INSIGHTS CURRENT AFFAIRS ( 5 May 2021) REVISION THROUGH MCQS

Ans: (d)

Explanation:

• S2: President may, with the consent of the state government, entrust to that government any of the executive functions of the Centre. Conversely, the governor of a state may, with the consent of the Central government, entrust to that government any of the executive functions of the state.
  • Constitution also makes a provision for the entrustment of the executive functions of the Centre to a state without the consent of that state. But, in this case, the delegation is by the Parliament and not by the president. Notably, the same thing cannot be done by the state legislature.
• S1: Presently, the Union List contains 100 subjects (originally 97), the state list contains 61 subjects (originally 66) and the concurrent list contains 52 subjects (originally 47).

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2021/05/05/supreme-court-strikes-down-w-b-law-on-regulating-real-estate/

Ans: (a)

Explanation:

• According to the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971, contempt of court can either be civil contempt or criminal contempt.
• Civil contempt means wilful disobedience of any judgment, decree, direction, order, writ or other process of a court, or wilful breach of an undertaking given to a court.
• Criminal contempt is attracted by the publication (whether by words, spoken or written, or by signs, or by visible representations, or otherwise) of any matter or the doing of any other act whatsoever which:
  • Scandalises or tends to scandalise, or lowers or tends to lower the    authority of, any court; or
  • Prejudices, or interferes or tends to interfere with, the due course of any judicial proceeding; or
  • Interferes or tends to interfere with, or obstructs or tends to obstruct, the administration of justice in any other manner.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2021/05/05/centre-moves-sc-against-delhi-hcs-contempt-notice-over-oxygen-supply/

Ans: (d)

Explanation:

• A Returning Officer is responsible for overseeing the election in a constituency, or sometimes in two constituencies, as directed by the Election Commission (EC). The EC appoints the Returning Officer and Assistant Returning Officer for a constituency in consultation with the governments of the State or Union Territory as the case may be.
• The Returning Officer’s duties include accepting and scrutinising nomination forms, publishing the affidavits of candidates, allotting symbols to the contesting candidates, preparing the list of contesting candidates, preparing the EVMs and VVPATs, training polling personnel, designating counting centres, and counting the votes and declaring the result.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2021/05/05/returning-officer-has-final-say-in-recount-of-votes/

Ans: (c)

Explanation: What is OneHealth concept?

• One Health is the collaborative efforts of multiple disciplines working locally, nationally, and globally, to attain optimal health for people, animals and our environment, as defined by the One Health Initiative Task Force.
• One Health model facilitates interdisciplinary approach in disease control so as to control emerging and existing zoonotic threats.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2021/05/05/a-one-health-approach-that-targets-people-animals/

Ans: (c)

Explanation:

• The Group of Seven (G-7) is an intergovernmental organization that meets periodically to address international economic and monetary issues.
• G-7 countries consist of the U.S., U.K., France, Germany, Italy, Canada, and Japan.
• The G-7 was formerly referred to as the G-8 until Russia was suspended from the group in 2014 after illegally annexing Crimea.
• The G-7 is not an official, formal entity and, therefore, has no legislative or authoritative power to enforce the recommended policies and plans it compiles.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2021/05/05/g7-seeks-common-front-on-china/

Ans: (b)

Explanation:

• On January 31, Stardust 1.0 was launched from Loring Commerce Centre in Maine, US, becoming the first commercial space launch powered by biofuel, which is non-toxic for the environment as opposed to traditionally used rocket fuels.
• Biofuels are obtained from biomass, which can be converted directly into liquid fuels that can be used as transportation fuels. The two most common kinds of biofuels in use today are ethanol and biodiesel and they both represent the first generation of biofuel technology.
• Ethanol, for instance, is renewable and made from different kinds of plant materials. Biodiesel on the other hand is produced by combining alcohol with new and used vegetable oils, animal fats or recycled cooking grease.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2021/05/05/biodiesel-from-used-cooking-oil/

Ans: (d)

Explanation:

• Water hyacinth is a common fodder plant in the third world especially Africa though excessive use can be toxic. It is high in protein (nitrogen) and trace minerals and the goat feces are a good source of fertilizer as well.
• Water hyacinth removes arsenic from arsenic-contaminated drinking water. It may be a useful tool in removing arsenic from tube well water in Bangladesh.
• Water hyacinth is also observed to enhance nitrification in wastewater treatment cells of living technology. Their root zones are superb micro-sites for bacterial communities.

Refer: facts for prelims: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2021/05/05/insights-daily-current-affairs-pib-summary-04-may-2021-2/

Ans: (c)

Explanation:

• Gas hydrates are ice-like crystalline minerals that form when low molecular weight gas (such as methane, ethane, or carbon dioxide) combines with water and freezes into a solid under low temperature and moderate pressure conditions.
  • Most gas hydrates are formed from methane (CH4), which has led to the terms “gas hydrate” and “methane hydrate” often being used interchangeably.
  • On Earth, gas hydrates occur naturally in some marine sediments and within and beneath permafrost. They are also speculated to form on other planets.
• Hydrate deposits are important for a variety of reasons:
  • Gas hydrate deposits may contain roughly twice the carbon contained in all reserves of coal, oil, and conventional natural gas combined, making them a potentially valuable energy resource.
  • Their decomposition can release large amounts of methane, which is a greenhouse gas that could impact Earth’s climate.
  • Sudden release of pressurized methane gas may cause submarine landslides, which in turn can trigger tsunamis.
  • Gas hydrates in the ocean can be associated with unusual and possibly unique biological communities that use hydrocarbons or hydrogen sulfide for carbon and energy, via a process known as chemosynthesis.

Refer: https://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/facts/hydrates.html

Ans: (a)

Explanation: What is The IUCN Red List?

• Established in 1964, The International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species has evolved to become the world’s most comprehensive information source on the global conservation status of animal, fungi and plant species.
• The IUCN Red List is a critical indicator of the health of the world’s biodiversity. Far more than a list of species and their status, it is a powerful tool to inform and catalyze action for biodiversity conservation and policy change, critical to protecting the natural resources we need to survive. It provides information about range, population size, habitat and ecology, use and/or trade, threats, and conservation actions that will help inform necessary conservation decisions.
• The IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria are intended to be an easily and widely understood system for classifying species at high risk of global extinction. It divides species into nine categories: Not Evaluated, Data Deficient, Least Concern, Near Threatened, Vulnerable, Endangered, Critically Endangered, Extinct in the Wild and Extinct.

Refer: https://www.iucnredlist.org/

Ans: (b)

Explanation:

• Except Brown Bear All other species mentioned are Critically endangered.
• Status of Brown Bear: Least Concern.

Refer: https://www.iucnredlist.org/about/uses