1) “Pegasus” sometimes seen in the news recently is a/an?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Answer : a
It has been reported that the popular messaging platform WhatsApp was used to spy on journalists and human rights activists in India.
The surveillance was carried out using a spyware tool called Pegasus, which has been developed by an Israeli firm, the NSO Group.
Pegasus works by sending an exploit link, and if the target user clicks on the link, the malware or the code that allows the surveillance is installed on the user’s phone.
A presumably newer version of the malware does not even require a target user to click a link.
Once Pegasus is installed, the attacker has complete access to the target user’s phone.
2) Consider the following statements
The bird is also called as “Hargila”.
They are listed as Endangered under the IUCN Red List.
They build colonies on tall trees during their breeding season in winter.
They are currently distributed only in Assam and Bihar in India and a few other locations in Cambodia.
Identify the species that correctly matches with the above description:
a.
b.
c.
d.
Answer : c
All the other options except Greater adjutant storks are listed under Critically Endangered category of IUCN Red List.
Greater adjutant storks are called ‘Hargila’, meaning bone swallower, in Assamese.
They build colonies on tall trees during their breeding season in winter.
Earlier, widely distributed throughout northern and eastern India and many countries of south and south-east Asia, the Greater Adjutant Stork is currently distributed only in Assam and Bihar in India and a few other locations in Cambodia.
3) Consider the following statements with respect to National Health Profile (NHP)
It was prepared annually by the National Health Authority (NHA).
According to the NHP, 2019, India has registered an improved sex ratio and a decline in birth and death rates.
According to the NHP, 2019, Non-communicable diseases dominate over communicable diseases in the total disease burden of the country.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Answer : c
National Health Profile (NHP) is an annual publication of the Central Bureau of Health Intelligence (CBHI).
As per the NHP, sex ratio (number of females per 1,000 males) in the country has improved from 933 in 2001 to 943 in 2011.
In rural areas the sex ratio has increased from 946 to 949.
The report also showed that the estimated birth rate, death rate and natural growth rate are declining.
As per the report, the total fertility rate (average number of children that will be born to a woman during her lifetime) in 12 States has fallen below two children per woman and nine States have reached replacement levels of 2.1 and above.
It was also observed that non-communicable diseases dominated over the communicable in the total disease burden of the country.
4) Consider the following statements with respect to UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN)
The network brings together cities that base development on creativity in five creative fields.
No cities in India except Mumbai and Hyderabad were listed under the network.
Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Answer : d
UNESCO has recently announced that Mumbai and Hyderabad have been included in its network of 'Creative Cities' on the occasion of World Cities Day 2019.
The network covers seven creative fields: crafts and folk arts, media arts, film, design, gastronomy, literature and music.
Mumbai has been designated as Creative City of Films and Hyderabad a Creative City of Gastronomy.
Till now, Varanasi (music), Chennai (music) and Jaipur (crafts & folk art) were in the network.
By joining the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN), the cities pledge to share their best practices and develop partnerships involving public and private sectors as well as civil society to strengthen creation, production, distribution and dissemination of cultural activities, goods and services.
5) Consider the following statements
Article 3 of the Indian Constitution deals with the formation of or changes in the existing states of the Union of India.
Jammu & Kashmir is the first State of the Indian Union to be reduced to a Union Territory (UT).
Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Answer : c
Article 2 relates to the admission or establishment of new states that are not part of the Union of India.
Article 3, on the other hand, relates to the formation of or changes in the existing states of the Union of India.
In other words, Article 3 deals with the internal re-adjustment inter se of the territories of the constituent states of the Union of India.
The Indian Union now has 28 States and nine UTs.
Jammu & Kashmir became the first State of the Indian Union to be reduced to a Union Territory (UT), with former IAS officer Girish Murmu being sworn in as its first Lieutenant Governor (LG).
6) Arrange the following in decending order with respect to its weightage in the ‘Index of Eight Core Industries’
Coal production
Crude Oil production
Petroleum Refinery production
Electricity generation
Steel production
Choose the correct answer
a.
b.
c.
d.
Answer : a
Core sector output falls to -5.2% in September, worst in 14 years.
The Index of Eight Core Industries is a monthly production index released by CSO and is considered to be the lead indicator of the monthly industrial performance in India.
Its weightage in the index
Petroleum Refinery production (weight: 28.04 %)
Electricity generation (weight: 19.85 %)
Steel production (weight: 17.92 %)
Coal production (weight: 10.33 %)
Crude Oil production (weight: 8.98 %)
The Natural Gas production (weight: 88 %)
Cement production (weight: 5.37 %)
Fertilizers production (weight: 2.63 %)
7) Consider the following statements with respect to Mekong river
It orginates in Myanmar and flows through Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam.
The Golden Triangle area, formed by the confluence of the Mekong River and the Ruak River, is a natural boundary between Laos, Myanmar and Thailand.
Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Answer : b
Mekong River is the 7th longest in Asia, and the 12th longest in the world.
It orginates from the Tibetian Plateau and runs through China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam.
In China, the river has another name as Lancang River. It origins from Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Qinghai Province.
The Golden Triangle area, formed by the confluence of the Mekong River and the Ruak River, is a natural boundary between,
Laos (to the east of the Mekong River),
Myanmar (to the north of the Ruak River) and
Thailand (to the west of the Mekong River).
The Golden Triangle area is the largest tourist trap in northern Thailand.
The Mekong River Delta in southern Vietnam offers the fertile lands on which the Vietnamese people grow half of their nation’s agricultural product.
The Irrawaddy dolphin exists in small isolated populations around Southeast Asia in Mekong River.
Some populations are close to extinction such as the those in the Mekong River and Malampaya Sound in the Philippines.
8) Consider the following statements with respect to The Right To Information ( RTI Amendment) Act, 2019
Under the Rules notified, the terms of service of the CIC, including her/his pay and perks, will be the same as that of the Cabinet Secretary.
The CIC and the ICs have a fixed tenure of three years.
Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Answer : c
The RTI (Amendment) Bill received the assent of the President on the 1st August, 2019 and became an Act of Parliament.
The Right To Information (Amendment) Act, 2019 is an amendment to the Right to Information Act, 2005.
Recently, government notified the new RTI Rules under the Act.
The Act to allow the government to fix the terms and conditions of service of the Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) and Information Commissioners (ICs) of the both Centre and the states.
Under the recently notified Rules,
the terms of service of the CIC, including her/his pay and perks, will be the same as that of the Cabinet Secretary, which is significantly lower than that of the CEC.
And those of the ICs are similar to that of a Secretary to the Government of India.
The CIC was earlier on a par with the CEC, who occupies position 9A in the table (along with the Comptroller and Auditor General of India, and Chairman, UPSC).
After being downgraded to Cabinet Secretary rank, would mean a downgradation in the ‘Table of Precedence’.
The CIC and the ICs now have a fixed tenure of just three years (earlier a fixed term of five years).
9) Consider the following statements with respect to Gogona music
It is a traditional instrument made of a single piece of seasoned bamboo or horn, played during Bihu performances in Assam.
The Ramdhan Gogona is performed by women whereas Lahori Gogona is performed by men.
Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Answer : a
Gogona is a traditional musical instrument which is played during Bihu performances in Assam.
It is made of a single piece of seasoned bamboo or horn that has a bifurcation on one end.
Apart from being played during Bihu performances, Gogona is also used by the Mongoloid and Kirat tribes in their folk music.
The characteristic feature of the Bihu dance is the use of traditional instruments such as Baanhi, Dhol, Gogona, Taal, Toka and Xutuli.
These instruments lend a unique musical flavour when rendering the songs for the dance.
According to the size, Gogona is known by different names such as Lahori Gogona, Ramdhan Gogona, and Xaliki Gogona.
The Ramdhan and Lahori Gogona are used more commonly.
The Ramdhan Gogona is performed by men whereas Lahori Gogona is performed by women.
A female Bihu perfomer is referred to as Bihuwati.
10) The place ‘Gottiprolu’ which was in news recently is located in?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Answer : d
Recently, excavation by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) in Gottiprolu has unearthed a trade centre of early historic period.
Gottiprolu is a village located in Naidupet Mandal of Sri Potti Sriramulu Nellore district, Andhra Pradesh.
The site of Gottiprolu lies on the right bank of a distributary of river Swarnamukhi.
Excavation by ASI indicates Gottiprolu as a trade centre of early historic period.
The ASI also found a 2000-year-old brick structure and a Vishnu sculpture at the site.
The proximity of the site to the seacoast suggests that the site could have served as a strategic settlement involved in maritime trade.
The site also had a series of broken terracotta pipes fitted into one another, revealing about the civic amenities maintained by the occupants.
Other major retrieved antiquities unearthed are copper and lead coins, iron spear head, stone celts, terracotta beads, ear studs in semi precious stones and hopscotches.