Current Affairs August 2026 - Part 4 - Topic Guide and MCQs

1. Indian astrophysicist Dr Annapurni Subramaniam received the COSPAR Vikram Sarabhai Medal 2026. She is the Director of which institute?

   1. Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad
   2. Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bengaluru
   3. Raman Research Institute, Bengaluru
   4. ARIES, Nainital
   Show answer

   Answer: (B) Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bengaluru

   Explanation: She heads the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), Bengaluru, and is the first Indian woman to win the medal, presented at the 46th COSPAR Scientific Assembly in Florence, Italy. It is jointly given by COSPAR and ISRO.

2. Indian theoretical physicist Deepak Dhar was named a recipient of the 2026 Dirac Medal. Which institution awards this medal?

   1. Royal Society, London
   2. American Physical Society
   3. Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP)
   4. CERN
   Show answer

   Answer: (C) Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP)

   Explanation: The Dirac Medal is awarded by ICTP, Trieste (Italy), and was established in 1985; it carries US$5,000. The 2026 winners were announced on 8 August.

3. The Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards 2024–25 will be conferred on 115 artists. In which year was the Sangeet Natak Akademi established?

   1. 1954
   2. 1961
   3. 1947
   4. 1953
   Show answer

   Answer: (D) 1953

   Explanation: Sangeet Natak Akademi, India's national academy for music, dance and drama, was established in 1953 under the Ministry of Culture and is headquartered in New Delhi. Its highest honour is the Akademi Ratna (Fellowship).

4. Kaziah Liz Mejo, crowned Miss Universe India 2026 in Jaipur, is from which state?

   1. Karnataka
   2. Goa
   3. Tamil Nadu
   4. Kerala
   Show answer

   Answer: (D) Kerala

   Explanation: Kaziah Liz Mejo of Kerala was crowned on 23 August 2026 and will represent India at the 75th Miss Universe pageant in Puerto Rico.

5. Pakistan proposed conferring its highest civilian award on two Mumbai-based Parsi doctors linked to Muhammad Ali Jinnah's 1946 medical examination. What is this award?

   1. Hilal-e-Imtiaz
   2. Sitara-e-Imtiaz
   3. Nishan-e-Imtiaz
   4. Nishan-e-Haider
   Show answer

   Answer: (C) Nishan-e-Imtiaz

   Explanation: Nishan-e-Imtiaz is Pakistan's highest civilian honour; the doctors reportedly diagnosed Jinnah's terminal tuberculosis and kept it confidential. (Nishan-e-Haider is a military gallantry award.)

6. How many Gallantry Medals were awarded to police and fire service personnel on Independence Day 2026?

   1. 301
   2. 272
   3. 1,057
   4. 664
   Show answer

   Answer: (A) 301

   Explanation: 301 Gallantry Medals were given (272 police, 29 fire service); 1,057 personnel were honoured in all, including 92 PSMs and 664 Meritorious Service Medals.

7. Senior IAS officer Anurag Jain has assumed charge as the CEO of which body?

   1. NITI Aayog
   2. UIDAI
   3. SEBI
   4. Election Commission of India
   Show answer

   Answer: (A) NITI Aayog

   Explanation: Anurag Jain became CEO of NITI Aayog, the government's policy think tank that replaced the Planning Commission in 2015. The Prime Minister is its ex-officio Chairperson.

8. 'Triumph of the Indian Republic: My Life, My Struggles', released by PM Modi on 12 August 2026, is the autobiography of whom?

   1. Pranab Mukherjee
   2. M. Venkaiah Naidu
   3. Ram Nath Kovind
   4. Pratibha Patil
   Show answer

   Answer: (C) Ram Nath Kovind

   Explanation: It is the autobiography of former President Ram Nath Kovind (India's 14th President), released at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi.

9. Renowned mountaineer Nirmal 'Nims' Purja died in an avalanche on 1 August 2026 on which peak?

   1. K2, Pakistan
   2. Broad Peak, Pakistan
   3. Annapurna, Nepal
   4. Nanga Parbat, Pakistan
   Show answer

   Answer: (B) Broad Peak, Pakistan

   Explanation: Nims Purja died on Broad Peak; he was famous for Project Possible (2019), climbing all 14 peaks above 8,000 m in 6 months and 6 days, shown in the Netflix film '14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible'.

10. What was India's position in the overall medal table at the Commonwealth Games 2026 in Glasgow?

    1. 4th
    2. 3rd
    3. 5th
    4. 6th
    Show answer

    Answer: (A) 4th

    Explanation: India finished 4th with 39 medals (13 gold, 17 silver, 9 bronze), ahead of Scotland on silver medals despite equal totals; Australia, England and Canada took the top three spots.

11. Which sport was India's most successful at the Commonwealth Games 2026, with 10 medals including 7 golds?

    1. Weightlifting
    2. Athletics
    3. Judo
    4. Boxing
    Show answer

    Answer: (D) Boxing

    Explanation: Boxing gave India 10 medals (7 gold, 3 silver). India also won its first-ever CWG judo golds, through Asmita Dey (women's 48 kg) and Harsh Singh (men's 60 kg).

12. Ahmedabad officially became host of the 2030 Commonwealth Games. In which year and city did India host the Commonwealth Games earlier?

    1. 2006, Mumbai
    2. 2014, Hyderabad
    3. 1982, New Delhi
    4. 2010, New Delhi
    Show answer

    Answer: (D) 2010, New Delhi

    Explanation: India hosted the Commonwealth Games once before, in New Delhi in 2010. The CWG flag and host baton were handed over to Ahmedabad at the Glasgow 2026 closing ceremony. (New Delhi hosted the Asian Games in 1982.)

13. Which Indian Grandmaster became the first Indian to win the Grand Chess Tour, beating Fabiano Caruana 15–13 in the final?

    1. D. Gukesh
    2. R. Praggnanandhaa
    3. Arjun Erigaisi
    4. Viswanathan Anand
    Show answer

    Answer: (B) R. Praggnanandhaa

    Explanation: R. Praggnanandhaa won the Grand Chess Tour 2026 at the Saint Louis Chess Club, earning US$200,000; he also won his first Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz title.

14. East Bengal beat Mohun Bagan 4–1 in the Durand Cup 2026 final. This was East Bengal's which Durand Cup title, equalling Mohun Bagan's record?

    1. 17th
    2. 16th
    3. 18th
    4. 15th
    Show answer

    Answer: (A) 17th

    Explanation: East Bengal won its 17th Durand Cup, equalling Mohun Bagan's 17; Edmund Lalrindika scored a hat-trick. The Durand Cup (1888) is Asia's oldest football tournament.

15. Rishabh Pant became the fastest batter to hit 100 sixes in Test cricket. In how many innings did he reach this milestone?

    1. 101
    2. 112
    3. 130
    4. 89
    Show answer

    Answer: (D) 89

    Explanation: Pant reached 100 Test sixes in 89 innings, beating Adam Gilchrist's mark of 130 innings; he is the first Indian and fourth player overall to do so.

16. England's Jos Buttler became the highest run-scorer in T20 cricket history. Whose record did he surpass?

    1. Chris Gayle
    2. Virat Kohli
    3. Kieron Pollard
    4. Shoaib Malik
    Show answer

    Answer: (C) Kieron Pollard

    Explanation: Buttler (14,833 runs in 522 matches) passed Kieron Pollard while playing for Manchester Super Giants in The Hundred 2026. Chris Gayle still has the most T20 hundreds (22).

17. Ravindra Jadeja became the first Indian and Asian cricketer to play how many World Test Championship (WTC) matches?

    1. 40
    2. 50
    3. 60
    4. 75
    Show answer

    Answer: (B) 50

    Explanation: Jadeja completed 50 WTC matches (2,632 runs, 160 wickets); England's Joe Root holds the overall record with 78 WTC matches.

18. Ariha Pangambam became the first Indian to win a senior individual women's gold at the Asian Championships in which sport?

    1. Artistic gymnastics
    2. Weightlifting
    3. Aerobic gymnastics
    4. Wushu
    Show answer

    Answer: (C) Aerobic gymnastics

    Explanation: Ariha Pangambam of Manipur won gold in senior individual women's aerobic gymnastics with a score of 19.100 at Tagaytay City, Philippines.

19. Which country will host the FIFA Women's World Cup 2027?

    1. Brazil
    2. USA
    3. Spain
    4. Australia
    Show answer

    Answer: (A) Brazil

    Explanation: Brazil will host it from 24 June to 25 July 2027, with the opening match and final at the Maracanã Stadium, Rio de Janeiro; it will be the last edition with 32 teams before 48 teams in 2031.

20. The Asian Rafting Championships 2026 at Boleng (Siang district), Arunachal Pradesh, will be held on which river?

    1. Kameng
    2. Simang
    3. Lohit
    4. Dibang
    Show answer

    Answer: (B) Simang

    Explanation: The championship (5–9 October 2026) will be held on the Simang River, a Class III+ tributary of the Siang. The International Rafting Federation (IRF) governs competitive white-water rafting.

21. Which company ranked first as India's Most Attractive Employer in the Randstad Employer Brand Research 2026?

    1. Tata Group
    2. Google
    3. Amazon
    4. Infosys
    Show answer

    Answer: (B) Google

    Explanation: Google ranked 1st, followed by Tata Group (2nd) and Amazon (3rd).

22. National Space Day, celebrated in India on 23 August, marks which event?

    1. Launch of India's first satellite, Aryabhata
    2. Mangalyaan entering Mars orbit
    3. Chandrayaan-3's Vikram lander landing near the Moon's south pole
    4. ISRO's founding
    Show answer

    Answer: (C) Chandrayaan-3's Vikram lander landing near the Moon's south pole

    Explanation: It marks the soft landing of Chandrayaan-3's Vikram lander near the lunar south pole on 23 August 2023.

23. National Sports Day (29 August) is observed on the birth anniversary of which sportsperson?

    1. Milkha Singh
    2. P. T. Usha
    3. Balbir Singh Sr.
    4. Major Dhyan Chand
    Show answer

    Answer: (D) Major Dhyan Chand

    Explanation: National Sports Day marks the birth anniversary of hockey legend Major Dhyan Chand; National Sports Awards are presented around this day.

24. World Humanitarian Day, which honours aid workers who risk their lives helping people affected by conflicts and disasters, is observed on which date?

    1. 19 August
    2. 12 August
    3. 14 August
    4. 23 August
    Show answer

    Answer: (A) 19 August

    Explanation: World Humanitarian Day is on 19 August. (12 August is International Youth Day and World Elephant Day; 14 August is Partition Horrors Remembrance Day in India.)

25. On World Elephant Day 2026 it was highlighted that India has nearly 60% of the world's wild Asian elephants. According to SAIEE (2021–25), what is India's elephant population?

    1. 27,312
    2. 22,446
    3. 29,964
    4. 18,120
    Show answer

    Answer: (B) 22,446

    Explanation: The Synchronous All-India Elephant Estimation (2021–25) puts India's elephant population at 22,446. World Elephant Day is observed on 12 August.

Current Affairs August 2026 - Part 4 is factual rather than analytical: you either recall it in seconds or you lose the mark to somebody who did. That makes it one of the cheapest sections to convert - a handful of short sittings usually settles the whole cluster.

Expect one-line recall questions - definitions, stand-for expansions, identifiers and the ordering of things. Practise the wording as well as the concept: these papers test terminology, and the set above uses the same four-option shape they do.

Past papers reuse clusters like this almost verbatim across years and posts. Run the same set until every distractor is familiar - previous-year style questions stop being recall and start being free marks.