23 May 2023

Q. Which of the aforementioned organisations has ties to Think 20 (T20), a recent news item?

• G-20
• WHO
• IMF
• Global Bank

A – Explanation

• The T20 is a G20 Official Engagement Group that together the best research institutes and think tanks from around the globe.
• It serves as the G20’s “ideas bank” and aims to provide policymakers with solutions that are supported by research.
• Known think tanks and academics from all over the world make to the Think20 (T20) engagement group, which was founded in 2012. The national governments have no bearing on it.
• Instead of promoting or organising campaigns around particular topics, the engagement group develops serious policy suggestions that are assessed by leading authorities.
• These concepts give G20 discussions an analytical layer that aids G20 leaders in developing workable, long-lasting policy solutions based on G20 priorities.
• Each year, under a new G20 Presidency, the T20 creates Task Forces to structure its recommendations around the most pressing issues and foster policy innovation.

Q. The Nord Stream pipeline crosses which of the following bodies of water?

• Seas of Azov
• Black Sea
• Caspian Sea
• Baltic Sea

B – Explanation

• Lubmin, in northeastern Germany, and Vyborg, in northwest Russia, are linked by a 1,224 km undersea gas pipeline that travels through the Baltic Sea.
• It is the primary network used to transport gas to Germany and is predominately owned by Russian energy giant Gazprom.
• The majority of the gas is carried directly to Germany, while the remaining is routed to other countries and storage caverns in the west and south via onshore linkages.
• In 2015, Gazprom and five other European businesses decided to build the $11 billion Nord Stream 2 pipeline.
• 55 billion cubic metres of gas per year were to be transported via the 1,200-km pipeline from Ust-Luga, Russia, to Greifswald, Germany, via the Baltic Sea. It’s functionality was planned to work with the Nord Stream 1 system.
• Most of the Russian gas that Germany uses in Europe travels through the Nord Stream.

Q. Which allegations concerning the International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) are false?

1. It was established by the Indian government and is a legitimate institution.
2. The GIFT IFSC is currently India’s first hub for global financial services.

From the list of codes below, pick the appropriate one:

• 1 only
• 2 only
• Both 1 and 2
• Neither 1 nor 2

D – Explanation

• The first claim is accurate. The International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) was established on April 27, 2020, in compliance with the International Financial Services Centres Authority Act of 2019. The Indian government created it as a statutory organisation as a result.
• True is the second assertion. The GIFT IFSC is currently India’s first hub for global financial services.
• Prior to the establishment of IFSCA, the business in IFSC was overseen by the regional financial regulators, specifically the RBI, SEBI, PFRDA, and IRDAI.
• Since the dynamic nature of business in the IFSCs needs a high degree of inter-regulatory collaboration within the financial sector, the IFSCA was formed as a unified regulator with a comprehensive purpose to promote ease of doing business in IFSCs and provide a world-class regulatory environment.
• The main objectives of the IFSCA are to establish tight relationships throughout the world, focus on the needs of the Indian economy, and serve as an international financial platform for both the region and the global economy.
• Its headquarters are in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, also referred to as GIFT City.

Q. Consider the following statements made regarding the Quality Council of India (QCI):

1. QCI is a non-profit organisation as defined by the Societies Registration Act of 1860.
2. Its operations are supervised by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion.
3. QCI is in charge of developing quality-related national standards.

Which of the preceding assertions is true?

• 1 and 2 only
• 2 and 3 only
• 1 and 3 only
• 1, 2 and 3

A – Explanation

• The first claim is accurate.
• QCI is a nonprofit corporation as defined by the Societies Registration Act XXI of 1860.
• On the advice of the EU Expert Mission, the Quality Council of India (QCI) was established as a National organisation for Accreditation in 1996 following meetings with the Inter-ministerial Task Force, the Committee of Secretaries, and the Group of Ministers.
• The establishment of QCI as an independent autonomous organisation (FICCI) through a PPP model was supported by the Indian Industry, as represented by the three major industry associations Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM), Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry.
• True is the second assertion.
• The Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry was designated as the focal point for all problems connected to quality and QCI in order to organise and assist in the implementation of the Cabinet decision.
• The third claim is false.
• It does not create national standards.
• QCI was established with the goal of developing a system for objective third-party evaluation of products, services, and practises.
• It is essential to the dissemination, adoption, and observance of quality standards at the national level in all significant areas of activity, including education, healthcare, environmental protection, governance, social sectors, infrastructure, and other expertly organised activities that have a significant impact on raising the standard of living and wellbeing of Indian citizens.

Q. Which of the following phenomena best explains how two subatomic particles, which are billions of light-years distant, can establish a close link despite their distance?

• Use of quantum connections
• The Entanglement of Quanta in the Quantum Leap
• Artificial Intelligence
• Mechanical Physics

B – Explanation

• Two subatomic particles that are billions of light-years apart can be intimately attached to one another thanks to a weird, irrational phenomenon known as quantum entanglement.
• Even if they are far apart, a change in one will have an effect on the other.
• A physicist named John Bell hypothesised in 1964 that such changes may be induced and occur quickly, regardless of how far apart the particles are.
• Bell’s Theorem is recognised as a fundamental idea in modern physics, however it conflicts with other widely accepted principles of the subject. For instance, Alexander Graham Bell did not prove his theorem until years after Albert Einstein (opens in new tab) had shown that information cannot travel faster than the speed of light. Due of his perplexity, Einstein famously referred to this entanglement phenomenon as “spooky activity at a distance.”
• Alain Aspect, John F. Clauser, and Anton Zeilinger will share the Nobel Prize in Physics 2022 “for work with entangled photons, showing the violation of Bell inequalities, and pioneering quantum information science,” according to the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.

Q. Consider the following statements made regarding “Click Chemistry”:

1. It is a branch of chemistry where rapid reactions take place while unwanted byproducts are avoided.
2. These processes can take place inside of living cells without affecting how the body works.

Which of the preceding assertions is true?

• 1 only
• 2 only
• Both 1 and 2
• Neither 1 nor 2

C – Explanation

• Barry Sharpless coined the phrase “click chemistry” to refer to a fast and reliable form of chemistry where undesired byproducts are avoided and reactions happen quickly. As a result, claim 1 is accurate.
• It involves two synthetic chemicals being combined in quick, irreversible reactions.
• Some of these reactions can occur inside of living cells without interfering with biological processes, making them “biorthogonal” in nature. As a result, claim two is accurate.
• Click chemistry is a technique for producing antibody-drug conjugates with highly targeted therapeutic action in the body. In reality, as part of ongoing clinical investigations for an effective cancer treatment, click chemistry is currently used inside patients.
• According to the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Carolyn R. Bertozzi, Morten Meldal, and K. Barry Sharpless will share the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2022 “for the development of click chemistry and bioorthogonal chemistry.”

Q. Which of the following claims regarding parliamentary committees is true?

1. Their employer, the Speaker, supervises and controls their work.
2. The parliamentary committee was invented by Indians in the field of legislative procedures.
3. Articles 105 and 118 of the Constitution provide them authority.

Which of the preceding assertions is true?

• 1 and 2 only
• 2 and 3 only
• 1 and 3 only
• 1, 2 and 3

C – Explanation

• The first claim is accurate. A group of MPs who have been appointed, elected, or nominated by the House form a Parliamentary Committee. They carry out the Speaker’s orders.
• It gives the Speaker or the House its report.
• The second assertion is false. The idea of a parliamentary committee originally appeared in the British Parliament.
• The third claim is accurate. Their sources of authority are Article 105 (which deals with the privileges of MPs) and Article 118 (which gives Parliament the right to make rules to regulate its procedure and conduct of business).
• By definition, there are two types of parliamentary committees: standing committees and ad hoc committees.
• Standing Committees, which are regular and permanent committees, may occasionally be required by the Lok Sabha’s Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business. The work of these committees is ongoing. The Financial Committees, DRSCs, and a few more Committees are examples of standing committees.
• Ad hoc Committees are established to carry out a certain task, and after finishing it and submitting a report, they are abolished. The primary ad hoc committees are the Select and Joint Committees on Bills. The Railway Convention Committee, the Joint Committee on Food Management in the Parliament House Complex, and other committees are examples of ad hoc committees.

Which of the following statements most accurately describes the “Biomass cofiring” process?

1. It describes the practise of substituting biomass for a portion of the fuel at coal-fired power plants.
2. It is the practise of using biomass in place of all fossil fuels in coal-fired power plants.
3. This strategy involves substituting hydrogen and biomass for a portion of the fuel at coal-fired power plants.
4. Renewable energy and biomass are frequently used to replace fuel at coal-fired power plants.

A – Explanation

• Biomass co-firing refers to the practise of using biomass to replace a portion of the fuel in coal thermal plants. Choice A is correct as a result.
• “Biomass co-firing” is the process of incorporating biomass into highly effective coal boilers as a partial fuel substitution.
• Both biomass and coal are burned simultaneously in boilers designed to burn coal.

Q. Consider the following assertions regarding “Project Mausam”:

1. It aims to reopen channels of communication and connections between countries in the Indian Ocean region.
2. The initiative is being carried out under the direction of the Ministry of External Affairs.

Which of the preceding assertions is true?

• 1 only
• 2 only
• Both 1 and 2
• Neither 1 nor 2

C – Explanation

• The National Museum and the Archaeological Survey of India will work with the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA), New Delhi, as partner organisations to carry out the “Mausam” programme of the Ministry of Culture.
• The Ministry of Culture of the Government of India debuted “Project Mausam” during the 38th meeting of the World Heritage Committee of the United Nations in Doha, Qatar, in 2014.
• With an emphasis on monsoon patterns, cultural conduits, and maritime landscapes, Project “Mausam” is looking into significant processes and phenomena that connect various areas of the Indian Ocean littoral as well as those that connect the coastal towns to their hinterlands.
• The overall goal of Project “Mausam” is to understand how interactions throughout the Indian Ocean have been influenced by knowledge of and control over the monsoon winds and have led to the transmission of similar knowledge systems, civilizations, technologies, and ideas via maritime channels.
• In order to better understand cultural values and concerns, it aims to reconnect and re-establish contacts amongst the nations in the Indian Ocean region on a macro level. At the micro level, the focus is on understanding national cultures in their particular maritime environments.
• The project’s scope is governed by several UNESCO cultural norms, to which the Indian government has agreed and is represented by the Ministry of Culture and ASI, the project’s coordinating body.

Q. The 2000-year-old stone inscription known as the Rosetta Stone, which is today housed at the British Museum, was first created in which of the following countries?

• Spain
• Japan
• Egypt
• Italy

C – Explanation

• The Stone is a fragmented piece of a larger stone slab. It features three different writing styles incorporated into a message.
• It was a critical tip that helped experts decipher Egyptian hieroglyphs, a writing system that employed images as indicators.
• Ptolemy V, who ruled from 204–181 BC, is mentioned in a decree—an official message—written on the Stone. Copies of the decree, which were written on huge stone slabs known as stelae, were distributed to every temple in Egypt. It asserts that the priests of a temple in Memphis, Egypt, supported the pharaoh.
• The decree is written three times: once in hieroglyphs (appropriate for a priestly decree), once in Demotic, the everyday cursive script of Egypt that is translated as “language of the people,” and once in Ancient Greek, the official language at the time because Egypt’s rulers at the time were Greco-Macedonians after Alexander the Great’s conquest.
• Napoleon Bonaparte launched a campaign in Egypt from 1798 to 1801, hoping to seize control of the East Mediterranean and undermine British rule over India. Even though details of the Stone’s discovery in July 1799 are now somewhat murky, the most popular belief is that soldiers in Napoleon’s army unintentionally discovered it. They discovered the Rosetta Stone on July 15, 1799, while digging the foundation for an addition to a fort close to the Nile Delta town of Rashid (Rosetta). The stone and other relics that the French unearthed passed to the British following Napoleon’s defeat in accordance with the terms of the Treaty of Alexandria (1801), which was signed.