QUIZ – 2020: Insights Current Affairs Quiz, 13 October 2020

Solution: d)

There are a number of practices that can reduce emissions from agriculture. One is alternate wetting and drying of paddy. “By reducing the frequency of irrigation (letting the fields drain periodically), methane emissions from flooded rice production can be cut in half.

Another method that can work is increasing the productivity of milk and meat production. “Increasing animal and herd productivity means that fewer animals are required to produce the same amount of milk or meat, which also reduces the emissions generated in producing that food.”

Many of the practices used in organic agriculture are climate smart. Organic agriculture enhances natural nutrient cycling and builds soil organic matter, which can also support resilience to climate change and sequester carbon in soils.

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Solution: b)

Studies have found that bats play a vital role in pollination, mainly of large-flowered plants, and in crop protection.

About 29 per cent of all bats depend upon plants for food.

Nectar-feeding bats are major pollinators for 528 species of ecologically and economically important plants. Being arboreal mammals, bats are major pollinators of rainforest trees in the Western Ghats, as well as 141 species of fruit trees in the tropics, including economically important species like mahua, neem, wild banana and palms.

Bats are major pollinators for many species of mangroves which are important for coastal ecosystems and local livelihoods.

Insectivorous bats, which make up 70 per cent of all bat species, are voracious predators of nocturnal insects and crop pests, thus their diversity contributes directly to enhancing crop productivity with tremendous economic impact.

Bats contribute significantly to soil fertility and nutrient distribution due to their large numbers, high mobility and varied habitats for roosting and foraging. Bat guano (droppings) provides organic input to soil and facilitates nutrient transfer, contributing to soil fertility and agricultural productivity.

Several species of bats, in fact, contribute to human health by reducing populations of mosquitoes and other insect vectors that spread malaria, dengue, chikungunya and other diseases.

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Solution: b)

The Central Zoo Authority (CZA) is the body of the government of India responsible for oversight of zoos. It is an affiliate member of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA).

The CZA was formed to bring Indian zoos up to international standards.

The Central Zoo Authority has been constituted under the section 38A of Wild Life (Protection) Act 1972. The Authority consists of a Chairman, ten members and a Member Secretary.

Every zoo in the country is required to obtain recognition from the Authority for its operation. Zoos which have no potential to come up to the prescribed standards and norms may be refused recognition and asked to close down.

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Solution: a)

The Group of Seven (G7) is an international intergovernmental economic organization consisting of seven major developed countries: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States, which are the largest IMF-advanced economies in the world.

As of 2018, the seven countries involved represent 58% of the global net wealth.

The European Union (EU) is sometimes considered to be a de-facto eighth member of the G-7, since it holds all the rights and responsibilities of full members except to chair or host the meeting.

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Solution: c)

United Nations Peacekeeping was created in 1948. Its first mission involved the establishment of the UN Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO), which served to observe and maintain ceasefire during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.

United Nations Peacekeeping helps countries torn by conflict create conditions for lasting peace.

Peacekeeping has proven to be one of the most effective tools available to the UN to assist host countries navigate the difficult path from conflict to peace.

UN Peacekeeping is guided by three basic principles:

• Consent of the parties.
• Impartiality
• Non-use of force except in self-defence and defence of the mandate.

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