DAY – 9 (InstaTest-9): Insta 75 Days Revision Plan-2023: Topic – GEOGRAPHY, Subject-wise Test 5,6,20(Revision) , Textbook-wise Test 7 and August 2022 CA (PRELIMS 30 & MAINS 30)

Solution: D

The northern boundary of the Peninsular Block may be taken as an irregular line running from Kachchh along the western flank of the Aravali Range near Delhi and then roughly parallel to the Yamuna and the Ganga as far as the Rajmahal Hills and the Ganga delta. Apart from these, the Karbi Anglong and the Meghalaya Plateau in the northeast and Rajasthan in the west are also extensions of this block. The northeastern parts are separated by the Malda fault in West Bengal from the Chotanagpur plateau. In Rajasthan, the desert and other desert–like features overlay this block.

The Peninsula is formed essentially by a great complex of very ancient gneisses and granites, which constitutes a major part of it.

The Peninsula mostly consists of relict and residual mountains like the Aravali hills, the Nallamala hills, the Javadi hills and the Veliconda hills.

Solution: B

Passes and their Mountain ranges

Zoji La on the Great Himalayas,

Banihal on the Pir Panjal,

Photu La on the Zaskar and

Khardung La on the Ladakh range.

Solution: B

The Dooars or Duars are the alluvial floodplains in eastern-northeastern India that lie south of the outer foothills of the Himalayas and north of the Brahmaputra River basin. This region is about 30 km (19 mi) wide and stretches over about 350 km (220 mi) from the Teesta River in West Bengal to the Dhansiri River in Assam. The region forms the gateway to Bhutan. It is part of the Terai-Duar savanna and grasslands ecoregion.

Dooars means ‘doors’ in Assamese, Bengali, Maithili, Bhojpuri, and Magahi languages. There are 18 passages or gateways between the hills in Bhutan and the plains in India. This region is divided by the Sankosh River into Eastern and Western Dooars, consisting of an area of 880 km2 (340 sq mi).

Solution: A

From the north to the south, Plains can be divided into three major zones: the Bhabar, the Tarai and the alluvial plains. The alluvial plains can be further divided into the Khadar and the Bhangar. Bhabar is a narrow belt ranging between 8-10 km parallel to the Shiwalik foothills at the break-up of the slope. As a result of this, the streams and rivers coming from the mountains deposit heavy materials of rocks and boulders, and at times, disappear in this zone. South of the Bhabar is the Tarai belt, with an approximate width of 10-20 km where most of the streams and rivers re-emerge without having any properly demarcated channel, thereby, creating marshy and swampy conditions known as the Tarai. This has a luxurious growth of natural vegetation and houses a varied wildlife.

Solution: D

The Bay of Bengal Island groups consist of about 572 islands/islets. These are situated roughly between 6°N-14°N and 92°E -94°E.

The two principal groups of islets include the Ritchie’s archipelago and the Labrynth island. The entire group of islands is divided into two broad categories – the Andaman in the north and the Nicobar in the south. They are separated by a waterbody which is called the Ten-degree channel. It is believed that these islands are an elevated portion of submarine mountains. However, some smaller islands are volcanic in origin. Barren island, the only active volcano in India.

Lakshadweep Islands

The entire group of islands is broadly divided by the Ten-degree channel, north of which is the Amini Island and to the south of the Canannore Island.

Solution: D

The Jhelum, an important tributary of the Indus, rises from a spring at Verinag situated at the foot of the Pir Panjal in the south-eastern part of the valley of Kashmir. It flows through Srinagar and the Wular lake before entering Pakistan through a deep narrow gorge. It joins the Chenab near Jhang in Pakistan.

The Ravi is another important tributary of the Indus. It rises west of the Rohtang pass in the Kullu hills of Himachal Pradesh and flows through the Chamba valley of the state. Before entering Pakistan and joining the Chenab near Sarai Sidhu, it drains the area lying between the southeastern part of the Pir Panjal and the Dhauladhar ranges.

The Satluj originates in the ‘Raksas tal’ near Mansarovar at an altitude of 4,555 m in Tibet where it is known as Langchen Khambab. It flows almost parallel to the Indus for about 400 km before entering India, and comes out of a gorge at Rupar. It passes through the Shipki La on the Himalayan ranges and enters the Punjab plains.

Solution: A

Koyna- Krishna

Indravati- Godavari

The Kaveri rises in Brahmagiri hills (1,341m) of Kogadu district in Karnataka. Its length is 800 km and it drains an area of 81,155 sq. km. Since the upper catchment area receives rainfall during the southwest monsoon season (summer) and the lower part during the northeast monsoon season (winter), the river carries water throughout the year with comparatively less fluctuation than the other Peninsular rivers. About 3 per cent of the Kaveri basin falls in Kerala, 41 per cent in Karnataka and 56 per cent in Tamil Nadu. Its important tributaries are the Kabini, the Bhavani and the Amravati.

Solution: A

What is the Indian Ocean Dipole?

The Indian Ocean Dipole is a climate pattern affecting the Indian Ocean. During a positive phase, warm waters are pushed to the Western part of the Indian Ocean, while cold deep waters are brought up to the surface in the Eastern Indian Ocean. This pattern is reversed during the negative phase of the IOD.

The Indian Ocean dipole (IOD) induces climate and weather extremes in Indian Ocean rim countries. During an extreme positive IOD (pIOD), the impact includes floods in the East African countries, stronger-than-normal Indian summer monsoon rainfall (ISMR), and droughts in Indonesia and southeastern Australia. Some extreme pIOD events occur concurrently with an El Niño, which exerts a generally opposite impact on the ISMR, with an extreme pIOD tending to increase ISMR whereas an El Niño tends to decrease ISMR.

Solution: C

Break in the Monsoon

During the south-west monsoon period after having rains for a few days, if rain fails to occur for one or more weeks, it is known as break in the monsoon. These dry spells are quite common during the rainy season. These breaks in the different regions are due to different reasons:

(i) In northern India rains are likely to fail if the rain-bearing storms are not very frequent along the monsoon trough or the ITCZ over this region.

(ii) Over the west coast the dry spells are associated with days when winds blow parallel to the coast.

Solution: B

Some Famous Local Storms of Hot Weather Season

(i) Mango Shower : Towards the end of summer, there are pre-monsoon showers which are a common phenomena in Kerala and coastal areas of Karnataka.

(ii) Blossom Shower : With this shower, coffee flowers blossom in Kerala and nearby areas.

(iii) Nor Westers : These are dreaded evening thunderstorms in Bengal and Assam.

Solution: B

The retreating southwest monsoon season is marked by clear skies and rise in temperature. The land is still moist. Owing to the conditions of high temperature and humidity, the weather becomes rather oppressive. This is commonly known as the ‘October heat’. In the second half of October, the mercury begins to fall rapidly, particularly in northern India. The weather in the retreating monsoon is dry in north India but it is associated with rain in the eastern part of the Peninsula. Here, October and November are the rainiest months of the year.

Solution: A

Koeppen based his scheme of Climatic classification on monthly values of temperature and precipitation. He identified five major climatic types, namely:

(i) Tropical climates: where mean monthly temperature throughout the year is over 18°C.

(ii) Dry climates: where precipitation is very low in comparison to temperature, and hence, dry. If dryness is less, it is semiarid (S); if it is more, the climate is arid(W).

(iii) Warm temperate climates: where mean temperature of the coldest month is between 18°C and minus 3°C.

(iv) Cool temperate climates: where mean temperature of the warmest month is over 10°C, and mean temperature of the coldest month is under minus 3°C.

(v) Ice climates: where mean temperature of the warmest month is under 10°C.

Solution: B

Tropical Evergreen Forest

These forests are found in the western slope of the Western Ghats, hills of the northeastern region and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. They are found in warm and humid areas with an annual precipitation of over 200 cm and mean annual temperature above 22oC. Tropical evergreen forests are well stratified, with layers closer to the ground and are covered with shrubs and creepers, with short structured trees followed by tall variety of trees. In these forests, trees reach great heights up to 60 m or above. There is no definite time for trees to shed their leaves, flowering and fruition. As such these forests appear green all the year round. Species found in these forests include rosewood, mahogony, aini, ebony, etc.

Solution: C

Red and Yellow Soil

Red soil develops on crystalline igneous rocks in areas of low rainfall in the eastern and southern part of the Deccan Plateau. Along the piedmont zone of the Western Ghat, long stretch of area is occupied by red loamy soil. Yellow and red soils are also found in parts of Odisha and Chhattisgarh and in the southern parts of the middle Ganga plain. The soil develops a reddish colour due to a wide diffusion of iron in crystalline and metamorphic rocks. It looks yellow when it occurs in a hydrated form. The fine-grained red and yellow soils are normally fertile, whereas coarse-grained soils found in dry upland areas are poor in fertility. They are generally poor in nitrogen, phosphorous and humus.

Solution: B

Solution: C

Unlike normal matter, dark matter does not interact with the electromagnetic force. This means it does not absorb, reflect or emit light, making it extremely hard to spot. In fact, researchers have been able to infer the existence of dark matter only from the gravitational effect it seems to have on visible matter. Dark matter seems to outweigh visible matter roughly six to one, making up about 27% of the universe.

The velocity of rotation for spiral galaxies depends on the amount of mass contained in them. But the outer arms of the Milky Way are rotating much too fast to be consistent with the amount of matter that we know exists in them.

Such fast rotation is possible only when there is more mass, and that extra mass is believed to come from the dark matter. Dark matter is a hypothetical form of matter that is thought to account for approximately 85% of the matter in the universe.

Dark energy plus dark matter constitutes 95.1% of the total content of the universe (the rest in the normal matter). In short, we are unsure about what’s there in 95% of the universe! The majority of dark matter is thought to be composed of some as-yet-undiscovered subatomic particles.

The name dark matter refers to the fact that it does not appear to interact with observable electromagnetic radiation, such as light.

It is thus invisible (or ‘dark’) to the entire electromagnetic spectrum, making it extremely difficult to detect. Dark matter interacts with the rest of the universe only through its gravity (that’s how we know it exists).

Solution: C

The Kuiper Belt is a disk-shaped region past the orbit of Neptune extending roughly from 30 to 50 AU from the Sun containing many small icy bodies. It is now considered to be the source of the short-period comets.

Ceres is a dwarf planet in the asteroid belt. OSIRIS-REx is a NASA’s asteroid study and sample-return mission

NASA’s OSIRIS-REx is the first U.S. mission to successfully collect a sample from an asteroid. On Oct. 20, 2020, the spacecraft briefly touched down on Bennu, an asteroid more than 200 million miles (321 million kilometers) from Earth, and grabbed dust and rocks from a sample site called Nightingale.

• The sample collected is estimated to weigh more than 2 ounces (60 grams).
• The sample will be delivered to Earth in September 2023.
• Bennu is a potentially hazardous asteroid that could one day threaten Earth.

Solution: C

Solution: A

The parliamentary system of government in India is largely based on the British parliamentary system. However, it never became a replica of the British system and differs in the following respects:

1. India has a republican system in place of British monarchical system. In other words, the Head of the State in India (that is, President) is elected, while the Head of the State in Britain (that is, King or Queen) enjoys a hereditary position.
2. The British system is based on the doctrine of the sovereignty of Parliament, while the Parliament is not supreme in India and enjoys limited and restricted powers due to a written Constitution, federal system, judicial review and fundamental rights.
3. In Britain, the prime minister should be a member of the Lower House (House of Commons) of the Parliament. In India, the prime minister may be a member of any of the two Houses of Parliament.
4. Usually, the members of Parliament alone are appointed as ministers in Britain. In India, a person who is not a member of Parliament can also be appointed as minister, but for a maximum period of six months.

5. Britain has the system of legal responsibility of the minister while India has no such system. Unlike in Britain, the ministers in India are not required to countersign the official acts of the Head of the State.

Solution: D

Right to strike is not a fundamental right.

This freedom entitles every citizen to move freely throughout the territory of
the country. The grounds of imposing reasonable restrictions on this freedom are two, namely, the interests of general public and the protection of interests of any scheduled tribe. The entry of outsiders in tribal areas is restricted to protect the distinctive culture, language, customs and manners of scheduled tribes and to safeguard their traditional vocation and properties against exploitation. Hence statement 2 is incorrect.

Solution: A

• Keeping in view the adverse impacts of littered plastic on both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India, has notified the Plastic Waste Management Amendment Rules, 2021 on August 12, 2021.
• The rules prohibits identified single use plastic items which have low utility and high littering potential by 2022.

Hence, statement 3 is incorrect.

• The manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale and use of following single-use plastic, including polystyrene and expanded polystyrene, commodities shall be prohibited with effect from the 1st July, 2022:-
  • ear buds with plastic sticks, plastic sticks for balloons, plastic flags, candy sticks, ice-cream sticks, polystyrene [Thermocol] for decoration;
  • plates, cups, glasses, cutlery such as forks, spoons, knives, straw, trays, wrapping or packing films around sweet boxes, invitation cards,  and cigarette packets, plastic or PVC banners less than 100 micron, stirrers.
• In order to stop littering due to light weight plastic carry bags, with effect from 30th September, 2021, the thickness of plastic carry bags has been increased from fifty microns to seventy five microns and to one hundred and twenty microns with effect from the 31st December, 2022. This will also allow reuse of plastic carry due to increase in thickness.
• The plastic packaging waste, which is not covered under the phase out of identified single use plastic items, shall be collected and managed in an environmentally sustainable way through the Extended Producer Responsibility of the Producer, importer and Brand owner (PIBO), as per Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016. For effective implementation of Extended Producer Responsibility the Guidelines for Extended Producer Responsibility being brought out have been given legal force through Plastic Waste Management Amendment Rules, 2021.
• The amendment has laid down the responsibility of local bodies to ensure the establishment of a waste collection mechanism to ensure proper collection, segregation, and disposal of plastic waste.
• The amended rules emphasize the promotion of recycling of plastic waste, and encourage the use of recycled plastic in the manufacturing of products.
• The rules prohibit the mixing of different types of plastic waste during collection, transportation, and processing.

https://vikaspedia.in/energy/environment/waste-management/plastic-waste-management-rules

Solution: D

All the above given lakes are drying due to climate change.

Lake Urmia is an endorheic salt lake in Iran. The lake is located between the provinces of East Azerbaijan and West Azerbaijan in Iran, and west of the southern portion of the Caspian Sea.

https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/turkeys-lake-tuz-dries-up-due-to-climate-change-farming/article37206570.ece

Solution: A

What is a central bank digital currency (CBDC)

“Digital Rupee” or “e₹” is a legal tender, similar to sovereign paper currency, and is issued in digital form by the Reserve Bank of India. e₹ will offer features of physical cash like trust, safety and settlement finality with atomicity (i.e. immediate settlement of transactions) in digital mode. e₹ represents a direct claim on the central bank. It can be used to carry out transactions or store value digitally, similar to the manner in which currency notes can be used in physical form.

What is Digital Rupee wallet? / Where can Digital Rupee be held?

e₹ can be held in an e₹ wallet issued by banks. This wallet can be linked to your existing Bank (savings / current) account. The wallet is a digital representation of your physical wallet and e₹ can be withdrawn/ deposited from your existing bank account into this wallet. 

Will e₹ replace cash, debit cards and credit cards?

No. Reserve Bank of India in its concept note states that e₹ is aimed to complement and create an alternate to physical currency and not replace current forms of money. It is envisaged to provide additional avenue of handling money to users.

How e₹ is different from UPI or other fund transfer mode (NEFT/RTGS/IMPS)?

e₹ is a form of money, a digital representation of physical currency, whereas UPI or other fund transfer modes are forms of payment. Therefore, usage of e₹ is not limited to payments. e₹ also serves the purpose of ‘unit of account’ and importantly, ‘store of value’ as it represents a claim on the Reserve Bank’s balance sheet. Moreover, e₹ will have additional attributes specific to currency which will be tested in future pilots.

Is e₹ same as cryptocurrency such as bitcoin?

No. e₹ is digital form of currency notes and has intrinsic value as it represents a claim on the Reserve Bank’s balance sheet. e₹ is issued by the Reserve Bank and is a legal tender.  Crypto products such as bitcoin on the other hand do not exhibit any features of a currency, do not have any intrinsic value, are not backed by assets and are not issued by a central trusted authority, such as RBI.

Who can use e₹?

In the first pilot of central bank digital currency – Retail (Digital Rupee – e₹), few customers have been selected to be a part of the Closed User Group (CUG) in few locations. We will add more customers as and when we receive the intimation from the RBI.

Solution: B

• The Aid for Trade initiative was launched in 2005 by the World Trade Organization (WTO) in order to help developing countries build the necessary trade-related infrastructure, institutions, and capacities that would enable them to participate effectively in the global trading system.
• The initiative recognizes that while trade has the potential to be an engine for growth and development, many countries face significant challenges in accessing and benefiting from global trade.

https://commerce.gov.in/international-trade/india-and-world-trade-organization-wto/aid-for-trade/

Solution: B

The Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) is a sub-regional cooperation mechanism established in 2016 by China, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam. The LMC aims to promote regional integration, enhance economic cooperation, and strengthen mutual understanding and friendship among the member countries.

The LMC covers a wide range of areas, including connectivity, production capacity, cross-border economic cooperation, water resources management, agriculture, and poverty reduction. It is based on the principles of equality, mutual consultation and coordination, common contribution and shared benefits.

https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/chinas-top-diplomat-visits-myanmar-amid-opposition-protest/article65593101.ece

Correct Answer : D) 962: 438

Answer Justification :

Explanation :

Ratio of W1   M1 1 : 3

W2  M2  2 : 3

W3 M3 2 : 5

Proportion of water : : 1/4:2/ 5 :2/7

(1/4)* (5×7/5*7) : 2/5 * (4×7/4*7) : 2 /7 * (4×5 /4*5)

=35/140 : 56/140 : 40/140

Now since all these three mixtures are mixed in the ratio of 2: 3 5

Therefore new ratio = —35/140 x 2/2 : 56 x 3 /140 x 3 : 40 x5/140* 5

=70 /280 , 168/420 , 200/700

Now, the amount of water = 70 + 168 + 200 = 438

The amount of milk = (280 + 420 + 700) – 438 = 962

Ratio of milk to water = 962: 438

Correct Answer : B) 2:1

Answer Justification :

Explanation :

B1 : B2 : B3 = 3x : 4x : 5x

again B1 : B2 : B3 =5y:4y:3y .

Since there is increase in no. of oranges in first two basket only, it means the no. of oranges

remains constant in the third basket

Hence

5x =3y

3x : 4x : 5x

9y/5 : 12y/ 5 : 15y/ 5 = 9y : 12y : 15y

and 5y : 4y : 3y= 25y : 20y : 15y

Therefore, increase in first basket = 16

and increase in second basket = 8

the required ratio = 2 : 1

Correct Answer : A ) 1 only

Answer Justification : B is absurd obviously, A is right as passage tells we need sustainable tourism, farm based activities intensely than activities that encroach nature like dams meant for hydropower.

Solution:D) 6 hours

It takes 12 hours for a couple of taps to fill a tank upto 80% of its capacity.
Hence, time taken to fill the tank fully = (12/80) × 100 = 15 hours.So it takes 3 more hours to fill in the tank. However, if one of the tap is closed, it must take double that time, i.e., 6 hours to fill up the tank upto the rim.

Hence, option(d) is correct.

Solution: A) 60

If M1 persons can do a piece of work in D1 days and M2 persons can do same piece of work in D2 days, then M1*D1= M2 * D2.

Let the original number of men in the group be ‘x’. (M1)

After 6 men left, the size of group be (x-6) men. (M2)

Now using the above formula, we get

x * 18 = (x-6) * 20

• 18x = 20x -120
• 120= 20x-18x
• 120 = 2x
• x=60

Therefore original number of men in the group are 60 men.

Hence, option (a) is correct.