UPSC 2019: Weekly GK and Current Affairs Quiz Apr 27 - May 03

e-tendering and e-auction related activities of Indian Railways.

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Directorate of Marketing and Inspection

Both are incorrect.

STATEMENT 1 is wrong: When the exchange rate of a country’s currency is fixed, the central bank may choose to lower its value by decision. This is called DEVALUATION. The result is a new rate that is fixed by the central bank with respect to a foreign reference currency.

STATEMENT 2 is wrong: The same effect of lowering of the value of currency but by market forces and not by the policies of the central bank is called DEPRECIATION.

Revaluation: When central bank increases the value of currency voluntarily.

Appreciation: When the value of domestic currency increases with reference to other currency due to  market forces.

1 is only correct.

STATEMENT 2 is incorrect: The Reserve Bank of India shall be the designated authority for the
regulation and supervision of payment systems under this Act. The Reserve Bank may, for the purposes of exercising the powers and performing the functions and discharging the duties conferred on it by or under this Act, by regulation, constitute a committee of its Central Board to be known as the Board for Regulation and Supervision of Payment and Settlement Systems.

1 and 2 only are correct.

Current Account Deficit: The current account measures the flow of goods, services and investments into and out of the country. We run into a deficit if the value of the goods and services we import exceeds the value of those we export. The current account includes net income, including interest and dividends, and transfers, like foreign aid.

STATEMENT 1 is correct: By imposing restrictions on the import of non-essential goods would help us  to reduce the deficit as the exports remain the same. Hence the difference between exports and imports would narrow down.

STATEMENT 2 is correct: Again by the same logic, if imports remain the same and we promote exports then also the difference between the two would narrow down and hence Current account deficit would reduce.

STATEMENT 3 is incorrect: Gold is a non-essential commodity. Increasing its import would increase the current account deficit instead of reducing it.

Both are correct.

STATEMENT 1 is correct as SpiNNaker (Spiking Neural Network Architecture) Supercomputer is the world’s largest neuromorphic supercomputer, designed and built to work in the same way a human brain works.

STATEMENT 2 is correct as It is now supported by the European Human Brain Project. SpiNNaker (Spiking Neural Network Architecture) Supercomputer SpiNNaker is being used as one component of the neuromorphic computing platform for the Human Brain Project. The project was initially funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and is now supported by the European Human Brain Project.

1 is only correct.

STATEMENT 1 is correct as Chandrayaan-1 was India’s first lunar probe.

STATEMENT 2 is incorrect as It was launched by the Indian Space Research Organization in October 2008, and operated until August 2009.

Both are correct.

STATEMENT 1 is correct as Human Brain Project is largely funded by the European Union. The Project, which started on 1 October 2013, is a European Commission Future and Emerging Technologies Flagship. The HBP is coordinated by the École Poly technique Fédérale de Lausanne and is largely funded by the European Union.
STATEMENT 2 is correct as It is for advance knowledge in the fields of neuroscience, computing, and brain-related medicine. The Human Brain Project (HBP) is a large ten-year scientific research project, based on exascale supercomputers, that aims to build a collaborative ICT-based scientific research infrastructure to allow researchers across Europe to advance knowledge in the fields of neuroscience, computing, and brain-related medicine.
Human Brain Project (HBP)
The primary objective of the HBP is to create an ICT-based research infrastructure for brain research, cognitive neuroscience and brain-inspired computing, which can be used by researchers world-wide.
The HBP is funded by the European Commission Directorate General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology (DG CONNECT) under the Horizon 2020 framework, an EU Research and Innovation funding programme. It was one of the two initial Future Emerging Technologies (FET) Flagship projects.

‘d’ is correct. ClaRAN is artificial intelligence (AI) programme which was used to recognize faces on Facebook can also identify galaxies in deep space. The AI bot named ClaRAN scans images taken by radio telescopes.
ClaRAN
This programme was completely overhauled and trained to recognise galaxies instead of people. Its job is to spot radio galaxies — galaxies that emit powerful radio jets from supermassive black holes at their centres.

The definition of the kilogram has been changed from being the mass of prototype sanctioned by the 1st CGPM held in Paris in 1889 and deposited at the BIPM to the Planck constant, which is a physical constant. So option (a) is right.

1 is only correct

Upagupta

Medicine

Both are correct.

See more on the Buddhist Councils.

3 is only correct.

Mahatma Gandhi. Read more on the First Round Table Conference.

LaIa Lajpat Rai

The salary of the Secretary of State for India was not to be paid by Parliament.

1 is only correct. The commission only relieved Dyer of his service.

Ali Musaliar. Read more on the Moplah Rebellion.

1 and 2 only

Both are correct

1 is only correct.

High-energy coasts

• Waves are powerful (for a significant part of the year)
• The rate of erosion exceeds the rate of deposition
• Characteristic land forms include headlands, cliffs and wave-cut platforms

Low energy coasts

• Waves are not powerful (for a significant part of the year)
• The rate of deposition exceeds the rate of erosion
• Characteristic land forms include beaches and spits

Point bars: Point bars are also known as meander bars. They are found on the convex side of meanders of large rivers and are sediments deposited in a linear fashion by flowing waters along the bank. All others are features of krast land forms.

Only 1 and 2

River terraces are surfaces marking old valley floor or floodplain levels. They may be bedrock surfaces without any alluvial cover or alluvial terraces consisting of stream deposits. River terraces are basically products of erosion as they result due to vertical erosion by the stream into its own depositional floodplain. It is common to find meandering courses over floodplains and delta plains where stream gradients are very gentle. But very deep and wide meanders can also be found cut in hard rocks. Such meanders are called incised or entrenched meanders. Fans and deltas are depositional features.

1 and 3 only are correct.

STATEMENT 1 is correct: These movements transfer the mass of rock debris down the slopes under the direct influence of gravity. That means, air, water or ice does not carry debris with them from place to place but on the other hand the debris may carry with it air, water or ice.
STATEMENT 2 is incorrect: It is not an in-situ process as it involves transportation of material. Weathering is an in-situ or on-site process.
STATEMENT 3 is correct: Gravity exerts its force on all matter, both bedrock and the products of weathering. So, weathering is not a prerequisite for mass movement though it aids mass
movements of rocks. Mass movements of rocks are very active over weathered slopes rather than over unweathered materials. Mass movements of rocks can be grouped under two major classes: (i) slow movements; (ii) rapid movements.

2 is only correct.  Creep is one type under this category which can occur on moderately steep, soil covered slopes. Movement of materials is extremely slow and imperceptible except through extended
observation.

The shadows cast by the landforms on the moon’s surface.

The gravitational pull of the Sun is greater for inner planets as they are nearer to the Sun. So, they revolve rapidly to keep themselves out of orbit and avoid falling into the Sun.

Both are correct

Qatar. It is a former member. It terminated its membership on 1st January 2019.

3 and 4 only. USA and Israel left the UNESCO in December 2018.

Both are correct

Both are correct.

Environmental flow refers to the water considered sufficient for protecting the structure and function of an ecosystem and its dependent species. Environmental flows are required to be maintained through a river reach for sustaining its ecosystem and dependent species. It means enough water is to be released in the downstream of the river system after utilizing the water for the development projects in order to ensure downstream environmental, social and economic benefits. The building of dams and barrages may help to satisfy the needs of the human community but it affects the existence of the life downstream. Hence there has to be a minimum standard of the quality, quantity and time of the flow in the river. Most of the rivers in India, including the Himalayan rivers are affected due to dam construction and manipulation of rivers flows.

1 is incorrect. It is a semi-aquatic mammal.

The Eurasian otter is a semiaquatic mammal native to Eurasia. it is found in the waterways and coasts of Europe, many parts of Asia, and parts of northern Africa. The Eurasian otter has a diet mainly of fish and is strongly territorial. Recently there was a discovery of Eurasian Otter in the Western Ghats region. It has been the first solid evidence of their presence in the region after its first record in 1941. They are classified as near threatened in the IUCN Red List. They are affected by illegal poaching for their pelts.

Banni grassland

The Banni grassland of Gujarat is the largest natural grassland in the Indian subcontinent and an area that is both socio-culturally unique and ecologically valuable. The Banni is home to great biological diversity, having 37 grass species, 275 bird species, and domesticated animals, like Banni Buffalo, Kankrej Cattle, Sheep & Goat, Horses, and Camel, as well as wildlife. The Banni is also home to 22 pastoralist communities, Maldharis, spread across 48 settlements. The Maldharis rights to graze the Banni are derived from historical rulers of the region who granted these rights in return for a grazing tax.

1 is only correct. It is native to South Asia.

Sher Shah Suri

Both are correct

Jnana Sambandha. He was a Shaiva saint.

Ethics Committee

1 and 3 only.

STATEMENT 1 is correct: Article 25 guarantees rights of freedom of religion of individuals, while Article 26 guarantees rights of religious denominations or their sections. In other words, Article 26 protects collective freedom of religion.

STATEMENT 2 is incorrect: These rights are available to all persons—citizens as well as noncitizens.

STATEMENT 3 is correct: Article 25 covers not only religious beliefs (doctrines) but also religious practices (rituals).

1, 2 and 4 only

France

Both are correct

Both are incorrect.

1. The Solicitor General of India is subordinate to the Attorney General of India.
2. The position of the Solicitor General of India is statutory while that of the Attorney General of India is constitutional.

1 only is correct. The scheme is funded by both the Central and the State governments.

Both are correct

2 is only correct.

STATEMENT 1: Government of Delhi is formed under the Government of NCT of Delhi Act, 1991.
Hence statement 1 is not correct.
STATEMENT 2: The union government nominates 3 members to the assembly of Puducherry.
Hence statement 2 is correct. Government of Union Territory is formed under the Government of Union Territory Act, 1963. At present only Government of Puducherry comes under this act. Government of Delhi the Government of NCT of Delhi Act, 1991 and it has 70 elected members and no nominated members. But Puducherry has thirty elected members and three members nominated by the central
government. Hence the act limits the directly elected members to thirty in Union territories legislative assembly.

Both are correct