April 27-28 2025 Current Affairs MCQs

Explanation

Statement 1 is incorrect but statement 2 is correct

• Delamination is a rare geological process taking place under the Indian plate.
• Delamination refers to horizontal splitting of a plate into upper and lower layers, not vertical splitting.
• The denser lower layer of the plate peels away and sinks into the Earth’s mantle. This layering process doubles the complexity of Earth’s crust dynamics.
• The lighter upper layer continues to move just beneath the surface.
• This internal fragmentation was detected about 100 kilometres beneath the Earth’s surface, using data from 94 broadband seismic stations across southern Tibet.

Statement 3 is correct

• New seismic and geochemical data confirm active delamination of the Indian Plate beneath the Tibetan Plateau.
• Traditionally, scientists believed the Indian plate was steadily sliding under the Eurasian plate, gradually uplifting the Tibetan Plateau and Himalayas in a slow, predictable manner.
• However, new evidence from seismic imaging and helium isotope analysis in Tibetan springs reveals the plate is undergoing delamination.

Answer: (b) 2 and 3 only; Difficulty Level: Hard

Explanation

• Krishnaswamy Kasturirangan, popularly known as K. Kasturirangan, passed away.

Statement 1 is incorrect

• He was chairperson of the High-Level Working Group on the Western Ghats, which is also known as the K. Kasturirangan Committee.
  • Established in 2012 to revise and reconsider the earlier Gadgil Committee report recommendations.
  • The Gadgil report recommended designating the entire Western Ghats region as an Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA) and classifying the region into 3 Ecologically Sensitive Zones (ESZ 1, 2, and 3) with varying levels of permissible development.
• Major Recommendations: The committee sought a more moderate approach to protecting the Western Ghats, balancing environmental concerns with development needs.
  • It proposed that only 37% of the Western Ghats area be designated as an ESA.
  • Suggested banning mining, thermal power plants, and highly polluting industries in these zones.

Statement 2 is correct

• He was an Indian space scientist who headed the ISRO from 1994 to 2003.
• As ISRO Chairman, he oversaw major milestones, including the successful launch and operationalization of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) and the 1st successful flight test of the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV).

Statement 3 is correct

• Kasturirangan headed a committee that created India’s NEP 2020.
• The Draft New Education Policy 2019, prepared by the committee, became the basis for NEP 2020.

Answer: (b) 2 and 3 only; Difficulty Level: Medium

Explanation

Option (a) is correct

• Davis Strait is located between Canada’s Baffin Island and Greenland.
• Recently, researchers have discovered the Davis Strait proto – microcontinent, a submerged primitive microcontinent located beneath the Davis Strait.

Answer: (a) Canada and Greenland; Difficulty Level: Easy

Explanation

Only pair 3 is correct

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

Explanation

Statements 1 and 2 are correct

• Asian Hornet (Yellow-legged hornet) is a predatory insect that feeds on other social bees and wasps, mainly targeting honeybees and killing them mid-flight, thus significantly reducing pollinator populations. It is a very aggressive species, and its sting is excruciating.
• It is around 25mm long with black velvety thorax, yellow legs & orange-yellow abdominal band.
• It is native to Southeast Asia and was introduced to Europe in 2004 via a Chinese pottery shipment. Now invasive in 15 European countries.

Statement 3 is incorrect

• They do take part in pollination, but their role is minor compared to pollinators like bees and butterflies.

Answer: (a) 1 and 2 only; Difficulty Level: Hard

Explanation

Statement 1 is correct

• UPI is derived from the Immediate Payment Service (IMPS) framework, enabling real-time payments.
• UPI enables users to link their bank accounts to multiple UPI apps, offering flexibility.

Statement 2 is incorrect

• Banks must join the UPI system to allow users to access their accounts via mobile numbers on Payment Service Provider (PSP) apps like PhonePe or GPay.
• NPCI routes nearly all UPI transactions, thus acting as Central Hub for Transactions, encrypting PIN details and forwarding payment information to the respective bank for processing. It is the respective banks that processes UPI transactions.
• As NPCI handles critical functions (encryption, routing), any downtime at NPCI halts all UPI transactions, causing widespread disruptions.
  • This is the reason UPI system faced multiple downtimes recently, disrupting payments on apps like GPay and PhonePe. Cause is being attributed to banks overwhelming the NPCI systems.

Statement 3 is correct

• UPI Lite allows users to make payments up to ₹2,000 without PIN authentication, speeding up small transactions.
• Despite bypassing PIN entry, UPI Lite transactions still pass through NPCI for verification, maintaining its role as the central system.

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

Explanation

• Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations (1961) is a United Nations treaty that sets some common principles and terms on how countries must treat each other’s diplomatic representatives, to ensure friendly relations and maintain proper communication channels between countries.
• India: Ratified it through the Diplomatic Relations (Vienna Convention) Act 1972.
• Key Provisions:
  • Diplomatic Immunity: Diplomats are granted immunity from the host country’s laws- they cannot be arrested or sued. Family members of diplomats also enjoy similar privileges and immunities.
  • Protection of Communication: Free communication for diplomats, including using diplomatic bags and couriers, is guaranteed.
  • Functions of a Diplomatic Mission: Representing the home country, protecting its interests, negotiating, gathering information, and promoting friendly relations.
  • Respect for Host Country’s Laws: Although immune, diplomats are expected to respect the laws and regulations of the host country.

Statements 1 is correct

• Persona Non Grata: The host country can declare any diplomat as “persona non grata” and expel them without explanation.
  • Persona non grata is a Latin phrase that means “unwelcome person.” It has a specific meaning in diplomacy, referring to a diplomat or foreign person whose entry or presence in a particular country has been prohibited by that country.
  • There aren’t any fixed rules regarding when a country can declare a foreign person persona non grata. A person can be declared persona non grata even before arriving in a country.
  • Soon after the declaration, the person concerned usually returns to their home nation.
  • If they fail to do so within a reasonable period, the country “may refuse to recognise the person concerned as a member of the mission.”

Statement 2 is correct

• Inviolability of Diplomatic Premises: Embassy buildings are inviolable; host nation authorities cannot enter without permission.

Answer: (c) Both 1 and 2; Difficulty Level: Easy