UPSC 2021: Weekly GK and Current Affairs Quiz Nov 20 - Nov 26

None of the above is incorrect.

• DNA sequencing is the process of determining the nucleic acid sequence – the order of nucleotides in DNA.
• Human Genome is made up of 23 chromosome pairs.
• A genome is an organism’s complete set of DNA, including all of its genes. Genomics is an interdisciplinary field of science focusing on the structure, function, evolution, mapping, and editing of genomes. Genomics involves the sequencing and analysis of genomes through the use of high throughput DNA sequencing.

Statement 2 is incorrect.

• The National Population Register (NPR) is a register of usual residents of the country.
• It will be prepared at the local (Village/sub-Town), sub-District, District, State and National levels under provisions of the Citizenship Act 1955 and the Citizenship (Registration of Citizens and Issue of National Identity Cards) Rules, 2003.
• It is mandatory for every usual resident of India to register in the NPR.
• A usual resident is defined for the purposes of NPR as a person who has resided in a local area for the past 6 months or more or a person who intends to reside in that area for the next 6 months or more.
• The database would contain demographic as well as biometric particulars.

The Global Prevention Coalition (GPC) for HIV Prevention comes under the aegis of the United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS).

Only 2 is correct.

• Sex ratio is the number of women per thousand men in a given population.
• Child sex ratio takes into account children in the age group of 0-6 years.

Sri Lanka handed a 99-year lease to China for its Hambantota deep-sea port because it could not repay loans to Beijing for the harbour in the island’s south.

2 only is correct.

• The Brus are spread across the northeastern states of Tripura, Assam, Manipur, and Mizoram.
• In Tripura, they are recognised as a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group.
• 75 tribal groups have been categorized by the Ministry of Home Affairs as Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs).
• PVTGs reside in 18 States and the UT of A&N Islands.
• The Ministry of Tribal Affairs implements the Scheme of “Development of Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs)” exclusively for them.

Statements 1 and 2 are incorrect.

• The International Atomic Energy Agency is an international organisation that seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy, headquartered in Vienna, Austria.
• It was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2005.
• It reports to both the United Nations General Assembly and the Security Council.
• Program of Action for Cancer Therapy is one of its key programmes. It was launched in 2004 to build upon its experience in radiation medicine and technology, and enable developing countries to introduce, expand or improve their cancer care capacity and services in a sustainable manner by integrating radiotherapy into a comprehensive cancer control programme that maximizes its therapeutic effectiveness and impact.

2 is incorrect.

• Nagorno-Karabakh is internationally recognised as a part of Azerbaijan.
• The major ethnic group of the region is Armenian.
• The Minsk Group or the OSCE Minsk Group was established in 1992 by the Conference on Security and Cooperation (CSCE, now Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)) to envisage a peaceful, negotiated resolution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
• It is co-chaired by France, Russia and the USA.

1, 3 and 4 only are correct.

• Deflation is a decrease in the general price level of goods and services.
• High Supply and Low Demand is a major cause of Deflation.
• Other factors include a decrease in money supply, net capital outflow from the economy.

Statement 1 is only incorrect. The Global Gender Gap Report is an annual report published by the World Economic Forum. The Global Gender Gap Index ranks countries according to the calculated gender gap between women and men in health, education, economy and politics.

The Wholesale Price Index is released by the Office of Economic Advisor under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

All are correct.

Mandates of the Department of Investment and Public Asset Management or ‘DIPAM’ include:

• Advise the government in matters of financial restructuring of Central Public Sector Undertakings.
• Decisions in matters relating to Central Public Sector Undertakings for purposes of Government investment in equity-like capital restructuring, bonus, dividends.
• All matters relating to the management of Central Government investments in equity including disinvestment of equity in Central Public Sector Undertakings.
• All matters relating to the sale of Central Government equity through an offer for sale or private placement or any other mode in the erstwhile Central Public Sector Undertakings.

Western Disturbance is an extratropical storm originating in the Mediterranean region that brings sudden winter rain to the north-western parts of the Indian subcontinent. It is a non-monsoonal precipitation pattern driven by the westerlies. It originates in the Mediterranean Sea as extra-tropical cyclones.

The nineteenth century saw the golden age of Kathak under the patronage of Wajid Ali Shah, the last Nawab of Oudh. He established the Lucknow Gharana with its strong accent on bhava, the expression of moods and emotions.

2 only is correct.

• Kuchipudi is originally from Andhra Pradesh.
• Dancing on the rim of a brass plate and with a pitcher full of water on the head is a feature of this dance form.
• Bharatanatyam is known as the “Fire Dance”.

None of the above statements is incorrect. Birsa Munda proclaimed his rebellion in 1894 which was directed against the British and the dikus (outsiders). This is called the Munda Ulgulan. He was referred to as ‘Dharti Abba’. His rebellion forced the government to enact the Chhotanagpur Tenancy Act, 1908.

All the statements are correct.

• The Index of Industrial Production (IIP) is an index that indicates the performance of various industrial sectors of the Indian economy.
• IIP forms a crucial input for the compilation of Gross Value Added of the manufacturing sector in Gross Domestic Product of the country on a quarterly basis.
• It is published by the Central Statistical Organisation (CSO).
• The base year for IIP is 2011 – 12.

Statements 1 and 3 are incorrect.

• Vagir is part of the Indian Navy’s Project-75 that includes the building and induction of six Kalvari-class submarines designed by French naval defence outfit.
• It is the fifth of the six Kalvari-class submarines being built in India.
• It is built by Mazagon Docks Ltd. with a technology transfer from France.

None of the statements is correct.

• Norovirus is a form of a virus that causes gastrointestinal sickness, including stomach and gut lining irritation, severe vomiting, and diarrhoea. Hence Statement 1 is incorrect.
• Norovirus has little effect on healthy people, but it can be dangerous in small children, the elderly, and persons with comorbid conditions.
• Norovirus is easily spread by coming into close contact with sick persons or touching contaminated surfaces. (Not through Wild Animals). Hence Statement 2 is incorrect.

None of the statements is correct.

• According to Article 164, the ministers are collectively responsible to the state legislature. (Not Governor). This means that all the ministers own joint responsibility to the legislative assembly for all their acts of omission and commission. Hence Statement 1 is incorrect.
• The salaries and allowances of the ministers are decided by the respective state legislatures in the country as per Article 164 of the Indian Constitution. It varies from one state to another. Hence Statement 2 is incorrect.

• The Tallinn Manual is an academic, non-binding study on how international law applies to cyber conflicts and cyber warfare.
• The Tallinn Manual has long been the flagship research initiative of the Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence (CCDCOE).
• The Tallinn Manual has become an influential resource for legal advisers and policy experts dealing with cyber issues.
• Hence Option C is Correct.

• Narmada originates from the Maikal range near Amarkantak and it is a west flowing river.
• Mahi river originates from the Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh and flows West through Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Gujarat.
• Sabarmati is a west-flowing river through Rajasthan and Gujarat. It originates from Tepur in the Udaipur district of Rajasthan.
• Luni is also known as the Sagarmati. It originates from the Western slopes of the Aravalli ranges near Ajmer.
• Tapi originates from the Multai reserve forest and flows west through the states of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Gujarat.
• Tawa rises from the Satpura Range of Betul in MP and flows to the west.
• Sharavati is an important river in the state of Karnataka flowing towards the west. The Sharavati River originates from the Shimoga district of Karnataka.
• Hence Option D is Correct.

• Cabinet Government establishes the executive’s joint accountability to the legislature. The Council of Ministers is collectively responsible to the House of People. Hence Statement 3 is correct.
• Parliamentary democracy provides an indirect means for assuring the Government’s collective duty to the people.
• Parliament enforces the Executive’s accountability to itself and, in the end, to the people, through these authorities.

Statement 1 is only incorrect.

• The office of the Governor is not employment under the government. Thus, the Constitution has no bar on retired judges of High Courts or the Supreme Court being appointed as Governors.  Notably the Supreme Court too in various cases has observed that the office of the Governor is not an employment under the Government of India.
• The Governor is given immunity from any criminal proceedings, even in respect of his personal acts during his term as the Governor.
• Article 361 of the Indian Constitution provides that no criminal proceedings whatsoever shall be instituted or continued against the President, or the Governor of a State, in any court during his term of office.

All three are correct. The Khel Ratna Award, officially known as the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award, formerly known as the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award in Sports and Games, is the highest sporting honour of India. It is awarded annually by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. The recipient(s) is/are honoured for their “spectacular and most outstanding performance in the field of sports over a period of four years” at the international level. The award was first instituted in 1991–1992 and the first recipient of the award was Chess Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand, who was honoured for the performance in the year 1991–92.

• The doctrine of lapse was a policy of annexation initiated by the East India Company in the Indian subcontinent against the princely states.
• The policy is most commonly associated with Lord Dalhousie, who was the Governor-General of the East India Company in India between 1848 and 1856.
• According to the doctrine, any Indian princely state under the suzerainty of the East India Company (EIC) (the dominant imperial power in the Indian subsidiary system), would have its princely status abolished (and therefore be annexed into British India) if the ruler was either “manifestly incompetent or died without a male heir”.
• The doctrine and its applications were widely regarded as illegitimate by many Indians, leading to resentment against the EIC.

Both are incorrect.

• Onake Obavva died fighting the troops of Hyder Ali, a ruler of the Mysore Kingdom and father of Tipu Sultan, when he invaded the Chitradurga Fort, which was ruled by Madakari Nayaka in the 18th century.
• Chitradurga Fort, locally known as Elusuttina Kote, (the fort of seven circles in Kannada), is situated in Chitradurga, 200 km northwest of Bengaluru.
• Obavva is considered to be the epitome of Kannada pride and celebrated along with other women warriors of Karnataka state like Abbakka Rani (first Tuluva Queen of Ullal in coastal Karnataka who fought the Portuguese), Keladi Chennamma (the queen of the Keladi Kingdom who is known for fighting against Mughal emperor Aurangzeb), and Kittur Chennamma (Queen of Kittur known for the 1824 revolt against the British East India Company).

• Article 23 and 24 of the Indian Constitution deals with the right against exploitation.
• The Article 23 of the Indian Constitution prohibits human trafficking and begar (forced labour without payment).
• Article 24 of the Indian Constitution prohibits child labour. It forbids employment of children below the age of 14 years in dangerous jobs like factories and mines. However, it did not prohibit their employment in any harmless or innocent work.

• The MPLADS is a Central Sector Scheme fully funded by the Government of India wherein funds are allocated to the MPs to carry out developmental activities in their constituencies. Under this scheme, funds released to district authorities under MPLADS are not lapsable.
• Initially, the MPLADS was under the control of the Ministry of Rural Development. The 1st Guidelines were issued in February 1994, covering the concept, implementation and monitoring of the Scheme. The MPLAD Scheme was transferred to the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation in October 1994.

• Mardani Khel is an armed Indian martial art from Maharashtra.
• ‘Pari Khanda’ the famous martial art form created by Rajputs is practised in the state of​ Bihar.
• Thoda is a  martial art form of Himachal Pradesh.