UPSC 2021: Weekly GK and Current Affairs Quiz Oct 23 - Oct 29

None of the above is correct. Malabar Exercise started as a bilateral U.S.-India naval exercise in 1992. It transformed into a trilateral exercise in 2015 with the inclusion of the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force on a permanent basis. India has invited Australia to the annual Malabar naval exercise to be held in 2020. However, it has not yet been formally included as a permanent participant.

Statement 2 is incorrect. National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) is an umbrella organisation for operating retail payments and settlement systems in India. It is an initiative of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the Indian Banks’ Association (IBA). The NPCI has been incorporated as a “Not for Profit” Company, with an intention to provide infrastructure to the entire banking system in India for physical as well as electronic payment and settlement systems.

None of the above is incorrect. Brihadeeshwara Temple, also called Rajarajesvaram is a Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva located in the south bank of Kaveri river in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu. The temple is a part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site. The temple is popularly known as Dakshina Meru.

Both are correct statements. National Automated Clearing House (NACH) is an offline web-based system for bulk push and pull transactions. It is implemented by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) to facilitate interbank, high volume, electronic transactions which are repetitive and periodic in nature. NACH System can be used for making bulk transactions towards the distribution of subsidies, dividends, interest, salary, pension, etc. and also for bulk transactions towards the collection of payments pertaining to telephone, electricity, water, loans, investments in mutual funds, insurance premium, etc.

Statement 1 only is incorrect. Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project is being constructed in Telangana. It is being built at the confluence of Pranhita and Godavari Rivers.

All are correct statements. FELUDA has been so named because technically it is an acronym and stands for FNCAS9 Editor Linked Uniform Detection Assay. It is a paper-strip test for SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis. The test uses an indigenously-developed, cutting-edge CRISPR technology. CRISPR is a genome-editing technology to diagnose diseases. The test will deploy a specially adapted Cas9 protein.

The Sunflower Movement or the Sunflower Student Movement is associated with a protest movement driven by a coalition of students and civic groups in the Legislative Yuan and, later, also the Executive Yuan of Taiwan. A controversial trade agreement sparked the “Sunflower Movement” in 2014 where students and activists occupied Taiwan’s parliament protesting against what they call China’s growing influence over Taiwan. The term “Sunflower Student Movement” referred to the use of sunflowers by the protesters as a symbol of hope.

Vithalbhai J Patel was the first elected President of the Central Legislative Assembly in 1925 and was re-elected in 1927. Vithalbhai J Patel was instrumental in laying down well-defined rules, regulations, practices and procedures for the smooth conduct of the business of the House. A bold defender of the rights and privileges of members, he succeeded in his efforts of creating a separate office for the Legislative Assembly, independent of and unconnected with the Government, in 1928.

• 90-90-90 marks treatment targets to help end the AIDS epidemic.
• Although many strategies will be needed to halt the AIDS epidemic, it will be impossible to end the epidemic without bringing HIV treatment to all who need it.
  • There are the envisaged goals of ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030.
• The main targets under the 90-90-90 strategy include the following:
  • By 2020, 90% of all people living with HIV will know their HIV status.
  • By 2020, 90% of all people with diagnosed HIV infection will receive sustained antiretroviral therapy.
  • By 2020, 90% of all people receiving antiretroviral therapy will have viral suppression.

None of the above is correct. The Bhima River is a major tributary of the Krishna River. It originates near Bhimashankar Temple in the Bhimashankar hills in Pune District, Maharashtra state. It flows through Maharashtra and Karnataka and seventy-five percent of the basin lies in the state of Maharashtra. Bhima merges into the Krishna along the border between Karnataka and Telangana. Major tributaries of the Bhima river are the Sina and Nira rivers.

1, 2, 3 & 4 only are correct.

• The four indicators considered for the compilation of the GHI include the following:
  • UNDERNOURISHMENT: the share of the population that is undernourished (that is, whose caloric intake is insufficient);
  • CHILD WASTING: the share of children under the age of five who are wasted (that is, who have low weight for their height, reflecting acute undernutrition);
  • CHILD STUNTING: the share of children under the age of five who are stunted (that is, who have low height for their age, reflecting chronic undernutrition); and
  • CHILD MORTALITY: the mortality rate of children under the age of five (in part, a reflection of the fatal mix of inadequate nutrition and unhealthy environments).

The NGT deals with the following seven laws related to the environment:

• The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974,
• The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Cess Act, 1977,
• The Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980,
• The Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981,
• The Environment (Protection) Act, 1986,
• The Public Liability Insurance Act, 1991 and
• The Biological Diversity Act, 2002.

Two important acts – Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 have been kept out of NGT’s jurisdiction.

Both are correct.

• The National Food Security Act, 2013 legally entitles up to 75% of the rural population and 50% of the urban population to receive subsidized foodgrains under the Targeted Public Distribution System. About two-thirds of the population, therefore, is covered under the Act to receive highly subsidised foodgrains.
• Under the provisions of the Act, beneficiaries of the PDS are entitled to 5 kilograms per person per month of cereals at the following prices:
  • Rice at Rs. 3 per kg
  • Wheat at Rs. 2 per kg
  • Coarse grains (millet) at Rs. 1 per kg
• Pregnant women, lactating mothers, and certain categories of children are eligible for daily free cereals.
• It includes the Midday Meal Scheme, Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme and the Public Distribution System (PDS).

1 only is correct.

• The Carbon fertilization effect is the increased rate of photosynthesis in plants that results from increased levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
• However, it has to be noted that carbon fertilization varies depending on the plant species, the temperature, and the availability of water and nutrients.
• The C4 plant varieties have been found to thrive under increased carbon dioxide levels and temperatures. It was found that there was improved heat tolerance, and suppressed heat-induced damages in such varieties.
• Examples of C4 species are the economically important crops corn or maize, sugarcane, sorghum and millets, as well as the switchgrass which has been utilized as a source of biofuel.

Statement 2 is incorrect.

UN Human Rights Council:

• The UNHRC is a United Nations body whose mission is to promote and protect human rights across the world.
• Apart from the UNHRC, the UN has also set up a number of treaty-based organisations to monitor compliance with human rights standards and international human rights treaties such as the Human Rights Committee and the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
• The UNHRC was reconstituted from its predecessor organisation, the UN Commission on Human Rights to help overcome the “credibility deficit” of the previous organisation.
• The UNHRC is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.
• The council has representatives drawn from the General Assembly.
• The UNHRC has 47 members serving at any time with elections held to fill up seats every year, based on allocations to regions across the world to ensure geographical representation.
• Each elected member serves for a term of three years. Countries are disallowed from occupying a seat for more than two consecutive terms.

Both are correct.

• Superconductivity is a set of physical properties observed in certain materials where electrical resistance vanishes and magnetic flux fields are expelled from the material (Meissner effect).
• Any material exhibiting these properties is a superconductor.
• A superconductor conducts such behaviour when it becomes colder than a “critical temperature.”

None of the above is correct.

• Sir Syed Ahmed Khan was an Islamic reformer and philosopher of nineteenth-century British India.
• He is considered a reformist rather than a revivalist. He opposed ignorance, superstitions and evil customs prevalent in Indian Muslim society. His advocacy of Islam’s rationalist (Muʿtazila) tradition, and a broader, radical reinterpretation of the Quran to make it compatible with science and modernity, continues to influence the global Islamic reformation.
• Believing that the future of Muslims was threatened by the rigidity of their orthodox outlook, Sir Ahmad began promoting Western–style scientific education by founding modern schools and journals.
• In 1875, he founded the Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College, the first Muslim university in Southern Asia which later became the Aligarh Muslim University.
• During his career, Syed repeatedly called upon Muslims to loyally serve the British Raj and promoted the adoption of Urdu as the lingua franca of all Indian Muslims. Syed criticized the Indian National Congress.
• In 1878, Sir Syed was nominated to the Viceroy’s Legislative Council.
• Social reforms in the Muslim society were initiated by Abdul Latif who founded “The Mohammedan Literary Society” in Bengal.

Kuakhai River is a distributary of Mahanadi River which flows by Bhubaneswar, Odisha. Mahanadi River branches off at Naraj, Cuttack as Kathajodi River, then immediately it is bifurcated, with its southern branch flowing as Kuakhai River. Tributaries are small streams of water that join together to form a river. Distributaries are formed when the river breaks down into small streamlets or channels.

Both are correct. Khair (Acacia catechu) is a deciduous tree widely distributed throughout the greater part of India except the most humid, cold and the driest regions. It is common in the sub-Himalayan tract and outer Himalayas ascending from 900 to 1,200 m from Jammu to Assam. Khair tree is known for its medicinal properties and helps in curing skin problems. Ayurveda uses wood and bark of the tree for various formulations. It finds its major application in the treatment of skin and respiratory problems more in particular, of allergic origin. Also, it is used as an important constituent for maintenance of oral hygiene and also as local treatment for bleeding injuries as styptic agent by virtue of its astringent properties.

• Article 311 in the Constitution of India deals with dismissal, removal or reduction in rank of persons employed in civil capacities under the Union or a State
  • No person who is a member of a civil service of the Union or an all India service or a civil service of a State or holds a civil post under the Union or a State shall be dismissed or removed by a authority subordinate to that by which he was appointed
  • No such person as aforesaid shall be dismissed or removed or reduced in rank except after an inquiry in which he has been informed of the charges against him and given a reasonable opportunity of being heard in respect of those charges

Both are correct.

• Land revenue was the chief source of income during the Vijaynagar kingdom period. Land was divided into four categories for purposes of assessment, wet land, dry land, orchards and woods. The rates varied according to the type of the crops, soil, method of irrigation etc.
• Besides land tax, many professional taxes were also imposed. They were on shopkeepers, farm servants, workmen etc. Private owners of workshops paid an industries tax. Commercial taxes consisted of levies, duties and customs on manufactured articles of trade were also levied.

1 only is correct. Absolute right is a right that has no exceptions in its applicability. Article 17 of the Indian Constitution abolishes the practice of untouchability. This is an absolute right and it has no exceptions or relaxations against it. Primary responsibility for the prevention of atrocities against SC/ST under Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, rests with the State Government.

Both are correct. Unorganised workers are those who do not have the benefit of pension, provident fund, gratuity, maternity leave, etc. and work mostly on daily/hourly wages. The unorganized workers do not receive sufficient attention from the trade unions.

Marib is a city in Yemen. The Saudi­-led military coalition supporting Yemen’s government has said that it has killed hundreds of Houthi rebels in strikes south of Marib.

Extremists questioned the ability of moderates to negotiate with the British Government through their ways and means. They lacked faith in the capacity of the moderates to negotiate with the British Government. Hence there was a disagreement between the moderates and extremists leading to the Surat split of 1907.

Both are correct. Retreating monsoon season commences with the beginning of the withdrawal of the southwest monsoon. The retreating southwest monsoon season is marked by clear skies and a rise in temperature. The weather in the retreating monsoon is dry in north India but it is associated with rain in the eastern part of the Peninsula.

2 only is correct. Cabinet Committees are extra-constitutional in emergence, which means, they are not mentioned in the Indian Constitution. But, the Rules of Business provide for their formation. Cabinet Committees are not mentioned in the Constitution but are still constituted by governments. They are established by the PM as per the exigencies of the time and needs of the situation. Hence, their number, nomenclature, and composition vary from time to time. Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) is composed of the Prime Minister of India and the Minister of Home Affairs.

2 only is correct. The appointment of State Governors by the Centre is a feature borrowed from the Canadian Constitution. The 7th Constitutional Amendment Act of 1956 promoted the appointment of the same person as a governor for two or more states. Read more on Sources of Indian Constitution – Borrowed Features of Indian Constitution.

Statements 1 & 2 only are correct. A hypercarnivore is an animal whose nutritional requirements are found only in animal meat. Moreover, these organisms might be able to ingest plant matter but they do not have the physiological mechanisms that are required to effectively digest it. The polar bear is a hypercarnivore animal. Polar Bear (Urus maritimus) is classified as “Vulnerable” in the IUCN Red List. Polar bears do not eat penguins as penguins do not make up the ecosystem of the Arctic. Yet another reason as to why polar bears would not have preferred to prey on penguins is that birds such as this cannot provide sufficient protein for the bears to survive the frigid Arctic weather.

1, 2 & 4 only are correct. GM Cotton is the only genetically modified crop legally allowed to be cultivated in India. GM Rice, GM Brinjal and GM Mustard do not have the legal approval to be cultivated in the country.