UPSC 2019: Weekly GK and Current Affairs Quiz May 25 - May 31

There was no Indian member in the Simon Commission.

Read more on Simon Commission.

1, 2 and 3 are correct

1 and 2 only are correct. Ram Prasad Bismil – Kakori Conspiracy

Both are correct

The Nehru Report had proposed a constitutional head post for the Governor-General. Read more on the Nehru Report.

Both are correct. Read more on the Quit India Movement.

Indian Councils Act 1909. Read more on the act here.

Both are correct. Read more about Raja Ram Mohan Roy.

Private schools would not be given any aids is incorrect. The despatch recommended that affiliated private schools were to be given grants.

Both are correct.

2>1>3>5>4>6

2-1-5-4-3

Both are correct

Saffron Cultivation

Both are correct

Palani hills

Arakan Yoma

Jammu & Kashmir

Brazil

Darjeeling tea

Both 1 and 2 are correct

2 only is correct. National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) is a statutory body and the chairman and members hold office for a term of 6 years or until they attain the age of 65 years.

Nepali

1, 3 and 4 only

Only 1 is correct.

Both are correct.

Autonomous items in BOP:

• These refer to international economic transactions that take place due to some economic motives like earning income and profit maximization.
• These items are generally called ‘above the line items’ in BOP. Again, it is autonomous transactions which make deficit or surplus in BOP.
• Both current and Capital Account
• They have nothing to do with foreign exchange payments.
• Since such transactions are independent of the state of country’s balance of payment, i.e., irrespective of whether BOP is favorable or unfavorable, they are, therefore, called autonomous items.
• BOP is in deficit if the autonomous receipts are less than autonomous payments.
• BOP is in surplus if the autonomous receipts are greater than autonomous payments. In other words, deficit or surplus in BOP depends upon the balance of autonomous items.
• Deficit in BOP account: When during the year total inflows of foreign exchange on account of autonomous transactions are less than total outflows on account of such transactions, there is deficit in BOP.

Accommodating items in BOP:

• These refer to transactions that take place to cover deficit (or surplus) arising from autonomous transactions.
• These items are also called ‘below the line items’.
• Only in Capital Account
• Because of government financing, official settlements are seen as accommodating items to keep the BOP identity

Only 1 is correct.

Islamic banking

• It is a banking system that is based on the principles of Islamic law, also referred to as Shariah law, and guided by Islamic economics.
• Two basic principles behind Islamic banking are the sharing of profit and loss and, significantly, the prohibition of the collection and payment of interest by lenders and investors.
• Collecting interest or “riga” is not permitted under Islamic law.

Both are correct.

• Rate at which central bank (RBI) lends money to commercial bank for short term liquidity needs.
• If the repo rate or the bank rate is increased, bank has to pay more interest to the central bank. So in order to make profit, banks in turn increase their interest rate at which they take deposit from the customer and lend money to the customer.
  • So the demand for loan decreases, and people start putting more and more money in bank accounts to earn higher rate of interest. This helps in controlling inflation.

It is the ratio of richest 10% of the population share of gross national income divided by the poorest 40% share.

• It is based on the work of Chilean economist Gabriel Palma who found that middle class incomes almost always represent about half of gross national income while the other half is split between the richest 10% and poorest 40%, but the share of those two groups varies considerably across countries.
• The Palma ratio addresses the Gini index’s over-sensitivity to changes in the middle of the distribution and insensitivity to changes at the top and bottom and therefore more accurately reflects income inequality’s economic impacts on society as a whole.
• Palma has suggested that distributional politics pertains mainly to the struggle between the rich and poor, and who the middle classes side with.

None of the above. These are Capital Market Instruments. Money Market Instruments: RBI and SEBI have permitted introduction of a variety of money market instruments in recent years. The prominent among them are: Certificate of deposit (CD) and Commercial paper (CP), T-bills, Bills of exchange, Repos-Reverse Repos.

2 only is correct.

STATEMENT 1 is incorrect: Exercise Maitree is a joint military exercise between Indian Army and Royal Thai Army. It is a platoon level exercise which comprises of infantry component.
STATEMENT 2 is correct: The exercise emphasizes to hone the tactical and technical skills in joint counter insurgency and counter terrorist operations in rural and urban scenario under UN mandate. Due emphasis is laid on increasing interoperability between forces from both countries which is crucial for success of any joint operation.

To provide students with single window electronic platform for scholarships and educational loans.

• Vidya Lakshmi is a first of its kind portal for students seeking Education Loan.
• This portal has been developed under the guidance of Department of Financial Services, (Ministry of Finance), Department of Higher Education (Ministry of Human Resource Development) and Indian Banks Association (IBA).
• The portal has been developed and maintained by NSDL e-Governance Infrastructure Limited.
• Students can view, apply and track the education loan applications to banks anytime, anywhere by accessing the portal. The portal also provides linkages to National Scholarship Portal.

A hackathon to crowd source solutions aimed at the future of mobility in India.

• NITI Aayog has launched Move Hack, a global mobility hackathon to crowdsource solutions aimed at the future of mobility in India.
• Move Hack is focused on 10 themes and structured over three legs: online, followed by Singapore leg, and the finals in New Delhi.
• MoveHack aims to bring about innovative, dynamic and scalable solutions to problems pertaining to mobility.
• The hackathon has two-pronged campaign approach: (a) “Just Code It”: aimed at solutions through innovations in technology / product / software and data analysis, and (b) “Just Solve It”: innovative business ideas or sustainable solutions to transform mobility infrastructure through technology.
• Move Hack is open to individuals from all nationalities, making it a truly global hackathon.

Mizoram

All are correctly matched.

1, 2 and 3 are correct.

1 and 2 only are correct.

Agni-V is India’s first intercontinental ballistic missile and is a significant achievement by the Defence Research and development Organisation of India (DRDO). Agni V is a surface-to-surface nuclear capable ballistic missile. The missile carries the capacity to load a nuclear warhead weighing over a tonne. The missile can carry the warhead between the range of 5000-8000 kilometres.

Chinese computer system which was recently named the world’s most powerful supercomputer.

Sunway-TaihuLight is a supercomputer developed by the National Research Centre of Parallel Computer Engineering and Technology of China (NRCPC) built entirely using processors designed and made in China. It was declared the world’s fastest supercomputer, according to the November 2016 edition of the semi-annual Top 500 Supercomputer list.

1, 2 and 3 are correct

The term Internet of Things generally refers to scenarios where network connectivity and computing capability extends to objects, sensors and everyday items not normally considered computers, allowing these devices to generate, exchange and consume data with minimal human intervention. Poorly secured IoT devices and services can serve as potential entry points for cyber-attack and expose user data to theft by leaving data streams inadequately protected. The Internet of Things is redefining the debate about privacy issues, as many implementations can dramatically change the ways personal data is collected, analysed, used, and protected. For example, IoT amplifies concerns about the potential for increased surveillance and tracking, difficulty in being able to opt out of certain data collection, and the strength of aggregating IoT data streams to paint detailed digital portraits of users.

2 only is correct.

INS Khanderi is India’s second Scorpene class submarine. Khanderi is named after the Island fort of Maratha forces which played a vital role in ensuring their supremacy at sea in the late 17th century. It has superior stealth and the ability to launch a crippling attack with torpedoes as well as tube launched anti-ship missiles whilst underwater or on surface.

Both 1 and 2

Biosphere is that part of lithosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere where plants and animals live. Biosphere contains all life forms on earth. The biosphere consists of – the biotic component and the abiotic component. There are continuous interactions between the living organisms and their physical environment and among the living organisms themselves via established pathways for movement of energy and matter.

Grazing food chain.

In a grazing food-chain, the first level starts with plants as producers and ends with carnivores as consumers at the last level, with the herbivores being at the intermediate level.

Lithium.

Following substances have the potential to bio magnify – Polychlorinated Biphenyls, Poly nuclear aromatic hydrocarbons, Heavy metals like Mercury, copper, cadmium, chromium, lead, nickel, zinc, tin (TBT or tributyltin) and Cyanides.

1, 2, 3 and 4 are correct.

India has all four global biodiversity hot spots.

1. Himalayas: Includes the entire Indian Himalayan region (and that falling in Pakistan, Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan, China and Myanmar)
2. Indo-Burma: Includes entire North-eastern India, except Assam and Andaman group of Islands (and Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and southern China)
3. Sundaland: Includes Nicobar group of Islands (and Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Philippines)
4. Western Ghats and Sri Lanka: Includes entire Western Ghats (and Sri Lanka)

Both are correct

1 and 2 only

Both 1 and 2

Mewar

Tappa

Khayal