The Prayas ePathshala

Exams आसान है !

23 September 2022

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Q1. Consider the following pairs:

Award: Related Country 1

  1. Order of Zayed Award: United Arab Emirates
  2. Order of the Distinguished Rule of Nishan Izzuddin: Maldives
  3. King Hamad Order of the Renaissance: Saudi Arabia

Which of the pairs given above is/are not correctly matched

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

D: Explanation

  • Awards Won by the PM of India
  • Bhutan’s Highest Civilian Award (2021):He was conferred by Bhutan’s highest civilian award, ‘Order of the Druk Gyalpo’ also known as “Ngadag Pel gi Khorlo”.Order of Zayed Award (2019): The highest civilian honour of the United Arab Emirates. Hence, Pair 1 is correctly matched.Order of St. Andrew award (2019): The highest civilian honour of RussiaOrder of the Distinguished Rule of Nishan Izzuddin (2019): The highest honour of the Maldives awarded to foreign dignitaries. Hence, Pair 2 is correctly matched.King Hamad Order of the Renaissance: First Class (2019): Bahrain’s top honour. Hence, Pair 3 is not correctly matched.Grand Collar of the State of Palestine Award (2018): The highest honour of Palestine awarded to foreign dignitaries.Seoul Peace Prize (2018): Seoul Peace Prize Cultural Foundation’s biennial award (South Korea) to those individuals who have made their mark through contributions to the harmony of mankind, reconciliation between nations and world peace.Order of Abdulaziz Al Saud (2016): The highest honour of Saudi Arabia awarded to non-Muslim dignitaries.State Order of Ghazi Amir Amanullah Khan (2016): The highest civilian honour of Afghanistan.Hence, option (d) is the correct answer.

Q2. Consider the following statements with reference to Seafloor Spreading:

  1. New crust is created in the process.
  2. It occurs at divergent plate boundaries.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

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

C: Explanation

  • Seafloor Spreading
  • Seafloor spreading is the process of magma welling up in the rift as the old crust pulls itself in opposite directions.Cold seawater cools the magma, creating a new crust.The upward movement and eventual cooling of this magma has created high ridges on the ocean floor over millions of years. Hence statement 1 is correct.Seafloor spreading occurs at divergent plate boundaries. As tectonic plates slowly move away from each other. Hence statement 2 is correct.The East Pacific Rise is a site of major seafloor spreading in the Ring of Fire. It is located on the divergent boundary of the Pacific Plate, the Cocos Plate (west of Central America), the Nazca Plate (west of South America), the North American Plate and the Antarctic Plate.

Q3. With reference to Blue Straggler Star, consider the following statements:

  1. They follow a different trajectory of stellar evolution from the norm.
  2. They were discovered by Allan Sandage.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

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

C: Explanation

  • Blue Straggler Star are hot, blue, massive stars and seem to have a different trajectory of evolution from the norm.There are a few stars that, when they are expected to start expanding in size and cooling down, do just the opposite.They grow brighter and hotter as indicated by their blue color. Thus, standing out from the cooler red stars in their vicinity in the color-magnitude diagram. Hence, statement 1 is correct.Since they lag their peers in evolution, they are called stragglers, more specifically, blue stragglers, because of their hot, blue color.Allan Sandage (an astronomer with Carnegie Observatories in Pasadena, California) discovered blue stragglers in the globular cluster M3 in 1952-53. Hence, statement 2 is correct.

Q4. Consider the following statements:

The 73rd Constitutional Amendment added Part XI to the ConstitutionGram Sabhas includes all the adult members registered as voters in a village.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

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

B – Explanation:                       

  • The 73rdConstitutional Amendment added Part IX titled “The Panchayats” to the Constitution. Hence statement 1 is not correct.Basic unit of democratic system-Gram Sabhas (villages) comprising all the adult members registered as  Hence statement 2 is correct.

Q5. According to latest data published by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) on world military spending in 2021, the five largest spenders in 2021 were:

  1. US
  2. China
  3. India
  4. South Korea
  5. Russia
  6. UK
  7. France

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

  1. 1, 2, 4, 5 and 7
  2. 1, 2, 5, 6 and 7
  3. 1, 2, 4, 5 and 6
  4. 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6

D: Explanation

  • According to thelatest data published by Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), world military spending continued to grow in 2021, reaching an all-time high of USD 2.1 trillion despite the economic fallout of the pandemic.As a result of a sharp economic recovery in 2021, the global military burden—world military expenditure as a share of world Gross Domestic Product (GDP)—fell by 0.1 percentage points, from 2.3% in 2020 to 2.2% in 2021.
  • Top Spenders:
  • The five largest spenders in 2021were the US, China, India, the UK and They accounted together for 62% of expenditure and the US and China alone accounted for 52%.
  • Asia and Oceania:
  • The military spending in Asia and Oceania totaled USD586 billion in 2021.Spending in the region was 3.5% higher than in 2020, continuing an uninterrupted upward trend dating back to at least 1989.The increase in 2021 was due primarily to growth in Chinese and Indian military spending.Together, the two countries accounted for 63% of total military expenditure in the region in 2021.
  • Hence, option (d) is the correct answer.

Q6. With reference to International Religious Freedom Report 2022, consider the following statements:

  1. India has been placed under Special Watch List for the second year consequently.
  2. The report is released by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

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

D: Explanation

  • Recently, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has recommended for the second year in the row to put India on a list (Countries of Particular Concern or CPCs) for the worst violations of religious freedoms in 2021. Hence, both statements 1 and 2 are not correct.Earlier, the US State Department released a strong and critical report on human rights in India in 2021.
  • The Report’s primary focus is on two groups of countries:
  • Country of Particular Concern (CPC):It is a designation by the US Secretary of State of a nation engaged in severe violations of religious freedom under IRFA (International Religious Freedom Act of 1998).Special Watch List: A “Special Watch List” country is one that is deemed not to meet all the CPC criteria but engages in or tolerates severe violations of religious freedom.

Q7. Consider the following statements with reference to the Anganwadi Scheme:

  1. It was launched in 2014.
  2. The beneficiaries are identified based on Aadhaar.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

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

B – Explanation:

  • Anganwadi Scheme
  • Anganwadi is a centrally sponsored schemeimplemented by the States / UTs which serves as a rural child and maternal care centre in India.It was started by the Government of India in 1975 as part of the ICDS program to combat child hunger and malnutrition. Hence statement 1 is not correct.Anganwadi centres provide a package of six services: supplementary nutrition, pre-school non-formal education, immunisation, health check-up, nutrition and health education, and referral services.The beneficiaries under the Anganwadi Services Scheme are identified based on Aadhaar. Hence statement 2 is correct.

Q8. The E-2025 Initiative of WHO is related to which of the following?

  1. Covid
  2. Malaria
  3. Polio
  4. Dengue

B – Explanation:

  • E-2025 Initiative
  • In 2017, WHO launched the E-2020 initiative to support a group of countries to achieve zero indigenous cases of malaria by 2020.Some 21 countries across five regions were identified as having the potential to reach the milestone of eliminating malaria.The report ‘Zeroing in on malaria elimination’brings out the progress made through the E-2020 initiative of WHO.Building on the successes of the E-2020, WHO has identified a new group of 25 countries that have the potential to stamp out malaria within a 5-year timeline.The E-2025 countries will receive technical and on-the-ground support by WHO and its partners. In return, they are expected to audit their elimination programmes annually, participate in elimination forums, conduct surveillance assessments, and share malaria case data periodically.Hence, option (b) is the correct answer.

Q9. Consider the following statements with regards to the provisions of the 91st Amendment to the Indian Constitution:

  1. The total number of ministers, including the Chief Minister, in the Council of Ministers in a state shall not exceed 15% of the total strength of the Legislative Assembly of that state, provided that the number of ministers, including the Chief Minister, in a state shall not be less than 12.
  2. Supreme Court had ruled in 2008 that there is no violation of the law if a CoM has less members than the lower limit because the Act was enacted to put a cap on the huge expenditure incurred by states because of jumbo cabinets.
  1. 1 only
  2. 2 only
  3. Both 1 and 2
  4. None of the above

C: Explanation

  • The 91st Amendment Act provided for the disqualification of a minister when he stands disqualified as a member of Parliament. The total number of ministers in a state’s Council of Ministers, including the Chief Minister, cannot exceed 15% of the total number of members of that state’s Legislative Assembly. It should not be less than 12. The Constitution 91st Amendment Act, 2003 was enacted to put a cap on the huge expenditure incurred by states because of jumbo cabinets. The intention was to reduce pressure on the state exchequer. Hence both statements are correct.

 Q10. Consider the following statements with regards to the Indus Water Treaty (IWT):

  1. India has been given the right to generate hydroelectricity through run of the river (RoR) projects on the Western Rivers which, subject to specific criteria for design and operation, is unrestricted.
  2. The IWT was signed by the then Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and the then Pakistani President Ayub Khan.
  3. Annexure C of the IWT allows India certain agricultural uses, while Annexure D allows it to build ‘run of the river hydropower projects, meaning projects not requiring live storage of water on western rivers.

Choose the correct code:

  1. 1 and 2 only
  2. 2 and 3 only
  3. 1 and 3 only
  4. All of the above

D: Explanation

  • The Indus Waters Treaty is a water-sharing agreement between India and Pakistan signed in 1960. It was brokered by the World Bank. Under the Treaty, India has been given the right to generate hydroelectricity through a run of the river project on the western rivers, subject to specific criteria for design and operation. It also gives Pakistan the right to raise concerns about the design of Indian hydroelectric projects on western rivers. Hence statement 1 is correct. The 1960 Indus Waters Treaty, brokered by the World Bank and signed by then prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Pakistan’s president Ayub Khan, administers how the water of the Indus River and its tributaries that flow in both the countries will be utilized. Hence statement 2 is correct. Annexure C of the IWT allows India certain agricultural uses. Annexure D allows it to build ‘run of the river hydropower projects, meaning projects not requiring live storage of water on western rivers. Hence statement 3 is correct.

 

 

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