Solution: B

Technology and Innovation Report 2023 was recently released by UNCTAD.

• It highlights the opportunities that green innovation – goods and services with smaller carbon footprints offer developing countries to spur economic growth and enhance technological capacities.

The Technology and Innovation Report 2023 highlights the opportunities that green innovation – goods and services with smaller carbon footprints – offer developing countries to spur economic growth and enhance technological capacities.

The report analyses the market size of 17 green and frontier technologies, such as artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things and electric vehicles, and their potential to create jobs.

Solution: A

Asia’s largest 4-metre International Liquid Mirror Telescope at Devasthal in Uttarakhand.

Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES) announced that the world-class 4-metre International Liquid Mirror Telescope (ILMT) is now ready to explore the deep celestial sky. It achieved its first light in the 2nd week of May 2022. The telescope is located at an altitude of 2450 metre at the Devasthal Observatory campus of ARIES, an autonomous institute under the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Govt. of India in Nainital district, Uttarakhand.

The telescope was designed and built by the Advanced Mechanical and Optical Systems (AMOS) Corporation and the Centre Spatial de Liège in Belgium.

ILMT employs a 4-metre-diameter rotating mirror made up of a thin layer of liquid mercury, to collect and focus light.

Solution: C

Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) was launched by United States (US) President Biden in Tokyo on May 23, 2022. The IPEF has four pillars: Trade; supply chains; clean energy, decarbonisation and infrastructure; tax and anti-corruption.

In May 2022, the United States launched the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF) with Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Fiji India, Indonesia, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. Except Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar, other Southeast Asian nations are a part of the IPEF.

The 14 IPEF partners represent 40 percent of global GDP and 28 percent of global goods and services trade.

The launch began discussions of future negotiations on the following pillars: (1) Trade; (2) Supply Chains; (3) Clean Energy, Decarbonization, and Infrastructure; and (4) Tax and Anti-Corruption.  The IPEF is designed to be flexible, meaning that IPEF partners are not required to join all four pillars.

Solution: B

The Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry on March 20 launched the ‘City Finance Rankings 2022’ under which urban local bodies in the country will be evaluated on the basis of their financial health.

The urban local bodies, which take part in the rankings, will be evaluated on 15 indicators across three key parameters — resource mobilisation, expenditure performance and fiscal governance.

The rankings have been launched with the objective of evaluating, recognising and rewarding municipal bodies across the country on the basis of the quality of their current financial health and improvement over time in financial performance. The effort also aims to identify areas in the financial performance of the cities where they can make further improvements. This will enable them to deliver quality infrastructure and services and hence a good quality of life to citizens.

The cities will be ranked on the basis of their scores under four population categories — above 40 lakh, 10 lakh-40 lakh, one lakh to 10 lakh and below one lakh. Awards would be given to the top three cities in each category.

Solution: C

The Consortium on Vulnerability to Externalizing Disorders and Addictions (c-VEDA) is jointly funded by the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) and the Newton Grant from the Medical Research Council (MRC), United Kingdom. Principal Investigators for this study are Professor Gunter Schumann, King’s College London (KCL; London, UK) and Dr Vivek Benegal, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS; Bangalore, India). Project coordinators are Ms Yuning Zhang (London) and Ms Nilakshi Vaidya (India). The India-UK project is an international collaboration between Prof Gunter Schumann at King’s College London and Prof Vivek Benegal of the National Institute for Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore and our Indian partners from Bangalore, Mysore, Calcutta, Chandigarh and Manupur. Our aim is to investigate if environmental and genetic risk factors in industrialised countries and emerging societies shape brain function and behaviour in distinct ways, thus leading to different risk constellations and neurobehavioural trajectories for substance misuse and externalising disorders.

Solution: C

Keibul Lamjao National Park

The park is located in the south western part of the Loktak lake. This is the last natural habitat of the brow-antlered deer (Sangai) the dancing deer of Manipur. Keibul Lamjao National Park is the only floating park in the world.

The Loktak Lake has a unique ecosystem called ‘Phumdi’ (a Manipuri word meaning floating mats of soil and vegetation). The largest area of the Phumdi in the Loktak lake is in the Keibul Lamjao National Park, which is home to Manipur brow-antlered deer (Rucervus eldi eldi) also popularly known as the Sangai. The habitat exclusively consists of floating meadows and an elevated strip of hard ground that dissects the park into northern and southern zones. For effective in-situ conservation of Sangai, Forest Department of Manipur in collaboration with Wildlife Institute of India has developed a plan to reintroduce Sangai in the adjoining area having similar habitat.

Solution: A

AT1 Bonds, also called Additional Tier 1 Bonds, are capital instruments banks issue to raise their core equity base. These bonds are perpetual, meaning they have no maturity date. The investors are not paid back the principal amount. These bonds are primarily issued to acquire long-term capital.

  AT1 bonds are unsecured capital instruments banks issue to raise their core equity base.

  The Basel accord introduced them after the global financial crisis in 2008, and they conform to the Basel III norms.

  These bonds are perpetual, meaning they do not have a maturity period. However, they come with a call option after a minimum of 5 years.

AT1 bonds, as these instruments are popularly known, are a type of perpetual debt instrument that banks use to augment their core equity base and thus comply with Basel III norms. These bonds were introduced by the Basel accord after the global financial crisis to protect depositors.

Solution: B

The Virashaiva Tradition in Karnataka

The twelfth century witnessed the emergence of a new movement in Karnataka, led by a Brahmana named Basavanna (1106-68) who was a minister in the court of a Kalachuri ruler. His followers were known as Virashaivas (heroes of Shiva) or Lingayats (wearers of the linga). Lingayats continue to be an important community in the region to date. They worship Shiva in his manifestation as a linga, and men usually wear a small linga in a silver case on a loop strung over the left shoulder. Those who are revered include the jangama or wandering monks.

Lingayats believe that on death the devotee will be united with Shiva and will not return to this world. Therefore they do not practise funerary rites such as cremation, prescribed in the Dharmashastras. Instead, they ceremonially bury their dead.

The Lingayats challenged the idea of caste and the “pollution” attributed to certain groups by Brahmanas. They also questioned the theory of rebirth. These won them followers amongst those who were marginalised within the Brahmanical social order. The Lingayats also encouraged certain practices disapproved in the Dharmashastras, such as post puberty marriage and the remarriage of widows.

Solution: A

There was a good deal of grammatical activity during the Mauryan period. In Sanskrit grammar, Panini (5th century BC) had already written the Ashtadhyayi. Between Panini and Patanjali (2nd century BC), there appeared a number of commentators (Varttikakaras) on Panini’s aphorisms. Vyadi, a descendent of Panini on his mother’s side, produced the monumental work Samgraha in 1,00,000 verses. To Vyadi is also ascribed the Paribhashas or the rules for interpreting Panini’s sutras, as well as a lexicon, named Utpalini. Another versatile figure of the Nanda-Maurya epoch was Katyayana alias Vararuchi, the famous commentator of Panini’s sutras. In his Vajasaneyi Pratisakhya, he subjected about 1,500 sutras of Panini to critical observations.

Solution: B

Asvaghosha, the most outstanding Buddhist writer in Sanskrit, adorned the court of Kanishka. He wrote, apart from the Buddhacharita, another epic named Saundarananda.

After Asvaghosha, the most celebrated Indian poet is Kalidasa. His Kumarasambhava is an epic in seventeen cantos, of which only the first eight are believed to be genuine. Its theme is the marriage of Lord Siva and Uma and the birth of Karttikeya. The Raghuvamsha, another epic of Kalidasa, has nineteen cantos based on the history of kings of the Ikshvakus.

The most outstanding early Sanskrit dramatist is Bhasa, whose thirteen dramas have now been discovered.

• His plays are taken from the two great epics and various popular tales. The plays based on the Ramayana are Pratima and Abhisheka, while Madhyamavyayoga, Dutaghatotkacha, and Karnabhara are based on the But it is Svapnavasavadatta which is undoubtedly the best of Bhasa’s dramas.

Solution: D

UNESCO – Ramman, religious festival and ritual theatre of the Garhwal Himalayas, India

Inscribed in 2009 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

Every year in late April, the twin villages of Saloor-Dungra in the state of Uttarakhand (northern India) are marked by Ramman, a religious festival in honour of the tutelary god, Bhumiyal Devta, a local divinity whose temple houses most of the festivities. This event is made up of highly complex rituals: the recitation of a version of the epic of Rama and various legends, and the performance of songs and masked dances. The festival is organized by villagers, and each caste and occupational group has a distinct role.

The family that hosts Bhumiyal Devta during the year must adhere to a strict daily routine. Combining theatre, music, historical reconstructions, and traditional oral and written tales, the Ramman is a multiform cultural event that reflects the environmental, spiritual and cultural concept of the community, recounting its founding myths and strengthening its sense of self-worth. In order to ensure that it remains viable, the community’s priorities are to promote its transmission and to obtain its recognition beyond the geographical area in which it is practised.

Solution: C

Great Living Chola Temples

The Great Living Chola Temples were built by kings of the Chola Empire, which stretched over all of south India and the neighbouring islands. The site includes three great 11th- and 12th-century Temples: the Brihadisvara Temple at Thanjavur, the Brihadisvara Temple at Gangaikondacholisvaram and the Airavatesvara Temple at Darasuram. The Temple of Gangaikondacholisvaram, built by Rajendra I, was completed in 1035. Its 53-m vimana (sanctum tower) has recessed corners and a graceful upward curving movement, contrasting with the straight and severe tower at Thanjavur. The Airavatesvara temple complex, built by Rajaraja II, at Darasuram features a 24-m vimana and a stone image of Shiva. The temples testify to the brilliant achievements of the Chola in architecture, sculpture, painting and bronze casting.

The Brihadisvara temple at Gangaikondacholapuram in the Perambalur district was built for Siva by Rajendra I (1012-1044 CE).

The Airavatesvara temple at Tanjavur was built by the Chola king Rajaraja II (1143-1173 CE.): it is much smaller in size as compared to the Brihadisvara temple at Tanjavur and Gangaikondacholapuram.

Solution: A

Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, the Nilgiri Mountain Railway, and the Kalka–Shimla Railway, are collectively designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site under the name “Mountain Railways of India”. Two more, namely the Matheran Hill Railway and the Kangra Valley Railway, are on the tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Mountain Railways of India

This site includes three railways.

• The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway was the first, and is still the most outstanding, example of a hill passenger railway. Opened in 1881, its design applies bold and ingenious engineering solutions to the problem of establishing an effective rail link across a mountainous terrain of great beauty.
• The construction of the Nilgiri Mountain Railway, a 46-km long metre-gauge single-track railway in Tamil Nadu State was first proposed in 1854, but due to the difficulty of the mountainous location the work only started in 1891 and was completed in 1908. This railway, scaling an elevation of 326 m to 2,203 m, represented the latest technology of the time.
• The Kalka Shimla Railway, a 96-km long, single track working rail link built in the mid-19th century to provide a service to the highland town of Shimla is emblematic of the technical and material efforts to disenclave mountain populations through the railway. All three railways are still fully operational.

Solution: B

The following criteria were laid down to determine the eligibility of languages to be considered for classification as a “Classical Language”.

1. High antiquity of its early texts/recorded history over a period of 1500–2000 years;
2. A body of ancient literature/texts, which is considered a valuable heritage by generations of speakers;
3. The literary tradition be original and not borrowed from another speech community;
4. The classical language and literature being distinct from modern, there may also be a discontinuity between the classical language and its later forms or its offshoots.

Solution: C

Nathpanthi: Also known as Siddha Siddhanta, they adhere to the teachings of Gorakhnath and Matsyendranath and worship Adinath, a form of Shiva. They use the technique of Hatha Yoga to transform one’s body into a state of awakened self’s identity with absolute reality. The monks never stay in the same place for long and are floating group of wanderers. They wear loin cloths and dhotis and also cover themselves with ashes, tie up their hair in dreadlocks, and when they stop walking, they keep a sacred fire called dhuni.

Solution: D

Jaina Teachings and Philosophy

They believe that through three-jewel (fold) path of:

• Right belief (samyakdarshana),
• Right knowledge (samyakjnana) and
• Right conduct (samyakcharita),

one can get rid of the bad karma and also pull themselves out of the cycle of rebirth and achieve salvation.

Jains need to follow these five constraints in life:

• Ahimsa (non-violence);
• Satya (truthfulness);
• Asteya (not stealing);
• Aparigraha (non-acquisition) and
• Brahmacharya (chaste living).

The fifth tenet was propounded by Mahavira.

Solution: B

Vajrayana Buddhism (Tantric Buddhism)

Scholars contemplate that Vajrayana school developed as a result of royal courts sponsoring both Buddhism and Shaivism, i.e., they say, it was influenced by Hinduism.

The main deity is Tara (a lady) It involved combining Brahmanical (Veda based) rituals with Buddhist philosophies.

Vajrayana is based on Mahayana Buddhist philosophy. This school believes in Tantra’s, Mantras and Yantras superiority due to being a faster vehicle to liberation containing many skillful methods of tantric ritual.

According to this school, the mantra is an easy path to achieve Buddhahood without the difficulties as compared to striving for six perfections or Paramitas under Mahayana. 5.7 % of the world Buddhist population follows it. Other countries following it include Tibet, Bhutan, Mongolia, Kalmykia, etc.

Solution: D

Sangam Literature

The corpus of Sangam literature includes Tolkappiyam, Ettutogai, Pattuppattu, Pathinenkilkanakku, and the two epics – Silappathigaram and Manimegalai. Tolkappiyam authored by Tolkappiyar is the earliest of the Tamil literature. It is a work on Tamil grammar but it provides information on the political and socioeconomic conditions of the Sangam period.

Silappathigaram written by Elango Adigal and Manimegalai by Sittalai Sattanar also provides valuable information on the Sangam polity and society.

Solution: D

Mimamsa

Mimamsa literally means the art of reasoning and interpretation. However, reasoning was used to provide justifications for various Vedic rituals, and the attainment of salvation was made dependent on their performance. According to the Mimamsa school, the Vedas contain the eternal truth. The principal object of this philosophy was to acquire heaven and salvation. A person will enjoy the bliss of heaven so long as his accumulated acts of virtue last. When his accumulated virtues are exhausted, he will return to earth, but if he attains salvation he will be completely free from the cycle of birth and death in the world.

In order to attain salvation, the Mimamsa school strongly recommended the performance of Vedic sacrifices, which needed the services of priests and legitimized the social distance between the various varnas. Through the propagation of the Mimamsa philosophy, the brahmanas sought to maintain their ritual authority and preserve the social hierarchy based on Brahmanism.

Solution: A

Charvaka was the main expounder of the materialistic philosophy which came to be known as the Lokayata, which means the ideas derived from the common people. It underlined the importance of intimate contact with the world (loka), and showed a lack of belief in the other world. Many teachings are attributed to Charvaka. He was opposed to the quest for spiritual salvation. He denied the existence of any divine or supernatural agency. He accepted the existence/reality of only those things that could be experienced by human senses and organs. This implied a clear lack of faith in the existence of brahma and god. According to Charvaka, the brahmanas manufactured rituals in order to acquire gifts (dakshina). To discredit Charvaka, his opponents highlight only one of his teachings. According to it, a person should enjoy himself as long as he lives; he should borrow to eat well (that is, take ghee). However, Charvaka’s real contribution lies in his materialistic outlook. He denies the operation of divine and supernatural agencies and makes man the centre of all activities.

Solution: A

The Dobson unit (DU) is the scale used for measuring the thickness of the stratospheric ozone layer. The unit is named after Gordon Miller Bourne Dobson, a British physicist who developed the Dobson spectrophotometer in the 1920s, which was the first instrument designed specifically to measure atmospheric ozone.

One Dobson unit represents the thickness of the ozone layer if it were compressed to a uniform layer at standard temperature (0°C) and pressure (1 atmosphere). A value of 1 DU corresponds to a layer of ozone gas that is 0.01 millimeters (10 micrometers) thick. In practice, the total ozone column is usually expressed in Dobson units, where typical values range from 100 DU (in the polar regions) to over 400 DU (in the tropics).

Solution: C

The Basic Structure Doctrine is a fundamental principle of the Indian Constitution, which states that there are certain basic features of the Constitution that cannot be altered or destroyed by the Parliament through amendments under Article 368. This doctrine was not explicitly defined in the Constitution but was evolved through various landmark judgments by the Supreme Court of India.

Although the Parliament has the power to amend the Constitution, it cannot alter or destroy its basic features. Judicial review does apply to such amendments, and the Supreme Court can declare them unconstitutional if they violate the basic structure.

The basic features of the Constitution have not been exhaustively listed by the Supreme Court in any single case. The Golak Nath case (1967) is significant because it held that fundamental rights cannot be amended, but it was the Kesavananda Bharati case (1973) that first introduced the Basic Structure Doctrine.

The Court has identified various basic features in several judgments over time, including the supremacy of the Constitution, the rule of law, the separation of powers, and the principle of federalism, among others. The Court has deliberately refrained from providing an exhaustive list, allowing for flexibility and adaptability in the interpretation of the Constitution.

Solution: C

The National Commission for Women (NCW) was established as a statutory body in January 1992 under the National Commission for Women Act, 1990. Its primary objective is to promote and protect the interests of women in India.

The NCW reviews the constitutional and legal safeguards for women, ensuring that they are effectively implemented and recommending amendments to better protect women’s rights.

The Commission recommends remedial legislative measures for the effective implementation of women’s rights and to address any gaps or shortcomings in existing laws.

The NCW facilitates the redressal of grievances related to women by addressing complaints and conducting investigations into specific cases of violation of women’s rights.

The NCW does not have the power to take direct action against perpetrators of crimes against women. Its role is to recommend measures, facilitate redressal, and advise the government on policy matters. The enforcement of laws and taking direct action against criminals is the responsibility of law enforcement agencies and the judiciary.

Solution: B

Gujarat is a state located in the western part of India, with a diverse geography and climate.

The northern region of Gujarat, including the Kutch district, is characterized by arid and semi-arid conditions. The area receives low rainfall and has a harsh climate, with extreme temperatures in both summer and winter.

The central region of Gujarat, particularly the Saurashtra and the middle Gujarat regions, is known for its cotton production. Gujarat is one of the leading cotton-producing states in India.

The state has a significant focus on cash crop cultivation, including cotton, groundnuts, and tobacco. Although food crops like wheat, rice, and pulses are also grown, the emphasis on cash crops is higher.

Solution: D

Cherrapunji and Mawsynram are villages located in the Indian state of Meghalaya, and they are known for receiving some of the highest annual rainfall in the world. The primary reason for this high rainfall is the rain-bearing winds getting locked in the Khasi Hills.

Solution: D

Simple interest = Principal * Time * Rate of Interest /100

Let Rs x was given at 5 % interest, then

Total income from interest = x*1*5/100 + (2500-x) * 1 * 6/100 = 140

Or 5x/100 + (15000 – 6x)/100 = 140

Or 15000 – x = 14000

Or x= 1000

Solution: C

Amount = simple interest + principal

9200 = simple interest + 8000

simple interest = 9200-8000 = Rs 1200
If r % be the rate of interest ,
Then from, simple interest = ((principal * rate% * time)/100)
1200 = ((8000 * r * 3)/100)
r = 5%
If 2% more interest that is 7% interest
simple interest = ((8000 * 7 * 3)/100)
= Rs 1680
Thus, amount she will get is Rs 8000 + Rs 1680 = Rs 9680

ANSWER A) 10%

Solution:

Explanation:

Since difference between the amounts is Rs.31, we can write,

–  = 31

–  =

Substituting values for P and R,

–  =

Solving for R,

R = 10%

Ans. B

There needs to be a deeper understanding of pros and cons of NRLP  is the most balanced and rational answer as A is not being implied by the passage and C is a very general statement which is not the focus area of the passage. Hence B

Ans. B.

The passage seeks to explain the lesser understood impact of flood on soil and how it causes immense loss. B is the most accurate inference.