December 20 2023 Prelims Practice Questions (PPQs)

Correct

Explanation

Statement 1 is correct

• The bonnet macaque (Macaca radiata), also known as zati, is a species of macaque endemic to southern India.
• They are found in a variety of habitats, including evergreen high forest and dry deciduous forest of the Western Ghat Mountains.
• They are distributed throughout southern India in a territory, restricted to the Indian Ocean on three sides as well as the Godavari and Tapti Rivers.

Statement 2 is correct

• They are highly arboreal and are strong swimmers.
• They feed on fruits, nuts, seeds, flowers, invertebrates and cereals.
• Bonnet macaques are diurnal, arboreal and terrestrial quadrupeds, although they spend much of their time on the ground.
• These highly social creatures form groups of 30 individuals on average, consisting of multiple males and females.

Statement 3 is correct

• Main threat to them is human-animal conflict in agricultural and urban areas.
• They are hunted, and live macaques are also traded for research and road shows.

Statement 4 is correct

• The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists the bonnet macaque as vulnerable.

Answer: (d) None ; Difficulty Level: Medium

Correct

Explanation

Statement 1 is correct

• Goa became a Portuguese colony in 1510 under Admiral Afonso de Albuquerque.
• In 1510, Afonso de Albuquerque captured Goa from the Bijapur Sultanate sultan with the aid of the Hindu privateer Timoja, leading to the establishment of a permanent settlement in the city of Velha Goa (Old Goa in English). Goa (island) bore the seat of the viceroy, who governed all the possessions in Asia.

Statement 2 is correct

• Goa started to witness an upsurge of nationalist sentiment opposed to Portugal’s colonial rule, in sync with the anti-British nationalist movement in the rest of India.
• Tristão de Bragança Cunha, the father of Goan nationalism, founded the Goa National Congress at the Calcutta session of the Indian National Congress in 1928.

Statement 3 is correct

• Portugal being a member of NATO led to the delay in Goa’s liberation.
• The dictator of Portugal, Antonio de Oliveira Salazar, demanded that any military action by India be met with a NATO response.

Statement 4 is incorrect

• Operation Chutney was a surveillance and reconnaissance exercise.
• Frigates began to patrol the coast of Goa, and the Indian Navy mobilised ships.
• The Indian Air Force (IAF) began flights to lure Portuguese fighter jets to reveal their positions.
• After its success, Military action under Operation Vijay began on December 17, and on the evening of December 19, Goa, Daman and Diu were liberated.

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

Correct

Explanation

Statement 1 is incorrect

• WTO is not a part of the United Nations. However, it has maintained strong relations with the UN.
• WTO-UN relations are governed by the “Arrangements for Effective Cooperation with other Intergovernmental Organizations-Relations Between the WTO and the UN” signed in 1995.
• The WTO Director General participates in the Chief Executive Board, the organ of coordination within the UN system.

Statement 2 is correct

• There is a problem in WTO negotiations as there is no agreed definition of what constitutes a developed or developing country at the WTO.
• Members can currently self-designate as developing countries to receive ‘special and differential treatment’ – a practice that is the subject of much contention.
• For instance, China got the ‘developing country’ status at the WTO which became a contentious issue with several countries raising concerns against the decision.

Statement 3 is incorrect

• WTO’s General Council is the WTO’s highest-level decision-making body.
• It has representatives from all member countries.
• It has the authority to act on behalf of the Ministerial Conference (WTO’s top-most decision-making body), which meets about every two years.
• WTO General Council also meets, under different rules, as the Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) and as the Trade Policy Review Body.

Statement 4 is correct

• The TRIPS Agreement sets the minimum standards of protection for copyrights and related rights, trademarks, geographical indications (GIs), industrial designs, patents, integrated circuit layout designs, and undisclosed information.
• It establishes minimum standards for the enforcement of intellectual property rights (IPRs) through civil actions for infringement, actions at the border, and at least in regard to copyright piracy and trademark counterfeiting, in criminal actions.

Answer: (d) 2 and 4 ; Difficulty level: Medium

Correct

Explanation

Statement 1 is incorrect

• The Ministry of Civil Aviation launched the UDAN Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) for regional airport development and regional connectivity enhancement.
• It is a part of the National Civil Aviation Policy 2016.
• The scheme is applicable for ten years.
• The Airports Authority of India (AAI) is the nodal agency for implementing the scheme.

Statement 2 is incorrect

• Greenfield Airports: Aviation facilities constructed entirely from scratch on land that has never been used for aviation.
• Brownfield Airports: Aviation facilities created by upgrading or expanding an existing airport that may or may not be operational.

Statement 3 is correct

• Recent changes under UDAN 5.0
• It focuses on Category-2 (20-80 seats) and Category-3 (>80 seats) aircraft.
• No restriction on the distance between the flight’s origin and destination.
• VGF will be capped at 600 km stage length for priority and non-priority areas; earlier, it was capped at 500 km.
• The same route would not be awarded to a single airline more than once, whether in a different or the same network.
• Airlines would be required to commence operations within four months of the route award; this deadline was six months earlier.

Statement 4 is incorrect

• Viability Gap Funding (VGF): A government grant provided to the airlines to bridge the gap between the cost of operations and expected revenue. VGF is not provided to cargo airlines.

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

Correct

Explanation

Statement 1 is incorrect

• Lumpy Skin Disease is not a zoonotic disease, meaning it cannot transmit from animals to humans.
• It is caused by the lumpy skin disease virus (LSDV), which belongs to the Capripoxvirus genus.
• It was 1^st discovered in Zambia in 1929, subsequently spreading to African countries. Currently, it is prevalent in Africa, the Middle East, and some parts of Asia.

Statement 2 is correct

• No treatment is available, can be prevented by vaccination.
• Lumpi-ProVacind is safe in animals and induces LSDV-specific antibody-and cell-mediated immune response, besides providing complete protection against lethal LSDV challenge. Lumpi-ProVacind is used for the prophylactic immunization of animals against Lumpy Skin Disease, which gives protection for about one year.

Statement 3 is correct

• It is a contagious vector-borne disease spread by vectors like mosquitoes, biting flies and ticks, But it’s not Zoonotic.
• Although, Many vector-borne diseases are zoonotic. diseases, i.e. diseases that can be transmitted directly or indirectly between animals and humans. These include for example Lyme disease, tick-borne encephalitis, West Nile virus, Leishmaniosis and Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever.

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

Correct

Explanation

• Under the Forest Rights Act, tribal communities have the right to harvest and use forest produce, including bamboo, for their traditional use and livelihoods.
• However, this does not extend to commercial sale or large-scale harvesting for profit.
• The tribal community’s rights are limited to traditional use and not commercial sale.

Answer: (b) The right to harvest bamboo for their traditional use, but not for commercial sale ; Difficulty Level: Medium