the Geographical Indication tag.
49. PathGennie is a novel computational framework developed by which institute?
[A] Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru
[B] Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bombay
[C] S. N. Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences, Kolkata
[D] National Chemical Laboratory (NCL), Pune
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [S. N. Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences, Kolkata]
Notes:
PathGennie is a novel computational framework developed by scientists at S. N. Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences, Kolkata (DST autonomous institute). Published in the Journal of Chemical Theory and Computation, it accelerates simulation of rare molecular events for computer-aided drug discovery (CADD). It focuses on predicting drug unbinding from protein targets without artificial biases used in classical methods. PathGennie uses direction-guided adaptive sampling, launching many ultrashort unbiased MD trajectories and extending only productive ones (“survival of the fittest”).
50. Khaleda Zia, who recently passed away, was the first woman prime minister of which country?
[A] Iraq
[B] Pakistan
[C] Myanmar
[D] Bangladesh
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [Bangladesh]
Notes:
Khaleda Zia, Bangladesh’s first woman Prime Minister, passed away at 80 after a prolonged illness. She was the Chairperson of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). She played a major role in restoring democracy following periods of military rule. She dominated Bangladesh’s political landscape for several decades.