UPSC 2024: Weekly GK and Current Affairs Quiz Jun 08 - Jun 14

• Statement 01 is incorrect, Elephants are found in African savannas but not in the temperate grasslands of the United States. In contrast, burrowing animals, such as prairie dogs, are commonly found in temperate grasslands.
• Statement 02 is correct, Savannas maintain an open canopy despite a high tree density. In many savannas, tree densities are higher and trees are more regularly spaced than in forests.
• Statement 03 is correct,  Savannas are characterised by seasonal water availability, with the majority of rainfall confined to one season; they are associated with several types of biomes, and are frequently in a transitional zone between forest and desert or grassland.

• Karzok is a village in the Leh district of Ladakh. It is located close to the shores of the Tso Moriri lake.
• La Rinconada is a town in the Peruvian Andes near a gold mine. At up to 5,100 m (16,700 ft) above sea level, it is the highest permanent settlement in the world.

• Statement 01 is correct, The Abhinaya Darpana by Nandikesvara is one of the main sources of textual material, for the study of the technique and grammar of body movement in Bharatnatyam Dance. There is also a great deal of visual evidence of this dance form in paintings and stone and metal sculptures of ancient times.
• Statement 02 is correct, Bharatanatyam dance is known to be ekaharya, where one dancer takes on many roles in a single performance.
  • In the early 19th century, the famous Tanjore Quartette, under the patronage of Raja Serfoji are said to have been responsible for the repertoire of Bharatnatyam dance as we see it today.
  • The style was kept alive by the devadasis, who were young girls ‘gifted’ by their parents to the temples and who were married to the gods.
• Statement 03 is incorrect, The first dance item is the alarippu, literally meaning – to adorn with flowers. It is an abstract piece combining pure dance with the recitation of sound syllables.

IQAir, a Swiss air quality technology company, prepares the annual world air quality reports based on data from monitoring stations operated by governments and other institutions and organisations across the world. The 2022 report is based on PM2. 5 data from 7,323 cities and 131 countries.

A decrease in bank rate will make borrowing from RBI cheap which will eventually lead to an increase in the money supply in the market i.e. higher liquidity.

• The PM Street Vendor’s AtmaNirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi) was launched and fully funded by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
• Vendors will be provided with an initial working capital of up to Rs. 50000, which is repayable in monthly instalments in the tenure of one year.
• It is a central sector scheme and Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) will be the implementation partner.

• Most of the rivers of Rajasthan have their origin from Aravali like Luni, and its tributary and Banas and many others but some rivers have another origin like Chambal originate from Mahu MP and Ghaghar originates from Himalaya.
• Aravallis lie parallel to the path of the Arabian Sea Branch of the southwest monsoons , thereby causing no orographic rainfall.

The Philippines is the first foreign country to place an order for the purchase of the BrahMos Shore-Based cruise Missile System for its navy.

Norman Borlaug is known as the “Father of Green Revolution” in the world. M.S. Swaminathan is known as the “Father of the Green Revolution” in India. Read more on Green Revolution.

Usha Mehta (25 March 1920 – 11 August 2000) was a Gandhian and freedom fighter of India. She is also remembered for organising the Congress Radio, also called the Secret Congress Radio, an underground radio station, which functioned for a few months during the Quit India Movement of 1942.

• Exercise Ekuverin: India and Maldives
• Khaan Quest: Annual military exercise in Mongolia
• Lamitye: India-Seychelles joint military exercise
• Dustlik: India and Uzbekistan

• Statement 1 is correct: The Indo-Nepal Treaty of Friendship was signed in 1950.
• Statement 2 is correct: Motihari-Amlekhganj petroleum product pipeline exists between the two countries.
• Statement 3 is correct: The Pancheshwar Multipurpose Project, an important arm of the Mahakali Treaty was signed between Nepal and India in 1996.

“One Future Alliance” is related to Digital Public Infrastructure. It would allow like-minded nations to use technology to improve people’s lives.

• Statement 1 is correct: Svalbard is the world’s northernmost inhabited land.
• Statement 2 is not correct: Svalbard is a part of Norway.
• Statement 3 is correct: ISRO, in 1997 was instrumental in operationalizing a new rocket launching range there.

• Mites, scorpions, and spiders are Arachnids while crabs are Crustaceans.

• Statement 1 is correct: The National Disaster Mitigation Fund is covered under the Disaster Management Act (2005).
• Statement 2 is correct: It was established for the first time in 2021.
• Statement 3 is not correct: State Disaster Mitigation Funds are established with contributions from both the centre and states.

• Ravanachhaya: Odisha
• Putul Nach: West Bengal
• Tholu Bommalata: Andhra Pradesh
• Kathputli: Rajasthan

• Statement 1 is not correct: USA left UNESCO for the first time in 1984. It rejoined in 2003.
• Statement 2 is not correct: UNESCO is mainly financed by the compulsory contributions of its Member States. Currently, Japan is the largest donor to UNESCO.

Mayon Volcano is an active volcano in southeastern Luzon, Philippines.

• Statement 1 is correct: Green Climate Fund aims to assist developing countries in adaptation and mitigation practices to counter climate change.​
• Statement 2 is not correct: The Green Climate Fund was established in 2010 as a part of the UNFCCC’s financial framework to channel funds from richer nations to developing countries in order to help them reduce climate change and adapt to its effects.

• The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has used fly ash — the fine residue of coal combustion in thermal power plants for the construction of highways and flyover embankments. The 135-km long, six-lane Eastern Peripheral Expressway used 1.2 crore cubic meters of fly ash in its construction.
• NHAI has been encouraging the innovative use of new materials and is focused on reducing the carbon footprint, enhancing durability and making construction more economical.

• Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm Phailin was the most intense tropical cyclone to make landfall in India since the 1999 Odisha cyclone until Cyclone Amphan hit West Bengal in May 2020.
• It made landfall in the Bay of Bengal Coast, Odisha.

Read more on Cyclones.

The Migration and Development Brief is published by the World Bank.

• Statement 03 is correct, As per the data from EU’s statistical agency, Eurostat, the eurozone has entered a technical recession, with a contraction of 0.1 percent for two consecutive quarters. The eurozone consists of 20 countries that use the euro as their currency.
• Statement 01 is incorrect, When the economy faces a downfall for two consecutive quarters and this results in the decreased GDP of the country, it is said to be in a state of recession.
• Statement 02 is incorrect, A depression is a severe and prolonged downturn in economic activity. A depression may be defined as an extreme recession that lasts three or more years or which leads to a decline in real gross domestic product (GDP) of at least 10% in a given year.

• Statement 01 is correct, Under Article 85 of the Indian Constitution, the President shall from time to time summon each House of Parliament to meet at such time and place as he thinks fit, but six months shall not intervene between its last sitting in one session and the date appointed for its first sitting in the next session.
• Statement 02 is incorrect, India does not have a fixed parliamentary calendar. By convention (i.e. not provided by the Constitution), Parliament meets for three sessions in a year.
• Statement 03 is correct,  The Constitution does not specify when or for how many days Parliament should meet. Article 85 only requires that there should not be a gap of more than six months between two sessions of Parliament.

Read more on Sessions of the Indian Parliament.

• Raja Parba is a three-day-long festival that usually takes place in mid-June, marking the onset of the monsoon season.
• It is primarily celebrated by women and is dedicated to the celebration of fertility, womanhood, and the agricultural significance of the monsoon rains.
• The festival is associated with rituals and traditions that symbolise the menstrual cycle of a woman and her connection to the earth’s fertility.
  • During Raja Parba, women refrain from doing household chores and agricultural work as a mark of respect to the earth, which is considered to be menstruating during this time.
• One of the main attractions of Raja Parba is the swing festival, known as “Pahili Raja,” where girls and women enjoy swinging on specially decorated swings tied to trees.
• Raja Parba reflects the cultural heritage and agrarian traditions of Odisha. It showcases the deep connection between the people and the land, emphasising the importance of sustainable agriculture and the role of women in nurturing the agricultural cycle.

• The overarching goal of the Paris Agreement is to hold “the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels (1850-1900) ” and pursue efforts “to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.

• North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is a collective security system: its independent member states agree to defend each other against attacks by third parties. During the Cold War, NATO operated as a check on the threat posed by the Soviet Union.
• At present, NATO has 31 member countries. These countries, called NATO Allies, are sovereign states that come together through NATO to discuss political and security issues and make collective decisions by consensus. NATO was created by 12 countries from Europe and North America on 4 April 1949.
• Finland became NATO’s newest member today (4 April 2023), upon depositing its instrument of accession to the North Atlantic Treaty with the United States at NATO Headquarters in Brussels.

• Statement 01 is incorrect, When the Fed raises interest rates, it makes investments in the United States more attractive to global investors. As a result, capital may flow out of emerging markets like India and into the US. This could lead to a decrease in foreign investment and put downward pressure on the Indian rupee.
  • In response to a rate hike, investors may reallocate their portfolios to favour US assets, such as US government bonds. This can reduce the demand for Indian government bonds and push up yields, making borrowing costs higher for the Indian government.
• Statement 02 is correct,  If capital outflows occur, it can lead to a depreciation of the Indian rupee against the US dollar. A weaker rupee can make imports more expensive, potentially fueling inflationary pressures and increasing the cost of servicing foreign debt.
• Statement 03 is correct, Global investors often reassess their investment strategies in response to changes in interest rates. If a rate hike in the US leads to a decline in foreign investor sentiment, it may negatively impact the Indian stock market.

• The Baudhayanasūtras are a group of Vedic Sanskrit texts which cover dharma, daily rituals, mathematics, etc. They belong to the Taittiriya branch of the Krishna Yajurveda School and are among the earliest texts of the sutra genre, perhaps compiled in the 8th to 7th centuries BCE.
• The BaudhāyanaŚulbasûtra is noted for containing several early mathematical results, including an approximation of the square root of 2 and the statement of a version of the Pythagorean Theorem.