Monetary policy and the RBI — UPSC Prelims PYQs

Which of the following are the sources of income for the Reserve Bank of India? I. Buying and selling Government bonds II. Buying and selling foreign currency III. Pension fund management IV. Lending to private companies V. Printing and distributing currency notes Select the correct answer using the code given below.

Consider the following statements in respect of RTGS and NEFT: I. In RTGS, the settlement time is instantaneous while in case of NEFT, it takes some time to settle payments. II. In RTGS, the customer is charged for inward transactions while that is not the case for NEFT. III. Operating hours for RTGS are restricted on certain days while this is not true for NEFT. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Consider the following statements in respect of the digital rupee: 1. It is a sovereign currency issued by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in alignment with its monetary policy. 2. It appears as a liability on the RBI's balance sheet. 3. It is insured against inflation by its very design. 4. It is freely convertible against commercial bank money and cash. Which of the statements given above are correct?

Consider the following statements: Statement-I: In the post-pandemic recent past, many Central Banks worldwide had carried out interest rate hikes. Statement-II: Central Banks generally assume that they have the ability to counteract the rising consumer prices via monetary policy means. Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

Which one of the following activities of the Reserve Bank of India is considered to be part of ‘sterilization’?

In India, which one of the following is responsible for maintaining price stability by controlling inflation?

Consider the following statements: 1. Tight monetary policy of the US Federal Reserve could lead to capital flight. 2. Capital flight may increase the interest cost of firms with existing External Commercial Borrowings (ECBs). 3. Devaluation of domestic currency decreases the currency risk associated with ECBs. Which of the statements given above are correct?

“Rapid Financing Instrument” and “Rapid Credit Facility” are related to the provisions of lending by which one of the following?

With reference to the Indian economy, consider the following statements: 1. If the inflation is too high, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is likely to buy government securities. 2. If the rupee is rapidly depreciating, RBI is likely to sell dollars in the market. 3. If interest rates in the USA or European Union were to fall, that is likely to induce RBI to buy dollars. Which of the statements given above are correct?

Consider the following statements: 1. The Governor of the Reserve bank of India (RBI) is appointed by the Central Government. 2. Certain provisions in the Constitution of India give the Central Government the right to issue directions to the RBI in public interest. 3. The Governor of the RBI draws his power from the RBI Act. Which of the above statements are correct?

In India, the central bank’s function as the ‘lender of last resort’ usually refers to which of the following? 1. Lending to trade and industry bodies when they fail to borrow from other sources 2. Providing liquidity to the banks having a temporary crisis 3. Lending to governments to finance budgetary deficits Select the correct answer using the code given below.

Indian Government Bond Yields are influenced by which of the following? 1. Actions of the United States Federal Reserve 2. Actions of the Reserve bank of India 3. Inflation and short-term interest rates Select the correct answer using the code given below.

“Gold Tranche” (Reserve Tranche) refers to:

Consider the following statements: 1. The weightage of food in Consumer Price Index (CPI) is higher than that in Wholesale Price Index (WPI). 2. The WPI does not capture changes in the prices of services, which CPI does. 3. The Reserve Bank of India has now adopted WPI as its key measure of inflation and to decide on changing the key policy rates. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

With reference to the Indian economy, consider the following statements: 1. ‘Commercial Paper’ is a short-term unsecured promissory note. 2. ‘Certificate of Deposit’ is a long-term instrument issued by the Reserve Bank of India to a corporation. 3. ‘Call Money’ is a short term finance used for interbank transactions. 4. ‘Zero-Coupon Bonds are the interest-bearing short term bonds issued by the Scheduled Commercial Banks to corporations. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

If the RBI decides to adopt an expansionist monetary policy, which of the following would it not do? 1. Cut and optimise the Statutory Liquidity Ratio 2. Increase the Marginal Standing Facility Rate 3. Cut the Bank Rate and Repo Rate Select the correct answer using the code given below:

If you withdraw Rs. 1,00,000 in cash from your Demand Deposit Account at your bank, the immediate effect on aggregate money supply in the economy will be:

Which one of the following statements correctly describes the meaning of legal tender money?

Consider the following statements: 1. The Reserve Bank of India manages and services Government of India Securities but not any State Government Securities. 2. Treasury bills are issued by the Government of India and there are no treasury bills issued by the state Governments. 3. Treasury bills are issued at a discount from the par value. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Which of the following statements is/are correct regarding the ‘Monetary Policy Committee (MPC)? 1. It decides the RBI’s benchmark interest rates. 2. It is a 12-member body including the Governor of RBI and is reconstituted every year. 3. It functions under the chairmanship of the Union Finance Minister. Select the correct answer using the code given below:

With reference to the International Monetary and Financial Committee (IMFC), consider the following statements: 1. IMFC discusses matters of concern affecting the global economy, and advises the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on the direction of its work. 2. The World Bank participates as an observer in IMFC’s meetings. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

What is/are the purpose/purposes of the Government’s ‘Sovereign Gold Bond Scheme’ and ‘Gold Monetization Scheme’? 1. To bring the idle gold lying with Indian households into the economy. 2. To promote FDI in the gold and jewellery sector 3. To reduce India’s dependence on gold imports. Select the correct answer using the code given below.

What is/are the purpose/purposes of the ‘Marginal Cost of Funds based Lending Rate (MCLR)’ announced by RBI? 1. These guidelines help improve the transparency in the methodology followed by banks for determining the interest rates on advances. 2. These guidelines help ensure availability of bank credit at interest rates which are fair to the borrowers as well as the banks. Select the correct answer using the code given below.

When the Reserve Bank of India reduces the Statutory Liquidity Ratio by 50 basis points, which of the following is likely to happen?

With reference to Indian economy, consider the following: 1. Bank rate 2. Open market operations 3. Public debt 4. Public Revenue Which of the above is/are component/components of Monetary Policy?

With reference to inflation in India, which of the following statements is correct?

If the interest rate is decreased in an economy, it will:

In the context of the Indian economy, which of the following is/are the purpose/purposes of ‘Statutory Reserve Requirements’? 1. To enable the Central Bank to control the amount of advances the banks can create. 2. To make the people’s deposits with banks safe and liquid. 3. To prevent the commercial banks from making excessive profits. 4. To force the banks to have sufficient vault cash to meet their day-to-day requirements. Select the correct answer using the code given below.

The terms ‘Marginal Standing Facility Rate’ and ‘Net Demand and Time Liabilities’, sometimes appearing in news, are used in relation to:

Supply of money remaining the same when there is an increase in demand for money, there will be:

Which one of the following is likely to be the most inflationary in its effect?

An increase in the Bank Rate generally indicates that the:

The Reserve Bank of India regulates the commercial banks in matters of: 1. Liquidity of assets 2. Branch expansion 3. Merger of banks 4. Winding-up of banks Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

In the context of Indian economy, ‘Open Market Operations’ refers to:

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) acts as a bankers’ bank. This would imply which of the following? 1. Other banks retain their deposits with the RBI. 2. The RBI lends funds to the commercial banks in times of need. 3. The RBI advises the commercial banks on monetary matters. Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

Which of the following measures would result in an increase in the money supply in the economy? 1. Purchase of government securities from the public by the Central Bank. 2. Deposit of currency in commercial banks by the public. 3. Borrowing by the government from the Central Bank. 4. Sale of government securities to the public by the Central Bank. Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

Regarding the International Monetary Fund, which one of the following statements is correct?

Why is the offering of “teaser loans” by commercial banks a cause of economic concern? 1. The teaser loans are considered to be an aspect of subprime lending and banks may be exposed to the risk of defaulters in future. 2. In India, the teaser loans are mostly given to inexperienced entrepreneurs to set up manufacturing or export units. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

The lowering of Bank Rate by the Reserve Bank of India leads to: