UPSC Weekly Current Affairs Quiz | January 07 to January 13, 2024Premium Story

UPSC Weekly Quiz is a current affairs-based quiz on relevant topics from the past week, curated for the aspirants of competitive examinations. Attempt the weekly quiz every Saturday and find answers to the MCQs with explanations at the end of the article.

With reference to the Republic Day tableaux, consider the following statements:

1. The tableaux proposals received are evaluated by a committee of experts appointed by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).

2. The process of selection involves assessment of three-dimensional models of the proposals.

3. The Committee cannot suggest changes to models before selection.

How many of the statements given above are correct?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(d) None

With reference to the transplantation of human organs and tissues in India, consider the following statements:

1. The Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act, 1994 provides for transplantation of human organs and tissues in India.

2. The act allows living donations from close relatives.

3. Altruistic donations are not allowed.

How many of the statements given above are correct?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(d) None

With reference to the Genocide Convention, consider the following statements:

1. The Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide is an international human rights treaty.

2. The Genocide Convention was adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1948.

Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Which of the following statements is not correct about the Square Kilometre Array Observatory (SKAO)?

(a) It is not a single telescope but an array of thousands of antennas.

(b) India is not involved in the development of SKA.

(d) The countries have to sign, and ratify, the SKAO convention to formally become members.

Consider the following statements:

1. This mission involves the first landing of a private spacecraft on the Moon.

2. The Mission is part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative.

3. The spacecraft has a Laser Retroreflector Array that would allow precision measurements of the distance of other orbiting or landing spacecraft by reflecting light from them.

The above-mentioned statements refer to:

(a) Pioneer 0

(b) Ranger 3

(d) SLIM

Amini, Kalpeni, Andrott were in the news. These are:

(a) Artificial Islands in South China Sea

(b) Islands in Palk Strait

(d) Islands of Maldives

With reference to the Swachh Bharat Mission, consider the following statements:

1. For the year 2023, two towns are awarded with the first spot for cleanest city.

2. The rankings of Swachh Bharat Mission are provided by the Ministry of Home Affairs.

3. It is world’s largest sanitation initiative which was launched in 2016.

How many of the statements given above are correct?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(d) None

Consider the following states:

1. Nagaland

2. Tripura

3. Assam

4. Meghalaya

5. Manipur

How many of the states given above share a border with Mizoram?

(a) Only two

(b) Only three

(d) All five

Bab al-Mandab Strait was in the news. It connects:

(a) Red Sea and Mediterranean Sea

(b) Persian Gulf and Arabian Sea

(d) Red Sea and Gulf of Aden

With reference to the hybrid mustard, consider the following statements:

1. It was developed using two alien genes isolated from a soil bacterium called Bacillus amyloliquefaciens.

2. The Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) recommended the environmental release of hybrid mustard for its seed production.

3. The barnase-barstar system enables breeding of hybrids from a wider range of mustards.

How many of the statements given above are correct?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(d) None

FYI:

— Administrations/Central/Ministries/Departments” send their tableaux to the Republic Day parade.

— There is a rigorous application process which begins with interested parties submitting a concept note, along with design blueprints to the Ministry of Defence (MoD). Hence, statement 1 is not correct.

— The tableaux proposals received are evaluated by a committee of experts appointed by the MoD, comprising prominent persons in the field of art, culture, painting, sculpture, music, architecture, choreography, etc.

— The selection process happens in a phased manner:

— Stage 1: It entails evaluating the original concepts as well as the design sketch/blueprint. The Committee stands alongside official representatives of the participants and, if necessary, advises changes. Several suggestions may be rejected at this point.

— Stage 2: It involves evaluating three-dimensional models of the suggestions. If the Committee is pleased with the model, the tableau is chosen and sent for manufacture. Hence, statement 2 is correct.

— The Committee can also make revisions to models before they are chosen. Importantly, while the process is intended to be collaborative, the Committee has the final say on which tableaux are chosen and can mandate any changes they deem necessary. Hence, statement 3 is not correct.

Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer.

FYI:

— The Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act, 1994, and Rules, 2014 are prescribed for all steps in the process of considering organ-donation applications.

— The law governs the transplantation of human organs and tissues in India, including the donation of organs after death. Hence, statement 1 is correct.

— It lays down regulations governing healthcare providers and hospitals, and stipulates penalties for violations.

— A transplant can be either from a pool of organs of deceased persons donated by their relatives or from a living person who is known to the recipient.

— The Act allows living donations from close relatives such as parents, siblings, children, spouses, grandparents, and grandchildren. Hence, statement 2 is correct.

— Altruistic donations from distant relatives, in-laws, or long-time friends are allowed after additional scrutiny to ensure there is no financial exchange. Hence, statement 3 is not correct.

— Living donations from close relatives, whether Indians or foreigners, must be accompanied by documents proving their names, family trees, and photographs proving the donor-recipient link. Donors and recipients are interviewed as well.

Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer.

FYI:

— The Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide is an international human rights treaty that codified the crime of genocide for the first time. Hence, statement 1 is correct.

— The Genocide Convention was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on December 9, 1948, and has been in force since January 12, 1951. Hence, statement 2 is correct.

— The Convention defines genocide as five acts —

(i) Killing members of a group;

(ii) Causing serious bodily or mental harm;

(iii) Inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about their physical destruction;

(iv) Imposing measures intended to prevent births within a group; and

(v) Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group — committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group.

— Thus, there are two components: the physical acts; and the specific intent “ to destroy, in whole or in part,” a particular group. Even if these crimes are committed widely, it does not prove genocide. Genocide is distinguished from war crimes, ethnic cleansing, and crimes against humanity by the explicit intent to destroy (dolus specialisis).

— South Africa claims that Israel has perpetrated numerous of these acts, and that evidence of Israeli State officials’ specific intent (dolus specialis) to commit and continue to commit genocidal acts or to fail to prevent them has been significant and overt since October 2023.

Therefore, option (c) is the correct answer.

FYI:

— The Square Kilometre Array Observatory (SKAO) will function as the world’s largest radio telescope. SKAO was established as an intergovernmental organisation in 2021.

— The SKAO is not a single telescope but an array of thousands of antennas, to be installed in remote radio-quiet locations in South Africa and Australia, that will operate as one large unit meant to observe and study celestial phenomena.

— Since its inception in the 1990s, India has been participating in the development of SKA through the Pune-based National Centre for Radio Astrophysics (NCRA) and other institutes.

— The countries have to sign, and ratify, the SKAO convention to formally become members. The Government’s approval for joining the project, with a financial sanction of Rs 1,250 crore, is the first step towards the ratification.

— The SKA will similarly look for gravitational waves, but it will be able to peek much deeper into the cosmos – more than 3,000 trillion kilometres — to examine galaxies and stars in more detail.

Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer.

FYI:

— A spacecraft developed by a private US company and carrying a bunch of scientific instruments from NASA, took off from Florida, hoping to become the first US spacecraft to land on the Moon in more than 50 years.

— The Peregrine lander module of the mission, as well as the Vulcan rocket that launched it, have both been built by private space companies in the US.

— The Mission is part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative that seeks to involve private space sector in its ambitious Artemis programme.

— If successful, this mission would also involve the first landing of a private spacecraft on the Moon.

— There are five payloads from NASA sat inside the Peregrine lander that was launched by the Vulcan heavy rocket. The lander has been built by Astrobotic while the rocket came from United Launch Alliance, another private enterprise.

— Laser Retroreflector Array, is a collection of several mirrors that would allow precision measurements of the distance of other orbiting or landing spacecraft by reflecting light from them.

Therefore, option (c) is the correct answer.

FYI:

— Lakshadweep is India’s smallest Union Territory, which is an archipelago consisting of 36 islands with an area of 32 sq km.

— The islands came under the dominion of the Arakkal kingdom of Kannur, Kerala’s only Muslim dynasty, in the 16th century.

— Amini, Kalpeni, Andrott, Kavaratti, and Agatti are the oldest islands that were inhabited, and certain families here claim to be descendants of converts to Islam from Nair and Namboodiri Brahmin families on the mainland.

Therefore, option (c) is the correct answer.

FYI:

— Indore and Surat have been adjudged India’s cleanest cities as part of the Swachh Survekshan 2023 Awards given out by the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry. Hence, statement 1 is correct and statement 2 is not correct.

— The methodology for measuring cleanliness rests on two main criteria –

(i) Citizen feedback and

(ii) Field assessment

— A sustainable system of garbage collection, processing and disposal has been developed in Indore. The city’s consecutive success in the National Cleanliness Survey is based on this strong foundation.

— Swachh Bharat Mission, the world’s largest sanitation initiative was launched by the Prime Minister of India in 2014 to achieve an Open Defecation Free India by October 2, 2019, as a tribute to Mahatma Gandhi. Hence, statement 3 is not correct.

— Maharashtra bagged the cleanest state award, followed by Madhya Pradesh.

Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer.

FYI:

— The Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM) government in Mizoram has constituted a ‘Boundary Committee’ led by Home Minister Sapdanga to look into vexed Assam-Mizoram boundary issues.

— Mizoram shares a 165-km boundary with Assam across three districts on either side — Cachar, Karimganj and Hailakandi (Assam), and Mamit, Kolasib and Aizawl (Mizoram).

— Mizoram shares its border with three states, Assam, Tripura and Manipur.

Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer.

FYI:

— India is heavily reliant on the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait for its crude oil, LNG imports and trade with parts of West Asia, Africa, and Europe.

— Bab-el-Mandeb Strait connects Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.

— The strait is a crucial shipping route connecting the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea to the Indian Ocean, has escalated due to recent attacks by Yemen-based Houthi militants.

— It also separates Africa from the Arabian Peninsula.

Therefore, option (d) is the correct answer.

FYI:

— The Supreme Court questioned the Centre on why reports of the court-appointed Technical Experts Committee (TEC) on the biosafety of genetically modified (GM) crops were not looked into by the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC).

— The GEAC functions under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) and has been tasked with the appraisal of proposals relating to the “release” of GM organisms and products (ordinarily considered hazardous) into the environment.

— It was developed using two alien genes isolated from a soil bacterium called Bacillus amyloliquefaciens. Hence, statement 1 is correct.

— The transgenic mustard hybrid DMH-11 has been developed by the Centre for Genetic Manipulation of Crop Plants (CGMCP) at Delhi University.

— Crossing two genetically distinct plant kinds, which may even originate from the same species, is known as hybridisation. The first-generation (F1) offspring of such crosses have larger yields than either parent can provide independently.

— The first gene (‘barnase’) encodes a protein that reduces pollen production and makes the plant into which it is inserted male-sterile. This plant is then crossed with a fertile parental line having the second ‘barstar’ gene, which inhibits the barnase gene’s function. Because of the barstar gene in the second fertile line, the resulting F1 progeny is both high-yielding and capable of produce seed/ grain. Hence, statement 3 is correct.

— The GEAC recommended the environmental release of DMH-11 “for its seed production and testing before commercial release”. Hence, statement 2 is correct.

Therefore, option (c) is the correct answer.

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