QUIZ – 2016: Insights Current Affairs Quiz, 23 & 24 October 2016

Solution: b.

“Being the Year of the Monkey that comes once in 12 years, preparations for this year’s Naropa celebrations had been underway for over a year. This year marked the millennial birth anniversary of the scholar-saint Naropa, head of Buddhism’s Drukpa or ‘dragon’ lineage….”

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-sundaymagazine/in-naropa-with-love/article9256894.ece

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Solution: c.

“Not so long ago, in the mid-18^th century, Mir Jafar, commander-in-chief of the Nawab of Bengal, conspired with the British to overthrow the Nawab.”

Page 13, Our Pasts III Part 1, Class 8

Improvisation: http://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/india-pakistan-british-raj-rule-colonisation-3099382/

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Solution: d.

“Sir Cyril Radcliffe, who’d never travelled east of Paris, was assigned the mammoth task.” … The Border Commission, chaired by Sir Cyril Radcliffe, demarcated the boundary line (‘Radcliffe Line’) between India and Pakistan (both – West and East Pakistan [Bangladesh today]).

Primary Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radcliffe_Line

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Improvisation: http://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/india-pakistan-british-raj-rule-colonisation-3099382/

Solution: a.

It was hosted by Ahmedabad.

http://www.thehindu.com/sport/other-sports/india-triumph-in-kabaddi-world-cup-maintain-dominance/article9256477.ece

Solution: d.

Mosul – Iraq;

Calais – France;

Aleppo – Syria;

The Hindu, World Page, 23^rd October;

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/22/world/europe/calais-jungle-migrant-children.html;

Solution: c.

“The National Physical Laboratory, a Council of Scientific and Industrial Research organisation, best known for the being the repository of physical standards such as the kilogram, second and the centimetre, has set up instruments in Palampur that will measure atmospheric levels of a wide range of pollutants including ozone, nitrous oxides, ammonia and particulate matter.”

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/lung-friendly-palampur-to-set-the-standards-for-air-quality/article9256840.ece

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Solution: c.

“Resolution of disputes through arbitration is not new to us. In ancient India, there were several mechanisms for settlement of disputes between the parties. These included the Kulani, or village council; Sreni, or corporation; and Puga, or assembly. Likewise, commercial matters were decided by Mahajans and Chambers.”

http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=151887

Solution: c.

By not financing coal projects, the World Bank is actually pushing countries to use inefficient technologies leading to higher emissions, Mr. Sporton told The Hindu. “The World Bank has taken a policy view that they don’t want to finance coal,” Mr. Sporton said in an interview. “But we have seen evidence from some countries where, because the World Bank does not invest in coal and so does not invest in super critical and ultra super critical plants, these countries invested in sub-critical plants, which have much higher CO2 and particulate matter emissions. Super critical and ultra super critical (USC) plants substantially reduce carbon dioxide emissions and virtually eliminate particulate matter emissions, Mr. Sporton added, saying that India must invest in them despite their higher up- front cost.

http://www.thehindu.com/business/Economy/world-bank-must-aid-countries-to-manage-shift-away-from-coal/article9258696.ece

Solution: c.

“The Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD), Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment has conceptualised the “Accessible India Campaign (Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan)” as a nation-wide flagship campaign for achieving universal accessibility that will enable persons with disabilities to gain access for equal opportunity and live independently and participate fully in all aspects of life in an inclusive society. The campaign targets at enhancing the accessibility of built environment, transport system and Information & communication eco-System.”

http://vikaspedia.in/social-welfare/differently-abled-welfare/schemes-programmes/accessible-india-campaign

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Improvisation: http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/pm-warns-of-surgical-strikes-on-black-money/article9256839.ece

Solution: b.

SDG 11 was mentioned in the Hindu Editorial (link provided below).

• Habitat III is the United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development to take place in Quito, Ecuador, from 17 – 20 October 2016.
• In Resolution 66/207 and in line with the bi-decennial cycle (1976, 1996 and 2016), the United Nations General Assembly decided to convene the Habitat III Conference to reinvigorate the global commitment to sustainable urbanization, to focus on the implementation of a New Urban Agenda, building on the Habitat Agenda of Istanbul in 1996.
• “UN Habitat plans to review country-level progress on its New Urban Agenda in Kuala Lumpur in 2018. India’s performance on improving the quality of life in its cities will be watched.”

https://habitat3.org/about

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http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/making-cities-inclusive/article9258735.ece

Solution: c.

A similar question was earlier posted here.

• The NSG was set up in response to India’s Pokhran-I (not Pokhran-II) test.
• Today, the New Agenda Coalition (NAC) is a ministerial-level group of states within the framework of the Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) focused on building international consensus to make progress on nuclear disarmament, as legally called for in the Nonproliferation Treaty.
• “There are still four or five countries that have not budged on their stand since June, and New Zealand is among those,” a western diplomat tracking the negotiations told The Hindu, indicating that apart from China, countries such as Ireland, Austria, New Zealand and members of the ‘New Agenda for coalition’ that takes a hard line on the NPT, are still the sticking point.

http://thediplomat.com/2015/02/india-and-the-nuclear-suppliers-group/

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Improvisation: http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/john-kerrys-india-visit-to-discuss-nsg/article9258986.ece

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Solution: a.

Trick question. Pakistan is not a member of the NSG. The question states, “Which among the following list of nations from the NSG are demanding a set criteria..….”.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/john-kerrys-india-visit-to-discuss-nsg/article9258986.ece