GK Quiz | 9 November 2020

Q1: Which of the following countries do not share their border with Italy?

1. Slovakia
2. Croatia
3. France
4. Germany

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 and 3 only

Solution: C)

Explanation:

Recently, a virtual Bilateral Summit between India and Italy has been held to comprehensively review the broad framework of the bilateral relationship and also strengthen cooperation against common global challenges, including the COVID-19 Pandemic.

About Italy:

• It is located in Southern Europe.
• It is bordered by France, Switzerland, Austria, and Slovenia to the north. Including the islands, it has a coastline and border of 7,600 kilometres (4,722 miles) on the Adriatic, Tyrrhenian, Ionian seas.

Hence, option C is correct.

 

Q2: Which of the following statements is/are incorrect about Tinnitus?

1. It is the perception of noise or ringing in the ears.
2. It is an infectious disease primarily infects the throat and upper airways.
3. It can significantly affect quality of life.
4. It is a symptom of an underlying condition, not a condition itself.

Solution: B)

Explanation:

Recently, a new research has found that tinnitus is being exacerbated by COVID-19 and also by the measures against the infection.

About Tinnitus:

• It is the perception of noise or ringing in the ears.
• It is not a condition itself. It is a symptom of an underlying condition, such as age-related hearing loss, ear injury or a circulatory system disorder.
• Treatments include hearing aids, sound-masking devices, medicines, and ways to learn how to cope with the noise.
• It can significantly affect quality of life. One may experience fatigue, stress, sleep problems, trouble concentrating, memory problems, depression, anxiety and irritability, etc.

Hence, option B is correct.

 

Q3: With reference to the Kepler mission, consider the following statements:

1. It is a mission of European Space Agency (ESA).
2. It is specifically designed to collect a sample from an asteroid and bring it back to Earth.
3. It is succeeded by Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS).

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

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

Solution: B)

Explanation:

Statements 1, 2 and 3: About Kepler Mission:

• It was launched in 2009 on a three-and-a-half year mission to monitor 1, 50,000 stars in a patch of sky in the Milky Way.
• It is specifically designed to survey our region of the Milky Way galaxy to discover hundreds of Earth-sized and smaller planets in or near the habitable zone and determine the fraction of the hundreds of billions of stars in our galaxy that might have such planets.
• It was NASA’s first planet-hunting mission.
• It is succeeded by Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) which is a NASA mission that will look for planets orbiting the brightest stars in Earth’s sky. TESS was led by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with seed funding from Google.

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

 

Q4: With reference to the One Rank One Pension (OROP) scheme, consider the following statements:

1. Under the scheme, ex-servicemen use to get pensions as per the Pay Commission's recommendations of the time when they had retired.
2. Armed Forces Personnel who had retired till 30^th June 2014 are covered under this scheme.
3. The implementation of OROP was based on recommendation of the Koshiyari committee.

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

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

Solution: C)

Explanation:

Statements 1, 2 and 3: About One Rank One Pension (OROP) scheme:

• It was notified in 2015. It means the payment of the same pension to military officers for the same rank for the same length of service, irrespective of the date of retirement.
• Before this scheme, ex-servicemen used to get pensions as per the Pay Commission's recommendations of the time when they had retired.
• Armed Forces Personnel who had retired till 30^th June 2014 are covered under OROP scheme.
• Its implementation was based on recommendation of the Koshiyari committee which is a 10 member all-party parliamentary panel formed under the chairmanship of Bhagat Singh Koshiyari.

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

 

Q5: Consider the following statements about Gurdwara Darbar Sahib:

1. It is in Kartarpur and stands on the bank of the Satluj.
2. Here, the fifth Sikh Guru spent the last 18 years of his life.
3. The Kartarpur Corridor connects this gurudwara with Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Gurdaspur district of Punjab, India.

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

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

Solution: A)

Explanation:

Statements 1, 2 and 3: Kartarpur Corridor was thrown open in 2019. It connects Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan’s Kartarpur with Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Gurdaspur district of Punjab, India. It was built in 2019 to commemorate the 550^th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev.

About Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib (also known as Gurdwara Darbar Sahib):

• It is located in Pakistan’s Narowal district across river Ravi.
• Here, Guru Nanak (the first Sikh Guru) assembled a Sikh community and lived for 18 years until his death in 1539.

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

  

Q6: Consider the following statements about Pakke Tiger Reserve:

1. Recently, it has become the first in the eight- state northeast to provide insurance cover against COVID-19 for green soldiers.
2. It falls within the Western Ghats Biodiversity Hotspot.
3. It is located in Karnataka.

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

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

Solution: A)

Explanation:

Statements 1, 2 and 3: Recently, Pakke Tiger Reserve (PTR) has become the first in the in the eight- state northeast to provide insurance cover against COVID-19 for green soldiers. 57 frontline staff, referred to as green soldiers, of the Park has been insured for nine months against health issues due to the infection by the Covid-19.

About Pakke Tiger Reserve (also known as Pakhui Tiger Reserve):

• It lies in the foothills of the eastern Himalaya in the East Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh.
• It falls within the Eastern Himalaya Biodiversity Hotspot.
• It became Tiger Reserve in 2002.
• It adjoins reserved forests and Nameri National Park of Assam in south and south-east and to its east, lies the Pakke River and Papum Reserve Forest.
• In the north, the park is flanked by the Kameng River and the Shergaon Forest Division. In the west, it is bounded by the Bhareli or Kameng River, Doimara RF and Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary.

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

 

Q7: Consider the following statements with reference to the breach of privilege:

1. It is a violation of any of the privileges of MPs/Parliament.
2. It is governed by British Parliamentary conventions.
3. Any action 'casting reflections' on MPs, parliament or its committees could be considered breach of privilege.

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

1. 1 and 3 only
2. 2 only
3. 1, 2 and 3
4. None of the above

Solution: C)

Explanation:

Statements 1, 2 and 3: Recently, Supreme Court gave relief to Arnab Goswami in the breach of privilege case for making derogatory remarks against the Chief Minister of Maharashtra.

Parliamentary privileges:

• It refers to rights and immunities enjoyed by Parliament as an institution and MPs in their individual capacity, without which they cannot discharge their functions as entrusted upon them by the Constitution.
• It continues to be governed by British Parliamentary conventions as there is no law enacted by the Parliament.
• It is a violation of any of the privileges of MPs/Parliament.
• Among other things, any action 'casting reflections' on MPs, parliament or its committees could be considered breach of privilege. This may include publishing of news items, editorials or statements made in newspaper/magazine/TV interviews or in public speeches.

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

 

Q8: With reference to the Supply Chain Resilience Initiative (SCRI), consider the following statements:

1. It was proposed by India as a bilateral approach to trade, with Japan.
2. It aims to attract foreign direct investment (FDI) in Indo-Pacific region.
3. It aims to reduce the dependency on a single nation.

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

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

Solution: D)

Explanation:

Statements 1, 2 and 3: In the context of international trade, supply chain resilience is an approach that helps a country to ensure that it has diversified its supply risk across a clutch of supplying nations instead of being dependent on just one or a few.

About Supply Chain Resilience Initiative (SCRI):

• It was proposed by Japan as a trilateral approach to trade, with India and Australia.
• It aims to attract foreign direct investment to turn the Indo-Pacific into an “economic powerhouse” and to build a mutually complementary relationship among partner countries.
• It aims to reduce the dependency on a single nation which is China at present.

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