March 25 2025 Current Affairs MCQs

Explanation

Statement 1 is incorrect

• Shigmotsav, or Shigmo, is a spring festival in Goa celebrated by agricultural communities like the Kunbis, Gawdas, and Velips to mark the paddy harvest.
• Traditional Rituals: It begins with ‘Naman,’ invoking local deities, followed by ‘romta mell,’ where men play percussion instruments like Ghumat, Dhol, Mhadle, and Tashe.
• Folk Dances and Performances: Celebrations feature traditional dances like Ghode Modni, Gopha, and Phugadi, performed by participating communities.

Statements 2 and 3 are correct

• Ghodemodhini and Phugadi traditional folk dances are integral to Goa’s Shigmotsav celebrations, showcasing the region’s cultural heritage and martial traditions.
• Ghodemodhini:
  • Ghodemodhini, or Ghode Modni, translates to ‘horse dance’ and represents the valor of ancient warriors.
  • Significance: It depicts the bravery of the Maratha warriors who fought against Portuguese rule in Goa.
  • Performance Style: Dancers wear warrior costumes with elaborate headgear and wield swords while riding wooden horse frames strapped to their waists.
  • Musical Accompaniment: Traditional percussion instruments like the ghumat, dhol, and tashe set the rhythm for the dance.
  • Festival Association: Primarily performed during Shigmotsav in villages across Goa, especially in Ponda, Bicholim, and Sattari.
  • Cultural Importance: A tribute to Goa’s martial legacy, the dance also features in temple celebrations and processions.
• Phugadi:
  • Phugadi is a traditional Goan folk dance performed by women in circles, signifying joy and festivity.
  • Variants include Baithak (seated) Phugadi and Zhimma Phugadi performed in standing motion.
  • Performance Style: Women form circles and execute rhythmic claps and twirls in sync with folk songs.
  • Musical Elements: Accompanied by local songs and hand claps, without instrumental support.
  • Festival Association: Performed during Shigmotsav, Navratri, and other religious and seasonal festivals.
  • Cultural Importance: It symbolises unity, femininity, and festive cheer, passed down through generations as part of Goa’s intangible heritage.

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

Explanation

Option (a) is correct

• Recently, A strong 6.7 magnitude earthquake struck off New Zealand’s South Island.
• The Cook Strait connects North Island and South Island of New Zealand.

Answer: (a) North Island and South Island of New Zealand; Difficulty Level: Easy

Explanation

Options 1, 2 and 4 are correct

• On his 115th birth anniversary, Ram Manohar Lohia’s vision of New Socialism and its impact on social justice is revisited.
• Key Principles of His Socialism:
  • Maximum attainable equality: Bridging economic and social gaps.
  • Global standard of living: Ensuring minimum living standards.
  • World government: Promoting international cooperation.
  • Civil disobedience: As a tool for democratic change.
  • Decentralised governance: Strengthening grassroots democracy & ensure equitable power distribution.
  • Technological advancement: For sustainable economic growth.
• Sapta Kranti (Seven Revolutions):
  • Gender equality: Equal rights for men and women.
  • Abolition of racial discrimination: Ending colour-based inequalities.
  • Eradication of caste discrimination: Dismantling hierarchical structures.
  • National freedom: Ending foreign influences.
  • Economic equality: Through production growth.
  • Right to privacy: Protection from collective intrusions.
  • Limiting armaments: Restricting military expansion.

Answer: (d) All five; Difficulty Level: Easy

Explanation

Statement 1 is incorrect and statement 2 is correct

• X has challenged Indian govt’s use of Section 79(3)(b) of IT Act, alleging broad takedown orders that bypass due process under Section 69A, risking arbitrary censorship, lack of transparency.
• Govt defends Section 79(3)(b) as it provides independent authority to direct content removal, citing national security, public order and misinformation concerns.
• Section 69A of the IT Act:
  • Section 69 of IT Act allows govt to issue content-blocking orders to online intermediaries (ISPs, telecom service providers, search engines, online marketplaces, etc.), but includes procedural safeguards.
  • However, the Section requires the information or content being blocked to be deemed a threat to India’s national security, sovereignty, or public order.
  • In such blocking orders, the central or state govt should mention reasons in writing.
  • The PIL filed by Shreya Singhal in 2012 challenged Section 69A.
  • SC held Section 69A to be “constitutionally valid”, emphasising that an adequate level of procedural safeguards had been incorporated.
  • However, SC struck down Section 66A (penalised the sending of offensive messages through a communication device) for being unconstitutional (for violating freedom of speech under Article 19(1)(a)), leading to Section 69A becoming the primary legal tool for content blocking.

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

Explanation

Statement 1 is correct

• Took the throne in 1658 after eliminating rivals, including Dara Shikoh, Shuja, and Murad.
• Title: Adopted the title Alamgir (‘World Conqueror’).

Statement 2 is correct and statement 3 is incorrect

• Religious Policy:
  • Islamic Orthodoxy: Advocated strict Sunni Islamic rule, enforcing Islamic laws and customs.
  • Jizya Tax: Reinstated the jizya tax on non-Muslims, leading to resentment.
  • Persecution of Religious Leaders: Ordered the execution of Guru Tegh Bahadur for refusing to convert, fuelling Sikh resistance.
  • Though a hard-line Sunni, he chose to be buried near a Sufi saint, reflecting complex religious views.

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

Explanation

Pair 3 is correct; other pairs are incorrect

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

Explanation

• The Indian navy launches ‘Indian Ocean Ship Sagar’ (IOS SAGAR) and ‘Africa India key maritime engagement’ (AIKEYME), initiatives aimed at consolidating the Indian Navy’s stature as the ‘Preferred Security Partner’ and ‘First Responder’ in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).

Statement 1 is correct

• IOS SAGA:
  • It is an initiative towards continued cooperation with IOR nations.
  • INS Sunayna: A naval ship is being deployed to Southwest IOR with a combined crew of India and 9 Friendly Foreign Countries. Comoros, Kenya, Madagascar, Maldives, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, Sri Lanka, South Africa.
  • The ship is planned to be deployed for over a month in April 2025 and will be undertaking port calls at Dar-es-Salaam, Nacala, Port Louis, Port Victoria and Male.
    • The port call is an intermediate port where ships customarily stop for supplies, repairs, or transshipment of cargo.
  • Activities: It would also be undertaking Joint surveillance of Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) of Tanzania, Mozambique, Mauritius and Seychelles.
    • Participants of IOS Sagar are also planning to witness harbour phase activities of Exercise AIKEYME.
  • Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ): It is a maritime area where a coastal country has the right to exploit and explore natural resources.
  • The EEZ is generally 200 nautical miles from the shore.

Statement 2 is correct

• AIKEYME:
  • Multilateral maritime engagement exercise with African Countries.
    • AIKEYME’ means ‘Unity’ in Sanskrit.
  • Objective: To enhance interoperability with the navies/ maritime agencies.
  • Host: The maiden edition of the exercise is being co-hosted by the Indian Navy and the Tanzania Peoples’ Defence Force (TPDF) and will be conducted at/ off Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania.
  • It is planned to be inaugurated in mid-April 2025. The exercise is scheduled over six days.

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