#521

Which major milestone did SpaceX's Starship achieve for the first time during its fifth flight test in late 2024/early 2025?

(a) Reaching the Moon

(b) Successful catch of the Super Heavy booster by the launch tower arms

(c) Deploying 100 Starlink satellites

(d) Docking with the ISS

Explanation: During the fifth flight test, SpaceX successfully caught the Super Heavy booster using the 'Mechazilla' launch tower arms, a historic feat for reusable rocket technology.

#522

ISRO's 'Proba-3' mission, launched in late 2024, is a collaboration with ESA to demonstrate what technology?

(a) Soft lunar landing

(b) Precise formation flying to create a solar coronagraph

(c) Reusable launch vehicle return

(d) Mars atmospheric entry

Explanation: Proba-3 is an ESA mission launched by ISRO to demonstrate precise formation flying, where two satellites fly in tandem to form an artificial solar eclipse (coronagraph).

#523

The JAXA 'Martian Moons eXploration' (MMX) mission, originally targeted for 2024, was officially delayed in the 2025 timeframe to launch in which year?

(a) 2025

(b) 2026

(d) 2030

Explanation: Due to issues with the H3 launch vehicle, JAXA postponed the MMX mission launch from 2024 to the next available Mars window in 2026.

#524

Which ISRO mission launched in late 2024/early 2025 is designed to demonstrate autonomous docking capabilities in orbit?

(a) Gaganyaan-1

(b) SPADEX

(c) Chandrayaan-4

(d) Mangalyaan-2

Explanation: SPADEX (Space Docking Experiment) is the ISRO mission designed to demonstrate autonomous rendezvous and docking between two spacecraft.

#525

Which ISRO satellite, launched in November 2024/late 2024, is a high-throughput communication satellite launched by SpaceX?

(a) GSAT-24

(b) GSAT-N2

(c) INSAT-4B

(d) CMS-01

Explanation: GSAT-N2 was launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 in late 2024 to provide high-throughput communication services for India.

#526

In late 2024, China's 'Shenzhou 19' (or subsequent crew) was rotated. What is the name of China's space station?

(a) Mir

(b) Tiangong

(c) Salute

(d) Harmony

Explanation: China's permanently crewed space station is named Tiangong ('Heavenly Palace').

#527

Which Indian mission launched in late 2024 is dedicated to X-ray polarimetry?

(a) Aditya-L1

(b) XPoSat

(c) Astrosat-2

(d) Gaganyaan

Explanation: XPoSat (X-ray Polarimeter Satellite) is India's first dedicated polarimetry mission to study various dynamics of bright astronomical X-ray sources.

#528

Which city hosted the COP29 UN Climate Change Conference in November 2024, where a new climate finance goal was a central topic?

(a) Dubai, UAE

(b) Baku, Azerbaijan

(c) Belém, Brazil

(d) Glasgow, UK

Explanation: COP29 was held in Baku, Azerbaijan, in November 2024. The conference focused heavily on establishing a New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) for climate finance to support developing nations.

#529

In late 2024, the final round of negotiations for a Global Plastics Treaty took place in which city?

(a) Paris, France

(b) Busan, South Korea

(c) Nairobi, Kenya

(d) Ottawa, Canada

Explanation: The fifth and final session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5) to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution was held in Busan, South Korea, in late 2024.

#530

Which politician was nominated by Donald Trump in late 2024 to lead the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)?

(a) Lee Zeldin

(b) Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

(c) Vivek Ramaswamy

(d) Doug Burgum

Explanation: In November 2024, President-elect Donald Trump announced the nomination of former Congressman Lee Zeldin to serve as the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

#531

The 'Emissions Gap Report 2024' by UNEP warned that current policies are leading the world toward a temperature rise of approximately how much by 2100?

(a) 1.5°C

(b) 2.0°C

(c) 2.6°C to 3.1°C

(d) 4.5°C

Explanation: The UNEP Emissions Gap Report 2024 warned that without immediate and massive emission cuts, current policies place the world on a trajectory for a temperature rise of 2.6°C to 3.1°C by the end of the century.

#532

Which country launched the 'International Big Cat Alliance' (IBCA) which gained further traction in 2024/2025?

(a) South Africa

(b) India

(c) Brazil

(d) Kenya

Explanation: India launched the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA) to conserve seven big cat species. The initiative continued to gather international support and members throughout 2024 and 2025.

#533

What major air quality issue did Lahore and New Delhi face in November 2024 and 2025, reaching hazardous levels?

(a) Sandstorms

(b) Smog

(c) Acid Rain

(d) Ozone depletion

Explanation: Both Lahore and New Delhi experienced record-breaking smog levels in November 2024 and again in 2025, driven by crop burning, vehicular emissions, and stagnant weather conditions.

#534

In 2024, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) began hearings on which landmark case?

(a) Legality of Whaling

(b) States' obligations regarding Climate Change

(c) Plastic export bans

(d) Deep sea mining rights

Explanation: The ICJ began historic hearings to define the legal obligations of states to combat climate change and protect the environment for present and future generations.

#535

Which country announced its withdrawal from the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT) in 2024, joining other European nations?

(a) United Kingdom

(b) Russia

(c) China

(d) India

Explanation: The UK announced its withdrawal from the Energy Charter Treaty in 2024, citing that the treaty's protection of fossil fuel investments interfered with its net-zero transition plans.

#536

Which major river basin in South America experienced a historic drought in 2024/2025?

(a) Orinoco

(b) Amazon

(c) Paraná

(d) Magdalena

Explanation: The Amazon River basin faced an unprecedented drought in 2024 and 2025, with water levels dropping to record lows, isolating communities and killing freshwater dolphins.

#537

What is the 'Living Planet Report 2024' by WWF known for revealing?

(a) Increase in polar bear populations

(b) Catastrophic decline in global wildlife populations (73% decline since 1970)

(c) Discovery of 500 new species

(d) Stability of ocean ecosystems

Explanation: The WWF Living Planet Report 2024 revealed a catastrophic 73% average decline in monitored wildlife populations between 1970 and 2020.

#538

What is the 'High Seas Treaty' adopted in 2023/2024?

(a) A ban on all fishing

(b) An agreement to protect biodiversity in international waters beyond national jurisdiction

(c) A treaty to divide the ocean among nations

(d) A plan to mine the ocean floor

Explanation: The High Seas Treaty (BBNJ Agreement) creates a legal framework for the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction.

#539

Who were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2024 for their foundational discoveries in machine learning with artificial neural networks?

(a) Pierre Agostini and Ferenc Krausz

(b) John J. Hopfield and Geoffrey E. Hinton

(c) Alain Aspect and John Clauser

(d) Roger Penrose and Andrea Ghez

Explanation: The 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to John J. Hopfield and Geoffrey E. Hinton for their foundational discoveries and inventions that enable machine learning with artificial neural networks.

#540

The 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to David Baker, Demis Hassabis, and John Jumper for breakthroughs in which field?

(a) Lithium-ion batteries

(b) Quantum dots synthesis

(c) Protein structure design and prediction

(d) CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing

Explanation: The 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to David Baker for computational protein design, and to Demis Hassabis and John Jumper for protein structure prediction (specifically the AlphaFold model).

October 2024 Current Affairs MCQs & Solutions