UPSC 2021: Weekly GK and Current Affairs Quiz Jun 12 - Jun 18

Both are correct. Read more on sea snots in the link.

Only 1 and 2 are correct. IMO is headquartered in London.

1 only is correct. Mission Solar Charkha is under the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME).

SDG 4 is related to quality education while SDG 5 is related to gender equality. Read more on SDGs here.

Both are correct. Read more on the Paris Agreement.

1, 2 and 3 only are published by the WEF. The Global Financial Stability Report is released by the IMF.

1 and 2 only are correct. Read more on the IAEA.

Both are correct.

Both are correct. Read more on the Simon Commission.

2 only is correct. The Act increased the provinces’ autonomy. Read more on the Govt of India Act, 1935.

1, 2, 3 and 4 only are correct. Russia is not a member. The other members are Japan, France and the UK.

2 and 3 only are correct. The gaur, Bos gaurus, also called the Indian bison, is one of the largest extant bovines. It is native to South and Southeast Asia. In Malaysia, it is called seladang, and pyaung in Myanmar. It is also found in Nepal and Bhutan. It is categorized as vulnerable in the IUCN Red List of threatened species, 2009 and listed in Schedule-1 of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. The global population has been estimated at a maximum of 21,000 mature individuals by 2016. It declined by more than 70% during the last three generations, and is extinct in Sri Lanka and probably also in Bangladesh. The domesticated form of the gaur is called gayal (Bos frontalis) or Mithun.

Both statements are incorrect. The Hague-based International Criminal Court (ICC) has been set up to prosecute war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity. It was established in 2002. It has jurisdiction only if a member state (those who accede to the Rome Statute) is unable or unwilling to prosecute atrocities itself. The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court is the treaty that established the International Criminal Court.

Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) set up, owned and operated by non-bank entities are called “White Label ATMs” (WLAs). Brown Label ATMs are ATMs where the banks have outsourced the ATM operations to a third party. These ATMs are owned and maintained by service providers whereas a sponsor bank whose brand is used on ATM takes care of cash management and network connectivity.

All six options are correct. The Doppler Effect also called the Doppler shift refers to the change in the wavelength or in the frequency of a wave for a viewer who is walking relative to the source of the wave. A Doppler radar uses the Doppler Effect to produce velocity data about objects at a distance. It does this by bouncing a microwave signal off a desired target and analyzing how the object’s motion has altered the frequency of the returned signal. Doppler Effect has numerous applications.

Phishing is the fraudulent attempt to obtain sensitive information such as usernames, passwords and credit card details by disguising oneself as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication.

The Bhojtal lake is located in Madhya Pradesh. For more information on lakes in India refer to Important Lakes in India.

Statement 2 is incorrect. The Teesta River flows through the states of Sikkim and West Bengal, then through Bangladesh and enters the Bay of Bengal.

1 and 2 only are correct. India is not a signatory to the Convention on Cluster Munitions. Read more on cluster munitions or cluster bombs.

Rivers Godavari, Krishna and Kaveri originate in the Western Ghats. River Mahanadi rises from a place near Sihawa in Bastar hills in the state of Chhattisgarh. Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna, Kaveri are all East flowing rivers.

All the statements are correct.

Statement 1 is incorrect. Read more about the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).

1 and 3 only are correct. RBI carries out the Open Market Operations through commercial banks and does not directly deal with the public. The objective of OMO is to regulate the money supply in the economy. When the central bank wants to infuse liquidity into the monetary system, it will buy government securities in the open market. It sells government securities to suck out liquidity from the system. REPOs are typically used to raise short-term capital. They are also a common tool of central bank open market operations.

All the statements are incorrect. Under Article 324(2) of the Constitution of India, the President of India (on the recommendation from the incumbent Government of India) is empowered to appoint the Chief Election Commissioner and the Election Commissioners. The Chief Election Commissioner can be removed from his office in the same manner and on the same grounds as a judge of the Supreme Court. However, the Constitution is silent about the procedure for removal of the two Election Commissioners. It only provides that they cannot be removed from office except on the recommendation of the CEC. An Election Commissioner, after his/her term is over, can become a member of the Rajya Sabha.

1 and 3 only are correct. Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are a group of developing countries that are small island countries that tend to share similar sustainable development challenges. Fifty-two countries and territories are presently classified as Small Island Developing States (SIDS) by the United Nations OHRLLS. The SIDS were recognized as a distinct group of developing countries in June 1992, at the UN Conference on Environment and Development. The Barbados Programme of Action was produced in 1994 in order to assist the SIDS in their sustainable development efforts. The United Nations Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States (UN-OHRLLS) represents this group of states. The 29th session of the World Heritage Committee in 2005 adopted the World Heritage Programme for SIDS and they have since become a point of focus for World Heritage identification and protection. Trinidad and Tobago, Maldives, Singapore and Bahrain are some of the members of the SIDS.

The operation codenamed “Operation Pangea XIV” was an exercise coordinated by Interpol for a global crackdown on illegal medical trade.

1, 2 and 3 are correct. The Attorney General of India can take part in the proceedings of the Lok Sabha. He/she can be a member of a committee of the Lok Sabha. He/she can speak in the Lok Sabha. The Attorney General of India has the right to speak and to take part in the proceedings of both the Houses of Parliament or their joint sitting and any committee of the Parliament of which s/he may be named a member but without a right to vote.

Both are incorrect. According to the Juvenile Justice Act 2015, juveniles charged with heinous crimes and who are between the ages of 16-18 years would be tried as adults and processed through the adult justice system. Juvenile justice procedure has categorized the offence into 3 types, petty, serious and heinous. “Heinous Offences” include the offences for which the minimum punishment under the Indian Penal Code or any other law for the time being in force is imprisonment for seven years or more.

1 and 6 only are not members. The Lancang-Mekong Cooperation mechanism (LMC) was formally launched in March 2016. It is an initiative of China, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam. India and Bangladesh are not a part of the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation.

The carbon credit system was ratified in conjunction with the Kyoto Protocol. Carbon credits are awarded to countries or groups that have reduced greenhouse gases below their emission quota. The goal of the carbon credit system is to limit the increase of carbon dioxide emission. Carbon credit prices are traded on an exchange. So, their prices are never fixed.