April 13-14 2025 Current Affairs MCQs

Explanation

• Indian Students in the US Face Visa Revocation over minor infractions, dismissed legal charges, or political expression (like pro-Palestine writing).

All statements are incorrect

• Types of Student Visas in the US
  • F-1 Visa: It allows a student to live temporarily in the US for a defined period while studying at a school, college, seminary, or conservatory.
  • M-1 Visa: Includes students in vocational/non-academic programs other than language training.
  • J-1 Visa: This non-immigrant visa category allows individuals approved to participate in work-and study-based exchange visitor programs, it does not excludr academic programs.

Answer: (d) 1, 2 and 3; Difficulty Level: Hard

Explanation

Both statements are incorrect

• The International Maritime Organization (IMO), not the UNFCCC, approved the Net-Zero Framework for Global Shipping, introducing the world’s first global carbon tax on the sector.
• India and 62 other countries voted in favor of it.
• The policy will be incorporated under Annex VI (Prevention of Air Pollution from Ships) of the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL).
• Objective: Achieve net-zero GHG emissions from international shipping by or around 2050.
• Compliance Requirements for Ships:
  • Ships must progressively reduce their annual GHG fuel intensity (GFI).
  • Ships exceeding GFI thresholds must purchase remedial units to offset excess emissions.
  • Ships utilising zero or near-zero emission technologies will be rewarded financially for outperforming the standards.
• IMO Net-Zero Fund: A dedicated fund will be established to collect emissions-based contributions, which will be used to support decarbonization efforts across the shipping industry.
• Implementation Timeline: The framework is expected to be formally adopted in October 2025.

Answer: (d) Neither 1 nor 2; Difficulty Level: Easy

Explanation

Information 1 and 4 are incorrect, but information 2 and 3 are correct

• Wangala Festival is not from Nagaland. It is a post-harvest festival of the Garo tribe, mainly celebrated in Meghalaya.
• Ka-Pomblang Nongkrem is celebrated in Meghalaya, but by the Khasi tribe, not the Garo.

Answer: (b) Only two; Difficulty Level: Hard

Explanation

Statement 3 is correct, but Statements 1 and 2 are incorrect

• Article 201 provides for the President’s role in granting or withholding assent to State Bills reserved by the Governor but sets no specific timeline.
• Supreme Court has mandated that the President must decide within 3 months of receiving a Bill from the Governor, not Constitution.
• President’s Decision Requires Justification: Withholding assent beyond the deadline must be accompanied by clear, specific, and sound reasons. No absolute veto is allowed.

Answer: (a) Only one; Difficulty Level: Easy

Explanation

Option (c) is correct

• Mount Spurr Volcano is situated at the southern edge of a fault break in the Alaska Range in the US. It is an andesitic Stratovolcano, ice- and snow-covered.
• It is part of the Aleutian Arc and located on the Pacific Ring of Fire.
• Crater Peak Activity: Most active site; last erupted in 1992 with three explosive events.
• Lake Formation: Chakachamna Lake emerged post-caldera collapse ~10,000 years ago.
• Glaciated Terrain: Caldera contains a live icefield and multiple glaciers..

Answer: (c) Aleutian Arc; Difficulty Level: Easy

Explanation

Option (a) is correct

• Social Contributions of BR Ambedkar
  • Bahishkrit Hitkarini Sabha (1924): Founded to promote education, culture, and economic empowerment for downtrodden communities.
  • Mahad March (1927): Led the Mahad Satyagraha to challenge caste discrimination and priestly dominance, advocating for untouchables’ access to public water sources.
  • Temple Entry Movement (1930): Led the movement at Kalaram temple in Nasik to demand temple entry for lower-caste individuals, fighting for equal status within Hindu society.
  • Round Table Conferences (1930-32): Represented the rights of untouchables in London, advocating for their inclusion through separate electorates.
  • Poona Pact (1932): A critical compromise following Gandhi’s fast, leading to reserved seats for Dalits in legislatures rather than separate electorates.
  • Independent Labour Party (1936): Founded to represent Dalit and working-class interests, winning seats in the Bombay Presidency elections.
  • Second World War (1939): Encouraged Indians to join the Army to fight Nazism, paralleling it with fascism’s threat to democratic values.
  • Scheduled Castes Federation (1942): Established to mobilise “Dalit” political power and representation.
  • Republican Party of India (1956): Formed as his final political venture, focusing on “Dalit” rights.
  • RBI: Instrumental in establishing the RBI, advocating for a central banking system for economic stability.

Answer: (a) 2 – 4 – 1 – 3; Difficulty Level: Medium

Explanation

Option (c) is correct

• The KATRIN (Karlsruhe Tritium Neutrino) Experiment is a highly sensitive physics experiment.
• Objective: Precisely measure the mass of electron antineutrinos via tritium beta decay.
• Working Principle: Tritium decay emits an electron and an electron antineutrino. The neutrino’s mass slightly reduces the maximum energy of the electron.
• Independent Validation: KATRIN’s results do not rely on cosmological models, making them free from the theoretical uncertainties associated with assumptions about universe evolution.
• Recent Breakthrough Findings
  • New Mass Limit: Neutrino mass has been capped at less than 0.45 electron volts (eV).
  • Improved Precision: Nearly a 50% reduction from KATRIN’s previous upper mass limit.
  • Large Data Set: Based on energy readings from 36 million electrons emitted during tritium decay.

Answer: (c) A precision measurement project aimed at determining the mass of electron antineutrinos; Difficulty Level: Easy

Explanation

Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct

• NREGA wages are increasingly lower than the minimum agricultural wages in most states.
• For example, in Sikkim (FY 2025-26), the NREGA wage is ₹241 less than the state minimum wage.
• This growing wage gap is a serious concern, and it undermines the principle of fair remuneration.
• Section 6(1) allows the Central Government to set wage rates for NREGA, even if these differ from state minimum wages under the Minimum Wages Act, 1948.
• However, wages notified must not fall below ₹60 per day.

Answer: (d) Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct; Difficulty Level: Easy