Set No. 31 {Prepared on 28 .9.2021 } For Study purpose
Civils Prelims 2021 Model Questions (for GS Paper )
Set No. 31 {Prepared on 28 .9.2021 } For Study purpose
Prepared by :Praturi Potayya Sarma
Yojana, Andhra Jyothi Writer (for competitive examinations)
26 Years Teaching Experience for Civil Services Exams
Mobile No.8143189271
Blog : Praturi P Sarma
1)Consider the following with reference to bushfires in Australia :
1) Nearly 3 billion koalas, kangaroos and other native Australian animals were killed or displaced by bushfires in 2019 and 2020, a study by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) said , triple the group’s earlier estimates
2)When the fires were still blazing, the WWF estimated the number of affected animals at 1.25 billion. The fires destroyed more than 11 million hectares (37 million acres) across the Australian southeast, equal to about half the area of the United Kingdom.
3) Bushfires in Australia are a widespread and regular occurrence that have contributed significantly to shaping the nature of the continent over millions of years. Eastern Australia is one of the most fire-prone regions of the world, and its predominant eucalyptus forests have evolved to thrive on the phenomenon of bushfire However, the fires can cause significant property damage and loss of both human and animal life. Bushfires have killed approximately 800 people in Australia since 1851 and billions of animals.
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b)1 and 2 only
(c) 1, 2, and 3
(d) None
Ans: c
2)Consider the following with reference to V-shaped recovery in the economy :
1)There are early signs of a V-shaped recovery in the economy in the immediate aftermath of the lockdown, driven mostly by agriculture and rural lending, as well as positive trends in FMCG, pharma and even construction, says the Confederation of Indian Industries.
2)Terming the agriculture sector a “beacon of hope”, CII noted that rural lending by non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) is at about 80% of the usual levels.
3)Stressed sectors include aviation, hotels and commercial vehicles, which show no signs of recovery yet.
4)However, the information technology and health sectors are likely to hold steady even if they do not show much growth.
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b)1 and 2 only
(c) 1, 2, and 3,4
(d) None
Ans: c
3)Consider the following :
The new National Education Policy approved by the Union Cabinet introduced four-year undergraduate degrees with multiple entry and exit options, abolish the M.Phil. degree, and establish a common higher education regulator with fee fixation for both private and public institutions.
1) It also envisions universalisation of early childhood education from ages 3 to 6 by 2030, a new school curriculum with coding and vocational studies from Class 6, and a child’s mother tongue being used as the medium of instruction till Class 5.
2)This is the first new education policy in 34 years, and was a poll promise of the BJP in 2014. A panel headed by former ISRO chief K. Kasturirangan submitted a draft in December 2018, which was made public and opened for feedback after the Lok Sabha election in May 2019.
3)Language issues caused the most outrage at that time, as the original draft called for mandatory teaching of Hindi to all school students. That clause was dropped and the final policy document makes it clear that “there will be a greater flexibility in the three-language formula, and no language will be imposed on any State. The three languages learned by children will be the choices of States, regions, and of course the students themselves, so long as at least two of the three languages are native to India. Sanskrit will be offered as an option at all levels of school and higher education,” said the policy, adding that other classical languages will also be available, possibly as online modules, while foreign languages will be offered at the secondary level.
4)“Wherever possible, the medium of instruction until at least Grade 5, but preferably till Grade 8 and beyond, will be the home language/ mother tongue/ local language/ regional language … This will be followed by both public and private schools,” said the policy.
5)Senior officials said that as education was a concurrent subject, with most States having their own school boards, State governments would have to be brought on board for actual implementation of this decision.
6)A new curricular framework is to be introduced, including the pre-school and anganwadi years. A National Mission on Foundational Literacy and Numeracy will ensure basic skills at the Class 3 level by 2025. Students will begin classes on coding as well as vocational activities from Class 6 onwards. Indian knowledge systems, including tribal and indigenous knowledge, will be incorporated into the curriculum in an accurate and scientific manner, said the policy.
7)The National Education Policy (NEP), approved by the Cabinet , has a new section on digital education to ensure “equitable use of technology”.
8)“When we introduce technology, we must ensure that no child is left behind,” said Higher Education Secretary, speaking to press persons after the Cabinet decision. A dedicated unit to coordinate digital infrastructure, content and capacity building will be created within the Education Ministry to look after the online learning needs of both school and higher education, he said. Teachers will also be given training in online educational methods relevant to the Indian situation in order to help bridge the digital divide.
9)Inclusion is a theme of the Policy beyond technology as well. The NEP emphasises universal access to schools, and aims to bring two crore out-of-school children back into the educational mainstream.
10)It also aims to double the Gross Enrolment Ratio in higher education, including vocational education, from 26.3% in 2018 to 50% by 2035, with an additional 3.5 crore new seats.
11)In order to achieve all this, public financing of education by States and Centre must grow from the current 4.43% of GDP to 6% at least, says the Policy. The National Scholarship Portal will be expanded to support, foster, and track the progress of students receiving scholarships.
12)Regions such as aspirational districts, which have large numbers of students facing economic, social or caste barriers will be designated as ‘Special Educational Zones’, added the Policy.
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b)1 and 2 only
(c) 1, 2, and 3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12
(d) None
Ans: c
4)Consider the following with reference to Gender Inclusion Fund (NEP) :
1) The Centre will also set up a ‘Gender-Inclusion Fund’ to build the country’s capacity to provide equitable quality education to all girls and transgender students.
2)“The fund will be available to States to implement priorities determined by the Central government critical for assisting female and transgender children in gaining access to education (such as the provisions of sanitation and toilets, bicycles, conditional cash transfers, etc),” said the Policy.
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) 1, 2
(d) None
Ans: c
5)Consider the following with reference to Tiger Status Report 2018 :
1)The Tiger Status Report 2018 revealed that 126 tigers use the reserve, while 83 are found within the reserve. Also, the density of tigers in the reserve was estimated at 3.75 per 100 km.
2)“The tiger population has grown gradually over the years — 18 tigers in 2012, 54 in 2014 to the present 83,” said a senior official at the Forest Department who attributed the increase to a diverse prey base and less human-animal conflict.
3)The survey covered forest divisions and wildlife sanctuaries connected to the four reserves — Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR), Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR), Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve (STR) and Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve (KMTR) — and their buffers.
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b)1 and 2 only
(c) 1, 2, and 3
(d) None
Ans: c
6)Consider the following with reference to draft notification of the Environment Impact Assessment 2020 :
1) the draft notification of the Environment Impact Assessment 2020 becomes law
2)An area in a State might end up becoming a desert as the notification has given exemption to various projects such as oil and gas exploration, shale gas exploration, methane and coal, among others
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) 1, 2
(d) None
Ans: c
7)Consider the following with reference to idols theft :
1)long-pending case of idol theft finally saw an important development as Natesa, a rare sandstone idol in the 9th century Prathihara style of Rajasthan, is returning to the country after 22 years. The Natesa icon, currently at the Indian High Commission, London, was originally from the Ghateswara Temple, Baroli, Rajasthan.
2)The sandstone Natesa figure stands tall at almost 4 ft. in a rare and brilliant depiction of Shiva in the late 9th century Prathihara style of Rajasthan. A beautiful depiction of Nandi is shown behind the right leg of the Natesa icon.
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) 1, 2
(d) None
Ans: c
8)Consider the following with reference to Tenth Schedule :
1)Rajasthan Assembly Speaker, moved the Supreme Court against the State High Court’s order effectively deferring his disqualification action against ousted deputy Chief Minister and 18 other dissident Congress legislators.
2)the “status quo” order of the High Court crossed the “Lakshman Rekha” between the domains of the judiciary and the legislature.
3)“Judiciary was never expected under the Tenth Schedule to interfere in the manner it has done in the instant case resulting in encroachment by the High Court in the field exclusively reserved for the Speaker. The status quo order interdicts the Speaker from proceeding to even adjudicate the disqualification petitions pending before him under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution,” the special leave petition said.
4)It is said the Court, as the “sentinel on the qui vive”, should restore the Principle of Separation of Governance. It is said the July 24 order of the High Court was “exfacie unconstitutional and in the teeth of the law” declared in Kihoto Hollohan v. Zachillhu 1992 judgment of the Supreme Court, which held that judicial review is impermissible until the Speaker gives a final decision in disqualification proceedings under the Tenth Schedule.
5)“The order restraining the Speaker from performing his constitutional duties under the Tenth Schedule is a direct intrusion by the High Court into the domain exclusively reserved for the Speaker … The impugned order of the High Court is a direct interference in the ‘proceedings of the House’ under Para 6(2) of the Tenth Schedule which is prohibited under Article 212 of the Constitution,” the petition said.
6)The Speaker’s office had withdrawn an earlier petition challenging an order of the High Court , requesting him to defer the disqualification proceedings.
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b)1 and 2 only
(c) 1, 2, and 3,4,5,6
(d) None
Ans: c
9)Consider the following with reference to Rafale fighter jets :
1)Forty-six months after a €7.87 billion contract was signed with France, the first five of the 36 Rafale fighter jets landed at the Ambala airbase . The crew were welcomed by the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal R.K.S. Bhadauria.
2)The five jets, three single-seat and two twin-seat trainers, were flown by IAF pilots led by Group Captain Harkirat Singh, Commanding Officer of No. 17 ‘Golden Arrows’ Squadron, covering nearly 8,500 km, the IAF said.
3)The Rafale gives a capability boost to the IAF with its armaments and comes at a time of tensions with China on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Eastern Ladakh.
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b)1 and 2 only
(c) 1, 2, and 3
(d) None
Ans: c
10)Consider the following with reference to Manakudy estuary (Tamil Nadu ) :
1)Declaration of the wetlands in Suchindram and Theroor and the Manakudi estuary as conservation reserves.
2) The increase in the concentration of trace metals along the Manakudy estuary indicates that the area has been contaminated by the input from the Pazhayar River.
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) 1, 2
(d) None
Ans: c
11)Consider the following with reference to Arctic and lightning :
1)Meteorologists were stunned when three successive thunderstorms swept across the icy Arctic from Siberia to north of Alaska, unleashing lightning bolts in an unusual phenomenon that scientists say will become less rare with global warming.
2) Typically, the air over the Arctic Ocean, especially when the water is covered with ice, lacks the convective heat needed to generate lightning storms. But as climate change warms the Arctic faster than the rest of the world, that’s changing, scientists say.
3)Episodes of summer lightning within the Arctic Circle have tripled since 2010, a trend directly tied to climate change and increasing loss of sea ice in the far north, scientists reported in a March study published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters. As sea ice vanishes, more water is able to evaporate, adding moisture to the warming atmosphere.
4)“It’s going to go with the temperatures,” said co-author Robert Holzworth, an atmospheric physicist at the University of Washington in Seattle.
5)These electrical storms threaten boreal forests fringing the Arctic, as they spark fires in remote regions already baking under the round-the-clock summer sun.
6)The paper also documented more frequent lightning over the Arctic’s treeless tundra regions, as well as above the Arctic Ocean and pack ice. In August 2019, lightning even struck within 100 kilometers of the North Pole, the researchers found.
7)In Alaska alone, thunderstorm activity is on track to increase threefold by the end of the century if current climate trends continue, according to two studies by scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado, published over the last year in the journal Climate Dynamics.
8)“What used to be very rare is now just rare,” said Rick Thoman, a climate scientist with the University of Alaska Fairbanks. As the parade of Arctic storms demonstrated, lightning is already appearing in unexpected places, he said. “I have no memory of three consecutive days of this kind of thing” in the Arctic.
9)On the water, the lightning is an increasing hazard
10) In physical geography, tundra is a type of biome where the tree growth is hindered by low temperatures and short growing seasons.
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b)1 and 2 only
(c) 1, 2, and 3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10
(d) None
Ans: c
12)Consider the following with reference to banning of debit and credit cards :
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) banned Mastercard from issuing new debit and credit cards to customers in India with effect from July 22. According to the RBI, the U.S. card-issuer has failed to comply with the local data storage rules announced by the central bank in 2018. The ban has unsettled banks operating in India that use Mastercard’s services to issue a variety of cards to their customers.
1)In 2018, the Indian central bank had issued a circular ordering card companies such as Visa, Mastercard, and American Express to store all Indian customer data locally so that the regulator could have “unfettered supervisory access”.
2)This meant that foreign card companies had to store complete information about transactions made by Indian customers in servers located within India.
3)Companies were initially required to comply with these rules within six months. The reason offered by the RBI to back up its data localisation rule was that local storage of consumer data is necessary to protect the privacy of Indian users and also to address national security concerns.
4)Since the order, Mastercard, Visa and other foreign card companies have lobbied to dilute the rules.
5)But the RBI has remained strict that companies must comply with its data localisation rules.
6)Consequently, Mastercard deleted Indian customer data from its foreign servers and promised to invest in building local servers in India to store local customer data.
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b)1 and 2 only
(c) 1, 2, and 3,4,5,6
(d) None
Ans: c
13)Consider the following with reference to NEW EDUCAITON POLICY 2020 (IN BRIEF) :
1)The 2020 policy attempts to break free from the shackles of the past.
2)In adopting a 5+3+3+4 model for school education starting at age 3, it recognises the primacy of the formative years from ages 3 to 8 in shaping the child’s future.
3)It also recognises the importance of learning in the child’s mother tongue till at least Class 5. Here, we are up against the strong desire of parents today, born of pragmatism, to give a head start to their children by exposing them to English from day one. Maybe we should recognise that between ages 3 and 8, picking up languages is child’s play, and blend the mother tongue and English in the first five years of school.
4)Multilingual felicity could become the USP of the educated Indian.
5)Another key aspect of school education in the new policy is the breaking of the straitjackets of arts, commerce and science streams in high school, and the laudable goal of introducing vocational courses with internship. How exactly this will be realised is to be worked out, given the penchant of overzealous parents to “stream” their children into professions at the earliest.
6)The ‘blue-collarisation’ of vocations in our society is also a hurdle to be overcome, but this need not deter us from recognising the merits of the proposed policy.
7)Needless to say, the policy envisages 100% Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in school education by 2030.
8)In keeping with the philosophy of flexibility in enabling our students to deviate from the straight and narrow, NEP 2020 proposes a multi-disciplinary higher education framework with portable credits, and multiple exits with certificates, diplomas and degrees.
9)An ambitious GER of 50% is envisaged by 2035. At the apex will be Multidisciplinary Education and Research Universities, where research will be supported by a new National Research Foundation.
10)The role of our colleges in attaining the ambitious GER target is recognised by empowering them as autonomous degree-granting institutions, and phasing out the affiliated college, a unique Indian beast that is neither fish nor fowl. The huge potential of online pedagogy and learning methodologies for attaining the GER target is recognised and sought to be tapped extensively.
11)Regulatory cholesterol is the bane of governance in India, with poor outcomes to boot. NEP 2020 makes a bold prescription to free our schools, colleges and universities from periodic “inspections” and place them on the path of self-assessment and voluntary declaration. Transparency, maintaining quality standards and a favourable public perception will become a 24X7 pursuit for the institutions, leading to all-round improvement in their standard. A single, lean body with four verticals for standards-setting, funding, accreditation and regulation is proposed to provide “light but tight” oversight.
12)In a country still beset by huge inequality and challenges faced by the disadvantaged and disabled, the NEP lays particular emphasis on providing adequate support to ensure that no child is deprived of education, and every challenged child is provided the special support she needs. The long-neglected ancient Indian languages and Indic knowledge systems are also identified for immediate attention.
13)All this requires enormous resources. An ambitious target of public spending at 6% of GDP has been set. This is certainly a tall order, given the current tax-to-GDP ratio and competing claims on the national exchequer of healthcare, national security and other key sectors. However, resources are never the main roadblock to success in education. If public and political will can be mustered, resources will find their way from both public and private sources. NEP 2020 provides the ingredients and the right recipe. What we make of it depends entirely on us.
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b)1 and 2 only
(c) 1, 2, and 3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13
(d) None
Ans: c
14)Consider the following with reference to NEP 2020 :
1)The National Education Policy 2020 announced by the Ministry of Human Resource Development sets for itself the goal of transforming the system to meet the needs of 21st Century India.
2)In a federal system, any educational reform can be implemented only with support from the States, and the Centre has the giant task of building a consensus on the many ambitious plans.
3)The policy, inter alia, aims to eliminate problems of pedagogy, structural inequities, access asymmetries and rampant commercialisation.
4)The NEP 2020 is the first omnibus policy after the one issued in 1986, and it has to contend with multiple crises in the system.
5)It is no secret that primary schools record shockingly poor literacy and numeracy outcomes, dropout levels in middle and secondary schools are significant, and the higher education system has generally failed to meet the aspirations for multi-disciplinary programmes.
6)In structural terms, the NEP’s measures to introduce early childhood education from age 3, offer school board examinations twice a year to help improve performance, move away from rote learning, raise mathematical skills for everyone, shift to a four-year undergraduate college degree system, and create a Higher Education Commission of India represent major changes.
7)Progress on these crucially depends on the will to spend the promised 6% of GDP as public expenditure on education.
8)The policy also says that wherever possible, the medium of instruction in schools until at least Class 5, but preferably until Class 8 and beyond, will be the home language or mother tongue or regional language. This is a long-held view, and has its merits, although in a large and diverse country where mobility is high, the student should have the option to study in the language that enables a transfer nationally. English has performed that role due to historical factors.
9)There are some good elements to the NEP 2020 that will generate little friction, and need only adequate resourcing.
10)Provision of an energy-filled breakfast, in addition to the nutritious mid-day meal, to help children achieve better learning outcomes, is one.
11)Creation of ‘inclusion funds’ to help socially and educationally disadvantaged children pursue education is another.
12)Where the policy fails to show rigour, however, is on universalisation of access, both in schools and higher education; the Right to Education needs specific measures to succeed. Moreover, fee regulations exist in some States even now, but the regulatory process is unable to rein in profiteering in the form of unaccounted donations.
13)The idea of a National Higher Education Regulatory Council as an apex control organisation is bound to be resented by States.
14)Similarly, a national body for aptitude tests would have to convince the States of its merits.
15) Among the many imperatives, the deadline to achieve universal literacy and numeracy by 2025 should be a top priority as a goal that will crucially determine progress at higher levels.
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b)1 and 2 only
(c) 1, 2, and 3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15
(d) None
Ans: c
15)Consider the following with reference to serology :
1)A recent serology survey that scientists used to estimate the spread of COVID-19 in Mumbai has found that nearly three in five, or 57% of those tested in slums had been exposed to the virus and had developed antibodies against it as compared to only 16% of those tested in residential societies.
2)Results from Delhi’s sero prevalence study, earlier , found that nearly a quarter of the 21,000-odd samples tested had been exposed to the virus and some of the densest districts had over 20% prevalence.
3)Of the nearly 7,000 tested in Mumbai, nearly 61% were slum-dwellers and the higher prevalence of the virus there showed that — as expected — those living in the densest urban agglomerations were most likely to have been infected by it. A large proportion of those in whom antibodies were detected — the numbers aren’t known — were asymptomatic and this pointed to the fact that the fatality rate in Mumbai may be “as low as 0.05-0.10 per cent, instead of the existing 5.5 per cent,” as per an estimate accompanying the results of the survey. Such serological surveys are increasingly being used by States.
4)Ahmedabad’s civic body conducted one to conclude that only 17% of the city had been likely exposed to the virus and Tamil Nadu too is in the midst of conducting such a survey.
5) A dominant theme driving State bodies that commission such surveys is to check for levels of ‘herd immunity’, or if 60%-70% of the population have encountered the infection. The argument is that this degree of exposure will, akin to a vaccine, also protect the rest of those uninfected. But given the absence of knowledge about how long antibodies last and the extent to which they protect from fresh infections, herd immunity isn’t a precise science and not something that ought to be pursued by a state as a matter of policy.
6)It is four months since India got its first 100 cases and very early in May, the Indian Council of Medical Research’s survey had shown that the number of those infected by the virus were many multiples of those that were being reflected in official confirmed-case statistics. The unrelenting advance of the virus shows that while it is much less of a killer, in aggregate, than expected, it spares few from infection. Therefore, in the absence of a reliable vaccine, the vast majority of people everywhere — irrespective of peaks and ebbs in daily caseloads — continue to be vulnerable.
7)Serology surveys can at best be crude pointers to chronicle the progress of the pandemic and not a psychological palliative.
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b)1 and 2 only
(c) 1, 2, and 3,4,5,6,7
(d) None
Ans: c
16)Consider the following with reference to mobile broadband subscriber base :
1) India’s 650 million mobile broadband subscriber base is a huge potential base for any Internet firm to tap into.
2)5G technology to provide bandwidths upwards of 100 Mbps.
3)The latest count on 5G consumers is something like 100 million worldwide, and 80% of those are in China. Then, there are three technologies today: Huawei-ZTE’s, Nokia’s and Ericsson’s.
4)Data usage per subscriber per month has grown 43 times in the last three years. In September 2016, it was 0.235 GB per subscriber per month; now it is close to 10 GB.
5)According to the ITU’s ICT price basket study, India is ranked 49th in the mobile broadband data plans. So, for about 1.5 GB per month on our average data plan, (average revenue per user) ARPU is at about $4.75 per month, adjusted for purchasing power parity. The world average, according to the GSM database, is about $8.45
6)What worries me is not so much the urban tele-density, but the mobile broadband reach. Recent statistics show we have 656 million mobile broadband subscribers and too few — about 19 million — fixed broadband subscribers. The good news in mobile broadband is that over one year, it has risen by about 200 million to reach here. But we still have a lot of ground to cover. The second worrying aspect is fixed broadband. We have about 35 million fixed line subscribers, and only 19 million broadband subscribers. Especially when we are moving towards work from home, long-distance education, tele-medicine and the like being dependent on connectivity, we need a reliable fixed line broadband network.
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b)1 and 2 only
(c) 1, 2, and 3,4,5,6
(d) None
Ans: c
17)Consider the following :
1)As the world’s oldest and largest democracies, the U.S. and India have long traditions of upholding these shared values championed by figures like Gandhi, King, and Congressman Lewis. But they are increasingly under threat in both countries.
2)The legislature will help to ensure those values endure and remind us that by holding true to them, we embody and live up to the best of our two nations
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) 1, 2
(d) None
Ans: c
18)Consider the following with reference to BCG Vaccine :
1)The BCG Vaccine Laboratory (BCGVL), Chennai, rolled out its first batch of 4.5 lakh doses for the universal immunisation programme of the Government of India.
2)12 Years back its manufacturing licence was suspended because of non-compliance with the current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP).
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) 1, 2
(d) None
Ans: c
19)Consider the following with reference to Brahmaputra floods & Wetlands that once acted as “sponges :
1)The Brahmaputra Board, formed in 1980 to “integrate management of flood and basins of interstate and international rivers in the northeast”, came up with the idea of building big storage dams to contain the rivers upstream. High-volume discharge of water from hydropower dams in Arunachal Pradesh and Bhutan during the monsoon season has added to Assam’s flood problems.
2)“One has to understand that floods also happen because excess water cannot recede from the floodplains in time due to obstructions such as roads, embankments, unplanned human habitations, excessive sand and gravel mining and encroachment or blocking of wetlands, streams and channels,”
3)“No amount of planning can succeed unless we discuss river basins, encompassing in the case of the Brahmaputra the catchments in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Tibet and other north-eastern States.
4)Wetlands that once acted as “sponges” for absorbing excess water have been under pressure. They include Deepor Beel, a Ramsar Site on the western edge of Guwahati whose area has shrunk from 4,000 hectares to 500 hectares in two decades.
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b)1 and 2 only
(c) 1, 2, and 3,4
(d) None
Ans: c
20)Consider the following with reference to economy of the 19-country Eurozone € :
1)The economy of the 19-country Eurozone shrank by a devastating 12.1% in the April-June period from the quarter before — the largest drop on record — as COVID-19 lockdowns shut businesses and hampered consumer spending.
2)Economists say the worst of the downturn is past as many restrictions have eased, but that the recovery will be drawn out and vulnerable to renewed virus outbreaks.
3)Spain, which along with Italy was among the first to get hit hard by the spread of the virus, suffered the region’s heaviest drop at 18.5%. France, Italy and Portugal also endured steep declines, but no country escaped the impact of the pandemic. For the currency union as a whole, it was the biggest decline since the records started in 1995. The broader 27-country European Union, not all of whose members use the euro, saw output sag 11.9%.
4)European governments are countering the recession with massive stimulus measures.
5)EU leaders have agreed on a €750 billion recovery fund backed by common borrowing to support the economy from 2021. National governments have stepped in with loans to keep businesses afloat and wage support programmes that pay workers’ salaries while they are furloughed.
6)The European Central Bank is pumping €1.35 trillion in newly printed money into the economy, a step which helps keep borrowing costs low.
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b)1 and 2 only
(c) 1, 2, and 3,4,5,6
(d) None
Ans: c
21)Consider the following with reference to Chinese and Indian economies :
1)“The Chinese and Indian economies are interwoven and interdependent,”it is said, citing statistics from 2018-19 showing that “92% of Indian computers, 82% of TVs, 80% of optical fibre, 85% of motorcycle components are imported from China.”
2)“Countless examples like this are the reflection of globalisation,” it is said. “Whether you want it or not, the trend is difficult to reverse.”
3)The envoy, speaking at an event hosted by the Institute of Chinese Studies (ICS) , said “forced decoupling of the Chinese and Indian economies is against the trend and will only lead to a lose-lose outcome.”
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b)1 and 2 only
(c) 1, 2, and 3
(d) None
Ans: c
22)Consider the following with reference to the draft Trafficking in Persons (Prevention, Care and Rehabilitation) Bill, 2021 :
1)Undoubtedly, trafficking is a pernicious offence, one that societies and governments must have zero tolerance for, and yet, handling the offence of trafficking needs precision, not a sledgehammer.
2)In its current form, the draft Trafficking in Persons (Prevention, Care and Rehabilitation) Bill, 2021 seems to be lacking in nuance, even if well intentioned, to stamp out exploitative trafficking.
3)The Bill, which will shortly be introduced in Parliament, aims at preventing and countering trafficking in persons, particularly women and children, to provide for care, protection and rehabilitation to the victims, while respecting their rights, and creating a supportive legal, economic and social environment for them. This is the Bill’s second iteration; the first was passed in the Lok Sabha, in 2018, but then meandered into nothingness as it was never introduced in the Upper House.
4)Notably, the Bill has expanded the area under coverage to include offences taking place, not only within India but also outside it.
5)It envisages the setting up of anti-trafficking committees at the State and national levels to implement the provisions, when passed. In the days the Bill was up in the public domain for comments, civil society activists and legal experts have criticised its various provisions, and submitted that an overzealous approach would blur the nuances and an understanding of the contributing factors, including vicious poverty, debt, lack of opportunity, and development schemes missing their mark.
6)Vociferous opposition has arisen over the key aspect of handing over investigation in trafficking crimes to the NIA both by those who believe that it would burden the already stretched unit further, and those arguing that this move would be an attack on federalism, by removing local enforcement agencies out of the picture.
7)Another key criticism of the Bill has been its broad definitions of victims, smacking of refusal to consider consensual sexual activity for commerce. This would only land up criminalising sex work and victimisation of the exploited. Bringing pornography into the definition of sexual exploitation would not allow even for any adult consumption of non-exploitative, consensual material.
8)Reporting of offences has been made mandatory with penalties for non-reporting, but those with an understanding of the tortuous processes, point to the fact that victims often do not want a complaint to be recorded. The mention of the death penalty for various forms of aggravated trafficking offences needs to be flagged too. The Government would do well to scan and incorporate the responses to its Bill in order to ensure that the fence does not eat the crop. While sexual exploitation and trafficking can be ghastly crimes invoking public horror, for the state to not employ a wholesome approach, cognisant of the causative factors, one that would be sensitive and precise, would be equally horrific.
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b)1 and 2 only
(c) 1, 2, and 3,4,5,6,7,8,
(d) None
Ans: c
23)Consider the following :
1)Two events in Central Asia recently, which India attended, saw Afghanistan’s neighbours seeking solutions to the conflict there.
2) The first was a meeting in Dushanbe, of the Contact group on Afghanistan of SCO Foreign Ministers,
3)The second, is a Central and South Asia connectivity conference in Tashkent.
4)The meetings also took on a special salience due to their timing. Just days after the U.S. and NATO completed their pullout from the Bagram air base(Afghanistan), and most other key locations, it is clear that the Taliban are making advances to return to power, by force if necessary.
5)Tashkent : Uzbekistan
6)Dushanbe : Tajikistan
7)Kabul : Afghanistan
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b)1 and 2 only
(c) 1, 2, and 3,4,5,6,7
(d) None
Ans: c
24)Consider the following with reference to Benefits of Lockdown :-
1)The benefits of a lockdown, seen in isolation, do not appear to be all that clear.
2)Lockdowns — severe or mild — prevent the spread of the disease so long as they last. Mortality falls perhaps, only to resurface once the lockdown is lifted. For the U.S., a researcher has come up with the disappointing conclusion that there is no lifesaving impact of lockdowns at all.
3)How, then, should the benefit of a lockdown be computed? However absurd this may sound, the question takes us back to the value of a human life, which the New York Governor had calculated more emotionally than he should have only to end up in a paradox.
4)Interestingly enough, a good deal of theoretical and empirical research has been done by economists on this issue for the past 50 years at least. The pandemic has merely generated new interest in the subject.
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b)1 and 2 only
(c) 1, 2, and 3,4
(d) None
Ans: c
25)Consider the following with reference to European floods :
1)The European floods, which began recently, have mainly hit the German states of Rhineland Palatinate, North Rhine-Westphalia as well as parts of Belgium. Entire communities have been cut off, without power or communications.
2)Parts of Switzerland remained on flood alert, though the threat posed by some of the most at-risk bodies of water like Lake Lucerne and Bern’s Aare river has eased.
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b)2 only
(c) 1, 2
(d) None
Ans: c
26)Consider the following with reference to Role of Egypt in West Asia :
1)Most important developments in West Asia are increasingly revealing an Egyptian fingerprint. Egypt’s diplomats and intelligence officers recently negotiated the end of the 11-day Israel-Palestine conflict, with the new Israeli government looking to Egypt to manage the turbulent cauldron of Gaza.
2)Turkey, which has been hostile to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi for the coup in July 2013, when he overthrew the Muslim Brotherhood government in Cairo headed by President Mohammed Morsi, is anxious to reopen relations.
3)Egypt, after long years of neglect, has now become active in re-engaging with its neighbours in Africa, with substantial economic and defence partnership agreements.
4)Finally, Egypt, with Iraq and Jordan, announced in Baghdad at the end of June that a new tripartite grouping of these West Asian States had been set up, proclaiming the advent of al-Sham al-Jadid, the “New Levant”.
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b)1 and 2 only
(c) 1, 2, and 3,4
(d) None
Ans: c
27)Consider the following with reference to Blue Nile :
1)The principal challenge that Egypt presently faces relates to Ethiopia’s plan to construct the “Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam” (GERD) on the Blue Nile.
2)Egypt fears this project could restrict its access to the waters of the Nile, the source of 95% of its fresh water. Seeing the project as an “existential threat”, Egyptian officials have said that “all options” are on the table.
3)However, Egypt has actually embarked on robust diplomatic engagements in its African neighbourhood, with defence agreements with the “ring countries” around Ethiopia — Sudan, Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda and Kenya — to safeguard its interests.
4)Ethiopia has initiated its own diplomatic effort in the Horn of Africa by firming up ties with Somalia, Eritrea and South Sudan.
5)In response, Egypt has agreed to build a major dam and hydropower project in Tanzania, so that the latter will compete with Ethiopia in the export of power in the region. Recently, Egypt wrote to the UN Security Council seeking international intervention on the dam issue; it said that, with this effort, “we will have exhausted all the peaceful means”.
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b)1 and 2 only
(c) 1, 2, and 3,4,5
(d) None
Ans: c
28)Consider the following :
1)Egypt’s other challenge is relations with Turkey.
2)The two countries met at the deputy Foreign Minister level in Cairo in early May and discussed the issues that divide them: Libya and the East Mediterranean.
3)In Libya, Turkey has deployed about 500 soldiers and another 2,000 fighters from its militia in Syria in support of the Tripoli-based authority. Egypt and the UAE have so far backed the Tobruk-based administration and supported the rival Libyan force, led by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, with weaponry and mercenaries. In March 2021, an interim government of National Unity was formed that brings together the two rival administrations in one national order until elections are held in December,2021. But this arrangement is still fragile, and competitions for power between the Tripoli and Tobruk-based rivals are ongoing.
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b)1 and 2 only
(c) 1, 2, and 3
(d) None
Ans: c
29)Consider the following :
1)Libya’s peace process demands that foreign troops leave the country. Though the Syrian militants have started leaving, Turkey asserts that its own soldiers have been invited by the government and is showing no signs of withdrawing them, while Russia insists that withdrawal of foreign troops will be a “step-by-step” process so that a power balance is maintained.
2)In the East Mediterranean, Egypt, with other littoral partners, has delineated energy claims in the sea which conflict with Turkey’s claims. With neither side willing to compromise, there are serious fears of conflict. On July 3, Egypt affirmed its interest in Libya by inaugurating a new naval base close to the Libyan border.
3)As of now, Egypt is riding high. The Egyptian President recently revamped the museum of ancient history in Cairo and presided over parades of mummies of former Egyptian pharaohs as they moved to their new home.
4)Again, under the country’s stringent counterterrorism laws, tens of thousands of government critics are in detention. During the election campaign, Joe Biden, now U.S. President, had promised that there would be “no more blank checks for Trump’s ‘favourite dictator’”, a reference to al-Sisi. However, it remains to be seen if the U.S. will actually go through with this.
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b)1 and 2 only
(c) 1, 2, and 3,4
(d) None
Ans: c
30)Consider the following Egypt, Iraq and Jordan :
1)The just-announced tripartite coalition of Egypt, Iraq and Jordan is clearly an attempt by the partners to broaden their regional engagements: Iraq would like to free itself from the Iranian grip and expand ties with its Arab neighbours.
2)Jordan is unhappy with the recent Saudi role in trying to topple King Abdullah and replace him with a disgruntled half brother, Prince Hamza. Egypt views the partnership as an opportunity to move beyond its traditional dependence on Saudi Arabia and the UAE and assert its own leadership in the region.
3)Together, the partners constitute a near-contiguous land mass, with a total population of 150 million and considerable domestic agricultural and industrial capacity. They are looking at extensive cooperation in energy connectivity and reconstruction areas. Membership is open and, later, Syria and Lebanon could also join this group.
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b)1 and 2 only
(c) 1, 2, and 3
(d) None
Ans: c
31)Consider the following with reference to hacking the phones :
1)The government, in its purported undated and unsigned response, relied on existing provisions of law under the Indian Telegraph Act of 1885 and the Information Technology (IT) Act of 2000.
2)Even without the use of Pegasus or any other hacking software and surveillance, these provisions are problematic and offer the government total opacity in respect of its interception and monitoring activities.
3)While the provisions of the Telegraph Act relate to telephone conversations, the IT Act relates to all communications undertaken using a computer resource.
4)Section 69 of the IT Act and the Interception Rules of 2009 are even more opaque than the Telegraph Act, and offer even weaker protections to the surveilled.
5)No provision, however, allows the government to hack the phones of any individual since hacking of computer resources, including mobile phones and apps, is a criminal offence under the IT Act.
6)Nonetheless, surveillance itself, whether under a provision of law or without it, is a gross violation of the fundamental rights of citizens.
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b)1 and 2 only
(c) 1, 2, and 3,4,5,6
(d) None
Ans: c
32)Consider the following :
1)It is worth asking why the government would need to hack phones and install spyware when existing laws already offer impunity for surveillance.
2)This unsettling query arises on the basis of reports emerging from a collaborative investigation by journalists from around the world, including from India’s The Wire, titled the ‘Pegasus Project’.
3)Reports say that over “300 verified Indian mobile telephone numbers, including those used by ministers, opposition leaders, journalists, the legal community, businessmen, government officials, scientists, rights activists and others”, were targeted using spyware made by the Israeli firm, NSO Group.
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b)1 and 2 only
(c) 1, 2, and 3
(d) None
Ans: c
33)Consider the following with reference to Swiss Alp landscape :
1)Climate change has dramatically altered the Swiss Alp landscape — at a quicker pace than expected — as melting glaciers have created more than 1,000 new lakes across the mountains, a study published recently.
2)The inventory of Swiss Glacial lakes showed that almost 1,200 new lakes have formed in formerly glaciated regions of the Swiss Alps since the end of the Little Ice Age around 1850.
3)Around 1,000 of them still exist today, according to the study published by the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag).
4)That is far more than the few hundreds the researchers had expected to find at the beginning of the project.
5)“We were surprised by the sheer numbers,” Daniel Odermatt, head of the Eawag Remote Sensing Group that carried out the study, said in a statement.
6)He said the “marked acceleration in formation” was also surprising, pointing out that “180 have been added in the last decade alone”.
7)Glaciers in the Swiss Alps are in steady decline, losing a full 2% of their volume last year alone, according to an annual study by the Swiss Academies of Science.
8)And even if the world were to fully implement the 2015 Paris Agreement two-thirds of the Alpine glaciers will likely be lost, according to a 2019 study by the ETH technical university.
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b)1 and 2 only
(c) 1, 2, and 3,4,5,6,7,8
(d) None
Ans: c
34)Consider the following :
1)“Our Constitution does not envisage courts to be silent spectators when constitutional rights of citizens are infringed by executive policies.
2)Judicial review and soliciting constitutional justification for policies formulated by the executive is an essential function, which the courts are entrusted to perform,” Justice Chandrachud had said.
3)Responding to the government’s argument that it should have “room for free play in the joints” while dealing with the pandemic, Justice Chandrachud said the court had no intention to “second-guess the wisdom of the executive”.
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b)1 and 2 only
(c) 1, 2, and 3
(d) None
Ans: c
35)Consider the following with reference to choice of foreign language :
1)“A choice of foreign language(s) (e.g. French, German, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese) would be offered and available to interested students to choose as elective(s) during secondary school,” said the draft Policy document.
2)Mandarin is the language most commonly spoken in China.
3)Over the course of a year of rising India-China tensions, that sentence was changed. “In addition to high quality offerings in Indian languages and English, foreign languages, such as Korean, Japanese, Thai, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, and Russian, will also be offered at the secondary level…,” says the final version.
4)Higher Education Secretary played down the change, pointing out that it is only a set of examples, not an exhaustive list of allowed languages. Schools are free to offer other languages, it is said.
5)Mandarin is not on the list of foreign languages offered at the Class X or Class XII level by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), which currently includes Tibetan, Thai, and Japanese, along with European languages such as Russian, Spanish, French and German. Other languages may be offered by schools as a third language option in Classes VI to VIII.
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b)1 and 2 only
(c) 1, 2, and 3,4,5
(d) None
Ans: c
36)Consider the following with reference to Child-friendly spaces (CFS) :
1)“With COVID-19 in the backdrop, the floods in Assam have had a severe impact on children’s well-being and disrupted routine services for children and women.
2)To address their specific requirements during such emergency, child-friendly spaces [CFS] were included as an integral part of the relief camp management system this year,” said UNICEF’s Chief of Field Office in Assam.
3)UNICEF provided technical support to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) in the development of the policy guidelines for managing the CFS.
4)The blueprint mandated at least 7 square metres of space for each camp resident compared with 3.5 square metres earlier, along with sufficient toilets and sanitation facilities besides daily monitoring of health — weekly in the past — of the camp inmates.
5) “We carried out swab sample tests of the relief camp inmates regularly. Thankfully, none tested COVID-19 positive,” said Goalpara’s Deputy Commissioner.
6) ASDMA’s Chief Executive Officer said the CFS idea was first piloted during the 2019 floods. “The success of two camps each in Dhemaji and Lakhimpur districts made us implement CFS at all the 617 relief camps so far since May 22, when the first wave of floods struck Assam,” he added.
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b)1 and 2 only
(c) 1, 2, and 3,4,5,6
(d) None
Ans: c
37)Consider the following ( SOFI 2020 ) :
What is affordable?
1)As per FAO’s State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2020 (SOFI 2020), a nutrient-adequate meal costs PPP $2.12 (or ₹25 per meal or ₹50 for 2 meals per day), and a ‘healthy diet’ about ₹100 per day.
2)For over 370 million poor people in India, this is a big figure! It is clear that besides the valiant efforts of Central and State governments, substantial contributions must come from private foundations (Indian and international), CSR from large industries, and individual donors, so that we may reach this ₹100 per day’s meals. It can be done.
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) 1, 2
(d) None
Ans: c
38)Consider the following with reference to Seaweeds :
1)Seaweeds are nutritious additions to everyday meals.
2)Mainland India has a coastline of over 7,500 km, and island mass coastline of 5,500 km, and seaweeds, namely algae, are grown and processed for use, including for food.
3)Japan, Korea, China and most Southeastern countries eat them.
4)These are vegetarian, and rich in vitamins, minerals, iodine and omega 3 fatty acids.
5)The Central Salt and Marine Chemicals Research Institute (CSMCRI) at Bhavnagar has published the paper: It is time that we Indians also begin adding seaweeds in our meals.
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b)1 and 2 only
(c) 1, 2, and 3,4,5
(d) None
Ans: c
39)Consider the following :
What are some of the key proposals of NEP?
1)The NEP proposes to change the school curricular structure from the current 10+2 (Class 1-10 of general education followed by two years of higher secondary school with specialised subjects) with a 5+3+3+4 structure, bringing children from ages 3 to 5 years within the formal education system for the first time, and ensuring curricular continuity in the last four years.
2)A mission for foundational literacy and numeracy, free breakfasts being added to free lunches in government schools, vocational education along with internships from Class 6, and proposed redesign of the board examinations are some other major initiatives for school education.
3)For higher education, a new umbrella regulator has been proposed with separate verticals for regulation, standard setting, accreditation and funding. It will absorb arts and science, technical and teacher education into its fold, replacing several existing regulatory bodies, and also ensure a level playing field for public and private players.
4)Top foreign universities will be allowed to set up campuses in India.
5)For students, the biggest change may be the introduction of four-year undergraduate degrees, with options for entry and exit at various stages, a credit transfer system, and the abolition of the M Phil programme.
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b)1 and 2 only
(c) 1, 2, and 3,4,5
(d) None
Ans: c
40)Consider the following :
What is the timeline for implementation of NEP?
1)The NEP is meant to transform the education system by 2040.
2)Some proposals will be implemented immediately, starting with the change in the name of the Ministry of Human Resource Development into the Ministry of Education.
3)“There are over 100 action points from the Policy. Implementation will be done in phases, based on time, region and types of institutions with Institutes of Eminence (IoEs) and Central Universities taking the lead,” said Higher Education Secretary.
4)For instance, four-year undergraduate degrees with multiple entry-exit options will be introduced in the 20 IoEs from the 2020-21 academic year, while others continue with the existing three-year degree courses.
5)Existing M.Phil students can continue until they complete their degree, although new admissions for the programme will not be accepted.
6)The National Testing Agency will introduce a pilot version of the common entrance test by December 2020, which will be used for admission to all IoEs and central universities in 2021. Some Indian Institutes of Technology are working on developing the technical structure of the Academic Credit Bank, which will also be established by December, and become applicable to all new students joining central universities next year.
7)The National Foundational Literacy and Numeracy Mission which is to be implemented by 2025 will be launched by the end of this year.
8)The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) will introduce the curricular framework for the new school structure, including early childhood care, by the next academic year.
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b)1 and 2 only
(c) 1, 2, and 3,4,5,6,7,8
(d) None
Ans: c
41)Consider the following with reference to NEP implementation :
1)Some of the proposals require legal changes.
2)The draft Higher Education Commission of India Bill has been languishing in the Ministry for over a year, but is likely to be published for feedback by September.
3)The proposal for a Board of Governors for universities may also require amendments of the Central and State Universities Acts.
4)A Cabinet note has already been moved to set up the National Research Foundation as a trust under the government, but in order to make it a fully autonomous body, an Act may be required.
5)Others require funding. Free breakfasts can only be considered in the next academic year if a budget allocation is made to cover it.
6)The process of converting affiliated colleges into degree granting autonomous institutions and then further into fully fledged universities is estimated to take at least 15 years, as the Centre will have to provide financial assistance for this purpose.
7)The Ministry feels that an increase in government funding of education to 6% of GDP will be sufficient to cover the financial implications of the NEP. However, such an increase in funding has been proposed but not achieved for the last half-century, point out experts.
8)The proposal to make the mother tongue the medium of instruction till Class 5, which has stirred up the fiercest debates, is dependent on State governments, according to the Education Minister, who would not even confirm that the policy will be implemented by centrally-run schools.
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b)1 and 2 only
(c) 1, 2, and 3,4,5,6,7,8
(d) None
Ans: c
42)Consider the following with reference to statutory basis for contempt of court:
1)There were pre-Independence laws of contempt in India.
2)Besides the early High Courts, the courts of some princely states also had such laws.
3)When the Constitution was adopted, contempt of court was made one of the restrictions on freedom of speech and expression.
4)Separately, Article 129 of the Constitution conferred on the Supreme Court the power to punish contempt of itself.
5)Article 215 conferred a corresponding power on the High Courts.
6)The Contempt of Courts Act, 1971, gives statutory backing to the idea.
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b)1 and 2 only
(c) 1, 2, and 3,4,5,6
(d) None
Ans: c
43)Consider the following with reference to kinds of contempt of court:
1)The law codifying contempt classifies it as civil and criminal.
2)Civil contempt is fairly simple. It is committed when someone wilfully disobeys a court order, or wilfully breaches an undertaking given to court.
3)Criminal contempt is more complex. It consists of three forms:
(a) words, written or spoken, signs and actions that “scandalise” or “tend to scandalise” or “lower” or “tends to lower” the authority of any court
(b) prejudices or interferes with any judicial proceeding and
(c) interferes with or obstructs the administration of justice.
4)Making allegations against the judiciary or individual judges, attributing motives to judgments and judicial functioning and any scurrilous attack on the conduct of judges are normally considered matters that scandalise the judiciary.
5)The rationale for this provision is that courts must be protected from tendentious attacks that lower its authority, defame its public image and make the public lose faith in its impartiality.
6)The punishment for contempt of court is simple imprisonment for a term up to six months and/or a fine of up to ₹. 2,000.
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b)1 and 2 only
(c) 1, 2, and 3,4,5,6
(d) None
Ans: c
44)Consider the following with reference to not contempt of court:
1)Fair and accurate reporting of judicial proceedings will not amount to contempt of court. Nor is any fair criticism on the merits of a judicial order after a case is heard and disposed of.
2)For many years, truth was seldom considered a defence against a charge of contempt. There was an impression that the judiciary tended to hide any misconduct among its individual members in the name of protecting the image of the institution. The Act was amended in 2006 to introduce truth as a valid defence, if it was in public interest and was invoked in a bona fide manner.
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) 1, 2
(d) None
Ans: c
45)Consider the following :
1)The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) has published the draft Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification 2020, with the intention of replacing the existing EIA Notification, 2006 under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.
2)The government wants to incorporate modifications made to the regulations through amendments in the interim period.
3)An EIA makes a scientific estimate of the likely impacts of a project, such as a mine, irrigation dam, industrial unit or waste treatment plant.
4)There is also a provision for public consultation in the rules, including a public hearing at which the local community and interested persons can give opinions and raise objections, based on the draft EIA report prepared by experts for the project.
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b)1 and 2 only
(c) 1, 2, and 3,4
(d) None
Ans: c
46)Consider the following :
draft EIA Notification differing from the one now in force
1)Among the major departures from existing regulations is the removal of several activities from the purview of public consultation. A list of projects has been included under Category B2, expressly exempted from the requirement of an EIA (Clause 13, sub cl. 11).
2)The projects under this category include offshore and onshore oil, gas and shale exploration, hydroelectric projects up to 25 MW, irrigation projects between 2,000 and 10,000 hectares of command area, small and medium mineral beneficiation units, small foundries involving furnace units, some categories of re-rolling mills, small and medium cement plants, small clinker grinding units, acids other than phosphoric or ammonia, sulphuric acid, micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in dye and dye intermediates, bulk drugs, synthetic rubbers, medium-sized paint units, all inland waterway projects, expansion or widening of highways between 25 km and 100 km with defined parameters, aerial ropeways in ecologically sensitive areas, and specified building construction and area development projects.
3)The projects in this list are, under existing norms, identified on the basis of screening by Expert Appraisal Committees, rather than being exempted through listing in the Schedule. Also, coal and non-coal mineral prospecting and solar photovoltaic projects do not need prior environmental clearance or permission in the new scheme.
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b)1 and 2 only
(c) 1, 2, and 3
(d) None
Ans: c
47)Consider the following with reference to apprehensions about draft EIA notification :
1)There is apprehension that the exemption from EIA and public consultation for listed B2 category activity and expansion and modernisation projects will seriously affect the environment, since these will be carried out without oversight. Combined with a new provision for post-facto environmental clearance (of projects executed without prior clearance), this would further weaken protections.
2)Moreover, the notice period for public hearing has been cut from 30 days to 20 days. This will make it difficult to study the draft EIA report, more so when it is not widely available or provided in the regional language.
3)Similarly, for project modernisation and expansion, the norms in Notification 2020 are liberal, with only those involving more than 25% increase requiring EIA, and over 50% attracting public consultation.
4)Under the proposed changes, project proponents need to submit only one annual report on compliance with conditions, compared to the existing two. The move is seen as retrograde, because the CAG found in 2016 that the deficiency in semi-annual compliance reporting was between 43% and 78%, while failure to comply with conditions ranged from 5% to 57%. Non-compliance was encountered particularly in river valley and hydroelectric power projects and thermal power projects. After the gas leak at LG Polymers in Visakhapatnam on May 7, the Environment Ministry told the National Green Tribunal that the unit lacked environment clearance, exposing the low effectiveness of rules.
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b)1 and 2 only
(c) 1, 2, and 3,4
(d) None
Ans: c
48)Consider the following with reference to draft EIA notification compare with global norms:
1)EIA rules must meet the requirements of the precautionary principle of avoiding harm, and intergenerational equity.
2)The European Union, as an evolving example, has modified its processes in accordance with the Aarhus Convention, 1998, which stipulates that environmental rights and human rights are linked, the present generation owes an obligation to future generations, sustainable development can be achieved only through the involvement of all stakeholders, government accountability and environmental protection are connected, and interactions between the public and public authorities must take place in a democratic context.
3)The EU Directive on EIA includes climate change and biodiversity concerns.
4)The rules in India, including EIA 2006, it can be argued, privileged the interests of the project proponent by whittling down public consultations, accepting flawed and faulty EIA reports resulting from external influences, and ignoring the non-renewable nature of resources. Notification 2020 deepens the impact of that paradigm.
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b)1 and 2 only
(c) 1, 2, and 3,4
(d) None
Ans: c
49)Consider the following with reference to new EIA rules enable post-facto approval of violations:
1)The MoEF&CC cites its own order of March 14, 2017 enabling appraisal of projects involving violations — where construction had begun or expansion or modernisation was carried out without clearance — and an order of the Jharkhand High Court asking for consideration of a case on merits, independent of penal action for violation, to introduce a beneficial scheme for violators.
2)The EIA Notification 2020 excludes reporting by the public of violations and non-compliance. Instead, the government will take cognisance of reports only from the violator-promoter, government authority, Appraisal Committee or Regulatory Authority.
3)Such projects can then be approved with conditions, including remediation of ecological damage, which, again, will be assessed and reported by the violator (and not an unconnected agency), although Central Pollution Control Board guidelines must be used.
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b)1 and 2 only
(c) 1, 2, and 3
(d) None
Ans: c
50)Consider the following :
1)In Rajasthan, Governor Kalraj Mishra repeatedly turned down the advice of the Council of Ministers to convene a session of the Rajasthan Assembly.
2)He insisted that a 21-day notice is essential for a session, demanded to know the purpose of calling it, and put other conditions such as maintenance of social distancing norms and recording of proceedings.
3)He agreed to summon the House on August 14, only after the Council of Ministers agreed to the 21-day notice.
4)The Governor’s action has raised the question whether he has the power to turn down the recommendation of the Council of Ministers.
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b)1 and 2 only
(c) 1, 2, and 3,4
(d) None
Ans: c
51)Consider the following with reference to powers of a Governor:
1)The controversy in Rajasthan now is around the Governor’s refusal to summon a session as desired by the Council of Ministers;
2)in Arunachal Pradesh in 2015, the Governor changed the schedule of a session and set its agenda without a recommendation from the Chief Minister.
3)In 2016, a five-judge constitution Bench of the Supreme Court dealt with questions arising out of the situation, which was comparable to Rajasthan today — rebellion in the ruling Congress and the Governor appearing eager to help the rebels.
4)In the resulting Nabam Rebia, Bamang Felix v. Deputy Speaker and others case, the Supreme Court of India examined the powers of the Governor, particularly with reference to summoning an Assembly session.
5)The top court reiterated that “the functions, duties and powers of the Governor by or under the Constitution are ‘cabined, cribbed, confined’.” The Bench explored the Governor’s powers vis-à-vis the executive and the legislature.
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b)1 and 2 only
(c) 1, 2, and 3,4,5
(d) None
Ans: c
52) The Levant is the eastern Mediterranean area now covered by
1) Israel, Lebanon,
2) part of Syria,
3) western Jordan
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b)1 and 2 only
(c) 1, 2, and 3
(d) None
Ans: c
53)Consider the following with reference to summoning of an Assembly session :
1)The Supreme Court held that the Governor’s power “under Article 174 to summon, prorogue and dissolve the house(s) must be exercised in consonance with the aid and advice of the chief minister and his council of ministers.
2)In the above situation, he is precluded [from taking] an individual call on the issue at his own will, or in his own discretion”. The “discretion given to the Governor in respect of his relations with the Legislative Assembly is not only limited and circumscribed by the Constitution but also by the Rules framed by the Legislative Assembly under Article 208 of the Constitution”.
3)The proceedings of the legislature are guided by rules made by it, and the Governor cannot have any say in it. For instance, the rule of 21-day notice for the session was first set by the Lok Sabha and adapted by State legislatures. The Lok Sabha has since reduced it to 15 days. But the Speaker has the powers to call a session with a shorter notice.
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b)1 and 2 only
(c) 1, 2, and 3
(d) None
Ans: c
54)Consider the following with reference to ‘Governor acting without the advice of the Council of Ministers’ :
1)In some States, the Governor has special powers to advance tribal welfare.
2)A Governor can reserve a bill passed by the legislature for the consideration of the President of India, and he or she can recommend President’s rule in a State.
3)If the Chief Minister and his Council of Ministers lose their majority, or they refuse to recommend a session in six months, or there is a reasonable doubt about their majority, the Governor could demand a session.
4)The Governor invites a person who he thinks has the legislative majority to form a government, but the use of this power cannot be arbitrary.
5)If there is a Council of Ministers with a majority, the Governor has to go by its recommendation to dissolve the legislature.
6)In the event of a Chief Minister and his Council of Ministers losing the majority, the Governor can use his or her discretion to either explore the formation of a new government or dissolve the House.
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b)1 and 2 only
(c) 1, 2, and 3,4,5,6
(d) None
Ans: c
55)Consider the following with reference to Governor bound by people’s representatives:
1)The Constituent Assembly very consciously limited the Governor’s discretionary powers.
2)The misuse of the Governor’s office by parties in power at the Centre to disturb State governments in control of the Opposition has remained a scourge.
3)But the constitutional scheme is very clear, as stated in the 2016 Supreme Court judgment that a Governor “cannot have an overriding authority, over the representatives of the people, who constitute… the state legislature… and/or even the executive government functioning under the council of ministers with the Chief Minister as the head”.
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b)1 and 2 only
(c) 1, 2, and 3
(d) None
Ans: c
56)Consider the following with reference to Ram Temple in Ayodhya :
1)The proposed Ram temple would be built at the site where the Babri Masjid stood till December 6, 1992.
2)While the litigation process could be traced back to the 19th century, its major flashpoints came after independence, such as the surreptitious planting of idols inside the mosque in 1949, the court-ordered opening of the locks in 1986 for Hindu worshippers and the police firing on kar sevaks in 1990.
3)The twin towns of Ayodhya and Faizabad, covered in 15 minutes by road, offer glimpses of a shared culture, with the latter carrying remnants of the Nawabi rule through its architecture and as the erstwhile capital of Awadh.
4)The Ayodhya town itself is dotted with several significant temples, including the Hanumangarhi, dedicated to Lord Hanuman.
5)The town also houses 20-odd Muslim shrines, including one dedicated to Nuh (Noah), regarded as an apostle by many faiths.
6)A local activist who petitioned the Supreme Court claiming that excavations at the site were linked to Buddhist faith, has been at the forefront of promoting the town’s Buddhist heritage.
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b)1 and 2 only
(c) 1, 2, and 3,4,5,6
(d) None
Ans: c
57)Consider the following interception and monitoring of communications :
“If this government ever became a tyranny, if a dictator ever took charge in this country, the technological capacity that the intelligence community has given the government could enable it to impose total tyranny, and there would be no way to fight back because the most careful effort to combine together in resistance to the government, no matter how privately it was done, is within the reach of the government to know. Such is the capability of this technology.”
1)Currently, the laws authorising interception and monitoring of communications are Section 92 of the CrPC (for call records, etc), Rule 419A of the Telegraph Rules, and the rules under Sections 69 and 69B of the IT Act.
2)Indeed, it is unclear when the Telegraph Act applies and when the IT Act applies. A limited number of agencies are provided powers to intercept and monitor.
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b)2 only
(c) 1, 2
(d) None
Ans: c
58)Consider the following :
Birth place of Godavari river : Trayambak,Nasik, Maharastra
Birth place of Krishna river : Mahabaleswar, Maharastra
1)The Union Ministry of Jal Shakti’s gazette notification on the jurisdiction of the Krishna and Godavari River Management Boards over projects and assets in the fields of irrigation and hydropower, though delayed, is a welcome development.
2)The two river boards can now administer, regulate, operate and maintain 36 projects in the Krishna Basin and 71 in the Godavari to ensure judicious water use in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
3)The arrangement is expected to leave the working of Water Resources or Irrigation Department in the States intact.
4)The seven-year delay to get the notification only reflects the tense equations between the two States over river water sharing.
5)The States have been locked in a battle of sorts over the utilisation of Krishna water, with Andhra Pradesh proposing a few projects, including a lift irrigation scheme for Rayalaseema, a region from where Chief Minister hails, and, in turn, Telangana coming up with half-a-dozen projects of its own.
6)Although the Union Minister of Jal Shakti, the chairperson of the apex council of the two river boards — had said that the Centre would go ahead with notifying the jurisdiction of the boards, it took nine months to see whether a reluctant Telangana would fall in line.
7)The seven-year-old State had held the view that the notification should flow from finalisation by a tribunal on Krishna water sharing by the two States that would enlarge the scope of reference of the existing Krishna Water Dispute Tribunal (KWDT)-II.
8)Telangana had even moved the Supreme Court but the Centre said it would consider Telangana’s request only if it withdrew its petition which it did. In the process, Telangana wanted its complaint to be referred to the current Tribunal to avoid duplication of inquiry.
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b)1 and 2 only
(c) 1, 2, and 3,4,5,6,7,8
(d) None
Ans: c
59)Consider the following with reference to equity bubble :
1)The equity bubble in India has not evolved in isolation.
2)The global liquidity glut, following the expansionary, easy money policies adopted by the fiscal and monetary authorities of the OECD and G20 countries, has led to equity price inflation in several markets driven by FPIs, especially in Asia.
3)Following cues from the U.S. and the U.K., Asian equity markets in Singapore, India, Thailand, Malaysia and Hong Kong are currently witnessing price-earnings (P/E) ratios significantly above their historic means.
4)The BSE Sensex’s P/E ratio of 32 in end-June 2021 is way above its historic mean of around 20.
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b)1 and 2 only
(c) 1, 2, and 3,4
(d) None
Ans: c
60)Consider the following with reference to NDMA :
1)“The National Authority [NDMA] failed to perform its statutory duty… Ex gratia assistance on account of loss of life is part of minimum standards of relief which has to be provided to persons affected by disaster — in the present case COVID-19 pandemic,” the Supreme Court had observed in a 66-page judgment.
2)Government announced Rs.50,000/-
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) 1, 2
(d) None
Ans: c
61)Consider the following with reference to cooperative societies :
1)In a major boost for federalism, the Supreme Court on 20.7.2021 struck down parts of a Constitution amendment which shrank the exclusive authority of States over its cooperative societies.
2)Part IXB, introduced in the Constitution through the 97th Amendment of 2012, dictated the terms for running cooperative societies.
3)The provisions in the amendment, passed by Parliament without getting them ratified by State legislatures as required by the Constitution, went to the extent of determining the number of directors a society should have or their length of tenure and even the necessary expertise.
4)In a majority judgment , the court held that cooperative societies come under the “exclusive legislative power” of State legislatures. The judgment may be significant in the background of fears voiced by the States whether the new Central Ministry of Cooperation would dis-empower them. The SC, however, said the Centre had power over multi-State cooperative societies.
5)Part IX B, which consists of Articles 243ZH to 243ZT, has “significantly and substantially impacted” State legislatures’ “exclusive legislative power” over its cooperative sector under Entry 32 of the State List. In fact, the court pointed out how Article 243ZI makes it clear that a State may only make law on the incorporation, regulation and winding up of a society subject to the provisions of Part IXB of the 97th Constitution Amendment.
6)“There can be no doubt that our Constitution has been described as quasi-federal in that, so far as legislative powers are concerned, though there is a tilt in favour of the Centre vis-à-vis the States given the federal supremacy principle outlined herein above, yet within their own sphere, the States have exclusive power to legislate on topics reserved exclusively to them,”
7)“The 97th Amendment which inserts the chapter dealing with cooperative societies has not been so ratified by the States, though an amendment of the Constitution is the exercise of constituent power which differs from ordinary legislative power, such constituent power does not convert Parliament into an original constituent assembly. Parliament being the donee of a limited power may only exercise such power in accordance with both the procedural and substantive limitations contained in the Constitution of India,”
8)However, the court did not strike down the portions of Part IXB of the Amendment concerning “Multi State Cooperative Societies” due to the lack of ratification.
9)“When it comes to Multi State Co-operative Societies (MSCS) with objects not confined to one State, the legislative power would be that of the Union of India which is contained in Entry 44 List I (Union List)… It is declared that Part IXB of the Constitution is operative only insofar as it concerns multi-State cooperative societies both within the various States and in the Union Territories,”
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b)1 and 2 only
(c) 1, 2, and 3,4,5,6,7,8,9
(d) None
Ans: c
62)Consider the following Article 26 (b) :
The right to management under Article 26 (Freedom to manage religious affairs) can only be claimed after the fact of establishment has been proved. Dr. Swamy could not prove ‘who established the Badrinath temple after Hindu temples were destroyed by Buddhists’ and who has been deprived of right to management. The judgment thus acknowledges that the history of temple destruction in India certainly pre-dates Muslim invasion.
1)The Uttarakhand High Court held that Article 26 cannot be invoked if the denomination never had the right to manage temple properties. It merely acknowledges the pre-existing right.
2)Dr. Swamy failed to convince the court about any denominational sect having managerial rights in respect of these temples.
3)Relying on earlier decisions, the court clarified that ‘in matters of religion’, right to management is a guaranteed fundamental right under Article 26(b) but in respect of properties, the right to administer properties under Article 26(c) is to be exercised in ‘accordance with law’.
4)Thus, the state is entitled to regulate administration of religious or temple properties by means of validly enacted law. But a law that completely and permanently takes away the right to management will clearly be violative of Article 26(c).
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b)1 and 2 only
(c) 1, 2, and 3,4
(d) None
Ans: c
63)Consider the following Thermal Scanner :
1)To fight COVID-19, the Hyderabad International Airport is now equipped with a state-of-the-art thermal scanner provided by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in coordination with the Asian Development Bank and funded by UNICEF.
2)The ceiling-mounted mass fever screening system is capable of scanning, detecting and tracking febrile persons with elevated skin temperature. It automatically adjusts and adapts to the surrounding ambient temperature without any human intervention. With its intuitive user interface and dual-displays (day camera + infra-red), it provides easy identification of passengers with elevated temperature, while simplifying operations and minimising handling, said an official spokesperson.
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) 1, 2
(d) None
Ans: c
64)Consider the following :
1)The Corps Commanders of the two sides have held four rounds of talks so far on June 6, 22, 30 and July 14.
2) Rounds of Talks are to de-escalate from the build-up in Galwan Valley, Gogra-Hot Springs and the Finger area along the Pangong Tso (lake) in Ladakh sector along the LAC.
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) 1, 2
(d) None
Ans: c
65)Consider the following : (2020 news based)
1)The Home Ministry has sought an extension of three months to frame the rules of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019, a contentious legislation that was passed by Parliament
2)The Ministry informed a parliamentary committee on subordinate legislation about the delay, after the former wrote to it seeking the status of the CAA rules. Without rules being notified, the CAA cannot be implemented or come into force. A senior government official confirmed that the Ministry has sought more time but did not specify the reasons for the delay.
3)The CAA provides citizenship on the basis of religion to immigrants from six non-Muslim communities from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh who entered India on or before December 31, 2014. It was passed by Parliament on December , and the President gave his assent . A month later, the Home Ministry issued a notification that the provisions of the Act would come into force.
4)Around 70 people were killed in various incidents after the CAA was passed. The protests stopped in March with the country-wide lockdown in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b)1 and 2 only
(c) 1, 2, and 3,4
(d) None
Ans: c
66)Consider the following with reference to Mandarin language :
1)Close on the heels of its decision to drop Mandarin from its list of suggested languages under the National Education Policy, the Ministry of Education (Ministry of Human Resource Development) has decided to put several higher education institutes that offer Chinese language training under the scanner.
2)In particular, the Ministry is looking closely at universities that have in the past had links with the official Chinese language training department “Hanban” that runs hundreds of “Confucius Institutes” (CI) abroad.
3)“The Ministry of Human Resource Development and University Grants Commission (UGC) are in the process of reviewing the work being done by higher education institutions as part of agreements/educational arrangements with foreign institutions. As part of this process we would like to review the activities undertaken by the Confucius Centre in your university/ institution affiliated to your university,” read the letter sent out on July 29,
4)Although India has only two functional CIs at present — at Mumbai University and the Vellore Institute of Technology — the Ministry has sent letters to at least five institutions that offer Chinese language training, asking them to send all details of collaboration since 2017, which will be reviewed by Education Secretary .
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b)1 and 2 only
(c) 1, 2, and 3,4
(d) None
Ans: c
67)Consider the following :
1)Polonnaruwa district, Sri Lanka is known internationally for its evocative rock-cut Buddha sculptures and ancient city — now a UNESCO World Heritage Site — that one strand of popular history traces to the Cholas.
2)It is also the country’s rice bowl, with the district’s farmers producing the highest amount — 3 lakh metric tonnes last year — of paddy in the country.
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b)2 only
(c) 1, 2
(d) None
Ans: c
68)Consider the following with reference to Space X Dragon :
1)Test pilots Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken returned to earth in their SpaceX Dragon capsule named Endeavour, less than a day after departing the International Space Station and two months after blasting off from Florida.
2)The capsule parachuted into the calm gulf waters about 40 miles off the coast of Pensacola. (USA)
3)Two NASA astronauts returned to Earth in a dramatic, retro-style splashdown, their capsule parachuting into the Gulf of Mexico to finish an unprecedented test flight by Elon Musk’s SpaceX company.
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b)1 and 2 only
(c) 1, 2, and 3
(d) None
Ans: c
69)Consider the following :
1)A few places in districts along the Western Ghats such as Coimbatore and the Nilgiris are likely to receive heavy rain.
2)Chennai may experience light rain .
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b)2 only
(c) 1, 2
(d) None
Ans: c
70)Consider the following :
1)The Poondi reservoir (Tamil Nadu ) mainly gets inflow from the Nagari and Nandi rivers
2)Nagari river in Tiruvallur district limits is getting inflow from a dam upstream in Andhra Pradesh.
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) 1, 2
(d) None
Ans: c
71)Consider the following :
The spying had caused serious dents on the rights to free speech and privacy. It had no legal basis. In fact, the legal regime for surveillance under Section 5(2) of the Telegraph Act had been completely bypassed. Civilians had become targets, it said.
1)“Surveillance/interception is justified only in cases of public emergency or in the interests of public safety, and the existence of such conditions must be inferred reasonably and cannot be determined solely on the assessment of the government…
2)The hack/interception/decryption occasioned by the Pegasus spyware constitutes a criminal offence,” it highlighted.
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) 1, 2
(d) None
Ans: c
72)Consider the following with reference to population of leopards in Tamil Nadu :
1)The Srivilliputhur Grizzled Squirrel Wildlife Sanctuary in Tamil Nadu has the highest leopard density (per 100 sq km), not just in the State but in the entire Western Ghats landscape. The population of leopards in the State is in the range of 828-908.
2)The data is based on the final report on the ‘Status of Leopards, Co-predators and Megaherbivores in India – 2018’, released by the Environment and Forests Ministry on Global Tiger Day 2021.
3)According to the report, 14 sites were camera trapped in Tamil Nadu that yielded 2,017 pictures of 629 leopards. The 2014 report pegged its population at 815 with a range of 587-1,043. An additional number of 100 sq km grids sampled in 2018 was 29, out of which four had leopard presence.
4)The density of leopards in Mudumalai Tiger Reserve was 12.11. In parts of Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve, the number stood at 7.05. Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve supported high density of leopards with 10.18 .
5)Surprisingly, Srivilliputhur Grizzled Squirrel Wildlife Sanctuary had the highest leopard density of 20.43 in the entire Western Ghats landscape. The squirrel sanctuary, combined with , is now a tiger reserve.
6)The report noted that the growing human population and increasing fragmentation of the landscape had increased human-wildlife interactions.
7)The coffee-tea estates and other commercial plantations surrounded by forests were frequently occupied by leopards and were major hubs for human-leopard conflicts in Tamil Nadu
8)“It is a surprise to us,” said a person of Wildlife Association of Rajapalayam. “We have often heard villagers in the foothills of the sanctuary saying they spotted leopards now and then,”
9)A section of watchers and guards also confirmed that they regularly spotted leopards. “The leopards keep to the boundaries and stroll inside the forests. So there have not been any major conflicts with the human population outside the forests,” .
10)“A focused tiger management will help in co-predator balancing. Leopards remain prone to poaching. Protection has to be strategic and strong to sustain the populations,” said Chief Wildlife Warden, Tamil Nadu.
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b)1 and 2 only
(c) 1, 2, and 3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10
(d) None
Ans: c
73)Consider the following with reference to mobile theatres :
1)Many men in Manikpur spend seven-nine months of an Assamese year on the road. A large village in Assam’s Bongaigaon district, about 185 km west of Guwahati, Manikpur has for decades been the ‘setting’ source of several Bhramyoman groups.
2)The Assamese year of 365 days starts mid-April of a Gregorian calendar. Bhramyoman translates into mobile theatre and ‘setting’ entails a range of activities from putting up tents to decorating the stage. A travelling theatre group of an average of 150 persons has 55-60 stage workers engaged in settings.
3)The Bhramyoman season starts mid-July. Two months go into readying three plays and rehearsing with the actors, dancers and musicians. The shows start around Vishwakarma Puja (mostly September 17) and end on the eve of Bohag or Rongali Bihu (usually April 13). Each troupe sets up its temporary stage and hall for three nights each at 75-80 places, ending a season without breaks even if there are natural calamities or political disturbances, with 210-235 shows.
4)Mobile theatre is an inseparable part of our cultural heritage. Many livelihoods are associated with it and organising committees benefit from them. The public facilities we have, including schools, have come up from the money from mobile theatres. Yes, we lose some when the shows do not click. But the profits for the society at large far outweigh the losses to not want them back as soon as possible,”
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b)1 and 2 only
(c) 1, 2, and 3,4
(d) None
Ans: c
74)Consider the following :
1)India and China are scheduled to hold the 12th round of Corps Commander talks with the focus on working out an agreement for the second phase of disengagement from Gogra and Hot Springs in Eastern Ladakh.
2)The talks were scheduled to be held at Moldo on the Chinese side opposite Chushul
3)Based on an agreement reached in February, the two sides completed disengagement from both the banks of Pangong Tso (lake). However, there has been no progress on further disengagement and de-escalation since despite talks at various levels.
4)Progress was expected on disengagement from Gogra and Hot Springs during this round of talks, according to defence officials.
5)Further friction areas remain at Demchok and Depsang Plains, which will be taken up once disengagement is complete at Patrolling Points 15 and 17A in Gogra and Hot Springs.
6)Once the disengagement from all friction areas is complete, the de-escalation of the massive troop build- up along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Eastern Ladakh would be discussed, after which both sides will work out new guidelines for patrolling in these areas.
7)As reported earlier, since the stand-off began last May, the two sides, in addition to 11 rounds of Corps Commander talks, have also held 10 Major General level talks, 55 Brigadier level talks and around 1450 calls over the established hotlines.
8)There are two hotlines for communication at Chushul and Daulat Beg Oldi (DBO).
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b)1 and 2 only
(c) 1, 2, and 3,4,5,6,7,8
(d) None
Ans: c
75)Consider the following with reference to Trek from the Siachen Base Camp to Kumar Post.” :
1)Kumar post is located at an altitude of about 15,632 feet.
2)This was the land world record expedition part of ‘Operation Blue Freedom Triple World Records’ being undertaken, a statement from CLAW Global said.
3)The 20 selected will undergo all the three stages of acclimatisation and training at Leh (Stage 1), Siachen Base Camp (Stage 2) and North Pullu (Stage 3).
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b)1 and 2 only
(c) 1, 2, and 3
(d) None
Ans: c
76)Consider the following with reference to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech on the 74th Independence Day (15.8.2020 ):
1)It is his seventh consecutive one — on Saturday sought to reassure the nation on the twin challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and external aggression.
1)The very fact that he mentioned menstrual hygiene will encourage health workers to be more attentive to the issue and create more awareness. Sanitation and access to drinking water have been issues dear to Mr. Modi’s heart, and the speech reflected that.
2)The Jal Jeevan Mission that seeks to provide piped drinking water to every home, along with the expanding networks of electricity, the Internet, banking and cooking gas, will equip India to rise higher.
3)Slogans such as self-reliance, “vocal for local”, “make in India to make for the world” are just old rhetoric for a new occasion, but their reiteration could spur the state apparatus into action, besides galvanising opinion.
4)Mr. Modi has been an exceptional user of the I-Day pulpit to outline priorities, and deserves credit for it. While celebrating the nation’s milestones, the massive challenges of governance and development must not be glossed over.
5)Announcing new schemes that do not resolve, but camouflage, these challenges are of little help.
6)The PM promised to bring a revolution, as the National Digital Health Mission, which will give every Indian a digital health ID that links up all her medical records. But the real issue is the abject lack of primary health facilities in much of India. Digitalisation is welcome but is no substitute for inadequate human resources and infrastructure in the health sector.
7)Mr. Modi also reiterated his vision for India in relation to the world, a tightrope walk of promoting import substitution on the one hand and seeking global partnerships on the other.
8)The challenges in managing such an approach were apparent when he mentioned India’s successes in attracting FDI and talked about self-reliance in manufacturing PPEs in the same breath.
9)He did mention ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ — the world is one family — as India’s guiding principle, but his characterisation of its centuries-old interactions with other populations and cultures appeared more in line with his Hindutva politics than with the spirit of the freedom struggle.
10)The construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya now has the support of most political parties and is on the basis of a Supreme Court judgment, but its mention did not address concerns regarding what it portends for India’s future. Ambitious collective goals can inspire a community, which must be increasingly inclusive as it progresses. Triumphs that are not equally shared are no triumphs at all.
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b)1 and 2 only
(c) 1, 2, and 3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10
(d) None
Ans: c
77)Consider the following with reference to CONTEMPT OF COURT :
1)The Supreme Court’s order finding advocate Prashant Bhushan guilty of contempt of court reflects poorly on the institution’s tolerance of criticism.
2)The judgment of a three-judge Bench on the suo motu contempt proceedings against Mr. Bhushan hardly adds to the dignity and majesty of the Court that it ostensibly sets out to uphold. It is unfortunate that two tweets, and not any set of scandalous or scurrilous allegations, have occasioned this heavy-handed treatment.
3)In the 108-page opinion that largely draws upon past judgments delineating the circumstances in which the Court will act in aid of its institutional reputation and authority, there is little more than a perfunctory analysis leading to the finding that the tweets amount to criminal contempt.
4)The first tweet, in which an image of Chief Justice of India S.A. Bobde in an informal setting has been used to make a critical remark that he was denying citizens recourse to justice for fundamental rights violations, may be an exaggerated or even unwarranted view on the absence of physical hearings now.
5)However, it is quite a stretch to say that it undermines the Court’s dignity, lowers its authority or interferes with the administration of justice. At best, it touches partially on the CJI’s personal conduct and partially on his administrative decision-making. Neither part brings with it any exceptional malice or scurrility warranting action for criminal contempt. It is precisely this sort of criticism that the judiciary ought to be able to shrug off.
6)The second tweet, in which Mr. Bhushan has blamed the Court, more particularly, the last four CJIs, for “the destruction of democracy” in the last six years, “even without a formal Emergency”, requires no defence. It is clearly in the nature of a political opinion, be it with reference to the working of the institution or the four personages who headed the judiciary during the period.
7)It is difficult to agree that the mere voicing of an opinion that successive CJIs have destroyed democracy would undermine public trust in the judiciary; especially in the backdrop of some former judges, too, holding sharply critical opinion of the conduct of some of them. In its nature, intent and sweep, Mr. Bhushan’s abrasive animadversion of judicial conduct is no more discordant than a former CJI being accused by his colleagues of being under executive influence, or misusing his powers as master of the roster with a view to obtaining favourable outcomes.
8)There is some inadvertent irony in the Court’s claim that allowing Mr. Bhushan’s remarks to go unpunished would lower the country’s image in the comity of nations. The highest court built its stalwart fame on stellar judgments and record of fearless independence. If at all it falls in the estimation of the world now, it may only be because of a growing perception of judicial evasion, self-imposed reticence and quiet acquiescence in the face of executive power.
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b)1 and 2 only
(c) 1, 2, and 3,4,5,6,7,8
(d) None
Ans: c
78)Consider the following :
Officials issued the third warning with the water level in the Godavari river touching 55 feet at Bhadrachalam in middle of August,2020.. The level might increase further, Central Water Commission said.
1) the water level at Koida was 26.12 metres, coffer dam 29.35 metres, Polavaram 14.18 metres and Old Railway bridge (Havelock bridge) 17.48 metres. The discharge from the Sir Arthur Cotton Barrage (at Dowleswaram) was 15.23 lakh cusecs.
2)More than 100 tribal hamlets in West and East Godavari districts of Andhra Pradesh were under knee-deep water.
3)Residents of several habitations in Devipatnam, V.R. Puram, Chintur and other mandals were shifted to safer places.
4)Officials sounded alert in Kukunur, Velerupadu, Polavaram, Chintur, V.R. Puram, Kunavaram and other mandals. National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and police teams were pressed into service, said Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority officials.
5)In Telangana, the swollen Godavari river continued to flow above the danger mark , triggering the threat of flooding in the riverside areas of Bhadrachalam Agency.
6)Road connectivity between Bhadrachalam-Dummugudem-Charla, Charla-Venkatapuram and various important routes along the inter-State borders with Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh was disrupted as the floodwaters surged through the low-level road points at Turubaka, Kudunuru, Alubaka and various other agency areas. As the river turned perilous, the authorities started evacuating people living in the flood-prone areas to safer places and ramped up emergency response measures.
7)The backwaters of the Godavari entered into Kotha Colony and AMC colony besides the areas surrounding the flood bank (Karakatta) in Bhadrachalam. This has prompted the authorities to shift as many as 24 families to a temporary flood relief camp set up at a private school in the temple town.
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b)1 and 2 only
(c) 1, 2, and 3,4,5,6,7
(d) None
Ans: c
79)Consider the following with reference to Covid-19 tests :
1)The collection of a nasopharyngeal sample requires a swab to be inserted into the back of the nostrils, very often causing irritation, leading to sneezing and coughing, thus exposing healthcare workers to the virus.
2)Collecting nasopharyngeal samples can also be uncomfortable, discouraging people from getting tested. The easier saliva test is likely to increase testing compliance
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b)2 only
(c) 1, 2
(d) None
Ans: c
80)Consider the following with reference to RTI Act : (2020 neews)
1)Section 7(9) of the Right to Information Act says, “An information shall ordinarily be provided in the form in which it is sought unless it would disproportionately divert the resources of the public authority or would be detrimental to the safety or preservation of the record in question.”
2)“There is no ambiguity. This is a misuse of the clause by CPIOs. It is up to the information commissions to levy penalties as this would amount to misinformation provided under the Act,”
3)In a 2010 order, the Kerala High Court had dismissed the possibility of using the clause to deny information.
4)The PMO has denied a Right to Information (RTI) request related to the PM-CARES Fund on the grounds that providing it would “disproportionately divert the resources of the office”. However, a High Court judgment and multiple orders of the Central Information Commission (CIC) have previously held that, under the RTI Act, this rationale can only be used to change the format of information provided, not deny it altogether.
5)This is a “misuse” of the Act, which should attract penalties under the law, says the country’s first Chief Information Commissioner Wajahat Habibullah.
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b)1 and 2 only
(c) 1, 2, and 3,4,5
(d) None
Ans: c
81)Consider the following with reference to BRI :
1)Among the Belt and Road Initiative. (BRI) projects under way in Tibet is a cross-border economic corridor to Nepal, called the Trans-Himalayan Multi-dimensional Connectivity Network project, which also envisages a railway link connecting China and Nepal.
2) A newspaper noted that Mr. Wang “conducts special research trips to several Chinese regions every year” and had visited the China-Myanmar border in 2019.
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) 1, 2
(d) None
Ans: c
82)Consider the following with reference to :
1992 judgment
The Bench referred to the majority judgment delivered by Justice (as he was then) J.S. Verma for a Constitution Bench in 1992 concerning the removal of Justice V. Ramaswami, a Supreme Court judge.
1)The judgment had laid down the procedure to deal with allegations against a sitting judge.
2)The judge had to be given a fair opportunity to be heard before an inquiry committee formed under the Judges Inquiry Act of 1968.
3)The judgment had limited the inquiry process against a judge to be done within a tight and limited circle of high judicial functionaries and parliamentarians. It did not want “busybodies to meddle”.
4)The dominating spirit of the 1992 judgment was to “preserve the right, interest and dignity of the judge, which is commensurate with the dignity of all the institutions and functionaries involved in the process”.
5)The Bench said the judgment was against publicly making allegations against judges.
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b)1 and 2 only
(c) 1, 2, and 3,4,5
(d) None
Ans: c
83)Consider the following :
1)“The exercise of establishing a democratic and representative form of government for NCT of Delhi by insertion of Articles 239AA and 239AB would turn futile if the Government of Delhi that enjoys the confidence of the people of Delhi is not able to usher in policies and laws over which the Delhi Legislative Assembly has powers to legislate for the NCT of Delhi.”
2)So said the Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court in Government of NCT of Delhi vs. Union of India (2018). The issue before the Supreme Court was the jurisdictional conflicts between the government of NCT and the Union Government and its representative, the Lieutenant Governor.
3)The Court has also made it clear that there is no requirement of the concurrence of the Lt. Governor and that he has no power to overrule the decisions of the State government. However, there is a catch here — in the operationalisation of Article 239AA (4) (proviso) which says that in the case of a difference of opinion between the Lt. Governor and his Ministers on any matter, the Lt. Governor shall refer it to the President for decision and act according to that decision.
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b)1 and 2 only
(c) 1, 2, and 3
(d) None
Ans: c
84)Consider the following :
India’s electricity generation in the first 15 days of August rose for the first time since early March, provisional government data show, as the country opened up industries and lifted curbs to control the spread of COVID-19.
1)Power generation rose 2.6% in the first 15 days of August compared with a year earlier This compares with a 1.8% fall in July.
2), Later Electricity generation declined 3.1%. Power use has picked up from previous months when India was under a strict lockdown, mainly because of higher demand in the northern States and rising consumption in the highly industrialised States of Gujarat and Maharashtra. Industry and offices account for more than half of India’s annual power use.
3)Prime Minister Narendra has been citing electricity consumption to show there are ‘green shoots’ in the economy. Seasonal factors including hot weather could have fuelled higher power demand.
4)Rajasthan, the largest State by area, saw a 15.7% growth in electricity use. Other States including Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh also saw an uptick in demand.
5)Renewable energy generation, which fell by almost a fifth in July, rose 2.3% in the first half of August.
6)Solar-powered electricity production grew 19.3%, while wind-powered generation fell over 10%. Power output from coal, India’s primary source of electricity, rose 4.2% in the first 15 days.
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b)1 and 2 only
(c) 1, 2, and 3,4,5,6
(d) None
Ans: c
85)Consider the following :
1)The Bench refused to direct the transfer of funds from the PM CARES Fund to the NDRF. It said they were two separate entities.
2)“The funds collected in the PM CARES Fund are entirely different funds, which are funds of a public charitable trust. There is no occasion for issuing any direction to transfer the funds to the NDRF,” . Besides, who is stopping potential donors from contributing to the NDRF, the court asked.
3)“Any contribution of any individual or institution is not prohibited to be credited into the NDRF,”
4)“PM CARES is a registered public trust made under Chairmanship of PM Narendra Modi for emergencies like COVID19 whereas PMNRF was made in 1948 by an oral observation of the then PM to serve the needs to refugees,” said, explaining the differences between various funds, and added that the PM CARES fund was subject to audits.
5)“Out of the funds collected under PM CARES, ₹2,000 crore has been spent procuring 50,000 ventilators, ₹1,000 crore for relief work for inter-State migrant workers and ₹100 crore as a research grant for COVID-19 vaccine candidates from India.
6)Queries on the trust deed for the Fund, and its creation and operation have been summarily dismissed by arguing that the Fund was not a “public authority” even though the PM is its ex-officio chairman and three Cabinet ministers are its trustees. And, the Ministry of Corporate Affairs had also treated it as a fund set up by the Centre.
7)Since the PM CARES Fund existed independent of budgetary support or government money, the Court’s reasoning was that there was “no occasion” for a CAG audit.
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b)1 and 2 only
(c) 1, 2, and 3,4,5,6,7
(d) None
Ans: c
86)Consider the following :
Since 2015, of the 49 blocks cleared for coal mining, nine were in ‘No-Go’ areas, or regions that were once classified by the Ministry of Environment and Forests and Climate Change as containing very dense forests and hence closed to coal mining. In 2020, of the 41 blocks put up for auction, 21 feature in the original No-Go list, said in August, 2020.
1)Several potential coal reserves are located in dense forests particularly in Chattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh.
2)The government determined which of them were too ecologically important to touch, and which were amenable to be opened up using a ‘decision support system software’ that rated forest lands on environmental parameters.
3) “Our forests are where our coal reserves are — forests and coal are intrinsically linked in India. And our poorest people live in these areas, which also hold our most abundant watersheds. If at all we must mine coal, which itself has serious pollution implications, we need to do so after careful consideration that we have taken utmost care not to destroy forests needlessly and this means the need to optimise on current mines — not mine more”
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b)1 and 2 only
(c) 1, 2, and 3
(d) None
Ans: c
87)Consider the following Uppar River, Tamil Nadu and Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park :
1)The Bench pointed out that the plant was given permission in 1999 to produce 391 tonnes of blister copper per day and 1,060 tonnes of sulphuric acid. The quantum was allowed to be increased gradually to 2,400 tonnes of blister copper per day in 2010. Public hearing was given the go-by while granting permission for increasing the production capacity in 2010. “The chain of events will reveal that the petitioner has been a chronic defaulter taking advantage of the slackness of the regulator,” the court said.
2)Authoring the verdict, it is held the petitioner responsible for having dumped 3.52 lakh tonnes of copper slag by obstructing the course of Uppar river, thereby causing floods.
3)Pointing out that the copper plant was situated within a radius of 25 km from the ecologically sensitive Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park, the judges said it had escaped relocation only because of a delay in notifying the national park since 2003.
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b)1 and 2 only
(c) 1, 2, and 3
(d) None
Ans: c
88)Consider the following :
1)Tensions in the eastern Mediterranean soared , with Turkey sending an exploration vessel, accompanied by a Navy fleet, to the disputed waters and France despatching warships to assist Greece.
2)The trigger for the recent hostility between Turkey and Greece, which have historically shared troublesome relations, has been the discovery of gas in the Mediterranean waters. The EU’s plans to transport the gas to its mainland, which would help reduce its dependency on Russia, have raised the region’s geopolitical profile.
3)Earlier this year 2020 , the EastMed Gas Forum was formed by Cyprus, Egypt, Greece, Israel, Italy, Jordan and Palestine, and Turkey was again excluded.
4) But Turkey challenged the pipeline project and reached an agreement with Libya’s Tripoli-based government, which Ankara is backing, to form an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) from its southern shores to Libya’s northern coast across the Mediterranean.
5)Greece claimed the Turkish zone violated its maritime sovereignty. Later, Greece announced its EEZ with Egypt, which clashes with Turkey’s zone. Immediately thereafter, Turkey sent its survey ship over.
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b)1 and 2 only
(c) 1, 2, and 3,4,5
(d) None
Ans: c
89)Consider the following :
1)The century-old Mysuru zoo has become the second Indian zoo to house African cheetah.
2)This zoo to house the African cheetah, the fastest land animal, as it managed to get one male and two females from a cheetah conservation centre in South Africa under an animal-exchange programme.
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) 1, 2
(d) None
Ans: c
90)Consider the following :
1)The oil-rich United Arab Emirates announced that it has connected its Barakah nuclear power plant to the national grid in a new first for the Arab world.
2)The milestone follows the successful start-up of the plant’s first reactor and launches the UAE on the road to meeting 25% of its electricity needs from nuclear power.
3)“The safe and successful connection of Unit 1 to the UAE grid marks the key moment when we begin to deliver on our mission to power the growth of the nation by supplying clean electricity, around the clock,” said Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation CEO.
4)“We are confident in our people and our technology to continue to progress to reach… the completion of the remaining three units, with the goal to power up to 25% of the UAE’s electricity needs for at least the next 60 years.”
5)The plant on the Gulf coast west of Abu Dhabi had been due to go online in late 2017 but faced delays that officials attributed to safety and regulatory requirements.
6)The UAE has substantial oil and gas reserves, but with a power-hungry population of 10 million, it has made huge investments in developing clean alternatives, including solar energy.
7)Saudi Arabia, the world’s top oil exporter, has said it plans to build up to 16 nuclear reactors, but the project has yet to materialise.
8)Barakah was built by a consortium led by the Korea Electric Power Corporation at a cost of some $24.4 billion.
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b)1 and 2 only
(c) 1, 2, and 3,4,5,6,7,8
(d) None
Ans: c
91)Consider the following with reference to cyclones :
1)The occurrence of two cyclones in consecutive seasons—Cyclone Nisarga in 2020 and cyclone Tauktae in 2021—is highly unusual for the west coast of India but fits in with the warnings of experts.
2)The India Meteorology Department has indicated that rising sea temperatures could mean that the west coast will see annual cyclones. The Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology has said that the surface temperature of the Arabian Sea has risen by 1.2 to 1.4 °C over the past 40 years. This, it says, can increase wind speeds by 5 per cent and result in cyclones and storm surges.
3)Waves as tall as four metres were generated as it swept past Ratnagiri even though it was some 100 km out at sea. The damage from both cyclones has been well documented, but what has been glossed over is the protective role of mangroves during extreme maritime weather.
4) Mangrove trees live on the boundary between land and sea. They have laterally spreading roots with attached vertical roots that anchor them. The whole plant from the roots to the branches and the canopy absorbs the shock of storm surges. They act as barriers to flood waves through factors such as bottom friction, tree density and the overall width of the mangrove forest. The roots of mangrove trees retain sediments and stabilise the soil of the intertidal region. Many studies have shown that up to 60 per cent of the wave force is dissipated by the first 100 m of mangroves along a coast.
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b)1 and 2 only
(c) 1, 2, and 3,4
(d) None
Ans: c
92)Consider the following Mumbai and mangroves :
1) There is an abundance of such hard evidence, but Mumbai’s treatment of its mangroves goes against all the scientific proof of their benefits. The island city had enormous mangrove forests until three decades ago.
2)In Mumbai, development has always been linked to reclamation, and this automatically spelt doom for mangroves. Towards the southern tip of the city, what used to be a huge mangrove forest is now a bus depot and a sprawling illegal slum.
3)The forest was destroyed before the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) laws came into existence in 1991 and at a time when trucks full of construction rubble would line up at night and brazenly dump their loads into the waters of the intertidal region. In this way Mumbai’s topography expanded into the sea.
4)After the CRZ laws were passed, mangroves continued to be killed but in a more insidious fashion. The inlets that bring in seawater, which is essential for the survival of mangroves, are blocked so that the plants wither and die. Then the dead mangroves are sold as firewood and the rubble dumping begins. In this way the city lost about 9,000 acres (one acre is 0.4 hectare) of mangrove between 1991 and 2001.
5)Infrastructure projects are a big threat to mangroves. To construct an overpass along a long stretch of Mumbai’s eastern seaboard in 2019, about 8,000 mangrove trees were killed by depriving them of seawater. When the work for Mumbai’s new international airport started in Navi Mumbai, satellite images showed that hundreds of acres of mangroves were destroyed. The bullet train project, which will run between Mumbai and Ahmedabad, will claim at least 35,000 mangrove trees. More recently, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) is all set to clear-cut a one-hectare plot of mangroves to build an elevated station for the metro rail service
6)The Mumbai city has four rivers the Oshiwara, or the Jogeshwari, the Dahisar, the Poisar, and the Mithi, or the Mahim. Varying in length from 10 to 12 kilometres, they have their origins in the forested areas around the city. They also serve as tail-water discharges of the freshwater lakes that supply water to the city. In fact, the location for the lakes (which are manmade) was selected based on the presence of the rivers so that overflow from the lakes would be channelled into the rivers and then out to the sea .
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b)1 and 2 only
(c) 1, 2, and 3,4,5,6
(d) None
Ans: c
93)Consider the following :
1)President will also unveil the portrait of five-time Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi, who led the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) for nearly half a century, in the presence of Governor and Chief Minister , son of the former Chief Minister. This is the first time in four decades that a portrait of an eminent figure of the State is getting unveiled by the President. In August 1977, then President N. Sanjeeva Reddi had unveiled the portrait of former Chief Minister K. Kamaraj.
2)For the Tamil Nadu State that boasts a Chola inscription of around 920 CE in a tiny town of Uthiramerur, about 90 km south of Chennai, dealing with a written Constitution, the celebration carries a special meaning beyond the fact that the legislature has completed 100 years of existence
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) 1, 2
(d) None
Ans: c
94)Consider the following with reference to Tamil Nadu :
Tamil Nadu witnessed elections in November 1920 when electors (only men), accounting for just 3% of the population, were enrolled, as a result of the Montagu-Chelmsford Report and the Government of India Act of 1919.
1)The development paved the way for a more representative body than what it was till then. The proportion of elected members increased to over 70%.
2)The concept of dyarchy came into being with Ministers, who were Indians, gaining limited control over certain subjects, such as local self-government and education. It was then that the office of the Chief Minister, also called Premier, got instituted. Besides, one seat in each territorial plural-member constituency — 28 in all — was reserved for non-Brahmins.
3)With the Congress boycotting the election, the Justice Party romped home. Eugene F. Irschick, an American historian, in his 1969 work, ‘Politics and Social Conflict in South India, the Non-Brahman Movement and Tamil Separatism, 1916-1929’, points out that the House included 65 non-Brahmin Hindus and 22 Brahmins, apart from five members of the Scheduled Castes who were official appointees.
4)The first Ministry of the Justice Party, a precursor to the present DMK, saw to it that two government orders (G.O.), famously called ‘Communal G.O.s’, were issued in September 1921 and August 1922.
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b)1 and 2 only
(c) 1, 2, and 3,4
(d) None
Ans: c
95)Consider the following with reference to Tamil Nadu :
1)For the first time, caste became the basis for appointment to public services. It took over 70 years for the Central government to follow the principle in its institutions for education and employment.
2)In December 1993, the scheme of 69% reservation for Backward Classes, Most Backward Classes, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, in vogue in the State only through executive orders till then, got legal safeguard when the Assembly adopted a Bill. The law was subsequently included in the IX Schedule of the Constitution, through an amendment passed in Parliament, so that its validity could not be challenged. The then Chief Minister Jayalalithaa took the lead in providing legislative support to the scheme of reservation.
3)Talking of the most significant fallout of the 1920 election, M.E. Duraipandiyan, former Additional Secretary of the Assembly Secretariat, points out that as women were not part of the electorate, the Council, in its first session in April 1921, resolved to provide voting rights to women.
4)Subsequently, it decided to remove the restriction on women getting elected as members.
5)In early 1927, Muthulakshmi Reddy, the well-known medical practitioner and social activist, became the first woman member of the Council and, in no time, became the Deputy President of the Council.
6)There were several moments of pride associated with the Assembly. One of the Congress stalwarts, S. Satyamurti, by rendering the banned songs of Subramania Bharati in the Legislative Council in October 1927, highlighted the issue and got the ban lifted subsequently. The 88-year-old Kumari Ananthan, former TNCC president, who was elected to the Assembly on four occasions and the Lok Sabha once, recalls that when Kamaraj was at the helm of affairs, C. Subramaniam, as Finance Minister, was the first to make a budget speech in Tamil in 1957-58. He points out that Si.Pa. Aditanar, as Speaker during March 1967-August 1968, introduced the practice of commencing the House’s proceedings with the recital of a verse from Thirukkural.
7)When Omandur P. Ramaswami Reddiar was the Chief Minister in the late 1940s, the government gave a convincing reply in the Assembly during a debate on the State government’s emblem of temple gopuram and got the issue resolved.
8)During the two-year rule of the DMK founder C.N. Annadurai, the Assembly, in July 1967, adopted a motion renaming Madras State as Tamil Nadu, which later got the approval of Parliament too, Mr. Ananthan explains.
9)Another former official of the Assembly Secretariat points out that during Jayalalithaa’s first innings as Chief Minister, “Tamil Thai Vazhthu” was rendered in July 1991 for the first time at the beginning of the Governor’s address.
10)K. Balabharathi, a three-term legislator of the CPI(M), says that to the credit of the legislature, it has passed several landmark laws for the welfare of women, such as Devadasi abolition, equal rights to women in property and constitution of the State Commission for Women.
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b)1 and 2 only
(c) 1, 2, and 3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10
(d) None
Ans: c
96)Consider the following :
India and China held the 12th round of Corps Commander talks at Moldo on the Chinese side.
1)The focus of the talks has been on concluding an agreement for disengagement at Gogra and Hot Springs as part of the overall disengagement and de-escalation in eastern Ladakh to end the stand-off which began last year.
2)While disengagement had been completed on both banks of Pangong Tso in February, other friction points that remain to be resolved are Gogra and Hot Springs, Demchok and Depsang.
3)In eastern Ladakh, India and China have two mutually agreed disputed areas — Trig Heights and Demchok — and 10 areas of differing perception.
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b)1 and 2 only
(c) 1, 2, and 3
(d) None
Ans: c
97)Consider the following :
1)Putting a special emphasis on the role of Buddhism, which is called the “most precious gift that India has bestowed upon [Sri Lanka]” from the time of Emperor Ashoka, it is said the two countries are bound by geography, economics, culture, history and democratic values.
2)“Against this backdrop, any setbacks to our relationship however intractable they may appear to be at any given point in time, can only be temporary,”
3)The strategy paper advises promoting exchanges of Buddhist and Hindu scholars as well as Sri Lankan Catholic pilgrims to the “Velankanni trail” in Tamil Nadu. In particular, it speaks of handing over a sacred stone from the Sita Amman temple in Sri Lanka for the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.
4)Among the problems the paper seeks to address is the conflict in the Palk Bay, where Sri Lankan fishermen object to Indians using bottom trawlers and fishing illegally along their coast, which often leads to arrests of the Indians. Indian fishermen accuse the Sri Lankan Navy of attacking and killing them.
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b)1 and 2 only
(c) 1, 2, and 3,4
(d) None
Ans: c
98)Consider the following :
1)The Chief Secretaries of Assam and Nagaland in July,.2021 signed an agreement to de-escalate the tense situation prevailing at two locations in the Dessoi Valley forest/ Tsurangkong Valley by simultaneously withdrawing security forces within the next 24 hours.
2)The agreement was signed following a meeting at Dimapur between Assam Chief Secretary and his Nagaland counterpart, in the presence of Nagaland Deputy Chief Minister and Assam Education Minister .
3)Both sides agreed that in order to maintain peace and tranquillity in the areas around
Ao Senden village and Vikuto village as they are known in Nagaland and called as Jankhona Nala / Nagajankha and Compartment No. 12 respectively in Assam, urgent and effective steps are required for defusing the stand-off between the security forces of both States.
4)“In this regard, it is decided that the security personnel of both States shall simultaneously move back from their present locations to their respective base camps. The simultaneous withdrawal of the security personnel shall begin immediately and shall be completed in the next 24 hours as far as possible,” according to the agreement.
5)Nagaland and Assam shall monitor the area using drones and satellite imagery with a view to maintaining the status quo. It was decided that the Superintendents of Police of the districts of Mokokchung (Nagaland) and Jorhat (Assam) shall ensure orderly withdrawal of their respective forces and shall be responsible for it.
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b)1 and 2 only
(c) 1, 2, and 3,4,5
(d) None
Ans: c
99)Consider the following with reference to J&K :
1)Nineteen people remained missing for the third consecutive day in July, 2021 in the remote Honzar village in the Kishtwar area of Chenab Valley, where a cloudburst wreaked havoc on the intervening night of July 28 and 29, relief organisations said.
2)The cloudburst left seven people dead and 17 injured.
3)“We reached Honzar . Eight houses were completely buried and 19 locals are still missing,”
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b)1 and 2 only
(c) 1, 2, and 3
(d) None
Ans: c
100)Consider the following :
As it begins its month-long presidency of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), India is set to hold high-level meetings and briefings to bring focus to its three priorities:
1)maritime security,
2)counterterrorism and
3)peacekeeping, said India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations T.S. Tirumurti
Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?
(a)1 only
(b)1 and 2 only
(c) 1, 2, and 3
(d) None
Ans: c
