Civil Services Examination Prelims 2021: उत्तर सहित प्रश्न

The Governor is appointed by the Centre and draws power from the RBI Act, 1934. The power to issue directions in public interest comes from Section 7 of the RBI Act, not the Constitution.

Under the Code on Wages, 2019 all workers, including casual ones, are covered for working hours/overtime, and the government may notify that wages be paid only through bank accounts. EPF coverage depends on establishment size and wage thresholds, so not all casual workers are covered.

In a recession governments use expansionary fiscal policy, such as higher public spending, to boost demand.

A costlier substitute and a fall in own price raise demand. A costlier complement lowers demand, and demand for an inferior good falls when income rises.

UCBs are regulated by the RBI and State Registrars of Cooperative Societies, not local boards. They were brought under the BR Act in 1966, and the 2020 amendment allowed them to issue equity/preference shares.

Global rates (US Fed), RBI policy, inflation expectations and short-term rates all affect Indian G-sec yields.

FCCBs, GDRs and FII investment above the 10% threshold can count as FDI. NRE deposits are bank deposits, not investment in enterprises.

Devaluation makes exports cheaper abroad, but it lowers the external value of the currency. It does not necessarily improve the trade balance (J-curve, inelastic demand).

The principal concern with black money is tax evasion and the resulting revenue loss to the exchequer.

Monetising the deficit (printing money) directly expands money supply and is the most inflationary option.

More banking habit means less currency held by the public and more deposits available for credit creation, which raises the multiplier. Higher CRR/SLR reduce it.

Expansionary policies, fiscal stimulus and higher purchasing power increase aggregate demand. Wage indexation is a cost-push factor, and rising interest rates dampen demand.

Retail investors can bid for T-bills and G-secs in primary auctions (non-competitive route/Retail Direct), and NDS-OM is RBI's G-sec trading platform. CDSL was promoted by BSE with banks, not the RBI.

WaterCredit is an initiative of Water.org (not WHO/World Bank) that uses microfinance to help the poor access water and sanitation without subsidies.

As lender of last resort, the RBI provides emergency liquidity to banks facing temporary crises. Lending to governments is its banker-to-government role.

R2 (Responsible Recycling) is a standard for the electronics recycling industry, and the R2 Code of Practices helps promote it.

Copper smelting (sulphide ores) releases SO2, and slag can leach heavy metals (e.g., the Sterlite Tuticorin controversy). Lethal CO emission is not a characteristic concern.

Furnace oil is a heavy refinery residue used by industries for heat and power, and it has high sulphur content.

Blue carbon is carbon stored by oceans and coastal ecosystems such as mangroves, seagrasses and salt marshes.

Lichens and mosses are pioneer species that colonise bare rock. Ferns and mushrooms need soil or organic matter.

Lemongrass (source of citronella-type oils) is used in natural mosquito repellents.

Cyanobacteria and diatoms photosynthesise. Copepods are zooplankton, and foraminifera are mostly heterotrophic protists.

Hedgehogs and pangolins roll into a ball to protect their soft underparts. Marmots flee to burrows instead.

Endorsed at the 2014 UN Climate Summit, it aims to halve forest loss by 2020 and end it by 2030, and is backed by governments, companies and indigenous groups. It is non-binding, and India did not sign it.

Airborne magnetite nanoparticles (linked to Alzheimer's in studies) come from combustion and friction: vehicle brakes, engines and power plants.

Oysters filter plankton and particles from water.

Phosphorus has a sedimentary cycle with no significant atmospheric reservoir; it enters ecosystems mainly through weathering of rocks.

Earthworms, millipedes and woodlice feed on dead organic matter. Jellyfish and seahorses are predators.

UNEP's Sustainable Buildings and Climate Initiative developed the Common Carbon Metric to measure energy use and GHG emissions of building operations.

Corals (cnidarians) host zooxanthellae, fungi form mycorrhizae and lichens, and protozoa live symbiotically in termite guts.

The Mitaoli Chausath Yogini temple is circular, built under the Kachchhapaghatas, and is popularly linked to the Parliament's design. There are other circular yogini temples (e.g., Hirapur, Odisha), and it is a Shakta/yogini shrine, not Vaishnava.

Dholavira (Harappan, Kutch) had an elaborate system of dams, channels and reservoirs.

The English set up factories at Surat, Ahmedabad, Burhanpur, Agra and Broach in the early 17th century. Chicacole and Trichinopoly were not among them in that period.

Later Guptas, Pushyabhutis, Maukharis and Maitrakas ruled in this period. The Paramaras (10th century) and Yadavas of Devagiri (12th century) came much later.

Nuniz wrote that women in Vijayanagara served as wrestlers, astrologers, soothsayers and accountants/writers.

In 1919 at Besant Theosophical College, Madanapalle, Tagore translated Jana Gana Mana into English as 'The Morning Song of India'.

Burzahom is a Neolithic site known for pit dwellings, not rock-cut shrines. Chandraketugarh is known for terracotta and Ganeshwar for copper artefacts.

Chengiz Khan reached the Indus (1221) chasing Jalaluddin Mangbarni during Iltutmish's reign. Timur invaded in 1398 under Nasiruddin Mahmud Tughlaq, and Vasco da Gama arrived in 1498, long after Deva Raya II.

He co-founded the Jesuits and his feast is celebrated in Goa every 3 December. He died on Shangchuan Island, China, though his body lies in the Basilica of Bom Jesus, Goa.

Mitakshara and Dayabhaga are regional schools (Dayabhaga in Bengal), not caste-based. Under Mitakshara sons have a birthright, while under Dayabhaga rights arise only after the father's death.

Bhavabhuti (Uttararamacharita), Hastimalla (Jain dramatist) and Kshemeshvara (Chandakaushika) were Sanskrit playwrights.

The 1919 reforms left women's franchise to the provincial legislatures. The 1935 Act provided reserved seats for women.

The AICC adopted the Quit India Resolution at Gowalia Tank, Bombay on 8 August 1942.

Gandhi translated Sanskrit hymns/lyrics in Yerwada jail; they were published as 'Songs from Prison' (1934).

Under the Mughals, a Suba (province) was divided into Sarkars (districts), which were divided into Parganas.

Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar was secretary of the Hindu Female School (founded 1849 by J.E.D. Bethune).

They were INA officers tried at the Red Fort in 1945 (INA trials).

The Nawab of Arcot (Carnatic) was originally a deputy of the Nizam of Hyderabad, and the Wodeyars of Mysore were Vijayanagara feudatories. Rohilkhand was carved out by Ali Muhammad Khan from Mughal territory, not Durrani-occupied lands.

Ajanta caves are cut into a horseshoe gorge of the Waghora river. Sanchi is near the Betwa, Pandu-lena is near Nashik (Godavari region), and Amaravati is on the Krishna.

International Mother Language Day was declared by UNESCO (1999), not UNICEF. Dhirendranath Datta raised the Bangla demand in Pakistan's Constituent Assembly in 1948.

Permaculture favours polyculture and mulching and avoids chemical-induced salinity. It is well suited to semi-arid regions, so statement 3 is wrong.

The oil palm is native to West Africa, though it is now mostly grown in Southeast Asia. Palm oil is used in cosmetics and biodiesel.

Jhelum and Ravi join the Chenab, which joins the Sutlej (as Panjnad) before meeting the Indus.

These are saline lakes in Rajasthan.

Nagavali and Vamsadhara rise in the Eastern Ghats of Odisha. Brahmani and Subarnarekha rise on the Chotanagpur plateau.

Licences are granted by the International Seabed Authority, not the Global Ocean Commission. India holds ISA contracts (e.g., polymetallic nodules in the Central Indian Ocean), and rare earths occur on the deep seafloor.

Sugarcane has very high water requirements per unit output compared with millets, pulses and oilseeds.

Trade winds pile warm surface water in the western tropical oceans. In temperate latitudes the westerlies drive warm drift currents to the eastern parts of oceans (e.g., the North Atlantic Drift off NW Europe).

Climate-Smart Villages are a CCAFS initiative; CCAFS is a CGIAR programme (CGIAR System Organization is headquartered in Montpellier, France), and ICRISAT (Hyderabad) is a CGIAR centre.

Rapid decomposition, bare forest floor, lianas and epiphytes are characteristic of tropical rainforests.

Tree growth in savannas is limited mainly by fire, grazing/browsing herbivores and a long dry season (seasonal rainfall).

Of freshwater, about 69% is in ice caps and glaciers, about 30% is groundwater, and less than 1% is in lakes and rivers.

Moringa is non-leguminous and deciduous, and tamarind is native to tropical Africa. Tamarind is largely MFP in India, both products are exported, and both seeds can yield biofuel.

Black (regur) soil formed from weathering of Deccan Trap basalts, which came from fissure eruptions.

Recombinant vector vaccines use genetic engineering to insert antigen genes into attenuated viral or bacterial vectors (e.g., adenovirus-based COVID vaccines).

MRT (spindle transfer before, or pronuclear transfer after fertilisation) can prevent transmission, and mitochondrial DNA is inherited maternally.

Bollgard I and II are Monsanto's Bt cotton technologies carrying Cry genes.

Cooking temperature is set by the pressure inside, which depends on the vent area and the weight (whistle/lid) regulating it, not the flame temperature.

Bacteria and fungi grow on artificial media. Viruses need living host cells.

Adenoviruses have double-stranded DNA and retroviruses have single-stranded RNA. Adenoviruses can cause colds, and HIV is a retrovirus.

Water's polarity (dipole) lets it surround and dissolve ions and polar molecules, making it the 'universal solvent'.

Sodium lamps emit omnidirectionally with near-monochromatic yellow light, while LEDs are directional and give better colour rendering. LEDs last longer.

ACE2 is the receptor used by SARS-CoV-2 to enter human cells.

BPA is the key monomer of polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins.

Triclosan is an antibacterial agent used in soaps, toothpastes, deodorants and other toiletries.

The speed of light in vacuum is constant, so the distance light travels in a year is a fixed, convenient unit.

Indian Parliament is limited by a written Constitution, federalism and judicial review. Substantial questions of constitutional interpretation go to a Constitution Bench of at least five judges (Art. 145(3)).

The Department of Personnel was created in 1970 on ARC's recommendation under the Cabinet Secretariat/PM. The Gopalaswamy Ayyangar report (1949) recommended an O&M organisation, not a dedicated minister and secretary.

In K.S. Puttaswamy (2017), the SC held privacy to be intrinsic to life and personal liberty under Article 21.

Section 33(7) of the RPA, 1951 (since 1996) limits candidates to two constituencies. Devi Lal contested three seats in 1991, and there is no rule making parties pay bye-election costs.

'Right to the City' is a concept promoted in the New Urban Agenda, not a formally agreed human right monitored country-wise. It includes reclaiming public spaces, participation and non-denial of services to informal settlements.

In judicial custody the accused is kept in jail (not a police lock-up), and police need court permission to interrogate.

Parole is a conditional concession, not a right, and may be denied even if grounds exist. Prisons are a State subject, so states frame their own parole rules.

The Ministry of Tribal Affairs is the nodal ministry for the Forest Rights Act, 2006.

Unguided, arbitrary discretion violates equality before law and the non-arbitrariness doctrine under Article 14.

An independent judiciary to resolve Centre–State disputes is an essential feature of federalism, along with a written constitution and division of powers.

A State has four elements: population, definite territory, government and sovereignty (independence from external control). Option (a) captures all four.

Article 128 allows the CJI, with the President's previous consent, to request a retired SC judge to sit. High Courts, as courts of record, can review their own judgments.

India has single citizenship and a single domicile. A naturalised citizen can become President, and naturalised citizens can be deprived of citizenship (Section 10, Citizenship Act).

Separation of powers prevents concentration of authority and is the classic safeguard of liberty (Montesquieu).

Article 39(c), a DPSP, directs that the economic system should not result in concentration of wealth to the common detriment.

After the 44th Amendment (1978), property is a constitutional/legal right under Article 300A, available to any person.

'Socialist' and 'Secular' were added to the Preamble by the 42nd Amendment in 1976.

A constitutional government is one limited by the constitution, i.e., a limited government.

Halbi (Chhattisgarh), Ho (Jharkhand/Odisha) and Kui (Odisha) are tribal languages.

In Balaji Raghavan (1995) the SC held these awards are not 'titles' under Art. 18(1). Padma awards were suspended twice (1977–80 and 1993–97), and Bharat Ratna is limited to three per year. So all three are incorrect.

The Tree City of the World recognition is by the FAO (not UNCDF) and the Arbor Day Foundation, so Statement 1 is wrong. Hyderabad was recognised for its commitment to growing and maintaining urban forests.

Tiger Woods won the first Laureus Sportsman award (2000), and Federer has won it the most times (5). Tennis players, not F1 drivers, have won it most often.

The Tokyo 2020 motto was 'United by Emotion'. Sport climbing, surfing, skateboarding and karate debuted, and baseball/softball returned.

Finalists were decided by the percentage of points earned, not the number of wins; New Zealand ranked ahead of England on this points percentage.