May 26-27 2024 Current Affairs MCQs

Explanation

Statement 1 is incorrect

• The National Building Code (NBC) is indeed published by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). However, it is not a voluntary guideline.
• According to the given information, NBC is a “mandatory requirement” for State governments to incorporate into their local building bylaws.
• Part 4 of the NBC specifies various fire safety measures, including the classification of buildings based on occupancy. Examples provided include hotels under Residential ‘Group A’ and hospitals under Institutional ‘Group C’.

Statement 2 is correct

• The Model Building Bye Laws 2016 are issued by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs and serve as a guide for States and Union Territories in drafting their building bylaws.
• They include norms for fire protection and safety requirements.

Statement 3 is incorrect

• The Fire Services is a State subject and has been included as a Municipal function in the 12th Schedule of the Constitution of India under Article 243 (W).

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

Explanation

Statement 1 is correct

• According to the guidelines, service voters (members of the Indian armed forces, paramilitary forces, armed state police serving outside their state, or a government employee stationed abroad) and electors under preventive detention automatically receive postal ballots.
• Once these ballots are issued, they are not allowed to vote in person at polling stations.
• Their names on the electoral roll will be marked with ‘PB’, indicating they have been issued a postal ballot, except for service voters, who have a separate part of the electoral roll in each constituency.

Statement 2 is incorrect

• The Electronically Transmitted Postal Ballot System (ETPBS) does indeed allow for the electronic transmission of ballots to service voters.
• However, the completed ballots must be returned by post, not electronically.
• This system was introduced to expedite the delivery of postal ballots to service voters, ensuring that they receive their ballots in a timely manner and can return them by mail.

Statement 3 is incorrect

• In 2019, the Election Commission created the ‘Absentee Voters‘ category under Section 60(c) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951. This category includes:
  • Senior citizens aged 85 years and above (AVSC),
  • Persons with disabilities having at least 40% disability (AVPD),
  • Covid-19 suspect or affected persons (AVCO),
  • Persons employed in essential services (AVES), such as railways, telecom, electricity, health, traffic, aviation, fire services, and media personnel authorized by the Election Commission for poll day coverage.
• These individuals are entitled to vote through postal ballots to ensure they can exercise their voting rights without facing undue hardship.

Statement 4 is correct

• Service voters in the Armed and paramilitary forces are given the option to vote either by postal ballot or by proxy voting.
• Those who choose the proxy voting method are known as ‘Classified Service Voters’ (CSVs).
• In proxy voting, service voters appoint a resident as their proxy to cast their vote on their behalf at the designated polling station.
• The proxy’s left middle finger is marked with indelible ink to indicate that they have voted on behalf of the service voter.

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

Explanation

Statement 1 is correct

• The Periyar River originates from the Sivagiri Hills in the Western Ghats. It flows through the Periyar National Park, which is an important wildlife sanctuary in Kerala, before reaching Vembanad Lake.
• From Vembanad Lake, it flows into the Arabian Sea. This describes the river’s course from its source to its mouth correctly.

Statement 2 is correct

• The Periyar River has several tributaries that contribute to its flow. The major ones include:
  • Muthirapuzha: One of the primary tributaries, contributing significantly to the river’s flow.
  • Mullayar: Another important tributary, meeting the Periyar River near the location of the Mullai Periyar Dam.
  • Cheruthoni: Contributes to the river and is significant in the Idukki reservoir area.
  • Perinjankutti: Another tributary that feeds into the Periyar River.

Statement 3 is incorrect

• While the Periyar River is indeed significant for power generation in Kerala, the primary dam responsible for generating a substantial amount of electrical power is the Idukki Dam, not the Mullai Periyar Dam.
  • Idukki Dam: Constructed across the Periyar River, it is one of the highest arch dams in Asia and generates a significant portion of Kerala’s hydroelectric power.
  • Mullai Periyar Dam: Located on the confluence of the Mullayar and Periyar rivers, it primarily serves irrigation purposes and water supply rather than significant power generation.

Statement 4 is correct

• Kalady is a town located on the banks of the Periyar river.
• It is the birthplace of Sri Adi Shankara, the Hindu philosopher who consolidated the doctrine of Advaita Vedanta.
• Kalady started featuring in the spiritual map of India only after its rediscovery in the late 19th century by the then Shankaracharya of Sringeri and the subsequent consecration of a temple for Sri Adi Shankara in 1910.

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

Explanation

Statement 1 is incorrect

• Whooping cough (pertussis) is caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis, not a virus.
• The disease is highly contagious and primarily affects babies younger than 6 months.
• This age group is particularly vulnerable because their immune systems are not fully developed, and they may not have received the full course of vaccinations that provide protection against the disease.

Statement 2 is incorrect

• The purpose of vaccinations and immunizations is to protect a person from infectious diseases. Compared to HIV-negative people, people living with HIV have increased vulnerability to diseases that could be prevented by vaccines.
• HIV or any immuno-compromised state is not a contra indication to whooping cough (pertussis) vaccine, since the vaccine is not live attenuated vaccine.
• Although vaccines generally provide protection from infectious diseases, some are too risky to take for people living with HIV. They include:
  • live influenza vaccine
  • live smallpox vaccine
  • BCG (for TB)
  • live typhoid vaccine.

Answer: (d) Neither 1 nor 2; Difficulty Level: Medium

Explanation

• Researchers have discovered a new species of plant, Stellaria mcclintockiae, from the Nelliyampathy hills, Kerala.

• It has been named after Barbara McClintock, an American scientist who won the 1983 Nobel Prize for discovering ‘jumping genes.’

  

  Credit: Onmanorama

• This is the first species of the genus Stellaria reported from south India.
  

  Stellaria species are relatively small herbs with simple opposite leaves. It produces small flowers with 5 sepals and 5 white petals each usually deeply cleft, or none at all, all free.

• Stellaria mcclintockiae is an annual herb growing up to 15 cm in height.

• It is known to be found only in the Nelliyampathy hills at an elevation of 1,250-1,400 metres.
• It differs from the various species of the genus with respect to bracts, sepals, petals, pollen morphology and seed surface architecture.
• Jumping Genes:
  • Transposable elements (TEs), also known as “jumping genes,” are DNA sequences that move from one location on the genome to another.
  • They are found in almost all organisms (both prokaryotes and eukaryotes).
  • TEs make up approximately 50% of the human genomes.

Answer: (c) A new species of plant discovered in the Nelliyampathy hills, Kerala; Difficulty Level: Medium