June 20-2024 Prelims Practice Questions (PPQs)

Correct

Explanation

Statement 1 is correct

• Mahavira, in Sanskrit/Pali, means ‘great monastery’. Nalanda Mahavira was active from the fifth to the thirteenth century CE.
• All Buddhist schools, as well as other faiths, were taught in Nalanda.
• Under Silabhadra, Nalanda also taught the Vedas, Hindu philosophy, logic, grammar and medicine.
• Candidates of other faiths who succeeded in passing a strict oral examination were admitted.

Statement 2 is not correct

• It was destroyed in 1193 by Turkish ruler Qutbuddin Aibak’s general Bakhtiyar Khilji.
• Scottish surveyor Francis Buchanan-Hamilton rediscovered it in 1812.
• In 1861, Sir Alexander Cunningham identified it as an ancient university.
• It was recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2016.

Statement 3 is correct

• A seal discovered at the site identifies a monarch named Shakraditya as its founder, which is the other name for Kumaragupta I of the Gupta dynasty.
• Post-Gupta period, Harsha (Siladitya) of the Kannuaj and Pala rulers were notable patrons.

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

Correct

Explanation

• A sun halo, also called a ’22-degree halo,‘ is an optical phenomenon caused by sunlight refracting through millions of hexagonal ice crystals suspended in the atmosphere.
• Double Sun Halo:
  • A double sun halo is a variation of the more common 22-degree halo, where two concentric rings of light appear around the sun.
  • In a double sun halo, two halos are visible – an inner halo with a radius of approximately 22 degrees and an outer halo with a radius of around 46 degrees from the sun’s centre.
  • It is a rare optical phenomenon caused by the refraction of sunlight through ice crystals in cirrus clouds.
  • These hexagonal ice crystals act as natural prisms, refracting and reflecting the sunlight at specific angles.
  • The precise alignment of the ice crystals, with their flat faces parallel to the ground, is rare, making the double sun halo an uncommon sight.

Answer: (a) Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II is the correct explanation for Statement-I; Difficulty Level: Easy

Correct

Explanation

• Recently, The Union Cabinet has approved the development of a Rs 76,200-crore all-weather greenfield deep draft major port at Vadhavan in Maharashtra.
• The project will be constructed by Vadhavan Port Project Limited (VPPL), a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) formed by Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA) and Maharashtra Maritime Board (MMB).
• Vadhavan will be the first major port to be built in more than two decades the last was Kamarajar Port in Tamil Nadu which started operations in February 2001.

Pair 1 is not correct

• Deendayal Port, previously known as Kandla Port, was founded in 1950 as a central government initiative aimed at developing it into a Major Port.
• In September 2017, Kandla Port was officially renamed Deendayal Port.
• Deendayal Port is situated along the Gulf of Kutch in Gujarat.

Pair 2 is correct

• Ennore Port Limited was renamed as Kamarajar Port Limited in honor of K. Kamarajar, a prominent freedom fighter and former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu.
• Kamarajar Port is unique among the Major Ports under central government administration as it operates under corporate governance.

Pair 3 is not correct

• Paradip Port is located in Odisha at the confluence of the river Mahanadi and the Bay of Bengal.
• It is positioned 210 nautical miles south of Kolkata and 260 nautical miles north of Visakhapatnam.
• Note: The Major Ports are under the administrative control of Ministry of Shipping, the non-major ports are under the jurisdiction of respective State Maritime Boards/ State Government.

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

Correct

Explanation

• The Ministry of Textiles approved grants for seven startups in the technical textiles sector under the National Technical Textiles Mission (NTTM).
• The grants have been approved under the NTTM’s Grant for Research and Entrepreneurship across Aspiring Innovators in Technical Textiles (GREAT) scheme.

Statement 1 is correct

• Under the scheme, the government provides a maximum fund support of INR 50 lakhs per startup for a period of 18 months.
• The Ministry of Textiles additionally provides 10% of the total grant-in-aid to incubators.

Statement 3 is not correct

• The startup is required to invest at least 10% of the total sanctioned amount in two equal instalments.

Statement 2 is correct

• National Technical Textiles Mission
  • Implementation period: FY 2020-21 to 2023-24.
  • Objective: To position India as a global leader in Technical Textiles, achieve a market size of $40 billion and export $10 billion in the technical textiles segment by 2024-25.
  • Focus: Developing usage of technical textiles in various flagship missions (Swachch Bharat Mission; Ayushman Bharat), and programs of the country including strategic sectors.
  • 4 Components of Mission:
    • Component I (Research, Innovation and Development), Component II (Promotion and Market Development), Component III (Export Promotion), Component IV (Education, Training, Skill Development).

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

Correct

Explanation

• The Union Cabinet has approved the Viability Gap Funding (VGF) scheme for offshore wind energy projects with a total outlay of Rs. 7453 crore.
• It aims to implement the National Offshore Wind Energy Policy, 2015, with the goal of exploiting India’s vast offshore wind energy potential within its exclusive economic zone.

Statement 1 is correct

• The Viability Gap Funding (VGF) Scheme aims to support infrastructure projects that are economically justified but slightly lack financial viability.
• This support is available only for projects where private sector sponsors are chosen through competitive bidding.
• The total VGF provided under the scheme is capped at 20% of the total project cost, with the possibility of additional government grants up to another 20%.

Statement 2 is correct

• The Ministry responsible for overseeing the VGF Scheme for Offshore Wind Energy is the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.

Statement 3 is correct

• Presently, there is no offshore wind power capacity under commissioning in the country.
• The National Institute of Wind Energy (NIWE) in Chennai will be the nodal agency for resource assessment, surveys, and studies in the EEZ, demarcating blocks, and facilitating developers for wind farms.
• Eight zones off Gujarat and Tamil Nadu coasts were identified as high-potential regions for offshore wind energy through LiDAR-based wind resources and bathymetry assessment.

Statement 4 is correct

• The government has permitted Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) up to 100 per cent under the automatic route for renewable energy projects, including offshore wind energy projects.

Answer: (d) All four; Difficulty Level: Hard