UPSC 2022: Weekly GK and Current Affairs Quiz Feb 05 - Feb 11

• The Lokpal has jurisdiction over the central government to inquire into allegations of corruption against its public functionaries and for matters connected to corruption.
• Lokpal consists of a chairperson and a maximum of eight members, 50% of whom are judicial members, who are or have been Judges of the Supreme Court or Chief Justices of a High Court. The other half being non-judicial members are people of impeccable integrity and outstanding ability having special knowledge and expertise of not less than twenty-five years in matters relating to anti-corruption policy, public administration, vigilance, finance including insurance and banking, law and management.
• 50% of the members of Lokpal shall be SC/ST/OBCs, minorities and women.
• Selection of chairperson and members of Lokpal would be through a selection committee consisting of PM, Speaker of Lok Sabha, leader of opposition in Lok Sabha, Chief Justice of India or a sitting Supreme Court judge nominated by CJI.

• Carotene is an orange or red plant pigment found in carrots and many other plant structures.
• Carotene is necessary for the production of vitamin A in the human body. Beta-carotene is a pigment needed to produce vitamin A.

• Avian Influenza (AI) is a highly contagious viral disease.
• Avian influenza is a viral infection that can infect not only birds but also humans and other animals.
• According to FAO, wild birds act as a natural reservoir of AI viruses. Their migratory movement could enable transmission of pathogens to poultry, waterfowl and other domestic birds through contact.

Shatoot dam is the second major dam being built by India in Afghanistan, after the India – Afghanistan Friendship Dam Salma Dam, which was inaugurated in June 2016.

• The World Sustainable Development Summit (WSDS) is the annual flagship event of The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI).
• Started in 2001, the Summit has become a focal point for leaders and stakeholders across the world to bridge thought and action for sustainable development.

• The first-ever aircraft carrier warship of India was INS Vikrant.
• It was decommissioned in 1997.
• INS Vikrant aircraft carrier was bought from the UK, it was first named HMS Hercules and renamed after its sale to India.

Mars Express is a space exploration mission being conducted by the European Space Agency.

All the statements are correct.

• The Unani system of medicine originated in Greece, however, its present form was saved by the Arabs.
• Unani medicine is also known as Unani Tibb, Arabian medicine, or Islamic medicine.
• It is a healing philosophy that takes from ancient Greek medicine. In Arab, Unani means ‘Greek.’
• It assumes the four main elements – Fire, Water, Air and Earth which corresponds to four humours – Phlegm, Black bile, Blood, and Yellow bile respectively.
• Unani was introduced in India by the Arabs and Persians.
• World Unani day is celebrated on 11^th February, the birth anniversary of great Unani scholar and social reformer Hakim Ajmal Khan (1868 – 1927). He was a Unani medical educationist and founder of scientific research in the Unani system of medicine.

• The National Coal Index (NCI) is a price index which reflects the change of price level of coal on a particular month relative to the fixed base year.
• NCI was rolled out by the Ministry of Coal in June 2020.
• The coal ministry has rolled out the National Coal Index to be used for the purpose of auction of coal mines for commercial mining on a revenue share basis.
• NCI is composed of a set of five sub-indices: three for Non-Coking Coal and two for Coking Coal.
• The three sub-indices for Non-Coking Coal are combined to arrive at the Index for Non-Coking Coal and the two sub-indices for Coking Coal are combined to arrive at the Index for Coking Coal.
• Thus, indices are separate for Non-coking and Coking Coal.

• Swadhar Greh Scheme was launched for Women in Difficult Circumstances. It was launched by the Department of Women and Child Development in 2001- 02. The scheme aims to rehabilitate such women in difficult circumstances by providing shelter, food, clothing, counseling, training, clinical and legal aid.
• Swadhar Greh Scheme envisages providing shelter, food, clothing and health as well as economic and social security for women in distress.
• Under this scheme, Swadhar Greh will be set up in every district with a capacity of 30 women.
• The scheme also envisages offering legal aid and guidance to these women for their readjustment in family/society.
• It also offers vocational training and economic rehabilitation so that they can start their life afresh with dignity.

• The Hindu Kush – Himalayan region spans across eight countries – Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Nepal, Myanmar and Pakistan.
• The region stores more snow and ice than anywhere else in the world outside the polar regions.
• The HKH region hosts four biodiversity hotspots – the Himalaya, the Indo-Burma, the mountains of southeast China and the mountains of Central Asia.

Different types of shadow puppet forms in India are:

• Tholu Bommalata – Andhra Pradesh
• Togalu Gombeyata – Karnataka
• Tolpavakoothu – Kerala
• Chamadyache Bahulya – Maharashtra
• Ravanachhaya – Odisha
• Thol Bommalattam – Tamil Nadu

• Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana – ‘Saubhagya’ scheme aims to achieve universal household electrification in all parts of the country.
• Under the scheme, free electricity connections to all households to both APL and poor families in rural areas and poor families in urban areas are provided.
• Rural Electrification Corporation (REC) has been designated as the nodal agency for the scheme.

• Even though the Supreme Court gave the Basic Structure Doctrine, the term has not been defined in the Indian Constitution.
• Understanding of the basic structure comes from various judgements of the Supreme Court.
• Both the statements are wrong.

• Kalaripayattu is a traditional martial art form originating from Kerala.
• The word Kalari first appears in Sangam literature to describe a battlefield and combat arena.
• Unlike other parts of India, warriors in Kerala belonged to all castes. Women in Keralite society also underwent training in Kalaripayattu, and still do so to this day.

• Nanophotonics or nano-optics is the study of the behaviour of light on the nanometer scale, and of the interaction of nanometer-scale objects with light.
• Small lasers have various desirable properties for optical communication including low threshold current (which helps power efficiency) and fast modulation (which means more data transmission). Small photodetectors tend to have a variety of desirable properties including low noise, high speed, and low voltage and power.
• Nanophotonics has immense potential in fields ranging from biochemistry to electrical engineering. Nanophotonics would make it possible to go beyond current electronics and build up circuits driven entirely by photons (light).
• With the right technology it would help achieve an unprecedented level of miniaturisation.

• The sequencing of the human genome holds benefits for many fields, from molecular medicine to human evolution.
• The Human Genome Project, through its sequencing of the DNA, can help us understand diseases including: genotyping of specific viruses to direct appropriate treatment; identification of mutations linked to different forms of cancer; the design of medication and more accurate prediction of their effects; advancement in forensic applied sciences;  bioarcheology, anthropology and evolution.
• Another proposed benefit is the commercial development of genomics research related to DNA based products, a multibillion-dollar industry.

• Malaria is caused by Plasmodium parasites. There are 5 parasite species that cause malaria in humans, and 2 of these species – P. falciparum and P. vivax – pose the greatest threat.
• The parasites are spread to people through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes, called “malaria vectors.” In most cases, malaria is transmitted through the bites of female Anopheles There are more than 400 different species of Anopheles mosquito; around 30 are malaria vectors of major importance. All of the important vector species bite between dusk and dawn.

• The Humboldt penguin is a South American penguin living mainly in the Humboldt National Reserve in the North of Chile, although its habitat comprises most of coastal Peru.
• In South America, the Humboldt penguin is found only along the Pacific coast. Humboldt penguins are medium-sized penguins. They nest on islands and rocky coasts.
• The Humboldt penguin is a top predator endemic to the west coast of South America.
• The Humboldt penguin’s breeding distribution ranges from southern Chile along the dry and arid coastal regions of the Atacama Desert to subtropical Isla Foca in north Peru. Its range is restricted to the coast and offshore islands affected by the Humboldt current, which provides a continuous supply of nutrients and food, thus supporting huge populations of seabirds.

• Mars’ Olympus Mons is the largest volcano in the solar system. It’s approximately 374 miles across, 16 miles tall, and has a 50-mile-wide crater at its summit.
• Martian year is longer than the Earth year. Mars revolves or orbits around the Sun once every 1.88 Earth years, or once every 686.93 Earth days.
• Phobos and Deimos are martian moons.

Karlapat Wildlife Sanctuary is a wildlife sanctuary located in Kalahandi district in Odisha.

• Only statement 1 is incorrect.
• The Pakistan Army is holding a month-long exercise in the Thar Desert, located in the Sindh province, to prepare for conflict in extreme desert environments. The exercise is code-named ‘Jidar-ul-Hadeed’.
• Aman-2021 is the multinational naval exercise hosted by Pakistan. As many as 45 countries, including the U.S., Russia, China and Turkey, are participating in the exercise.

• The Arctic Council was established by the Ottawa Declaration.
• The decisions, recommendations or guidelines of the Arctic Council are non-enforceable and strictly the prerogative of the individual state.
• Its mandate explicitly excludes military security.

• Giant Leatherback turtle is the largest of all living turtles.
• They are listed in Schedule I of India’s Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, according it the highest legal protection.
• The most long-ranging, Leatherbacks are found in all oceans except the Arctic and the Antarctic.
• It is the only living species in the genus Dermochelys and family Dermochelyidae.

• Bhashan Char Island is located in the Bay of Bengal.
• The Island was formed by Himalayan silt.
• Bangladesh has built a relocation camp for the Rohingyas at the Bhashan Char Islands.

Galathea Bay Wildlife Sanctuary is located in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

• The lake is not a Ramsar site yet.
• The lake is in the process of being identified under the Ramsar Convention as a wetland of international importance. This will be the first trans-boundary wetland in South Asia under the convention.
• The lake’s water, while crystal clear, is brackish, making it undrinkable.
• It is an endorheic lake spanning eastern Ladakh and West Tibet.
• The Karakoram Mountain range, which crosses Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, China and India, with heights of over 6,000 metres including K2, the world’s second-highest peak, ends at the north bank of Pangong Tso.

Both the statements are correct.

Nainativu, Delft or Neduntheevu, and Analaitivu are located in Palk Bay, some 50 km off Tamil Nadu.