August 28-2024 Prelims Practice Questions (PPQs)

Correct

Explanation

Statement 1 is incorrect

• International Buddhist Confederation will organise an International Conference on the Life and Living Legacy of Guru Padmasambhava at Nalanda, Bihar.
• Guru Padmasambhava was one of the most revered figures in Buddha Dhamma and is credited with the dissemination of Buddhism across the Himalayan belt.
• Also known as Guru Rinpoche (Precious Guru) and the Lotus from Oḍḍiyāna, he was a tantric Buddhist Vajra master from medieval India who taught Vajrayana in Tibet.
• He came to Tibet in the 8th century and helped construct Samye Monastery, the first Buddhist monastery in Tibet. He was a Tantrist and a member of the Yogachara sect.
• In modern Tibetan Buddhism, Padmasambhava is considered to be a Buddha that was foretold by Buddha Shakyamuni.
• The contemporary Nyingma school of Buddhism considers Padmasambhava to be their founding figure.

Statement 2 is incorrect

• Yogachara (Vijnanavada) is an influential idealistic school of Mahayana Buddhism.
• Yogachara attacked both the complete realism of Theravada Buddhism and the provisional practical realism of the Madhyamika school of Mahayana Buddhism.
• The name of the school is derived from the title of an important text, the Yogacharabhumi-shastra.

Statement 3 is incorrect

• International Buddhist Confederation is the biggest religious Buddhist confederation which was established in 2010 and is headquartered in Delhi, India. It is established under the patronage of the supreme Buddhist religious hierarchy.
• The architect of the International Buddhist Confederation is Lama Lobzang.

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

Correct

Explanation

Statement 1 is incorrect

• INS Tabar is the third of a Talwar-class stealth frigate built for the Indian Navy in Russia, equipped with a versatile range of weapons and sensors.
• The frigate was commissioned in 2004 in Kaliningrad, Russia.
• Motto: “Guts and Glory”.
• The ship is part of the IN’s Sword Arm Fleet, based at Mumbai under the Western Naval Command.

Statement 2 is incorrect

• It has the ability to handle air/surface/sub-surface missions or defending herself operating either independently on maritime missions or supporting a larger naval task force.
• She is also capable of conducting surveillance, reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare operations.
• The frigate’s main armament is a French-built 30 mm autocannon with an automatic loading system.
• The new electronic warfare (EW) system built by Bharat Electronics (BEL) has replaced the previous Russian-made ASOR 11356 EW system.

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

Correct

Explanation

Option (c) is correct

• Recently, the World Bank has published World Development Report 2023: Migrants, Refugees and Societies.
• Key Findings:
  • Rise in Income: Indian migrants, including the low-skilled, see significant increases in income.
  • High Remittance: A large portion of earnings is sent to India. Indian migrants in the UAE send about 85% of their income.
  • Wage Gap is one of the key drivers of economic migration. The potential gains in income are highest when people move from low to high-income countries.
  • Approximately 40% of migrants eventually return to their home countries. All migrants leave GCC countries, 20% to 50% leave OECD countries within 5-10 years, and fewer than 20% leave the U.S.
  • Migrants who return voluntarily often gain a wage premium, especially if they are high-skilled.
  • Those forced to return usually face worse socio-economic conditions.

Answer: (c) World Bank; Difficulty Level: Easy

Correct

Explanation

Statements 1 and 2 are correct

• FDCs are medications that combine two or more active ingredients in a single dosage form, such as a pill or capsule, or shot.
• FDCs simplify treatment by reducing the number of pills, thereby improving adherence to medication, particularly for chronic conditions like tuberculosis and diabetes.

Statement 3 is incorrect

• The Health Ministry bans 156 Fixed-Dose Combination (FDC) drugs, including Cheston Cold and Foracet. A total of 499 FDCs have been banned since 2014, with 328 banned in 2018 alone.
• Examples of Banned FDCs:
  • Enzyme Combinations: For gastrointestinal issues.
  • Anti-allergic combinations: Such as levocetirizine with nasal decongestants.
  • Skin Condition Treatments: Like menthol with aloe vera or silver sulfadiazine with other agents.
  • Migraine and Nausea: Combinations of migraine medication with anti-nausea drugs.
  • Menstrual and Anti-Fibrotic: Mefenamic acid with tranexamic acid.
  • Erectile Dysfunction: Sildenafil combined with other drugs for blood vessel relaxation.

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

Correct

Explanation

Statement 1 is incorrect and Statement 2 is correct

• Recent discussions in the parliament underscore the inadequacy of India’s Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) in addressing the rapid evolution of digital and cybercrimes.
• Inadequacy in Addressing Cybercrimes: The BNS lacks provisions for modern cybercrimes, such as data theft, cyberbullying, and online fraud.
• Absence of terms like “cyber” or “data” in the BNS, which leads to difficulties in addressing crimes like hacking and phishing.
• Arbitrariness and Misuse of Powers: The discretion granted to local police officers to invoke terrorism and organized crime provisions without adequate checks can lead to misuse.
• Broad and undefined concepts of “economic security” and “economic offences” could be applied to commercial frauds, impacting legitimate businesses.
• Insufficient Adaptation to Technological Advances: The use of deepfake technology and AI-generated crimes are not adequately addressed in current legislation.

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

Correct

Explanation

Option (b) is correct

• The Northern Bald Ibis (or Waldrapp), a migratory bird species, hunted virtually to extinction, was revived by breeding and rewilding efforts over the last two decades.
• The efforts of biologist Johannes Fritz and the Waldrapp team, a conservation group in Austria, revived the population.
• It is the first attempt to reintroduce a continentally extinct migratory bird species.
• The species moved from “critically endangered” to “endangered” in IUCN red list in 2018.
• Northern bald ibis is a very rare Ibis species native to parts of northern Africa and southwest Asia.
• The Northern Bald Ibis is known for its black plumage with an iridescent green sheen, a bald red head adorned with black markings, and a long, downward-curved beak. Their red beak and legs stand out against their dark feathers.

Answer: (b) Northern Bald Ibis; Difficulty Level: Hard