[MISSION 2024] RTM(Revision through MCQs)- 26 January 2024

Ans: (d)

Explanation:

• INA trials – The Indian National Army trials (also known as the INA trials and the Red Fort trials) was the British Indian trialby court-martial of a number of officers of the Indian National Army (INA) between November 1945 and May 1946, on various charges of treason, torture, murder and abetment to murder, during the Second World War.
• In November 1945, a British move to put the N.A. men on trial immediately sparked massive demonstrations all over the country.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2024/01/26/role-of-the-indian-national-army-ina-in-indias-freedom/

Ans: (b)

Explanation:

• Statements 1 and 2 are correct.
• The Royal Indian Navy revolt (also called the Royal Indian Navy mutiny or Bombay mutiny) encompasses a total strike and subsequent revolt by Indian sailors of the Royal Indian Navy on board ship and shore establishments at Bombay harbour on 18 February 1946.
• While the immediate trigger was the demand for better food and working conditions, the agitation soon turned into a wider demand for independence from British rule.
• From the initial flashpoint in Bombay, the revolt spread and found support throughout British India, from Karachi to Calcutta. The mutiny was repressed with force by British troops and Royal Navy warships. Only the Communist Party supported the strikers; the Indian National Congress and the Muslim League condemned it.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2024/01/26/role-of-the-indian-national-army-ina-in-indias-freedom/

Ans: (b)

Explanation:

• Statement 2 is incorrect.
• The idea of creating an army out of the Indian prisoners of war (POWs) was originally that of Mohan Singh, an Indian army officer who had decided not to join the retreating British army in Malaya.
• The Japanese handed over the Indian prisoners of war to Mohan Singh who tried to recruit them into an Indian National Army.
• In 1938, Subhash Chandra Bose became the president of INC at the Haripur session.
• In 1939, Subhash Chandra Bose again became the president of INC by defeating Gandhi’s candidate Pattabhi Sitaramayya.
• In 1928, Subhash Chandra Bose opposed the Dominion status as proposed in the Nehru Report.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2024/01/26/role-of-the-indian-national-army-ina-in-indias-freedom/

Ans: (d)

Explanation:

• Context: During the fiscal year 2022-23, the share of direct taxes in India’s gross domestic product (GDP) reached a 15-year high of 6.11%.
• What is the Direct Tax to GDP ratio?
  • The Direct Tax to GDP ratio is a financial metric that represents the percentage of a country’s gross domestic product (GDP) contributed by direct taxes. A higher ratio implies a larger share of tax revenue relative to the overall economic activity. It gives an estimate of a country’s ability to mobilise resources to fuel its development. Direct taxes contributed over 54% to the overall tax collection during FY23.
• Statement 1: This is false. While a higher tax-GDP ratio can indicate a larger government revenue base, it doesn’t automatically translate to a stronger economy. Other factors like efficiency of tax collection, spending patterns, and overall economic structure play crucial roles.
• Statement 2: This is false. Decreases in the tax-GDP ratio can sometimes be intentional policy choices aimed at stimulating economic growth by lowering tax burdens on businesses and individuals. For example, many countries implemented temporary tax cuts during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2024/01/26/direct-tax-to-gdp-ratio/

Ans: (a)

Explanation:

• Statement 1: This is partially true. While vehicles and appliances are major sources of scrap steel, it also comes from various sources like construction materials, industrial machinery, and packaging.
• Statement 2: This is false. While some processing of scrap steel requires energy, it is significantly less than extracting and refining virgin iron ore. Recycling scrap steel also produces fewer pollutants compared to the traditional method.
• Statement 3: This is true. Using scrap steel in production requires less energy and generates fewer greenhouse gas emissions compared to using virgin ore. This significantly reduces the carbon footprint of steel production.

Refer:” https://www.insightsonindia.com/2024/01/26/scrap-steel/

Ans: (d)

Explanation:

• Agricultural soils contributed to over 70% of N2O emissions from India in 2010, followed by waste water (12%) and residential and commercial activities (6%). Since 2002, N2O has replaced methane as the second largest Greenhouse Gas (GHG) from Indian agriculture.
• Cattle account for 80% of the ammonia production, though their annual growth rate is 1%, due to a stable population.
• The poultry industry, on the other hand, with an annual growth rate of 6%, recorded an excretion of reactive nitrogen compounds of 0.415 tonnes in 2016.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2024/01/26/execution-using-nitrogen-gas/

Ans: (d)

Explanation:

• The nitrogen cycle contains several stages:
  • Nitrification
  • Assimilation
  • Ammonification
  • Denitrification
• Nitrification – Nitrification is the biological oxidation of ammonia or ammonium to nitrite followed by the oxidation of the nitrite to nitrate. Nitrification is an aerobic process performed by small groups of autotrophic bacteria and archaea.
• Assimilation – Nitrogen compounds in various forms, such as nitrate, nitrite, ammonia, and ammonium are taken up from soils by plants which are then used in the formation of plant and animal proteins.
• Ammonification – When plants and animals die, or when animals emit wastes, the nitrogen in the organic matter re-enters the soil where it is broken down by other microorganisms, known as decomposers. This decomposition produces ammonia which is then available for other biological processes.
• Denitrification – Nitrogen makes its way back into the atmosphere through a process called denitrification, in which nitrate (NO3-) is converted back to gaseous nitrogen (N2).

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2024/01/26/execution-using-nitrogen-gas/

Ans: (c)

Explanation:

• Statement 1: While climate change plays a role in recent years, increased evaporation due to rising temperatures is only one factor. Overextraction of water for irrigation and domestic use also significantly contributes to the declining water levels.
• Statement 2: Lake Victoria, Africa’s largest lake and the world’s second-largest freshwater lake, spans approximately 59,947 km² and is shared by Kenya (6%), Uganda (43%), and Tanzania (51%). Fed by rivers like Kagera, Katonga, Sio, Yala, Nyando, Sondu Miriu, and Mara, it contributes to the River Nile’s water. As one of the African Great Lakes, Lake Victoria holds significance as Africa’s largest lake by area, the world’s largest tropical lake, and the second-largest freshwater lake globally after Lake Superior in North America.
• Statement 3: Unsustainable agricultural practices like fertilizer overuse and deforestation in the surrounding areas lead to soil erosion and subsequent sedimentation, which pollutes the lake and reduces its biodiversity.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2024/01/26/lake-victoria/

Ans: (a)

Explanation:

• Statement 3 is absurd. Rest of them are correct.
• S1: RNA interference (RNAi) is a biological process in which RNA molecules inhibit gene expression or translation.
• S2: Since the discovery of RNAi and its regulatory potentials, it has become evident that RNAi has immense potential in suppression of desired genes (gene silencing).
• Numerous studies have demonstrated that RNAi can provide a more specific approach to inhibit tumor growth by targeting cancer-related genes (i.e., oncogene).
• S4: RNAi has resulted in the invention of novel crops such as nicotine-free tobacco, decaffeinated coffee, nutrient fortified vegetation, and hypoallergenic crops. The genetically-engineered Arctic apples received FDA approval in 2015.
• While it was known that plants expressing virus-specific proteins showed enhanced tolerance or resistance to viral infection, it was not expected that plants carrying only short, non-coding regions of viral RNA sequences would show similar levels of protection. Researchers believed that viral RNA produced by transgenes could also inhibit viral replication.
• The reverse experiment, in which short sequences of plant genes were introduced into viruses, showed that the targeted gene was suppressed in an infected plant. This phenomenon was labeled “virus-induced gene silencing” (VIGS), and the set of such phenomena were collectively called post transcriptional gene silencing.
• See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RNA_interference

Refer: UPSC CSE 2019

Ans: (a)

Explanation:

• Cas9 (CRISPR associated protein 9) is a protein which plays a vital role in the immunological defense of certain bacteria against DNA viruses, and which is heavily utilized in genetic engineering applications. Its main function is to cut DNA and therefore it can alter a cell’s genome.
• See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cas9

Refer: UPSC CSE 2019