GK Quiz | 22 July 2020

Q1: Consider the following statements:

1. A Sero-survey is used only to determine the age of a person.
2. An antibody is a protective protein produced by the immune system in response to an antigen.

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

1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2

Solution: B)

Explanation:

Statements 1 and 2: Recently, a Sero-survey is conducted in Delhi, in which 23% of Delhiites are found to have developed antibodies against the virus.

A Sero-survey is used to determine the presence of antibodies against infection for which it involves testing of blood serum of a group of individuals. It checks for community transmission in any part of the country and helps to determine the burden of infection at the community level.

Antibody (also known as immunoglobulin) is a protective protein produced by the immune system in response to the presence of an antigen and attack onto antigens in order to remove them from the body.

So, statement 1 is incorrect and statement 2 is correct, and hence, option B is correct.

 

Q2: Who are Arhatiyas in Punjab?

1. Farmers
2. Police officials
3. Commission agents
4. None

Solution: C)

Explanation:

Arhatiyas are commission agents in Punjab, and they are upset over the flat rates provided by the Central government for the purchase of wheat in the last Rabi Marketing Season (RMS), contrary to the earlier mechanism of paying 2.5% of the MSP.

Arhatiyas are powerful figures in rural Punjab. They are also moneylenders who provided funds to farmers for personal, social requirements and cropping operations.

Hence, option C is correct.

 

Q3: Who are Uighurs?

1. Buddhists
2. Muslims
3. Christians
4. Han Chinese

Solution: B)

Explanation:

Uighurs is a Muslim minority community concentrated in the northwestern Xinjiang province of China. They have closer ethnic ties to Turkey and other central Asian countries. The United States has sanctioned 11 Chinese firms for involvement in human rights violations against the Uighur minority.

Xinjiang is an autonomous region within China and has large numbers of Han Chinese who have a better job.

Hence, option B is correct.

 

Q4: Under the Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS), who are eligible for additional funding of up to Rs. 3 lakh crore?

1. MUDRA borrowers
2. MSMEs
3. Both (A) and (B)
4. Neither (A) nor (B)

Solution: C)

Explanation:

Recently, banks had sanctioned loans worth about Rs 1,27,582 crore under the Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS) for the MSME sector impacted by the economic slowdown trig¬gered by COVID¬19. Under the scheme, 100% guarantee coverage to be provided by National Credit Guarantee Trustee Company Limited (NCGTC) for additional funding of up to Rs. 3 lakh crore to eligible MSMEs and interested MUDRA borrowers.

Following are some important features of the scheme:

• Under the scheme, no guarantee fee shall be charged by NCGTC from the Member Lending Institutions (MLIs), and Interest rates shall be capped at 14% for NBFCs, at 9.25% for banks and Financial Institutions.
• The credit will be provided in the form of a Guaranteed Emergency Credit Line (GECL) facility.
• The scheme will be applicable to all loans sanctioned under GECL Facility during the period from the date of announcement of the scheme to 31.10.2020
• Under the scheme, tenure of the loan shall be four years with a moratorium period of one year on the principal amount.

Hence, option C is correct.

 

Q5: Potential applications of metamaterials include-

1. Medical devices
2. Optical fibers
3. Infrastructure monitoring
4. Improving ultrasonic sensors

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

1. 1  and 4 only
2. 2 and 3 only
3. 1,2 and 3 only
4. 1,2,3 and 4

Solution: D)

Explanation:

IIT-Madras researchers and the University of Nairobi’s researchers have used metamaterials to improve the detection of defects in large structures by guided wave ultrasound. Metamaterials are materials engineered to have a property that is not found in naturally occurring materials, made from assemblies of multiple elements.

Potential applications of metamaterials include medical devices, shielding structures from earthquake, smart solar power management, sensor detection, optical fibers, infrastructure monitoring and improving ultrasonic sensors.

Hence, option D is correct.

 

Q5: Which state announced the Mahatma Jyotirao Phule crop loan waiver scheme?

1. Gujarat
2. Maharashtra
3. Karnataka
4. Telangana

Solution: B)

Explanation:

The Mahatma Jyotirao Phule crop loan waiver scheme was announced by Maharashtra in December 2019 to write off crop loans up to Rs 2 lakh, which has been taken between April 1, 2015, and March 31, 2019, and has not been repaid till September 30, 2019.

Hence, option B is correct.

 

Q6:  Consider the following statements about Jyotirao Phule:

1. He was born in 1827 in Maharashtra.
2. He was given the title of Mahatma by Rabindranath Tagore.
3. He founded Arya Samaj in 1875.

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

1. 1 and 3 only
2. 1 only
3. 2 and 3 only
4. 1,2 and 3

Solution: B)

Explanation:

Statements 1 and 2: Jyotirao Phule was born in the Satara district of Maharashtra in 1827. On May 11, 1888, he was given the title of Mahatma by Vithalrao Krishnaji Vandekar.

Contribution of Jyotirao Phule: He, along with his wife Savitribai Phule, opened the first indigenously-run school for girls in India at Pune, Maharashtra in 1848. They were the first native Indians to do so. He opened an orphanage home to avoid infanticide and in 1863, he also opened a home for pregnant Brahmin widows.

Cultivator’s Whipcord (1881), Tritiya Ratna (1855), Satyashodhak Samajokt Mangalashtakasah Sarva Puja-vidhi (1887) and Gulamgiri (1873) are some important literary works of Jyotirao Phule. So, statement 1 is correct and statement 2 is incorrect.

Statement 3: To denounce the caste system, he founded the Satyashodhak Samaj, or the Society of Seekers of Truth, in 1873. Arya Samaj was founded by Dayananda Saraswati in 1875. So, Statement 3 is incorrect.

Hence, option B is correct.

 

Q7: The Justice Malimath committee was constituted-

1. To reform the criminal justice system of India.
2. To formulate the food policy in the long term.
3. To reform the Panchayati Raj institutions.
4. To restructure the IDBI.

Solution: A)

Explanation:

In 2000, the Justice Malimath Committee was constituted by the Home Ministry on reforms of the Criminal Justice System. It was headed by Justice V.S. Malimath (the former Chief Justice of the Karnataka and Kerala High Courts).

Hence, option A is correct.

 

Q8: With reference to the National Financial Reporting Authority (NFRA), consider the following statements:

1. It was constituted in 2018 under section 132 (1) of the Companies Act, 2013.
2. It composed of a chairperson and not more than 10 members.
3. It is empowered to investigate professional misconduct committed by members of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI).

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

1. 1 and 3 only
2. 2 only
3. 2 and 3 only
4. 1,2 and 3

Solution: A)

Explanation:

Statements 1, 2 and 3: The National Financial Reporting Authority (NFRA) was constituted in 2018 under section 132 (1) of the Companies Act, 2013. It composed of a chairperson (appointed by the Central Government) and a maximum of 15 members.

It is empowered to investigate professional misconduct committed by members of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) and to probe listed companies and those unlisted public companies having an annual turnover of no less than Rs 1,000 crore or paid-up capital of no less than Rs 500 crore. So, statement 1 and 3 are correct and statement 2 is incorrect.

Hence, option A is correct.

 

Q9: Zoram Mega Food Park, recently launched, is the first Mega Food Park of which northeastern state?

1. Manipur
2. Assam
3. Mizoram
4. Madhya Pradesh

Solution: C)

Explanation: 

Zoram Mega Food Park is the first Mega Food Park located in Khamrang village in Kolasib District, Mizoram. It has been set up under the ‘Mega Food Park Scheme’. The food park will benefit not only farmers but also producers, processors and customers. This park will also pave the way for the advancement of food processing industries in the northeastern region.

Hence, option C is correct.

 

Q10: Which ministry administers the Mega Food Parks scheme?

1. Ministry of Food Processing Industries
2. Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare
3. Ministry of Commerce and Industry
4. Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises

Solution: A)

Explanation: 

Mega Food Parks scheme started in 2008 and is administered by the Ministry of Food Processing Industries.

Following are some important features of the scheme:

• It has a cluster-based approach based on a hub and spokes model.
• It is implemented by a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV), which is a body corporate registered under the Companies Act.
• State Government, State Government entities and Cooperatives for implementation of Mega Food Park project under the scheme are not required to form a separate SPV.
• It includes-
  • Creation of infrastructure for primary processing and storage near the farm in the form of Primary Processing Centres (PPCs) and Collection Centres (CCs).
  • Enabling infrastructure like water, electricity, roads, etc. at Central Processing Centre (CPC).
• Financial assistance to set up a MFP: 50% of the eligible project cost in general areas and 75% of eligible project cost in NE Region and difficult areas is contributed in the form of grant-in-aid, subject to maximum of Rs. 50 crore per project.

Hence, option A is correct.

 

Q11: Consider the following statements about ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine:

1. It was jointly developed by Bharat Biotech and Serum Institute of India.
2. It belongs to a category called protein subunit vaccines.
3. It is made from a genetically engineered virus that causes the common cold in chimpanzees.

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

1. 1 only
2. 2 and 3 only
3. 1 and 2 only
4. 3 only

Solution: D)

Explanation:

Statements 1, 2 and 3: ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine was jointly developed by the University of Oxford and British-Swedish company AstraZeneca. It belongs to the non-replicating viral vector type of vaccines and made from a genetically engineered virus that causes the common cold in chimpanzees. Non-replicating viral vector is a type of vaccine which, to carry the Covid-19 spike protein, uses a weakened, genetically modified version of a different virus. So, statement 1 and 2 are incorrect and statement 3 is correct.

Hence, option D is correct.

 

Q12: Consider the following statement regarding RAISE initiative:

1. It aims to provide necessary technologies to developing countries to improve agriculture.
2. It is a joint initiative of the Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

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

1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2

Solution: B)

Explanation:

Statements 1 and 2: Retrofit of Air-conditioning to improve Indoor Air Quality for Safety and Efficiency (RAISE) national programme is a joint initiative of the Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) and the United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) MAITREE Program. It aims to improve Indoor Air Quality and to alleviate the issue of bad air quality.

MAITREE stands for Market Integration and Transformation Program for Energy Efficiency is a part of the US-India bilateral Partnership between the Ministry of Power and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). So, statement 1 is incorrect and statement 2 is correct.

Hence, option B is correct.

 

Q13: Recently, in which ocean, the first ‘supergiant’ isopod species has been discovered?

1. Indian Ocean
2. Pacific Ocean
3. Arctic Ocean
4. Atlantic Ocean

Solution: A)

Explanation:

Bathynomus raksasa is the first ‘supergiant’ isopod species discovered recently in the eastern Indian Ocean. It is described as the “cockroach of the sea”. It measures around 1.6 feet (50 centimetres) in length and has 14 legs but uses these only to crawl.

Hence, option A is correct.

 

Q14: Manodarpan initiative has been launched recently to provide psycho-social support to-

1. Students
2. Teachers
3. Parents
4. All of the above

Solution: D)

Explanation:

Union Human Resource Development Minister recently launched Manodarpan initiative under Aatma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyan to provide psycho-social support to students, teachers and parents.

Hence, option D is correct.

 

Q15: With reference to Hope mission, consider the following statements:

1. It is a manned probe developed by United Arab Emirates.
2. It will land on the red planet in 2025.
3. It is the second space mission of United Arab Emirates.

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

1. 1 and 3 only
2. 3 only
3. 2 only
4. 1,2 and 3

Solution: D)

Explanation:

About Hope Mission:

• It is an unmanned probe and the first Arab space mission to Mars.
• It is developed by United Arab Emirates (UAE) and was launched using a Japanese rocket.
• It is expected to enter Mars orbit by February 2021, the year of the 50^th anniversary of the unification of the UAE.
• Hope will orbit the red planet for 687 days, not land on it.
• It is the first interplanetary mission and the fourth space mission of United Arab Emirates (UAE).

So, all statements are incorrect and hence, option D is correct.