June 15-2024 Current Affairs MCQs

Explanation

Statement 1 is correct

• The paintings of Ajanta are not full fledged frescos.
• In fresco painting, painting is done while the surface layer of plaster is still wet.
• But the mode of paintings at Ajanta is the tempera, “dry fresco” and the colour and material used are very basic.
• The five colours usually described in the Shilpa Sutra text are found here: Red Ochre (geru), Yellow Ochre (Pilimitti), black (Kajal), Lapis lazuli (Blue) and White (Lime or Khadia).

Statement 2 is not correct

• Mahabalipuram is associated with Hindu monuments like the Ratha temples, while Ajanta is known for its Buddhist art depicting the life of Buddha and Jataka stories.
• Therefore, both sites belong to distinct religious traditions.

Statement 3 is correct

• The paintings in Sittanavasal predominantly depict Jain themes and symbol.
• They are characterized by well-defined outlines set against a light red background.

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

Explanation

• The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) is an anti-terror act enacted in 1967.
• The original Act dealt with “unlawful” acts related to secession.
• The 2004 amendments expanded the scope, and anti-terror provisions were introduced.
• It was strengthened by the government by the amendments in 2008, 2012 and 2019.

Statement 1 is correct

• In 2023, SC said that mere membership of an unlawful outfit is a UAPA offence.
• UAPA gives the state more powers compared with the Indian Penal Code (IPC). It gives more time for the state to file chargesheets.

Statement 2 is correct

• The words terror or terrorist are not defined, but Section 15 defines a terrorist act.
• A terrorist act is any act committed with intent: T
  • To threaten the unity, integrity, security, economic security, or sovereignty of India.
  • To strike terror in the people or any section of the people in India or in any foreign country.

Statement 3 is correct

• To deny bail under the UAPA, the court must be satisfied that a “prima facie” case exists against the accused.
  • In 2019, the SC defined “prima facie” as simply looking at the overall case presented by the state without analysing individual evidence or circumstances.

Answer: (d) None; Difficulty Level: Medium

Explanation

• Recently, the Indian Army has received the 1st batch of man-portable suicide drones, Nagastra-1.

Statement 1 is correct

• The high-tech drones are designed and developed indigenously by Economic Explosives Limited (EEL), a subsidiary of Solar Industries, Nagpur.

Statement 2 is correct

• Nagastra is a fixed-wing electric unmanned aerial vehicle with an endurance of 60 minutes.
• Unlike other weapons, Solar’s Nagastra has the capability to abort an attack if necessary and can be safely retrieved.
• It is named a loitering munition weapon due to its ability to hover over the target.
• It can carry a 1-kilo warhead and carry out a precision strike via GPS with an accuracy of within two metres.
• It offers a 15 km range with man-in-loop control and extends up to 30 km in autonomous mode.
• Due to its electric propulsion system, Nagastra-1 provides a low acoustic signature, making it almost undetectable at altitudes over 200 metres.

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

Explanation

Statement 1 is not correct

• Recently, Fires ravage Brazil’s Pantanal wetlands. El Nino weather patterns, supercharged by climate change, are the possible factors behind the fires.
• Location: Located in the upper Paraguay River basin.
• It extends some 150,000 sq km through the heart of South America, crossing central-western Brazil, and spilling over the border into Bolivia and Paraguay.
• About 80 percent of the Pantanal is in Brazil.

Statement 2 is correct

• The Pantanal is the world’s largest freshwater wetland.

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

Explanation

• New Zealand recently announced the scrapping of the ‘burp tax’, a scheme introduced in 2022 to tax greenhouse gas emissions from livestock.
• The tax aimed to curtail methane emissions from ruminant species, which are responsible for nearly half of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions.
• Ruminants like cows, sheep, goats, and buffaloes have a unique digestive system that facilitates the breakdown of otherwise indigestible food through fermentation.
• This process produces methane (a potent greenhouse gas responsible for 30% of global warming since preindustrial times), primarily emitted through burping by ruminant animals.

Answer: (c) New Zealand; Difficulty Level: Easy