CIVIL SERVICES PRELIMS, 2024
Model Questions (for GS Paper )
Set No. 22
{Prepared on 24 .5.2024 }
Also useful for
TGPSC GROUP I Prelims 2024
For
Study purpose
Prepared by :Praturi Potayya
Sarma,MA(OU),LLB(OU),PGDIRPM
CURRENT AFFAIRS QUESTIONS :International Relations ,
Science and Technology
1)
Mishra Committee report almost 50 years back went unheeded in the race
to develop Joshimath by successive governments since 2001. It was clearly
pointed out that Joshimath township is situated on debris of earlier
landslides and would slip someday.
But development continued at a rapid
pace with heavy construction activities such as initiating small hydro power
projects at Tapovan and Rishi Ganga, tunnelling, road widening and mushrooming
of buildings with scant regard to safety to accommodate increased tourist
inflow, and disappearance of the green cover in the region. All elements of a
disaster were primed and only a trigger was needed to initiate the crisis.
Consider
the following :
1)That trigger was provided by nature
in February 2021 when a catastrophic flow of rock and glacier ice mass
descended into Rishiganga and Dhauliganga valleys and flowed into Alaknanda
river at Joshimath. This extraordinary mass flow of mobile debris that
contained boulders greater than 20 metres, scoured the valley walls up to 200
metres. On the way,the half-finished Tapovan dam was washed away and the
tunnel was inundated with water. The strong and violent flow sufficiently
eroded the base of hill slopes in Alaknanda valley in Joshimath.
2)In a recent study, scientists from
the Indian Institute of Remote Sensing, Dehradun,observed that Joshimath and the
surrounding areas have been sinking at a rate of 6.5 cm (2.5 inches) per year
based on satellite data from July 2020 to March 2022.Their findings correlate
well with the base erosion of Joshimath slope along the Alaknanda river.
3)The impact of the event was such
that at Kanpur, at a distance of about 900 km from Joshimath, an unprecedented
spike (80 times higher) in suspended sediment (turbidity) was observed in a
canal that draws directly from the Ganga, making this event the most likely
candidate for triggering the present subsidence in Joshimath.
4)Land subsidence along slopes
happens due to displacement of underground material under the influence of two
important factors of gravity and water action.It is a geohazard in the
mountainous region controlled by a variety of subsurface displacement
mechanisms that are not very well understood.
Select the
correct answer using the code given below.
(a)
1,2,3,4
(b) 2 and 3
(c) 1 and 3
(d) None
Answer. a
2)Consider
the following about G20 and SCO :
1)With the handover of the gavel from
Indonesian President Joko Widodo, Prime Minister of India took over leadership of
the G-20 process in November, 2022 , which will position India at the helm of
forming consensus among the most advanced economies over the next year. India’s
presidency, which begins on December 1,2022 comes at a time when the world
faces economic hardships and global recessionary trends.
2)In addition, the political polarisation
between the U.S. and European Union, and Russia, all G-20 members, will make
every meeting that India will host fraught with tensions. But the G-20
summit in Bali provided some positive signals. Despite fears that G-20
members would fail to produce a joint statement, Sherpas of each delegation
persevered to reach a 17-page consensus document. Expectedly, there was trouble
over the paragraphs on the Russia-Ukraine conflict. India’s role in tempering
some of the language during the negotiations has been highlighted, and Mr.
Modi’s phrase at the SCO summit in September,2022 that this is “not an era
of war”, was included in the final statement.
3)The majority of the G-20 leadership
was not in favour of equivocating on the conflict, as India and a few other
countries have been doing, and the joint communique said that “most members
strongly condemned the war in Ukraine”. It was a positive sign that while
Russia protested the statement, its Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov was present,
and President Putin’s absence actually contributed to a more manageable summit
for Indonesia.
4)The fact that Mr. Modi also
extended his hand to Chinese President Xi Jinping during the banquet is in
contrast to their stony demeanour at the SCO summit in September and could
signal a thaw in talks between them for the first time since the LAC standoff
began in 2020. While Mr. Modi may have to explain the shift domestically, his
decision to speak to the Chinese President also reflects the practical reality
that India, as host of the G-20 and the SCO in 2023, need to ensure the full participation of those
groupings, that include rivals such as China and Pakistan.
4)More such pragmatism will be
necessary for India in its year of the G-20 presidency, with about 200 meetings
planned. To achieve this New Delhi will have to bring on board all countries with
its vision for the forum’s future — steering the world’s economic leadership
through this difficult phase, and preparing for future perils including climate
change and global warming, food and energy shortages, terrorism and conflict,
and bridging the digital divide.
Select the
correct answer using the code given below.
(a)
1,2,3,4
(b) 2 and 3
(c) 1 and 3
(d) None
Answer. a
3)Consider
the following :
1) The Union Cabinet chaired by
the Prime Minister has approved the
transfer of 10 in-orbit communication satellites from Government of India (Gol)
to M/s.NewSpace India Ltd. (NSIL), a wholly owned Public Sector Enterprise of
GOI under the administrative control of the Department of Space.
2)The Union Cabinet has also approved
increasing the authorized share capital of NSIL from Rs.1000 crore to Rs.7500
crore.
3)Transfer of these assets to NSIL will
further provide the desired financial autonomy to the company to realize
capital intensive programmes/ projects and thereby offering huge employment
potential and technology spin-off to other sectors of the economy. This
approval is expected to trigger domestic economic activity in space sector and
increase India's share in the global space market.
4)The Space Sector reforms mandated NSIL to
undertake end-to-end commercial space activities and function as a full-fledged
satellite operator. NSIL functioning as a single-window operator will also
facilitate the ease of doing business in space sector. NSIL Board will now be
empowered to price the transponders as per the market dynamics and global
trends in the Satellite Communication sector. NSIL is also authorized to offer
and allocate capacity as per its internal policies and guidelines.
Select the
correct answer using the code given below.
(a)
1,2,3,4
(b) 2 and 3
(c) 1 and 3
(d) None
Answer. a
4)Consider
the following :
The Environmental
Performance index 2022 released recently has many indicators based on unfounded
assumptions. Some of these indicators used for assessing performance are extrapolated
and based on surmises and unscientific methods.
The Ministry of Environment does not
accept its analysis and conclusions for the following reasons: -
1)A new indicator in the
Climate Policy objective is Projected GHG Emissions levels in
2050. This is computed based on average rate of change in emission of the
last 10 years instead of modelling that takes into account a longer time
period, extent of renewable energy capacity and use, additional carbon sinks,
energy efficiency etc. of respective countries.
2)Both forests and
wetlands of the country are crucial carbon sinks which have not been factored
in while computing the projected GHG emissions trajectory upto 2050 given by
EPI 2022.
3)Historical data on the
lowest emission trajectory has been ignored in the above computation.
4)The weight of indictors
in which the country was performing well has been reduced and reasons for
change in assignment of weights has not been explained in the report.
5)The principle of equity
is given very low weightage in the form of the indicators like GHG
emission per capita and GHG Emission intensity trend. The
CBDR-RC principle is also barely reflected in the composition of the index.
6)India has already
achieved the target of 40% of installed electricity capacity from non- fossil
fuel based sources.
7)The Copernicus air
pollutant concentration data based on which DALYs are derived have higher
uncertainty in regions with less extensive monitoring networks and emissions
inventories. This limitation reduces the chance of accurate assessment of Air
Quality.
8)The indicators on Water
quality, Water use efficiency, Waste Generation per capita which are closely
linked to Sustainable Consumption and Production are not included in the Index.
9)The Index emphasizes
the extent of Protected Areas rather than the quality of protection that they
afford. Management Effectiveness Evaluation of Protected areas and
eco-sensitive regions is not factored into the computation of Biodiversity
Indices.
10)Again the index
computes extent of ecosystems but not their condition or productivity. Efforts
must be made to include metrics that truly capture ecosystem productivity such
that regulatory, provisioning as well as cultural services provided by various
ecosystems like forests, wetlands, croplands are assessed and reflected in
performance.
11)Indicators like Agro
biodiversity, soil health, food loss and waste are not included
even though they are important for developing countries with large agrarian
populations.
Select the
correct answer using the code given below.
(a)
1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11
(b) 2 and 3
(c) 1 and 3
(d) None
Answer. a
5)Consider
the following :
Data as on 24 9
2022:
1)The latest retail inflation data from the National
Statistical Office is a sobering reminder that accelerating price gains still
remain the single biggest challenge to policymakers as they try to steer Asia’s
third-largest economy to a more durable recovery from the pandemic-induced
slump.
2)Inflation based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI)
quickened in August 2022 to a
provisional 7%, from 6.7% in July, as the pace of gains in food prices as
measured by the Consumer Food Price Index accelerated by a
sizeable 93 basis points to 7.62%, from July’s 6.69%. And rural consumers bore
a disproportionately higher burden: with month-on-month changes in both food
prices and overall inflation appreciably greater at 0.88% and 0.57%
respectively, compared with the 0.50% and 0.46% rates of urban inflation.
3)Of particular concern is that inflation in the prices of
cereals — staple grains in every household — surged to 9.57% from the preceding
month’s 6.9% rate. Month-on-month the pace was a disconcerting 2.4%. With
kharif sowing of rice this year undershooting last year’s acreage and uneven
distribution of rainfall further roiling the crop’s production picture, the
outlook for inflation in this ‘heavyweight’ food category remains far from
reassuring, the Centre’s recent imposition of tariff and other curbs on export
of non-Basmati rice notwithstanding.
4)In fact, eight of the 12 food items that combine to
constitute the food and beverages category of the CPI saw sequential price
upticks, with vegetables (13.2% year-on-year and 2.5% month-on-month) and dairy
(6.39% and 0.9%, respectively) being two other vital foods that contributed to
the faster inflation.
5)The Finance Ministry was quick to assert that the
increase in headline inflation was “moderate”, even as it sought to downplay
the significance of food price pressures by terming food and fuel prices as
“transient components”. It also pointed to the steps by the Government to cool
prices, that could help tame inflation in the ‘coming weeks’. And it cited oils
and fats and pulses as two items where prices had begun to ease in response to
the Centre’s steps. However, the prices of pulses and products quickened by
1.7% month-on-month, with the pace trailing only that of sequential inflation
in spices, cereals and vegetables.
6)Services categories including ho using, health,
education, recreation and personal care too witnessed sequential increases in
price gains as these services saw demand gradually revive.
7) The challenge going forward would be for providers to
tread carefully so as not to yet again depress consumption by raising prices
too quickly. Policymakers would do well to heed the dictum of a former RBI
Governor, who never tired of reiterating that ‘containing the build up of
price pressures is the best anti-poverty programme’ as the poor ‘have no hedge
against inflation’.
Select the
correct answer using the code given below.
(a)
1,2,3,4,5,6,7
(b) 2 and 3
(c) 1 and 3
(d) None
Answer. a
6)Consider
the following :
Data on 23 9 2022:
1)Benchmark stock indices fell more than 1.7%, concerns
that the Federal Reserve’s aggressive interest rate increases may hasten FII
outflows.
The S&P BSE Sensex slumped 1,020.80 points, or 1.73%,
to 58,098.92. Sensex stocks which lost the most include Power Grid (7.93%),
M&M (3%), State Bank (2.99%), Bajaj Finserv (2.8%), Bajaj Finance (2.78%)
and NTPC (2.73%).
The NSE Nifty-50 index too slid 302.45 points, or 1.72%,
to 17,327.35.
“Selling pressure was widespread wherein banking, energy
and realty were among the top losers,” said Ajit Mishra, VP — Research,
Religare Broking Ltd. “Markets are finally witnessing pressure after showing
resilience for quite some time and indications are pointing towards further
decline,” he added.
2)Vinod Nair, head of Research at Geojit Financial
services said though the U.S. Fed’s 75-basis point rate increase was
anticipated, the sustained aggressive stance indicating 125 bps increases
in the next two policy meetings by December 2022 had spooked the market.
3)“The rupee fell to a new low as FIIs began selling.
The extended hawkish monetary policy is bound to further slow down the global
growth engine,” Mr. Nair said.
4)“India is in a better position with a decoupled economy
with pickup in credit growth and tax collection. However, rise in geopolitical
risk and economic slowdown will affect India with a lag and weaken performance
in the short-term,” he added.
5)He said investors would keenly watch the outcome of the
RBI monetary policy on September 30.2022 “We expect the market direction
will be led by global developments and FIIs’ action.
6)“India is the most expensive stock market in the world
today. Investors are advised to wait and watch until the dust settles,” Mr.
Nair said.
The slump in the rupee was also aided by U.S. dollar
outflows following the sell-off in equities.
7)The Indian unit closed at 81.09 against the dollar on Friday,
down 30 paise. Intraday, the rupee had sunk to 81.23. Analysts said the RBI had
intervened to smoothen the fall.
8)‘Forex reserves decline’
India’s foreign exchange reserves fell for a seventh
straight week, dropping to $545.65 billion in the week to September 16, its
lowest level since October 2, 2020, Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) data showed
on Friday. Reserves stood at $550.87 billion at the end of the previous week.
Analysts said they believed a large part of the fall had
been on account of the RBI’s intervention in the currency market to prevent the
rupee from depreciating more sharply against the dollar.
Select the
correct answer using the code given below.
(a)
1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8
(b) 2 and 3
(c) 1 and 3
(d) None
Answer. a
7)Consider
the following :
1)After
the abrogation of Article 370 of Constitution of India, Dogri
has become one of the five official languages of J&K along with which of
the following ?
a)English,
b)Hindi,
c)Urdu,
and Kashmiri.
d)All the
above
Ans : d
8)Dogri
language is spoken in which place?
Ans :
J&K
9)Who is famously known as the “Pitamaha of Dogri” and “Bharatendu
Harishchandra of Dogri” ?
Ans : Professor Ram
Nath Shastri
10)Where the great
philosopher Abhinavagupta lived ?
Ans: in Kashmir in the 11th century
10) Name of Abhinavagupta has become inseparable from the philosophy of
Kashmir Shaivism. His other compositions include which
of the following ?
a)Tantraloka, Abhinavabharati,
b)commentary on the Bhagavad Gita titled Gitartha
Samgraha and
c)Parmarthasara
d)All the above
Ans : d
12) Where is the Indian Astronomical Observatory (LAO) located
and it is said to be one of the most
promising observatory sites globally?
Ans : Hanle near Leh in Ladakh
13) Which has
been named Mount Saraswati in Ladakh?
Ans: The
highest peak in Digpa-ratsa Ri is at an altitude of 45I7 metres
14)Where
is Himalayan Chandra Telescope (HCT)
Ans : It
is to the east of the peak Digpa-ratsa Ri
15) J&K is one of the regions which has an advanced space
research centre namely the Satish Dhawan Centre for Space Sciences
(SDCSS) at which place ?
Ans : Central University of Jammu.
16) Lavandula
angustifolia Mill or the “True Lavender” is a small, non-hardy perennial
evergreen subshrub. Which mission was Launched in 2016 to boost the cultivation
of Lavender in the region?
Ans: Aroma
Mission
17)
Kashmir is known for its handicrafts throughout the worldand which are most
sought after?
Ans: Carpets,
silks, shawls, basketry, pottery, copper and silverware, Papier-mâché, and walnut
wood
18) To encourage merit students, who launched the Rewa (Ladakhi
word meaning expectation) Scheme in 2021 to give financial
assistance of upto Rs 1 lakh to meritorious students of Class X and XII,
irrespective of their family income?
Ans: Ladakh administration
19) With Ladakh
becoming a Union Territory in_______, various opportunities have opened up for
the region which is blessed with unique natural resources, a pristine
environment and an amiable population.
Ans: 2019
20) The
J&K region is also known as the “Switzerland
of the East” because of which of the following?
a) its
abundance of snow capped mountains,
b)rivers,
and
c)freshwater
lakes
d)All the
above
Ans : d
21)Tourism causes a major strain on the natural resources of the sensitive
ecosystem and extreme climate change impacts are also endangering the lives IN
Jammu & Kashmir, and Ladakh.
Give examples of strains?
a)The glaciers are melting rapidly, and snowfall has
decreased dramatically over the past two decades.
b)Rainfall has also become irregular.
c)Flash floods due to cloud bursts in the Leh-Ladakh region
are also casting doubt on Ladakh’s long-term sustainability.
d)All the above
Ans : d
22)Consider
the following about EOS-6 :
1)In one of its longest missions, the
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully placed nine satellites,
including an Earth Observation Satellite (EOS-06) in multiple orbits with the
help of the space agency’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C54). The
vehicle took off precisely at 11.56 a.m. on Saturday from the first launch pad
(FLP) at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC), SHAR.
2)The eight nano satellites include
ISRO Nano Satellite-2 for Bhutan (INS-2B), Anand, Astrocast (four satellites),
and two Thybolt satellites. Notably, EOS-6 is the Oceansat series’
third-generation satellite. This is the 56th flight of the Polar Satellite
Launch Vehicle (PSLV) and the 24th flight of the PSLV-XL version with 6
PSOM-XLs.
3)EOS-06 is envisaged to observe
ocean colour data, sea surface temperature and wind vector data to use in
oceanography, climatic and meteorological applications. The satellite also
supports value added products such as potential fishing zone using chlorophyll,
SST and wind speed, and land based geophysical parameters.
4)ISRO Chairman S. Somanath said that
the mission is accomplished and all the satellites have been injected into
their intended orbits. “For us, the India-Bhutan satellite is an important
milestone in the history of collaboration of Indian and Bhutanese scientists.”
5)A collaborative mission between
India and Bhutan, the INS-2B satellite has two payloads namely NanoMx,
developed by SAC, and APRS-Digipeater, which is jointly developed by
DITT-Bhutan and URSC.
Select the
correct answer using the code given below.
(a)
1,2,3,4,5
(b) 2 and 3
(c) 1 and 3
(d) None
Answer. a
23)Consider
the following about LMV3 –M2 :
1)The Indian Space Research Organisation’s heaviest
rocket, Launch Vehicle Mark 3 (LVM3 or GSLV Mark 3), which took off from the
second launch pad (SLP) of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota at 12.07
a.m. on Sunday (23.10.20220) has successfully put into orbit 36 satellites of
the U.K.-based OneWeb.
2)The 43.5-metre LVM3 weighing around 644 tonnes carried
36 satellites weighing 5,796 kg. OneWeb’s satellites separated successfully
from the rocket and were dispensed in nine phases, with signal acquisition on
all 36 satellites confirmed. With this launch, LVM3 has made its entry into the
global commercial launch market.
3)LVM3-M2 is the dedicated commercial satellite mission of
NewSpace India Ltd. (NSIL), a Central public sector enterprise (CPSE) under the
Department of Space. This mission is being undertaken as part of the commercial
arrangement between NSIL and Network Access Associates Ltd. (OneWeb Ltd.),
which is a joint venture between India’s Bharti Enterprises and the U.K.
government.
4)Addressing presspersons an hour after take-off, ISRO
Chairman S. Somanath said, “Today’s event is very historic to the country and
the Indian Space programme. This is the first ever commercial launch of LVM3
with a heaviest payload to LEO. The LVM3 was conceived primarily for launching
geostationary satellites with a payload capacity of 4T, which can be used for
launching 6T payloads for LEO.”
5)Sunil Bharti Mittal, CEO of Bharti Enterprises, whose
company is one of the biggest investors in OneWeb, said it is a new chapter for
India in the space sector.
Select the
correct answer using the code given below.
(a)
1,2,3,4,5
(b) 2 and 3
(c) 1 and 3
(d) None
Answer. a
24)Consider
the following about NGLV :
1)The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is
developing a Next-Gen Launch Vehicle (NGLV), which will one day replace
operational systems like the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), ISRO
Chairman S. Somanath has said.
2)PSLV, often dubbed the ‘trusted workhorse’, “will have
to retire” one day, Mr. Somanath said during a three-day Engineers Conclave
2022, which opened at the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre, Valiyamala, on Thursday
(13.10.2022).
3)In NGLV, ISRO is understood to be looking at a
cost-efficient, three-stage, reusable heavy-lift vehicle with a payload
capability of 10 tonnes to Geostationary Transfer Orbit. NGLV will feature
semi-cryogenic propulsion for the booster stages which is cheaper and
efficient, he said.
4)“We believe at least 10 tonne capability to GTO is
needed. Correspondingly, the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) capability will be twice
that. However, payload capability will be lower when the rocket is reusable,”
he said.
5)NGLV will feature a simple, robust design that allows
bulk manufacturing, modularity in systems, sub-systems and stages and minimal
turnaround time.
6)Potential uses will be in the areas of launching
communication satellites, deep space missions, future human spaceflight and
cargo missions.
Select the
correct answer using the code given below.
(a)
1,2,3,4,5,6
(b) 2 and 3
(c) 1 and 3
(d) None
Answer. a
25)Consider
the following about satellites for agriculture (Bharat Krishi Satellite programme):
1)The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has
proposed dedicated satellites for supporting the country’s agriculture sector.
2)Discussions have been held with the Union Department of
Agriculture on the proposed Bharat Krishi Satellite programme, it is said on
the sidelines of the Engineers Conclave 2022 which is on at the Liquid
Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC), Valiyamala here.
3)It is said a minimum of two satellites will be needed to
guarantee adequate coverage of the entire agricultural area of the country.
They will aid a gamut of farm-related activities related to crop forecasting,
pesticide application, irrigation, soil data, and generation of critical data
related to drought.
4)“Crop yield doesn’t happen over a week, it happens over
a period of a few months. So you need continuous observation. Our satellites
today are just not enough. So you need to put additional satellites which have
a high revisit capability. We proposed we will do that”
5)The satellites will be owned by the Department of Agriculture
and not by ISRO, it is said, adding the ISRO will provide the technical
support.
6)It is suggested that an ‘Earth Observation Council’ be
created for addressing the current deficiencies in earth observation
capabilities and data utilisation. Such a council can tackle shortcomings in
this area in a centralised manner. Current deficiencies include a discontinuity
in earth observation missions, low utilisation of available remote sensing
data, technology gaps and absence of a streamlined mechanism for data
processing and dissemination as required by the industry, he said.
Select the
correct answer using the code given below.
(a)
1,2,3,4,5,6
(b) 2 and 3
(c) 1 and 3
(d) None
Answer. a
26)Consider
the following about quantum entanglement:
1)The Nobel prize,2022 has been given for experimental work in quantum
entanglement, which Einstein referred to as ‘spooky action at a distance’.
2)John Clauser and Alain Aspect firmed up this concept,
developing more and more complex experiments that demonstrated and established
that entanglement was indeed a true characteristic of quantum mechanics.
3)They did this by creating, processing and measuring what are
called Bell pairs. Anton Zeilinger innovatively used entanglement and Bell
pairs, both in research and in applications. These include quantum
computation and quantum cryptography.
Select the
correct answer using the code given below.
(a) 1,2,3
(b) 2 and 3
(c) 1 and 3
(d) None
Answer. a
27)Consider
the following about ‘click chemistry’ :
1)The Nobel Prize
for Chemistry has been awarded to Carolyn Bertozzi, Morten Meldal and Barry
Sharpless, the last of whom features in a group of only five to have won the
Prize twice.
2)The three
chemists have been awarded for pioneering ‘click chemistry’ or getting
molecules that wouldn’t normally bond together to do so in an efficient and
uncomplicated manner. The ‘click’ comes from an analogy Sharpless drew of
molecules snapping together, like airline seatbelts fitting into their buckles.
Historically, chemistry has sought to imitate nature. From medicine to
fertilizer, the chemist has sought to make synthetic products that mimic
natural molecules.
3) The artificial
synthesis of indigo, instead of extraction from plants, had disastrous
consequences for colonial India’s economy. On the other hand, several molecules
have been synthesised in ingenious ways to create drugs and medicines to kill
bacteria and relieve pain. The flip side is that these processes are likely
laborious, can create unwanted by-products, many toxic. Often, the number of
intermediary steps is so great and complicated that the desired result is
usually too expensive to be useful
4)A big part of what chemists do is making new molecules,
which is as much an art as it is science. The standard approach is to mimic
nature. In the early 20th century, finding nitrogen in a form usable by plants,
despite it being the most abundant element in the atmosphere, was one of the
discoveries scientists were striving hard to achieve.
5)German chemist, Fritz Haber cracked the code for
ammonia, which combined nitrogen and hydrogen that plants could synthesise
for nitrogen, and Carl Bosch figured out a way to produce it in massive
amounts. The Haber-Bosch process is still the dominant way of producing cheap
fertilizer and is at the heart of industrialised agriculture. However, this
process is extremely energy intensive and polluting and the modern-day
challenge is to therefore produce so-called ‘green ammonia’. This
principle extends to most synthetic chemicals — where scientists try to create
a natural substance, in a way that is different from the usual method which is
often circuitous and creates several unwanted toxic by-products
6)The
development of applying SPAAC directly in human cells accentuates another
concept: that of bioorthogonal chemistry. Even before she identified
SPAAC, Bertozzi had been attempting to perform conjugation chemistry directly
in living systems. Having explored the formation of oximes, acyl hydrazones,
and thiosemicarbazones, her group turned to the Staudinger reaction, discovered
by Herman Staudinger (Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1953) and Jules Meyer in 1919
This reaction takes place between an azide and a phosphine, forming an
iminophosphorane that can be trapped by a variety of reagents. For example,
studies by the group of Fèlix Urpí and Jaume Vilarrasa had demonstrated the
utility of this reaction in peptide synthesis and intramolecular amide coupling
Select the
correct answer using the code given below.
(a)
1,2,3,4,5,6
(b) 2 and 3
(c) 1 and 3
(d) None
Answer. a
28)Consider
the following about Nobel Peace Prize 2022 :
1)Alex Bialiatski : A prominent Belarusian rights activist
and founder of Viasna Human Rights Centre. He is current held in prison without
trial.
2)Memorial : The organization founded in 1987, compiles
information on human rights abuses and tracks the fate of political prisoners
in Russia.
3) Centre for Civil Liberties : Founded in 2007, the
Ukraine – based organization has identified and docments “Russian war crimes
against the Ukrainian civilian population”, since the invasion in February,
2022.
4)A trio of human rights watchdogs from Belarus, Russia
and Ukraine won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday (7.9.2022), a highly symbolic choice
of laureates drawn from three nations at the centre of the war in Ukraine.
5)The honour went to detained activist Ales Bialiatski of
Belarus, Russian rights group Memorial and Ukraine’s Center for Civil
Liberties. “They have made an outstanding effort to document war crimes, human
right abuses and the abuse of power,” the head of the Norwegian Nobel
Committee, Berit Reiss-Andersen,
The Nobel committee’s choice marked a stinging criticism
of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
6)The committee called on Belarus to release Mr.
Bialiatski, 60, the founder of rights group Viasna whose work has charted the
increasingly authoritarian tendencies of President Alexander Lukashenko, a
Russian ally.
7)Memorial has been compiling information on political
oppression and rights violations in Russia. Ukraine’s Center for Civil
Liberties has documented “Russian war crimes against the Ukrainian civilian
population”, the committee said.
Select the
correct answer using the code given below.
(a)
1,2,3,4,5,6,7
(b) 2 and 3
(c) 1 and 3
(d) None
Answer. a
29)Consider
the following about Nobel Prize in Literature (2022) :
1)French author Annie Ernaux, known for her deceptively
simple novels drawing on personal experience of class and gender, was on
Thursday (6.10.2022) awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.
2)Ms. Ernaux, 82, was honoured “for the courage and
clinical acuity with which she uncovers the roots, estrangements and collective
restraints of personal memory”, the jury said.
3)Interviewed on Swedish television immediately after the
announcement, Ms. Ernaux called it a “very great honour” and “a great
responsibility”.
4)Her more than 20 books, many of which have been school
texts in France for decades, offer one of the most subtle, insightful windows
into the social life of modern France.
5)Personal experiences are the source for all of Ms.
Ernaux’s work and she is the pioneer of France’s “autofiction” genre,
which gives narrative form to real-life experience
Select the
correct answer using the code given below.
(a)
1,2,3,4,5
(b) 2 and 3
(c) 1 and 3
(d) None
Answer. a
30)Consider
the following :
1)The 2022 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine is awarded to Svante Pääbo for
his discoveries concerning the genomes of extinct hominins and human evolution.
The relationship between Homo sapiens and extinct hominins has long been a
topic of great interest. Paleontology and archeology are important for studies
of human evolution.
2)Modern DNA technology provides opportunities to investigate our
ancient past with more precision. However, due to extreme technical challenges
resulting from degradation of DNA during tens of thousands of years and
contamination from micro-organisms and contemporary humans, it was long
questionable whether the analysis of archaic DNA from extinct hominin forms
would be possible.
3)Through extensive technological developments,
Svante Pääbo set new rigorous standards in this challenging area and
succeeded in obtaining the genome sequence of our closest extinct relative, the
Neanderthal.
4)This was followed by his sensational discovery of another
extinct hominin, the Denisova, entirely from genome data retrieved from a small
finger bone specimen.
5)Svante Pääbo’s work further established that Homo
sapiens had mixed with Neanderthals and Denisovans during periods of
co-existence, resulting in introgression of archaic DNA in present-day humans.
6)Striking examples of archaic gene variants that influence the
physiology of present-day humans have already been demonstrated in a research
field that is now highly dynamic. Through his groundbreaking
discoveries, Pääbo opened a new window to our evolutionary past,
revealing an unexpected complexity in the evolution and ad-mixture of ancient
hominins, as well as providing the basis for an improved understanding of
genetic features that make us uniquely human.
Select the
correct answer using the code given below.
(a)
1,2,3,4,5,6
(b) 2 and 3
(c) 1 and 3
(d) None
Answer. a
31)Consider
the following :
1)On October 10,2022 The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
unveiled the names of the winners of the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic
Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel 2022.
2)Three economists were jointly bestowed the honour of the final
set of Nobel laureates to be announced this year: former U.S. Federal Reserve
chairperson Ben S. Bernanke, a doctorate from the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology; Douglas W. Diamond and Philip H. Dybvig, both of whom are
doctorates from Yale University.
3)The Nobel in Economics has been awarded to Bernanke, Diamond
and Dybvig for their “research on banks and financial crises” undertaken in the
early 1980s which have formed the foundations of what constitutes most modern
banking research. Their analyses nearly four decades ago, still inform efforts to
emphasise the vitality of banks to keep the economy functioning smoothly,
the possible mechanisms to make them more robust amid crises periods, and how
bank collapses can fuel a larger financial crisis that can rattle economies.
4)Moreover, their work went beyond the realm of just theory and
has had significant practical import in regulating financial markets and
pre-empting or coping with crises.
Select the
correct answer using the code given below.
(a)
1,2,3,4
(b) 2 and 3
(c) 1 and 3
(d) None
Answer. a
32)Consider
the following :
1)Prime Minister announced the launch of next generation 5G
services in India on October 1,2022 .
However, nearly
three weeks after Mr. Modi launched 5G services in India, the majority of
mobile phone users — who have a 5G-enabled handset and are in cities where the
services has been launched — may need to wait till December to enjoy the high
speed internet
2)Only users of 5G capable smartphones will be able to
experience these services.
3)Currently, of the total smartphone base of about 600 million,
only about 50-60 million handsets are estimated to be 5G smartphones, even
though the first 5G smartphone was unveiled in the country two years ago in
2020.
4)However, even
users of these 50-60 million phones have been having trouble latching on to 5G
services in the area where it is available.
5)For the phones to
start latching on to 5G networks in India, the first thing needed is support
for 5G bands such as n1, n12, n78, n28, n58 (these are some of the bands that
are expected to work in India). A user can check this by viewing the phone’s
specification on the manufacturer’s website. A single phone can support
multiple 5G bands.
6)For phones that
support the 5G bands in India, manufacturers need to undertake conformance and
performance tests to make sure that network speed and quality are maintained.
These tests take time, and hence the delay of a couple of months
Select the
correct answer using the code given below.
(a)
1,2,3,4,5,6
(b) 2 and 3
(c) 1 and 3
(d) None
Answer. a
33)Consider
the following :
1)Artificial
Intelligence technologies are on a pathway to become the most powerful agents
of transformation in human history. AI will reshape the global economic and
technological landscape, as well as every aspect of our daily lives.
2)The
scope of AI is increasing every day. It does what humans can do, but takes
lesser time, and makes it more efficient at a lower cost. It has a modern
technique via which it assists patients in the healthcare system live longer,
without a doctor for the most part. There are various applications that benefit
patients manage a healthy routine, and keep in check their behavioural
patterns. Not only that, they help in detecting the early stages of diseases
via monitoring various symptoms, and aiding emergency care. Apart from this,
Robotics is a branch that is now entering healthcare as robots are helping
doctors in difficult and precision-required surgeries. They are supportive in
rehabilitation centres as they guide individuals in their exercises and
therapies. Recent growth can be observed in the research field due to AI, as
implementing it in the right direction cuts costs and manpower in the field,
along with saving time and lives. A few machine learning technologies have provided
a knowledge base in building up algorithms that can act just like the human
brain itself.
3)AI is a
utility in the education sector in multiple ways.
It allows
the teacher and student to invest lesser time while giving out more potential
in their learning process. There are some applications that help prepare good
combinations of question papers, with a student-centric approach, focusing on
each student personally, hence also saving teacher’s time and extra effort. AI
is smart enough to generate a personalised content for each student, so that
their learning gets quicker and easier. Skill mapping help students understand
which areas they have to work harder in. Microlearning gives a better insight
into a particular skill or area which needs brushing up. Furthermore, it is a
24x7 available and accessible platform, helping students get back to their
studies with just a few clicks, any time of the day.
4)AI helps
in managing the revenue as it lays out the analytics required to understand how
a product is sold to the targetted audience, providing them with
budget-friendly products within specified time. AI helps with the
customercentric approach, as individuals face delays or other issues during
their journey, which can be handled by the predictive data and analysis stored
in their applications. It ensures a good flight experience and provides
consistent technical support. Apart from this, various questions and decisions
such as which route to take, estimated time duration, etc. also become easy
with the help of AI and machine learning. Overall, there becomes a better
possibility for good customer service due to the analyses provided by AI
Select the
correct answer using the code given below.
(a)
1,2,3,4
(b) 2 and 3
(c) 1 and 3
(d) None
Answer. a
34)
On 16th November, 2022, National Aeronautics and Space
Administration (NASA) successfully launched its unmanned Artemis I Moon
mission from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The launch was postponed
twice earlier, on August 29 and September 3, after technical issues were
detected during the countdown.
Consider the following :
1)It is the first flight of the combined
Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and the Orion spacecraft.
2)According to NASA, it is going back to
the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and inspiration for a new
generation of explorers.
3)On 25th November,2022 the
spacecraft was placed into a distant retrograde lunar orbit. Time in distant
retrograde orbit allows engineers to test the spacecraft and its systems in a
deep-space environment ahead of future missions with crew. (Note: Distant
retrograde orbit is a highly stable orbit where little fuel is required to stay
for an extended period.)
4)Orion spacecraft reached the farthest
distance from Earth it will travel during the Artemis I mission - 268,563 miles
from our home planet. Earlier, the spacecraft beat a record set by the Apollo
13 mission.
5)On 29th November,
reaching the halfway point of the mission on Flight Day 13 of a 25.5 day
mission, the spacecraft remained in healthy condition as it continued its
journey in distant retrograde orbit.
6)It will take Orion about a week to
complete half an orbit around the Moon. It will then exit the orbit for the
return journey home.
7)About: Artemis I is an uncrewed
mission of NASA. It is the first integrated test of NASA’s deep space
exploration systems. ARTEMIS stands for ‘Acceleration, Reconnection,
Turbulence, and Electrodynamics of the Moon’s Interaction with the Sun.’
Artemis was the twin sister of Apollo and goddess of the Moon in Greek
mythology.
8)Artemis I is the first in a series of
increasingly complex missions to build a long-term human presence at the Moon.
9)It is only a lunar Orbiter mission even
though, unlike most Orbiter missions, it has a return-to-Earth target.
10)Aim: With the Artemis programme,
NASA aims to land humans on the Moon by 2025, and it also plans to land the
first woman and first person of colour on the Moon.
11)The primary goals for Artemis I are to
demonstrate Orion’s systems in a spaceflight environment and ensure a safe
re-entry, descent, splashdown, and recovery prior to the first flight with crew
on Artemis II.
12)SLS: The Orion spacecraft
launched on Space Launch System (SLS) - the most powerful rocket in the world.
13)Orion: The Orion spacecraft is
going to remain in space without docking to a space station, longer than any
ship for astronauts has ever done before. It has dummy astronauts meant for
testing.
Select the
correct answer using the code given below.
(a)
1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13
(b) 2 and 3
(c) 1 and 3
(d) None
Answer. a
35)Consider
the following :
1)Atomic clocks grew in accuracy and became so dependable
that in 1967, the definition of a second was revised to be the time taken by
9,19,26,31,770 oscillations of a cesium atom.
2)At the start of the 21st century, the cesium clocks that
were available were so accurate that they would gain or lose a second only once
in about 20 million years. At present, even this record has been broken and
there are “optical lattice clocks” that are so precise that they lose a second
only once in 15 billion years.
3)To give some perspective, that is more than the age of
the universe, which is 13.8 billion years.
4)The more mundane uses to which these clocks can be put
include accurate time keeping in GPS, or monitoring stuff remotely on Mars.
Select the
correct answer using the code given below.
(a)
1,2,3,4
(b) 2 and 3
(c) 1 and 3
(d) None
Answer. a
36)Consider
the following about DSR :
1)“Around 3,000 litres of water is required for one
kilogram of Basmati rice. This has impacted the water table of States such as
Punjab and Haryana. We have to change the practice of cultivating transplanted
variety of paddy to direct sowing of rice (DSR).
2) Water saving is 35% in DSR and the requirement will be
2,000 litres for a kilogram of rice. The second advantage is that the green
house gas emission is reduced by 35% as water is not stagnating in this
process. Labour cost of transplantation, which is about ₹3,000, is also saved.
Overall saving will be at least ₹4,000 per acre,” he says.
3)However, one of the major problem in the DSR is weeds.
Without the water acting as a herbicide, the DSR method allows for a lot of
weeds to crop up in the field. “So, we transferred a gene that is resistant to
a herbicide.
4)So, when farmers spray herbicide, weeds will be killed,
not paddy,”says that over a period of time, as the area of cultivation
increased, traditional varieties become susceptible to two major diseases —
bacterial leaf blight (BLB) and blast (leaf and collar) diseases caused by the
fungus Magnaporthe oryzae. Pesticides and fungicides used against these
diseases increased the residue levels permitted in developed countries
Select the
correct answer using the code given below.
(a)
1,2,3,4
(b) 2 and 3
(c) 1 and 3
(d) None
Answer. a
37)Consider
the following :
1)India is known for its Basmati rice, with the produce
from seven States — Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana,
Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand — earmarked for Geographical Indication.
2)Basmati, known for its mouthfeel, aroma, length of the
grain when cooked and taste, has a market abroad and brings about ₹30,000 crore
in foreign exchange every year.
Select the
correct answer using the code given below.
(a)Both 1
and 2
(b) 1 only
(c) 2 only
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
Answer. a
38)Consider
the following Beidou :
1)China outlined
plans to further expand the global reach of its home-grown Beidou satellite
navigation system, billed as its alternative to the U.S.’s Global Positioning System
(GPS).
2)A white paper released by the Chinese government said
Beijing is “strengthening regional cooperation with organisations such as
ASEAN, the African Union, the League of Arab States, and the Community of Latin
American and Caribbean States”.
3)Beijing has, since 2020, also made an outreach to South
Asia and is already working, or in discussion with, a number of countries in
the region, including Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, over adopting
the Beidou satellite (BDS) navigation system.
4)“The Belt and Road (BRI) countries are our priority,”
Ran Chengqi, Director of the China Satellite Navigation Office, said at the
launch of the white paper.
5)Mr. Ran said the BDS, which now has a “constellation” of
30 satellites in orbit, began its international outreach once the set up was
finished in 2018. It is now in use “in more than half of the world’s
countries”. China is also helping several BRI partners, including Pakistan and
Sri Lanka, launch communication satellites.
6)“Saudi Arabia is using Beidou in surveying and mapping,
positioning people and vehicle in the desert,” he said.
7)“Tajikistan is using BDS to monitor dams and lakes with
precision.
8)Lebanon is using BDS at Beirut port for marine survey
and construction.
9)In Burkina Faso, it is being used for survey and
construction of hospitals”.
10)Pakistan and Russia are two significant Beidou hubs.
Mr. Ran said China and Russia have signed a strategic framework on their two
navigation systems, taking forward a 2015 deal on interoperability between
Beidou and GLONASS
Select the
correct answer using the code given below.
(a)
1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10
(b) 2 and 3
(c) 1 and 3
(d) None
Answer. a
39)Consider
the following about Cloudbursts :
1)Cloudbursts, hence, occur mostly over the rugged
terrains over the Himalayas, the Western Ghats, and northeastern hill States of
India.
2)The heavy spells of rain on the fragile steep slopes
trigger landslides, debris flows, and flash floods, causing large-scale
destruction and loss of people and property.
3)Recent cloudbursts that caused significant devastation
occurred over the Himalayan foothills in Himachal Pradesh (in the year 2003),
Ladakh (2010), and Uttarakhand (2013). Cloudbursts were reported from the
northeastern States and Western Ghats States during the current monsoon season
(2022).
On July 8 2022, flash floods occurred in the Lidder Valley
en route to Amarnath Temple in Jammu and Kashmir, taking the lives of several
pilgrims. While the media linked this event to cloudbursts that occurred
upstream of the temple, there is no meteorological record in the surrounding
regions to validate this. Weather forecasts indicated scattered light rains for
the region, and the IMD recorded moderate rainfall at the temple station
4)Cloudbursts — violent and voluminous amounts of rain
pouring down in a short duration over a small area — have been reported since
the mid-19th century. Yet, the characteristics of these events remain elusive,
and our efforts in monitoring and forecasting them is at an embryonic stage.
However, their disastrous impact that cause loss of lives and property are
seemingly increasing in a changing climate and have led to close observations
in the recent decade, advancing our understanding of these events.
5)Clouds blanket 70% of the Earth’s surface at any given
time. They are like a thin layer of the floating ocean, with enough water to
cover the entire surface of Earth with about one inch of rain. A modest-sized
cloud (1 cubic km) may contain more than 5,00,000 litres of water — equivalent
to the mass of hundred elephants.
6)Cloudburst events are often associated with cumulonimbus
clouds that cause thunderstorms and occasionally due to monsoon wind surges and
other weather phenomena.
7)Cumulonimbus clouds can grow up to 12-15 km in height
through the entire troposphere (occasionally up to 21 km) and can hold huge
amounts of water.
Select the
correct answer using the code given below.
(a)
1,2,3,4,5,6,7
(b) 2 and 3
(c) 1 and 3
(d) None
Answer. a
40)
Consider the following about Cloudbursts:
1)Cloudbursts are not defined based on cloud
characteristics and do not indicate clouds exploding. Cloudbursts are defined
by the amount of rainfall.
2)According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD),
100 mm of rain in an hour is called a cloudburst. Usually, cloudbursts occur
over a small geographical region of 20 to 30 sq. km.
3)In India, cloudbursts often occur during the monsoon
season, when the southwesterly monsoon winds bring in copious amounts of
moisture inland. The moist air that converges over land gets lifted as they
encounter the hills. The moist air reaches an altitude and gets saturated, and
the water starts condensing out of the air forming clouds. This is how clouds
usually form, but such an orographic lifting together with a strong moisture
convergence can lead to intense cumulonimbus clouds taking in huge volumes of
moisture that is dumped during cloudbursts.
4)Tall cumulonimbus clouds can develop in about
half an hour as the moisture updraft happens rapidly, at a pace of 60 to 120
km/hr. A single-cell cloud may last for an hour and dump all the rain in the
last 20 to 30 minutes, while some of these clouds merge to form multi-cell
storms and last for several hours
5)While satellites are extensively useful in detecting
large-scale monsoon weather systems, the resolution of the precipitation radars
of these satellites can be much smaller than the area of individual cloudburst
events, and hence they go undetected. Weather forecast models also face a similar
challenge in simulating the clouds at a high resolution.
6)The skillful forecasting of rainfall in hilly regions
remains challenging due to the uncertainties in the interaction between the
moisture convergence and the hilly terrain, the cloud microphysics, and the
heating-cooling mechanisms at different atmospheric levels. The IMD’s
forecasts, and in general, the weather prediction scenario, have advanced such
that widespread extreme rains can be predicted two-three days in advance.
Cyclones can be predicted about one week in advance. However, cloudburst
forecasts still remain elusive.
7)Multiple doppler weather radars can be used to monitor
moving cloud droplets and help to provide nowcasts (forecasts for the next
three hours). This can be a quick measure for providing warnings, but radars
are an expensive affair, and installing them across the country may not be
practically feasible.
8)A long-term measure would be mapping the
cloudburst-prone regions using automatic rain gauges. If cloudburst-prone regions
are co-located with landslide-prone regions, these locations can be designated
as hazardous. The risk at these locations would be huge, and people should be
moved, and construction and mining in nearby regions should be restricted as
that can aggravate the landslides and flash flood impacts.
Climate change is projected to increase the frequency and
intensity of cloudbursts worldwide. As the air gets warmer, it can hold more
moisture and for a longer time. We call this the Clausius Clapeyron
relationship. A 1-degree Celsius rise in temperature may correspond to a
7-10% increase in moisture and rainfall. This increase in rainfall amount
does not get spread moderately throughout the season. As the moisture holding
capacity of air increases, it results in prolonged dry periods intermittent
with short spells of extreme rains. More deeper cumulonimbus clouds form and
the chances of cloudbursts also increase.
Select the
correct answer using the code given below.
(a)
1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8
(b) 2 and 3
(c) 1 and 3
(d) None
Answer. a
41)Consider
the following :
1)The League of Nations, set up in 1920, was the first
intergovernmental organisation with the aim to promote international
cooperation and outlived its utility with World War II.
2)The United Nations claims to be the one place where all
the world’s nations can discuss common problems and find shared solutions that
benefit all of humanity. Now, 75 years later, rising conflict situations
suggest it is time to go back to first principles of the Charter.
3)The United Nations Secretary General (UNSG), António
Guterres, made a candid assessment of global governance. He addressed the
United Nations General Assembly and said the “world is in big trouble”,
“gridlocked in colossal global dysfunction”, even the “G20 is in the trap of
geopolitical divides”. “In a splintering world, we need to create mechanisms of
dialogue to heal divides” and “only by acting as one, we can nurture fragile
shoots of hope” for a “coalition of the world”.
4)This is a call for fresh thinking.
India’s Presidency of the Group of 20, UN Security Council
(UNSC) in 2022, and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in 2023 when
major powers are not even talking to each other and India alone, now the fifth
largest economy, is interacting with each of them, presents a historic
opportunity
Select the
correct answer using the code given below.
(a)
1,2,3,4
(b) 2 and 3
(c) 1 and 3
(d) None
Answer. a
42)Consider
the following :
1)The gridlock does not flow from bilateral relations but
from the way international cooperation is being re-defined.
1)First, multilateralism is under challenge even by its
proponent, with the United States opting for partnerships, with the most
important areas being the worst affected. The G7 Summit, endorsed the goals of
a cooperative international Climate Club to accelerate climate action outside
the UN. The dispute settlement mechanism of the WTO without the quorum of its
members has rendered the institution dysfunctional. Despite the G7 having
accepted the need for transfer of funds at Rio in 1992, because of their role
in creating the climate crisis, the promise made in 2009 to provide at least
$100 billion per year in climate finance remains unfulfilled.
2)Second, China has opted for rival set of multilateral
institutions. China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) seeks to achieve policy,
infrastructure, trade, financial, and people-to-people connectivity by building
a new platform for international cooperation to create “new drivers of shared
development”, and covers half the world population with one-third the GDP and
investment of $930 billion. China’s Global Development Initiative, 2021, and
linked Global Security Initiative, 2022, is developing a conceptual frame
responding to an urbanising world, i.e. digital governance and non-traditional
security, which the international system has not covered.
3)Third, more significant than the clash of institutions
reflecting the deepening divide between the Atlantic powers and the
Russia-China combine is the diffusion of wealth, technology and power. The
‘rest’, despite threats, are now capable of not taking sides and are looking
for leadership within the United Nations, for what the UNSG characterised as
“coalition of the world”.
4)India chaired the
Security Council in December, and had the Presidency of the G20 and the SCO.
Select the
correct answer using the code given below.
(a)
1,2,3,4
(b) 2 and 3
(c) 1 and 3
(d) None
Answer. a
43)Consider
the following :
1)Strategists in major powers see the world in binary
terms around rules. In a multipolar world, the question is the kind of rules
needed for human wellbeing and whether principles would serve the purpose
better.
2)Second, the time is ripe for a ‘big idea’ that both
keeps away from the current multilateral focus on global rules, amount of aid
and inviolability of IPR’s as well as recognises a role for competing
institutions as countries can now secure the best terms themselves without
bargaining.
3)Third, just as the ‘Rio principles’ continue to guide
climate change, vasudhaiva kutumbakam, or ‘world as one family’, focusing on
comparable levels of wellbeing can be the core of a set of universal
socio-economic principles for a dialogue between the states.
4)Fourth, to the current global consensus around equitable
sustainable development, Prime Minister has added a clearer societal purpose to flesh
out a universal civilisational principle. He emphasised ‘Lifestyle for
Environment’ seeing climate change as a societal process and combating it
devoid of trade-offs characteristic of the Climate Treaty. He has also offered
India’s payments and linked digital ID technology without IPR
restrictions.
5)Fifth, redefining ‘common concerns’ in terms of felt
needs of the majority rather than interests and concerns of the powerful will
shift the focus of a much slimmed down United Nations squarely to human
wellbeing, and not as an add-on.
6)India’s Presidential statement introduced ‘vasudhaiva kutumbakam’ in the UNSC
in December.
7)The SCO Summit preceded the G20 Summit and acceptance of
overarching principles supported
acceptance by the wider G20.
Select the
correct answer using the code given below.
(a)
1,2,3,4,5,6,7
(b) 2 and 3
(c) 1 and 3
(d) None
Answer. a
44)Consider
the following :
1)On December 1,2022 India assumed the presidency of the G20 forum.
Prime Minister called it a “huge
opportunity for India”.
2)The G20 comprises Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada,
China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea,
Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the U.K., the U.S. and the
European Union.
3)The G20 forum was established in 1999 by the Finance Ministers
and central bank governors of seven countries – Canada, France, Germany, Italy,
Japan, the U.K., and the U.S. after a meeting in Washington DC.
4)The uniting factor was the 1997-98 financial crisis and its
aftermath.
5)The first meeting of G20 leaders took place in 1999, and it
was elevated to the level of heads of government/state in 2008. In 2009, G20
was designated the “premier forum for international economic cooperation”.
6)The forum initially dealt with matters related to
macroeconomics, but over the years, its agenda has expanded to cover issues
relating to trade, climate change, sustainable development, health,
agriculture, energy, and environment.
7)The G20 Summit is held annually under a rotating presidency,
which rests with India for 2023. The group does not have a permanent
secretariat, and the presidency is supported by the previous, current, and
future holders of the post, together called the troika.
8)Along with India, 2023’s troika includes Indonesia and Brazil.
9)As the President-nation, India hosted the 18th G20 Heads of State and
Government Summit in December 2023 in New Delhi.
10)Apart from hosting the summit and setting the theme, the G20
presidency does not come with any formal powers. However, India had plans on
showcasing its philosophies of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (one
earth, one family, one future), and LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment) through
the theme and the logo of the event. India’s G20 presidency is “striving for
just and equitable growth for all in the world, as we navigate through these
turbulent times, in a sustainable, holistic, responsible, and inclusive manner,”
an official statement said.
11)India’s presidency also comes as many countries witness
inflation and recession trends, compounded by the Russia-Ukraine war and the
standoff between the European Union and Russia.
12)India’s own problems with China, also a part of the G20
group, pose a potential issue for the effective functioning of the forum.
However, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s brief interaction with Chinese
President Xi Jinping during the G20 Summit in Indonesia in November 2022 has
left experts feeling optimistic about the situation.
13)The processes under G20 are divided into two parallel tracks
— the finance track and the sherpa track. The finance track is led by
Finance Ministers and central bank governors of member nations, who meet
throughout the year. Sherpas, who are personal emissaries of leaders, lead the
sherpa track. They oversee negotiations all through the year, discussing agenda
items for the summit and coordinating the substantive work of the G20.
Working groups designed around specific themes operate within
both tracks. These include representatives from relevant ministries of member
nations and invited/guest countries too.
14)Various
international organisations such as the United Nations, International Monetary
Fund, and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development also
participate in working groups
Select the
correct answer using the code given below.
(a)
1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14
(b) 2 and 3
(c) 1 and 3
(d) None
Answer. A
45)Consider
the following :
1)A coordinated approach to regulating crypto assets, managing
debt vulnerabilities and reorienting global financial institutions have been
identified as critical focus areas of the Finance Track agenda for India’s G-20
Presidency, which will kick off with the first meeting of G-20 finance and
central bank deputies in Bengaluru
2)Finance Minister and
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor steered the overall Finance Track during
India’s G-20 Presidency, with the first meeting of Finance Ministers and
central bank Governors of member countries also scheduled to be held in the
Karnataka capital from February 23 to 25.
3)Nearly 40 meetings were planned under the Finance Track all
over the country, with various working groups and four Minister-level meetings
that “will endeavour to add significant value to the global economic
discourse”, officials said.
4)A globally coordinated approach to unbacked crypto assets,
advancing the international taxation agenda, managing global debt vulnerabilities,
advancing financial inclusion and productivity gains, financing for climate
action and sustainable development goals, and financing “cities of tomorrow”
are some of the key issues identified for focussed discussions during these
G-20 meetings.
5)The parleys co-chaired
by Secretary, Department of Economic
Affairs, and Deputy Governor of the RBI.
Their counterparts from G-20 member countries, and from several other countries
and international organisations invited by India, will participate in the
two-day meeting.
6)“The Finance Ministry, after extended consultations, has
curated a robust agenda which will ultimately feed into the G-20 leaders’
declaration when Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosts the summit next year. We
have imbibed the PM Modi’s idea in his address at the Bali G-20 summit that
‘the need today is that benefits of development are universal and
all-inclusive’ in the G-20 Finance Track agenda,” Mr. Seth said .
7)“We are hopeful the Finance Track will lead to sustainable and
inclusive growth for all and bring more resilience to the global economy,” he
said.
Select the
correct answer using the code given below.
(a)
1,2,3,4,5,6,7
(b) 2 and 3
(c) 1 and 3
(d) None
Answer. a
46)Consider
the following :
1)The price cap plan is the latest of the sanctions
proposed by Western countries against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, as
well as Belarus for its support to Russia.
2)For the past few weeks, U.S. and EU officials have been
trying to convince countries including India, China and Turkey to join the
coalition or to at least support the price cap, which they say is in the
interests of all oil buyers from Russia as it will give them leverage to lower
purchase prices.
2)For countries that join the coalition, it would mean
simply not buying Russian oil unless the price is reduced to where the
cap is determined. For countries that don’t join the coalition, or buy oil
higher than the cap price, they would lose access to all services provided by
the coalition countries including for example, insurance, currency payment,
facilitation and vessel clearances for their shipments.
3)G7 countries say they are aiming to reduce the price
of oil, but not the quantity of oil that Russia sells, so as to control inflation
globally while hurting the Russian economy and its ability to fund the war in
Ukraine. This could only work, of course, if all countries joined the
coalition.
Select the
correct answer using the code given below.
(a) 1,2,3
(b) 2 and 3
(c) 1 and 3
(d) None
Answer. A
47)Consider
the following :
1)Russian President Vladimir Putin has lashed out at the
plan, warning that Russia would not supply “anything at all” if it contradicts
Russian interests. Speaking at the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) in Vladivostok
, that Prime Minister Narendra Modi joined virtually, he threatened that Russia
could stop supplies of gas, oil, coal, heating oil... leaving European
countries to “freeze”.
2)On September 5, 2022 Russia also announced a halt on all
supplies via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline to Europe due to “maintenance issues”
arising from the EU sanctions already in place, raising fears of a very
difficult winter for European countries.
Select the
correct answer using the code given below.
(a) Both 1
and 2
(b) 1 only
(c) 2 only
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
Answer. a
48)Consider
the following about the Kosi and Gandak rivers :
1)Floods are also a recurrent problem in the Koshi and
Gandak river basins that are shared by India and Nepal.
2)The intensity and magnitude of flooding is rising
because of heavy seasonal precipitation as well as glacial retreat due to
global warming and human-induced stressors such as land use and land cover
changes in the river basin area of Nepal (Terai) and Bihar.
3)It is important that the two neighbours view the river
basins as single entities, which will help in facilitating an integrated
approach for improved basin and flood risk management.
4)The India-Nepal Koshi agreement 1954 (revised in 1966)
is aimed at reducing devastating flooding in the river basin. The treaty-based
joint bodies have also tried to refine the early warning systems for flood
forecasting. In contravention of procedural customary international law
obligation, India considers data on transboundary rivers as classified
information, which is one of the key challenges in developing cross-border
flood warning systems. In light of the cataclysmic floods in Pakistan and the
visible effects of climate change, it is important that all riparian states
must comply with all the procedural duties pursuant to the no harm rule.
5)They must also think of becoming a party to either the
UNWC or the UNECE Water Convention
Select the
correct answer using the code given below.
(a)
1,2,3,4,5
(b) 2 and 3
(c) 1 and 3
(d) None
Answer. a
49)Consider
the following :
1)Closer home, there is the case of China being the upper
riparian in the Brahmaputra, which spans India and Bangladesh, enjoying
apparent leverage vis-à-vis lower riparian India. During the monsoon, flooding
has been the recurrent feature in the last several decades in Assam. India
faces other woes in the form of the construction of dams by China. China’s
excessive water release, as a “dam controller”, in violation of customary
international law has the potential to exacerbate flooding in Assam in future.
2)India’s main concern is that there is no comprehensive
sub-basin or all basin-level mechanism to deal with water management of
Brahmaputra. Neither India or China are party to the United Nations Convention
on the Law of the Non-Navigational Uses of International Watercourses (UNWC)
1997 or the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) on the
Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes 1992
(Water Convention).
3)The UNWC contains a direct reference to floods, which
covers harmful conditions and emergency situations. Article 27 of the
Convention says: “Watercourse States shall, individually and, where
appropriate, jointly, take all appropriate measures to prevent or mitigate
conditions ...that may be harmful to other watercourse States, whether
resulting from natural causes or human conduct, such as floods or ice
conditions, water-borne diseases, siltation, erosion, salt-water intrusion,
drought or desertification.”
4)In the absence of any mechanism, India relies on its
memorandum of understanding (MoU) with China in 2013 with a view to sharing
hydrological information during the flood season (June to September). The MoU
does not allow India access to urbanisation and deforestation activities on the
Chinese side of the river basin.
5)With the MoU in the background, India by becoming a
party to either the UNWC and the Water Convention could lay the groundwork for
a bilateral treaty on the Brahmaputra but subject to the reservation that it
should not insist on the insertion of a dispute settlement mechanism provision.
Select the
correct answer using the code given below.
(a)
1,2,3,4,5
(b) 2 and 3
(c) 1 and 3
(d) None
Answer. a
50)Consider
the following about floods :
1)There has been an increase in the magnitude, the frequency
and the intensity of floods in many parts of the world.
2)As an example, nearly a third of Pakistan is
experiencing devastation, with a spread of diseases and severe shortage of
potable water after intense flooding. In June 2022 year Assam experienced one
of its worst floods in living memory which affected over 30 districts. In some
districts in Assam and Bihar, flooding is a recurrent feature, and thus a major
impediment in ensuring poverty alleviation and meeting Millennium Development
Goals.
3)Flooding is still considered to be a natural phenomenon
that cannot be entirely prevented. But it is compounded by the lack of
transparency in the sharing of hydrological information and also information
relating to activities (such as by one riparian state) that are transboundary
in their effect (affecting other riparian states), thus serving as an obstacle
in understanding the magnitude of flooding.
4)In accordance with customary international law, no state
has to use its territory in a manner that causes harm to another state while
using a shared natural resource; this amounts to saying that there is a binding
obligation on all states not to release water to cause floods in another
co-sharer of the river water. This obligation gives rise to other procedural
norms that support the management of floods, which include notification of
planned measures, the exchange of data and information, and also public
participation.
5)The International Court of Justice (ICJ), in the Pulp
Mills on the River Uruguay (Argentina vs Uruguay) case (2010), upheld that
conducting a transboundary environmental impact assessment (TEIA) of a planned
measure or projects on the shared water course is part of customary
international law.
6)In fact, the ICJ noted that the acting state must notify
the affected party of the results of TEIA to “enable the notified party to
participate in the process of ensuring that the assessment is complete, so that
it can then consider the plan and its effects with a full knowledge of the
facts
Select the
correct answer using the code given below.
(a)
1,2,3,4,5,6
(b) 2 and 3
(c) 1 and 3
(d) None
Answer. a
51)Consider
the following :
1)On ( 21.10.2022) , the Financial Action Task Force, the
global watchdog on anti-money laundering and combating financing terrorism
(AML/CFT) efforts, announced it would take Pakistan off its “grey list” of
countries under “enhanced monitoring”, and welcomed what it called Pakistan’s
“significant progress” in improving legal and government mechanisms. Pakistan,
which has been trying to be taken off the list ever since it was listed in
February 2018, hailed the decision, and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif thanked
Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Army Chief General Qamar Bajwa,
both of whom visited the U.S. in recent months, for their diplomatic
efforts.
2)The 39-member body that was set up in 1989 out of a G-7
meeting of developed nations, is today made up of 37 countries and two regional
organisations: the European Commission, the European Union’s executive body,
and the Gulf Cooperation Council. India joined with ‘observer’ status in 2006
and became a full member of FATF in 2010. According to its mission statement,
FATF members meet regularly to monitor various countries, “review money
laundering and terrorist financing techniques and counter-measures; and promote
the adoption and implementation of the FATF Recommendations globally”. The
decision-making body of the FATF or Plenary meets thrice a year, in February,
June and October, to take stock of “Mutual Evaluation Reports” (MERs) of the
countries they review. If a country appears to have major deficiencies in its
AML/CFT regime, it is put on a list of “jurisdictions under increased
monitoring” or what is called the “grey list”, and if it fails to address FATF
concerns it is put on a “high-risk jurisdictions” list, called the “black
list”. Countries on both lists are subject to increasing levels of financial
strictures, as the listing is like a global rating, and makes it difficult to
procure loans from financial organisations like the IMF/World Bank, ADB etc.,
as well as to invite investment from private companies and other countries.
3)During the recent plenary session on October 20-21, FATF
countries, including India, reviewed the record of about 26 countries, and
agreed unanimously to take Pakistan and Nicaragua off the “grey list”, add The
Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique and Tanzania to the “grey list”, while
moving Myanmar from the “grey list” to the black list for actions taken by the
military junta since they overthrew the government in a coup last
February.
Select the
correct answer using the code given below.
(a) 1,2,3
(b) 2 and 3
(c) 1 and 3
(d) None
Answer. a
52)Consider
the following about EEF :
1)Russia hosted the seventh Eastern
Economic Forum (EEF) Vladivostok from September 5 to 8,2022. The four-day forum is a platform for
entrepreneurs to expand their businesses into Russia’s Far East (RFE)
2)The Eastern Economic Forum was established in 2015 to
encourage foreign investments in Russia’s Far East. As of 2022, almost 2,729
investment projects are being planned in the region.
3)During the forum, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed
the country’s readiness in expanding trade, connectivity and investments in
Russia. India is keen to deepen its cooperation in energy, pharmaceuticals,
maritime connectivity, healthcare, tourism, the diamond industry and the
Arctic.
4)India has vested interests in both the EEF and the
Indo-Pacific Economic Framwork and has worked towards balancing its
involvement. The IPEF is a vital platform for India to strengthen its presence
in the Indo-Pacific region.
Select the
correct answer using the code given below.
(a)
1,2,3,4
(b) 2 and 3
(c) 1 and 3
(d) None
Answer. a
53)Consider
the following :
1)In 2022 the Forum
aimed at connecting the Far East with the Asia Pacific region. China is the
biggest investor in the region as it sees potential in promoting the Chinese
Belt and Road Initiative and the Polar Sea Route in the RFE. China’s
investments in the region account for 90% of the total investments. Russia has
been welcoming Chinese investments since 2015; more now than ever due to the
economic pressures caused by the war in Ukraine. The Trans-Siberian Railway has
further helped Russia and China in advancing trade ties. The countries share a
4000-kilometer-long border, which enables them to tap into each other’s
resources with some infrastructural assistance. China is also looking to
develop its Heilongjiang province which connects with the RFE. China and Russia
have invested in a fund to develop northeastern China and the RFE, through
collaborations on connecting the cities of Blagoveshchensk and Heihe via a
1,080 metre bridge, supplying natural gas, and a rail bridge connecting the
cities of Nizhneleninskoye and Tongjiang.
2)Besides China, South Korea has also been gradually
increasing its investments in the region. South Korea has invested in
shipbuilding projects, manufacturing of electrical equipment, gas-liquefying
plants, agricultural production and fisheries. In 2017, the Export-Import Bank
of Korea and the Far East Development Fund announced their intention to inject
$2 billion in the RFE in a span of three years.
3)Japan is another key trading partner in the Far East. In
2017, Japanese investments through 21 projects amounted to $16 billion. Under
Shinzo Abe’s leadership, Japan identified eight areas of economic cooperation
and pushed private businesses to invest in the development of the RFE. Japan
seeks to depend on Russian oil and gas resources after the 2011 meltdown in
Fukushima which led the government to pull out of nuclear energy. Japan also
sees a market for its agro-technologies which have the potential to flourish in
the RFE, given similar climatic conditions. However, the momentum of trade that
existed with Shinzo Abe was lost with the leadership of Yoshihide Suga and
Fumio Kishida. The trade ties between Japan and Russia are hindered by the
Kuril Islands dispute as they are claimed by both countries.
India seeks to expand its influence in the RFE. During the
forum, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed the country’s readiness in
expanding trade, connectivity and investments in Russia. India is keen to
deepen its cooperation in energy, pharmaceuticals, maritime connectivity,
healthcare, tourism, the diamond industry and the Arctic.
4)In 2019, India also offered a $1 billion line of credit
to develop infrastructure in the region. Through the EEF, India aims to
establish a strong inter-state interaction with Russia. Business
representatives of Gujarat and the Republic of Sakha have launched agreements
in the diamond and pharmaceuticals industry.
Select the
correct answer using the code given below.
(a)
1,2,3,4
(b) 2 and 3
(c) 1 and 3
(d) None
Answer. a
54)Consider
the following about Cultural diplomacy :
1)External Affairs Minister said the cultural diplomacy of the
Modi government was centred on “restoring our rich traditions for the benefit
of the world” and a truly democratic and pluralistic world order must see a
full expression of India’s heritage, abroad as much as at home.
2)Mr. Jaishankar, who is on a two-day
tour of Varanasi, was addressing an event as part of Kashi
Tamil Sangamam on ‘Contribution of temples to society and
nation building’. He said temples were keepers of culture and history along
with being centres of knowledge and promoters of arts and crafts.
3)“The cultural diplomacy of the Modi
government is focussed on creating, rebuilding and restoring our rich
traditions for the benefit of the entire world. This is Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (The World is One
Family),” he said.
4)The External Affairs Minister said
Varanasi would be hosting the G-20 Development Ministers’ meeting. “Kashi is
one of the important venues for the G-20 meetings. And one of them, the
Development Ministers’ meeting that I will chair, will be held here,” he said,
addressing students and faculty at the Banaras Hindu University.
5)Mr. Jaishankar was speaking at the
university on ‘India as a rising power in the changing global world order’.
Select the
correct answer using the code given below.
(a)
1,2,3,4,5
(b) 2 and 3
(c) 1 and 3
(d) None
Answer. a
55)Consider
the following :
1)Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) said that it had detained five Russians and three
citizens of Ukraine and Armenia over the explosion that damaged the Crimea
Bridge ,
2)The FSB said the explosion was organised by the Main
Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Defence Ministry. Ukraine has not
officially confirmed its involvement in the blast, but some Ukrainian officials
have celebrated the damage.
3)The explosion on the 12 mile-long bridge destroyed one
section of the road bridge, temporarily halting road traffic. It also destroyed
several fuel tankers heading towards the peninsula from Russia.
Select the
correct answer using the code given below.
(a) 1,2,3
(b) 2 and 3
(c) 1 and 3
(d) None
Answer. A
56)Consider
the following :
1)India’s decision to host the special session of the
United Nations Security Council’s Counter-Terrorism Committee (UNSC-CTC) last
month — held in Mumbai and New Delhi, it focused on new and emerging
technologies — is one of a number of events planned by the Government to give
its counter-terror diplomacy a greater push.
2)Later, New Delhi hosted the third edition of the “No Money For
Terror” (NMFT) conference that will look at tackling future modes of terror
financing. And in December, when India takes over the United Nations Security
Council Presidency for the last time before its two-year term in the Council
ends, India will chair a special briefing on the “Global Counter Terrorism
Architecture”, looking at the challenges ahead.
3)While the focus is on the future of the fight against
terrorism, it is important to look at some of the challenges that already
exist, especially when the world’s attention is consumed by the war in Europe,
dealing with the aftermath of COVID-19, and global economic recession.
Select the
correct answer using the code given below.
(a) 1,2,3
(b) 2 and 3
(c) 1 and 3
(d) None
Answer. A
57)Consider
the following about CoP 27 :
1)United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said
at the COP-27 summit in Sharm El-Sheikh in Egypt that the planet is fast
approaching tipping points that will make climate chaos irreversible and that
its people were set on a highway to climate hell.
2)“Greenhouse gas emissions keep growing. Global
temperatures keep rising. And our planet is fast approaching tipping points
that will make climate chaos irreversible,” he said. “We are on a highway to
climate hell with our foot on the accelerator.”
Despite decades of climate talks — the Egypt COP is the
27th Conference of the Parties — progress has been insufficient to save the
planet from excessive warming as countries are too slow or reluctant to act, he
noted.
3)Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, also speaking at the
event, said global leaders have a credibility problem when it comes to climate
change. He criticised developed nations’ ongoing pursuit of gas resources in
Africa, which he described as “fossil fuel colonialism.”
4)Immediately after Mr. Guterres’ speech, UAE President
Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahya took the stage and said his country, a
member of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), would
continue to produce fossil fuels for as long as there is a need.
5)“The UAE is considered a responsible supplier of energy
and it will continue playing this role as long as the world is in need of oil
and gas,” he said. The UAE will host next year’s UN conference.
6)British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said that climate and
energy security went “hand in hand” and world leaders must act quickly to
address the impacts of climate change.
Select the
correct answer using the code given below.
(a)
1,2,3,4,5,6
(b) 2 and 3
(c) 1 and 3
(d) None
Answer. A
58)Consider
the following :
1)The Commonwealth of Nations is a group of 56
countries comprised mostly of former British colonies. While members of the
Commonwealth are predominantly located in Africa, the Americas, Asia, and the
Pacific, with many of them emerging economies, the three European members of
the group are Cyprus, Malta, and the U.K. The developed nations of the
Commonwealth are Australia, Canada, and New Zealand.
2)The Commonwealth consists of both republics and
realms. The British monarch is the Head of State for the realms, whereas
the republics are ruled by elected governments, except in the the case of five
countries — Brunei Darussalam, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malaysia, and Tonga — each
a self-governed monarchy.
3)The realms are comprised of Antigua and Barbuda,
Australia, the Bahamas, Belize, Canada, Grenada, Jamaica, New Zealand, Papua
New Guinea, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the
Grenadines, the Solomon Islands, and Tuvalu.
Select the
correct answer using the code given below.
(a) 1,2,3
(b) 2 and 3
(c) 1 and 3
(d) None
Answer. a
59)Consider
the following :
1)The death of
Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, the country’s longest serving
ruler, who reigned for over 70 years, marks not only the end of an era for the
British monarchy, but also a turning point for the 14 Commonwealth realms of
which she was the Head of State.
2)There has been a significant transformation of the
socioeconomic milieu in these countries compared to the Elizabethan era,
including calls in several nations to establish a republic and break free of
historical ties to the British monarchy.
3)Thus, it is possible that during the reign of the
incumbent King Charles III, the Queen’s successor, more nations will follow
in the footsteps of Barbados, which in 2021 became the 18th country to remove
the British monarch from the role of head of state and substitute them with a
national government functionary
Select the
correct answer using the code given below.
(a) 1,2,3
(b) 2 and 3
(c) 1 and 3
(d) None
Answer. a
60)Consider
the following :
1)On November 21, 2022 China’s top development aid agency convened
the first “China-Indian Ocean Region Forum” in the southwestern Chinese city of
Kunming.
2)The meet organised by the China
International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA) is the latest Chinese
initiative focusing on the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), underlining Beijing’s
growing strategic interests in a region where its economic footprint has been
deepening.
3)On November 21, 2022 China’s top development aid agency convened
the first “China-Indian Ocean Region Forum” in the southwestern Chinese city of
Kunming. The meet organised by the China International Development Cooperation
Agency (CIDCA) is the latest Chinese initiative focusing on the Indian Ocean
Region (IOR), underlining Beijing’s growing strategic interests in a region
where its economic footprint has been deepening.
Select the
correct answer using the code given below.
(a) 1,2,3
(b) 2 and 3
(c) 1 and 3
(d) None
Answer. a
61)Consider
the following :
1)The posting of China’s most
well-known “wolf warrior” spokesperson earlier this week to a less
high-profile Boundary and Ocean Affairs Department has turned the spotlight on
China’s diplomacy, as well as ignited a debate on whether it is undergoing a
recalibration.
2)The original ‘wolf warrior’, Zhao Lijian, who worked for
the Foreign Ministry in Beijing as a spokesperson, garnered a fan-following in
China — with more than 7.7 million followers on China’s Twitter-equivalent,
Sina Weibo — and a more controversial reputation abroad through his active
presence on Twitter, a website banned in China
3)Although Mr. Zhao became for some
the face of ‘wolf warrior diplomacy’ in the social media era — the name
derives from a popular eponymous Chinese action film in 2015 that became
emblematic of the nationalistic zeitgeist of the early Xi Jinping years — the
hard edge to Chinese diplomacy, in fact, long predated Mr. Zhao’s tweets. And
regardless of tweaks in Chinese messaging that may follow his ouster from the
Ministry’s briefing room, signs are it is here to stay.
Select the
correct answer using the code given below.
(a) 1,2,3
(b) 2 and 3
(c) 1 and 3
(d) None
Answer. a
62)Consider
the following :
1)Chinese leader Xi Jinping began his unprecedented
third five-year term in even firmer
control of the ruling Communist Party after filling the newly announced
Politburo Standing Committee (PBSC) with all of his allies.
2)As many as four allies of Mr. Xi, 69, were appointed to the PBSC that was announced after
the first meeting of the new Central Committee, which was unveiled on (21.10.2022) following the conclusion of the
CPC congress.
3)With two other allies continuing on the PBSC, this marks
an unprecedented sweep of all seven positions on the all-powerful body, a first
in Chinese Communist Party politics where power in the past was shared between
different factions, an arrangement shattered by Mr. Xi.
4)Mr. Xi introduced the new leadership to the media . They
are, in order of rank, Li Qiang, the former party chief in Shanghai; Zhao Leji,
former head of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI); Wang
Huning, the ideology czar; Cai Qi, the former Beijing party chief; Ding
Xuexiang, Mr. Xi’s chief of staff; and Li Xi, the party chief in the key
economic powerhouse province of Guangdong.
Select the
correct answer using the code given below.
(a)
1,2,3,4
(b) 2 and 3
(c) 1 and 3
(d) None
Answer. a
63)Consider
the following :
1)China’s population declined by 850,000
in 2022, the first such fall since a nationwide famine in 1961, marking a
landmark demographic shift for the world’s second-largest economy.
2)The National Bureau of Statistics
in Beijing on Tuesday said the national population stood at 1.411 billion at
the end of 2022. India will overtake China as the world’s most populous nation
in 2023, according to a UN report released last year.
3)The number of births in China was
9.56 million, a more than 10% drop from 2021. The number of deaths was 10.41
million.
4)If the last population drop six
decades ago was a result of a devastating famine caused by Mao Zedong’s failed
“Great Leap Forward” campaign, the current trends reflect changing social
values in China as families choose to have fewer children.
5)Government campaigns over the past
decade to boost birth rates — a U-turn from years of a harsh “one-child policy”
— have failed to reverse the trend. In 2021, Beijing’s family planning
authority for the first time allowed couples to have a third child.
6)The move came five years after a
“two-child policy” had been introduced to boost birth rates. A government
survey carried out at the time of the introduction of the two-child policy
found 70% of respondents cited financial reasons, including costs of education,
healthcare and housing, to not have many children.
Select the
correct answer using the code given below.
(a)
1,2,3,4,5,6
(b) 2 and 3
(c) 1 and 3
(d) None
Answer. a
64)Consider
the following :
1)Recently, China used its status as a permanent member of
the UN Security Council (UNSC) to put a hold on the UN Security Council’s Al
Qaida and ISIL (Daesh) Sanctions Committee’s (also known as the UNSC 1267
Committee) listing of Laskar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist Sajid Mir, one of India’s
most wanted in the 2008 Mumbai attacks.
2)Earlier, China had blocked the listing of US-designated
terrorists Abdul Rehman Makki and Abdul Rauf Azhar of the LeT and the
Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), respectively. It may be recalled that China brazenly
opposed the listing of JeM chief Masood Azhar for ten years until 2019 before
lifting the hold.
3)These terrorists are based in Pakistan and enjoy the
patronage of its “deep state”. Despite China’s efforts to save its “all weather
friend” from global censure, Pakistan continues to be in the “grey list” of the
Financial Action Task Force (FATF).
4)China’s misuse of its P-5 status disrupts collective
efforts to counter terrorism. Such actions are in direct contrast to the
consensus at the global level on the scourge that is international terrorism.
5)Counter-terrorism is not the only area in which the
Sino-Pak tandem has weakened global efforts. The two have a long history of
collusion in the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their
delivery systems as well. There are other examples of collaboration in military
matters and in the area of infrastructure and connectivity that have proved
destabilising to regional stability in South Asia.
Select the
correct answer using the code given below.
(a)
1,2,3,4,5
(b) 2 and 3
(c) 1 and 3
(d) None
Answer. a
65)Consider
the following :
1)China convened a first “China-Indian Ocean Region
Forum” bringing together 19 countries from the region – and all of India’s
neighbours, except for India itself, the lone absentee from a new Beijing
strategic initiative.
2)The forum, held in Kunming in
southwestern Yunnan province on November 21,2022 brought together
representatives from 19 countries including Indonesia, Pakistan, Myanmar, Sri
Lanka, Bangladesh, Maldives, Nepal, Afghanistan, Iran, Oman, South Africa,
Kenya, Mozambique, Tanzania, Seychelles, Madagascar, Mauritius, Djibouti, and
Australia, according to a statement from the organisers, the China
International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA).
Select the
correct answer using the code given below.
(a) Both 1
and 2
(b) 1 only
(c) 2 only
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
Answer. a
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