September 06-2024 Prelims Practice Questions (PPQs)

Correct

Explanation

Statement 1 and 2 is correct but 3 is incorrect

• Sea turtles in the Guanabara Bay of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) are getting healthier after struggling for years with fibropapillomatosis.
• Fibropapillomatosis is the most significant infectious disease affecting sea turtle populations worldwide.
• It causes the growth of benign tumours on various parts of the turtle’s body. The tumours hamper the turtle’s movement, sight and feeding, ultimately leading to their death.
• The disease is caused by herpes virus. The prevalence of the disease is associated with heavily polluted coastal areas, areas of high human density, agricultural runoff, and biotoxin-producing algae.

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

Correct

Explanation

Option (b) is correct

• The World Trade Organization (WTO) is publishing Goods Trade Barometer.
• Goods Trade Barometer, formerly World Trade Outlook Indicator, is a composite indicator for world trade, providing real-time information on the trajectory of merchandise trade relative to recent trends.
• A reading of 100 indicates trade expansion in line with recent trends. Readings greater than 100 suggest above-trend growth while readings below 100 indicate below-trend growth.
• The Goods Trade Barometer is updated quarterly.

Answer: (b) World Trade Organization (WTO); Difficulty Level: Easy

Correct

Explanation

Statement 1 is correct

• VisioNxt is India’s first initiative to use Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Emotional Intelligence (EI) to provide trend insights for the fashion industry.

Statement 2 is incorrect

• It is a bilingual portal (Hindi and English).
• The platform aims to revolutionise India’s fashion and retail sector, positioning the country as a global leader in fashion forecasting.
• It will reduce India’s dependence on global forecasting agencies.
• It will provide India-specific trend insights to help designers and brands create targeted collections.

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

Correct

Explanation

Statement 1 is incorrect

• The Right to Disconnect law allows employees to ignore communications after office hours if they choose to, without fear of being punished by their bosses.
• It offers relief to people who feel forced to take calls or read messages from employers after they finish their day’s work.

Statement 2 is incorrect

• The law does not ban employers from contacting workers after hours. Instead, it gives staff the right not to reply unless their refusal is deemed unreasonable.
• This right will improve the work-life balance leading to higher productivity during working hours.

Statement 3 is correct

• Specific legislations regarding right to disconnect are absent in India, leaving employees vulnerable to after-hours work pressure.
• A report by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and MediBuddy reveals that 62% of the Indian employee’s experience burn out due to poor work-life balance which is three times higher than the global average.

Answer: (b) 3 only; Difficulty Level: Easy

Correct

Explanation

Statement 1 is incorrect

• The FOCAC includes 53 African nations – every country on the continent except Eswatini.
• Eswatini maintains diplomatic ties with Taiwan in defiance of Beijing’s “One China” Policy.
• Kingdom of Eswatini is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Mozambique borders it to its northeast and South Africa to its north, west, south, and southeast.

Statement 2 is correct

• FOCAC is held every three years and is the primary multi-lateral coordination mechanism between African countries and China.
• FOCAC was one of the first regional organizations established by China outside its territorial periphery along with China-Arab States Cooperation Forum.

Statement 3 is correct

• It was founded in 2000 to formalise China-Africa strategic partnership.
• The ninth forum held in Beijing in September 2024 is the recent forum.
• Priorities for FOCAC 2024 included expansion of trade, support for infrastructure and green energy projects, agricultural development and so on.

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

Correct

Explanation

• Recently, the collapse of the 35-foot Shivaji Maharaj statue sharply contrasts with the resilience of the 357-year-old Sindhudurg Fort.
• Background for building Sindhudurg Fort
  • Construction: Hiroji Indulkar, an architect expert, oversaw the fort’s construction. The construction of the fort began in 1664 and took three years to complete.
  • Location: Shivaji Maharaj chose Kurte Island for its strategic position and natural defences. The rugged coastline made it difficult for enemy ships to approach, allowing for better control over maritime routes.
  • Architectural Features: Thick walls, a serpentine design, hidden entrances and watchtowers.
  • The fort served as a naval base to protect Maratha interests and enhance maritime trade. It was built to counter the dominance of Siddis, Portuguese, English, Dutch & French in the Konkan region.

Statement 1 is correct

• India has nominated the “Maratha Military Landscapes” for inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage list for 2024-25.
• The Maratha Military Landscapes of India included in the Tentative List of World Heritage sites in 2021 is the sixth cultural property nominated for inclusion in World Heritage List from Maharashtra.
• The 12 components of this nomination are the forts of Salher, Shivneri, Lohagad, Khanderi, Raigad, Rajgad, Pratapgad, Suvarnadurg, Panhala, Vijaydurg and Sindhudurg in Maharashtra and Gingee Fort in Tamil Nadu.
• The Maratha Military Landscapes of India developed between the 17th and 19th centuries.
• Among the forts:
  • Salher fort, Shivneri fort, Lohgad, Raigad, Rajgad and Gingee fort are hill forts,
  • Pratapgad is hill-forest fort,
  • Panhala is hill-plateau fort,
  • Vijaydurg is coastal fort
  • Khanderi fort, Suvarnadurg and Sindhudurg are island forts.

Statement 2 is incorrect

• The English referred to Raigad fort as “the Gibraltar of the East,” comparing its steep, inaccessible and solid nature to the famous monolithic rock formation near the Mediterranean Sea.

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

Correct

Explanation

Statement 1 is correct

• The Madras Hedgehog (Paraechinus nudiventris) population is declining.
• Also known as the bare-bellied hedgehog, it is a species of hedgehog endemic to southeastern India.
• Their spines roll back into a tight ball in self-defence with spines pointing outwards.

Statement 2 is incorrect and 4 is correct

• Hedgehogs are nocturnal and hibernate depending on temperature, species and abundance of food.
• Distribution: It occurs only in the southern and central parts of Tamil Nadu.
• Habitat: Thorny areas, semi-dryland, bushy deserts, grasslands, and dried ponds.
• Diet: Primarily insects but also small vertebrates, eggs of ground-nesting birds, and scorpions.

Statement 3 is incorrect

• Conservation Status: IUCN: Least Concern
• Threats: Use in traditional medicine, habitat alteration, road accidents, and anthropogenic activities.

Answer: (b) 1 and 4 only; Difficulty Level: Medium

Correct

Explanation

Statement 3 is incorrect

• Recently, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has launched the India Graphene Engineering and Innovation Centre (IGEIC), a key initiative under Viksit Bharat@2047.
• IGEIC, a not-for-profit section 8 company, is exclusively incorporated to create a hub of excellence in graphene technology commercialisation.

Statement 1 is incorrect

• Graphene is a single layer (monolayer) of pure carbon, tightly bound in a hexagonal honeycomb lattice. It is an allotrope of carbon.
• It is extracted from graphite. Graphite is arranged in a 3D crystalline manner, whereas, graphene is a 2D crystal, only an atom thick.

Statement 2 is correct

• Properties
  • Graphene is the thinnest (one atom thick) compound known.
  • It is the lightest material known and the strongest compound discovered (between 100-300 times stronger than steel, and harder than diamond).
  • It is an excellent conductor of electricity and has high thermal conductivity.
  • It is flexible, transparent, and has a large surface area.

• Applications
  • Electronics industry: It is used in applications ranging from miniaturised electronics to biomedical devices due to its thin composition and high conductivity.
  • Biomedical industry: It can be used for targeted drug delivery, ‘smart’ implants, etc.
  • Automobile industry: Graphene is highly inert and so can act as a corrosion barrier between oxygen and water diffusion.
  • Potential alternative to lithium-ion batteries: It can be used to develop smaller, slimmer batteries with higher capacity, faster charging, and increased longevity than traditional batteries.

Answer: (c) 2 only; Difficulty Level: Medium