DAY – 12(InstaTest-12): Insta 75 Days Revision Plan-2020: Topic – Geography,Subject-wise Test 6, Textbook based Test 10 and September 2019 CA

Solution: B

The mesosphere lies above the stratosphere, which extends up to a height of 80 km. In this layer, once again, temperature starts decreasing with the increase in altitude and reaches up to minus 100°C at the height of 80 km. The upper limit of mesosphere is known as the mesopause. The ionosphere is located between 80 and 400 km above the mesopause. It contains electrically charged particles known as ions, and hence, it is known as ionosphere. Radio waves transmitted from the earth are reflected back to the earth by this layer. Temperature here starts increasing with height.

Extra Learning:

Aurora : Multicoloured lights that appear in the upper atmosphere (ionosphere) over the polar regions and visible from locations in the middle and high latitudes. Caused by the interaction of solar wind with oxygen and nitrogen gas in the atmosphere. Aurora in the Northern Hemisphere are called aurora borealis and aurora australis in the Southern Hemisphere.

Solution: D

The government is planning to procure almost 12 lakh metric tonnes of apple this season, under the MISP.

About the Market Intervention Price Scheme:

• It is a price support mechanism implemented on the request of State Governments.
• It is for procurement of perishable and horticultural commodities in the event of a fall in market prices.
• The Scheme is implemented when there is at least 10% increase in production or 10% decrease in the ruling rates over the previous normal year.
• Its objective is to protect the growers of these horticultural/agricultural commodities from making distress sale in the event of bumper crop during the peak arrival period when prices fall to very low level.
• The Department of Agriculture & Cooperation is implementing the scheme.

Funding:

• Under MIP, funds are not allocated to the States.
• Instead, central share of losses as per the guidelines of MIP is released to the State Governments/UTs, for which MIP has been approved, based on specific proposals received from them.
• The area of operation is restricted to the concerned state only.

The MIS has been implemented in case of commodities like apples, kinnoo/malta, garlic, oranges, galgal, grapes, mushrooms, clove, black pepper, pineapple, ginger, red-chillies, coriander seed etc.

https://www.insightsonindia.com/2019/09/11/market-intervention-price-scheme/

Solution: B

The earth receives almost all of its energy from the sun. The earth in turn radiates back to space the energy received from the sun. As a result, the earth neither warms up nor does it get cooled over a period of time. Thus, the amount of heat received by different parts of the earth is not the same.

This variation causes pressure differences in the atmosphere. This leads to transfer of heat from one region to the other by winds.

Solution: A

Inversion of temperature:

Normally, temperature decreases with increase in elevation. It is called normal lapse rate. At times, the situations are reversed and the normal lapse rate is inverted. It is called Inversion of temperature. Inversion is usually of short duration but quite common nonetheless. A long winter night with clear skies and still air is ideal situation for inversion. The heat of the day is radiated off during the night, and by early morning hours, the earth is cooler than the air above. Over polar areas, temperature inversion is normal throughout the year. Surface inversion promotes stability in the lower layers of the atmosphere. Smoke and dust particles get collected beneath the inversion layer and spread horizontally to fill the lower strata of the atmosphere. Dense fogs in mornings are common occurrences especially during winter season. This inversion commonly lasts for few hours until the sun comes up and beings to warm the earth. The inversion takes place in hills and mountains due to air drainage. Cold air at the hills and mountains, produced during night, flows under the influence of gravity. Being heavy and dense, the cold air acts almost like water and moves down the slope to pile up deeply in pockets and valley bottoms with warm air above. This is called air drainage. It protects plants from frost damages.

Solution: A

Circulations from the surface upwards and vice-versa are called cells. Such a cell in the tropics is called Hadley Cell. In the middle latitudes the circulation is that of sinking cold air that comes from the poles and the rising warm air that blows from the subtropical high. At the surface these winds are called westerlies and the cell is known as the Ferrel cell. At polar

latitudes the cold dense air subsides near the poles and blows towards middle latitudes as the polar easterlies. This cell is called the polar cell. These three cells set the pattern for the general circulation of the atmosphere. The transfer of heat energy from lower latitudes to higher latitudes maintains the general circulation.

Solution: C

29th Meeting of the Northern Zonal Council Held recently.

Zonal councils:

• Statutory bodies established under the States Reorganisation Act 1956 and not constitutional bodies. They are only deliberative and advisory bodies.
• Aim:  to promote interstate cooperation and coordination.

There are 5 five Zonal councils namely:

• The Northern Zonal Council, comprising the States of Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan, National Capital Territory of Delhi and Union Territory of Chandigarh.
• The Central Zonal Council, comprising the States of Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.
• The Eastern Zonal Council, comprising the States of Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa, and West Bengal.
• The Western Zonal Council, comprising the States of Goa, Gujarat, Maharashtra and the Union Territories of Daman & Diu and Dadra & Nagar Haveli.
• The Southern Zonal Council, comprising the States of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and the Union Territory of Puducherry.

The North Eastern States i.e. (i) Assam (ii) Arunachal Pradesh (iii) Manipur (iv) Tripura (v) Mizoram (vi) Meghalaya (vii) Sikkim and (viii) Nagaland are not included in the Zonal Councils and their special problems are looked after by the North Eastern Council, set up under the North Eastern Council Act, 1972.

Composition:

• Chairman – The Union Home Minister is the Chairman of each of these Councils.
• Vice Chairman – The Chief Ministers of the States included in each zone act as Vice-Chairman of the Zonal Council for that zone by rotation, each holding office for a period of one year at a time.
• Members– Chief Minister and two other Ministers as nominated by the Governor from each of the States and two members from Union Territories included in the zone.
• Advisers– One person nominated by the Planning Commission (which has been replaced by NITI Ayog now) for each of the Zonal Councils, Chief Secretaries and another officer/Development Commissioner nominated by each of the States included in the Zone.
• Union Ministers are also invited to participate in the meetings of Zonal Councils depending upon necessity.

The main objectives of setting up of Zonal Councils are:

• Bringing out national integration.
• Arresting the growth of acute State consciousness, regionalism, linguism and particularistic tendencies.
• Enabling the Centre and the States to co-operate and exchange ideas and experiences.
• Establishing a climate of co-operation amongst the States for successful and speedy execution of development projects.

https://www.insightsonindia.com/2019/09/19/zonal-councils/

Solution: C

Solution: C

In general, the effect of the latitude on temperature is well pronounced on the map, as the isotherms are generally parallel to the latitude. The deviation from this general trend is more pronounced in January than in July, especially in the northern hemisphere. In the northern hemisphere the land surface area is much larger than in the southern hemisphere. Hence, the effects of land mass and the ocean currents are well pronounced. In January the isotherms deviate to the north over the ocean and to the south over the continent. This can be seen on the North Atlantic Ocean. The presence of warm ocean currents, Gulf Stream and North Atlantic drift, make the Northern Atlantic Ocean warmer and the isotherms bend towards the north. Over the land the temperature decreases sharply and the isotherms bend towards south in Europe.

Extra Learning:

Solution: A

Solution: B

Government has revived National Population Register project at a time when National Register of Citizens has been published in Assam. This has raised concerns among many.

What is National Population Register (NPR)?

• It is a Register of usual residents of the country.
• It is being prepared at the local (Village/sub-Town), sub-District, District, State and National level under provisions of the Citizenship Act 1955 and the Citizenship (Registration of Citizens and issue of National Identity Cards) Rules, 2003.
• It is mandatory for every usual resident of India to register in the NPR.
• Objectives: To create a comprehensive identity database of every usual resident in the country.

Who is a usual resident?

• A usual resident is defined for the purposes of NPR as a person who has resided in a local area for the past 6 months or more or a person who intends to reside in that area for the next 6 months or more.

Components:

• The NPR database would contain demographic as well as biometric details.
• As per the provisions of the NPR, a resident identity card (RIC)will be issued to individuals over the age of 18.
• This will be a chip-embedded smart card containing the demographic and biometric attributes of each individual.
• The UID number will also be printed on the card.

What is the controversy around it?

• Comes in the backdrop of the NRC excluding 19 lakh people in Assam.
• Even as a debate continues on Aadhaar and privacy, the NPR intends to collect a much larger amount of personal data on residents of India.
• The idea of conducting a nationwide NRC would only happen on the basis of the upcoming NPR. After a list of residents is created, a nationwide NRC could go about verifying the citizens from that list.
• There is yet no clarity on the mechanism for protection of this vast amount of data.

Why does the government want so much data?

• Every country must have a comprehensive identity database of its residents with relevant demographic details. It will help the government formulate its policies better and also aid national security.
• It will ease the life of those residing in India by cutting red tape. Not only will it help target government beneficiaries in a better way, but also further cut down paperwork and red tape in a similar manner that Aadhaar has done.
• With NPR data, residents will not have to furnish various proofs of age, address and other details in official work.
• It would also eliminate duplication in voter lists, government insists.

https://www.insightsonindia.com/2019/09/27/national-population-register-npr-2/

Solution: C

World Distribution of Sea Level Pressure

Near the equator the sea level pressure is low and the area is known as equatorial low. Along 30° N and 30° S are found the high-pressure areas known as the subtropical highs. Further pole wards along 60o N and 60o S, the low-pressure belts are termed as the sub polar lows. Near the poles the pressure is high and it is known as the polar high.

Solution: C

The Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) is a statutory corporate fraud investigating agency in India. Initially, it was set up by a resolution adopted by the Government of India on 2 July 2003 and carried out investigations within the existing legal framework under section 235 to 247 of the erstwhile Companies Act, 1956.

Later, Section 211 of the Companies Act, 2013, accorded the statutory status to the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO). It is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Government of India & primarily supervised by officers from Indian Corporate Law Service, Indian Administrative Service, Indian Police Service, Indian Revenue Service and other Central Services.

The organisation has experts from various financial sector domains. The SFIO is mandated to conduct Multi-disciplinary investigations of major corporate frauds.

It is a multi-disciplinary organization having experts from financial sector, capital market, accountancy, forensic audit, taxation, law, information technology, company law, customs and investigation.

https://sfio.nic.in/about_history_sfio

Solution: A

Solution: D

Global Liveability Index 2019:

• The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) has released the Global Liveability Index 2019.
• The index ranks 140 global cities based on their living conditions.
• Significance: The liveability index quantifies the challenges that might be presented to an individual’s lifestyle in 140 cities worldwide, and assesses which locations provide the best living conditions.
• The list is topped by Vienna (Austria) for the second consecutive year.

The survey rates cities worldwide based on 30 qualitative and quantitative criteria, which fall into five general categories:

• Stability
• Health care.
• Culture and environment.
• Education
• Infrastructure

Performance of Indian cities:

• New Delhi has dropped by six places to rank 118th on the list.
• Mumbai also fell two places since last year to rank 119th.

Reasons for decline in liveability in Indian cities:

• Abuses against journalists.
• Rise in Crime rates.
• Climatic changes.
• Constrained liveability conditions.

https://www.insightsonindia.com/2019/09/05/global-liveability-index/

Solution: D

Forces Affecting the Velocity and Direction of Wind

The air is set in motion due to the differences in atmospheric pressure. The air in motion is called wind. The wind blows from high pressure to low pressure. The wind at the surface experiences friction. In addition, rotation of the earth also affects the wind movement. The force exerted by the rotation of the earth is known as the Coriolis force. Thus, the horizontal winds near the earth surface respond to the combined effect of three forces – the pressure gradient force, the frictional force and the Coriolis force. In addition, the gravitational force acts downward.

Solution: D

Water vapor present in the air is known as humidity. It is expressed quantitatively in different ways. The actual amount of the water vapour present in the atmosphere is known as the absolute humidity. It is the weight of water vapour per unit volume of air and is expressed in terms of grams per cubic metre. The ability of the air to hold water vapour depends entirely on its temperature. The absolute humidity differs from place to place on the surface of the earth. The percentage of moisture present in the atmosphere as compared to its full capacity at a given temperature is known as the relative humidity. With the change of air temperature, the capacity to retain moisture increases or decreases and the relative humidity is also affected. It is greater over the oceans and least over the continents. The air containing moisture to its full capacity at a given temperature is said to be saturated. It means that the air at the given temperature is incapable of holding any additional amount of moisture at that stage. The temperature at which saturation occurs in a given sample of air is known as dew point.

As air temperature increases, air can hold more water molecules, and its relative humidity decreases. When temperatures drop, relative humidity increases. High relative humidity of the air occurs when the air temperature approaches the dew point value. Temperature therefore directly relates to the amount of moisture the atmosphere can hold.

Solution: A

The recent controversy over the transfer of the Chief Justice of the Madras High Court, Justice Vijaya Kamlesh Tahilramani, to the Meghalaya High Court has once again brought to the fore a long-standing debate on the functioning of the ‘Collegium’ of judges.

What is the Collegium system?

• The Collegium of judges does not figure in the Constitution. It is the Supreme Court’s invention.
• Constitution says judges of the Supreme Court and High Courts are appointed by the President and speaks of a process of consultation.
• Therefore, Collegium is a system under which judges are appointed by an institution comprising judges.
• Collegium also recommends the transfer of Chief Justices and other judges.

How did this come into being?

• ‘First Judges Case’ (1981) ruled that the “consultation” with the CJI in the matter of appointments must be full and effective. However, the CJI’s opinion should have primacy.
• Second Judges Case (1993) introduced the Collegium system, holding that “consultation” really meant “concurrence”. It added that it was not the CJI’s individual opinion, but an institutional opinion formed in consultation with the two senior-most judges in the Supreme Court.
• Third Judges Case (1998): SC on President’s reference expanded the Collegium to a five-member body, comprising the CJI and four of his senior-most colleagues.

Procedure followed by the Collegium:

• The President of India appoints the CJI and the other SC judges.
• For other judges of the top court, the proposal is initiated by the CJI.
• The CJI consults the rest of the Collegium members, as well as the senior-most judge of the court hailing from the High Court to which the recommended person belongs.
• The consultees must record their opinions in writing and it should form part of the file.
• The Collegium sends the recommendation to the Law Minister, who forwards it to the Prime Minister to advise the President.
• The Chief Justice of High Courts is appointed as per the policy of having Chief Justices from outside the respective States.
• The Collegium takes the call on the elevation.

Appointment of CJI for High Courts:

• High Court judges are recommended by a Collegium comprising the CJI and two senior-most judges.
• The proposal, however, is initiated by the Chief Justice of the High Court concerned in consultation with two senior-most colleagues.
• The recommendation is sent to the Chief Minister, who advises the Governor to send the proposal to the Union Law Minister.

Common criticism made against the Collegium system:

• Opaqueness and a lack of transparency.
• Scope for nepotism.
• Embroilment in public controversies.
• Overlooks several talented junior judges and advocates.

Attempts to reform:

• The attempt made to replace it by a ‘National Judicial Appointments Commission’ was struck down by the court in 2015 on the ground that it posed a threat to the independence of the judiciary.

Reforms needed:

• A transparent and participatory procedure, preferably by an independent broad-based constitutional body guaranteeing judicial primacy but not judicial exclusivity.
• It should ensure independence, reflect diversity, demonstrate professional competence and integrity.
• Instead of selecting the number of judges required against a certain number of vacancies, the collegium must provide a panel of possible names to the President to appointment in order of preference and other valid criteri

https://www.insightsonindia.com/2019/09/16/collegium-of-supreme-court-judges/

Solution: D

Tropical cyclones originate and intensify over warm tropical oceans. The conditions favorable for the formation and intensification of tropical storms are:

(i) Large sea surface with temperature higher than 27° C;

(ii) Presence of the Coriolis force;

(iii) Small variations in the vertical wind speed;

(iv) A pre-existing weak low-pressure area or low-level-cyclonic circulation;

(v) Upper divergence above the sea level system.

The energy that intensifies the storm, comes from the condensation process in the towering cumulonimbus clouds, surrounding the centre of the storm. With continuous supply of moisture from the sea, the storm is further strengthened. On reaching the land the moisture supply is cut off and the storm dissipates. The place where a tropical cyclone crosses the coast is called the landfall of the cyclone. The cyclones, which cross 20° N latitude generally, recurve and they are more destructive.

Solution: A

The Chagos Archipelago or Chagos Islands (formerly the Bassas de Chagas, and later the Oil Islands) are a group of seven atolls comprising more than 60 individual tropical islands in the Indian Ocean about 500 kilometres (310 mi) south of the Maldives archipelago.

This chain of islands is the southernmost archipelago of the Chagos-Laccadive Ridge, a long submarine mountain range in the Indian Ocean.

Chagos Islands are home to US military base of diego Garcia under lease from the UK since 1960s.  ICJ recently ruled that UK must hand over Chagos islands to Mauritius and complete the process of decolonization

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-50511847

Solution: D

Land and Sea Breezes

The land and sea absorb and transfer heat differently. During the day the land heats up faster and becomes warmer than the sea. Therefore, over the land the air rises giving rise to a low-pressure area, whereas the sea is relatively cool and the pressure over sea is relatively high. Thus, pressure gradient from sea to land is created and the wind blows from the sea to the land as the sea breeze. In the night the reversal of condition takes place. The land loses heat faster and is cooler than the sea. The pressure gradient is from the land to the sea and hence land breeze results (Figure 10.7).

Solution: B

Kyrgyzstan is a landlocked country with mountainous terrain. It is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west and  southwest, Tajikistan to the southwest and China to the east. Its capital and largest city is Bishkek.

Solution: D

The earth as a whole does not accumulate or loose heat. It maintains its temperature. This can happen only if the amount of heat received in the form of insolation equals the amount lost by the earth through terrestrial radiation. Consider that the insolation received at the top of the atmosphere is 100 per cent. While passing through the atmosphere some amount of energy is reflected, scattered and absorbed. Only the remaining part reaches the earth surface. Roughly 35 units are reflected back to space even before reaching the earth’s surface. Of these, 27 units are reflected back from the top of the clouds and 2 units from the snow and ice-covered areas of the earth. The reflected amount of radiation is called the albedo of the earth.

The remaining 65 units are absorbed, 14 units within the atmosphere and 51 units by the earth’s surface.

Solution: B

The ASEAN Way is defined a shared of norms, principles, and values governing the interactions of ASEAN member states. Keeping ASEAN together despite these deep cultural, economic and political differences – along with mistrust between different members – has always been an immense challenge.

Unlike other regional or international organizations, ASEAN possesses its own model of diplomatic engagement: the ASEAN Way.

Solution: B

Solution: A

Russia’s S-400 Triumph air defence system integrates a multifunction radar, autonomous detection and targeting systems, anti-aircraft missile systems, launchers, and command and control centre. It is capable of firing three types of missiles to create a layered defence.

The system can engage all types of aerial targets, including aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), and ballistic and cruise missiles, within the range of 400km at an altitude of up to 30km. The system can simultaneously engage 36 targets.

The S-400 is twice as effective as the previous Russian air defence systems and can be deployed within five minutes. It can also be integrated into the existing and future air defence units of the airforce, army and navy.

https://www.army-technology.com/projects/s-400-triumph-air-defence-missile-system/

Solution: B

Let the cost price of one shirt be x and cost price of one jean be y.
2x + 3y = 2200 ……(i)
2y + 4x = 2400 or 2x + y = 1200 …(ii)
By solving the equation (i) and (ii),
x = Rs.350; y = Rs. 500
Therefore the required ratio = 500 : 350 = 10 : 7

Solution: D

Let Mahesh gets 2x chocolates and Umesh gets 3x chocolates.

Total chocolates = 5x =65

Or x= 13

Therefore, Total chocolates received by Umesh = 3x = 3 * 13 = 39.

Solution: B

Given, ratio of two numbers = 7: 9

Let two numbers be 7x and 9x

If 12 is subtracted from each number, then new numbers are (7x -12) and (9x – 12)

It is given that (7x-12)/(9x-12) = 3/5

=> 5(7x – 12) = 3(9x – 12)

=> 35x – 60 = 27x – 36

=> 8x = 24 or x = 3
Product of the numbers = 7x * 9x = 7(3) * 9(3) = 21 * 27 = 567

Solution: B

Given, the ratio of two numbers = 3 : 2
Let the two numbers be 3x and 2x
Given, their difference = 25
=> 3x – 2x = 25
=> x = 25
Smaller number = 2x = 2 * 25 = 50

Solution: B.

School safety includes safety also from school to home. Hence 1 is wrong. School safety has been talked about at Hyogo Conference, Hence 2 is correct. Hence option (b) is correct.