UPSC 2023: Weekly GK and Current Affairs Quiz Apr 29 - May 05

• A landscape that is characterized by numerous caves, sinkholes, fissures, and underground streams, Karst topography usually forms in regions of plentiful rainfall where bedrock consists of carbonate-rich rock, such as limestone, gypsum, or dolomite, that is easily dissolved.
• A ponor is a natural opening where surface water enters into underground passages; they may be found in karst landscapes.
• Cave formation is prominent in areas where there are alternating beds of rocks (shales, sandstones, quartzites) with limestones or dolomites in between or in areas where limestones are dense, massive and occur as thick beds.
• A sinkhole is a depression or hole in the ground caused by some form of collapse of the surface layer. These are depressions in the limestone/dolomitic region. A great variation is seen in the sizes of sinkholes with areas from a few sq. m to a hectare and with depths from less than half a metre to thirty metres or more.
• Uvalas are types of enclosed topographic depressions and they are characteristic of karst regions on Earth.

• Indian Gas Exchange Ltd. (IGX) is India’s first automated national level Gas Exchange to promote and sustain an efficient and robust Gas market and foster gas trading in the country. The exchange features multiple buyers and sellers to trade in spot and forward contracts at designated physical hubs.
• The Exchange operates under the regulatory framework of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB).
• Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) is the first gas producer company in India to trade domestic gas on IGX.

• Vitamin D plays an important role in calcium homeostasis and bone metabolism, with the capacity to modulate innate and adaptive immune function, cardiovascular function, and proliferation and differentiation of both normal and malignant keratinocytes.
• Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) is synthesized in the skin by the reaction of 7-dehydrocholesterol with UVB radiation, present in sunlight with a UV index of three or more.
• Cancer, Parkinson’s disease and dementia are the diseases associated with Vitamin D deficiency.

• India and the United States recently signed an Investment Incentive Agreement (IIA) in Tokyo, Japan. This IIA supersedes the Investment Incentive Agreement signed between the two countries in the year 1997.
• The agreement is the legal requirement for U.S. International Development Finance Corporation to continue providing investment support in India.

• A nanoparticle is defined as a particle of matter that is between 1 and 100 nanometres (nm) in diameter.
• Adverse impact:
  • They accumulate in the environment and contaminate water and soil.
  • They enter food chains.
  • They trigger the production of free radicals.
  • They can cross cell membranes and reach the blood and other organs as well.

The Shishupala Vadha is a work of classical Sanskrit poetry composed by Magha.

• Dancing Girl is a prehistoric bronze sculpture excavated from Mohenjo-Daro. Pashupati Seal was also found in Mohenjo-Daro.
• Rice husk and dockyard were found from the Lothal site of Indus Valley Civilization. The Lothal site of the Indus Valley Civilization is situated in Gujarat.

• PARAM PORUL is a state-of-the-art supercomputer set up at NIT Tiruchirappalli.
• PARAM PORUL supercomputing facility is established under Phase 2 of the National Supercomputing Mission to facilitate computational research.

• The Garhwal Himalayas are mountain ranges located in the Indian state of Uttarakhand.
• Namdapha National Park is located in Arunachal Pradesh.
• Rani Jhansi Marine National Park is located in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal.

• Chanderi, Madhya Pradesh is known for its sarees.
• Kancheepuram in Tamil Nadu is known for its silk sarees.
• Bhadrachalam in the state of Telangana is a famous pilgrimage site.

• Statement 1 is not correct, Currently, there are eight UTs in India and three of them namely Delhi, Puducherry and Jammu & Kashmir have representation in the Rajya Sabha.
• Statement 2 is not correct, According to the 10th Schedule (Anti Defection Law), If any member who is independently elected joins any party, the member can be disqualified on the grounds of defection.
  • The six months timeline is available only for nominated members.
• Statement 3 is correct, The US Constitution prescribes that the Senate be composed of two senators from each State (therefore, the Senate currently has 100 Members). And the American Senate has no nominated members.

• Statement 1 is not correct, It prohibits identified single-use plastic items which have low utility and high littering potential by 2022.
• Statement 2 is correct, The ban will not apply to commodities made of compostable plastic.

• Statement 1 is correct, The Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972 does not define the term ‘vermin’. However, Schedule V of the Act contains a list of animals designated ‘vermin’, which includes rats, crows and foxes.
• Statement 2 is correct, The Wildlife (Protection) Act empowers the Central government to issue notifications declaring any wild animal, other than those specified in Schedule I and part II of Schedule II, as vermin for any specified area and a specified period.
• Statement 3 is correct, Once declared a vermin the species is deemed to be included in Schedule V, opening them up to be hunted.

• The International Labour Organization publishes flagship reports such as Employment and Social Outlook, Global Wage Report, World Social Protection Report, and World of Work Report.

• The multiplier effect is the proportional amount of increase or decrease in final income that results from an injection or withdrawal of spending.
  • Hence an increase in the banking habit of the people will increase the money multiplier in an economy.

• Statement 1 is correct, SFIO was established in January 2003, based on the recommendation of the Naresh Chandra Committee on corporate governance.
• Statement 2 is not correct, SFIO does not have the mandate under the provisions of the Companies Act to suo-motu investigate the matter raised.
  • SFIO starts an investigation only after receiving an order from the Union government which means that it cannot take up cases on its own.
• Statement 3 is correct, SFIO falls under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Corporate Affairs.

• Statement 1 is correct, India is a founding member of the Asian Development Bank.
• Statement 2 is not correct, ADB was established in the year 1966, with head office in Manila and is modelled on the lines of the World Bank.
• Statement 3 is correct, The Asian Development Outlook is an annual publication released by the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

• Statement 1 is correct, A Bharatnatyam performance ends with a tillana which has its roots in the tarana of Hindustani music.
• Statement 2 is not correct, To show the dexterity of the dancers in footwork and their control and balance over their bodies, techniques like dancing on the rim of a brass plate and with a pitcher full of water on the head were introduced in Kuchipudi.
• Statement 3 is correct, The vocalist is called the Nattuvanar, usually, he is also the conductor of the entire performance.

• Statement 1 is correct, Tungabhadra River is the main and largest tributary of Krishna and is formed by the Tunga and Bhadra rivers.
• Statement 2 is correct, The Almatti Dam also known as Lal Bahadur Shastri Dam is a hydroelectric project on the Krishna River in North Karnataka.
• Statement 3 is correct, Krishna River is the third-longest river in India in terms of length after Ganga and Godavari.
• Statement 4 is correct, Musi is a left bank tributary of Krishna along with Bhima, Paleru and Munneru.
  • Right bank tributaries include Venna, Koyna, Ghataprabha, Malaprabha and Tungabhadra.

• Statement 1 is not correct, The Arbor Day Foundation, in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations, declared Hyderabad as the “Tree City of the World” in 2020.
  • Mumbai has been declared as the “Tree City of the World 2021”.
• Statement 2 is correct, Hyderabad is selected for this recognition for its commitment to grow and maintain urban forestry.

• Statement 1 is not correct, International Booker Prize is presented by Booker Prize Foundation.
• Statement 2 is correct, Since 2016 it is awarded annually for a single book, written in another language and translated into English and published in the United Kingdom or Ireland.

• Broad-based Trade and Investment Agreement (BTIA) is the trade negotiation between India and the European Union.
• The BTIA is a broad trade arrangement that covers many factors of trade in goods, services, and investment.

• Statement 1 is correct, AKRUTI or Advanced Knowledge and RUral Technology programme is offered by the  Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC).
• Statement 2 is correct, It offers Non-Power Applications (NPAs) and Spin-off technologies in the area of water, agriculture, food processing and agri-land improvement through urban and rural waste management, that in turn helps people from the rural region become entrepreneurs.

• Bomdi-La Pass – connects Arunachal Pradesh with Lhasa, the capital city of Tibet.
• Diphu Pass – connects Arunachal Pradesh with Mandalay in Myanmar.
• Pangsau Pass – connects Arunachal Pradesh with Myanmar.
• Sela Pass – connects Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh to Dirang and Guwahati.

• Lichens and mosses are found almost everywhere, like on rocks, ground, etc. and thus most commonly visible.
• Hence option c is correct.

• Statement 1 is correct,  Nano urea has been developed indigenously by IFFCO (Indian Farmers Fertilizer Cooperative Limited) and will be the world’s first Nano Urea Liquid approved for usage by farmers.
• Statement 2 is not correct,  Nano Urea comes in the form of Liquid and is sprayed on leaves, which then enters through stomata and other openings and is assimilated by the plant cells.
• Statement 3 is not correct, Nano fertilizers are currently made from ammonium humate, ammonia, urea, peat, plant wastes, and other synthetic fertilizers.

• “Inquilab Zindabad” translated as “Long Live Revolution” was coined by Moulana Hasrat Mohani in the year 1921.
• It was one of the most famous slogans during the Indian freedom struggle.
• Bhagat Singh and his associate B.K. Dutt raised this popular slogan after bombing the Central legislative Assembly Delhi in April 1929.

Image Source: Encyclopedia Britannica

• Statement 1 is not correct,  V.D. Savarkar served as the President of Hindu Mahasabha from 1937 to 1943 and he founded the Abhinav Bharat Society along with his brother Ganesh Damodar Savarkar in 1904.
  • India House in London was founded by Shyamji Krishna Varma
• Statement 2 is correct, V.D. Savarkar authored the book “The History of the War of Indian Independence”  which described the Indian Revolt of 1857.

Burning of crop/biomass residue emit gases such as sulphur dioxide (SO2), oxides of nitrogen (NOx), carbon dioxide (CO2), carbon monoxide (CO), black carbon (BC), organic carbon (OC), methane (CH4), volatile organic compounds (VOC), non-methane hydrocarbons (NMHCs), ozone (O3), aerosols, etc.