INSIGHTS CURRENT AFFAIRS ( 9 May 2020) REVISION THROUGH MCQS

Ans: (b)

Explanation:

• A Stringency Index created by Oxford University shows how strict a country’s measures were, and at what stage of the pandemic spread it enforced these. As per the index, India imposed its strictest measures much earlier than others.
• The Stringency Index is a number from 0 to 100 that reflects these indicators. A higher index score indicates a higher level of stringency.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2020/05/09/what-is-stringency-index/

Ans: (c)

Explanation: About the European Court of Justice (ECJ):

• It is a part Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), and is the European Union’s supreme court in matters of EU law.
• Founded in 1952 after the Treaty of Paris.
• It is based in Luxembourg.
• It ensures that EU law is interpreted and applied the same in every EU country, and ensures that countries and EU institutions abide by EU law.
• It settles legal disputes between national governments and EU institutions.
• In terms of hierarchy, the national courts of member countries are understood to be below the ECJ in matters of EU law.
• Following the entrance into force of the Treaty of Lisbon on 1 December 2009, the ECJ’s official name was changed from the “Court of Justice of the European Communities” to the “Court of Justice”.
• Composition:
  • It is composed of one judge per member state – currently 27 – although it normally hears cases in panels of three, five or 15 judges.
  • The President of the Court of Justice is elected from and by the judges for a renewable term of three years.

Refer:  https://www.insightsonindia.com/2020/05/09/insights-daily-current-affairs-pib-summary-9-may-2020/

Ans: (a)

Explanation:

• Stat1: AIIB has 97 members and is open to accepting additional members.
• Stat2: The allocated shares are based on the size of each member country’s economy (calculated using GDP Nominal (60%) and GDP PPP (40%)), whether they are an Asian or Non-Asian Member, and the number of shares determines the fraction of authorized capital in the bank.
• China is the biggest shareholder followed by India.
• See https://fas.org/sgp/crs/row/R44754.pdf and https://www.business-standard.com/article/news-ani/india-is-second-largest-shareholder-of-aiib-piyush-goyal-118062400640_1.html
• Stat3: It has members from outside Asia such as Fiji, New Zealand etc. Membership in AIIB is open to members of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development or the Asian Development Bank. See https://www.aiib.org/en/about-aiib/governance/members-of-bank/index.html

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2020/05/09/asian-infrastructure-investment-bank-aiib-2/

Ans: (d)

Explanation:

• Stat1: Locusts are a collection of certain species of short-horned grasshoppers in the family Acrididae that have a swarming phase.
• Stat2: Four species of locusts are found in India: Desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria), Migratory locust (Locusta migratoria), Bombay Locust (Nomadacris succincta) and Tree locust (Anacridium sp.)
• The desert locust is regarded as the most destructive pest in India as well as internationally, with a small swarm covering one square kilometre being able to consume the same amount of food in one day as 35,000 people.
• Stat3: Locusts are edible insects. Several cultures throughout the world consume insects, and locusts are considered a delicacy and eaten in many African, Middle Eastern, and Asian countries. They have been used as food throughout history.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2020/05/09/locust-attacks-2/

Ans: (d)

Explanation:

• Stat1: The Indian Sundarban, also a UNESCO world heritage site, is home to the Royal Bengal Tiger. It is the 27th Ramsar Site in India, and with an area of 4,23,000 hectares is now the largest protected wetland in the country.
• Stat2: Sajnakhali Wildlife Sanctuary is an IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area) in the northern part of the Sundarbans delta in South 24 Parganas district, West Bengal, India.
• Stat3: As per the All India Tiger Estimates 2018, no tiger was recorded in Buxa (West Bengal), Dampa (Mizoram) Palamu (Jharkhand) Tiger reserves.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2020/05/09/tiger-population-rises-to-96-in-west-bengals-sundarbans/

Ans: (b)

Explanation:

• Stat1: The World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) 2020 was observed on 9th May 2020. It helps to raise global awareness about threats faced by migratory birds, their ecological importance, and need for international cooperation to conserve them.
• The first WMBD was celebrated in 2006.
• Organized By: The Convention on Migratory Species (CMS), the African-Eurasian Waterbird Agreement (AEWA) together with Environment for the Americas (EFTA).
• Theme: “Birds Connect Our World”.
• Stat2: In order to protect the migratory species throughout their range countries, a Convention on Conservation of Migratory Species (CMS), has been in force, under the aegis of United Nations Environment Programme.
• Also referred to as the Bonn Convention, it provides a global platform for the conservation and sustainable use of migratory animals and their habitats and brings together the States through which migratory animals pass, the Range States, and lays the legal foundation for internationally coordinated conservation measures throughout a migratory range.
• Stat3: Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary is an estuarine mangrove habitat, which is declared as the bird sanctuary, and located on western tip of the Island of Chorão along the Mandovi River, Goa, in India. The sanctuary is named after Salim Ali, the eminent Indian ornithologist.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2020/05/09/world-migratory-bird-day-wmbd-2/

Ans: (c)

Explanation:

• The Resistance Front has claimed responsibility for the attack in Kupwara district along the Line of Control on April 5, 2020, where 5 army personnel were killed.
• It is an offshoot of the terrorist group Lashkar-e-Toiba and is also associated with other terror outfits such as Hizbul Mujahideen, Jaish-e-Mohammed.
• Various Indian security agencies operating in Kashmir feel that the ‘TRF’ was formed due to the pressure on Pakistan from the FATF to cut down on the funding of the terrorist groups.

Refer: Facts for Prelims: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2020/05/09/insights-daily-current-affairs-pib-summary-9-may-2020/

Ans: (d)

Explanation:

• Option A: Rice fields are wetlands that release methane which is a GHG accelerating global warming.
• Option B: Cattle breeding also release methane. So, B is wrong.
• Option C: Permafrost contains carbon that was trapped since ages, and its release after melting accelerates global warming. The concept has been covered in an earlier test.
• Option D: Suspended particles from volcanic ash, when spread in the atmosphere, reduce solar insolation and help cool off the earth.

Ans: (a)

Explanation:

• Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary & National Park is situated at this tri-junction on the North Eastern Slopes of the Nilgiris part of Western Ghats descending to the Mysore Plateau.
• With Bandipur Tiger Reserve (Karnataka) in the north, and Waynad Wildlife Sanctuary (Kerala) in the west the region forms a single, continuous viable habitat for a varied range of wildlife and is a part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve.
• While Mudumalai’s western half receives the southwest monsoon, the eastern tracts receive the relatively gentler north-east monsoon which results in a diversity of vegetation types and typical migration of herbivores.

Refer: https://www.mudumalaitigerreserve.com/

Ans: (b)

Explanation:

• Stat1: Limestones can’t bear the heavy weight of Himalayas. The core is actually made of granite rocks.
• Stat2: It is one of the rivers in India that flows in a rift valley, flowing west between the Satpura and Vindhya ranges.
• Stat3: The Deccan Plateau is a large triangular plateau, bounded by the Vindhyas to the north and flanked by the Eastern and Western Ghats.
• This region is mostly semi-arid as it lies on the leeward side of both Ghats. Much of the Deccan is covered by thorn scrub forest scattered with small regions of deciduous broadleaf forest. Climate in the Deccan ranges from hot summers to mild winters.