INSIGHTS CURRENT AFFAIRS (23 January 2020) REVISION THROUGH MCQS

Ans: (b)

Explanation: Here Directive word is Not Correct!!

• National Commission for Backward Classes is a constitutional body (123rd constitutional amendment bill 2018 and 102nd amendment in constitution to make it constitutional body).
• Initially National Commission for Backward Classes was not empowered to look into the grievances of persons of Other Backward Classes. But consequent to the 102nd Constitutional Amendment Act and the insertion of Article 338B, these powers are now vested in NCBC.
• The Government has constituted a Commission under article 340, on 2nd October, 2017, to examine the issues of the sub-categorization of Other Backward Classes
• Recently, Cabinet approves Extension of term of the commission constituted under Article 340 of the constitution to examine the issue of Sub-categorization within other Backward Classes in the Central List.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2020/01/23/commission-to-examine-sub-categorization-of-other-backward-classes-2/

Ans: (b)

Explanation: The Democracy Index is based on five categories:

• Electoral process and pluralism.
• Civil liberties.
• Functioning of government.
• Political participation.
• Political culture.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2020/01/23/democracy-index-2019/

Ans: (a)

Explanation:

The IMO Convention on Standards of Training Certification and Watch keeping of Seafarers adopted a new set of amendments in Manila in 2010 called “The Manila Amendments”.

These amendments were necessary to keep training standards in line with new technological and operational requirements that require new shipboard competencies.

The Manila Amendments were effective as of 1 January 2012.

The most significant amendments are:

• New rest hours for seafarers
• New grades of certificates of competency for able seafarers in both deck and engine
• New and updated training, refreshing requirements
• Mandatory security training
• Additional medical standards
• Specific Alcohol limits in blood or breath.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2020/01/23/mutual-recognition-of-certificates-of-competency-of-seafarers/

Ans: (b)

Explanation:

• East Asian Observatory formed by EACOA (East Asian Core Observatories Association) for the purpose of pursuing joint projects in astronomy within the East Asian region. The intention of EAO is to build and operate facilities, which will enhance and leverage existing and planned regional facilities.
• The Bonn Challenge is a global effort to bring 150 million hectares of the world’s deforested and degraded land into restoration by 2020, and 350 million hectares by 2030.
• Bonn Convention (Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals)
  • It was launched in 2011 by the Government of Germany and IUCN, and later endorsed and extended by the New York Declaration on Forests at the 2014 UN Climate Summit.
  • The CMS is the only global and UN-based intergovernmental organization established exclusively for the conservation and management of terrestrial, aquatic and avian migratory species throughout their range.
  • India will host next Conference of Parties 13 (CMS COP13) in year 2020.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2020/01/23/eao-east-asian-observatory/

Ans: (c)

Explanation:

Two characteristics of atmospheric gases determine the strength of their greenhouse effect.

The first is the Global Warming Potential (GWP), a measure of the radiative effect of each unit of gas over a specified period of time, expressed relative to the radiative effect of carbon dioxide (CO2). An amount of gas with high GWP will warm the Earth more than the same amount of CO2.

The second is the atmospheric lifetime, which measures how long the gas stays in the atmosphere before natural processes (e.g., chemical reaction) remove it. A gas with a long lifetime can exert more warming influence than a gas with a short lifetime (assuming the GWPs are equal).

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2020/01/23/hydrochlorofluorocarbons-hcfc/

Ans: (b)

Explanation:

• The Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) is a statutory body established by an Act of Parliament (Khadi and Village Industries Commission Act of 1956). In April 1957, it took over the work of former All India Khadi and Village Industries Board.
• It is an apex organization under the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, with regard to khadi and village industries within India, which seeks to – “plan, promote, facilitate, organise and assist in the establishment and development of khadi and village industries in the rural areas in coordination with other agencies engaged in rural development wherever necessary.”
• Recently, The Ministry of Commerce and Industry has allocated a separate Harmonised System (HS) code for Khadi.
• Khadi is India’s signature handspun and handwoven cloth that was made iconic by Mahatma Gandhi during the freedom struggle.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2020/01/23/paris-convention-for-the-protection-of-industrial-property/

Ans: (b)

Explanation:

• Loneliness is part of being a long-distance yachtsman, but the spot where Mr Tomy was stranded was not the most isolated in the world’s oceans, in terms of distance from any land. In 1992, Croatian-Canadian survey engineer Hrvoje Lukatela worked out that the so-called “oceanic pole of inaccessibility” –since named Point Nemo –was in the southern Pacific.
• 

Ans: (b)

Explanation:

• • • PAN stand for personal area network. In this network all the personal devices are connects to form network. Its range is 10 meters to 33 meters. All devices should be in this range to form network. PANs can be wired, such as USB or FireWire, or they can be wireless, such as infrared, ZigBee, Bluetooth and ultrawideband.
    • A wireless personal area network is a PAN carried over a low-powered, short-distance wireless network technology such as IrDA, Wireless USB, Bluetooth or ZigBee. The reach of a WPAN varies from a few centimeters to a few meters.
    • Main features
      • Short-range communication
      • Low power consumption
      • Low cost
      • Small personal networks
      • Communication of devices within a personal space

Ans: (c)

Explanation:

• Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas which may be found in indoor environments such as homes, schools, and workplaces.
• Radon is the most important cause of lung cancer after smoking.
• Radon is estimated to cause between 3–14% of all lung cancers in a country, depending on the national average radon level and smoking prevalence.
• The lower the radon concentration in a home, the lower the risk of lung cancer as there is no known threshold below which radon exposure carries no risk.
• Well-tested, durable and cost-efficient methods exist for preventing radon in new houses and reducing radon in existing dwellings.
• Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer after cigarette smoking. If you smoke and live in a home with high radon levels, you increase your risk of developing lung cancer. Having your home tested is the only effective way to determine whether you and your family are at risk of high radon exposure.

Ans: (b)

Explanation: