Indian Economy MCQs

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The International Monetary Fund was created in 1944 at the Bretton Woods Conference. Its main function is to provide temporary financial assistance to member countries facing balance of payments deficits. The IMF uses facilities like Stand-By Arrangements and Extended Fund Facility. Membership includes 190 countries as of 2023. The IMF also conducts economic surveillance and policy advice, but direct financial support for balance of payments stability is its core function.

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The International Development Association (IDA) was established in 1960 as part of the World Bank Group. IDA offers highly concessional loans and grants to the world’s poorest countries. As of fiscal year 2025, IDA has provided $600 billion to 116 countries. Its concessional loans typically have repayment periods of up to 40 years with long grace periods and low or zero interest.

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Milton Friedman published “The Case for Flexible Exchange Rates” in 1953. Friedman’s essay advocated flexible exchange rates to provide monetary policy independence. The paper provided the foundational arguments and theory supporting flexible exchange rate systems over fixed ones. Friedman’s analysis influenced international monetary economics from the 1950s onward.

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Savings bank deposit rates in India are determined by individual banks. The Reserve Bank of India deregulated these rates with effect from October 25, 2011, so banks gained the freedom to set their own savings account interest rates. However, they must follow RBI directions on the method of calculation and disclosure. In practice, each bank notifies its savings deposit rate publicly and may revise it from time to time according to its own policy.

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Open Market Operations are market transactions in government securities undertaken by the RBI to manage liquidity on a durable basis. When the RBI purchases securities, it injects liquidity into the banking system; when it sells, it absorbs liquidity. OMOs are therefore a monetary policy tool for liquidity management, not direct financing of government spending. The core purpose is to keep system liquidity aligned with monetary conditions and financial stability needs.

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In case of High-income elasticity of demand, an increase in income is accompanied by a relatively larger increase in quantity demanded for normal goods. Thus, among the given options Car has highest income elasticity of demand.

• Car: A luxury good with high income elasticity; demand rises sharply with an increase in income.
• Milk: A necessity good with low to moderate income elasticity.
• Paddy: A basic necessity and staple food, with very low income elasticity.
• Tobacco: Considered an addictive good with low or even negative income elasticity in some cases, as demand is less income-sensitive.

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The Small Industries Development Organization (SIDO) is the national SME Development Agency of India. It is a major constituent of the Ministry of Small Scale Industries of the Government of India. It was Set up in 1954, SIDO provides services to small industry throughout the country by implementing a broad program of activities and services like Entrepreneurship Development, Tool Room Services, Testing Centres, Extension Services, R&D Services, etc.

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The Uruguay Round of negotiations ran from 1986 to 1994 under GATT. Its Agreement on Agriculture targeted market access, domestic support, and export subsidies as three core areas for agricultural reform. The round resulted in the Uruguay Round Agreement on Agriculture (URAA), which mandated reductions in these barriers. The Agreement was signed in Marrakesh in April 1994, leading to the establishment of the WTO in 1995.

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Top carnivores occupy the highest trophic level. Energy transfer efficiency between levels averages around 10%. Population and biomass decrease at higher trophic levels. Top carnivore survival relies on the stability of all lower levels. Population declines at any lower level affect top carnivores first. Examples include tigers and lions in terrestrial ecosystems.

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The Eighth Five-Year Plan (1992-1997) was the first plan implemented after India introduced economic reforms in 1991. The plan focused on indicative planning, market-led economy, liberalization, privatization, and globalization. India’s membership in the World Trade Organization began in January 1995 during this plan. Previous plans were based on centralized state control and public sector dominance.