QUIZ – 2016: Insights Current Affairs Quiz – 27 and 28 November, 2016
QUIZ – 2016: Insights Current Affairs Quiz
27 and 28 November, 2016
The following quiz will have 5-10 MCQs . The questions are mainly framed from The Hindu and PIB news articles.
This quiz is intended to introduce you to concepts and certain important facts relevant to UPSC IAS civil services preliminary exam 2016. It is not a test of your knowledge. If you score less, please do not mind. Read again sources provided and try to remember better.
Please try to enjoy questions, discuss the concepts and facts they try to test from you and suggest improvements.
Hope you enjoy this quiz. If you like it, then please share it. Thank you.
INSIGHTS CURRENT EVENTS QUIZ 2016
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The following Quiz is based on the Hindu, PIB and other news sources. It is a current events based quiz. Solving these questions will help retain both concepts and facts relevant to UPSC IAS civil services exam.
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Question 1 of 9
1. Question
1 pointsWhat are some of the provisions (or the lack thereof) in the HIV/AIDS (Prevention and Control) Bill, 2016, recently tabled in the Parliament, that are considered to be key issues?
- The Government, Centre or State, shall take measures for providing, as far as possible, Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) and Opportunistic Infection (OI) Management to People Living with HIV/AIDS.
- All reference to needle and syringe exchange under Clause 22 have been deleted.
- The ombudsman shall not only inquire into violations in the provision of health-care services, but into all violation of the provisions of the Bill including discrimination.
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
Correct
Solution: d.
- The phrase “as far as possible”: In the Bill, the proposed Section 14 talks of prevention measures that the Central or State governments may take, “as far as possible,” for the provision of Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART) and Opportunistic Infection (OI) Management, against the spread of HIV. The amendment also goes on to provide drugs for both ART and OI ‘as far as possible’.
- Ombudsman Scope: The law as drafted by civil society envisaged an ombudsman working at the district level who would attend to complaints on health issues relating to HIV. The idea was that PLHIVs don’t have to go to court. The original drafts envisaged a full-time person working on the issue at the district level. Under the proposed Bill, the ombudsman is now to function at the State level. Moreover s/he can be an ordinary government servant. Now that the ombudsman is neither a full-time officer nor trained in judicial matters and considering the types of issues that he would have to deal with under the bill, the proposed amendment would only result in the whole mechanism becoming unworkable.
- On Needles: Another crucial flaw deals with the needle safety programme. The government has proposed amendment to Clause 22 of the Bill, by deleting all references to needle and syringe exchange. This clause of the Bill was aimed to protect volunteers and patients from illegality.
- On Employment: the Bill does not confer powers to civil courts in relation to employment. As per prevailing law, only a government or a public sector employee can seek employment or reinstatement if s/he is discriminated and not employed or illegally terminated. The law as originally drafted provided for specific powers to the civil court including employment and reinstatement and compensation for loss of wages and damages (including private sector related discrimination of PLHIVs)). None of this is provided in the latest version currently waiting to be passed in Parliament.
http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/health/A-Bill-that-falls-short/article16707488.ece
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Incorrect
Solution: d.
- The phrase “as far as possible”: In the Bill, the proposed Section 14 talks of prevention measures that the Central or State governments may take, “as far as possible,” for the provision of Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART) and Opportunistic Infection (OI) Management, against the spread of HIV. The amendment also goes on to provide drugs for both ART and OI ‘as far as possible’.
- Ombudsman Scope: The law as drafted by civil society envisaged an ombudsman working at the district level who would attend to complaints on health issues relating to HIV. The idea was that PLHIVs don’t have to go to court. The original drafts envisaged a full-time person working on the issue at the district level. Under the proposed Bill, the ombudsman is now to function at the State level. Moreover s/he can be an ordinary government servant. Now that the ombudsman is neither a full-time officer nor trained in judicial matters and considering the types of issues that he would have to deal with under the bill, the proposed amendment would only result in the whole mechanism becoming unworkable.
- On Needles: Another crucial flaw deals with the needle safety programme. The government has proposed amendment to Clause 22 of the Bill, by deleting all references to needle and syringe exchange. This clause of the Bill was aimed to protect volunteers and patients from illegality.
- On Employment: the Bill does not confer powers to civil courts in relation to employment. As per prevailing law, only a government or a public sector employee can seek employment or reinstatement if s/he is discriminated and not employed or illegally terminated. The law as originally drafted provided for specific powers to the civil court including employment and reinstatement and compensation for loss of wages and damages (including private sector related discrimination of PLHIVs)). None of this is provided in the latest version currently waiting to be passed in Parliament.
http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/health/A-Bill-that-falls-short/article16707488.ece
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Question 2 of 9
2. Question
1 points“Kallakadal”, a meteorological phenomenon, refers to
Correct
Solution: a.
- The flash floods (Kallakadal) that wrecked havoc in the coastal areas of Kerala come furtively from a distance, nearly 6,000 km away from the Southern Indian Ocean, scientists have concluded.
- Kallakadal, as they are locally known, or flash floods that swept across the Kerala coast in 2005 caught the scientific community and local communities off-guard. There were no apparent oceanographic reasons or scientific explanations for the process.
- While locally visible weather features like cyclones or storm surges could account for the usual coastal flooding, it is the absence of such elements that baffled the scientists. The failure of the ocean forecast systems to predict the process added mystery to it.
- Studies carried out by the scientists of the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), Hyderabad, revealed that the flash-flooding reported along the south-west coast was caused by the swell waves coming from the Southern Ocean.
Incorrect
Solution: a.
- The flash floods (Kallakadal) that wrecked havoc in the coastal areas of Kerala come furtively from a distance, nearly 6,000 km away from the Southern Indian Ocean, scientists have concluded.
- Kallakadal, as they are locally known, or flash floods that swept across the Kerala coast in 2005 caught the scientific community and local communities off-guard. There were no apparent oceanographic reasons or scientific explanations for the process.
- While locally visible weather features like cyclones or storm surges could account for the usual coastal flooding, it is the absence of such elements that baffled the scientists. The failure of the ocean forecast systems to predict the process added mystery to it.
- Studies carried out by the scientists of the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), Hyderabad, revealed that the flash-flooding reported along the south-west coast was caused by the swell waves coming from the Southern Ocean.
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Question 3 of 9
3. Question
1 pointsWastewater treatment can involve which of the following processes?
- Physical
- Chemical
- Biological
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
Correct
Solution: d.
Treatment of wastewater involves physical, chemical, and biological processes, which remove physical, chemical and biological matter that contaminates the wastewater.
“The levels of organic matter in sewage are too low to be directly recovered. We investigated how we can use bacteria to capture this material,” said one of the researchers Francis Meerburg. “We periodically starve the bacteria, in a kind of ‘fasting regimen’ Afterwards, waste-water is briefly brought into contact with the starved bacteria which are gluttonous and gobble up the organic matter without ingesting all of it,” Professor Nico Boon said. “This enables us to harvest the undigested materials for the production of energy and high-quality products. We starve the rest of the bacteria, so that they can purify fresh sewage again,” Boon explained.
The researchers said their approach is unique because they have developed a high rate variation of the so-called contact-stabilisation process. By using the contact-stabilisation process, up to 55 per cent of the organic matter could be recovered from sewage, the researchers said. This is a huge step forward, because the existing processes cannot recover more than 20 to 30 per cent. The researchers calculated that this amount can provide sufficient amounts of energy to completely treat sewage without the need for external electricity.
Ch-18, Class 7, Science, NCERT;
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Incorrect
Solution: d.
Treatment of wastewater involves physical, chemical, and biological processes, which remove physical, chemical and biological matter that contaminates the wastewater.
“The levels of organic matter in sewage are too low to be directly recovered. We investigated how we can use bacteria to capture this material,” said one of the researchers Francis Meerburg. “We periodically starve the bacteria, in a kind of ‘fasting regimen’ Afterwards, waste-water is briefly brought into contact with the starved bacteria which are gluttonous and gobble up the organic matter without ingesting all of it,” Professor Nico Boon said. “This enables us to harvest the undigested materials for the production of energy and high-quality products. We starve the rest of the bacteria, so that they can purify fresh sewage again,” Boon explained.
The researchers said their approach is unique because they have developed a high rate variation of the so-called contact-stabilisation process. By using the contact-stabilisation process, up to 55 per cent of the organic matter could be recovered from sewage, the researchers said. This is a huge step forward, because the existing processes cannot recover more than 20 to 30 per cent. The researchers calculated that this amount can provide sufficient amounts of energy to completely treat sewage without the need for external electricity.
Ch-18, Class 7, Science, NCERT;
—
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Question 4 of 9
4. Question
1 pointsConsider the following statements:
- Milk from desi (indigenous) cows naturally contain A1 type milk protein.
- A1 type milk protein is known to protect humans from various chronic health problems such as Cardio Vascular Diseases and Diabetes.
Which of the statements above is/are correct?
Correct
Solution: d.
This question has been posted here before.
“In the recent years A1 and A2 type milk has emerged as one of the hot debating topic among the consumers worldwide. Studies suggest that milk from cows with A2 type is for healthier than their A1 counterparts. Shri Singh said that Milk from desi (indigenous) cows naturally contains A2 type milk protein. The indigenous breeds of cows produce A2 type milk protein which is known to protect us from various chronic health problems such as Cardio Vascular Diseases, Diabetes and neurological disorders besides providing several other health benefits.”
Primary Source: http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=142254
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Improvisation: http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=154397
Incorrect
Solution: d.
This question has been posted here before.
“In the recent years A1 and A2 type milk has emerged as one of the hot debating topic among the consumers worldwide. Studies suggest that milk from cows with A2 type is for healthier than their A1 counterparts. Shri Singh said that Milk from desi (indigenous) cows naturally contains A2 type milk protein. The indigenous breeds of cows produce A2 type milk protein which is known to protect us from various chronic health problems such as Cardio Vascular Diseases, Diabetes and neurological disorders besides providing several other health benefits.”
Primary Source: http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=142254
—
Improvisation: http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=154397
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Question 5 of 9
5. Question
1 points‘Hydroponics’ is the process of
Correct
Solution: a.
The word, Hydroponic, comes from Latin and means working water. Simply put, it is the art of growing plants without soil.
Improvisation: http://www.bbc.com/news/business-38089984
Incorrect
Solution: a.
The word, Hydroponic, comes from Latin and means working water. Simply put, it is the art of growing plants without soil.
Improvisation: http://www.bbc.com/news/business-38089984
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Question 6 of 9
6. Question
1 pointsThe world’s first entirely robot-run farm will open in 2017 in
Correct
Solution: b.
“Driverless tractors that can follow pre-programmed routes are already being deployed at large farms around the world. Drones are buzzing over fields assessing crop health and soil conditions. Ground sensors are monitoring the amount of water and nutrients in the soil, triggering irrigation and fertiliser applications. And in Japan, the world’s first entirely automated lettuce farm (First robot-run farm by the company “Spread”)is due for launch next year.”
“Japan’s shrinking agricultural sector is a reflection of a wider demographic crisis, with the average age of the country’s farmers rising to 65.9 in 2011. According to government figures, agriculture accounted for just 1.2% of Japanese gross domestic product in 2013, while the number of full-time farmers was 1.7 million in 2014, down from 2.2 million a decade earlier.” … What’s also interesting is that this farm will be a vertical farm, dependent not on the weather/climate but on LED lighting developed specifically for plant cultivation.
Improvisation: http://www.bbc.com/news/business-38089984
Incorrect
Solution: b.
“Driverless tractors that can follow pre-programmed routes are already being deployed at large farms around the world. Drones are buzzing over fields assessing crop health and soil conditions. Ground sensors are monitoring the amount of water and nutrients in the soil, triggering irrigation and fertiliser applications. And in Japan, the world’s first entirely automated lettuce farm (First robot-run farm by the company “Spread”)is due for launch next year.”
“Japan’s shrinking agricultural sector is a reflection of a wider demographic crisis, with the average age of the country’s farmers rising to 65.9 in 2011. According to government figures, agriculture accounted for just 1.2% of Japanese gross domestic product in 2013, while the number of full-time farmers was 1.7 million in 2014, down from 2.2 million a decade earlier.” … What’s also interesting is that this farm will be a vertical farm, dependent not on the weather/climate but on LED lighting developed specifically for plant cultivation.
Improvisation: http://www.bbc.com/news/business-38089984
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Question 7 of 9
7. Question
1 points. “Solar Impulse”, recently seen in the news, is
Correct
Solution: d.
“Solar Impulse is a Swiss long-range experimental solar-powered aircraft project, and also the name of the project’s two operational aircraft. The privately financed project is led by Swiss engineer and businessman André Borschberg and Swiss psychiatrist and aeronaut Bertrand Piccard, who co-piloted Breitling Orbiter 3, the first balloon to circle the world non-stop. The Solar Impulse project’s goals were to make the first circumnavigation of the Earth by a piloted fixed-wing aircraft using only solar power and to bring attention to clean technologies.”
Incorrect
Solution: d.
“Solar Impulse is a Swiss long-range experimental solar-powered aircraft project, and also the name of the project’s two operational aircraft. The privately financed project is led by Swiss engineer and businessman André Borschberg and Swiss psychiatrist and aeronaut Bertrand Piccard, who co-piloted Breitling Orbiter 3, the first balloon to circle the world non-stop. The Solar Impulse project’s goals were to make the first circumnavigation of the Earth by a piloted fixed-wing aircraft using only solar power and to bring attention to clean technologies.”
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Question 8 of 9
8. Question
1 pointsWhat purpose can the ‘Cash Reserve Ratio’ (CRR) tool be used for by the Reserve Bank of India?
- It helps control the money supply.
- It ensures that banks don’t run out of cash when depositors demand money.
- It helps control inflation.
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
Correct
Solution: d.
The reserve deposit ratio (rdr) is a determinant of money supply. Rdr is the proportion of the total deposits commercial banks keep as reserves. To maintain a healthy rdr in commercial banks, Cash Reserve Ratio is one tool. Other tools include SLR and Bank Rate. When money supply comes under discussion, so will inflation. The latter is proportional to the former.
Page 39, Macroeconomics, Class 12 NCERT;
Improvisation: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/money-and-banking/banks-told-to-maintain-addl-average-daily-balance-with-rbi/article9389836.ece
Incorrect
Solution: d.
The reserve deposit ratio (rdr) is a determinant of money supply. Rdr is the proportion of the total deposits commercial banks keep as reserves. To maintain a healthy rdr in commercial banks, Cash Reserve Ratio is one tool. Other tools include SLR and Bank Rate. When money supply comes under discussion, so will inflation. The latter is proportional to the former.
Page 39, Macroeconomics, Class 12 NCERT;
Improvisation: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/money-and-banking/banks-told-to-maintain-addl-average-daily-balance-with-rbi/article9389836.ece
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Question 9 of 9
9. Question
1 pointsThe RBI, in an attempt to absorb some of the surplus liquidity available in the banking system, asked banks to maintain an incremental cash reserve ratio of
Correct
Solution: a.
- The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Saturday unexpectedly ordered banks to deposit their extra cash with it, in a bid to absorb excess liquidity generated by a government ban on larger banknotes.
- The central bank said banks would need to transfer 100% of their cash under the RBI’s cash reserve ratio from deposits generated between 16 September and 11 November, saying it was a temporary measure that would be reviewed on or before 9 December.
- The incremental CRR prescribes the reserve ratio based on the extent of growth in resources (deposits). It immobilises the excess liquidity from where it is lodged (the banks which show high growth), unlike the average ratio which impounds from the banks which are slow-growing as well as banks which are fast-growing. It also avoids the jerkiness of the average ratio.
—
Incorrect
Solution: a.
- The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Saturday unexpectedly ordered banks to deposit their extra cash with it, in a bid to absorb excess liquidity generated by a government ban on larger banknotes.
- The central bank said banks would need to transfer 100% of their cash under the RBI’s cash reserve ratio from deposits generated between 16 September and 11 November, saying it was a temporary measure that would be reviewed on or before 9 December.
- The incremental CRR prescribes the reserve ratio based on the extent of growth in resources (deposits). It immobilises the excess liquidity from where it is lodged (the banks which show high growth), unlike the average ratio which impounds from the banks which are slow-growing as well as banks which are fast-growing. It also avoids the jerkiness of the average ratio.
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