UPSC 2021: Weekly GK and Current Affairs Quiz Oct 30 - Nov 05

All four are correct. It is fundamental principle of criminal jurisprudence that an accused is presumed to be innocent and, therefore, the burden lies on the prosecution to prove the guilt of the accused beyond reasonable doubt. However in case of certain crimes like dowry death, cases under SC/ST act, child sexual assault cases and drug cases under NDPS act, the burden to prove innocent rests on the accused

2, 3 and 4 only are correct. The Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act is a United States federal law that imposed sanctions on Iran, North Korea, and Russia. CAATSA authorises the U.S. administration to impose sanctions on countries that indulge in defence trade with the above three countries.

Both are incorrect. A person to be appointed as a judge of a high court should have been an advocate of a high court for at least ten years. A distinguished Jurist in the opinion of the President can be a Judge of the Supreme Court but there is no such provision for High Court judges.

The Ministries/Departments of the Government of India are created by the President on the advice of the Prime Minister under the Government of India (Allocation of Business Rules) 1961.

1 and 3 only are correctly matched. Taniyurs was a large village and were distinct revenue units under Cholas. The villages donated to a single Brahmin or a group of Brahmins are known as Brahmadeya.

Only 3 is correct. The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) is a multilateral development bank that aims to improve economic and social outcomes in Asia. It is headquartered in Beijing, China. The bank started operations in December 2015, after ratifications were received from 10 member states holding a total number of 50% of the initial subscriptions of the Authorized Capital Stock. India is the second-largest shareholder after China.

Both are correct. The Solicitor General of India is subordinate to the Attorney General of India. He/she is the second law officer of the country, assists the Attorney General, and is assisted by Additional Solicitors General for India. The Solicitor General is not a government servant and is not debarred from private legal practice i.e, he/she is allowed to represent private clients. The remuneration of the Solicitor General of India is not fixed by the Constitution. He/she receives such remuneration as the President may so determine.

All three are correct. China is the world’s largest aluminium producer by far, accounting for around 50% of the world’s aluminium production. Bauxite ore is the world’s primary source of aluminium. The ore must first be chemically processed to produce alumina (aluminium oxide). Alumina is then smelted using an electrolysis process to produce pure aluminium metal. Bauxite is typically found in topsoil located in various tropical and subtropical regions. Aluminium is the third most abundant element on Earth’s surface. Bauxite has been found in all the world’s continents except Antarctica.

1 only is correct. The Indian Parliament had in March 2021 cleared the National Bank for Financing Infrastructure and Development (NaBFID) Bill 2021 to support the development of long-term non-recourse infrastructure financing in India, including the development of the bonds and derivatives markets necessary for infrastructure financing. As per the 2021 NaBFID bill, a body constituted by the central government will recommend candidates for the post of Managing Director and Deputy Managing Directors. No investigation can be initiated against employees of NaBFID without the prior sanction of the central government in case of the chairperson or other directors

Only 1 is correct. Agenda 21 is a non-binding action plan of the United Nations with regard to sustainable development. It is a product of the Earth Summit held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 1992.

Only 2 and 4 are correct. Turkey borders two EU member states: Bulgaria and Greece. Greece joined the European Union in 1981. Bulgaria is a member country of the EU since 2007.

Only 1 is correct. Harpoon Block II missile is an all-weather, over-the-horizon, anti-ship missile. It can be launched from fixed-wing aircraft, surface ships, submarines and coastal defense batteries. It is developed by Boeing Defense, Space & Security, the U.S.A. It has a range of around 125 km.

All the statements are correct.

Only 3 is incorrect. IndiGen Program is an initiative of the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR). The programme undertook the whole-genome sequencing of individuals representing diverse ethnic groups from India. In order to fill the gap of whole-genome sequences from different populations in India, CSIR initiated the IndiGen Program in April 2019. CSIR first sequenced an Indian genome in 2009.

1 and 2 only are correct. Green Crackers are manufactured using pyrotechnic to ensure that the emission of sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxide does not occur. They are known as ‘green’ firecrackers because they have a chemical formulation that produces water molecules, which substantially reduces emission levels and absorbs dust. Green crackers don’t contain banned chemicals such as lithium, arsenic, barium and lead. They are called Safe Water Releaser (SWAS), Safe Thermite Cracker (STAR) and Safe Minimal Aluminium (SAFAL) crackers. Green crackers release water vapour and don’t allow the dust particles to rise.

Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO) is a department formed by the Government of India under the Department for the Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. It was established to administer Explosives Act 1884, Explosive Substance Act, Petroleum (Production) Act 1934, Inflammable substance Act 1952 and Environment Protection Act 1986 to control the import, export, transport, storage and usage of explosive materials, flammable materials, pressure vessels, cryogenic vessels, design and installation of all necessary and relevant infrastructure, etc. PESO is a regulatory authority with autonomous status.

India’s first International Financial Service Centre (IFSC) was commissioned at the Gujarat International Financial Tec (GIFT) City, Gandhinagar, Gujarat.

1, 2 and 4 only are correct. Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, Kalakad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve, Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve are located in Tamil Nadu. Kawal Tiger Reserve is located in Telangana.

All are correct. Assumption Island is one of the islands constituting the Seychelles archipelago. It is located to the north of Madagascar. India has signed an agreement with Seychelles to jointly develop transport infrastructure facilities on the Island.

1 and 2 only are correct. India holds ministerial-level ‘2+2’ Dialogue with the U.S.A and Japan. It holds such talks with Australia, at the foreign secretary and defence secretary level.

• General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) – GSOMIA was signed in 2002.
• The Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) was signed in 2016.
• The Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA) in 2018.
• An extension to the GSOMIA, the Industrial Security Annex (ISA), was signed at the last 2+2 dialogue (2019). 

1, 4, 2, 3 is the correct order.

• Dihing-Patkai Elephant Reserve – Assam
• Mayurbhanj Elephant Reserve – Odisha
• Dandeli Elephant Reserve – Karnataka
• Anamalai Elephant Reserve – Tamil Nadu

1 only is correct.

• OSIRIS-REx (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security, Regolith Explorer) is a NASA asteroid-study and sample-return mission.
• The mission’s primary goal is to obtain a sample from Bennu, a carbonaceous near-Earth asteroid, and return the sample to Earth for a detailed analysis.
• Other similar missions include the Japanese probe Hayabusa which returned samples from Itokawa in 2010, and Hayabusa2 which will return samples from Ryugu in December 2020.

• Chatar festival is celebrated in Odisha’s Kalahandi district. Lakhs of devotees from Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and West Bengal participate in the festival.
• The festival is usually marked by the sacrifice of thousands of animals and birds.
• This year, the Orissa High Court had ordered ban on animal sacrifice during ‘Chatar Yatra’ festival.

All five.

• The observance of superconductivity at room temperature marks a major breakthrough given that traditionally superconductivity was observed at very low temperatures only.
• Superconductivity at room temperature would lead to a large number of applications from power supplies (low-loss power cables) to quantum computers (fast digital circuits) to powerful superconducting electromagnets used in maglev trains, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) machines, magnetic confinement fusion reactors (e.g. tokamaks), and the beam-steering and focusing magnets used in particle accelerators

INS Vikrant.

• INS Viraat was a Centaur-class aircraft carrier of the Indian Navy. INS Viraat was the flagship of the Indian Navy before INS Vikramaditya was commissioned in 2013. It was recently decommissioned.
• INS Vikramaditya is a modified Kiev-class aircraft carrier and the flagship of the Indian Navy, which entered into service in 2013.
• INS Vishal, also known as Indigenous Aircraft Carrier 2 (IAC-2), is a planned aircraft carrier to be built by Cochin Shipyard Limited for the Indian Navy. It is intended to be the second aircraft carrier to be built in India after INS Vikrant (IAC-1).

1 and 3 only are correct.

• The National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), formerly National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD), had its origin as the Central Malaria Bureau, established at Kasauli (Himachal Pradesh) in 1909.
• The Institute has its headquarters in Delhi.
• It functions as the nodal agency in the country for disease surveillance facilitating prevention and control of communicable diseases.

All the statements are correct.

2 is incorrect. Forex reserves or foreign exchange reserves (FX reserves) are assets that are held by a nation’s central bank or monetary authority.
Foreign Currency Assets, Special Drawing Rights, gold reserves are a part of India’s Forex Reserves.
According to RBI data, India’s foreign exchange reserves touched a lifetime high of $555.12 billion after it surged by $3.615 billion in the week ended October 16, 2020. With this development, India is ranked 5th among the countries with highest Forex Reserves.

The Barak Valley is located in the southern region of Assam. It is dominated by Bengali speakers unlike the Brahmaputra valley which is dominated by Assamese speakers.