1) Consider the following statements with respect to African Swine Fever (ASF)
It is a severe ‘viral disease’ of pigs that can spread very rapidly in pig herds.
ASF is not a threat to human beings since it only spreads from animals to other animals.
Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Answer : c
Recent ASF outbreak has been sweeping through swine populations in China, leading to massive mass cullings.
ASF is a highly contagious and fatal animal disease that infects domestic and wild pigs.
The virus is then easily spread between pigs by,
Direct contact with an infected animal,
From its body fluids (nasal, oral, feces, blood) or
Indirectly from contact with contaminated objects.
Some species of ‘ticks’ (vector) can transmit the virus.
Blood sucking flies or insects may possibly spread the virus between pigs.
The fever has no cure, no approved vaccine, the only way to stop it spreading is by culling the animals.
The disease occurs in many African countries, outbreaks have also occurred in Central and Eastern Europe, Eurasia and China.
2) Consider the following statements with respect to Project BalBasera
It is a crèche ‘for the welfare of Children of Construction Workers.
Project is being executed by ‘Central Public Works Department’ (CPWD), Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs.
Which of the statement(s) given above is/are not correct?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Answer : d
‘BalBasera’ or a ‘Creche’ has been inaugurated for the welfare of Children of Construction Workers deployed at AIIMS Rishikesh.
CPWD has signed an MoU with CPWD OWA (Officers’ Wives Association), which shall run Bal Basera.
CPWD OWA, a socio cultural organization, is actively involved in the social welfare activities of weaker sections of society.
It manages a large number of BalBaseras and organizing health camps at construction sites, a day care centre.
3) Which of the following city is the Capital of Iceland
a.
b.
c.
d.
Answer : b
The President of India, Shri Ram NathKovindreached Reykjavik, capital of Iceland.
This is the first visit of an Indian President to Iceland since the visit of Dr Kalam in 2005.
Teaching of Hindi language at University of Iceland will begin shortly as setup of Hindi Chair at the University of Iceland have been completed.
4) Consider the following statements with respect to Acharya VinobaBhave
He is best known for his land reform movement called the BhoodanYajna or Bhoodan movement (Land-Gift Movement).
He is the second Individual Sathyagrahi appointed by Mahatma Gandhiji.
He is the first recipient of the Ramon Magsaysay Award from India.
Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Answer : b
Acharya VinobaBhave is the social reformer and the great Gandhian who worked tirelessly throughout his life for the disenfranchised and the downtrodden.
He is best known for his land reform movement called the BhoodanYajna or Bhoodan movement (Land-Gift Movement).
He was the first Individual Sathyagrahi appointed by Mahatma Gandhi, Jahwarlal Nehru was the second Sathyagrahi.
He was also jailed several times for leading protest against British rule, the title of acharya (teacher) was given to him by the people.
His biggest contribution came in the form of Bhoodan movement, He walked from village to village, and appealed the wealthy landlords to donate land to the poor and landless.
VinobaBhave also has the distinction of being the first recipient of the Ramon Magsaysay Award from India.
5) Consider the following pairs with respect to important judgements in India
Case Judgements
NavtejJohar v. Union of India - Scraped Section 377 of IPC
K.S. Puttuswamy v. Union of India - Right to Privacy
Joseph Shine vs. Union of India - Abolition of Criminalization of Adultery
Which of the above pairs are matched correctly?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Answer : d
6) Consider the following statements with respect to UN Human Rights Commission (UNHRC)
The UNHRC is an inter-governmental body within the United Nations system responsible for addressing situations of human rights violations.
The Human Rights Council replaced the former United Nations Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR).
Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Answer : c
The Council is made up of 47 UN Member States, which are elected by the UNGA through a direct and secret ballot.
The General Assembly takes into account the contribution of the candidate states to the promotion and protection of human rights, as well as their voluntary pledges and commitments in this regard.
Members of the Council serve for a period of three years, and are not eligible for immediate re-election after serving two consecutive terms.
7) What are the two contributors ofImported Inflation?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Answer : a
When the general price level rises in a country because of the rise in prices of imported commodities, inflation is termed as imported.
The weakening of the domestic currency in the past two months i.e. July and August 2019 may lead to imported inflation in the country.
Two key contributors to India’s imports are: Crude Oil and Gold.
Rise in prices of these two products lead to rise in the import bill of the country.
8) Consider the following statements regardingIndian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH)
The Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) is a non-profit charitable organization.
In 2007, the United Nations awarded INTACH a special consultative status with United Nations Economic and Social Council.
Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Answer : c
INTACH was founded in 1984 in New Delhi with the vision to create a membership organization to stimulate and spearhead heritage awareness and conservation in India.
Since 1984, INTACH has pioneered the conservation and protection of India's natural and cultural heritage and is today the largest membership organization in the country dedicated to conservation.
9) Consider the following statements regarding Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF)
ZBNF farming technique promotes the usage of natural products along with chemical fertilizers.
To help the microorganisms act, farmers must apply Jiwamrita’ (microbial culture) and ‘Bijamrita’ (seed treatment solution).
Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Answer : b
ZBNF is a farming technique that seeks to bring down input costs for farmers by encouraging them to rely upon “natural products”, rather than spending money on pesticides and fertilizers.
The concept behind ZBNF is that over 98 per cent of the nutrients required by crops for photosynthesis carbon dioxide, nitrogen, water, and solar energy are already available “free” from the air, rain, and Sun.
To help the microorganisms act, farmers must apply ‘Jiwamrita’ (microbial culture) and ‘Bijamrita’ (seed treatment solution), and take up ‘mulching’ (covering plants with a layer of dried straw or fallen leaves) and ‘waaphasa’ (giving water outside the plant’s canopy) to maintain the right balance of soil temperature, moisture, and air.
To manage insects and pests, ZBNF recommends the use of ‘Agniastra’, ‘Brahmastra’ and ‘Neemastra’, which, like ‘Jiwamrita’ and ‘Bijamrita’, are based mainly on urine and dung of Indian cow breeds.
10)SardarSarovar Dam is built across which of the following river?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Answer : a
The SardarSarovar Dam is a gravity dam on the Narmada river near Navagam, Gujarat in India.
Four Indian states, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan, receive water and electricity supplied from the dam.
The foundation stone of the project was laid out by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru on 5 April 1961.
