With reference to Sikkim, consider the following statements:
1. The 36th Constitutional Amendment Act incorporated Sikkim into the Union of India.
2. Sikkim has a unique “Sangha” seat in its State Legislative Assembly, reserved for the monk community.
3. It is the only Indian state to share borders with three foreign countries.

Answer: (C)
Sikkim officially became the 22nd state of the Indian Union through the 36th Constitutional Amendment Act, 1975. While the 35th Amendment (1974) had introduced the status of an "Associate State," the 36th Amendment provided full statehood and removed the associate status. Hence, statement 1 is correct.
Sikkim is the only state in India with a unique legislative provision for the Buddhist monk community. Out of the 32 seats in the Sikkim Legislative Assembly, one seat (the Sangha seat) is reserved specifically for monks and nuns from registered monasteries. Notably, the voting for this seat is restricted to the Sangha community alone, creating a "constituency without boundaries."Hence, statement 2 is correct.
While Sikkim does share international borders with three countries (Nepal to the west, Bhutan to the east, and China/Tibet to the north), it is not the only Indian state to do so.
West Bengal also shares borders with three foreign countries: Nepal, Bhutan, and Bangladesh.
Arunachal Pradesh shares borders with Bhutan, China, and Myanmar. Hence, statement 3 is incorrect.
Therefore, option C is the correct answer.

With reference to the Index of Industrial Production, consider the following statements:
1. It is published monthly by the National Statistical Office.
2. The manufacturing sector has the highest weightage in the index.
3. Among the Eight Core Industries, refinery products carry the highest weight.

Answer: (D)
The IIP is a composite indicator that measures the growth rate of industry groups. It is compiled and published monthly by the National Statistical Office (NSO), which falls under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI). The index is
typically released with a six-week lag. Hence, statement 1 is correct.
The IIP classifies industrial production into three broad sectors. The Manufacturing sector is by far the most dominant, accounting for the vast majority of the index's total weight. Hence, statement 2 is correct.
The Eight Core Industries comprise nearly 40.27% of the weight of items included in the IIP. Within these eight specific industries, Refinery Products hold the highest weightage.
Ranking of Core Industries by Weight:
● Refinery Products (28.04%)
● Electricity (19.85%)
● Steel (17.92%)
● Coal (10.33%)
● Crude Oil (8.98%)
● Natural Gas (6.88%)
● Cement (5.37%)
● Fertilizers (2.63%)
Hence, statement 3 is correct.

Therefore, option D is the correct answer.

Answer: (B)
The region is defined by the high-altitude salt flats (salars) located at the intersections of three South American nations:
● Bolivia: Home to the Salar de Uyuni, which is the world's largest salt flat.
● Argentina: Home to the Salar del Hombre Muerto.
● Chile: Home to the Salar de Atacama, which currently has the most efficient extraction operations.

Therefore, option B is the correct answer.

Consider the following statements about CAR-T Cell Therapy:
Assertion (A): CAR-T cell therapy involves modifying a patient’s T-cells to recognize and attack cancer cells.
Reason (R): The modified T-cells are engineered to express chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) that specifically bind to antigens on tumor cells.

Answer: (A)
Assertion (A) is true: CAR-T (Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell) therapy is a form of immunotherapy that uses a patient's own immune system to fight cancer. The process involve extracting T-cells from the patient's blood, "reprogramming" them in a lab, and then infusing them back into the patient.
Reason (R) is true: The modification mentioned in the assertion is achieved through genetic engineering. Scientists insert a gene into the T-cells that codes for a specific synthetic receptor called a Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR).
Relationship: Reason (R) explains how the modification allows the cells to attack cancer. These CARs act like "navigational sensors" or "keys" that allow the T-cells to identify and latch onto specific "locks" (antigens) on the surface of tumor cells, which the immune system might have otherwise ignored.

Therefore , option A is the correct answer.

Consider the following:
1. Chile
2. Peru
3. Bolivia
4. Argentina
5. Brazil
6. Ecuador

Answer: (B)
The Atacama Desert is primarily located in northern Chile, but its arid landscape and high-altitude plateaus (the Puna de Atacama) extend into three neighboring countries.
Chile: The core of the desert, covering its northern provinces.
Peru: Extends along the southern coast (contiguous with the Chilean section).
Bolivia: Encompasses the high-altitude arid fringes and salt flats in the southwest.
Argentina: Includes the high plateau known as the Puna de Atacama in the northwest.
Brazil (dominated by rainforests/savannas) and Ecuador (tropical/equatorial climate) do not have any part of the Atacama.

Therefore , option B is the correct answer.

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Consider the following statements:
1. Saudi Arabia is one of the five founding members of OPEC
2. The primary goal of OPEC is to stabilize oil prices in the global market.
3. The OPEC Reference Basket (ORB) is a pricing benchmark that calculates the
weighted average of various petroleum blends exclusively from OPEC member
countries.

Answer: (C)
OPEC was established during the Baghdad Conference in September 1960. The five "Founding Members" who signed the original agreement are Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela. Hence, statement 1 is correct.
According to the OPEC Statute, the organization's principal aim is the coordination and unification of the petroleum policies of its Member Countries. The goal is to determine the best means for safeguarding their interests, individually and collectively, while ensuring the stabilization of prices in international oil markets to eliminate harmful and unnecessary fluctuations. Hence, statement 2 is correct.
The OPEC Reference Basket (ORB) is a crucial tool used by the organization to monitor global oil market conditions. It is a weighted average of the prices of petroleum blends produced by the Member Countries. It acts as a benchmark to help OPEC evaluate whether they need to adjust production levels to maintain market stability. Hence, statement 3 is correct.

Therefore, option C is the correct answer.

Consider the following statements:
1. The SCO is a military alliance with a mutual defence obligation among member
countries.
2. India was officially admitted as a full member of the SCO at the Astana Summit.