10 May 2023

Q1. Consider the following statements.

1. The Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) registration is mandatory for NGO or associations to receive foreign funds or donations.
2. Considering the philanthropic work done by Missionaries of Charity (MoC), a Catholic religious congregation set up by Mother Teresa, is exempted from FCRA registration to receive foreign donations.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2

A – EXPLANATION

The Union Home Ministry (MHA) said that it has refused to renew the FCRA registration of Missionaries of Charity (MoC), a Catholic religious congregation set up by Nobel laureate Mother Teresa.

The Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) registration is mandatory for any NGO or association to receive foreign funds or donations.

Q2. Consider the following statements regarding the recently launched Indian Space Association (ISpA).

1. Indian Space Association is the private sector arm of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). 2. ISpA will work towards building global linkages for the Indian space industry to bring in critical  technology and investments into the country.
2. ISpA will be represented by leading domestic and global corporations that have advanced capabilities in space and satellite technologies.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

1. 1, 2
2. 1, 3
3. 2, 3
4. 1, 2, 3

C – EXPLANATION

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Indian Space Association (ISpA), an industry body consisting of various stakeholders of the Indian space domain.

The members of the organisation include government bodies such as Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and private telecom companies such as Bharti Airtel’s One Web, Tata Group’s Nelcom, L&T, MapMyIndia, and others.

ISpA will be represented by leading domestic and global corporations that have advanced capabilities in space and satellite technologies. ISpA said it would engage with stakeholders across the ecosystem for the formulation of an enabling policy framework which fulfils the government vision of leading commercial space exploration.

 Q3. Consider the following statements.

1. The Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) or PCMA Bill, 2021 seeks to raise the age of marriage for women to 21.
2. All religious communities in India have a codified personal law, that deals with marriage, dissolution of marriage, guardianship, etc.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2

A – EXPLANATION

Muslims don’t have a codified personal law unlike other religious communities. The Muslim Personal (Shariat) Application Act, 1937 states that Shariat or the Islamic law will apply in all questions regarding marriage, dissolution of marriage, maintenance, dower, guardianship, gifts, etc. The Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) or PCMA Bill, 2021 which has been referred to a Standing Committee seeks to raise the age of marriage for women to 21, making it the same as the age of marriage for men.

Q4. Consider the following statements regarding Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR).

1. The Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), is an autonomous organisation of the Government of India, involved in cultural exchange with other countries and their people.
2. It was founded by Jawaharlal Nehru.
3. It can issue binding orders to promote Indian culture, like making it mandatory to play Indian music at airports and railway stations.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

1. 1 only
2. 1, 2
3. 1, 3
4. 1, 2, 3

A – EXPLANATION

The Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), is an autonomous organisation of the Government of India, involved in India’s global cultural relations, through cultural exchange with other countries and their people.

It was founded on 9 April 1950 by Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, the first Education Minister of independent India. The Ministry of Civil Aviation has written to Indian airlines and airports in the country asking them to play Indian music following a request from the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR).

Q5.  Consider the following statements regarding Distributed ledger technology (DLT).

1. Distributed ledger technology (DLT) is a digital system for recording the transaction of assets in which the details are recorded in multiple places at the same time.
2. Blockchain technology is a specific kind of Distributed ledger technology.
3. Unlike traditional databases, distributed ledgers have a central data store or administration functionality.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

1. 1, 2
2. 1, 3
3. 2, 3
4. 1, 2, 3

A – EXPLANATION

Distributed ledger technology (DLT) and Block Chain technology:

Distributed ledger technology (DLT) is a digital system for recording the transaction of assets in which the transactions and their details are recorded in multiple places at the same time.

Unlike traditional databases, distributed ledgers have no central data store or administration functionality.

Whether distributed ledger technologies, such as blockchain, will revolutionize how governments, institutions and industries work is an open question.

Blockchain technology is a specific kind of DLT that came to prominence after Bitcoin, a cryptocurrency that used it, became popular.

Cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin use codes to encrypt transactions and stack them up in blocks, creating Blockchains. It is the use of codes that differentiates cryptocurrencies from other virtual currencies.

Q6. Consider the following statements.

1. Antibodies are the first line of defence against viral infection and monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are used in its treatment.
2. Every single mutation of the virus independently increase the virulence and the combination of them always aggravates the virus properties.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2

A – EXPLANATION

World Health Organization (WHO) designated Omicron, a SARS-CoV-2 variant, as a ‘variant of concern’ (VOC).

It took WHO several weeks to designate older VOCs such as Alpha, Beta and Delta as a VOC when they emerged. Several of the mutations confer the virus resistance to monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) such as etesevimab, bamlanivimab, casirivimab and their combinations.

Antibodies are the first line of defence against viral infection and mAbs are used in treatment. However, it is important to emphasise that every single mutation does not independently increase virulence and combinations of them might sometimes temper, and sometimes aggravate, virus properties.

Q7. Which of the following services generally use encryption to secure data transmission?

1. Messaging services
2. Payment gateways
3. Wireless microphones and Bluetooth devices
4. Bank ATMs.

Select the correct answer code:

1. 1, 2, 3
2. 1, 2, 4
3. 2, 3, 4
4. 1, 2, 3, 4

D – EXPLANATION

Encryption is the process of encoding messages or information in such a way that only authorized parties can read it.

All messaging services like WhatsApp, Viber, Google Chat, Yahoo messenger use encrypted services.

Banks (payment gateways) and e-commerce sites also use encryption to protect financial and private data including passwords. Encryption is also used to protect data in transit, for example data being transferred via networks (e.g. the Internet, e-commerce), mobile telephones, wireless microphones, wireless intercom systems, Bluetooth devices and bank automatic teller machines.

Q8. Consider the following statements regarding IN-SPACe (Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre).

1. IN-SPACe is a single window nodal agency established to boost the commercialisation of Indian space activities.
2. It promotes the entry of the Non-Government Private Entities (NGPEs) in the Indian space sector.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor

C – EXPLANATION

In 2020, the Government of India created a new organisation known as IN-SPACe (Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre) which is a “single window nodal agency” established to boost the commercialisation of Indian space activities.

A supplement to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), the agency promotes the entry of the Non-Government Private Entities (NGPEs) in the Indian space sector.

The agency will also felicitate a swift on-boarding of private players in the sector through encouraging policies in a friendly regulatory environment and by creating synergies through already existing necessary facilities.

Q9. Acinetobacter baumannii, Enterococcus faecalis, Escherichia coli are

1. Vectors that cause Dengue and Malaria.
2. Drugs administered to livestock as painkillers/anti-inflammatory drugs.
3. Pathogens that have the ability to develop resistance to antibiotics.
4. None of the above

C – EXPLANATION

Some of the pathogens to look out for are Acinetobacter baumannii, Enterococcus faecalis, Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhi, Streptococcus pneumoniae and many more.

These pathogens are commonly implicated as causative agents of healthcare associated infections because of their ability to develop resistance to antibiotics.

Q10. Pentavalent vaccine protects against which of the following diseases?

1. Diphtheria
2. Tetanus
3. Hepatitis-C
4. Pertussis

Select the correct answer code:

1. 1, 2, 3
2. 1, 2, 4
3. 1, 2
4. 1, 2, 3, 4

B – EXPLANATION

Pentavalent vaccine protects against five major diseases: diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough), hepatitis B and Haemophilus influenzae type b (DTP-hepB-Hib).