[MISSION 2024] RTM(Revision through MCQs)- 21 June 2023

Ans: (b)

Explanation:

• It is a regional intergovernmental learning and knowledge-sharing centre serving the 8 regional member countries (RMCs) of the HKH region – Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, and Pakistan.
• It was established in 1983 and is headquartered at Lalitpur, which is located in the Kathmandu valley of
• ICIMOD promotes and fosters partnerships amongst the RMCs to secure a better future for the people and environment of the HKH region.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2023/06/21/icimod-report-water-ice-society-and-ecosystems-in-the-hindu-kush-himalaya/

Ans: (a)

Explanation:

• The Global Innovation Index is an annual ranking of countries by their capacity for, and success in, innovation, published by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). It was started in 2007 by INSEAD and World Business, a British magazine.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2023/06/21/global-startup-ecosystem-report-2023-gser-2023/

Ans: (d)

Explanation:

• The UNFCCC was adopted in 1992 at the Rio Earth Summit, which marked the beginning of the international community’s first concerted effort to confront the problem of climate change.
• Known also as the Rio Convention, the UNFCCC established a framework for action to stabilise concentrations of greenhouse gases in the earth’s atmosphere.
• The UNFCCC entered into force in 1994, and nearly all of the world’s nations—a total of 197 (as of 2020)—have ratified.
• The framework sets non-binding limits on greenhouse gas emissions for individual countries and contains no enforcement mechanisms.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2023/06/21/the-bonn-climate-change-conference/

Ans: (d)

Explanation:

• Published annually since 2005, the Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) tracks countries’ efforts to combat climate change. As an independent monitoring tool it aims to enhance transparency in international climate politics and enables comparison of climate protection efforts and progress made by individual countries.
• Germanwatch, the NewClimate Institute and the Climate Action Network publish the index annually.
• If a country fails to meet its NDCs, there is no penalty.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2023/06/21/the-bonn-climate-change-conference/

Ans: (d)

Explanation:

• Ranjit Singh, who ruled Punjab for almost four decades (1801-39) was given the title Lion of Punjab (Sher-e-Punjab) because he stemmed the tide of Afghan invaders in Lahore, which remained his capital until his death.
• During his regime, Punjab was a land of six rivers, the sixth being the Indus.
• The maharaja was known for his just and secular rule; both Hindus and Muslims were given powerful positions in his darbar.
• He turned Harimandir Sahib at Amritsar into the Golden Temple by covering it with gold.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2023/06/21/shiromani-gurdwara-parbandhak-committee-sgpc/

Ans: (b)

Explanation:

• The correct answer is (A) and (D).
• mRNA vaccines use a small piece of the virus’s genetic material, called messenger RNA (mRNA), to teach the body’s cells how to make a protein that is similar to a protein on the surface of the virus. This protein is then recognized by the body’s immune system, which leads to the production of antibodies that can protect against infection.
• mRNA vaccines do not require the use of an adjuvant, which is a substance that is added to some vaccines to boost the immune response. However, some mRNA vaccines, such as the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, do contain a small amount of an adjuvant called polyethylene glycol (PEG).
• mRNA vaccines have been successfully used to develop COVID-19 vaccines. The Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines are both mRNA vaccines, and they have been shown to be very effective at preventing symptomatic COVID-19 infection.
• Statement (B) is incorrect because mRNA vaccines do not directly insert viral proteins into the body. Instead, they teach the body’s cells how to make the protein themselves.
• Statement (C) is incorrect because mRNA vaccines do not require the use of an adjuvant. However, some mRNA vaccines do contain a small amount of an adjuvant.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2023/06/21/omicron-specific-mrna-vaccine/

Ans: (c)

Explanation:

• Cosmic radiation refers to high-energy particles, mainly protons and atomic nuclei, that originate from outer space and travel through the universe. These particles are produced by various celestial phenomena, such as supernovae, black holes, and active galactic nuclei.
• Cosmic rays are not electromagnetic radiation since they are high energy outer space particles.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2023/06/21/the-link-between-surges-of-cosmic-radiation-from-space-and-earthquakes/

Ans: (b)

Explanation:

• Context: The State of the Climate in Europe 2022 report, produced by the World Meteorological Organization and the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, reveals that Europe has been warming twice as fast as the global average since the 1980s.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2023/06/21/state-of-the-climate-in-europe-2022-report/

Ans: (c )

Explanation:

• Kareri Lake (also known as Kumarwah Lake) is a high altitude, shallow, freshwater lake south of the Dhauladhar range, near Dharamsala in Kangra district, Himachal Pradesh. It is best known for being a trekking destination.
• Dhauladhar is a mountain range which is part of a lesser Himalayan chain of mountains. It rises from the Shivalik hills to the north of Kangra and Mandi. Dharamsala, the headquarters of Kangra district and the winter capital of Himachal Pradesh lies on its southern spur in the Kangra Valley.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2023/06/21/kareri-lake/

Ans: (c )

Explanation:

• Justification: Known as India’s first civil disobedience movement, it was launched by Mahatma Gandhi to protest against the injustice meted out to tenant farmers in Champaran district of Bihar.
• It is widely regarded as the place where Gandhi made his first experiments in satyagraha and then replicated them elsewhere.
• Why?
  • To commemorate the anniversary of the Champaran Satyagraha movement, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited East Champaran in the Month of March, 2018 where he addressed over 20,000 swachhagrahis from across the country engaged in creating awareness among people to construct toilets and avoid defecation in the open.

Refer: UPSC CSE 2018