UPSC Prelims 2014 · Question 17 of 100

UPSC Prelims 2014 question on Agni IV Missile

With reference to Agni-IV Missile, which of the following statements is/are correct?

1. It is surface-to-surface missile.
2. It is fueled by liquid propellant only.
3. It can deliver one-tonne nuclear warheads about 7500 km away.

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

  1. 1 only
  2. 2 and 3 only
  3. 1 and 3 only
  4. 1, 2 and 3
Show answer

Answer: A. 1 only

Verdict

The answer is 1 only. Agni IV is a surface to surface missile, but the claims about liquid propellant and a 7500 kilometre range are both wrong.

Analysis

Statement 1 is CORRECT. Agni IV is a surface to surface ballistic missile in the Agni series. Statement 2 is INCORRECT. Agni IV uses two stages of solid propulsion, and the word only in the statement makes it doubly wrong. Statement 3 is INCORRECT on the number. Agni IV carries a warhead of about one tonne to a range of roughly 4000 kilometres, not 7500 kilometres; a range of that order belongs to the later and larger Agni V class.

Source

The Hindu current affairs coverage and India Year Book.

How to crack it

Two independent shortcuts kill this question quickly. First, the word only in statement 2 is an absolute, and absolutes in technical statements are usually planted to be false. Second, keep one anchor number per missile family rather than a full table: if you know Agni V is the roughly 5000 kilometre class, then 7500 kilometres for the earlier Agni IV is impossible on ordering alone. Anchor plus ordering beats memorising specifications.

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