December 01-02 2024 Current Affairs MCQs

Explanation

Options 2, 3 and 4 are correct

• Constitutional Protection for Civil Servants:
  • Part XIV of the Constitution: Deals with services under the Union and the States.
  • Art 309: Empowers Parliament & State legislatures to regulate civil servants’ service conditions.
  • Doctrine of Pleasure (Article 310): States that civil servants hold office at the pleasure of the President or Governor, but this power is not absolute.
  • Article 311: Dismissal or removal can only be done by the appointing authority or a higher rank. Dismissal or reduction in rank requires an inquiry with a reasonable opportunity to defend.

Option 1 is incorrect

• Section 197 of the CrPC, 1973: This section bars courts from taking cognisance of offences alleged to have been committed by a judge, magistrate, or public servant acting in the discharge of their official duties unless the government has given prior sanction. (Carried forward in Section 218 of BNSS,2023).
• Purpose: The provision aims to shield public servants from unnecessary prosecution and protect decision-making in good faith.
• Exceptions: No prior sanction is required for prosecuting public servants accused of certain crimes against women (such as rape, sexual harassment) and other serious crimes like human trafficking.

Answer: (c) Only three; Difficulty Level: Hard

Explanation

Statement 1 is correct and statement 2 is incorrect

• The Government of India and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) have signed a loan agreement to promote plant health management in India’s horticulture sector to improve farmers’ access to disease-free planting materials, aligning with India’s Atmanirbhar Clean Plant Programme.
• Implemented by: The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare through the National Horticulture Board (NHB) and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research.
• Key Objectives of the Programme:
  • Enhancing Horticulture Yield: The program focuses on increasing the yield of horticulture crops by ensuring the availability of certified, disease-free planting materials.
  • Adopting Climate-Resilient Varieties: This initiative promotes the dissemination and adoption of climate-resilient plant varieties to combat the adverse effects of climate change.
  • Protecting Ecosystem: Implements proactive virus & disease control measures to safeguard ecosystem.

Answer: (a) 1 only; Difficulty Level: Medium

Explanation

Option (b) is correct

• Lothal situated in Gujarat’s Saurashtra region between the Sabarmati and Bhogavo rivers, Lothal was built around 2200 BCE.
• Discovery and Significance: Discovered in 1954 by archaeologist S.R. Rao, Lothal is known for its dockyard and was an important trade hub, exporting beads, gems and ornaments to West Asia and Africa.
• Engineering Marvels: Home to the world’s oldest known dockyard with an advanced water-locking mechanism, showcasing the sophisticated engineering of the time.
• Artefacts and Trade Links: Excavations revealed bead necklaces (amethyst), axes and fish hooks, and Mesopotamian-style seals, indicating strong trade links with Mesopotamia, Egypt and Persia.
• Decline: Frequent flooding and changes in Sabarmati River’s course might have disrupted its maritime connections, leading to the decline and transformation into an unplanned settlement around 2000 BCE.
• National Maritime Heritage Complex (NMHC): Under construction in Lothal along with Vietnam, to showcase India’s 4500-year-old maritime legacy, featuring a Lighthouse Museum and 5D theatre.

Answer: (b) Lothal; Difficulty Level: Easy

Explanation

Only options 1 and 2 are correct

• The first Joint Table Exercise, CINBAX, between the Indian Army & Cambodian Army was conducted in Pune to enhance both armies’ interoperability in counter-terrorism (CT) operations.
• The exercise will showcase Indian-origin weapons and equipment, promoting self-reliance and indigenous capabilities in defence production.

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

Explanation

Statements 1 and 2 are incorrect

• Festival of Festivals, Hornbill Festival began in the Naga heritage village of Kisama.
• It is celebrated annually in the first week of December. It is named after the revered bird, Hornbill.

Great hornbill is the state bird of Kerala and Arunachal Pradesh, not of Nagaland.

• The State Bird of Nagaland is Blyth’s tragopan.
• Hornbills are called “gardeners or farmers of the forest” for playing a key role in dispersing seeds of tropical trees.
• Hornbills are large, fruit-eating birds found along certain fleshy fruit trees.
• The hornbills are found in tropical and subtropical Africa and Asia.
• Threats: Illegal logging, forest clearance, hunting for meat & medicinal value of body parts.
• Conservation Status:  IUCN: Vulnerable; WPA, 1972: Schedule I; CITES: Appendix I.

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

Explanation

Both Statement I and Statement II are correct, and Statement II is the correct explanation of Statement I.

• Insulin resistance can be a risk factor for heart valve disease, such as aortic stenosis.
• The aortic valve is important for maintaining blood flow from the heart’s lower left chamber (left ventricle) to the aorta, the primary artery delivering blood to the body.
• When the aortic valve narrows, a condition known as aortic stenosis, blood flow becomes restricted.
• Over time, the heart’s left ventricle has to pump harder to push blood through the narrowed aortic valve.
• This strain can cause the ventricle to thicken, enlarge, and weaken. If untreated, it can lead to heart failure.
• Main Cause: Aortic stenosis is most commonly caused by atherosclerosis, where calcium buildup occurs on the aortic valve over time. These calcium deposits, often associated with ageing, make the valve tissue stiff, narrow, and unyielding.
• Symptoms: Chest pain, fluttering heartbeat, Shortness of breath, dizziness or light-headedness, even fainting, Difficulty walking short distances.

  

Answer: (a) Both Statement I and Statement II are correct, and Statement II is the correct explanation of Statement I; Difficulty Level: Hard

Explanation

Option (c) is correct

• Angkor Wat is the temple complex (Originally built as a Hindu temple) is the largest religious monument in the world and a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in Cambodia.
• Angkor Wat was built at the behest of the Khmer king Suryavarman II in the early 12th century in Yaśodharapura (present-day Angkor), the capital of the Khmer Empire, as his state temple and eventual mausoleum.
• Angkor Wat combines two basic plans of Khmer temple architecture: the temple-mountain and the later galleried temple.
• It is designed to represent Mount Meru, home of the devas in Hindu mythology and is surrounded by a moat more than 5 km (3.1 mi).
• Enclosed within an outer wall 3.6 kilometres (2.2 mi) long are three rectangular galleries, each raised above the next.

Answer: (c) Cambodia; Difficulty Level: Easy