UPSC CIVIL SERVICES EXAMINATION

PRELIMS 2019 SPECIAL

LECTURE 29

MCQs – CURRENT AFFAIRS

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Consider the following statements regarding Ultima Thule:

1. It lies in the main asteroid belt between the orbit of Mars and Jupiter.

2. NASA has successfully landed a rover on it to study its composition.

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

a) 1 only

b) 2 only

c) Both 1 and 2

d) Neither 1 or 2

Answer : d

QUESTION 1

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QUESTION 1

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Asteroids are relatively small, primarily rocky or metallic chunks of matter that orbit the Sun. They arelike planets, but much smaller

1

The asteroid belt (or the “main belt”) is the region between the orbit of Mars and the orbit of Jupiter2

The vast majority of known asteroids orbit in this belt. The main belt itself is divided into thinner belts,separated by object-free zones called Kirkwood Gaps

3

There are many asteroids in other regions of the solar system as well.4

QUESTION 1

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QUESTION 1

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The Kuiper Belt consists of Icy rocks, and it a major source of short-period Comets in the Solar system.5

It extends beyond the planet Neptune and Pluto was discovered to be one of the largest objects in thebelt.

6

Ultima Thule lies in the Kuiper belt and is the most distant planatery object ever studied. A NASAspacecraft New Horizons would zoom past it on New Year.

7

QUESTION 1

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Match the following:

Select the correct code:

a) A1, B2, C3, D4

b) A2, B1, C4, D3

c) A4, B3, C2, D1

d) A2, B1, C3, D4

Answer : d

QUESTION 2

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Port Country

A – Chabahar 1 - Indonesia

B – Sabang 2 - Iran

C – Assumption 3 - Seychelles

D – Changi 4 - Singapore

QUESTION 2

China’s String of Pearls is an attempt to encircle India through maintaining and developing its strategic bases incountries around India, such as Pakistan, Maldives, Myanmar among others.

1

It will help in confining India to its own land and limiting its influence on the neighbouring countries. This alsoprovides China with an easy access and control over the vast Indian ocean.

2

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Chittagong in Bangladesh

Hambantota in Sri Lanka

Marao in Maldives

Gwadar in Pakistan

QUESTION 2

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India’s Necklace of Diamonds

An Indian company hastaken charge of operatingthe Iranian port of Chabahar

Consider the following statements:

1. NOTA is applicable in India as a ballot option in Rajya Sabha polls.

2. If NOTA receives the highest number of votes in Lok Sabha constituency polls, re election is held in

those constituencies

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

a) 1 only

b) 2 only

c) Both 1 and 2

d) Neither 1 or 2

Answer : d

QUESTION 3

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QUESTION 3

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“NOTA” or ''none of the above'' is a ballot option provided in elections to Indian voters. Through NOTA, acitizen has the right to not vote for any candidate contesting the elections.

1

In January 2014, the Election Commission of India issued a circular stating that the provisions of NOTAshould also be included in the Rajya Sabha elections

2

The Election Commission in Sep 2018 withdrew the 'none of the above' (NOTA) option from ballot papersof the Rajya Sabha and the Legislative Council polls following a Supreme Court directive

3

As per Supreme Court, NOTA was meant to be exercised by individual voters in direct polls.4

QUESTION 3

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NOTA in India does not guarantee dismissal of the winning candidate. Therefore, it’s only a method togive a negative feedback.

5

NOTA does not hold any electoral value in most of the elections i.e. even if the maximum votes are forNOTA, the candidate with maximum vote share will still be the winner.

6

In November 2018, the Maharashtra State Election Commission (SEC) announced that if NOTA gets themaximum votes in the local elections, re-elections would be held

7

The Haryana SEC also declared that NOTA would be treated as a fictional candidate and re-elections wouldbe conducted if NOTA won the majority vote in the upcoming Municipal Elections in December 2018

8

Consider the following statements regarding Indian Tsunami Early Warning System (ITEWS):

1) It is used to provide tsunami advisories to India only.

2) It comprises of real time network of seismic stations, tsunami buoys and tide gauges.

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

a) 1 only

b) 2 only

c) Both 1 and 2

d) Neither 1 or 2

Answer : b

QUESTION 4

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QUESTION 4

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In Dec 2004, disaster struck killing 2,30,000 people in 14 countries along the rim of the Indian Ocean. The damagewas worst in Indonesia, Thailand, India and Sri Lanka.

1

Much of the casualty could have been avoided if only there had been an early warning system for tsunamis inthe Indian Ocean region.

2

Today, a 24X7 early warning system is operational. It has a capability to issue tsunami bulletins in less than 10minutes after any major earthquake in the Indian Ocean.

3

The Indian Tsunami Early Warning System [ITEWS] comprises of a real time network of seismic stations, tsunamibuoys and tide gauges. These are linked to a state-of-art tsunami centre – Indian Tsunami Early Warning Centre[ITEWC]

4

QUESTION 4

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QUESTION 4

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Advisories are issued automatically to the various stakeholders beginning from the Ministry of Home Affairs andthe National Disaster Management Authority to State and district level disaster management centres for necessaryfollow up action.

5

The ITEWC is located at the Union Ministry of Earth Science's Indian National Centre for Ocean InformationServices [INCOIS] in Hyderabad.

6

The centre serves not only as a national facility but also as a regional tsunami advisory service providerresponsible for providing tsunami advisories to all the countries in the Indian Ocean region. This responsibilitywas formally handed over to it by UNESCO on October 12, 2011.

7

In the recent tsunami that struck Indonesia, none of the sensors of ITEWS could detect any kind of abnormal oceanicmovement. Why?

Something to ponder upon:

What is a strike slip earthquake?

Consider the following statements regarding Foot and Mouth Disease:

1) It is a highly contagious viral disease of cattle and swine.

2) It is characterized as a zoonotic disease

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

a) 1 only

b) 2 only

c) Both 1 and 2

d) Neither 1 or 2

Answer : a

QUESTION 5

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QUESTION 5

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Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is a severe, highly contagious viral disease of cattle and swine. It also affectssheep, goats, deer, and other cloven-hooved ruminants.

1

FMD is not recognised as a zoonotic disease.2

A zoonotic disease is a disease spread between animals and people. Zoonotic diseases can be caused by viruses,bacteria, parasites, and fungi.

3

Because FMD rarely infects humans, but spreads rapidly among animals, it is a much greater threat to theagriculture industry than to human health

4