Answer: A

Explanation:

Statements 1 and 2 are correct: The 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded jointly to American scientist Karl Deisseroth and German scientists Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel by the Nobel Assembly at Sweden's Karolinska Institutet. They were recognized for their discoveries concerning light-gated ion channels and optogenetics.

Statement 3 is incorrect: Optogenetics does not use sound waves. Instead, it is a technique that uses light to switch individual nerve cells (neurons) on or off in a living brain. German researchers Hegemann and Nagel discovered a light-sensitive algal protein called channelrhodopsin, and Karl Deisseroth transformed it into a light-controlled switch for nerve cells.

Answer: A

Explanation:

Statement 1 is correct: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has administrative control over both the Indian Police Service (IPS) and all Central Armed Police Forces (CRPF, BSF, CISF, ITBP, and SSB).

Statement 2 is correct: Group A executive officers in the CAPFs are directly appointed via the UPSC Central Armed Police Forces (Assistant Commandants) Examination as Assistant Commandants.

Statement 3 is incorrect: In Sanjay Prakash v. Union of India (2025), the Supreme Court directed that posts earmarked for deputation up to the Senior Administrative Grade (SAG) should be progressively reduced (not increased) within an outer limit of two years to curb career stagnation among CAPF officers.

Answer: A

Explanation:

Statement 1 is correct: The Central Armed Police Forces (General Administration) Act, 2026, explicitly provides that all DG and Special DG posts are to be filled via deputation.

Statement 2 is correct: The 2026 Act prescribes that 50% of IG posts and at least 67% of ADG posts are to be filled through deputation.

Statement 3 is incorrect: CAPFs are not reclassified as All-India Services (which consist only of the IAS, IPS, and IFoS under Article 312 of the Constitution). Although the Supreme Court in 2025 recognized CAPFs as Organised Group A Services (OGAS) for cadre-related purposes, the 2026 Act maintained and structured senior IPS deputation quotas rather than making them an All-India Service.

Answer: A

Explanation:

Statement 1 is correct: Next-Gen GST (GST 2.0) simplified the previous multi-tiered structure by removing intermediate slabs like 12% and 28% (with items shifted appropriately) and pivoting the core architecture around 5% and 18% slabs, supplemented by a 40% demerit rate for luxury and sin goods.

Statement 2 is correct: A major structural challenge that persists under the Next-Gen GST framework is that petroleum products, natural gas, ATF, and real estate are still kept outside or partially outside the GST ambit, leading to tax cascading.

Statement 3 is incorrect: Individual life and health insurance premiums were exempted under the Next-Gen GST rate rationalisation measures rather than being taxed at 18%.

Answer: B

Explanation:

Statement 1 is correct: The Great Indian Bustard (Ardeotis nigriceps) is officially categorized as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List and enjoys the highest level of legal protection in India under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. It is also listed in Appendix I of CITES and CMS.

Statement 2 is incorrect: While Rajasthan’s Thar Desert (around Jaisalmer and Barmer) supports the largest remaining wild population, the species is not exclusive or endemic only to Rajasthan. Smaller, fragmented populations are also found in parts of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh.

Statement 3 is correct: In October 2026, the first pilot release of captive-bred male Great Indian Bustards into the wild occurred at Sam in the Desert National Park, Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, marking a major transition from captive breeding to active rewilding under Project GIB.