Contemporary Events: India: UPSC Previous Year Questions (General Knowledge)
3 previous year UPSC Prelims questions on Contemporary Events: India (General Knowledge). Choose an option to see the answer and explanation.
Explanations state facts as of the year each question was asked; words like “recently” refer to that year.
Showing 1–3 of 3 questions
UPSC 1996General Knowledge · Contemporary Events: India
Q1. Which one of the following satellites is to be launched from India in 1996?
Explanation
In 1996, India launched IRS-P3, an experimental earth observation mission undertaken by ISRO. The mission’s objectives were to process and interpret data generated by its two payloads, the Wide-Field sensor and Modular Optoelectric Sensor, developed by the German Aerospace Center. The mission was completed in January 2006 after serving for nine years and ten months.
Additional insight:
Between 2023 and December 2024, the ISRO conducted several notable satellite launches:
Launched the EOS-07 Earth observation satellite.
One Web India-2 Mission deployed OneWeb Gen-1 satellites, enhancing global broadband connectivity. NVS-01 Mission launched NVS-01, the first of the second-generation navigation satellites. Chandrayaan-3 Mission successfully sent the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft to the Moon. Aditya-L1 Mission launched Aditya-L1, India’s first solar observatory. XPoSat Mission placed the XPoSat satellite into orbit to study cosmic X-ray sources. The INSAT-3DS Mission launched the INSAT-3DS satellite for meteorological purposes. SpaDeX Mission successfully conducted the Space Docking Experiment (SpaDeX), demonstrating India’s first satellite docking in space.
UPSC 1996General Knowledge · Contemporary Events: India
Q2. Which one of the following is a modern tank?
Explanation
The Arjun is a modern Indian-made battle tank, developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in India. It is a third-generation main battle tank and was designed to enhance the Indian Army’s armored warfare capabilities. The tank features advanced firepower, protection, and mobility systems, and has been inducted into the Indian Army.
UPSC 1996General Knowledge · Contemporary Events: India
Q3. Which one of the following works has recently been made into a full length feature film?
Explanation
Option (d) is correct: Upamanyu Chatterjee’s English, August: English, August: An Indian Story was adapted into a full-length feature film in 1994, directed by Dev Benegal. This was one of the earliest Indian English-language films to gain international recognition.
Option (a) is incorrect: R.K. Narayan’s Malgudi Days: Malgudi Days was not made into a full-length feature film, but it was adapted into a popular TV series in the 1980s, directed by Shankar Nag.
Option (b) is incorrect: Salman Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children:
Midnight’s Children was adapted into a film much later, in 2012, directed by Deepa Mehta.
Option (c) is incorrect:Vikram Seth’s A Suitable Boy: A Suitable Boy was not made into a film in 1996, but in 2020, it was adapted into a BBC TV series directed by Mira Nair.
Answer key for these questions
Q
UPSC year
Correct answer
1
1996
(b) IRS-P3
2
1996
(c) Arjun
3
1996
(d) Upamanyu Chatterjee’s English August
Frequently asked questions
How many previous year UPSC questions are there on Contemporary Events: India?
This page covers 3 previous year UPSC Prelims GS Paper-I questions on Contemporary Events: India (General Knowledge), asked from 1996 to 2010. Each has the correct answer and an explanation.
How should I use previous year UPSC questions for Prelims?
Attempt each question first, then open the answer and read the explanation for every option. Repeat by chapter, and track which statements UPSC reuses across years. Previous year questions show the exam pattern and difficulty level.
Which years are covered for Contemporary Events: India?
Questions on Contemporary Events: India (General Knowledge) are available for 14 years, from 1996 to 2010. Use the Year filter to practise a single paper.
