UPSC 2020: Weekly GK and Current Affairs Quiz Dec 26 - Jan 01

With reference to National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), which of the following statement/s is/are correct?

1. It is an organization that assesses and accredits higher education institutions (HEIs) in India.
2. It is an autonomous body funded by the Department of Science and Technology and headquartered in Bangalore.

Options:

Portulaca laljii recently seen in news is

“Operation Barkhane” was in the news. What is this Operation?

Consider the following statements:

1. Asian spices such as turmeric and fruits like the banana had reached the Mediterranean more than 3000 years ago.
2. The Bronze Age is the third principal period of the three-age system.

Which of the above statement/s is/are correct?

Which of the following are the advantages of Nanomicelles?

1. Small Size
2. Structural Stability
3. Less Toxicity
4. Ability to entrap large amounts of hydrophobic drugs/contrast agent and solubilize in water

Options:

Among the following Tiger Reserves, which one has the largest area under “Critical Tiger Habitat”?

Which of the following statements is/are correct?

1. Satkosia Wildlife Sanctuary is located in Telangana.
2. It is located where the Mahanadi River passes through a gorge in the Eastern Ghats mountains.
3. It is also a tiger reserve.

Options:

Identify the root cause that gave birth to insurgency in Tripura.

Which of the following statements are correct?

1. Protochlorophyllide found in young plants is an intermediate in the biosynthesis of the green pigment chlorophyll.
2. Young plants make a precursor of chlorophyll called ‘Protochlorophyllide’ in order to facilitate the quick synthesis of chlorophyll.

Options:

Which of the following statements are correct?

1. Indian Space Science Data Center is the primary data centre for the payload data archives of Indian Space Science Missions.
2. It is responsible for the processing, archiving, and disseminating the payload data and related data for space science missions like Chandrayaan, Mars Orbiter Mission, Astrosat, etc.
3. The public release of data archived at the centre is prepared in the standard, globally followed Planetary Data System 4 (PDS4) format.

Options:

Which of the following statements are correct?

1. India has signed an Inter-Governmental Agreement with Russia to procure 200 Ka-226T helicopters.
2. It is a twin-engine attack helicopter for the Indian Army and IAF.

Options:

What is ‘e-Sampada’ initiative that was recently launched by the government of India?

Which of the following non-OPEC countries are members of OPEC+ cartel?

1. Russia
2. USA
3. Azerbaijan
4. Bahrain

Options:

Which one of the following is not a sub-index of the World Bank’s ‘Ease of Doing Business Index’?

Consider the following statements:

1. It is a breach of privilege and contempt of the House to make speeches or to print or publish libel reflecting on the character or proceedings of the House or its Committees or on any member of the House for or relating to his character or conduct as a legislator.
2. The Parliament has the power to punish members, irrespective of whether the offence is committed within the House or beyond its walls.

Which of the above statement/s is/are correct?

Which of the following statement/s about Visva-Bharati University is/are correct?

1. It was founded by the first Indian Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore in 1921 and is located in Santiniketan, West Bengal.
2. The President of India is the Chancellor of the University.

Options:

With reference to National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT), which of the following statement/s is/are correct?

1. NCLAT is the Appellate Tribunal to hear and dispose of appeals against any direction issued or decision made or order passed by the Competition Commission of India (CCI)
2. NCLAT decisions are binding on the parties.

Options:

Which of the following statements are correct regarding the general difference between plant cells and animal cells?

1. Plant cells have cellulose cell walls whilst animal cells do not.
2. Plant cells do not have plasma membrane unlike animals cells which do
3. A mature plant cell has one large vacuole whilst an animal cell has many small vacuoles.

Select the correct answer using the given code below-

Consider the following statements about Jallikattu:

1. It is a bull-taming sport played in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.
2. It finds a mention in Sangam literature.

Which of the above statement/s is/are correct?

Arrange the following from west to east:

1. Barents Sea
2. Kara Sea
3. Laptev Sea
4. Chukchi Sea

Options:

Which of the following are correctly matched?

National Park                          State

1. Nagarahole National Park      Karnataka
2. Gugamal National Park          Maharashtra
3. Balpakram National Park      Meghalaya

Options:

With reference to Medium-Range Surface-to-Air Missile (MRSAM) tested recently, which of the following statement/s is/are correct?

1. The DRDO has jointly developed the missile in collaboration with Russia Aerospace Industries.
2. The missile targeted an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Banshee, a British drone.

Options:

In India, the term “Public Key Infrastructure” is used in the context of?

Bund Summit convened in 2020 was about

With reference to Sangeet Natak Akademi (SNA), which of the following statement/s is/are correct?

1. It is the first National Academy of the arts set-up by the Republic of India.
2. The Sangeet Natak Akademi is presently an Autonomous Body of the Ministry of Culture, and is fully funded by the Government for implementation of its schemes and programmes.

Options:

Which of the following statement/s is/are correct with respect to Manipuri?

1. Manipuri dance form has limited use of mudras.
2. Manipuri dance artists wear anklet bells but the footwork is subdued and gentle.

Options:

Consider the following statements:

1. Mount Damavand is a stratovolcano which is the highest peak in Iran, the highest volcano in Asia and is part of the Volcanic Seven Summits.
2. Urmia is the longest river in Iran.

Which of the above statement/s is/are correct?

Which of the following are the reasons/factors for exposure to benzene pollution?

1. Automobile exhaust
2. Tobacco smoke
3. Wood burning
4. Using varnished wooden furniture
5. Using products made of polyurethane

Select the correct answer using the given code below-

Which of the following is/are correct about Pallava society in ancient India?

1. The Pallava kings were Buddhists.
2. Sanskrit was the chief language among the royals and the scholars.

Options:

Which of the following temples and their empires (of construction) is/are correctly matched?

1. Shore Temple, Mahabalipuram – Pallava
2. Kanchi Kailasanathar Temple, Kanchipuram – Chola
3. Vijaya Vittala Temple, Hampi – Vijayanagara