INSIGHTS CURRENT AFFAIRS ( 18 May 2021) REVISION THROUGH MCQS

Ans: (d)

Explanation: here the directive word is incorrect!!

• Under Article 169 of the constitution, Parliament may by law create or abolish the second chamber in a state if the Legislative Assembly of that state passes a resolution to that effect by a special majority.
• As per article 171 clause (1) of the Indian Constitution, the total number of members in the legislative council of a state shall not exceed one third of the total number of the members in the legislative Assembly of that state and the total number of members in the legislative council of a state shall in no case be less than 40.
• How are members of the Council elected?
  • 1/3rd of members are elected by members of the Assembly.
  • 1/3rd by electorates consisting of members of municipalities, district boards and other local authorities in the state.
  • 1/12th by an electorate consisting of teachers.
  • 1/12th by registered graduates.
  • The remaining members are nominated by the Governor from among those who have distinguished themselves in literature, science, art, the cooperative movement, and social service.
• Legislative Councils are permanent Houses, and like Rajya Sabha, one-third of their members retire every two years.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2021/05/18/west-bengal-government-to-set-up-a-legislative-council/

Ans: (c)

Explanation:

• Constitutional versus Executive Power of Appointment:
• There is no prescribed procedure for appointment of the Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners as per the constitution.
• At present, the President shall appoint the CEC and EC based on the recommendations made by the Prime Minister. Therefore, it is the executive power of the President to appoint CEC and ECs.
• However, according to Article 324(5), the Parliament has the power to regulate the terms of conditions of service and tenure of ECs.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2021/05/18/appoint-eci-members-via-collegium/

Ans: (a)

Explanation:

• Malerkotla recently became the 23rd district in Punjab.
• How are new districts carved?
  • The power to create new districts or alter or abolish existing districts rests with the State governments.
  • This can either be done through an executive order or by passing a law in the State Assembly.
  • Many States prefer the executive route by simply issuing a notification in the official gazette.
• Does the Central government have a role to play here?
  • The Centre has no role to play in the alteration of districts or creation of new ones. States are free to decide.
  • The Home Ministry comes into the picture when a State wants to change the name of a district or a railway station.
• According to the 2011 Census, there were 593 districts in the country.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2021/05/18/why-and-how-of-creating-a-district/

Ans: (c)

Explanation:

• What is diplomatic immunity?
• It is a privilege of exemption from certain laws and taxes granted to diplomats by the country in which they are posted.
• The custom was formed so that diplomats can function without fear, threat or intimidation from the host country.
  • Diplomatic immunity is granted on the basis of two conventions:
  • Popularly called the Vienna Conventions — the Convention on Diplomatic Relations, 1961.
  • The Convention on Consular Relations, 1963.
• They have been ratified by 187 countries, which means, it is a law under that country’s legal framework and cannot be violated.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2021/05/18/the-diplomatic-immunity/

Ans: (a)

Explanation:

• What are Monoclonal antibodies?
  • Monoclonal antibodies are laboratory-made proteins that mimic the immune system’s ability to fight off harmful pathogens such as viruses.
  • They are artificially created antibodies that aim to aid the body’s natural immune system.
  • They target a specific antigen — a protein from the pathogen that induces immune response.
• How are they created?
  • Monoclonal antibodies can be created in the lab by exposing white blood cells to a particular antigen.
  • To increase the quantity of antibodies produced, a single white blood cell is cloned, which in turn is used to create identical copies of the antibodies.
  • In the case of Covid-19, scientists usually work with the spike protein of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which facilitates the entry of the virus into the host cell.
• It is possible to produce monoclonal antibodies that specifically bind to virtually any suitable substance; they can then serve to detect or purify it. This capability has become an important tool in biochemistry, molecular biology, and medicine.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2021/05/18/why-are-monoclonal-antibody-therapies-in-focus-how-they-work/

Ans: (a)

Explanation:

• S1: The anti-COVID drug 2-DG has been developed in powder form and is ingested orally by dissolving it in water.
• S2: The drug accumulates in virus-infected cells, and prevents the growth of the virus by stopping viral synthesis and energy production.
• S3: As per Dr Sudhir Chandna, DRDO Project Director and Scientist of 2-DG, it can be consumed twice a day. A patient may have to take this drug twice a day for about five to seven days. However, it should be consumed only on the advice of a doctor.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2021/05/18/how-does-2-dg-drdos-new-oral-drug-for-covid-19-work/

Ans: (c)

Explanation:

• Researchers have reported that Pleistocene-era rock paintings dating back to 45,000-20,000 years ago in cave sites in southern Sulawesi, on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, are weathering at an alarming rate.
• It is situated east of Borneo, west of the Maluku Islands, and south of Mindanao and the Sulu Archipelago.
• Within Indonesia, only Sumatra, Borneo and Papua are larger in territory, and only Java and Sumatra have larger populations.

Refer: Facts for Prelims: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2021/05/18/insights-daily-current-affairs-pib-summary-18-may-2021/

Ans: (a)

Explanation:

• SAMVEDNA tele counselling service is for psychological support to children to address their stress, anxiety, fear and other issues during the coronavirus pandemic.
• The service is provided by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR).
• The service was launched in September 2020 and is available in various regional languages.
• SAMVEDNA is an acronym for ‘Sensitizing Action on Mental Health Vulnerability through Emotional Development and Necessary Acceptance’.

Refer: Facts for Prelims: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2021/05/18/insights-daily-current-affairs-pib-summary-18-may-2021/

Ans: (d)

Explanation:

• The ability of stratospheric sulfate aerosols to create a global dimming effect has made them a possible candidate for use in solar radiation management climate engineering projects to limit the effect and impact of climate change due to rising levels of greenhouse gases. Delivery of precursor sulfide gases such as sulfuric acid, hydrogen sulfide (H2S) or sulfur dioxide (SO2) by artillery, aircraft and balloons has been proposed.
• Cirrus cloud thinning is a proposed form of climate engineering. Cirrus clouds are high cold ice that, like other clouds, both reflect sunlight and absorb warming infrared radiation. However, they differ from other types of clouds in that, on average, infrared absorption outweighs sunlight reflection, resulting in a net warming effect on the climate. Therefore, thinning or removing these clouds would reduce their heat trapping capacity, resulting in a cooling effect on Earth’s climate.

Refer: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cirrus_cloud_thinning and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stratospheric_aerosol_injection

Ans: (d)

Explanation:

• Like incineration, pyrolysis, gasification and plasma technologies are thermal processes that use high temperatures to break down waste. The main difference is that they use less oxygen than traditional mass-burn incineration.

Refer: https://friendsoftheearth.uk/sites/default/files/downloads/gasification_pyrolysis.pdf