21ST NOVEMBER,2020 : DAILY 10.30 A.M UPSC PRELIMS(10 QUESTIONS) MCQs

1. The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) has been established by the Government of India under which of the following Ministries?

2. Consider the following statements:

• 1. An RTI application can be rejected if the concerned authority is not a public authority under section 2 (h) of the Right to Information Act, 2005.
• 2. Non-governmental organizations substantially financed by funds provided by the appropriate government are considered public authorities under the RTI Act.
• 3. PM CARES Fund created from public contributions to deal with emergencies like posed by the COVID-19 pandemic is a public authority.
• Which of the statements given above are correct?

3.  India’s sovereign rating has been downgraded in recent times. Which of the following are among the reasons for the same?

• 1. Weak implementation of economic reforms since 2017.
• 2. Relatively low economic growth over a sustained period.
• 3. A significant deterioration in the fiscal position of governments (central and state).
• 4. Extraordinary stringent lockdown imposed by India.
• Select the correct answer using the code given below:

4. Which of the following are among the implications of a downgraded in the sovereign credit rating of a country? 

• 1. Bonds issued by the government of that country will carry the lower yields.
• 2. It will become costlier for the companies of the given country to raise funds.
• 3. Corporate issuers rated at or slightly above the rating of the sovereign debt will more likely to be downgraded. 
• Select the correct answer using the code given below:

5. Recently, a report by security researchers alleged leak of personal data of millions of users of the Bharat Interface For Money (BHIM) payment application due to a website breach. Consider the following statements in this regard:

• 1. BHIM allows real time fund transfer using at least two identities like your mobile number and name.
• 2. BHIM can be used to scan a QR code to make quick payments.
• 3. BHIM is a UPI based payment interface and is not a wallet. 
• Which of the statements given above are correct?

6. Recently, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, headed by the Prime Minister, approved the new definition of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs). Consider the following statements in this regard: 

• 1. MSMEs are those enterprises where the investment limit is between ₹1 crore to ₹50 crore and turnover limit is between ₹5 crore to ₹250 crore.
• 2. The turnover with respect to exports will be counted in the limits of turnover for any category of MSME units, be it micro, small or medium. 
• Which of the statements given above are correct?

7. Recently, the Supreme Court of India heard a petition that says the nation should be called by one name. Consider the following statements in this regard: 

• 1. Only the two names “India and Bharat” are mentioned in Article 1 of our Constitution.
• 2. The name India was given to our country by the Portuguese.
• 3. The name Bharata was used for a group of people who lived in the northwest, and who are mentioned in the Rigveda.
• Which of the statements given above are correct?

8. Consider the following statements:

• 1. The term “Hindustan” used in the thirteenth century by Minhaj-i-Siraj was for the lands that were a part of the dominions of the Delhi Sultan. 
• 2. In the early sixteenth century Babur used “Hindustan” to describe the geography, the fauna and the culture of the inhabitants of the subcontinent. 
• 3. The idea of “Hind” put forwarded by the fourteenth-century poet Amir Khusrau was more similar to the “Hindustan” of Babur than that of Minhaj-i-Siraj.
• Which of the statements given above are correct?

9. East African nations have been on high alert over an outbreak of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Consider the following statements in this regard: 

• 1. Democratic Republic of Congo declared a new Ebola epidemic in the western city of Mbandaka, a place where it had reported an outbreak of the same virus last year also. 
• 2. Democratic Republic of Congo has been accused by the World Health Organization of failing to provide information on suspected cases of Ebola in the country. 
• Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

10.  The Democratic Republic of Congo shares its land border with which of the following countries? 

• 1. Angola
• 2. Zambia
• 3. Republic of Congo 
• 4. Central African Republic
• Select the correct answer using the code given below: