08 March 2023

Q1. Which of the following is/are incorrect about members of Rajya Sabha?

1. The retiring members are not eligible for re-election and re-nomination anynumber of times.

2. The Constitution has not fixed the term of office of members of the Rajya Sabha and left it to the Parliament.

3. The Fourth Schedule of the Constitution deals with the allocation of seats in the Rajya Sabha to the states and union territories.

4. One-fourth of its members retire every second year and their seats are filled up by fresh elections and presidential nominations at the beginning of every third year.

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 1 and 4 only

(c) 1, 2 and 3 only

(d) 2, 3 and 4 only

ANS-B

Explanation:

• The retiring members are eligible for re-election and re-nomination anynumber of times.
• Statement 4 is incorrect:One-third of its members retire every second year andtheirseats are filled up by fresh electionsand presidential nominations at thebeginning ofevery third year.
• Recently, the Rajya Sabha bid farewell to four retiring members of the Upper House withDeputy Chairman Harivanshheaping lavish praise on the leader of the OppositionGhulam Nabi Azad.
• Duration of Rajya Sabha:The Rajya Sabha is a continuing chamber which was firstconstituted in 1952. It implies that it is a permanent body and not subject to dissolution.
• One-third of its members retire every second year and their seats are filled up by freshelections and presidential nominations at the beginning of every third year.
• The retiring members are eligible for re-election and re-nomination any number oftimes.
• The Constitution has not fixed the term of office of members of the Rajya Sabhaand left it to the Parliament.
• The Parliament in the Representation of the People Act (1951) provided that the termof office of a member of the RajyaSabha shall be six years.

Composition of Rajya Sabha:

• The Fourth Schedule of the Constitution deals with theallocation of seats in theRajya Sabha to the states and union territories:
• Representation of States:The representatives of states in the RajyaSabha are elected bythe elected members of state legislative assemblies.
• The seats are allotted to the statesin the Rajya Sabha on the basis of population.
• Representation of Union Territories:The representatives of each union territory in theRajya Sabha are indirectly elected by members of an electoral college speciallyconstituted for the purpose.
• Nominated Members:The president nominates 12 members to the Rajya Sabha frompeople who have special knowledge or practical experience in art, literature, science andsocial service.

Q2. Consider the following statements:

1. Gandhi decided for cessation of the Non- Cooperation Movement after the ChauriChaura Incident.

2. ChauriChaura Support Fund was set up by Gandhi as a “genuine sympathy” and to seek atonement for the incident.

Which of the above statements is/are incorrect?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

ANS-D

 Explanation:

The ChauriChaura Incident:

• Prime Minister has released a postage stampon the centenary of the ChauriChaura incident. ChauriChaura is a town located inGorakhpur district of Uttar Pradesh.
• Gandhi launched the Non-Cooperation Movement against the government on 1^st
• It involved using swadeshi and boycott of foreign goods, especially machine madecloth, and legal, educational and administrative institutions, “refusing to assist a rulerwho misrules”.
• Volunteers of the Congress and the Khilafat Movement were organised into a nationalvolunteer corps in 1921-22.
• The Congress supported the movement and Mahatma Gandhi sought to conjoin it to theNon-Cooperation Movement.
• On 4th February, volunteers congregated in the town, andafter the meeting, proceeded in a procession to the local police station, and to picketthe nearby Mundera bazaar.
• The police fired into the crowd killing some people and injuring many volunteers.
• Inretaliation, the crowd proceeded to set the police station on fire.
• Some of the policemen who tried to escape were caught and battered to death.
• A lot ofpolice property, including weapons, was destroyed.
• The British Raj prosecuted the accused aggressively.
• A sessions court quickly sentenced172 of the 225 accused to death. However, ultimately, only 19 of thoseconvicted werehanged.
• Mahatma Gandhi condemned the crime of the policemen’s killing.
• ChauriChauraSupport Fund was set up by Gandhi as an “genuine sympathy” and to seek
• Gandhi decided to stop the Non- Cooperation Movement, the CongressWorking Committee on 12th February, 1922,formally suspended the movement.
• Hence both statements are correct.

Q3. Which of the following statements is/are correct?

1. Flue-gas desulfurization is a technology used to remove Sulfur dioxide from Exhaust flue gases of fossil-fuel power plants.

2. SNOX Flue gas desulfurization technology removes Sulfur dioxide from Nitric oxide.

Select the correct option using the codes given below:

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

 ANS-A

 Explanation:

• SNOX Flue gas desulfurization removes sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxidesand particulates from flue gases.
• Flue Gas Desulphurization Flue-gas desulfurization (FGD) is a set oftechnologies used tremove sulphur dioxide (SO2) from exhaust flue gases of fossil-fuel power plants, andfrom the emissions of other sulphur oxide emitting processes such as waste incineration
• Since stringent environmental regulations limiting SO2 emissions have been enacted inmany countries, SO2 is being removed from flue gases by a variety of methods.
• Commonmethods used are:Wet scrubbing using a slurry of alkaline sorbent, usually limestone orlime, or seawater to scrub gases; Spray-dry scrubbing using similar sorbent slurries; Wetsulfuric acid process recovering sulfur in the form of commercial quality sulphuric acid.
• SNOX Flue gas desulfurization removes sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and particulatesfrom flue gases; Dry sorbent injection systems that introduce powdered hydrated lime(or other sorbent material) into exhaust ducts to eliminate SO2 and SO3 from processemissions.
• Flue gas (sometimes called exhaust gas or stack gas) is the gas that emanates fromcombustion plants and which contains the reaction products of fuel and combustion airand residual substances such as particulate matter (dust), sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides,and carbon monoxide.

Q4. Consider the following:

‘It is located at the border areas of Nagaland and Manipur. The PulieBadze WildlifeSanctuary islocated close to it.LiliumChitrangada, a species of Lily, is endemic to thisplace’.

Which of the following is being described above?

(a) Ntangki National Park

(b) Dhing Valley

(c) Barak Valley

(d) Dzukou valley

ANS-D

 Explanation:

• Location in news:Dzukou valley The Dzukou Valley has had faced two-week long forest fire which has recently been doused.
• This valley is highly prone toforest fires and has had such incidences before.
• Dzukou Valley is popularly called thevalley of flowers.
• It is located at the border area ofNagaland and Manipur.
• It is situated at an altitude of 2438 metres behind the Japfumountains.
• The PulieBadze Wildlife Sanctuary is located close to it.
• The forests are hometo many vulnerable species of wild animals and birds.
• There are no humans in the forest.The major population of vegetation that is found in the forests is of bamboos andgrasses.
• The valley also houses the famous endemic Dzukou Lily viz.
• LiliumChitrangadaBirds foundin the valley are Blyth’s Tragopan, Rufous-Necked Hornbill and Dark Rumped Swift alongwith endangered Western Hoolock Gibbons.
• The valley hosts Angami population and has been a bone of contention between thestate governments of Manipur and Nagaland.

Q5. Consider the following statementsregarding the Financial Stability Board (FSB):

1. It is funded by World Bank.
2. It monitors and makes recommendations about the global financial system.
3. The International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) works closely with FSB for securities regulation.

Which of the above statement/s is/are correct?

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 1 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

 ANS-B

 Explanation:

• Statement 1 is incorrect: Funded by bank for international settlements.
• Financial Stability Board (FSB). It was established after the G20 London Summit in April2009 as a successor tothe Financial Stability Forum (FSF).
• The Board includes all G20 major economies, FSF members, and the EuropeanCommission.
• Hosted and funded by the Bank for International Settlements, the board isbased in Basel, Switzerland.
• The Financial Stability Board (FSB) is an international bodythat monitors and makes recommendations about the global financial system.
• Recently, the International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) has become anAssociate Member of the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO).

About IOSCO:

• It is the international body that brings together the world’s securitiesregulators and is recognized as the global standard setter for the securities sector.
• IOSCO develops, implements and promotes adherence to internationally recognizedstandards for securities regulation. It works intensively with the G20 and the Financial
• Stability Board (FSB) on the global regulatory reform agenda.
• IFSC in India:The first International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) in the country hasbeen set up at the Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT) in Gandhinagar.
• To regulate such institutions, the government established IFSCA on April 27 last yearwith its head office in Gandhinagar.
• In December 2019, Parliament passed a bill to set upa unified authority for regulating all financial activities atIFSCs in the country.

 Q6. Which of the following statements regarding Gaganyaan is incorrect?

(a) ISRO and NASA have agreed to work together for India’s first manned space mission Gaganyaan.

(b) India is planning to send three humans (Gaganyatris) into space i.e. in low earth orbit (LEO) by 2022.

(c) This mission will make India fourth nation in the world after USA, Russia and China to launch human space flightmission.

(d) GSLV Mk III will be used to launchGaganyaan.

ANS-A

 Explanation:

• Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Russia’s federal spaceagency Roscosmos State Corporation for Space Activities (ROSCOSMOS) have agreed towork together for first manned space mission Gaganyaan.
• It is India’s first manned spacemission.
• This mission will make India fourth nation in the world after USA, Russia and China tolaunch human space flight mission.
• India is planning to send three humans (Gaganyatris) into space i.e. in low earth orbit(LEO) by 2022 i.e. by 75thIndependence Day.
• GSLV Mk III, also called the LVM-3 (Launch Vehicle Mark-3) the three-stage heavy liftlaunch vehicle, will be used tolaunchGaganyaan as it has the necessary payloadcapability.

Q7. Which of the following is/are correct about Digital lending?

1. It is a method to originate and renew loans in order to deliver faster and more efficient decisions.

2. It enhances the financial inclusion.
3. RBI has full regulatory powers in controlling digital lending platforms.

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) 1 and 2

(d) 2 and 3 only

ANS-C

 Explanation:

• Digital lending : Digital lending is the use of online technology to originateand renew loans inorder to deliver faster and more efficientdecisions.
• This mode of lending includes different type of lenders.
• It has potential to make accessto financial products and services more fair, efficient and inclusive.
• It enhances thefinancial inclusion.
• It improves the design, pricing and delivery of financial products andservices.
• Digitization of the lending process brings a number of powerful benefits forbanks, including better decisions, improved customer experience, and significant costsavings.
• When it comes to most of the lending apps, RBI lacks in regulatory powers sincethese companies are not registered as non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) butunder money lending acts of various state governments. Hence statement 3 is incorrect.

 Q8. Which of the following is incorrect about Wormholes?

(a) Black holes and wormholes are special types of solutions to Einstein’s equations.

(b) Wormholes are not ’traversable’, meaning humans may not be able to travel through.

(c) Wormhole may ‘leak’ some gravity from the objects located on the other side.

(d) Radiation produced via a wormhole would be confined to a giant sphere.

ANS-B

Explanation:

• Some wormholes may be ’traversable’, meaning humans may be able to travel through them. Hence statement 2 is incorrect.
• Warmholes In 1935, Einstein and physicist Nathan Rosen described how two sheets ofspace- time can be joined together, creating a bridge between two universes.
• This is onekind of wormhole and since then many others have been imagined.
• Black holes and wormholes are special types of solutions to Einstein’s equations, arisingwhen the structure of space-time is strongly bent by gravity.
• Some wormholes may be ’traversable’, meaning humans may be able to travel throughthem.
• For that though, they would need to be sufficiently large and kept open against theforce of gravity, which tries to close them. But black holes should produce fewer gammarays and eject them in a jet, while radiation produced via a wormhole would be confinedto a giant sphere.
• Unlike a black hole, a wormhole may “leak” some gravity from the objects located onthe other side. Unlike black holes which are a bit frightening as they trap everything thatventures in, wormholes may allow us to travel to faraway places faster than the speed oflight.

Q9. The Good Governance Index takes into consideration which of the followingsectors?

1. Agriculture and Allied Sectors
2. Commerce & Industries
3. Human Resource Development
4. Public Health
5. Public Infrastructure & Utilities
6. Environment

Select the correct option using the codes given below:

(a) 1, 2 and 3 only

(b) 2, 4, 5 and 6 only

(c) 3. 4 and 5 only

(d) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6

ANS-D

 Explanation:

Good Governance Index:

• It is a uniform tool across States to assess theStatus of Governance and impact of various interventions taken up by the State
• Government and UTs. The purpose behind developing a comprehensive index, termedas Good Governance Index (GGI), is to create a tool which can be used uniformly acrossthe state, and eventually district level, to assess the status of governance and impact ofvarious interventions taken up by Central and State Governments including UnionTerritories (UTs). Another significant contribution of the GGI would be contributing intracking the progress of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at state level.

The GGI takes into consideration ten sectors:

• Agriculture and Allied Sectors
• Commerce & Industries
• Human Resource Development
• Public Health
• Public Infrastructure & Utilities
• Economic Governance
• Social Welfare & Development
• Judicial & Public Security
• Environment
• Citizen-Centric Governance
• These ten Governance Sectors are measured on total 50 indicators.

Q10. The Grand Renaissance Dam has been constructed on which of the following river?

(a) Blue Nile

(b) White Nile

(c) Zambezi

(d) Zaire

ANS-A

 Explanation:

The Grand Renaissance Dam:

• The Nile has been at the center of a decade-long dispute involving several countries that depend on its waters.
• At the forefront ofthe dispute are Ethiopia and Egypt, with Sudan having found itself dragged into theissue.
• Spearheaded by Ethiopia, the Grand Renaissance Dam will be Africa’s biggest at145 meters tall.
• Construction began in 2011 on the Blue Nile tributary that runs acrossone part of Ethiopia.
• The main waterways of the Nile run through Uganda, South Sudan,Sudan and Egypt, and its drainage basin runs through several countries in East Africa,including Ethiopia where the dam is being built. Egypt, which is downstream, hasconsistently objected to the construction, saying it will impact water flow.