DAILY 10.30 A.M UPSC PRELIMS(25 QUESTIONS) MCQs: 27TH AUGUST,2020

1.  The thickness of permafrost reduces progressively towards the south, and is affected by a number of other factors, including:

1. Earth’s interior heat
2. Snow and vegetation cover
3. Presence of water bodies
4. Topography

• Select the correct answer using the code given below:

2. National Capital was in news because of many low magnitude earthquakes in the recent past. Which of the following statements is correct in this context?

3. Consider the following statements:

1. Earthquakes of magnitude 5 or below hardly cause any damage anywhere and are mostly inconsequential for practical purposes.
2. A magnitude 6 earthquake is typically associated with the kind of energy that was released by the atom bomb in Hiroshima.
3. A magnitude 7 earthquake is about 32 times more powerful than a magnitude 6 earthquake.

• Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

4. Recently, Bhararisen (Gairsain) in the Chamoli district was declared as the summer capital of Uttarakhand. Which of the following Indian States/UTs have the arrangement of summer and winter capitals?

1. Punjab and Haryana
2. Maharashtra
3. Himachal Pradesh
4. Jammu and Kashmir

• Select the correct answer using the code given below:

5. Saffron and Heeng (asafoetida) are the most valuable spices of the world and are widely used in Indian cuisine since time immemorial. Which of the following statements is/are correct in this context?

1. A large amount of Saffron is being imported into India.
2. India is a major producer of Heeng.
3. Kashmir saffron is a Geographical Indication (GI) tagged product.

• Select the correct answer using the code given below:

6. Consider the following statements about the ‘Airborne Rescue Pod for Isolated Transportation’ (ARPIT):

1. It has been designed and developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
2. It will be utilized for the evacuation of critical patients with infectious diseases including COVID-19 from high altitude areas, isolated and remote places.
3. Only indigenous materials have been used to fabricate this pod.

• Which of the statements given above are correct?

7. Recently, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has mandated a strip of green colour of 1 cm width on top of the existing sticker carrying details of registration for which of the following categories of vehicles?

8. Which of the following correctly defines the term ‘Social Vaccine’?

9. Consider the following statements about ‘major Indian institutes’ and this year’s QS World University Rankings:

1. The total number of Indian institutions in the top 1,000 global list has increased.
2. India performed the poorest on the parameter of internationalization while scoring well on research impact, measured through citations per faculty.
3. QS World University Rankings does not cover the parameter of the cost of education to students.

• Which of the statements given above are correct?

10. ‘Right to Health’ is a fundamental right under which of the following Articles of the Indian Constitution?

11. The Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change (MOEFCC) has issued new guidelines for the import of exotic species. According to the advisory, “Exotic live species” shall be construed to mean:

1. Animal or plant species moved from their original range (location) to a new one.
2. Animals named under the Appendices I, II and III of the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) of Wild Fauna and Flora.
3. Species covered by the Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972.

• Select the correct answer using the code given below:

12. Consider the following statements:

1. Infosys is the only Indian company ever to win a UN climate award.
2. Infosys has made a commitment to become carbon neutral by 2021.
3. Being a carbon-neutral company means only using renewable energy resources to meet energy-related needs.

• Which of the statements given above are correct?

13. Consider the following statements:

1. Conventional plant breeding involves crossing species of the same genus to provide the offspring with the desired traits of both parents.
2. Genetic engineering aims to transcend the genus barrier by introducing an alien gene in the seeds to get the desired effects.

• Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

14. Consider the following statements:

1. Bt cotton has two alien genes from a soil bacterium that allows the crop to develop a protein toxic to the common pest pink bollworm.
2. Ht Bt cotton is derived with the insertion of an additional gene, from the same soil bacterium, which allows the plant to resist the common herbicide glyphosate.

• Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

15. Which of the following statements in the context of ‘genetically modified crops’ in India are correct?

1. In Bt brinjal, a gene allows the plant to resist attacks of fruit and shoot borer.
2. In DMH-11 mustard, genetic modification allows cross-pollination in a crop that self-pollinates in nature.
3. In Bt cotton, genes from a soil bacterium allows the crop to develop a protein toxic to the common pest pink bollworm.

• Select the correct answer using the code given below:

16. Consider the following statements:

1. According to the Sikkim-Tibet Convention of 1890, the boundary in the area is based on the watershed principles.
2. India recognizes the Tibetan Autonomous Region as a part of China, and China recognizes Sikkim as a State of the Indian Union.
3. The international boundary at Sikkim while undisputed remains undemarcated on the ground.

• Which of the statements given above are correct?

17. Consider the following statements about the ‘Finance Commission’:

1. It is a statutory body.
2. It is set up every five years but can be set up earlier than that.
3. It is set up by the Finance Ministry with the Union Finance Minister as the ex-officio chairman.

• Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

18. The Finance Commission is a constitutional body set up by the President of India under Article 280 of the Constitution, every five years or earlier to decide/recommend:

1. The share of the Union government and state governments in the divisible pool of tax revenue.
2. The share of each state from the share of states in the divisible pool.
3. The share of funds and grants to be transferred to local bodies.
4. The share of each local body from the share of local bodies in the divisible pool.

• Select the correct answer using the code given below:

19. In the Union Budget, which of the following transfers constitutes ‘Finance Commission Grants’?

1. Grants for rural local bodies
2. Grants for urban local bodies
3. Assistance to State Disaster Response Fund
4. Post devolution revenue deficit grants

• Select the correct answer using the code given below:

20. Arrange the following in decreasing order of the contribution they receive under the ‘Finance Commission Grants’ in the Union Budget:

1. Grants for rural local bodies
2. Grants for urban local bodies
3. Assistance to State Disaster Response Fund
4. Post devolution revenue deficit grants

• Select the correct answer using the code given below:

21. Which of the following transfers are made by the Center from its own resources and do not constitute the share of the state governments in the divisible pool of tax revenue as recommended by the Finance Commission?

1. Assistance to states from the National Disaster Response Fund
2. Externally aided project loans
3. Schemes for north-east council
4. Schemes under Article 275 (1) of the Constitution

• Select the correct answer using the code given below:

22. Recently, NITI Aayog favored imposing a border adjustment tax (BAT). Consider the following statements in this regard:

1. It is proposed to be imposed on imports to provide a level-playing field to domestic industries.
2. It is proposed to be imposed on imported goods in addition to the customs levy that gets charged at the port of entry.

• Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

23. Reports suggest that several Indian companies plan to raise funds through rights issue amidst the Covid-19 pandemic. Consider the following statements in this regard:

1. There is investor appetite in the market for good companies with strong credentials at a good price.
2. Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has undertaken certain reforms over the last one year that has made rights issue a more efficient process.
3. Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has provided temporary relaxations to companies in order to ease raising of funds.

• Which of the statements given above are correct?

24. Consider the following statements about the ‘rights issue’:

1. Rights issues is a mechanism by which companies can raise additional capital from existing shareholders.
2. A rights issue is a more democratic and more efficient approach to raising funds.
3. For a rights issue, approval from the shareholders and the board of directors is a must.

• Which of the statements given above are correct?

25. Recently, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has decided to classify railway stations under the red, orange and green categories based on the: