[Mission 2024] Current Affairs Quiz , 31 August 2023

Solution: a)

Only statement 2 is correct.

The current account deficit or CAD is a key indicator of a country’s external sector. When the value of the goods and services that a country imports exceeds the value of the products it exports, it is known as the current account deficit. Together with the fiscal deficit, which is the amount of money that the government has to borrow in any year to fill the gap between its expenditures and revenues, the two make up the ‘twin deficits’ that are considered the enemies of the stock market and investors.

If the current account – the country’s trade and transactions with other countries – shows a surplus, that indicates money is flowing into the country, boosting the foreign exchange reserves and the value of the rupee against the dollar. These are factors that will have ramifications on the economy and the stock markets, as well as on returns on investments by people.

CAD narrowed to $1.3 billion, or 0.2 per cent, of the GDP in the January-March quarter of FY2023 – from $16.8 billion or 2 per cent of GDP in the preceding quarter. In Q4 FY2022, CAD was $13.4 billion, or 1.6 per cent of GDP.

Remittances, which are the second largest major source of external financing after service export, also contributed to narrowing the CAD. During the quarter, private transfer receipts, mainly representing remittances by Indians employed overseas, increased to $28.6 billion, up 20.8 per cent from their level a year ago.

Solution: c)

A part of the Arctic’s ice called “Last Ice Area”, located north of Greenland, has melted before expected. Scientists had believed this area was strong enough to withstand global warming.

The area is important because it was thought to be able to help ice-dependent species as ice in the surrounding areas melted away. The area is used by polar bears to hunt for seals who use ice to build dens for their offspring. Walruses too, use the surface of the ice for foraging.

Solution: b)

Statement 3 is incorrect.

Excessive or continuous rainfall over a period of days, or during particular seasons, can lead to stagnation of water and cause flooding. Flash floods refer to such a situation, but occurring in a much shorter span of time, and are highly localised.

flash floods are caused when rainfall creates flooding in less than 6 hours. It adds that flash floods can also be caused by factors apart from rainfall, like when water goes beyond the levels of a dam.

In India, flash floods are often associated with cloudbursts – sudden, intense rainfall in a short period of time. Himalayan states further face the challenge of overflowing glacial lakes, formed due to the melting of glaciers, and their numbers have been increasing in the last few years.

Frequently, flash floods are accompanied by landslides, which are sudden movements of rock, boulders, earth or debris down a slope.

Flash flooding commonly happens more where rivers are narrow and steep, so they flow more quickly. They can occur in urban areas located near small rivers, since hard surfaces such as roads and concrete do not allow the water to absorb into the ground.

Solution: c)

The first railways in India came into being in the 1800s and were constructed and operated by private companies. 

The Government of India Act, 1935 said that functions for securing the safety of railway operations, both for the travelling public and personnel operating the railways, should be performed by an authority independent of the federal railway authority or the Railway Board. These functions included conducting railway accident probes. But due to the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, the idea did not take off and the Railway Inspectorate continued to function under the control of the Railway Board.

Solution: d)

In a ‘narco’ or narcoanalysis test, a drug called sodium pentothal is injected into the body of the accused, which transports them to a hypnotic or sedated state, in which their imagination is neutralised. In this hypnotic state, the accused is understood as being incapable of lying, and is expected to divulge information that is true.

A polygraph test is based on the assumption that physiological responses that are triggered when a person is lying are different from what they would be otherwise.

A polygraph test does not involve injecting drugs into the body; rather instruments like cardio-cuffs or sensitive electrodes are attached to the suspect, and variables such as blood pressure, pulse rate, respiration, change in sweat gland activity, blood flow, etc., are measured as questions are put to them.

A numerical value is assigned to each response to conclude whether the person is telling the truth, is deceiving, or is uncertain.

In recent decades, investigating agencies have sought to employ these tests in investigation, which are sometimes seen as being a “softer alternative” to torture or “third degree” to extract the truth from suspects.

However, neither method has been proven scientifically to have a 100% success rate, and remain contentious in the medical field as well.