1st August 2025

Explanation – 
The Index of Industrial Production (IIP) is released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) of the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation. While IIP is published monthly, it comes with a time lag of six weeks after the reference month ends, meaning statement 1 is also correct. However, based on the provided answer key, the correct answer is B, suggesting only statement 2 is marked as correct. 

Explanation –
Among the eight core industries, Petroleum Refinery holds the maximum weight at 28.04% in the Index of Industrial Production. The core industries and their weights are: 

Explanation –
Both statements are incorrect: 

• Gross Value Added (GVA) provides a picture of the economy from the supply side, not demand side. It maps value-added by different sectors like agriculture, industry, and services. 

• Private Final Consumption Expenditure (PFCE) represents the demand side of the economy, not supply side. It constitutes over 56% of total GDP and reflects consumption demand from private individuals. 

Explanation – 

• Statement 1 is incorrect: The Act defines a child as any person below eighteen years of age, not sixteen. 

• Statement 2 is correct: The Act stipulates that cases must be disposed of within one year from the date the offence is reported. 

• Statement 3 is correct: Sexual assault is deemed "aggravated" under circumstances such as when the victim is mentally ill or when committed by someone in a position of trust (family member, teacher, police officer, doctor). 

Explanation – 

• Statement 1 is incorrect: The Schengen Area is not exclusive to EU member states, as non-EU countries are also included. 

• Statement 2 is correct: The primary feature is elimination of passport checks at internal borders. 

• Statement 3 is incorrect: Not all EU member states are part of Schengen (Ireland, Romania, Bulgaria, and Croatia are not yet included). 

• Statement 4 is correct: Non-EU countries like Norway, Switzerland, Iceland, and Liechtenstein are part of the Schengen Area.