UPSC 2024: Weekly GK and Current Affairs Quiz Oct 28 - Nov 03

1-2-3-4 is the correct sequence.

• Statement 1 is correct, Syed Ibrahim Khan was a 16th-century Sufi poet born either in Amroha or Hardoi in Uttar Pradesh.
• Statement 2 is correct, He became a devotee of the Hindu God Krishna and spent his life in Vrindavan.

• The HAWK interceptor missile is an American-made medium-range surface-to-air missile.
• FGM-148 Javelin, or Advanced Anti-Tank Weapon System-Medium is an American-made portable anti-tank missile system
• MIM-104 Patriot is an American long-range, all-altitude, all-weather air defence system to counter tactical ballistic missiles.
• SAMP/T is an air defense missile system jointly developed by France and Italy.
• Stinger missile system is an American man-portable air-defense system that operates as an infrared homing surface-to-air missile.

Naqoura is a town in southern Lebanon near the Israeli border.

• Pair 1 is correct, Asola-Bhati Wildlife Sanctuary is located on the Southern Delhi Ridge of the Aravalli hill range on the Delhi-Haryana border.
• Pair 2 is correct, Chakrashila Wildlife Sanctuary is located in the Kokrajhar district and adjacent areas of the Dhubri district of Assam.
• Pair 3 is correct, Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary is situated in the Mandsaur and Nimach districts of Madhya Pradesh.
• Pair 4 is correct, Govind Pashu Vihar National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary is located in the Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand.

India is a founding member and the second-largest shareholder of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).
India officially joined the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) as a full member in 2016.
In June 2017, India became a full-fledged member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).

• As per the provisions of Article 191, an individual shall be disqualified for being chosen as, and for being, a member of the Legislative Assembly or Legislative Council of a State:
  • If he holds any office of profit under the Government of India or the Government of any State specified in the First Schedule, other than an office declared by the Legislature of the State by law not to disqualify its holder.
  • If he is of unsound mind and stands so declared by a competent court.
  • If he is an undischarged insolvent.
  • If he is not a citizen of India, or has voluntarily acquired the citizenship of a foreign State, or is under any acknowledgement of allegiance or adherence to a foreign State.
  • If he is so disqualified by or under any law made by Parliament.
• Hence option a is correct.

• Statement 1 is correct, NCPCR is a statutory body established in 2007 under the Commission for Protection of Child Rights (CPCR) Act, 2005.
• Statement 2 is correct, A child is defined as any person between the ages of 0 and 18 years.
• Statement 3 is correct, NCPCR works under the aegis of the Union Ministry of Women & Child Development.

• Statement 1 is correct, The World Economic Forum (WEF) releases the Global Gender Gap Report.
• Statement 2 is correct, The GGG index provides scores between 0 and 1, where 1 shows full gender parity and 0 is complete imparity.
• Statement 3 is correct, For the year 2022, India has been ranked 135th among the 146 countries and has performed poorly as compared to the neighbouring countries such as Bangladesh (ranked 71), Nepal (96), Sri Lanka (110), Maldives (117) and Bhutan ( 126).

• Mauna Loa eruptions tend to produce voluminous, fast-moving lava flows that can impact communities on the east and west sides of the Island of Hawaii.
• Mauna Loa is the largest volcano on earth and it is an active shield volcano.

• Statement 1 is correct, Tight (contractionary) monetary policy is usually undertaken by a central bank such as the Federal Reserve to slow down overheated economic growth and to constrain spending in an economy.
  • However, tight monetary policy discourages investments and could lead to capital flight.
• Statement 2 is correct, As there is a reduced money supply in the system, capital flight can increase the interest cost of firms with existing External Commercial Borrowings (ECBs).
• Statement 3 is not correct, Devaluation of domestic currency does not impact the ECBs as it is denominated in the foreign currency and not in the domestic currency.

The first edition of India-Mozambique-Tanzania Trilateral Exercise (IMT TRILAT), a joint maritime exercise among the Indian, Mozambique and Tanzania navies commenced at Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania on 27 October 2022.
The Indian Navy is represented by the guided missile frigate, INS Tarkash, a Chetak helicopter and MARCOS (Special Forces).

• Myositis is a rare disease that involves inflammation of the muscles.
• Myositis can affect people of any age, including children.
  • The main muscles to be affected are around the shoulders, hips and thighs.
• The general symptoms may include muscle pain and soreness, fatigue, trouble swallowing, and difficulty breathing.
  • Other symptoms are fever, weight loss, joint pain, fatigue and muscle pain.
• The condition “is usually treated with steroids and immunosuppressive drugs”.
• • Since there is no one medical treatment that fits all, immunosuppressant drugs are recommended along with physical therapy, exercise, stretching, and yoga which can help keep muscles strong and flexible and prevent muscle atrophy.

• Statement 01 is correct, Amur Falcon are  one of the longest flying migratory birds.
  • They migrate annually from its breeding grounds in north China, eastern Mongolia and far-east Russia to wintering grounds in South Africa.
• Statement 02 is correct, Amur Falcons roost in parts of Nagaland, Manipur, Meghalaya and Assam. They arrive in northeastern parts of India from Siberia and stay about two months in India before they head for warmer climes in Kenya and South Africa in a non-stop flight over the Arabian Sea.
• Statement 03 is incorrect, The Amur Falcons are protected under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

• Conceptualised and instituted by the Indian Navy in 2016, the GMS is a forum for fostering collaborative thinking, cooperation and mutual understanding between India and key maritime nations of the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).
• The symposium is conducted biennially by the  Naval War College (NWC), Goa.
• The fourth edition of the Goa Maritime Symposium (GMS) is being conducted by the NWC at Goa from 31 Oct to 01 Nov 2022.
• The participants of the Symposium comprise Captains/ Commanders and equivalent-rank officers from Navies/ Maritime forces from friendly foreign countries viz., Bangladesh, Comoros, Indonesia, Madagascar, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Myanmar, Seychelles, Singapore, Sri Lanka, and Thailand, besides India.

• Pair 01 is correctly matched, Bandarpunch is a mountain massif of the Garhwal division of the Himalayas, in Uttarakhand. It is a source of the Yamuna river, whose source lies above Yamunotri.
• Pair 02 is correctly matched, Bara-Shigri glacier is the second longest glacier in Himalaya after Gangotri.
  • It is located in the Chandra valley of Lahaul.
  • The glacier feeds the Chenab river.
• Pair 03 is incorrectly matched, Milam glacier is a major glacier of the Kumaon Himalaya. The glacier is the source of the Goriganga River.
• Pair 04 is correctly matched, The Nubra River is a river in the Nubra Valley of Ladakh in India. It is a tributary of the Shyok River  and originates from the Siachen Glacier,the second-longest non-polar glacier in the world.
• Pair 05 is incorrectly matched, Zemu glacier is the largest glacier in the Eastern Himalaya. It is located at the base of Kanchenjunga in  Sikkim. The glacier is the source of water for numerous rivers including Teesta river.
  • Manas river is a transboundary river in the Himalayan foothills between southern Bhutan and India.

• Statement 01 is correct,  The consent of the state government to CBI can be either case-specific or general.
  • General consent is normally given by states to help the CBI in investigation of cases of corruption against central government employees in their states. This is consent by default, in the absence of which the CBI would have to apply to the state government in every case, and before taking even small actions.
• Statement 02 is correct, Withdrawal of consent by a State Government can be effected prospectively and not retrospectively.
  • Further, in the cases which are referred by the Constitutional Courts, the entry of CBI cannot be denied by that State as these do not require the consent of the State.

Read more on CBI and Consent of States

• Statement 01 is incorrect, The C295 was originally produced by a Spanish aircraft manufacturer named Construccionaes Aeronauticcas SA.
• Statement 02 is correct, The C295MW is a transport aircraft with 5 to 10-tonne capacity and a maximum speed of 480 kmph. It has a rear ramp door for quick reaction and para-dropping of troops and cargo.

• Statement 01 is correct, 1st Constitutional Amendment Act, 1951 empowered the state to make special provisions for the advancement of socially and economically backward classes.
• Statement 02 is correct, It added Ninth schedule to protect the land reform and other laws included in it from the judicial review.
• Statement 03 is incorrect, : 13th Constitutional amendment act, 1962 gave the status of a state to Nagaland and made special provisions for it.
• Statement 04 is incorrect, Third Amendment Act 1954, amended the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution and empowered the Parliament to control the production, supply and distribution of the foodstuffs, cattle fodder, raw cotton, cotton seed and raw jute in the public interest.

The six members of the Gulf Cooperation Council are Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, UAE, Bahrain and Kuwait.

• Statement 01 is correct, Capital expenditure refers to the expenditure that either creates an asset or reduces the liability of the government. Therefore, acquiring new technology is considered a capital expenditure as it will generate profit in the future and helps in the creation of new assets.
• Statement 02 is incorrect, Revenue expenditure is referred to as the expenditure incurred by an organisation to manage the day-to-day functions of a business, which include employee wages, inventory, rent, electricity, insurance, stationery, postage, and taxes.
  • These are the expenditures that neither help in the creation of assets nor in reducing the liabilities of a business. It is recurring in nature and very essential to maintain the daily operations of a business or an organisation.
  • Debt Financing and equity financing are considered under capital expenditure.

• Statement 01 is correct, Brazil is the largest country in South America and the fifth largest nation in the world.
• Statement 02 is incorrect, Brazil is bound by land on three sides and opens to the South Atlantic Ocean towards the east.
• Statement 03 is correct, Brazil is the only country in the world through which both the Tropic of Capricorn and the Equator pass.

Image Source: National Geographic

• Statement 01 is correct, The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is launching the pilot for a central-bank-backed digital rupee for the wholesale segment on November 01, 2022. It is India’s first Digital Rupee pilot project.
• Statement 02 is correct, In the Union Budget for 2022-23, the Union finance minister announced that the RBI would roll out a digital equivalent to the rupee in the current financial year.

• Tiangong space station, or “Heavenly Palace”, is China’s new permanent space station. The country has previously launched two temporary trial space stations, named Tiangong-1 and Tiangong-2.
• China is only the third country in history to have put both astronauts into space and to build a space station, after the Soviet Union (now Russia) and the US.

Examples of freedom fighters who were charged by the British under Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) are:

• Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Annie Besant, Shaukat and Mohammad Ali, Maulana Azad and Mahatma Gandhi, Bhagat Singh and Jawaharlal Nehru.

• Jean-Baptiste Tavernier (1605 – 1689) was a 17th-century French gem merchant and traveller.
• In a book written by Valentine Ball, ‘Travels in India by Jean Baptiste Tavernier’, he clearly states that Tavernier identified the diamond mining sites in India very clearly.
• Tavernier’s writings show that he was a keen observer, as well as a remarkable cultural anthropologist. He stated that lifestyle, dress and food habits are extensively varied across India.

• Statement 1 is correct, Nearly 1,500 Bhil tribals and forest dwellers were killed, when the British Indian Army opened fire on the protesters who were demanding the abolition of the bonded labour system and relaxation from high agricultural taxes.
• Statement 2 is correct, The tribes in the southern Rajasthan region were led by Govind Guru who was a tribal leader and social reformer.

• Statement 1 is correct, Senna spectabilis is an exotic tree species found in India which is native to Central and South America.
• Statement 2 is correct, Senna spectabilis is most known for ornamental purposes and is also used as shade trees and is cultivated for fuel wood in some regions.
• Statement 3 is correct, In recent years the bright yellow flowers of Senna spectabilis have become more prominent in the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve and the invasive plant is having adverse effects on local biodiversity.

• On April 2nd 2022, India and Australia signed an Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA).
• This landmark bilateral trade pact is the second trade agreement India has signed recently after signing a similar deal with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in February 2022.

Image Source: World Atlas