Ethereum, Tether, Solana and Cardano are all forms of
- (a)Crypto currency
- (b)Artificial Intelligence(AI) Startups
- (c)Humanoid Robots
- (d)Medical apps
Correct — A, Crypto currency. Ethereum, Tether, Solana and Cardano are all cryptocurrencies — digital assets that run on decentralised blockchain networks. Ethereum, Solana and Cardano are 'smart-contract' platform coins, while Tether (USDT) is a stablecoin pegged to the US dollar. All four are among the largest crypto assets by market value, and none is a company, a robot or an application.
- (b)Artificial Intelligence(AI) Startups — These are digital currencies and blockchain tokens, not companies building artificial intelligence products.
- (c)Humanoid Robots — They are software-based blockchain assets with no physical form — they are not robots.
- (d)Medical apps — They are cryptocurrencies used for value transfer and smart contracts, not healthcare or medical applications.
A cryptocurrency is a digital asset secured by cryptography and recorded on a decentralised, shared ledger called a blockchain, rather than issued by a central bank. Bitcoin (2009) was the first; thousands now exist. Ethereum, Solana and Cardano are 'smart-contract' platforms whose coins pay for transactions and applications, while Tether is a stablecoin designed to hold a steady value pegged to the US dollar.
The question simply asks you to place four well-known names in the right category. All four regularly appear in financial news as leading crypto assets, so recognising even one or two — Ethereum being the best known after Bitcoin — points straight to cryptocurrency and away from the unrelated distractors about AI firms, robots and apps.
- Cryptocurrencies are digital assets secured by cryptography and recorded on decentralised blockchains.
- Ethereum, Solana and Cardano are smart-contract platform coins; Tether (USDT) is a US-dollar-pegged stablecoin.
- Bitcoin, launched in 2009, was the first cryptocurrency; thousands now trade worldwide.
- In India cryptocurrencies are not legal tender; gains are taxed at 30% with a 1% TDS from 2022, and the RBI issues a separate central-bank digital currency, the Digital Rupee.
All four are cryptocurrencies, so the answer is (a) Crypto currency.
- A stablecoin like Tether is still a cryptocurrency, even though its value is pegged to a currency.
- Do not confuse a private cryptocurrency with a central-bank digital currency such as the Digital Rupee.
Crypto is tested as simple category recognition — a list of coin names asking what they 'are forms of'.
With reference to 'Bitcoins', sometimes seen in the news, which of the following statements is/are correct? 1. Bitcoins are tracked by the Central Banks of the countries. 2. Anyone with a Bitcoin address can send and receive Bitcoins from anyone else with a Bitcoin address. 3. Online payments can be sent without either side knowing the identity of the other. Select the correct answer using the code given below.
- (a) 1 only
- (b) 2 and 3 only
- (c) 1 and 3 only
- (d) 1, 2 and 3
Answer(b) 2 and 3 only — Bitcoin is decentralised (not tracked by central banks); anyone with an address can transact, and payments are pseudonymous.
Same concept — cryptocurrency. UPSC tested the workings of Bitcoin (decentralised, address-to-address, pseudonymous); this NDA question tests recognition that Ethereum, Tether, Solana and Cardano belong to the same cryptocurrency category.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Which one of the following was the first cryptocurrency?
- (a)Ethereum
- (b)Bitcoin
- (c)Tether
- (d)Cardano
Answer(b) Bitcoin — launched in 2009, it was the first decentralised cryptocurrency; the others came later.
- practice — not a real PYQ
The 'Digital Rupee' launched by the Reserve Bank of India is best described as
- (a)a private cryptocurrency
- (b)a central bank digital currency (CBDC)
- (c)a stablecoin pegged to the US dollar
- (d)a stock-market index
Answer(b) a central bank digital currency (CBDC) — the Digital Rupee is issued by the RBI, unlike private cryptocurrencies such as Ethereum or Tether.