UPSC Exam: Weekly GK and Current Affairs Quiz Dec 29 - Jan 04

Which of the following ancient Indian sage/sages made a substantial contribution to the Yogachara philosophical tradition?

1. Vasubandhu
2. Dinnaga
3. Dharmakirti
4. Nagarjuna

Answer as per the codes below:

Which of the following rulers were closely associated with the Yuezhi nomadic people?

Which of the following is/are correct about Buddhist canonical literature?

1. Abhidhamma Pitaka was compiled in the Third Buddhist Council.
2. Vinaya Pitaka primarily deals with monastic rules for monks and nuns.

The Jorwe culture of ancient India has been named after a site of the same name in which of the following Indian states?

The Bardoli Resolution of the Indian National Congress was passed after which of the following events?

Which of the following is/are correct regarding the Khilafat agitation?

1. It had brought urban Muslims into the nationalist movement.
2. It was inevitable that different sections of society would come to understand the need for freedom through their particular demands and experiences.
3. The Khilafat agitation represented much wider feelings of the Muslims than their concern for the Caliph.

Which of the following is/are correct regarding the Akbarnama?

1. It is Akbar’s biography commissioned by Akbar himself and written by Abul Fazl.
2. One of its volumes Ain-i-Akbari, contains a section ‘Account of the Hindu Sciences’.

Match the following organisations with their years of formation:

1. Muslim League                        A. 1915
2. Indian National Congress     B. 1906
3. Hindu Mahasabha                  C. 1923
4. Swaraj Party                            D. 1885

Which of the following is/are correct regarding the Ryotwari system of land revenue?

1. In this system, the peasants or cultivators were regarded as the owners of the land.
2. It was practiced in Madras and Bombay Presidencies, and also in Assam and Punjab provinces.

Which of the following was/were features of the Government of India 1935?

1. More provincial autonomy
2. Diarchy at the centre
3. Bicameral legislature
4. Direct elections for the first time giving voting rights to about 50% of the Indian population

Which of the following is/are correct?

1. Aadhaar card can be used as a proof of citizenship or domicile.
2. Once issued, Aadhaar number cannot be deactivated or omitted by the Issuing Authority.

Right to Privacy is protected as an intrinsic part of Right to Life and Personal Liberty. Which of the following in the Constitution of India correctly and appropriately imply the above statement?

Which of the following is/are correct?

1. No criminal proceedings shall be instituted against the Governor of a State any court during his term of office.
2. The emoluments and allowances of the Governor of a State shall not be diminished during his term of office.

The Supreme Court quashed section 66A of the IT act. It did so on which of the following basis?

1. The punishment prescribed was extreme.
2. Expressions in the section were vague.
3. It had no proximate relationship to public order.

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

Which of the following articles of the Constitution has/have a bearing on the rights of women?

1. Article 15
2. Article 42
3. Article 39
4. Article 123

With reference to regionalism, consider the following statements:

1. Regionalism is a disintegrating force unlike nationalism which is a unifying force.
2. Regionalism is not conducive with the idea of federalism.

Which of the above is/are correct?

In a democracy, civil services plays an important role in

1. Policy making
2. Policy implementation
3. Socio-economic development

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

The collegiums system of appointment of judges has been criticized on the basis that it leads to

1. Undue interference by executive.
2. Submissiveness of puisne judges.
3. Destruction of judicial independence

Apart from law making, Indian parliament also performs the function of

1. Providing representation
2. Constraining executive power
3. Providing legitimacy to government

Suppose the Lok Sabha has been adjourned by the speaker. Then which of the following would take place?

The South Asian Free Trade Agreement (SAFTA) has not been a success because of

1. Narrow export base of countries
2. Lack of bilateral free trade agreements
3. Political hurdles

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

Consider the following statements about NPT and CTBT:

1. India has neither signed NPT nor ratified it.
2. India has signed CTBT but not yet ratified it.

India has Kalapani and Susta territorial dispute with

Wassenar arrangement seeks to bring transparency in the export of

1. Conventional arms
2. Dual-use goods
3. Small arms and light weapons
4. Military aircraft

Under the Indus Water Treaty (IWT), India has been given the exclusive right over the rivers of

1. Chenab
2. Ravi
3. Beas
4. Indus
5. Sutlej
6. Jhelum

The term micro-finance includes

1. Small loans
2. Small deposits
3. Money transfer
4. Payment services

National treatment (NT) is an important policy of WTO. NT means

1. All countries must not discriminate between imported and domestic product.
2. WTO members must not discriminate between imported and domestic product.
3. Exported products of a WTO member state must not be discriminate by other members via-a-vis domestic products.

The Trade facilitation agreement (TFA) of the WTO says that farm subsidies cannot be more than 10 percent of the

Which of the following is/are used as an indicator in calculating Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI)?

1. Maternal mortality
2. Nutrition
3. Access to electricity
4. Access to telephone

Consider the following economy traits:

1. Prolonged increase in demand
2. Heating up of economy
3. Demand-supply lag

They are the characteristic feature of which phase of business/economy cycle?

Which of the following conditions is/are conducive for the formation of tropical cyclones?

1. Large and continuous supply of warm and moist air.
2. Large value of Coriolis force.
3. Inflow of air at upper level of atmosphere.

When cold front passes over an area then

1. Temperature decreases
2. Relative humidity increases
3. Sky becomes clear

The Arabian Sea branch of the monsoon is much more powerful than the Bay of Bengal branch because

Secondary circulation in atmosphere consists of

1. polar easterlies
2. temperate cyclones
3. mountain winds
4. monsoon
5. sea breezes

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

With reference to monsoons of eastern Asia and southern Asia, consider the following statements:

1. Winter monsoon in eastern Asia is stronger than summer monsoon while it is the opposite in southern Asia.
2. The burst of monsoon over southern Asia is associated with turbulent weather whereas that in east Asia is characterized by mild weather disturbances.

With reference to forest ecosystems, consider the following statements:

1. The number pyramid is neither inverted nor upward.
2. The biomass pyramid is inverted.

In ecological terms, what does the term “standing crop” signify?

Which among these would increase carbon dioxide in the atmosphere?

1. deforestation
2. burning of firewood
3. automobiles

Ozone depletion would impact the plant community in several ways. These include:

1. Increase in photosynthesis
2. Decline in water use efficiency
3. Decline in yield of plants

In which state is the Dudhwa National Park located?

Biodigester toilets are hailed as a solution to many of our problems. Which of the following about biodigester toilets is correct?

1. They use aerobic bacteria
2. They require no or very low maintenance
3. The use less water

Various vitamin deficiency causes different diseases. In this regard which of the following pairs are correctly matched?

1. niacin : cheliosis
2. thiamine : pellagra
3. retinol : xerophthalmia

With reference to the Buddhist Stupa and its features, which of the following statements is/are correct?

1. It comprises a hemispherical dome into which one can enter and worship Buddha’s relics.
2. Only at Nagarjunakonda one can find fully intact Buddhist Stupa south of Godavari River.

Which of the following is/are correct about the famous Rajarani Temple at Odisha?

1. It is located in Bhubaneswar and belongs to the 11th century.
2. It is also known as ‘Love Temple’ because of the many erotic carvings of women and couples in the temple.

Which of the following is/are correct regarding the Konark Sun Temple?

1. It is attributed to Narasimhadeva I (Narasinghadeva) of the Eastern Ganga Dynasty.
2. The temple’s Jagamohana only survives.

The National Food Security Mission (NFSM) aims to enhance the production of

1. rice
2. wheat
3. fruits
4. vegetables
5. pulses
   6. coarse cereals

Which of the following schemes has an impact on women empowerment?

1. ICDS
2. ASIDE
3. Swadhar
4. Ujjawala

With reference to Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Program (AIBP), consider the following statements:

1. AIBP aims to start many new minor irrigation projects.
2. Under AIBP, states are given loans for minor irrigation projects.

Which of the following is not a function of Protein?

With reference to fuel cells in which hydrogen-rich fuel and oxygen are used to generate electricity, which of the following statements is/are correct?

1. If pure hydrogen is used as a fuel, fuel cell emits heat and water as by products.
2. Fuel cells can be used for powering buildings and not for small devices like laptop computers.
3. Fuel cells produce electricity in the form of Alternating Current (AC).