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

1. Who received the Ramanujan Prize 2026 for contributions to algebraic number theory?

   1. Manjul Bhargava
   2. Akshay Venkatesh
   3. Neena Gupta
   4. Mahesh Kakde
   Show answer

   Answer: (D) Mahesh Kakde

   Explanation: Prof. Mahesh Kakde of IISc received the Ramanujan Prize 2026, which carries US$10,000.

2. Ashoke Sen became the first Indian physicist to receive which medal in 2026?

   1. Max Planck Medal
   2. Copley Medal
   3. Oskar Klein Medal
   4. Dirac Medal
   Show answer

   Answer: (C) Oskar Klein Medal

   Explanation: Ashoke Sen received the Oskar Klein Medal from Stockholm University and lectured on 'Gravity from Strings and Strings from Gravity'.

3. Sunil Bharti Mittal was conferred the Legion of Honour, the highest civilian honour of:

   1. UK
   2. Germany
   3. France
   4. Japan
   Show answer

   Answer: (C) France

   Explanation: French President Emmanuel Macron conferred the Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur, instituted by Napoleon in 1802.

4. Who was selected as the first recipient of the Bharat Ratna Dr Bhupen Hazarika National Award?

   1. A.R. Rahman
   2. Asha Bhosle
   3. Zubeen Garg
   4. Usha Mangeshkar
   Show answer

   Answer: (D) Usha Mangeshkar

   Explanation: The Assam Government selected Usha Mangeshkar; the award carries Rs 10 lakh and will be given once every three years.

5. Which footballer received the Princess of Asturias Award for Sports 2026?

   1. Luka Modrić
   2. Cristiano Ronaldo
   3. Kylian Mbappé
   4. Lionel Messi
   Show answer

   Answer: (D) Lionel Messi

   Explanation: Lionel Messi received the award from Princess Leonor in Oviedo, Spain on 23 October 2026.

6. The Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar, conferred on 106 artists, is given by:

   1. Sahitya Akademi
   2. Sangeet Natak Akademi
   3. ICCR
   4. Lalit Kala Akademi
   Show answer

   Answer: (B) Sangeet Natak Akademi

   Explanation: Instituted by Sangeet Natak Akademi in 2006, it is for performing artists up to 40 years and carries Rs 25,000.

7. Bimal N. Patel was sworn in as a judge of which international tribunal?

   1. International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea
   2. International Court of Justice
   3. International Criminal Court
   4. Permanent Court of Arbitration
   Show answer

   Answer: (A) International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea

   Explanation: Bimal N. Patel will serve a nine-year term (2026–2035) at ITLOS, headquartered in Hamburg, Germany.

8. Who was appointed Deputy Election Commissioner with tenure until 8 April 2030?

   1. Sanjay Kumar
   2. Narendra Bhooshan
   3. Prakash Rajpurohit
   4. Gyanesh Kumar
   Show answer

   Answer: (C) Prakash Rajpurohit

   Explanation: Prakash Rajpurohit replaced Sanjay Kumar as Deputy Election Commissioner.

9. NPCI chief Dilip Asbe was appointed as an independent director on the supervisory board of:

   1. SWIFT
   2. Mastercard
   3. Bank for International Settlements
   4. Visa
   Show answer

   Answer: (A) SWIFT

   Explanation: Dilip Asbe joined SWIFT's 15-member Supervisory Board as an independent director.

10. Who is the Chairperson of the Press Council of India, reconstituted in 2026 with 13 journalist members?

    1. Justice C.K. Prasad
    2. Justice Arun Mishra
    3. Justice Hima Kohli
    4. Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai
    Show answer

    Answer: (D) Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai

    Explanation: Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai (Retd.) was appointed PCI Chairperson on 24 April 2026 for three years.

11. England's Harry Brook scored the fastest ODI double century in how many balls?

    1. 114
    2. 112
    3. 126
    4. 117
    Show answer

    Answer: (A) 114

    Explanation: Harry Brook reached 200 in 114 balls vs Sri Lanka at Rawalpindi (22 Oct 2026), breaking Shubman Gill's 117-ball record.

12. Who was appointed captain of the Indian women's cricket team in October 2026, succeeding Harmanpreet Kaur?

    1. Smriti Mandhana
    2. Jemimah Rodrigues
    3. Deepti Sharma
    4. Shafali Verma
    Show answer

    Answer: (A) Smriti Mandhana

    Explanation: Smriti Mandhana succeeded Harmanpreet Kaur (Moga, Punjab), who stepped down as captain across all formats.

13. Who were named ICC Players of the Month for September 2026?

    1. Richa Ghosh & Abhishek Sharma
    2. Shafali Verma & Shubman Gill
    3. Smriti Mandhana & Virat Kohli
    4. Deepti Sharma & Rohit Sharma
    Show answer

    Answer: (B) Shafali Verma & Shubman Gill

    Explanation: Shafali Verma (women) and Shubman Gill (men; from Fazilka, Punjab) won the ICC Player of the Month awards.

14. At the Asian Para Games 2026, Mona Agarwal won gold with a Games record in which event?

    1. Women's 10 m air pistol SH1
    2. Women's 10 m air rifle SH1
    3. Women's 25 m pistol
    4. Women's 50 m rifle 3P SH1
    Show answer

    Answer: (B) Women's 10 m air rifle SH1

    Explanation: Mona Agarwal won gold with 250.0 in women's 10 m air rifle SH1; Avani Lekhara took silver with 249.6.

15. Bodhana Sivanandan became the youngest female International Master, breaking a 38-year-old record held by:

    1. Judit Polgar
    2. Koneru Humpy
    3. Susan Polgar
    4. Hou Yifan
    Show answer

    Answer: (A) Judit Polgar

    Explanation: 11-year-old Bodhana Sivanandan (British, Indian origin) broke Judit Polgar's record at the European Women's Chess Club Cup 2026.

16. Novak Djokovic won his first ATP title of 2026 at:

    1. China Open
    2. Paris Masters
    3. Japan Open
    4. Shanghai Masters
    Show answer

    Answer: (A) China Open

    Explanation: Djokovic won the China Open 2026 in Beijing; Carlos Alcaraz won the Japan Open for a second straight year.

17. Which Indian city was included in National Geographic's 'Best of the World 2027' list?

    1. Amritsar
    2. Jaipur
    3. Udaipur
    4. Varanasi
    Show answer

    Answer: (B) Jaipur

    Explanation: Jaipur, founded in 1727 by Sawai Jai Singh II, made the list; its walled city has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2019.

18. World Food Day is observed every year on:

    1. 24 October
    2. 11 October
    3. 16 October
    4. 5 October
    Show answer

    Answer: (C) 16 October

    Explanation: World Food Day (16 October) was proposed at the 20th FAO Conference in November 1979 and first observed in 1981.

19. What was the theme of World Polio Day 2026 (24 October)?

    1. Every Child Counts
    2. A Polio-free Future
    3. One day, one focus: ending polio for good
    4. End Polio Now
    Show answer

    Answer: (C) One day, one focus: ending polio for good

    Explanation: The theme was 'One day, one focus: ending polio for good'. The day honours Jonas Salk; India was certified polio-free in 2014.

20. Indian Air Force Day 2026 (8 October) marked which anniversary of the IAF?

    1. 92nd
    2. 90th
    3. 94th
    4. 96th
    Show answer

    Answer: (C) 94th

    Explanation: The IAF was formed on 8 October 1932; 2026 was the 94th IAF Day with the theme 'Infallible, Impervious and Precise'.

21. Vummidi Ethiraj, who passed away at 99, was associated with crafting which historic object?

    1. Sengol
    2. Ashoka Chakra
    3. Peacock Throne
    4. Kohinoor setting
    Show answer

    Answer: (A) Sengol

    Explanation: The Sengol (1947), a gold-plated silver sceptre symbolising transfer of power, was installed in the new Parliament on 28 May 2023.

22. Which of these Ramsar Sites is NOT located in Punjab?

    1. Keshopur-Miani
    2. Sultanpur
    3. Kanjli
    4. Harike
    Show answer

    Answer: (B) Sultanpur

    Explanation: Harike, Kanjli, Ropar, Keshopur-Miani, Beas Conservation Reserve and Nangal are in Punjab; Sultanpur is in Haryana.

23. Nobel laureate Har Gobind Khorana (Medicine, 1968) was born in:

    1. Amritsar
    2. Jalandhar
    3. Lahore
    4. Raipur, Punjab (now in Pakistan)
    Show answer

    Answer: (D) Raipur, Punjab (now in Pakistan)

    Explanation: Har Gobind Khorana was born in Raipur village in undivided Punjab (now in Pakistan).

24. The headquarters of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is in:

    1. Geneva
    2. Paris
    3. New York
    4. Nairobi
    Show answer

    Answer: (D) Nairobi

    Explanation: UNEP, founded in 1972, is headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya. It released the Emissions Gap Report 2026.

25. How many Indian sites are on the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List after the October 2026 additions?

    1. 85
    2. 81
    3. 72
    4. 78
    Show answer

    Answer: (B) 81

    Explanation: After the additions (including Baratang mud volcanoes and Sirpur), India has 81 sites: 59 cultural, 19 natural and 3 mixed.

Current Affairs October 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.