UPSC 2021: Weekly GK and Current Affairs Quiz Dec 04 - Dec 10

Only 1 is correct. Ammonia is used in making urea. Ammonia reacts with carbon dioxide to produce urea. Urea is always manufactured close to an ammonia plant. Spraying urea with neem oil has a few agronomic and environmental benefits. Neem has proven nitrification inhibition properties. This way it slows down the process of nitrogen release from urea (by about 10 to 15 percent). Thus it reduces the consumption of the fertilizer.

Statement 3 is incorrect.

• The Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) is an index of the prevailing direction of economic trends in the manufacturing sector.
• The headline PMI is a number from 0 to 100.
  • A PMI above 50 represents an expansion when compared with the previous month.
  • A PMI reading under 50 represents a contraction, and a reading at 50 indicates no change.

Only statement 3 is correct. Uzbekistan joined the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) as a permanent member at the Shanghai summit in 2001. India and Pakistan became permanent members of SCO in the Astana summit of 2017. It is headquartered in Beijing, China. The organization has two permanent bodies — First is the Executive Committee of the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) based in Tashkent and the second is the SCO Secretariat based in Beijing.

2 and 3 only are correct. Torrefaction is a thermal process used to produce high-grade solid biofuels from various streams of woody biomass or agro residues. The end product is a stable, homogeneous, high quality solid biofuel with far greater energy density and calorific value than the original feedstock. It has better fuel characteristics than the original biomass. Torrefaction involves heating the biomass to temperatures between 250 and 300 degrees Celsius in a low-oxygen atmosphere. This changes the elements of the biomass into ‘coal-like’ pellets. These pellets can be used for combustion along with coal for industrial applications like steel and cement production.

Statements 2 and 3 are incorrect.

• Interpol is a global police co-operation agency and a non-governmental organization (NGO). It was established as the International Criminal Police Commission (ICPC) in 1923.
• Its headquarters is located at Lyon, France. Interpol Purple Notice is issued to provide information on modus operandi, procedures, objects, devices, or hiding places used by criminals.
• Orange notice is issued to warn of an event, a person, an object or a process representing an imminent threat and danger to persons or property.

Statement 1 is incorrect. The governor cannot pardon the death sentence and the punishment by court-martial. Governor cannot pardon the death sentence even if the said sentence has been prescribed under the state law. However, he can suspend, remit or commute the death sentence by using these pardoning powers.

All the statements are correct.

Both statements are correct. NETRA (short for Network Traffic Analysis), is being developed by the Center for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (CAIR), a unit of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). It is a real-time network surveillance tool.

Iran’s nuclear program is made up of a number of nuclear facilities, including nuclear reactors and various nuclear fuel cycle facilities. Natanz and Fordow nuclear facilities are among those.

Both statements are correct. RT-PCR (reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction) is a nuclear-derived method for detecting the presence of specific genetic material from any pathogen, including a virus. RT-PCR is a laboratory technique combining reverse transcription of RNA into DNA and amplification of specific DNA targets using polymerase chain reaction.

Only 1 and 3 are correct.

• GST Law does not define Actionable Claim separately under the Act. The definition for an actionable claim is taken as the one defined in Section 3 of the Transfer of Property Act.
• The definition of goods under the GST Act includes actionable claim.
• The Supreme Court has held that lottery, gambling and betting are taxable under the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Act.
• It asserted that lottery, gambling and betting were actionable claims and came within the definition of ‘goods’ under Section 2(52) of the Central Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017.
• The term actionable claim is every kind of claim in a movable property which would be enforced through the courts.
• Actionable Claim relating to lottery, betting and gambling alone will be regarded as ‘Goods’ since the definition of goods under Section 2(52) includes actionable claim.
• Therefore, only lottery, betting and gambling shall be treated as supplies under the GST regime.

• Poseidon P-8I aircraft is a maritime reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare aircraft from the US.
• The P-8I, based on the Boeing next-generation 737 commercial airplane, is a variant of the P-8A Poseidon used by the US Navy. India was Boeing’s first international customer for this aircraft.
• The first P-8I aircraft was inducted into the Indian Navy in 2013.
• The P-8Is were deployed to carry out surveillance on the movement of Chinese troops in eastern Ladakh in the last few months.
• The reconnaissance aircraft was deployed in Doklam along the Sikkim border too during the 73-day standoff between Indian and Chinese troops in 2017.
• The P-8Is were also deployed to keep an eye on the movement of Pakistani troops after the Pulwama terror attack.

None of the statements is incorrect.

• Under the National Air Quality Index, the measurement of air quality is based on eight pollutants, namely: Particulate Matter (PM10), Particulate Matter (PM2.5), Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2), Sulphur Dioxide (SO2), Carbon Monoxide (CO), Ozone (O3), Ammonia (NH3), and Lead (Pb).
• AQI has six categories of air quality. These are: Good, Satisfactory, Moderately Polluted, Poor, Very Poor and Severe.
• In 2014, IIT Kanpur and the Expert Group recommended an AQI scheme.

Only 3 is incorrect.

• The Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution consists of provisions for the administration of tribal areas according to Article 244 of the Indian Constitution.
• The Schedule currently includes 10 autonomous district councils (ADCs) in 4 northeastern States.
• It deals with the administration of the tribal areas in the four northeastern states of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram.

2 only is correct.

• The HL-2M Tokamak reactor is China’s largest and most advanced nuclear fusion experimental research device.
• It is located in Sichuan province.
• It uses a powerful magnetic field to fuse hot plasma and can reach temperatures of over 150 million degrees Celsius (approximately ten times hotter than the core of the sun).
• It is often called an “artificial sun” on account of the enormous heat and power it produces.

All four are correct.

• Technical Textiles are defined as textile materials and products manufactured primarily for their technical performance and functional properties rather than aesthetic and decorative characteristics.
• Application of technical textiles includes textiles for automotive applications, medical textiles (e.g., implants), geotextiles (geosynthetic reinforcement of embankments), agro-textiles (textiles for crop protection), and protective clothing (e.g., heat and radiation protection for fire fighter clothing, molten metal protection for welders, stab protection and bulletproof vests, and spacesuits).

Both are incorrect. Habitat – Dry scrublands and grasslands. They are listed as ‘critically endangered’.

The Dandeli-Anshi Tiger Reserve belongs to the Western Ghats in the Uttara Kannada district, Karnataka. The undulating streams, bamboo, diverse wildlife and innumerable trekking trails make it a dream destination. The Kali river and its tributaries, Kaneri and Nagajhari, flow through this forest. The Tiger Reserve comprises of two Protected Areas viz., Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary (475.018 sq. km.) and Anshi National Park (339.866 sq. km.) that are contiguous to each other.

Only statement 1 is correct. It is a 6 member body functioning under the chairmanship of the RBI Governor.

China and Thailand

1 and 2 only are correct.

• MiG-29K: Russia
• Rafale: France
• Mirage 2000: France
• Boeing 737: United States

Both are incorrect. Bannerghatta National Park is located in Bengaluru, Karnataka.

The iconic stone chariot in Hampi is situated in front of the Vijaya Vittala Temple at the Vijaya Vittala Temple Complex. The famous Stone Chariot is a shrine built like a chariot. The Vittala temple is built in the Dravidian style of architecture.

Statements 2 and 3 only are correct.

• The DRI is the apex anti-smuggling agency of India, working under the Central Board of Indirect Taxes & Customs, Ministry of Finance, Government of India.
• The DRI has also been designated as the lead agency for Anti-Smuggling National Coordination Centre (SCord).
• The Directorate is run by officers from the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC).

Statement 3 is incorrect.

• Lakshadweep is the first Union Territory to be declared a 100% organic agricultural area.
• Under the union government’s ‘One District One Product’ programme of food processing, the entire island is being considered as a single district.
• Coconut Oil has been identified as the product under the ‘One District One Product’ programme of food processing.

All the statements are correct.

All the statements are correct.

All the statements are correct.

All three are correct. National Highway 44 (NH 44) is the longest-running major north-south National Highway in India. It passes through the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, in addition to the states of Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu. Uttar Pradesh has the longest network of National Highways in India.

2-4-3-1

Read more on the Doctrine of Lapse in the link.