__________ a pilot, aviator and an entrepreneur, become the first Indian civilian to venture into space as a tourist Abroad Amazon founder Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin NS-25 mission.
This MPSC previous-year question is drawn from MPSC Group B Combined Pre 2026 (English). It belongs to the Current Affairs section and is reproduced here in English exactly as it appeared in the official Maharashtra Public Service Commission paper, along with the four options, the official Set A answer key and a compact explanation of why the correct option is correct.
Correct answer: C
Explanation
The verified answer here is option C. Gopichand Thotakura, a pilot and entrepreneur, became the first Indian civilian space tourist aboard Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin flight. Link 'first Indian space tourist' to Thotakura to fix the answer.
Why this question matters
The Maharashtra Public Service Commission recycles current affairs question patterns across its main five recruitment examinations. Solving a PYQ from one paper substantially increases your accuracy on adjacent papers because the underlying facts and the option-craft are identical. That cross-transfer is the strongest argument for prioritising PYQ practice over generic textbook review.
How to attempt this in the exam
Watch for negation traps — words like "not", "except", "incorrect" that flip the intent of the question. MPSC deliberately embeds them in current affairs items to catch aspirants who read the question in a hurry. Re-read the stem with a mental highlight on any negation word before selecting an option.
Subject-specific tip
Tip for Current Affairs: convert every rolling item you encounter into a four-field notebook — the event, the date, the primary actor and the associated body. Revising that notebook in the final fortnight is far more efficient than re-reading monthly magazines.
What MPSC counts as current affairs
The MPSC syllabus's current-affairs bucket is broader than daily news. It spans: (a) new legislation passed by Parliament and by the Maharashtra Vidhan Sabha; (b) Supreme Court and High Court landmark judgments; (c) international treaties India signed or ratified; (d) key economic indicators and India's rank in prominent global indices; (e) senior government appointments (Chief Justices, Cabinet Secretaries, RBI Governors, Chief Election Commissioners, Chairpersons of Constitutional and statutory bodies); (f) major national and international awards; and (g) space, defence and technology milestones from ISRO, DRDO and CSIR.
The state-level current-affairs half is often decisive in Group B, Group C and PSI papers. Track: (a) new Maharashtra schemes announced in the state budget or by the Cabinet; (b) postings and promotions in the Maharashtra state services; (c) Marathi literature awards including the Sahitya Akademi Marathi and the state's own Jnanpith-recipient shortlists; (d) sports and cultural events hosted in Maharashtra (Marathon, film festivals, Kabaddi tournaments); and (e) major infrastructure inaugurations such as the Samruddhi Mahamarg and the Metro line extensions.
Combine our Current Affairs topic quizzes with a five-minute nightly PIB skim and a weekend Yojana / Kurukshetra read — that ninety-minute-a-week schedule covers essentially all of MPSC's current-affairs load, in both English and Marathi.
Source and editorial process
Source: MPSC Group B Combined Pre 2026 (English). This question, its four options and the marked correct answer are transcribed verbatim from the official Maharashtra Public Service Commission Set A paper. Our editorial team cross-checks each question against the original PDF released on mpsc.gov.in and against the corresponding official answer key.
We never paraphrase the wording. Where MPSC has issued a revised key after an objection round, the answer highlighted above reflects the revised key and the revision is logged in our internal change-log. If you spot a discrepancy, please email us at dontknowacademy@gmail.com — we acknowledge every report within 24 hours and push a fix within 48 hours.
Related study material
Deepen your preparation on this topic with our long-form MPSC study guides. Every guide is written specifically for the Maharashtra Public Service Commission preliminary syllabus and takes twelve to sixteen minutes to read in full.
- MPSC Exam PatternGroup B, Group C, PSI, Gazetted CS & TS prelims — marks, syllabus, negative marking, cut-offs.
- MPSC Preparation Strategy6-month plan, book list, daily routine, PYQ usage, mock-test strategy.
- Indian Polity for MPSCConstitution, Fundamental Rights, DPSPs, Parliament, state government, key amendments.
About MPSC PYQ QUIZ
MPSC PYQ QUIZ is a free educational platform by Don't know Academy that helps Maharashtra Public Service Commission aspirants practise with the complete archive of previous-year questions. Every paper on the site is sourced from the official MPSC release, tagged by subject and topic, and paired with the official Set A answer key. The platform is independent and not affiliated with MPSC, the Government of Maharashtra or any government body — please read our Disclaimer for the full statement.