UPSC Daily Quiz 28 April 2026

Answer: b

Explanation:

Researchers recently found that a daily 300 mg dose of vitamin E improves liver tissue in adults with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis, a serious form of fatty liver disease where fat buildup triggers inflammation and damage in the liver.

About Vitamin E:

• It is a fat-soluble vitamin with several forms, but alpha-tocopherol is the only one used by the human body.
• The body stores vitamin E in fatty tissue and the liver.
• Functions:
  • The main role of vitamin E is to act as an antioxidant, scavenging loose electrons—so-called “free radicals”—that can damage cells.
  • Vitamin E helps keep your immune system healthy, promotes good eye health, and supports healthy skin.
  • It helps form red blood cells and widen blood vessels to keep blood from clotting inside
  • It helps the body use vitamin K.
• Food Sources:
  • Foods rich in vitamin E include vegetable oils such as canola and olive oils, nuts, and seeds.
  • Meats, dairy, leafy greens, and fortified cereals also have vitamin E.
• People who have digestive disorders or do not absorb fat properly (e.g., pancreatitis, cystic fibrosis, celiac disease) can develop a vitamin E deficiency.
• The following are common signs of a deficiency:
  • Retinopathy (damage to the retina of the eyes that can impair vision)
  • Peripheral neuropathy (damage to the peripheral nerves, usually in the hands or feet, causing weakness or pain)
  • Ataxia (loss of control of body movements)
  • Decreased immune function

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

News: https://www.earth.com/news/common-vitamin-may-help-repair-liver-damage-from-steatohepatitis/

Answer: c

Explanation:

Researchers recently showed for the first time that dopamine dysfunction in the entorhinal cortex, a critical memory-related brain region, contributes directly to impaired memory formation. 

About Dopamine:

• Dopamine is a hormone and a type of neurotransmitter, or chemical messenger, made in your brain.
• Your nervous system uses it to send messages between nerve cells. These messages also travel between your brain and the rest of your body. 
• This unique neurotransmitter affects your body, brain, and behavior.
• Dopamine is the chemical that mediates pleasure in the brain.
  • It is released when your brain is expecting a reward.
  • When you come to associate a certain activity with pleasure, mere anticipation may be enough to raise dopamine levels.
• It’s a big part of our unique human ability to think and plan. It helps us focus, work towards goals, and find things interesting.
• Dopamine also plays a role in these functions:
  • learning and attention
  • mood
  • movement
  • heart rate
  • kidney function
  • blood vessel function
  • sleep
  • pain processing
  •  
• High or low dopamine levels are associated with diseases including Parkinson’s disease, restless legs syndrome, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
• Dopamine is also made in other parts of your body, where it acts as a hormone.
• Dopamine acts as a hormone to help:
  • relax or tighten your blood vessels when needed
  • control your salt levels and urine production
  • control how much insulin you make
  • slow down some parts of your digestion
• Dopamine is found in humans as well as animals, including both vertebrates and invertebrates.

Hence option c is the correct answer.

News:https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-dopamine-deficiency-memory-impairment-alzheimer.html

Answer: d

Explanation:

Underwater archaeologists recently unveiled a hidden city in Lake Issyk-Kul, revealing a lost civilization from seven hundred years ago.

About Lake Issyk-Kul:

• It is located in northeastern Kyrgyzstan.
• Surrounding the lake are the snowcapped Tian Shan mountains (the Heaven’s mountains).
• It was formed roughly 25 million years ago and has an endorheic basin, meaning it has no outflow to other bodies of water like rivers or oceans.
• The water in the lake is blue and brackish.
• It is located at an altitude of 1600 meters. It is after Lake Titicaca in South America, the world’s second-largest high mountain lake.
• The lake has a length of 182 km, a width up to 61 km, and a surface area of 6,280 sq.km.
• It is the second-largest saline lake in the world after the Caspian Sea. It is also the largest lake in Kyrgyzstan.
• It reaches a depth of 668 metres and averages some 280 metres deep. It ranks seventh in the list of the deepest lakes in the world.
• Owing to its depth, low salinity, and warm springs, it does not freeze, even in winter. Issyk-Kul translates as “hot lake”.
• From the lakeshore, all major landscape types, from subtropical to tundra, occur in close succession.
• In 1976, it was included on the Ramsar list as a wetland of international importance.

Hence option d is the correct answer.

News:https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/science/in-2026-divers-in-lake-issyk-kul-followed-a-trail-of-ancient-brickwork-to-a-submerged-city-hidden-for-seven-centuries/amp_articleshow/130550329.cms

Answer: a

Explanation:

Scientists recently identified a rare orchid species, Eulophia picta, in central Andhra Pradesh, marking the first recorded presence of this species in the region.

About Eulophia picta:

• It is a medium-to-small, hot-growing terrestrial orchid.
• It is commonly known as Nodding Swamp Orchid or pink nodding orchid.
• Habitat and Distribution:
  • It is found from India to Southeast Asia to Australia in moist grasslands, sandy areas behind beaches, and rainforests.
  • It is also found in semi-deciduous and deciduous dry lowland forests at elevations up to 1000 m, with underground, spherical pseudobulbs.
• Description:
  • A distinctive leafy species with three to five broad, smooth, ribbed leaves and up to 20 pale pink, rarely white flowers.
  • The flowers do not open but remain as a tube.
  • The distinctive inflorescence is hooked like a shepherd’s crook when plants are flowering but straightens as the prominently ribbed seed capsules develop.
• It thrives in full sun to partial shade, making it versatile for various garden settings.

Hence option a is the correct answer.

News:https://www.thehansindia.com/andhra-pradesh/rare-orchid-species-discovered-1069865

Answer: a

Explanation:

More than 330 students from Boleng in Arunachal Pradesh recently took part in a three-day school exhibition centred on river conservation and sustainable infrastructure, with a strong focus on the proposed Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP).

About Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP):

• It is a proposed 11,000 MW hydropower project on the Siang River near the Geku Village in the Upper Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh.
  • The Siang River is the upper course of the Brahmaputra
• It is envisioned as one of India’s largest hydropower reservoirs and as a strategic countermeasure to China’s proposed 60,000 MW super dam on the Yarlung Tsangpo (Brahmaputra) in Tibet’s Medog County.
• This project aims to not only harness hydropower but also to control flooding and erosion downstream in the upper Brahmaputra basin.
• The area is primarily inhabited by the Adi Tribe, an indigenous community with a strong connection to the Siang River.
• Developers: Jointly undertaken by the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) and the North Eastern Electric Power Corporation (NEEPCO).

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

News:https://www.indiatodayne.in/arunachal-pradesh/story/arunachal-school-exhibition-engages-330-students-on-siang-project-river-conservation-1382479-2026-04-28

Answer: c

Explanation:

The Delhi High Court has asked the Union government to clarify whether social media platform X Corp. should be required to participate in the Sahyog portal in cases linked to human trafficking, child trafficking and national security.

• It is an online platform launched in October 2024 to help remove illegal content from the internet quickly.
• It allows government agencies to send takedown notices directly to social media platforms and other online intermediaries.
• It operates under Section 79(3)(b) of the IT Act, 2000, giving it legal backing.
• It ensures that intermediaries act fast while retaining safe harbour protections.
• Nodal Ministry: Union Home Ministry
• Features of Sahayog Portal:
  • Centralised Communication: Connects government agencies, state/UT nodal officers, and 65 online intermediaries in a single platform.
  • Automated Takedown Notices: Sends quick, documented notices to intermediaries for prompt removal of unlawful content.
  • Legal Backing: Operates under Section 79(3)(b) of the IT Act, 2000, ensuring legal enforcement and consequences for non-compliance.
  • Separate from Section 69A: Focuses on intermediaries’ responsibility to disable unlawful content rather than government blocking powers.

Hence both statements are correct.

News: https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/technology/meta-sets-up-automatic-blocking-for-govt-police-referred-content/article70901931.ece

Answer: a

Explanation:

Recently, the Tamil Nadu Forest Department has commenced the third synchronised survey of the Nilgiri Tahr.

• The Nilgiri Tahr is a mountain ungulate endemic to the southern part of the Western Ghats. 
• It is also known by the name Nilgiri Ibex or simply Ibex. Locally the animal is called ‘Varayaadu’.
• It is the only mountain ungulate in southern India.
• Habitat: It inhabits the open montane grassland habitat of the southwestern ghats montane rain forests ecoregion. 
  • At elevations ranging from 1200 to 2600 m, the jungle opens into grasslands interspersed with pockets of stunted forests, known as ‘sholas.’
• Distribution: It is found in a roughly 400 km stretch in the Western Ghats, which falls in the states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. 
  • The Eravikulam National Park (Kerala) has the highest density and largest surviving population of Nilgiri tahr. 
• Features of Nilgiri Tahr:
  • These are stocky goats with short, coarse fur and a bristly mane. 
  • The males are found to be larger than the females, and have a darker color when mature. 
  • Both sexes have curved horns, which are larger in the males.
• Conservation Status:
  • IUCN: Endangered 
  • Wildlife (Protection) Act of India, 1972: Schedule I.
• Threats: Habitat loss due to rampant deforestation, competition with domestic livestock, hydroelectric projects in Nilgiri tahr habitat, and monoculture plantations.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

News: https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/tn-launches-third-synchronised-nilgiri-tahr-survey-across-western-ghats/article70905504.ece

Answer: c

Explanation:

Scientists across many institutions are exploring the cyborg botany field which transforms plants into living circuit boards.

• It is a hybrid system that integrates living plants with electronic components.
• It is an intersection of biology, materials science, and engineering.
• The word ‘cyborg’ itself comes from ‘cybernetic organism’, a concept long associated with science fiction.
• Its goal is to use the biological processes of living plants and merge them with artificial electronic functionality.
• Working:
  • Embedding Nanowires and Electronic Transistors: These can be directly embedded into plant cell walls, where they can function as biosensors, picking up biochemical changes as they happen.
  • Polymers as living wires: Certain conductive polymers such as PEDOT (a biodegradable, electrically conductive material) can act as living wires within plant tissue, carrying signals from the plant’s cells to an external device.
• Significance:
  • Plants face two broad types of stress: biotic stress, such as pest infestations and disease, and abiotic stress, such as drought and extreme temperatures.
    • If a sensor embedded in a crop plant could flag a moisture deficit or a disease signal days or weeks before the physical symptoms appear.
    • Farmers could intervene early by applying water and nutrients or treatments only where and when they are needed.

Hence both statements are correct.

News: https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/science/cyborg-botany-how-scientists-are-turning-plants-into-circuit-boards/article70909342.ece

Answer: b

Explanation:

 Recently, scientists have observed that the Gibraltar’s Barbary Macaques eat soil (geophagy) to counter ill effects of tourist-derived junk food.

• Barbary macaques are one of 25 species of macaque found around the world.
• They’re the only macaque species living outside Asia and the only non-human primate in North Africa and Europe.
• Habitat: They are most commonly found in high-altitude mountains, rocky cliffs, and gorges. The ideal habitat of this species is cedar forest.
• Distribution: They are mainly found in Africa, Asia and Europe.
  • The natural range of these primates covers the Atlas Mountains of Algeria and Morocco in North Africa.
  • The Barbary monkeys have also been introduced from Morocco to Gibraltar, where these animals currently occur in a small population.
• Characteristics:
  • These are highly adaptable creatures, they are capable of surviving in various environments and temperatures from fir and mixed oak forests to sheer cliffs.
  • They are generally active during the daytime
  • Barbary macaques lack a tail. This means they’re sometimes called Barbary apes
  • Diet: These are omnivorous animals.
  • It is an alloparental species. This means that the adult males and females look after all the offspring in the group, not just their own.
• Conservation Status:
  • IUCN Red List: Endangered

Hence only statements 1 and 3 are correct.

News: https://www.downtoearth.org.in/wildlife-biodiversity/europes-only-wild-primates-gibraltars-barbary-macaques-eat-soil-to-counter-ill-effects-of-tourist-derived-junk-food-study

Answer: a

Explanation:

 Recently, the central government has invited nominations for the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar (PMRBP).

• It is a prestigious national honour conferred annually by the Government of India.
• It is awarded to children for exceptional excellence in Bravery, Art & Culture, Environment, Social Service, Science & Technology, and Sports.
• The Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar organized by the Ministry of Women and Child Development Government of India.
• Eligibility for Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar:
  • A child should be an Indian Citizen.
  • Age: A child above the age of 5 years and not exceeding 18 years (as of 31st July of respective year).
  • The act/incident/achievement should have been within 2 years of the last date of receipt of application/nomination for the year of consideration.
  • The number of awards will be 25, however, any relaxation to this maximum number may be permitted at the discretion of the National Selection Committee.
  • Each awardee will receive a medal, certificate and citation booklet.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

News: https://ddnews.gov.in/en/centre-invites-nominations-for-pradhan-mantri-rashtriya-bal-puraskar-deadline-july-31/