1.

Consider the following statements regarding ''National Tiger Conservation Authority’:

1. It is a statutory body established under the provisions of National Tiger Conservation Authority Act, 2005.

2. It submits an annual report to the Central Government for laying before the Parliament.

Which of the following statements is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

2.

Which of the following statements w.r.t. Hydrogen Sulphide is/are true?.

1. It occurs in volcanic gases and natural gas.

2. It smells of rotten eggs.

(a) Only 1 is true

(b) Only 2 is true

(c) Both 1 and 2 are true

(d) Neither 1 nor 2 is true

3.

Fugaku seen in news refer to

(a) Super Computers

(b) Cloned Cows

(c) Rice Varieties

(d) Nuclear Fuels

4.

I. Cyclones are are surrounded by closed isobars having decreasing pressure outward.

II. They derive energy through the latent heat of vaporization.

Which of the above statements is/are true w.r.t. Cyclones?.

(a) Only I

(b) Only II

(c) Both I & II

(d) Neither I nor II

5.

I. They are intentionally grown.

II. They are employed in Regenerative Agriculture.

Which of the above statements is/are true w.r.t. Cover Crops?

(a) Only I

(b) Only II

(c) Both I & II

(d) Neither I nor II

6.

STARS program strengthening of Vocational Education and School-to-Work Transition is funded by the

(a) Asian Development Bank

(b) New Development Bank

(c) World Bank

(d) UNICEF

7.

Thiodan is used as

(a) moisturizer in soaps

(b) plasticizer in paints

(c) biofertiliser mixture

(d) an insecticide

8.

Which of the following is charged on the Consolidated Fund of India and can be spent without authorization by the Parliament?.

I. Debit charges for which the Government of India is liable.

II. Salary and allowances of President.

III. Salary, allowances and pension of the judges of Supreme Court and High Court.

(a) Only II

(b) Only I and II

(c) Only II and III

(d) I, II and III

9.

With reference to 5G technology, which of the following statements are correct?

1. wider frequency spectrum

2. higher latency period

3. attains peak speed of 100 mbps to 1 gbps

4. uses multiple element base station

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 1, 2 and 4 only

(c) 1 and 4 only

(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4

10.

1. It is an urban local body set up for the administration of a small town.

2. It is set up as an executive body in the concerned state.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct with reference to the Town Area Committees?

(a) Only 2

(b) Only 1

(c) Both 1 and 2
 

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

11.

1. All the fungi are multicellular.

2. Fungi are eukaryotic.

(a) Only (1) is true

(b) Only (2) is true

(c) Both (1) & (2) are true

(d) Neither (1) Nor (2) is true

12.

1. It functions under the Department of Economic Affairs of the Ministry of Finance.

2. It is a Sponsoring agency under COFEPOSA.

3. It has quasi-judicial powers.

4. It needs Central Government notification to initiate investigation.

The correct statements w.r.t. Enforcement Directorate include

(a) 1, 2 and 3

(b) 1 and 3

(c) 2, 3 and 4

(d) 1, 2. 3 and 4

13.

1. Methanogenic microorganisms live in the gut of termites.

2. Methanotrophs are counted among natural sources of methane like wetlands, wild animals, livestock and geological features like volcanoes.

(a) Only (1) is true

(b) Only (2) is true

(c) Both (1) & (2) are true

(d) Neither (1) Nor (2) is true

14.

A Joint Public Service Commission can be created for two or more states only if

1. Concerned State Assemblies passes resolution

2. Request of concerned State’s Governors with the approval of President

3. Parliament makes a law

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 1 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

15.

Consider the following statements about the “Contingency Fund of India”.

I. The money can be spent out of the Contingency Fund of India to meet unforeseen expenditure with the approval of President.

II. Such spending out of the Contingency Fund of India has to be replenished.

III. No Parliamentary approval of is necessary for the money spent from the Contingency Fund of India.

Which of the statements given above is/are incorrect?.

(a) Only I

(b) Only I and II

(c) Only II and III

(d) None of the above

16.

1. It is a statutory body.

2. Its recommendations are binding on the Government.

3. Only retired judges of SC and HC can become the members of NHRC.

Which of the above statements is/are correct regarding NHRC?

(a) 2 and 3 only

(b) 1 and 3 only

(c) 1 and 2 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

17.

Consider the following statements with reference to Dumpsite Fires:

I. The anaerobic decomposition cause dumpsite fires.

II. Dioxins & furans are released during dumpsite Fires.

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

(a) Only I

(b) Only II

(c) Both I & II

(d) Neither I nor II

18.

Grouping known as C+C5 includes China and

(a) Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Kyrgyzstan

(b) Estonia, Yugoslavia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Denmark

(c) Pakistan, Afghanistan, Nepal, Srilanka, and Bangaldesh

(d) Iran, Iraq, North Korea, Palestine, and Syria

19.

I. It is a tropical deciduous tree.

II. Its branch surface is conducive to grow algae.

Which of the above statements is/are true w.r.t. Indian oak?.

(a) Only I

(b) Only II

(c) Both I & II

(d) Neither I nor II

20.

Identify the correct statement(s) w.r.t. Inter-State Rivers.

1. Entry 56 of the Union List empowers the Union Government for the regulation and development of inter-state rivers and river valleys to the extent declared by Parliament to be expedient in the public interest.

2. River Boards Act, 1956 was created under Article 262 of Indian Constitution.

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

21.

The Barents Sea is divided between

(a) Russia and Norway

(b) Russia and Ukraine

(c) Armenia and Azerbaijan

(d) Syria and Egypt

22.

When a planet absorbs more energy from the sun than it can radiate back to space, it is known as

(a) Runaway greenhouse effect

(b) Anti-insolation

(c) Exolation

(d) Negative Green house effect  

23.

Which of the following is/are CDM project(s) under Kyoto Protocol?

1. firewood and fodder production on degraded land

2. electricity generation from mustard crop residues

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

24.

With reference to Dancing Girl of Mohenjodaro, consider the following statements:

1. It was discovered by Ernest McKay.

2. There is enough evidence to claim that the woman depicted was a dancer.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

25.

''Zorawar'', developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) with private player Larsen & Toubro (L&T) is a/an

(a) light tank

(b) infra red night vision device

(c) radar

(d) stealth aircraft

1.

The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has been constituted under section 38 L (1) of Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. Further, as per the section 38 L, sub section 2 of the said Act, the authority consists of the Minister in charge of the Ministry of Environment and Forests ( as Chairperson), the Minister of State in the Ministry of Environment and Forests (as Vice-Chairperson), three members of Parliament, Secretary, Ministry of Environment and Forests and other members.

The authority derives its power from section 38 O (1) of WLPA, 1972 and functions under the guidance of Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson and members.

B

2.

https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/gas-leak-in-ludhiana-kills-11-including-3-children-4-critical-area-sealed-and-evacuated-101682879403843.html

https://iasgoogle.com/n/May-01-2023-current-affairs  

A

3.

https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/technology/india-set-to-triple-speed-of-fastest-supercomputers/article66889689.ece

Japanese supercomputer Fugaku (442 petaflops) and IBM’s Summit (148.8 petaflops) are the two most powerful supercomputers in the world, according to the Top500 list.

Japan’s Fujitsu Laboratories has developed an AI model to predict tsunami flooding in coastal areas in real-time. The technology company used Fugaku, the world’s fastest supercomputer, to develop the model.

PARAM-Siddhi is the second Indian supercomputer in the Top500 list with 63rd rank.

Pratyush, a supercomputer used for weather forecasting at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, ranked 78th on the November edition of the list.

A  

4.

https://iasgoogle.com/n/May-06-2023-current-affairs

Anticyclones are centers of high pressure. They are surrounded by closed isobars having decreasing pressure outward.

B    

5.

https://www.downtoearth.org.in/blog/agriculture/here-is-why-the-world-needs-regenerative-agriculture-86328#:~:text=and%20carbon%20sequestration.-,Regenerative%20agriculture%20builds%20soil%20health%2C%20supports%20biodiversity%20and%20returns%20carbon,are%20vital%20for%20plant%20growth.

https://www.ceew.in/publications/sustainable-agriculture-india/cover-crops-mulching

C

6.

https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1925623  

C

7.

https://iasgoogle.com/current_affair/may-17-2023-current-affairs

D

8.

Refer our Indian Polity Book. The charged expenditure is non-votable by the Parliament, that is, it can only be discussed by the Parliament. The list of the charged expenditure is:

·        Emoluments and allowances of the President;

·        Salaries and allowances of the Chairman and the Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha and the Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha;

·        Salaries, allowances, and pensions of the SC judges;

·        Pensions of the judges of the HCs;(Note- Salaries and Allowances of HC judges are ''charged'' on the Consolidated Fund of State.)

·        Salary, allowances, and pension of the CAG;

·        Salary, allowances, and pension of the Chairman and members of the UPSC;

·        The debt charges for which the Govt is liable;

·        Any sum required to satisfy any judgment, decree, or award of any court, tribunal;

·        Any other expenditure declared by the Parliament to be so charged.

B

9.

• 5G is used across three main types of connected services, including enhanced mobile broadband, mission-critical communications, and the massive IoT.
• A defining capability of 5G is that it is designed for forward compatibility—the ability to flexibly support future services that are unknown today.

Features of 5G technology:

• 5G increases the downloading and uploading speeds over the mobile network, also reduces the latency i.e. the time taken by a network to respond.
• 5G will provide download speed of 1 Gbps, which is at least 100 times the existing data speed of 4G technology with a peak speed of 100 Mbps to 1 Gbps.
• An estimated 90% reduction in power consumption for devices means minor power savings at the smartphone level. But, from an infrastructure perspective, especially for IoT devices, the power savings could be significant.
• 5G will have a wider area in the frequency spectrum (range of frequencies) that will ensure no network congestion.
• 5G will use ‘massive’ MIMO (multiple inputs, multiple outputs) antennas that have very large numbers of antenna elements or connections to send and receive more data simultaneously. The benefit to users is that more people can simultaneously connect to the network and maintain high throughput.

C

10.

A town area committee is set up for the administration of a small town. It is a semi-municipal authority and is entrusted with a limited number of civic functions like drainage, roads, street lighting, and conservancy. It is created by a separate act of a state legislature. Its composition, functions and other matters are governed by the act. It may be wholly elected or wholly nominated by the state government or partly elected and partly nominated.

B   

11.

Fungi are eukaryotic organisms that have rigid cellulose- or chitin-based cell walls and reproduce primarily by forming spores.

Most fungi are multicellular, although some, such as yeasts, are unicellular.

he World Health Organisation released the first-ever Fungal Priority Pathogens List (FPPL). It includes 19 fungi that can be a threat to public health.

https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/climate-change/fungal-flood-increasing-disease-aided-by-climate-change-risk-to-global-food-security-89137

https://www.downtoearth.org.in/blog/africa/fungal-infections-in-the-brain-aren-t-just-the-stuff-of-movies-africa-grapples-with-a-deadly-epidemic-90619

A  

12.

https://iasgoogle.com/editorial/abc-of-enforcement-directorate

Sponsoring agency under COFEPOSA: Under the Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities Act, 1974 (COFEPOSA), Directorate is empowered to sponsor cases of preventive detention with regard to contraventions of FEMA.

A  

13.

https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/climate-change/termites-emit-methane-but-the-extent-of-their-risk-to-global-warming-is-uncertain-here-is-why-89224

Methanotrophs (methanophiles) are prokaryotes that metabolize methane as their source of carbon and chemical energy. They are bacteria or archaea, can grow aerobically or anaerobically, and require single-carbon compounds to survive.

A  

14.

Refer our Indian Polity book

C

15.

D

16.

Which of the above statements is/are incorrect?

NHRC is a statutory body instituted under PHRA, 1993. It is a recommendatory body. It members include non-judicial person also.

A

17.

https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/energy-and-environment/explained-why-do-landfills-catch-fire-and-what-can-we-do-about-them/article66618251.ece

C

18.

https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-global/china-and-central-asia-xi-jinping-russia-visit-vladimir-putin-8567782/

A  

19.

https://scroll.in/article/1042975/climate-change-will-lead-to-massive-habitat-loss-for-this-signature-subcontinental-floodplains-tree#:~:text=In%20addition%2C%20climate%20change%20can,signature''%20species%20of%20these%20floodplains.

https://iasgoogle.com/n/May-03-2023-current-affairs

B   

20.

https://iasgoogle.com/current_affair/may-22-2023-current-affairs

Article 262 of Indian Constitution:

Further, Article 262 of Indian Constitution empowers the Parliament in the matters of adjudication of Inter-water disputes. It provides the following provisions:

Parliament will adjudicate complaints on any dispute associated with water use, distribution and management of inter-state rivers and river valleys by enacting legislation.

Parliament can even make arrangements that neither the Supreme Court nor any other court will have jurisdiction in such a dispute.

Under this provision, the Parliament has legislated two laws:

1.      River Boards Act, 1956– formed using the power given in entry 56 of the Union list.

2.      Inter-State Water Disputes Act, 1956– formed under Article 262.

1. River Boards Act 1956

The Act provides for establishing river boards to regulate and develop inter-state rivers and river valleys. The Central government sets up a river board at the request of the concerned states to advise them.

2. Inter-State Water Disputes Act 1956

The Act provides for adjudication of disputes involving interstate rivers and river valleys.

• Formation of Tribunal: When any request under this Act is received from any State Government involving any water dispute on the inter-state rivers and the Union Government is of the opinion that negotiations cannot settle the water dispute, the Union Government sets up a Water Disputes Tribunal for the adjudication of the water dispute.
• Membership of the Tribunal: The tribunalconsists of a Chairman and two other members, nominated on this behalf by the Chief Justice of India, from judges of the Supreme Court or of a High Court.
• The decision of the tribunal is final and bindingon the parties. The parties must give effect to it.
• The Act bars the jurisdiction of other courts.

So far, nine inter-state river water dispute tribunals have been constituted, of which five are active.

Why was an extra-judicial mechanism necessitated in the case of inter-state river disputes?

Article 262 of the Indian Constitution bars the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court or any others for the following reasons:

1.      These types of disputes are political in natureand involve the sentiments of people; hence, it is important to approach such issues with extreme sensitivity. Only a political solution can satisfy the demands of the concerned parties.

2.      To avoid delay and complexities involved in a litigation process.

3.      To ensure speedy and amicable decisions through a quasi-judicial body.

4.      To avoid conflicting judgments on the same issue by different courts.

5.      To respect the autonomy of states in managing their own water resources.

6.      The tribunals are equipped with the requisite expertise and data to deal with such complicated issues; this may not be available in the case of courts.

However, the Supreme Court has asserted its jurisdiction over inter-state river water disputes by invoking its rights under Article 136 (special leave petition) and Article 142 (enforcement of decrees and orders for doing complete justice). The Court held that it could review the tribunal’s decision on the grounds of manifest error, perversity and violation of fundamental rights.

C  

21.

https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/explained-india-and-the-northern-sea-route/article67230900.ece

The Barents Sea borders the Norwegian and Greenland Sea in the west, the Arctic Sea in the north and the Kara Sea in the east.

The Barents Sea is divided between Russia and Norway as defined by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

A

22.

https://greenly.earth/en-gb/blog/ecology-news/venus-a-forewarning-of-earths-potential-climate-fate

A

23.

https://www.pv-magazine.com/2023/08/25/unveiling-indias-carbon-credit-revolution-from-local-initiatives-to-global-impact/

https://iasgoogle.com/editorial/carbon-market-in-india

https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/how-markets-can-serve-climate-conference-madrid-paris-agreement-6108636/

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/explained-what-are-carbon-markets-and-how-do-they-operate/article66260084.ece

C

24.

https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-history/what-mohenjodaros-dancing-girl-figurine-tells-us-about-the-prehistoric-civilisation-8627594/

A  

25.

https://iasgoogle.com/current_affair/may-20-2023-current-affairs

A