Coal Stocks at Power Plants Stay Above 18 MT in October 2026

The correct answer is 18.205 MT. The Ministry of Coal placed the stock at domestic coal-based power plants at 18.205 MT on 10 October 2026, which is why the ministry could say that the level has not fallen below 18 MT at any time since 29 September 2026, when the reading was 18.932 MT. Option A is wrong because a figure of 16.418 MT would sit well under the 18 MT mark that the ministry said has been held without a break, and no such dip was reported during the period. Option C is wrong because 19.932 MT is not the figure for 10 October; the 29 September reading was 18.932 MT, and stock drifted down from there rather than up. Option D is wrong because a level of 21.640 MT would mean a large build-up, whereas the first ten days of October saw a modest net fall of about 0.56 MT.

The correct answer is 469 rakes. Loading for the power sector averaged 469 rakes a day over the first ten days of October 2026, and it is this heavier movement that lifted daily coal supply and slowed the drawdown of stock. Option A is wrong because 426 rakes a day was the average for September 2026, the month against which October’s improvement of about 10 per cent is being measured. Options B and D are wrong because 447 and 482 rakes are the lowest and highest daily loading figures recorded during October, that is, the two ends of the range within which the day-to-day numbers moved, and neither is the average for the period. A question of this kind turns on separating an average from the band around it, so the figures for the floor, the ceiling and the previous month all have to be kept apart.

The correct answer is 2.49 MT a day, above the plan. Coal actually delivered to the power sector averaged 2.49 MT a day in October 2026 while the plan for the month provided for 2.37 MT a day, so supply ran ahead of the programme and bettered it on nine of the first ten days. Option A is wrong because 2.21 MT a day was the September 2026 average, and the October figure is higher, not lower. Option B is wrong because 2.37 MT a day is the planned quantity itself, and actual supply exceeded it rather than merely matching it. Option D is wrong because 2.65 MT a day overstates the delivery; the reported average is 2.49 MT a day. The pairing of the actual figure with the plan figure is the part examiners test, since both numbers appear together in the ministry’s statement.

The correct answer is 7.28 MT. Stock at power plants fell by about 7.28 MT over the whole of September 2026, which works out to an average draw of roughly 0.24 MT a day and explains why the easing seen in October was treated as a notable change. Option A is wrong because 0.56 MT is the much smaller total fall recorded across the first ten days of October 2026, an average of about 0.06 MT a day. Option B is wrong because 3.14 MT does not correspond to any reported drawdown for either month. Option D is wrong because 12.90 MT would be a far steeper fall than the one reported, and a decline of that size would have pushed the stock below the 18 MT level that the ministry said has been maintained since 29 September 2026.