June 21-2024 Prelims Practice Questions (PPQs)

Correct

Explanation

• The government has successfully monetised Rs 3.85 lakh crore through the core assets of various ministries and Public Sector Enterprises (PSEs).

Statement 1 is correct

• The National Monetisation Pipeline (NMP) is a roadmap for identifying potential monetisation-ready projects across various infrastructure sectors.
• Objective: To unlock value in brownfield public sector projects by tapping private sector capital and efficiencies and using the funds so generated for greenfield infrastructure creation across India.
• It was announced in the Union Budget 2021-22 for monetisation of assets worth an estimated Rs 6 lakh crore.

Statement 2 is correct

• Only the core assets of the government are monetised under NMP. Non-core assets are not included under NMP.
  • Assets that are central to an entity’s business objectives and used for delivering infrastructure services to the public or users are considered Core Assets for the purposes of monetisation. E.g. Road & Railways, Power, seaports & airports, etc. The other assets, which generally include land parcels and buildings, can be categorised as non-core assets.

Statement 3 is not correct

• Asset monetisation is a limited period transfer of performing assets (or disposing of non-strategic/ underperforming assets) to unlock “idle” capital and reinvesting it in other assets or projects that deliver improved or additional benefits.
• Monetisation is different from ‘privatisation’.
• It signifies ‘structured partnerships’ with the private sector under certain contractual frameworks.
• There is Monetisation of ‘Rights’ not ‘ownership’ as the primary ownership continues to be with the GoI.

Statement 4 is correct

• The top 5 sectors (by estimated value) capture ~83% of the aggregate pipeline value, including Roads (27%) followed by Railways (25%), Power (15%), oil & gas pipelines (8%) and Telecom (6%).

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

Correct

Explanation

Pair 1 is not correct

• The Cape York Peninsula is the northernmost extremity of Australia, projecting into the Torres Strait between the Gulf of Carpentaria (west) and the Coral Sea (east).

  

Pair 2 is not correct:

• Jutland lies in northern Europe that forms the continental portion of Denmark and parts of northern Germany.
• This peninsula is bounded by the North Sea in the west, Skagerrak Strait in the north, Kattegat and the Baltic Sea in the east and Germany in the south.

Pair 3 is correct

• Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia.
• Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, now known as the Korean Demilitarized Zone.

Pair 4 is not correct

• The Yucatán Peninsula is a region in Central America. The Gulf of Mexico lies on its western and northern sides. The Caribbean Sea lies on its eastern side. The northern part of the Yucatán is in Mexico. Belize and a part of Guatemala are in the south.

  

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

Correct

Explanation

Statement 1 is not correct

• India has shown improvement in its energy transition efforts, according to the Energy Transition Index and top positions held by the European Countries.
• It is released by the World Economic Forum (WEF).

Statement 2 is correct

• As per the index, India secured the 63rd position and China ranked 20th.
• 83% of countries retreated in at least one of the three energy system performance dimensions: security, equity, and sustainability.
• India, China, and Brazil made significant advancements despite ranking lower. 107 out of 120 countries showed progress over the past decade.

Statement 3 is correct

• India is the 4th largest in renewable energy.
• Renewable energy and biomass comprise 42% of its power generation capacity.

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

Correct

Explanation

• Chad has become the first country in 2024 and the 51st globally to eliminate the gambiense form of human African trypanosomiasis (HAT), also known as sleeping sickness.
• African trypanosomiasis, also called sleeping sickness, is a disease caused by protozoan parasites of the genus Trypanosoma.

• It is endemic in sub-Saharan Africa.
• There are two forms of HAT, determined by the subspecies of the parasite involved: Trypanosoma brucei gambiense, which accounts for 92 per cent of reported cases and Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense, responsible for the remaining 8 per cent

• It is transmitted to humans by bites of tsetse flies (glossina).
• Symptoms: Fever, headaches, tiredness and inflammation of the lymph nodes. If the disease is not treated, it progresses slowly, causing fatigue, headaches and, in severe cases, coma.

Answer: (d) None; Difficulty Level: Medium

Correct

Explanation

Diatoms is correct

• Recently, Researchers (Agharkar Research Institute, Pune) have identified a new genus of Gomphonemoid diatom, named Indiconema, in the clean waters of the Eastern Ghats.
• Diatoms are the tiny, microscopic algae and workhorses of the aquatic ecosystem.
• They are responsible for producing 25% of the world’s oxygen.
• They are chief ‘producers’ in the oceans and form the base of the aquatic food chain.
• They serve as excellent indicators of water quality due to their sensitivity to chemical changes.
• India has nearly 6,500 diatom taxa, of which 30% are endemic.

Copepods is not correct

• Copepods are a class of small crustaceans that are widespread and naturally abundant in all aquatic ecosystems as a key link between primary producers and higher predators.
• They serve as major primary consumers in the World Ocean.

Foraminifera is not correct

• Foraminifera are single-celled organisms present in most marine environments.
• As heterotrophic organisms, foraminifera consume smaller organisms and organic matter.
• Foraminifera are recorded as feeding chiefly upon bacteria, small diatoms, and nannoplankton in a wide variety of marine environments.

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