QUIZ – 2017: Insights Current Affairs Quiz – 15 JANUARY 2018
QUIZ – 2017: Insights Current Affairs Quiz
The following quiz will have 5-10 MCQs . The questions are mainly framed from The Hindu and PIB news articles.
This quiz is intended to introduce you to concepts and certain important facts relevant to UPSC IAS civil services preliminary exam 2018. It is not a test of your knowledge. If you score less, please do not mind. Read again sources provided and try to remember better.
Please try to enjoy questions, discuss the concepts and facts they try to test from you and suggest improvements.
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0 of 7 questions completed Questions: The following Quiz is based on the Hindu, PIB and other news sources. It is a current events based quiz. Solving these questions will help retain both concepts and facts relevant to UPSC IAS civil services exam. To view Solutions, follow these instructions: Click on – ‘Start Quiz’ button Solve Questions Click on ‘Quiz Summary’ button Click on ‘Finish Quiz’ button Now click on ‘View Questions’ button – here you will see solutions and links.INSIGHTS CURRENT EVENTS QUIZ 2017
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Question 1 of 7
1. Question
1 pointsRecently the government of this state came up with a unique way of preserving trees, which is in consonance with an age-old tradition of promoting amity between man and nature, by encouraging people to forge a relationship of brotherhood or sisterhood with trees through a practice locally known as Mith/Mit or Mitini. The state in question is
Correct
Solution: b.
A recent notification by the Forests, Environment & Wildlife Management Department, Government of Sikkim titled Sikkim Forest Tree (Amity & Reverence) Rules 2017 states that the “State government shall allow any person to associate with trees standing on his or her private land or on any public land by entering into a Mith/Mit or Mitini relationship.”
To read about it in detail: http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/sikkim-allows-people-to-forge-fraternal-ties-with-trees/article22437418.ece;
Incorrect
Solution: b.
A recent notification by the Forests, Environment & Wildlife Management Department, Government of Sikkim titled Sikkim Forest Tree (Amity & Reverence) Rules 2017 states that the “State government shall allow any person to associate with trees standing on his or her private land or on any public land by entering into a Mith/Mit or Mitini relationship.”
To read about it in detail: http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/sikkim-allows-people-to-forge-fraternal-ties-with-trees/article22437418.ece;
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Question 2 of 7
2. Question
1 pointsThis family of widely used insecticides was recently identified to be impairing the growth, swimming ability and reproductive systems of fish. They are known to attack the nervous system in the same way as nerve agents like sarin and also have been blamed for the deaths of several children in India in the past. The insecticide being referred to is
Correct
Solution: a.
We have earlier framed questions on Neonicotinoids. But the statements given in the question here refer to Organophosphates.
Three common and widely used farm pesticides can harm endangered salmon and jeopardize their survival, according to a new report by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries). The pesticides belonging to the family of organophosphates —chlorpyrifos, malathion, and diazinon—also threaten orcas (the killer whale), because they eat salmon, the agency said.. The findings are included in a biological opinion that NOAA’s fisheries experts wrote for U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Neonicotinoids (frequently appearing in the news in recent past): http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-sundaymagazine/britains-honey-is-contaminated/article22439915.ece;
Source/improvisation: http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/science/pesticides-threatened-salmon-whales-study/article22437338.ece;
From 2013: https://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/07/130718-organophosphates-pesticides-indian-food-poisoning/;
Incorrect
Solution: a.
We have earlier framed questions on Neonicotinoids. But the statements given in the question here refer to Organophosphates.
Three common and widely used farm pesticides can harm endangered salmon and jeopardize their survival, according to a new report by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries). The pesticides belonging to the family of organophosphates —chlorpyrifos, malathion, and diazinon—also threaten orcas (the killer whale), because they eat salmon, the agency said.. The findings are included in a biological opinion that NOAA’s fisheries experts wrote for U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Neonicotinoids (frequently appearing in the news in recent past): http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-sundaymagazine/britains-honey-is-contaminated/article22439915.ece;
Source/improvisation: http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/science/pesticides-threatened-salmon-whales-study/article22437338.ece;
From 2013: https://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/07/130718-organophosphates-pesticides-indian-food-poisoning/;
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Question 3 of 7
3. Question
1 pointsThe Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act (1958) which originally instituted conservation measures and banned construction activities near protected monuments, is now sought to be amended so that ‘public works’ could be allowed within the 100 m prohibited zone. ‘Public works’ includes
1.The construction of any infrastructure that is financed and carried out by the central or respective state government for public purposes
2.Infrastructure that must be necessary for public safety and security
- Such infrastructure for which there is no reasonable alternative to carrying out construction in the prohibited area
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
Correct
Solution: b.
Definition of ‘public works’: The Bill introduces a definition for ‘public works’, which includes the construction of any infrastructure that is financed and carried out by the central government for public purposes. This infrastructure must be necessary for public safety and security and must be based on a specific instance of danger to public safety. Also, there should be no reasonable alternative to carrying out construction in the prohibited area.
Improvisation: http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/historians-oppose-monuments-bill/article22437352.ece;
Incorrect
Solution: b.
Definition of ‘public works’: The Bill introduces a definition for ‘public works’, which includes the construction of any infrastructure that is financed and carried out by the central government for public purposes. This infrastructure must be necessary for public safety and security and must be based on a specific instance of danger to public safety. Also, there should be no reasonable alternative to carrying out construction in the prohibited area.
Improvisation: http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/historians-oppose-monuments-bill/article22437352.ece;
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Question 4 of 7
4. Question
1 pointsConsider the following statements:
1.The metal cobalt has most often been extracted as a by-product of nickel and copper mining activities
2.Most of the world’s supply of cobalt comes from Chile
3.Cobalt is a key raw material for the manufacture of electric vehicles
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Correct
Solution: b.
The Democratic Republic of Congo, supplier of two-thirds of the world’s cobalt, aims to more than double royalty charges. That’s bad news for electric cars: the metal is a key battery ingredient. But the move could backfire in the long-term by accelerating an already frantic search for alternatives.
Cobalt has been at the heart of the green fever in metals markets over the last year. Like lithium, nickel and even copper, its outlook has been transformed by ambitious forecasts for the growth of electric vehicles. The price of what was once an ingredient for aerospace superalloys has gone from under $35,000 per tonne a year ago to over $75,000
Cobalt is usually not mined alone, and tends to be produced as a by-product of nickel and copper mining activities. (Cobalt naturally occurs in nickel bearing laterites and nickel-copper sulfide deposits and, thus, is most often extracted as a by-product of nickel and copper.)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cobalt;
https://www.lenntech.com/periodic/elements/co.htm; https://www.thebalance.com/metal-profile-cobalt-2340131;
Source/Improvisation: http://www.thehindu.com/business/Industry/cobalt-tax-grab-will-send-carmakers-on-a-diversion/article22436916.ece;
Incorrect
Solution: b.
The Democratic Republic of Congo, supplier of two-thirds of the world’s cobalt, aims to more than double royalty charges. That’s bad news for electric cars: the metal is a key battery ingredient. But the move could backfire in the long-term by accelerating an already frantic search for alternatives.
Cobalt has been at the heart of the green fever in metals markets over the last year. Like lithium, nickel and even copper, its outlook has been transformed by ambitious forecasts for the growth of electric vehicles. The price of what was once an ingredient for aerospace superalloys has gone from under $35,000 per tonne a year ago to over $75,000
Cobalt is usually not mined alone, and tends to be produced as a by-product of nickel and copper mining activities. (Cobalt naturally occurs in nickel bearing laterites and nickel-copper sulfide deposits and, thus, is most often extracted as a by-product of nickel and copper.)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cobalt;
https://www.lenntech.com/periodic/elements/co.htm; https://www.thebalance.com/metal-profile-cobalt-2340131;
Source/Improvisation: http://www.thehindu.com/business/Industry/cobalt-tax-grab-will-send-carmakers-on-a-diversion/article22436916.ece;
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Question 5 of 7
5. Question
1 pointsThe Dodd-Frank Act passed by the US Congress in 2010 has a section that declares certain minerals as ‘conflict minerals’. Which one of the following minerals is NOT one among them?
Correct
Solution: a.
This is relevant due to the increasing demand for cobalt (which in turn is due to the increasing demand for green technologies). There has been a demand over the past few years for this mineral to be included in the conflict mineral list under the Dodd-Frank act. US is one of the world’s major consumers of electronics; naturally, including this mineral on the list will in all likelihood have positive implications (for ethical/sustainable cobalt mining).
On July 21, 2010, President Barack Obama signed the Dodd-Frank financial-reform bill, an 848-page behemoth that included a special section on conflict minerals. The law called for publicly listed American companies to disclose whether any of their products included minerals from mines controlled by armed groups in or around Congo. Though Dodd-Frank did not explicitly ban corporations from using Congo’s conflict minerals, it made big companies worry about being linked with what is arguably the world’s worst humanitarian disaster.
The US Congress enacted this section of the Act because of concerns that the exploitation and trade of conflict minerals by armed groups is helping to finance conflict in the Congo region and is contributing to an emergency humanitarian crisis. Under the Act, those minerals include tantalum, tin, gold or tungsten.
Improvisation (http://www.thehindu.com/business/Industry/cobalt-tax-grab-will-send-carmakers-on-a-diversion/article22436916.ece): “The decision to double cobalt mining royalty charges… also aggravates miners’ and investors’ anxiety about working in the DRC, one of the world’s poorest countries, where questionable practices in smaller mines already create headaches..”
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2013/10/conflict-minerals/gettleman-text;
US SEC: https://www.sec.gov/opa/Article/2012-2012-163htm—related-materials.html;
About the Dodd-Frank Act: https://www.investopedia.com/terms/d/dodd-frank-financial-regulatory-reform-bill.asp;
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Incorrect
Solution: a.
This is relevant due to the increasing demand for cobalt (which in turn is due to the increasing demand for green technologies). There has been a demand over the past few years for this mineral to be included in the conflict mineral list under the Dodd-Frank act. US is one of the world’s major consumers of electronics; naturally, including this mineral on the list will in all likelihood have positive implications (for ethical/sustainable cobalt mining).
On July 21, 2010, President Barack Obama signed the Dodd-Frank financial-reform bill, an 848-page behemoth that included a special section on conflict minerals. The law called for publicly listed American companies to disclose whether any of their products included minerals from mines controlled by armed groups in or around Congo. Though Dodd-Frank did not explicitly ban corporations from using Congo’s conflict minerals, it made big companies worry about being linked with what is arguably the world’s worst humanitarian disaster.
The US Congress enacted this section of the Act because of concerns that the exploitation and trade of conflict minerals by armed groups is helping to finance conflict in the Congo region and is contributing to an emergency humanitarian crisis. Under the Act, those minerals include tantalum, tin, gold or tungsten.
Improvisation (http://www.thehindu.com/business/Industry/cobalt-tax-grab-will-send-carmakers-on-a-diversion/article22436916.ece): “The decision to double cobalt mining royalty charges… also aggravates miners’ and investors’ anxiety about working in the DRC, one of the world’s poorest countries, where questionable practices in smaller mines already create headaches..”
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2013/10/conflict-minerals/gettleman-text;
US SEC: https://www.sec.gov/opa/Article/2012-2012-163htm—related-materials.html;
About the Dodd-Frank Act: https://www.investopedia.com/terms/d/dodd-frank-financial-regulatory-reform-bill.asp;
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Question 6 of 7
6. Question
1 pointsThe #FreePeriods campaign was first launched to end ‘period poverty’ in
Correct
Solution: a.
A mains-oriented/GK question.
“On a cold London morning last year, 17-year-old Amika George was at the breakfast table when a news story caught her attention. It was about young girls, some just 10 years old, in the northern English city of Leeds missing a week of school every month because their families couldn’t afford to buy them sanitary napkins.. A Leeds school had, in fact, sought help from a charity that provided hygiene products to women in Kenya, the report went on to say.”
“Shocked, Amika knew she had to do something. She launched the #FreePeriods campaign, and prepared a petition that quickly garnered support, with over 1,33,000 signatories. Last month, a thousand protesters, including politicians, activists and models, gathered outside Downing Street to ask for the government’s help to end ‘period poverty’ in the U.K. — by providing free sanitary napkins to the poorest students.”
Incorrect
Solution: a.
A mains-oriented/GK question.
“On a cold London morning last year, 17-year-old Amika George was at the breakfast table when a news story caught her attention. It was about young girls, some just 10 years old, in the northern English city of Leeds missing a week of school every month because their families couldn’t afford to buy them sanitary napkins.. A Leeds school had, in fact, sought help from a charity that provided hygiene products to women in Kenya, the report went on to say.”
“Shocked, Amika knew she had to do something. She launched the #FreePeriods campaign, and prepared a petition that quickly garnered support, with over 1,33,000 signatories. Last month, a thousand protesters, including politicians, activists and models, gathered outside Downing Street to ask for the government’s help to end ‘period poverty’ in the U.K. — by providing free sanitary napkins to the poorest students.”
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Question 7 of 7
7. Question
1 pointsWhich of the following statements is/are correct about ‘orphan crops’?
1.They are typically grown in Africa, Asia and South America
2.Maize is an example of an ‘orphan crop’
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
Correct
Solution: a.
- Orphan crops are those that aren’t traded internationally, and therefore tend to get less attention in terms of research of agricultural training and extension, such as cassava and millets.
- They’re typically grown in Africa, Asia, and/or South America and eaten as part of local diets. They are incredibly important where they’re grown – they provide income for the poorest farmers and serve as staples in the local diet.
- They are the forgotten crops. When we talk about food production and food security, we usually think about just a handful of the main grains: wheat, rice and maize. But there are a great many more neglected and underused crops that are often more nutritious, and which grow better in many places. They could also help fight climate change, because they often need less water and tolerate higher temperatures and droughts.
- Because they get less research attention, the breeding technology for orphan crops is lagging way behind modern technology. Though this has hurt their resilience, especially to pests and disease, they are uniquely adapted to the environment in which they are grown.
http://www.mssrf.org/content/call-remember-forgotten-crops-ms-swaminathan;
Improvisation: http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/agriculture/take-a-grain-check-theres-more-to-the-indian-diet-than-polished-rice-and-wheat/article22429984.ece;
—
Incorrect
Solution: a.
- Orphan crops are those that aren’t traded internationally, and therefore tend to get less attention in terms of research of agricultural training and extension, such as cassava and millets.
- They’re typically grown in Africa, Asia, and/or South America and eaten as part of local diets. They are incredibly important where they’re grown – they provide income for the poorest farmers and serve as staples in the local diet.
- They are the forgotten crops. When we talk about food production and food security, we usually think about just a handful of the main grains: wheat, rice and maize. But there are a great many more neglected and underused crops that are often more nutritious, and which grow better in many places. They could also help fight climate change, because they often need less water and tolerate higher temperatures and droughts.
- Because they get less research attention, the breeding technology for orphan crops is lagging way behind modern technology. Though this has hurt their resilience, especially to pests and disease, they are uniquely adapted to the environment in which they are grown.
http://www.mssrf.org/content/call-remember-forgotten-crops-ms-swaminathan;
Improvisation: http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/agriculture/take-a-grain-check-theres-more-to-the-indian-diet-than-polished-rice-and-wheat/article22429984.ece;
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