GK Quiz | 3 September 2020

Q1. With reference to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), consider the following statements:

1. It is a multilateral treaty adopted by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
2. It is part of the International Bill of Human Rights.
3. India is a party to this treaty.

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

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

Solution: C)

Explanation:

Statements 1,2 and 3: About the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR):

• It is a multilateral treaty adopted by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), came into force in 1976.
• It is monitored by the United Nations Human Rights Committee.
• At present, it has 173 parties including India.
• It is part of the International Bill of Human Rights, along with the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).
• It commits its parties to respect the civil and political rights of individuals, including the right to life, freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, electoral rights and rights to due process and a fair trial.

So, all statements are correct and hence, option C is correct.

 

Q2. With reference to International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), consider the following statements:

1. It is an international human rights governmental organization.
2. Its aim is to develop national and international human rights standards through the law.

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: About International Commission of Jurists (ICJ):

• It is an international human rights non-governmental organization headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.
• Its objective is to develop national and international human rights standards through the law.
• It is a standing group of 60 eminent jurists including senior judges, attorneys and academics.

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

 

Q3. Consider the following statement regarding the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB):

1. It is part of the Ministry of Defence.
2. It was set up based on the recommendations of the National Police Commission (1977) and the Task Force (1985).

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

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

Solution: A)

Explanation:

Statements 1 and 2: About the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB):

• It was set up in 1986 to function as a repository of information on crime and criminals so as to assist the investigators in linking crime to the perpetrators.
• It was set up based on the recommendations of the National Police Commission (1977) and the Task Force (1985).
• It is part of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Government of India.
• It is headquartered in New Delhi.
• It publishes the annual Crime in India Report.

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

 

Q4. With reference to the Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR), consider the following statements:

1. It is the usage and licensing fee that telecom operators are charged by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT).
2. It is calculated based on all revenues earned by a telco excluding non-telecom related sources.

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: A)

Explanation:

Statements 1 and 2: About Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR):

• It is the usage and licensing fee that telecom operators are charged by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT).
• It is calculated based on all revenues earned by a telco including non-telecom related sources like asset sales and deposit interests.

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

 

Q5. Which of the following countries shares their land borders with Qatar?

1. Kuwait
2. Saudi Arabia
3. United Arab Emirates

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

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

Solution: A)

Explanation:

Qatar is a country located in Western Asia. It shares its sole land border with Saudi Arabia to the south, and with the rest of its territory surrounded by the Persian Gulf.

Hence, option A is correct.

 

Q6. Consider the following statements about the Kafala system:

1. Under the system, a migrant worker’s immigration status is legally bound to a kafeel during the contract period.
2. It is practiced only in the Gulf Cooperation Council member countries.

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:  A)

Explanation:

Statements 1 and 2: Qatar has recently brought about a change in its labour laws and abolished the unjustified ‘kafala system’.

About Kafala System:

• Kafala means ‘to guarantee’ or ‘to take care of’ in Arabic.
• It began in the 1950s when several Middle East countries started hiring foreign workers to accelerate development following the discovery of oil.
• It is a system that lays down obligations in the treatment and protection of foreign ‘guests’.
• Under the system, a migrant worker’s immigration status is legally bound to an individual employer or sponsor (‘kafeel’) during the contract period and the migrant worker cannot enter the country, transfer employment nor leave the country for any reason without first obtaining explicit written permission from the kafeel.
• It is practiced in the Gulf Cooperation Council member countries (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates) and in the Arab states of Jordan and Lebanon.

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

 

Q7. Consider the following statements about Crete Island:

1. It is a part of Turkey
2. It is located in the southern part of the Black Sea.

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

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

Solution: C)

Explanation:

Statements 1 and 2: About Crete Island:

• It became part of Greece in December 1913.
• It is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands.
• After Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus and Corsica, it is the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea
• It bounds the southern border of the Aegean Sea.

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

 

Q8. Consider the following statements about Question Hour:

1. It is mentioned in the Rules of Procedure of the House.
2. Starred questions require a written answer and thus, no supplementary questions can be asked thereon.
3. The questions can only be asked to the private members.

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

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

Solution: A)

Explanation:

Statements 1,2 and 3: Question Hour is the first hour of every parliamentary sitting, and during this hour, the members ask questions and the ministers usually give answers. It is mentioned in the Rules of Procedure of the House.

Following are three types of questions:

• Starred questions: these are distinguished by an asterisk and require an oral answer and thus, answer to such a question may be followed by supplementary questions by members.
• Unstarred questions: these require a written answer and hence, supplementary questions cannot follow.
• Short notice questions: it is answered orally and asked by giving a notice of less than ten days. Under these questions, matters of public importance and of urgent character are considered.

The questions can also be asked to the private members in addition to the ministers. These questions are mentioned under Rule 40 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha, provided that the subject matter of the question relates to some Bill, Resolution or other matter connected with the business of the House for which that Member is responsible.

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

 

Q9. Chushul, a village often in the news, is located in-

1. Ladakh
2. Arunachal Pradesh
3. Sikkim
4. Himachal Pradesh

Solution: A)

Explanation:

On 2^nd September 2020, the third day of Brigadier level talks between India and China at Chushul to de-escalate the situation on the South Bank of Pangong Tso remained inconclusive.

Chushul is a village in the Leh district of Ladakh, India. Pangong Tso Lake lies in the path of the Chushul approach, which is one of the main approaches that China can use for an offensive into the Indian Territory.

Hence, option A is correct.

 

Q10. Mission Karmayogi is a new national capacity building and performance evaluation programme for

1. Engineers
2. Lawyers
3. Civil Servants
4. None of the above

Solution: C)

Explanation:

• Mission Karmayogi is a new national capacity building and performance evaluation programme for civil servants. It is aimed at “building a future ready civil service with the right attitude, skills and knowledge, aligned to the vision of New India
• It will cover 46 lakh Central government employees at all levels and involves an outlay of Rs. 510 crore over a five-year period
• Under the scheme, an annual subscription of Rs. 431 will be charged per civil servant.
• It is meant to be a comprehensive post- recruitment reform of the Centre’s human resource (HR) development.
• It will support a transition from “rules- based to roles- based” HR management, so that work allocations can be done by matching an official’s competencies to the requirements of the post
• The Prime Minister’s Public Human Resource Council will be set up as the apex body to direct the reforms, with an autonomous Capacity Building Commission to be established to manage the reformed system and harmonize training standards across the country.
• In addition to the domain knowledge training, the scheme will also focus on “functional and behavioural competencies” as well, and also includes a monitoring framework for performance evaluations.
• The capacity building programme will be delivered through an Integrated Government Online Training or iGOTKarmayogi digital platform, with content drawn from global best practices rooted in Indian national ethos.

Hence, option C is correct.