1) Consider the following statements with respect to Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status
It is a non-discriminatory trade policy to discourage exclusive trading privileges among WTO countries.
India had recently revoked the Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status bestowed on Pakistan in 1996.
Pakistan had revoked the MFN status granted to India, after the Pakistan School massacre in 2014.
Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Answer : b
India had recently revoked the Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status bestowed on Pakistan in 1996.
While the term MFN suggests special preference for the country given MFN status, it actually means it would be treated equally as all others.
According to the World Trade Organisation rules, countries cannot normally discriminate between their trading partners.
If one country is granted a trade concession such as, for example, lower import duties, then all WTO members must be extended the same concessions.
This principle is known as the Most Favoured Nation treatment.
Despite repeated promises, Pakistan has never granted MFN status to India.
2) LADIS Portal sometimes seen in the news recently, was launched by which of the following agencies?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Answer : a
To ensure optimum use of National Waterways, the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) launched a new portal LADIS – Least Available Depth Information System recently.
LADIS will ensure that real-time data on least available depths is disseminated for ship/barge and cargo owners so that they can undertake transportation on NWs in a more planned way.
An assured depth of waterway is required for seamless movement of vessels.
If real time information is made available regarding LADs in stretches of various NWs, it will help transporters by guiding them on the suitability of time of movement.
3) Consider the following statements with respect to Right to Information Act, 2005
It mandates that, a Chief Information Commissioner should be a person belonging to Public service, of any Government for more than 20 years.
Matters related to Collegium and judicial appointments of Supreme Court comes within the ambit of Right to Information Act, 2005.
Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Answer : d
According to RTI Act, 2005, the Chief Information Commissioner and Information Commissioners shall be persons of eminence in public life with wide knowledge and experience in law, science and technology, social service, management, journalism, mass media or administration and governance.
In its recent judgment the SC had stated that “official bias” in favour of bureaucrats and government employees was evident from the very beginning of the process for appointment of Chief Information Commissioners and Information Commissioners.
In fact, the selection committee, which shortlists candidates for appointment, is itself composed of government employees.
The apex court directed the government to look beyond bureaucrats and appoint professionals from “all walks of life”.
The Supreme Court also lauded the role of the Right to Information (RTI) Act as an “integral part of any vibrant democracy.”
But the apex court itself has refused to come within the ambit of the information transparency law for the past one decade.
The court has firmly resisted back-to-back decisions of the Central Information Commission (CIC) and the Delhi High Court to open up to the RTI regime as far as the issues of Collegium and judicial appointments are concerned.
In fact, the appeal filed by the Supreme Court against public disclosure under RTI has been pending in the Supreme Court since 2010.
4) Consider the following statements with respect to Exercise Vayu Shakti-2019
It is an air exercise between India and France.
It will be conducted once in three years.
Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Answer : b
Indian Air Force is set to demonstrate its full combat and fire capabilities during the 7th edition of the Fire Power Demonstration (FPD) ‘Exercise Vayu Shakti-2019’ in the Pokharan firing range close to Indo-Pak border in Rajasthan to be held on 16 February, 2019.
Akash missile firing, gun firing from Advanced Light Helicopter and MiG 29’s air-to-ground role will be demonstrated in the exercise.
First conducted at Tilpat range in Delhi in July 1953, it is held once in three years.
5) In which of the following conditions, corals cannot survive?
No Sunlight
Fresh water
Estuaries
Cold water
Select the correct answer using the code given below
a.
b.
c.
d.
Answer : a
Deep sea corals, also known as cold-water corals don’t require Sunlight.
Corals need saltwater to survive and require a certain balance in the ratio of salt to water.
This is why corals don’t live in areas where rivers drain fresh water into the ocean (“estuaries”).
Highly polluted dirty water from a flood crisis in northern Australia has spread to parts of the Great Barrier Reef, placing it under severe stress.
Scientists warned that this could starve corals of light and provide fodder for the predatory crown-of-thorns starfish.
6) Consider the following statements with respect to CITES
It is an International agreement between governments for preventing species extinction due to International Wildlife trade.
All Species that are listed under IUCN Red List are protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
Which of the statement(s) given above is/are incorrect?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Answer : b
A recent study published in the journal Science has discovered that 28% of Species listed under IUCN Red list are not protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), the primary international framework for preventing species extinction due to international wildlife trade.
CITES is an international agreement between governments.
7) Resolution1267 sometimes seen in the news recently, is associated with which of the following?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Answer : a
In the wake of terrorist attack in Pulwama, the Chinese foreign ministry has made it clear that it would not support India’s efforts to persuade the 1267 Committee of the UN Security Council to list Mazood Azhar as a global terrorist.
8) Consider the following statements with respect to International Court of Justice (ICJ)
It is an intergovernmental International tribunal.
It is located in Hague, Netherlands.
India is not a party to the ICJ statute.
Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Answer : a
International Court of Justice is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations (UN).
It was established by the United Nations Charter, which was signed in 1945 in San Francisco (United States), and began work in 1946 in the Peace Palace, The Hague (Netherlands).
All Members of the United Nations are ipso facto parties to the Statute of the International Court of Justice.
9) Great Barrier Reef sometimes seen in the news recently is located in which of the following?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Answer : d
The Great Barrier Reef is located in the Coral Sea and stretches along the state of Queensland on Australia’s north-eastern coastline.
Highly polluted dirty water from the recent flood crisis in northern Australia has spread to parts of the Great Barrier Reef, placing it under severe stress.
Scientists have warned that this could starve corals of light and provide fodder for the predatory crown-of-thorns starfish.
10) issoh is a ritual of burning grasslands, practised in some parts of which of the following regions?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Answer : d
Chowra is an 8 sq.km. Island on the Andaman sea, part of the Nicobar archipelago.
And on it live 1,350 people, the Nicobarese islanders of Chowra.
The grasslands were burnt every year by these islanders.
This ritual, called issoh, helped regenerate the grass they needed to thatch their houses before the monsoon.
The 2004 tsunami washed away almost every traditional house on Chowra island.
Further rehabilitation efforts have forced the islanders into nuclear housing units and devastated the grasslands.
As the grasslands diminished, so did the cultural practices like issoh diminished.
