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Q58 (IAS/2023) Science & Technology › Space & Defence Technology › Missile and weapon systems Official Key

Consider the following statements : 1. Ballistic missiles are jet-propelled at subsonic speeds throughout their flights, while cruise missiles are rocket-powered only in the initial phase of flight. 2. Agni-V is a medium-range supersonic cruise missile, while BrahMos is a solid-fuelled intercontinental ballistic missile. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Result
Your answer: —  Âˇ  Correct: D
Explanation

The correct answer is Option 4 (Neither 1 nor 2) because both statements provided are technically incorrect based on the fundamental classifications of missile technology.

  • Statement 1 is incorrect: The descriptions are swapped. Ballistic missiles are rocket-powered only in the initial phase and follow a parabolic trajectory under gravity. In contrast, cruise missiles are jet-propelled (using engines like ramjets or turbojets) and maintain flight at a constant altitude throughout their journey, often at subsonic or supersonic speeds.
  • Statement 2 is incorrect: The characteristics of the specific missiles are swapped. Agni-V is a solid-fuelled Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) with a range exceeding 5,000 km. BrahMos is a supersonic cruise missile developed jointly by India and Russia, known for its high speed and precision, rather than being a ballistic missile.

Since both statements misidentify the propulsion systems and the specific categories of the Agni-V and BrahMos missiles, neither statement is correct.

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PROVENANCE & STUDY PATTERN
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Don’t just practise – reverse-engineer the question. This panel shows where this PYQ came from (books / web), how the examiner broke it into hidden statements, and which nearby micro-concepts you were supposed to learn from it. Treat it like an autopsy of the question: what might have triggered it, which exact lines in the book matter, and what linked ideas you should carry forward to future questions.
Q. Consider the following statements : 1. Ballistic missiles are jet-propelled at subsonic speeds throughout their flights, while cruise mi…
At a glance
Origin: Mostly Current Affairs Fairness: Low / Borderline fairness Books / CA: 0/10 ¡ 10/10
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This is a classic 'Definition Swap' trap. The examiner took the definition of Ballistic and gave it to Cruise, and vice versa. It is a high-fairness question because Agni-V (ICBM) and BrahMos (Supersonic Cruise) are the two most famous pillars of India's missile program. If you read the newspaper, you can't miss this.

How this question is built

This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.

Statement 1
Are ballistic missiles propelled by jet engines (i.e., are ballistic missiles jet‑propelled)?
Origin: Web / Current Affairs Fairness: CA heavy Web-answerable

Web source
Presence: 5/5
"Cruise missiles are jet-propelled at subsonic speeds throughout their flights, while ballistic missiles are rocket-powered only in the initial (boost) phase of flight, after which they follow an arcing trajectory to the target."
Why this source?
  • Directly contrasts cruise missiles (jet‑propelled) with ballistic missiles (rocket‑powered).
  • States ballistic missiles are rocket‑powered only in the initial (boost) phase, implying they are not jet‑propelled during most of their flight.
Web source
Presence: 5/5
"Ballistic missiles are rocket-propelled weapons that travel by momentum in a high, arcing trajectory after they have been launched into flight by a brief burst of power. Cruise missiles, on the other hand, are powered continuously by air-breathing jet engines..."
Why this source?
  • Explicitly calls ballistic missiles 'rocket-propelled' and describes their brief burst of power at launch.
  • Contrasts this with cruise missiles, which are 'powered continuously by air-breathing jet engines.'

Physical Geography by PMF IAS, Manjunath Thamminidi, PMF IAS (1st ed.) > Chapter 27: Jet streams > 27.5. Jet Streams And Aviation > p. 393
Strength: 4/5
“• Jet streams are used by aviators if they have to fly in the direction of the flow of the jet streams and avoid them when flying in opposite direction.”
Why relevant

Explains that 'jet streams' are atmospheric wind currents used by aviators, showing one common meaning of the word 'jet' refers to air flows rather than engines.

How to extend

A student could contrast the meaning of 'jet' as a natural wind with descriptions of missile propulsion to see whether 'jet' in 'ballistic missile' would likely mean an engine or something else.

Physical Geography by PMF IAS, Manjunath Thamminidi, PMF IAS (1st ed.) > Chapter 20: Earths Atmosphere > UPSC Prelims 2011] The jet aircraft fly very easily and smoothly in the lower stratosphere. What could be the appropriate explanation? > p. 276
Strength: 4/5
“[UPSC Prelims 2011] The jet aircraft fly very easily and smoothly in the lower stratosphere. What could be the appropriate explanation? • 1. There are no clouds or water vapour in the lower stratosphere.• 2. There are no vertical winds in the lower stratosphere.”
Why relevant

Mentions 'jet aircraft' flying in the lower stratosphere, implying a class of aircraft (jets) operate in particular atmospheric layers — connecting the term 'jet' to aircraft propulsion/use.

How to extend

A student could recall that jet aircraft have air-breathing engines and then compare that to whether ballistic missiles operate within those layers or require air-breathing propulsion.

Geography of India ,Majid Husain, (McGrawHill 9th ed.) > Chapter 4: Climate of India > JET STREAM AND INDIAN MONSOON > p. 7
Strength: 3/5
“Jet stream is the most prominent movement in upper level westerly wind flows; irregular, concentrated, meandering bands of geo-strophic wind, travelling at speeds of 300 to 400 kmph. The jet streams are high altitude (9000–12000 m) westerly winds between middle latitudes (summer 35°N–45°N; winter 20°N–35°N) in the Northern Hemisphere. Recent researches have shown that these winds exert considerable impact on surface weather conditions.”
Why relevant

Defines jet stream as high‑altitude, fast westerly winds (9000–12000 m) and notes their effect on aviation, reinforcing that 'jet' commonly denotes high‑speed atmospheric wind phenomena.

How to extend

Using a map or altitude ranges, a student could check typical ballistic missile flight profiles (exo/endo-atmospheric) to assess whether they would rely on atmospheric jet winds or independent propulsion.

Physical Geography by PMF IAS, Manjunath Thamminidi, PMF IAS (1st ed.) > Chapter 27: Jet streams > 27. Jet streams > p. 384
Strength: 3/5
“• with a degree of meandering.• Jet Streams are formed due to pressure differences between air masses (large bodies of air having little horizontal variation in temperature and moisture) and Coriolis Force.”
Why relevant

States jet streams form due to pressure differences and Coriolis force — another pattern showing 'jet' as a meteorological phenomenon driven by atmospheric dynamics, not engines.

How to extend

A student could use this to reason that missiles relying on internal propulsion wouldn't be described as 'jet‑propelled' simply because they traverse regions with jet streams.

Physical Geography by PMF IAS, Manjunath Thamminidi, PMF IAS (1st ed.) > Chapter 27: Jet streams > Upper Tropospheric Westerlies > p. 385
Strength: 3/5
“• Jet streams are produced due to winds flowing from the tropics towards poles in the upper troposphere (just below the tropopause). Both the Northern and Southern hemispheres have jet streams, although the jet streams in the north are more forceful due to greater temperature gradients.• The jet stream produced between polar and temperate air masses is called the polar jet stream or polar jet. The jet stream produced between temperate and tropical air masses is called the subtropical jet stream. In the polar jet streams wind flows from the temperate region towards the polar region, and in the subtropical jet streams, winds flow from subtropics towards the temperate region.• In the upper troposphere, the wind flows from less dense air mass towards the poles due to thermal effect (poles receive less heat and equator receives more heat.”
Why relevant

Describes where and how jet streams occur in the upper troposphere, providing concrete altitude/flow information that distinguishes environmental wind from powered propulsion.

How to extend

A student could combine these altitude facts with known ballistic missile trajectories (which may leave the atmosphere) to judge whether air‑breathing jet engines would be practical or likely.

Statement analysis

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Statement analysis

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Statement analysis

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Statement analysis

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Statement analysis

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Statement analysis

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