21 October 2022

1. Take into account these statements on the All-India Quarterly Establishment-based Employment Survey (AQEES):

1. The Labour Bureau creates the Quarterly Employment Survey (QES).
2. It offers employment and relevant data for businesses in organised segments across nine sectors.

Which of the aforementioned statements is true?

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

Explanation

• The Labour Bureau has adopted the AQEES to give regular (quarterly) updates regarding employment and related variables of establishments in both organised and unorganised parts of nine chosen sectors, which account for the majority of the overall employment in the non-farm firms.
• In the nine chosen sectors, QES collects employment statistics for establishments with 10 or more employees, the majority of which are in the organised sector. Manufacturing, construction, trade, transportation, education, health, lodging & restaurants, IT/BPOs, and financial services are among these industries.
• In units with 10 or more employees, these nine sectors made up roughly 85% of all employment in the 6th Economic Census.

2. Which of the following best sums up the term “Carl-Gustaf,” which occasionally appears in the news?

1. Asteroid’s designation
2. Role-Based Weapon System
3. technology to remove space debris
4. Utilizing technology to combat air pollution

Explanation

• The Swedish defence and security company Saab created the man-portable, shoulder-launched Carl-Gustaf M4 (CGM4) weapon system to address a variety of contemporary infantry combat requirements. As a result, choice 2 is right.

3. Take into account the following statements regarding asteroids:

1. Rock-like spacecraft known as asteroids circle the planets.
2. The cumulative mass of all asteroids is less than that of the moon of Earth.
3. The majority of asteroids are located in a huge ring that spans Mars’ and Jupiter’s orbits.

Which of the aforementioned statements is true?

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

• Asteroids are tiny, stony, airless worlds that orbit the sun but are too small to be referred to as planets. They go by the names planetoids or small planets as well. As a result, statement 1 is untrue.
• The cumulative mass of all asteroids is less than that of the moon of Earth. However, asteroids can be harmful despite their size. Many have already collided with Earth, and more will do so in the future. As a result, statement two is true.
• The majority of asteroids are located in a huge ring that spans Mars’ and Jupiter’s orbits. As a result, statement 3 is accurate.

4. Take into consideration the following statements in relation to the Dadasaheb Phalke Award:

1. In 1969, the government instituted the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, which was first given to Devika Rani.
2. To honour Dadasaheb Phalke’s contribution to Indian film, the Government of India introduced it.
3. The first feature film made in India was directed by Dadasaheb Phalke.

Which of the aforementioned statements is true?

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

Explanation

• The government initially presented the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 1969, and Devika Rani, dubbed “the first lady of Indian cinema,” received it that year. As a result, statement 1 is true.
• The Dadasaheb Phalke Award was established in 1969 by the Government of India to honour Dadasaheb Phalke’s contribution to Indian cinema, who directed Raja Harishchandra, the country’s first feature-length motion picture, in 1913. As a result, statements 2 and 3 are true.

5. Take into account the following claims about the Nord Stream Pipelines:

1. The world’s longest undersea pipeline is this one.
2. A gas export pipeline transports gas from Russia to Europe under the Caspian Sea.
3. Two pipelines, each with two lines, make up Nord Stream.
4. It travels via the territorial seas of Germany, Denmark, and Russia.

Which of the aforementioned statements is true?

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

Explanation

• The first statement is true. The Nord Stream Pipeline is the world’s longest undersea pipeline.
• The second claim is untrue. Gas from Russia is transported to Europe via a pipeline that passes beneath the Baltic Sea.
• The third statement is true. It consists of the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipes.
• Fourth statement is true. The Nord Stream passes across the territorial waterways of Germany, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, and Russia as well as their respective Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs).
• Nord Stream 1 was finished in 2011 and connects Lubmin near Greifswald, Germany, to Vyborg in Leningrad, Russia.
• The Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which connects Ust-Luga in Leningrad with Lubmin, was finished in September 2021 and, when it is fully operating, has the potential to transport 55 billion cubic metres of gas annually.
• For at least 50 years, the twin pipelines can deliver 110 billion cubic metres (bcm) of gas to Europe annually.
• The pipeline links to the NEL (North European Pipeline) and OPAL (Baltic Sea Pipeline) in Germany, which are further connected to the European grid.

6. Which of the following acts governs the right to enter a forest in India?

1. The 1927 Indian Forest Act
2. 1972’s Wildlife Protection Act.
3. 1986 Environment Protection Act

Select the right option from the list of codes below:

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

Explanation

• The Indian Forest Act of 1927 and the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 both regulate entry into forests in India.
• Trespassing is prohibited in all reserve woods and bars.
• Everyone wishing to enter reserve forests for any reason, excluding those who reside in the settlements there, must obtain permission from the relevant divisional forest officer.
• The Chief Wildlife Warden of a state is given authority under the Wildlife Protection Act to create regulations for visitors accessing Protected Areas, such as sanctuaries and national parks.
• The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) is given authority to create regulations for tiger reserves under the same Act.
• While a chief wildlife warden is required to operate “with the prior approval of the State Government” in question, once the warden has established a regulation, nobody—not even superior officials or executives like the chief minister—can disobey it.

7. Take into account the following claims about Kaziranga National Park:

1. Arunachal Pradesh is the state where the National Park is situated.
2. The world’s highest concentration of one-horned rhinos can be found there.

Which of the aforementioned statements is true?

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

Explanation

• Kaziranga occupies 42,996 Hectares and is situated in the State of Assam (ha). Therefore, statement 1 is untrue.
• It is the largest unaltered and typical area in the floodplain of the Brahmaputra Valley.
• The second claim is untrue. The number of one-horned rhinos at Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary is the highest in the entire globe.
• The majority of one-horned rhinos in the world are found in Kaziranga National Park, while Pobitora has the second-highest concentration of rhinos in Assam after Kaziranga.
• BirdLife International and UNESCO both designated Kaziranga as a World Heritage Site and an Important Bird Area in 1985.

8. Which of the following nations have a border with India along the Kushiyara River?

1. Nepal
2. Bhutan
3. Bangladesh
4. Myanmar

Explanation

• The Kushiyara River is a distributary river that flows through Assam, India and Bangladesh.
• It originates as a tributary of the Barak River at the point where the Barak divides into the Kushiyara and Surma on the India-Bangladesh border.
• A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Bangladesh for the withdrawal of up to 153 cusecs of water per country during the dry season from the river Kushiyara, which is located along the border, recently received the ex-post facto approval of the Union Cabinet, which is presided over by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

9. Take into account these claims regarding the UNESCO-MONDIACULT 2022 World Conference:

1. The World Conference on Cultural Policies and Sustainable Development is an annual event sponsored by UNESCO.
2. This conference, which is being held in Sweden, is the third of its kind.

Which of the aforementioned statements is true?

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

Explanation

• The first Mondiacult World Conference on Cultural Policies was held in Mexico City (Mexico) in 1982, and the UNESCO World Conference on Cultural Policies for Development was held in Stockholm (Sweden) in 1998. Forty years and 24 years later, respectively, UNESCO has called the World Conference on Cultural Policies and Sustainable Development (MONDIACULT 2022).
• It doesn’t happen every year. Statement 1 is therefore untrue.
• This conference, which is being held in Mexico, is the third of its kind. As a result, assertion 2 is untrue.
• In line with the vision outlined in the UN Secretary-report General’s “Our Common Agenda” (September 2021), which refers to culture as a “global public good, the good of us all,” the conference’s main objective is to shape a more robust and resilient cultural sector, fully anchored in the perspectives of sustainable development as well as the promotion of solidarity, peace, and security.

10.Take into account the following claims about the DART mission:

1. This is NASA’s first mission devoted exclusively to planetary defence.
2. The spacecraft is navigated using a method known as kinetic impact to purposefully hit with the asteroid in order to deflect it.

Which of the aforementioned statements is true?

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

Explanation

• DART was the first mission to study and demonstrate one technique for deflecting asteroids by altering the trajectory of the asteroids by kinetic collision. As a result, statements 1 and 2 are both true.
• DART is a budget-friendly spacecraft.
• It uses hydrazine propellant to manoeuvre the spaceship and has two solar panels.
• In order to be ready in the event that an asteroid heads toward Earth in the future, the mission is to test the new technology. The objective is to test recently created technology that would enable a spaceship to collide with an asteroid and alter its trajectory.
• The Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) involves flying and crashing a 500-kilogram satellite into the 160-meter-wide moonlet Dimorphos, a harmless asteroid, onto its parent asteroid Didymos in an effort to alter Dimorphos’ orbit around Didymos. One day, we might be able to prevent harmful asteroids from striking Earth by using the lessons we learnt from the impact.