19 August 2022

Q1. Consider the following statements with respect to Indian Leopard:

1. The Indian leopard is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.
2. It is listed on a par with Tigers in Wildlife Protection Act (WPA), 1972.
3. A melanistic leopard is called black panther or jaguar.
4. The rosettes of each leopard are unique in shape and size, making the species identifiable individually.

Which of the given statement/s is/are INCORRECT?

1. 2 only
2. 1 and 2 only
3. 3 and 4 only
4. None of the above

D – Explanation

• The Indian leopard is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.It is listed on a par with Tigers under Schedule 1 of the Wildlife Protection Act (WPA), 1972.A melanistic leopard is called black panther or jaguar.The rosettes of each leopard are unique in shape and size, making the species identifiable individually.Hence, option (d) is the correct answer.

Q2. Which of the following Commissions recommended that Governors must not be removed before completion of their five year tenure, except in rare and compelling circumstances?

1. 2^ndAdministrative Reforms Commission
2. Punchi Commission
3. Sarkaria Commission
4. Rajmannar Commission

C – Explanation

• The Sarkaria Commission had recommended that Governors must not be removed before completion of their five-year tenure, except in rare and compelling circumstances.It also suggested that the Governor should be an eminent person from outside the State and should be a detached figure without intense political links or should not have taken part in politics in the recent past.Hence, option (c) is the correct answer.

Q3. Hagia Sophia and Chora, sometimes seen in news is located in?

1. Afghanistan
2. Saudi Arabia
3. Turkey
4. Iran

C – Explanation

• After Hagia Sophia, Turkey’s historic Chora Church also switched to mosque. Hence, option (c) is the correct answer.

Q4. Tibet Policy and Support Act, recently seen in news is the policy of?

1. China
2. United States of America
3. India
4. Japan

B – Explanation

• The Tibet Policy and Support Act is a federal law that outlines United States policy on Tibet.The Tibetan Policy and Support Act would make it official United States policy that the succession of Tibetan Buddhist leaders, including the succession of the Dalai Lama, be left solely to Tibetan Buddhists to decide, without interference from the Chinese government.Hence, option (b) is the correct answer.

Q5. Consider the following statements:

1. Nepal shares boundary with five Indian states.
2. The Sharda River demarcates Nepal’s eastern border with India.

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 five Indian states that share a land border with Nepal are Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, and Sikkim.The Sharda River demarcates Nepal’s western border with India.Hence, option (a) is the correct answer.

Q6. Arrange the following ports from North to South:

1. Kyaukpyu
2. Port Gwadar
3. Port Sabang Port

Select the correct answer code:

1. 1-3-2
2. 1-2-3
3. 2-1-3
4. 2-3-1

C – Explanation

• Gwadar Port is the deepest sea port of the world, situated on the Arabian Sea at Gwadar in Balochistan province of Pakistan.Kyaukpyu is a major town in Rakhine State, in western Myanmar.India is developing its maiden deep-sea port in Indonesia’s Sabang close to Andaman and Nicobar Islands.Hence, option (c) is the correct answer.

Q7. Consider the following statements about Chameleons:

1. They live in warm habitats that range from Rainforest and Desert Condition.
2. Chameleon Brookesia Micra is the smallest of all the known reptiles.
3. India is home to about two-thirds of all chameleon species.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

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

C – Explanation

• Chameleons (family Chamaeleonidae) are a distinctive and highly specialized Clade of Old World Lizard with 202 species described as of June 2015. They live in warm habitats that range from Rainforest and Desert Condition are best known for their ability to change body colour.Hence, statement 1 is correct.Madagascar is home to nearly two-thirds of all chameleon species. Hence, statement 3 is not correct. The Indian chameleon is found in India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.According to the Bavarian State Collection of Zoology in Munich, Nano-Chameleon (or Brookesia Nana) is the smallest of about 11,500 known species of reptiles. Hence, statement 2 is not correct.

Q8. Which of the following statements is/are correct about the Mandarin Duck:

1. It is native to East and South-East Asia only.
2. It has been found for the first time in India.
3. It is listed as least concern in the IUCN Red List.

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

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

C – Explanation

• Mandarin duck was first identified by Swedish botanist, physician and zoologist Carl Linnaeus in 1758. It is considered the most beautiful duck in the world.These birds inhabit temperate forests near wetlands including rivers, streams, bogs, marshes, swamps, and freshwater lakes.It is native to East Asia but has established populations in Western Europe and America too.Hence, statement 1 is not correct.It breeds in Russia, Korea, Japan and northeastern parts of China.The duck rarely visits India as it does not fall in its usual migratory route. It was recorded in 1902 in the Dibru river in the Rongagora area in Tinsukia (Assam).More recently, it was sighted in Manipur’s Loktak Lake in 2013, and in Saatvoini Beel in Manas National Park and Tiger Reserve in Assam’s Baksa district in 2014. Recently, Mandarin ducks have been sighted in the Maguri-Motapung beel in Assam’s Tinsukia district after a century. Hence, statement 2 is not correct.It is listed as Least Concern in the IUCN Red List. Hence, statement 3 is correct.

Q9. With reference to the Housing Finance Companies (HFCs), consider the following statements:

1. HFCs are specialized Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFC).
2. The HFCs are regulated by the National Housing Bank (NHB).
3. To qualify as HFCs, a NBFC must have 50% assets as housing loans and 75% of which should be for individual homebuyers.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

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

B – Explanation

• Recently, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) issued directives to Housing Finance Companies (HFCs).HFCs are specialized Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFC). Hence, statement 1 is correct.Recently, the RBI came up with the new definition of HFCs. To qualify as HFCs, a NBFC must have 50% assets as housing loans and 75% of which should be for individual homebuyers. Hence, statement 3 is correct.The RBI took over the powers to regulate HFCs from the National Housing Bank (NHB) in 2019. Hence, statement 2 is not correct.

Q10. Consider the following statements with respect to Trincomalee Harbour:

1. Trincomalee Harbour is in the northeastern coast of Sri Lanka.
2. It is a natural deep-sea harbour.
3. It was formerly a British naval base.

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

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

B – Explanation

• Trincomalee Harbour, formerly a British naval base, was taken over by the Ceylonese government in 1956 to be developed as a commercial port.It is in the northeastern coast of Sri Lanka.Hence, option (b) is the correct answer.