1) Consider the following statements with respect to India Water Impact Summit-2018
It is an annual event where stakeholders develop model solutions for some of the biggest water related problems in the country.
It is being jointly organized by the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Answer : a
The India Water Impact Summit is an annual event where stakeholders get together to discuss, debate and develop model solutions for some of the biggest water related problems in the country.
India Water Impact Summit 2018 is being jointly organized by the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) and the Centre for Ganga River Basin Management and Studies (cGanga) from 5-7 December 2018 in New Delhi.
2) Consider the following statements
It is surrounded by China in the North and East.
The region is inhabited by the Idu Mishmi tribes.
It is not a designated Tiger Reserve.
Identify the Wild life Sanctuary which correctly matches with the above characteristics?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Answer : b
The Dibang Wildlife Sanctuary (DWS) — located in the Dibang Valley District and surrounded by China in the north and east — mostly extends over the Mishmi Hills.
DWS is not a designated tiger reserve and is the highest site for the 2018 tiger census.
The region is inhabited by the Idu Mishmi tribe reveres tigers as elder brothers in the local folklore.
The Idu Mishmi tribe – the sub-tribe of the ethnic Mishmis of Tibet and Arunachal Pradesh — are known to have deep respect for tigers.
Researchers from the Wild life Institute of India (WII) have recently found a promising tiger population in the upper reaches of Dibang Valley in Arunachal Pradesh, the highest range in the Indian part of eastern Himalayas.
Often believed to occupy only lower altitudes, studies of tigers occupying higher reaches are not very common.
Their presence at Dibang Valley is the evidence of tiger at the highest altitude in the Indian part of the Eastern Himalayas.
Researchers claim the tigers spotted in DWS could be genetically different from those found in other parts of Arunachal Pradesh.
The state has three tiger reserves including the Pakke Tiger Reserve, the Kamlang Tiger Reserve and the Nampdhapa Tiger Reserve.
3) India has recently released a discussion paper titled “3 Essential S’s of Climate finance” on the sidelines of the Climate conference C0P-24. It is released by which of the following ministries?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Answer : b
Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, released a Discussion Paper entitled “3 Essential “S”s of Climate Finance - Scope, Scale and Speed: A Reflection” on the sidelines of COP 24 to UNFCCC at Katowice, Poland.
4) Consider the following statements with respect to World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)
It is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN).
It was established through the WIPO Convention in 1967.
Its headquarters is located in Geneva, Switzerland.
Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Answer : d
The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is one of the 15 specialized agencies of the United Nations.
WIPO serves as a global forum for intellectual property services, policy, information and cooperation.
WIPO’s mandate, governing bodies and procedures are set out in the WIPO Convention, which established WIPO in 1967.
WIPO currently has 191 member states, administers 26 international treaties, and is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.
According to the UN’s World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO’s) World Intellectual Property Indicators 2018 report, the number of patents granted by India shot up by 50% in 2017, keeping up a trend of steep increases.
5) The term “Nearshoring” is sometimes seen in the news recently. It is related to which one of the following?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Answer : b
Nearshoring is an outsourcing model wherein IT firms establish delivery presence in countries and locations closer to the client geography and depute employees working in those centres to service clients whenever there is a need.
Indian information technology (IT) services firms are increasingly looking at nearshoring options to service clients in the US as restrictive visa regulations in the country are making it increasingly difficult for them to depute engineers to this key client geography for meeting client requirements.
IT firms are now investing in Canada as getting a visa from Canada is easier than the US. For all practical purposes, you are working in Canada, but can service a client in the US.
6) Consider the following pairs
Mangdechhu project – Nepal
Kishanganga project – Jammu & Kashmir
Arun hydro power project – Bhutan
Which of the pair(s) given above is/are correct?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Answer : a
India is expected to commission a major hydropower project “Mangdechhu project” in Bhutan.
This project was bagged by the Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd. (BHEL) and it will be implemented on a bilateral basis.
Arun hydro power project is the run-of-the river type project constructed in Nepal at the Arun River.
7) Consider the following statements
In case of renaming a city, the concerned civic authority, zilla parishad or Panchayat will take the final decision.
In case of renaming a state, the concerned state cabinet takes the final decision.
Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Answer : d
In case of renaming a street, the concerned civic authority, zilla parishad or panchayat, approves or rejects the proposals.
If it is to rename a city, the concerned state cabinet takes the decision.
In case of renaming a state, a state legislature needs to pass a resolution for the same, which is then sent to the Centre.
The Union cabinet then decides to approve or reject the Constitution Amendment Bill, since it requires amending the Constitution, which both Houses of Parliament need to pass by a special majority.
8) Which of the countries given below does not share borders with Ethiopia?
Somalia
Kenya
Eritrea
Djibouti
Select the correct answer using the code given below
a.
b.
c.
d.
Answer : d
Ethiopia shares its border with a total of 6 countries: Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Eritrea, Kenya, and Djibouti.
The Ethiopian police have taken into custody three Indian officials of crisis-hit IL&FS over non-payment of taxes and workers’ salaries even as five Indian employees continue to be in captivity of the unpaid staff in the African nation.
9) Consider the following statements with respect to National Human Rights Commission (NHRC)
It is a statutory and non-constitutional body.
The Chairman should be a retired judge of the Supreme Court.
The Chairman and members are appointed by the President on the recommendation of a committee headed by the Prime Minister.
Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Answer : c
It was established in 1993 under a legislation enacted by the Parliament, namely, the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993. This Act was amended in 2006.
The chairman should be a retired chief justice of India, and members should be serving or retired judges of the Supreme Court, a serving or retired chief justice of a high court.
The chairman and members are appointed by the president on the recommendations of a six-member committee consisting of the prime minister as its head, the Speaker of the Lok Sabha, the Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, leaders of the Opposition in both the Houses of Parliament and the Central home minister.
10) Consider the following statements with respect to Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)
It was established through the Tehran conference.
Its headquarters is located in Vienna, Austria.
Kuwait is the latest country to announce its withdrawal from OPEC from January 2019.
Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Answer : a
The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is a permanent, intergovernmental Organization, created at the Baghdad Conference in 1960 by Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela.
Its headquarters is located in Vienna, Austria.
Qatar has announced its withdrawal from Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) from January 2019 and focus more on the production of natural gas.
It makes Qatar first Gulf country to leave OPEC bloc of oil-producing countries led by Saudi Arabia.
