Daily Current Affairs MCQ / UPSC 2020 / IAS / 15-01-2020 | Free PDF

MCQ 1
Which of the following states has challenged the Citizenship Amendment Act 2019 in the highest court of the nation?

1. Punjab
2. Rajasthan
3. Kerala
4. All of the above

• The CAA 2019 came into effect on 10 January 2020
• Kerala became the first State to join citizens across the country to challenge inthe Supreme Court the constitutionality o f the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), 2019.
• The CAA fast tracks grant of citizenship on the basis of religion.
• The State has approached the Supreme Court nearly 15 days after the Assembly unanimously requested the Centre to abrogate the law on December 31, 2019.
• The original suit has been filed under Article 131 of the Constitution.
• The SC has “original” jurisdiction in disputes between States or the Centre and State(s).
• The Article allows it to directly take cognisance of such a dispute.
• Kerala’s stance – CAA is “manifestly arbitrary, unreasonable, irrational and violative of fundamental rights”. Linking Indian citizenship with the country of origin and religion of an illegal migrant was manifestly discriminatory and unequal.

Can a state govt dispute central law?

•  There have been two conflicting judgments from the SC on whether a State can file an original suit under Article 131 to challenge the constitutionality of a central law.

1. The first judgment reported in 2012 — State of Madhya Pradesh vs Union of India — held that States cannot challenge a Central law under Article 131.
2. The second judgment — State of Jharkhand vs State of Bihar — took the opposite view in 2015 and referred the question of law to a larger Bench of the Supreme Court for final determination.

• Punjab Assembly on Friday passed a resolution moved by the ruling Congress demanding scrapping of the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act.
• After Kerala, Punjab is the second state to pass a resolution against the CAA.

MCQ 2
 Consider the following statements regarding hallmarking of jewellery in India

1. Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) is the body that oversees hallmarking of gold
2. The BIS is already running a hallmarking scheme for gold jewellery since April 2000
3. Only 5% of gold jewellery is hallmarked as of now .

Select the false statement

1. 1 and 2
2. 1,2,3
3. Only 3
4. Only 2

• It has now become mandatory for all jewellers to hallmark gold jewellery.
• The Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution issued a notification on January 14 stating that it will give one year’s time to jewellers and retailers to register themselves with the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) and clear their old stock.
• The purpose of making hallmarking mandatory for Gold Jewelry and Artefacts is to ensure that consumers are not cheated while buying gold ornaments and get the purity as marked on the ornaments.
• Purity of Gold will now be in only 3 caratage i.e. 14, 18 and 22

• There are four components that one should look for on the hallmarked gold jewellery to ensure the purity of gold:

1. BIS Mark;
2. Purity in Karat and fineness;
3. Assaying and Hallmarking Centre’s identification mark/number;
4. Jeweller’s Identification mark/number

MCQ 3
 Which category of citizens are eligible for availing postal ballots facility in elections ?

1. Army personnel

2.Railway workers

3. Senior citizens over 80 years of age
4. Media personnel
5. Persons with Disabilities

1. 1 and 5 only
2. 1,2 and 4
3. 2,3 and 5
4. All

ECI Rule changes in 2019

• After studying the needs of those citizens, who are unable to come to the polling stations due to the degree of their disability as well as those who are left out their due to engagements in various capacities in the discharge of essential services e.g., railways, state transports and aviation etc., the Commission made a recommendation to the Union Government (Ministry of Law and Justice) on 2nd September 2019 and on 22 October 2019, the Central Government amended the Rules accordingly.

Salient features of these amendments are as follows:

• A concept of ‘absentee voter’ has been introduced and defined for the elections;
• ‘absentee voter’ means a person belonging to such class of persons as may be notified, under clause (c) of section 60 of the Act, and who is employed in essential services ,belonging to the class of senior citizen or persons with disability
• In case of an absentee voter, the application shall be made in Form 12D, and shall contain such particulars as specified therein, and shall be duly verified by the Nodal Officer for the absentee voter, other than senior citizen or persons with disability, which shall reach the Returning Officer within five days following the date of notification of election;

Delhi Elections

• Employees of the Delhi Metro and Northern Railways and mediapersons covering polling being extended the postal facility for the first time.
• postal ballot facility extended to senior citizens aged over 80 years and persons with disabilities (PwD) in the 2019 Jharkhand Assembly elections would be implemented in the national capital as well
• The ECI, on January 10, notified those employed by the Delhi Metro and Northern Railway Transportation (passenger and freight) Services in Delhi as well as mediapersons who have been authorised to cover p olling by the ECI as “essential services”.

MCQ 4
 The concept of Blue flag beach was started by ?

1. UNESCO
2. Foundation for Environmental Education
3. World Maritime Organization
4. UNCLOS

• The Blue Flag is a certification by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) , Denmark that a beach, marina, or sustainable boating tourism operator meets its stringent standards. The ‘Blue Flag’ beach is an Eco-tourism model endeavouring to provide to the tourists/beach goers clean and hygienic bathing water, facilities/amenities, safe and healthy environment and sustainable development of the area..
• The Blue Flag is sought for beaches, marinas, and sustainable boating tourism operators as an indication of their high environmental and quality standards.
•  It is based on 33 stringent criteria in four major heads i.e.

1.   Environmental Education and Information,
2.  Bathing Water Quality,
3.  Environment Management and Conservation and
4. Safety and Services in the beaches.
5.  List of Indian Blue flag beaches

• Ghoghala Beach (Diu),
• Shivrajpur beach (Gujarat),
• Bhogave (Maharashtra),
• Padubidri (Karnataka),
• Kasarkod (Karnataka),
• Kappad beach (Kerala),
• Kovalam beach (Tamil Nadu),
• Eden beach (Puducherry),
• Rushikonda beach (Andhra Pradesh),
• Miramar beach (Goa),
• Golden beach (Odisha),
• Radhanagar beach (Andaman & Nicobar Islands)
• Bangaram beach (Lakshadweep).
• The Environment Ministry has relaxed Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) rules that restrict construction near beaches to help States construct infrastructure and enable them to r eceive ‘Blue Flag’ certification.
• The Blue Flag certification requires beaches to create certain infrastructure — portable toilet blocks, grey water treatment plants, a solar power plant, seating facilities, CCTV surveillance and the like.
• However, India’s CRZ laws don’t allow the construction of such infrastructure on beaches and islands.

MCQ 5
 Consider the following statements regarding ASER report

1. It is based on survey conducted nationwide in all districts with population larger than 5 lakh.
2. It is conducted by an NGO Pratham
3. Age group tested is 8 to 12 years old school going kids
4. The 2020 report states that 46% of children in Class 1 can read text at the prescribed level. Select the correct statement/s

1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. 2,3 and 4
4. None

ASER 2020

• Non-Profit Organization Pratham released its annual report, Annual Status of Education Report, 2019.
• The report is based on the survey conducted in 26 districts that covers 36,000 children in the age group of 4 to 8 years.
• Only 16% of children in Class1in 26 surveyed rural districts can read text at the prescribed level
• Number of girls enrolled in government schools is higher than number of boys
• According to RTE act, 2009 (Right to Education act), children should enter Class I at the age of 6. But according to the report, 4 out of every 10 children entering Class I are less than 5 years old.

 MCQ 6
Which of the following is/are the guidelines for declaring a language as ‘Classical’?

1. High antiquity of its early recorded history over a period of 2500-3000 years.
2. A body of ancient literature/texts, which is considered a valuable heritage by generations of speakers.
3. The literary tradition be original and not borrowed from another speech community.

Select the correct answer

1. 1 and 3
2. 2 only
3. 2 and 3
4. 1, 2 and 3

 Guidelines for declaring a language as ‘Classical’ are:

• High antiquity of its early texts/recorded history over a period of 1500-2000
• A body of ancient literature/texts, which is considered a valuable heritage by generations of speakers.
• The literary tradition be original and not borrowed from another speech community.
• The classical language and literature being distinct from modern, there may also be a discontinuity between the classical language and its later forms or its offshoots.

• Currently, six languages enjoy the ‘Classical’ status:
• Tamil (declared in 2004),
• Sanskrit (2005),
• Kannada (2008),
• Telugu (2008),
• Malayalam (2013),
• Odia (2014)

MCQ 7
South Korea does not have a coastline on which of the following seas?

1. East Sea
2. Sea of Japan
3. East China sea
4. Gulf of Tonkin

• The Japanese government supports the exclusive use of the name “Sea of Japan“
• South Korea supports the alternative name “East Sea“

• North Korea supports the name “Korean East Sea“
• A dispute exists over the international name for the body of water which is bordered by Japan, Korea (North and South) and Russia.
• Currently, most international maps and documents use either the name Sea of Japan (or equivalent translation) by itself, or include both the name Sea of Japan and East Sea, often with East Sea listed in parentheses or otherwise marked as a secondary name.

MCQ 8
Match the following :
Mudras                                                          Significance

1. A) Abhaya Mudra  1)Warding off Evil
2. B) Karana Mudra 2) Fearlessness
3. C) Vajra Mudra 3) Greetings, Devotion
4. D) Anjali Mudra   4) Knowledge

 
Options :

1. A – 2, B – 4, C – 1, D -3
2. A – 2, B – 1, C – 4, D – 3
3. A – 3, B – 1, C – 2, D -4
4. A- 2, B – 1, C – 3, D – 4

MCQ 9
 Which of the following rights in NOT enshrined in Article 19 ?

1. Right to freedom of speech & expression.
2. Right to move freely throughout the territory of India.
3. Right to prevention of unlawful detention.
4. Right to reside in any part of the territory of India

All citizens shall have the right
(a) to freedom of speech and expression;
 (b) to assemble peaceably and without arms;
(c) to form associations or unions;
 (d) to move freely throughout the territory of India;
(e) to reside and settle in any part of the territory of India; and
(f) to practise any profession, or to carry on any occupation, trade or business

Article 22

• Protection against arrest and detention in certain cases

1. No person who is arrested shall be detained in custody without being informed, as soon as may be, of the grounds for such arrest nor shall he be denied the right to consult, and to be defended by, a legal practitioner of his choice
2. Every person who is arrested and detained in custody shall be produced before the nearest magistrate within a period of twenty four hours of such arrest excluding the time necessary for the journey from the place of arrest to the court of the magistrate and no such person shall be detained in custody beyond the said period without the authority of a magistrate

MCQ 10
Polar fleeing force is related to :

1. Revolution of the Earth
2. Position of Continents
3. Monsoons

1. 1 & 2
2. Only 2
3. Only 3
4. Only 4

• According to Wegener, the drift was in two directions: 1. equator wards due to the interaction of forces of gravity, polefleeing force (due to centrifugal force caused by earth’s rotation) and buoyancy (ship floats in water due to buoyant force offered by water), and 2. westwards due to tidal currents because of the earth’s motion (earth rotates from west to east, so tidal currents act from east to west, according to Wegener).
• Wegener suggested that tidal force (gravitational pull of the moon and to a lesser extent, the sun) also played a major role.
• The polar-fleeing force relates to the rotation of the earth.
• Earth is not a perfect sphere; it has a bulge at the equator. This bulge is due to the rotation of the earth (greater centrifugal force at the equator).
• Centrifugal force increases as we move from poles towards the equator. This increase in centrifugal force has led to pole fleeing, according to Wegener.
• Tidal force is due to the attraction of the moon and the sun that develops tides in oceanic waters (tides explained in detail in oceanography).
• According to Wegener, these forces would become effective when applied over many million years, and the drift is continuing.

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