QUIZ – 2016: Insights Current Affairs Quiz – August 17, 2016

Solution: d.

“An ancient camping site dating ninth millennium BC has been discovered by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), under Ministry of Culture, on the way to Saser La which leads to the Karakoram Pass in Ladakh. A charcoal sample collected from the Site, was subsequently sent to BETA LAB, Florida, USA, for radiocarbon date determination in order to understand the antiquity of the above stated camp-site. The outcome i.e. 8500 BC (10500 years before present) was beyond even ASI’s expectation. Such an early antiquity on the basis of a scientific date was the very first for that region.”

http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=148945

Solution: d.

It is Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code (and NOT the Code of Criminal Procedure) which states that

1. Whoever by words either spoken or written or by signs or by visible representation or otherwise brings or attempts to bring into hatred or contempt, the government established by law; or
2. Whoever by the above means excites or attempts to excite disaffection towards the government established by law (and NOT towards the nation!), has committed the offence of sedition.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/enemies-of-the-state/article8996006.ece

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Solution: c.

“In India, headline inflation is measured through the WPI – which consists of 676 commodities (services are not included in WPI in India). It is measured on year-on-year basis i.e., rate of change in price level in a given month vis a vis corresponding month of last year. This is also known as point to point inflation.”

“In India, there are three main components in WPI –

• Primary Articles (weight: 20.12%),
• Fuel & Power (weight: 14.91%) and
• Manufactured Products (weight: 64.97).

Within WPI, Food commodities (from which Food Inflation) have a combined weight of 24.31%. This includes “Food Articles” in the Primary Articles (14.34%) and “Food Products” in the Manufactured Products category (9.97%).”

http://www.thehindu.com/business/Economy/food-lifts-wpi-inflation-to-23month-high/article8995398.ece

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http://www.arthapedia.in/index.php?title=Headline_inflation

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Solution: b.

“In India, headline inflation is measured through the WPI – which consists of 676 commodities (services are not included in WPI in India).”

http://www.arthapedia.in/index.php?title=Headline_inflation

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http://www.thehindu.com/business/Economy/food-lifts-wpi-inflation-to-23month-high/article8995398.ece

Solution: b.

The P.J. Nayak Committee in its report on governance of Indian Banks had recommended setting up of a BIC or Bank Investment Company, to which the government would have to transfer its holdings.

“Outgoing Reserve Bank of India (RBI) governor Raghuram Rajan has stressed the need to improve governance at public sector banks and said the task of appointing top executives and non-official directors in these entities should be left to the Bank Board Bureau (BBB). At present, the Centre appoints the chief executive, executive directors and other board members. Mr. Rajan’s suggestion is in line with the proposals of the P.J. Nayak committee set up by the RBI to look into the issue of governance in Indian banks.”

http://www.thehindu.com/business/Industry/bbb-should-appoint-top-executives-at-stateowned-banks-says-rajan/article8995401.ece

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http://www.livemint.com/Politics/wkqIXMXoVqRO9SOrwv1WsN/Bank-board-bureau-to-be-set-up-with-Vinod-Rai-as-chairman.html

Solution: b.

“Securities Transaction Tax (STT) is a type of financial transaction tax levied in India on transactions done on the domestic stock exchanges. The rates of STT are prescribed by the Central / Union Government through its Budget from time to time. In tax parlance, this is categorised as a direct tax.”

Improvisation: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-business/indirect-tax-collections-rise-30-in-june-quarter/article8996173.ece

Solution: c.

The options were framed such that if you read the PIB release on the camping site which was recently discovered in Ladakh, you were left with only two options, of which one pass (Shipki La) is mentioned in the Class XI NCERT textbook.

• Saser La – Jammu and Kashmir
• Shipki La – Himachal Pradesh
• Yonggyap Pass – Arunachal Pradesh

“An ancient camping site dating ninth millennium BC has been discovered by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), under Ministry of Culture, on the way to Saser La which leads to the Karakoram Pass in Ladakh.”

(Last two passes were picked up from India Physical Environment Class XI NCERT and a physical map of India. For reference, Click Here.)

Improvisation: http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=148945

Solution: c.

Statements 2 and 3 are incorrect.

“Referring to Tirot Sing as a pioneer of India’s freedom struggle, Dr Jitendra Singh recalled that Tirot Sing was sentenced to death by British rulers even before the first war of Independence and thus inspired the next two generations of Indians to jump into the freedom struggle. He said that Northeast had, along with the rest of India, contributed substantially to the freedom struggle and this aspect needs to be highlighted to the countrymen living in other parts of the country.”

“U Tirot Sing, was one of the chiefs of the Khasi people in the early 18th century. He drew his lineage from the Syiemlieh clan. In the attempt to prevent the Khasi Hills from falling into colonial hands, Tirot Sing raised the battle cry against the invasive British forces on April 4, 1829, but was eventually captured and defeated. He died in captivity in Dhaka on July 17, 1835.”

http://thenortheasttoday.com/5-lesser-known-facts-about-u-tirot-sing/

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http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=148956

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