UPSC Prelims 2026 · GS Paper I
Question 81: International Relations and Current Affairs
‘X’, born in the UK, was conferred the Nobel Prize in 2025. He was a professor in an American university when this prize was announced. Identify ‘X’ :
AnswerUPSC’s answer is (c).
The 2025 Nobel Prize in Physics went to John Clarke, Michel Devoret and John Martinis for macroscopic quantum tunnelling in an electric circuit. John Clarke was born in the UK and was a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, when the prize was announced. Michel Devoret was born in France. Richard Robson (Chemistry) was born in the UK but works at the University of Melbourne, and Joel Mokyr (Economics) was born in the Netherlands and teaches at Northwestern University.
Why each option is right or wrong
- (a) Wrong: Devoret was born in France.
- (b) Wrong: Robson, born in the UK, works at an Australian university.
- (c) Right: Clarke, UK-born, was at Berkeley.
- (d) Wrong: Mokyr was born in the Netherlands.
Only the provisional key (27 May 2026) was found; the final key replaces it when found.
Answer: UPSC’s key. Explanation: written by UPSC Grade, not by UPSC.
Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2026, General Studies Paper I, Series A. The paper on upsc.gov.in.