UPSC Current Affairs Quiz: May 13-15, 2025

1. Genetics
2. Traumatic life experiences
3. Lack of sleep
4. Physical injuries or illnesses

Which of the above factors are known to predispose individuals to Functional Neurological Disorder (FND)?

1. The Tiexian Reef is located near Thitu Island, which is part of the Philippine territory
2. China claims sovereignty over the Tiexian Reef as part of its broader territorial claim over the South China Sea
3. The Tiexian Reef is uninhabited and has been a site of military conflict between China and the Philippines
4. The Philippines has built a military structure on the Tiexian Reef to assert its claims

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

1. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) was established in response to the Great Famine of 1876–78.
2. Henry Francis Blanford made the first tentative monsoon forecasts based on the relationship between Himalayan snow cover and Indian monsoon rainfall.
3. Sir Gilbert Walker introduced statistical methods for monsoon forecasting and identified the Southern Oscillation.

Which of the above statements is / are correct?

1. Blanford’s model –  Inverse relationship between Himalayan snow and monsoon rain
2. Gowariker model – Power regression using 16 atmospheric predictors
3. Statistical Ensemble (SEFS) – Use of multiple predictor combinations to avoid overfitting
4. Coupled Forecasting (MMCFS) – Integrates only atmospheric and land data

Which of the above pairs are correctly matched?

1. The Balikatan exercise is a joint annual military drill between the United States and the Philippines.
2. The 2025 edition involved the first-ever full-scale battle simulation near the Spratly Islands.
3. The exercise aims to assert China’s legal control over the South China Sea.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?