GK Quiz | 25 September 2020

Q1. Intergovernmental Negotiations framework (IGN) is composed of which of the following international organizations?

1. The African Union
2. The Arab League
3. The Uniting for Consensus Group
4. The G4 nations

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

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

Solution: D)

Explanation:

About Intergovernmental Negotiations framework (IGN)

• It is a group of nation-states working within the United Nations to further reform of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).
• It is composed of the following international organizations:

• • The African Union
  • The G4 nations
  • The Uniting for Consensus Group (UfC)
  • The L69 Group of Developing Countries
  • The Arab League
  • The Caribbean Community (CARICOM)

Hence, option D is correct.

 

Q2. With reference to the Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009, consider the following statements:

1. It aims to provide primary education to all children aged 6 to 14 years.
2. It mandates 50% reservation for disadvantaged sections of the society.
3. It has a clause for “No Detention Policy”.

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 and 2 only

Solution: B)

Explanation:

Statements 1,2 and 3: About Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009:

• It aims to provide primary education to all children aged 6 to 14 years.
• It mandates 25% reservation for disadvantaged sections of the society where disadvantaged groups include:

• • SCs and STs
  • Socially Backward Class
  • Differently abled

• It enforces Education as a Fundamental Right under Article 21.
• It had a clause for “No Detention Policy” i.e. no student can be detained up to class VIII. The policy has been removed through The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (Amendment) Act, 2019.

So, statement 1 is correct and statements 2 and 3 are incorrect. Hence, option B is correct.

 

Q3. Consider the following statements about Consolidated Fund of India:

1. It was constituted under Article 324 of the Constitution of India.
2. It is made up of all revenues received by the Centre only by way of taxes.
3. The payment from this fund can be made without parliamentary appropriation.

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

1. 1 and 3 only
2. 1,2 and 3
3. 2 and 3 only
4. None

Solution: D)

Explanation:

Statements 1,2 and 3: About Consolidated Fund of India:

• It was constituted under Article 266 (1) of the Constitution of India.
• It is made up of all revenues received by the Government of India by way of taxes and all non-tax revenues, and all loans raised by the Centre by the issue of treasury bills, means of advances and loans.
• No amount can be withdrawn from the Fund without parliamentary appropriation.

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

 

Q4. Which of the following statement(s) is/are correct about “Cess”?

1. It can be levied only on indirect taxes.
2. It is a permanent source of revenue for the government.
3. It is a form of tax levied or collected by the government to develop a particular sector.

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

1. 3 only
2. 1 and 2 only
3. 1,2 and 3
4. None

Solution: A)

Explanation:

Statements 1,2 and 3: Comptroller and Auditor-General of India (CAG) has recently told Parliament that the Centre has only transferred 60% of the proceeds, collected in 2018-19 through various cesses, to the relevant Reserve Funds and retained the balance in the Consolidated Fund of India (CFI).

About Cess:

• It is a form of tax levied or collected by the government for the development or welfare of a particular service or sector.
• It is not a permanent source of revenue for the government, and it is discontinued when the purpose levying it is fulfilled. It is collected for a particular purpose and cannot be used for or diverted to other purposes.
• It can be levied on both indirect and direct taxes.

So, statements 1 and 2 are incorrect and statement 3 is correct. Hence, option A is correct.

 

Q5. Consider the following statements about Swachh Vidyalaya Abhiyan:

1. It was launched in 2014 by the Ministry of Rural Development.
2. It aims to meet the Right to Education Act’s mandate that all schools must have separate toilets for boys and girls.
3. It requires the Central public sector enterprises (CPSEs) to build toilets with running water and hand washing facilities.

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

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

Solution: B)

Explanation:

Statements 1,2 and 3: About Swachh Vidyalaya Abhiyan:

• It was launched in 2014 by the then Ministry of Human Resource Development (now Ministry of Education).
• It aims to meet the Right to Education Act’s mandate that all schools must have separate toilets for boys and girls.
• It requires the Central public sector enterprises (CPSEs) to build toilets with running water and hand washing facilities and to maintain the toilets for three to five years while charging the annual expenses to their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) budgets.

So, statement 1 is incorrect and statements 2 and 3 are correct. Hence, option B is correct.

 

Q6. Which of the following countries is/are not a part of G4 nations?

1. Brazil
2. Canada
3. India
4. Japan
5. Australia

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

1. 2 and 5 only
2. 1,3 and 4 only
3. 1,2 and 3 only
4. 2,4 and 5 only

Solution: A)

Explanation:

The G4 nations comprise four countries, namely Brazil, Germany, India, and Japan. These countries support each other’s bids for permanent seats on the United Nations Security Council. Each of these four countries has figured among the elected non-permanent members of the council since the United Nation’s establishment.

Hence, option A is correct.

 

Q7. Which of the following statement(s) is/are incorrect about Komodo Dragon:

1. They are the largest lizards on Earth.
2. They are classified as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

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

Solution: B)

Explanation:

Statement 1 and 2: About komodo dragon:

• They are the largest lizards on Earth.
• They are found in Komodo National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site, in the Island of Komodo (eastern Indonesia).
• They have venom glands loaded with toxins that have been shown to secrete anticoagulants.
• They are classified as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)

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

 

Q8.  International Financial Services Centres (IFSC) can provide which of the following services?

1. Wealth management
2. Fund-raising services for individuals, corporations and governments
3. Merger and acquisition activities among trans-national corporations

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

1. 1 and 3 only
2. 2 only
3. 1,2 and 3
4. None

Solution: C)

Explanation:

About International Financial Services Centres (IFSC):

Such centres cater to customers outside the jurisdiction of the domestic economy and deal with flows of finance, financial products and services across borders.

In India, the first IFSC has been set up at the Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City) in Gandhinagar.

An IFSC can provide the following services:

• Wealth management
• Asset management and global portfolio diversification undertaken by pension funds, insurance companies and mutual funds
• Fund-raising services for individuals, corporations and governments
• Global and regional corporate treasury management operations that involve fund-raising, liquidity investment and management and asset-liability matching
• Risk management operations such as insurance and reinsurance
• Merger and acquisition activities among trans-national corporations
• Global tax management and cross-border tax liability optimization, which provide a business opportunity for financial intermediaries, accountants and law firms

Hence, option C is correct.

 

Q9. Gilgit Baltistan borders which of the following countries?

1. China
2. Kyrgyzstan
3. Afghanistan
4. Tajikistan
5. Nepal

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

1. 1, 4 and 5 only
2. 1,3 and 4 only
3. 1,2,3,4 and 5
4. 2 and 3 only

Solution: B)

Explanation:

India has recently said that Pa­kistan’s proposed election in Gilgit­ Baltistan had no le­gal ground.

About Gilgit Baltistan:

• It is located in northern Pakistan and has functioned as a provincial, autonomous region since 2009.
• It borders Afghanistan in the west, China in the North, Tajikistan in the north - west and Kashmir in the south east.
• India considers it as part of the undivided Jammu and Kashmir, while Pakistan sees it as a separate from PoK.
• China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) also passes through Gilgit Baltistan.

Hence, option B is correct.

 

Q10. Which of the following statements is/are incorrect about Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB)?

1. It is a constitutional body.
2. It was constituted in September 1986 under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

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

Solution: C)

Explanation:

Statement 1 and 2: About Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB):

• It is a statutory organization
• It was constituted in September 1974 under the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974.
• It was entrusted with the powers and functions under the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981.
• It serves as a field formation and also provides technical services to the Ministry of Environment and Forests under the provisions of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.
• Main functions of CPCB:

• • to improve the quality of air and to prevent, control or abate air pollution in the country.
  • to promote cleanliness of streams and wells in different areas of the States by prevention, control and abatement of water pollution.

So, both statements are incorrect and hence, option C is correct.