UPSC 2023: Weekly GK and Current Affairs Quiz May 20 - May 26

• The Khasi rebellion occurred in 1833 in the land between the Khasi and Jaintia Hills, in protest of a planned British route across the area. The insurrection was led by Tirot Sing Syiem. The Khasis were defeated in this battle, and the British acquired control of the highlands.
• In 1831, the Kol tribesmen of Chhota Nagpur, who were upset over the exploitation by agents of the East India Company (EIC), rose in revolt against the EIC. The rebel Kols were under the leadership of Buddhu Bhagat, Joa Bhagat, Jhindrai Manki, Madara Mahato and others.
• On 30th June 1855, two years before the Great Revolt of 1857, two Santhal brothers Sidhu and Kanhu Murmu organized 10,000 Santhals and proclaimed a rebellion against the British. The tribals took an oath to drive the British away from their homeland.

• Ground-level ozone is a colourless and highly irritating gas that forms just above the earth’s surface. It is called a “secondary” pollutant because it is produced when two primary pollutants react in sunlight and stagnant air.
• Data from the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) indicates that ozone levels were well above the 8-hour standard of 100 µg/m3 and hourly standard of 180 µg/m3 according to the National Ambient Air Quality Standards at different monitoring stations on multiple days.

• India is the third-largest electronic waste generator in the world after China and the USA. Hence statement 1 is incorrect.
• According to recent data, Only 22.7 per cent of the e-waste generated in 2019-20 in India was collected, dismantled, and recycled or disposed of. Hence statement 2 is incorrect.

• According to the Constitution, Rajya Sabha may pass a resolution by a majority of at least two-thirds of the Members present and voting, stating that it is fundamental or convenient in the national interest for Parliament to make law on any issue on the State List.
• The All India Services (including All India Judicial Service) can be created by the parliament of India if the Rajya Sabha passes a resolution declaring that it is essential in the interest of the nation.
• If the Lok Sabha is dissolved at the time of the declaration of emergency, it must be approved by the reconstituted Lok Sabha within thirty days of its first sitting, unless it has already been approved by the Rajya Sabha.
• Hence all the Statements are correct.

• Images generated by a computer are projected onto real-life objects or surroundings in Augmented Reality (AR). Hence, Statement 1 is incorrect. 
• A computer-generated simulation of an alternate world or reality is referred to as virtual reality. Virtual Reality (VR) creates a simulated environment while blocking out the physical world. Hence, statement 2 is incorrect.
• AR allows people to be present in their surroundings and enhances the experience by utilizing the camera on their smartphone or PC. Hence, statement 3 is correct.
• Virtual reality has also been used for a long time in training, education, and science. Users in VR interact with the visual environment. Hence, statement 4 is correct.

• The position of Chief Secretary is the most senior position in the civil services of India’s states and union territories. The office originated in the Central government during the rule of Lord Wellesley in 1799. Hence Statement 1 is correct.
• The Chief Minister appoints the Chief Secretary. Hence Statement 2 is incorrect.
• Members of these services are recruited by the Centre, but their services are placed under various State cadres, and they are liable to serve under both the State and the Centre. This aspect of the All India Services strengthens the Indian federation’s unitary character. Hence Statement 3 is incorrect.

• Sugarcane originated in Melanesia, most probably in New Guinea, from the wild species Saccharum robustum. Hence Statement 1 is correct.
• Sugar recovery is highest when the weather is dry with low humidity; bright sunshine hours, cooler nights with wide diurnal variations and very little rainfall during the ripening period. Hence Statement 2 is correct.
• Uttar Pradesh is the largest cultivator of sugarcane in India. Hence Statement 3 is incorrect.

• The decision on disqualification questions on the ground of defection is referred to the Speaker or the Chairman of the House, and his/her decision is final.  Thus, the defection case is not taken suo moto. Hence statement 1 is incorrect.
• There is no time limit as per the law within which the Presiding Officers should decide on a plea for disqualification. The courts also can intervene only after the officer has made a decision, and so the only option for the petitioner is to wait until the decision is made. Hence statement 2 is incorrect.

• Kharif crops or monsoon crops are domesticated plants cultivated and harvested during the rainy (monsoon) season in South Asia, which lasts between April and October depending on the area.

Hence option A is correct.

• Recombinant Vector Vaccines are genetically modified and use genetic engineering to mimic the virus for which the vaccine is being produced. Hence, statement 1 is correct.
• Recombinant vector vaccines are live replicating viruses that have been engineered to carry extra genes derived from a pathogen, and these extra genes produce proteins that we want to generate immunity against. Hence, statement 2 is correct.
• These vaccine genomes may evolve to lose the extra genes during the vaccine manufacturing process or during replication within an individual, and this evolution may severely limit the vaccine’s efficacy.

• Article 62 of the Indian Constitution states that there shall be an election to fill the vacancy caused by the expiration of the term of office of the outgoing President and the election shall be conducted before the expiry of the term. This makes statement 1 incorrect.
• Political parties cannot issue a whip to their members to vote in favour of a candidate in the case of Rajya Sabha Elections. This makes option 2 incorrect.
• Therefore, ‘d’ is the correct answer.

• The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development releases the World Investment Report annually to determine and assess the global trend of Foreign Direct Investment. This makes option 1 correct.
• According to the World Investment Report 2021, India is in the 7th position as FDI recipient. The US receives the highest FDI inflows and is at the top position (1st Rank) as per the report. This makes option 2 incorrect.
• The right answer is ‘a’.

• The Aegean Sea is situated between Greece and Turkey. It is bordered by Greece, Turkey, North Macedonia, Serbia, and Bulgaria. This makes option 1 correct.
• The Sea of Okhotsk is bordered by Japan and Russia (the Kamchatka Peninsula). Therefore, option 2 is correct.
• The countries which coasts on the Adriatic Sea include Albania, Bosnia, Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, Italy and Slovenia. This makes option 3 correct.
• The Tasman Sea is bordered by Australia on the west and New Zealand on the east. This makes option 4 correct.
• Therefore, ‘c’ (1,2,3,4) is the correct answer.

• There exists an inverse relationship between the bond price and bond yield. When the bond price is lower than the face value, the bond yield is higher than the coupon rate. This makes option 1 correct.
• Conversely, when interest rates rise, newer bonds will pay investors better interest rates than existing bonds. Here, the older bonds are less attractive and will drop their prices as compensation and sell at a discounted price. This makes option 2 incorrect.
• As the question is asking for the incorrect statement, the correct answer is ‘b’ (2 only).

• The reasons for multi-drug resistance in microbial pathogens in India include taking incorrect doses of antibiotics to cure diseases, using antibiotics in livestock farming, rapid mutation, gene recombination happening in the microorganisms, enzymatic inactivation of the drug by the microorganism, development of proteinaceous pumps and so on. This makes options 2 and 3 correct.
• Genetic predisposition of some people and Multiple chronic diseases in some people cannot be related to multi-drug resistance in microbial pathogens. This makes options 1 & 4 incorrect.
• Therefore, ‘b’ is the right answer.

• Jaduguda is the deepest operating underground mine in the country. It has a depth of nearly 3000 feet, one of the deepest in the country. It was the first uranium mine in India. Hence statement 1 is correct
• As per the Atomic Minerals Division (AMD), among the Northeastern states, uranium deposits are so far available only in Meghalaya. Hence statement 2 is incorrect
• Uranium is primarily used as a fuel in nuclear power reactors to generate energy. Aside from producing around 14% of the world’s power, uranium is used for a variety of other important purposes, including: Radioisotopes are utilized in medicine for diagnosis and research. It is also used in the counterweights of aircraft control surfaces and radiation shielding. Hence statement 3 is correct.

Amyloidosis is a rare disease that occurs when an abnormal protein, called amyloid, builds up in your organs and interferes with their normal function. Amyloid isn’t normally found in the body, but it can be formed from several different types of protein.

Hence option B is correct.

• Chelonoidis niger phantasticus is a subspecies of Galápagos tortoise that was discovered in 1906 and thought extinct, until a single female was discovered living on Fernandina Island by an expedition in February 2019.
• According to the IUCN Red List, six are considered Critically Endangered, three Endangered, three Vulnerable, and two Extinct. In the case of the Fernandina tortoise, it is probably extinct but anecdotal information suggests that a few individuals may remain.
• Hence option A is correct.

• Sant Tukaram is a 17th-century poet-saint who was a contemporary of Shivaji Maharaj, Eknath and Ramdas. His poetry was dedicated to Vithoba or Vitthala, an incarnation of Vishnu, the Hindu God.
• Tukaram was a Bhakti saint of Maharashtra and was said to be a contemporary of Shivaji.
• Tukaram is most known for his religious poetry known as Abhanga, as well as his community-oriented worship with spiritual melodies known as kirtans. Tukaram pointed out the evil of wrongdoings of the society, social system and Maharajs by his kirtans and Abhangs.
• Hence both statements are correct.

Wet rice fields, livestock, animal waste, landfills, and biomass burning are all significant anthropogenic sources of biogenic methane. Land-use change, fertiliser production and usage, and manure application are all significant anthropogenic sources of biogenic nitrous oxide.

Hence Option B is correct.

• Alluri Seetharama Raju laid down his life to break the shackles of the motherland.
• The Rampa Rebellion of 1922, also known as the Manyam Rebellion, was a tribal uprising led by Alluri Sitarama Raju in Godavari Agency of Madras Presidency, British India.
• Raju was inspired by the Non-Cooperation Movement and persuaded people to wear khadi and give up drinking. He also asserted that India could be liberated only by the use of force, not non-violence.
• Hence both the statements are correct

• The Zonal Councils are statutory (rather than constitutional) institutions. They were founded by a Parliamentary Act in 1956, known as the States Reorganization Act. Hence statement 1 is incorrect.
• The Central Government’s Home Minister serves as the common chairperson of the five zonal councils. By rotation, each chief minister serves as vice-chairman of the council, maintaining office for one year at a time. Hence statement 2 is correct.
• The union territories of Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep are not members of any of the Zonal Councils. Hence statement 3 is incorrect.

• A peace clause is a mechanism that protects a developing country’s food procurement programs against action from World trade organization (WTO) members in case subsidy ceilings are breached.
• It is a mechanism that protects a developing country’s food procurement programs against action from World trade organization (WTO) members in case subsidy ceilings are breached.
• Hence option C is correct.

• The Five Eyes (FVEY) is an alliance of intelligence agencies of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States.
• It is the most well known of all espionage alliances in the world.
• Hence option B is correct.

• RNA interference (RNAi)’ technology gained popularity due to its application of gene silencing therapies associated with diseases such as cancer.
• RNAi is a gene-silencing method that uses double-stranded RNA to suppress protein production in target cells. Hence statement 1 is correct.
• mRNA vaccines have become a promising platform for cancer immunotherapy. Hence statement 2 is correct.
• mRNAs encoding antigens and/or adjuvants can be used as vaccines to evoke protective immunity against infectious diseases (prophylactic vaccines), or to harness the immune system to fight cancer (therapeutic vaccines). Hence, It cannot be used to develop hormone replacement therapies. Hence statement 3 is incorrect.
• RNA interference is also utilized to develop agricultural plants that are resistant to plant viruses such as RNA and DNA viruses, viroids, insects, and other fungal diseases. Hence statement 4 is correct.

• Statement 1 is correct, Dinosaurs of the Sauropod family were among the largest land animals that ever lived and were widespread millions of years ago in the territory that is now India.
• Statement 2 is correct, the fossils of these animals have been found in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Meghalaya.
  • The Upper Cretaceous Lameta Formation of Central India is famous for dinosaur fossils (both skeletal and egg remains).

• Statement 1 is not correct, Groundwater contamination occurs due to a wide range of pollutants such as nitrates, fluoride, iron, total coliform and faecal coliform, gasoline, oil, road salts and other chemicals.
• Statement 2 is correct, Contaminants found in groundwater cover a broad range of physical, inorganic chemical, organic chemical, bacteriological, and radioactive parameters.

• All the above initiatives have contributed significantly in transforming the political & economic landscape of North-East India.
• Hence option d is correct.

• The G33 is a coalition of developing countries, established prior to the 2003 Cancun ministerial conference, that have coordinated during the Doha Round of World Trade Organization negotiations.
• The aim of the G33 group is to limit the degree of market opening required of developing countries.

• Statement 1 is correct, Germline gene therapy involves the modification of germ cells (gametes) that will pass the change on to the next generation. With germline therapy, genes can be corrected in the egg or the sperm that is being used to conceive
  • Hence, genetic changes can be introduced in the cells that produce eggs or sperms of a prospective parent.
• Statement 2 is correct, A person’s genome can be edited before birth at early embryonic stage
• Statement 3 is correct, Human induced pluripotent (iPS) stem cells were injected into the pig embryos and these cells have the potential to develop into any tissue type in the resulting foetus.