UPSC CIVIL SERVICES EXAMINATION

PRELIMS 2019 SPECIAL

LECTURE 50

MCQs – CURRENT AFFAIRS

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Q. Recently Gandhi - Mandela Freedom Lecture under IBSA was seen in news. Consider the

following statements regarding IBSA ?

1. It is a grouping of developing economies – India , Brazil , South Africa and Argentina

2. IBSA Fund for the alleviation of poverty and hunger is managed by the office of United Nations

Which of the above statement/s is/are incorrect?

a) 1 only

b) 2 only

c) 1 and 2 both

d) None of the above

Answer : a

QUESTION 1

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QUESTION 1

IBSA is a dialogue forum bringing together India, Brazil and South Africa - three large democracies andmajor economies from three different continents, facing similar challenges

1

The idea of establishing IBSA was discussed at a meeting between the then Prime Minister of India and thethen Presidents of Brazil and South Africa in 2003

2

The grouping was formalized and named the IBSA Dialogue Forum when the Foreign Ministers of thethree countries met in Brasilia on 6 June 2003 and issued the Brasilia Declaration.

3

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QUESTION 1

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Organizational Structure of IBSA

1. IBSA FundIBSA Facility Fund for Alleviation of Poverty and Hunger through which development projects are executed with IBSAfunding in fellow developing countries. An annual amount of US $ 1 million is contributed by each IBSA membercountry

2. IBSA Business ForumIt was launched in Cape Town in March 2005. From India, CII, FICCI and ASSOCHAM are represented on the Council

3. People-to-People ForumsThere are six People-to-People Forums under IBSA. These are, Parliamentary Forum, Women's Forum, Academic Forum, Local Governance Forum, Business Forum, and Editors' Forum. There is also a Tri-nation Forum on MSME

4. Joint Working GroupsIt has been established to promote sectoral cooperation. There are 14 Joint Working Groups in areas :Transport,Health , Education, Defence, Science & Technology, Trade & Investment, Culture, Agriculture, Energy, PublicAdministration and Governance, Revenue Administration, Human Settlement, Environment and Social Development.

QUESTION 1

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Organizational Structure of IBSA

5. Trilateral CommissionThe Brasilia Declaration established a Trilateral Commission at the level of Foreign Ministers. The Commission meets regularly; the first meeting of the Trilateral Commission was held in New Delhi on 4 - 5 March 2004

Q. “DAMaN initiative” started by Odisha Government is related to which of the following

diseases?

a) Tuberculosis

b) Polio

c) Malaria

d) AIDS

Answer : c

QUESTION 2

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QUESTION 2

Odisha accounts for over 40 per cent malaria burden of the entire country but it has emerged as aninspiration in the fight against malaria through its Durgama Anchalare Malaria Nirakaran (DAMaN)initiative

1

DAMaN aims to deliver services to the most inaccessible and hardest hit people of the State. Theinitiative has in-built innovative strategies to combat asymptomatic malaria

2

This programme is jointly implemented by Indian Council of Medical Research-National Institute ofMalaria Research (ICMR-NIMR), National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP), Odishaand Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV)

3

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India is the only country among the 11 highest-burden countries that saw substantial progress in reducingdisease burden: it saw a 24% decrease in 2017 compared to 2016.

4

Q. Lake Chilika has been in news due to ecotourism in Mangaljodi. Consider the following

statements regarding it :

1. It is Asia’s second largest coastal lagoon

2. It has been conferred with International recognition under Ramsar Convention

3. It is a part of International Flyway of migratory birds

Choose the incorrect code :

a) 1 only

b) 2 only

c) 3 only

d) None of the above

Answer : a

QUESTION 3

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a

QUESTION 3

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Chilika Lake is the largest coastal lagoon in India and the second largest lagoon in the world1

It is the largest wintering ground for migratory birds on the Indian sub-continent.2

Chilika Lake has been recognized as a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention3

Second National Chilika Bird Festival has been started at Mangalajodi in Chilika , With an aim to promoteecotourism and preservation of birds

The National Chilika Bird Festival Award was awarded to Mangalajodi Ecotourism Group for their activeinvolvement in bird protection in 2018

Context

a

QUESTION 3

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Chilika lies in the Central Asian Flyway for birds, is a major stopover site for migratory birds from the Arctic andSub-Arctic regions during their onward and return migration along the east coast

4

Birds from as far as the Caspian Sea, Lake Baikal, Aral Sea and other remote parts of Russia, Kirghiz steppes ofMongolia, Central and southeast Asia, Ladakh and Himalayas come here.

6

Habitats such as mudflats, floating and submerged vegetation, reed beds, open waters with varying depth andsalinity attract a variety of migratory and resident bird species.

5

Q. Vande Bharat Express is seen in news. Consider the following statements regarding it:

1. It is India’s fastest indigenous train developed under Make in India Programme

2. It plies regularly between Mumbai and Ahmedabad

Which of the above statement/s is/are incorrect?

a) 1 only

b) 2 only

c) Both 1 and 2

d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer : b

QUESTION 4

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a

QUESTION 4

Indian Railways has named the indigenously manufactured Train 18 as Vande Bharat Express1

The train is set to run between Delhi and Varanasi at a maximum speed of 160kmph2

It as been manufactured by Integral Coach Factory, Chennai, is regarded as a successor to the 30-year-oldShatabdi Express. It’s also the first locomotive-less train in the country.

3

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Q. Barak-8 as seen in news recently , is which of the following?

a) UAV

b) Anti tank missile

c) Supersonic missile

d) Surface to Air missile

Answer : d

QUESTION 5

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a

QUESTION 5

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Recently long-range surface-to-air missile (LRSAM) or Barak-8 has been tested which significantly bolstersIndia's Air Defense (AD) capabilities

1

Barak 8 is an Indian-Israeli surface-to-air missile (SAM) and both maritime and land-based versions of thesystem exist

2

It has been designed to defend against any type of airborne threat including aircraft, helicopters, anti-shipmissiles, and UAVs as well as ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and combat jets

3

a

QUESTION 5

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The India’s decision to develop Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) was introduced in the light of the ballistic missilethreat mainly from Pakistan during the Kargil War in 1999

A Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) is a system that is designed to intercept and destroy an incoming ballistic missileon its trajectory much before it approaches the target

India's ballistic missile defence system provides a two-layered shield - 'exo' and 'endo’

The system provides protection both against ballistic missiles that are outside (exo) as well as inside (endo) theearth's atmosphere

Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) program