Daily Current Affairs MCQ / UPSC 2020 / IAS / 15-12-19 | Free PDF

MCQ
 1 From India the Intangible Cultural Heritages added into UNESCO’s list include

1. Yoga
2. Ayurveda
3. Chhau dance
4. Nawrouz

(A) 3 & 4
 (B) 1,3,4
(C) All
(D) None

• A total of 13 Intangible cultural heritage (ICH) elements from India have been inscribed till date on the UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
• For inclusion of an element in the UNESCO’s Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage, the state parties are required to submit nomination dossier on the relevant element for evaluation and examination of the UNESCO Committee.
• The Ministry of Culture has appointed the Sangeet Natak Akademi, an autonomous organization under the Ministry of Culture, as nodal office for matters relating to the intangible cultural heritage including for preparation of the nomination dossiers for the Representative List of UNESCO.
• The Sangeet Natak Akademi (SNA) accordingly makes necessary interaction with the stakeholders, experts/officials etc. prior to finalization of the dossier in respect of element identified for the nomination.
• Being the nodal office the SNA maintains a National Inventory of ICH elements and the inclusion of the identified element for UNESCO in the National Inventory/Register etc. of the applicant member state is also a prerequisite for inclusion in the UNESCO’s Representative List of ICH.
• The Ministry of Culture makes regular Schemes as well as organizations make efforts towards preservation, protection and promotion of intangible cultural heritage in the country. Various autonomous bodies under the Ministry of Culture have comprehensive mandates in this regard and are functioning in various spheres of preservation and promotion of intangible cultural heritage and diverse traditions of the country. Some of the major organizations involved in preservation of propagation of ICH are named below:
• Sahitya Akademi, Lalit Kala Akademi, Sangeet Natak Akademi
• Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts
• National School of Drama
• Centre for Cultural Resources & Training
• Zonal Cultural Centres (seven in number)
• Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya
• Anthropological Survey of India

1. Tradition of Vedic chanting 2008
2. Ramlila, the traditional performance of the Ramayana 2008
3. Kudiyattam, Sanskrit theatre 2008
4. Ramman, religious festival and ritual theatre of the Garhwal Himalayas, India 2009
5. Mudiyettu, ritual theatre and dance drama of Kerala 2010
6. Kalbelia folk songs and dances of Rajasthan 2010
7. Chhau dance 2010
8. Buddhist chanting of Ladakh: recitation of sacred Buddhist texts in the transHimalayan Ladakh region, Jammu and Kashmir, India 2012
9. Sankirtana, ritual singing, drumming and dancing of Manipur 2013
10. Traditional brass and copper craft of utensil making among the Thatheras of Jandiala Guru, Punjab, India 2014
11. Yoga 2016
12. Nawrouz, Novruz, Nowrouz, Nowrouz, Nawrouz, Nauryz, Nooruz, Nowruz, Navruz, Nevruz, Nowruz, Navruz 2016
13. Kumbh Mela 2017

MCQ 2

1. In principle, scientists can define a kilogram, or any other weight, in terms of the amount of electricity needed to counteract the weight.
2. The prototype of one kilogram (NPK-57) is not available in India.

Choose correct
(A) Only 1
(B) Only 2
(C) Both
(D) None

• The prototype of one kilogram (NPK-57) is now available in India and placed at the National Physical Laboratory, New Delhi.

Background:

• Scientists, last year, have changed the way the kilogram is defined.
• The decision was made at the General Conference on Weights and Measures.
• The new definitions came into force on 20 May 2019.
• Electromagnets generate a force.
• Scrap-yards use them on cranes to lift and move large metal objects, such as old cars.
• The pull of the electromagnet, the force it exerts, is directly related to the amount of electrical current going through its coils.
• There is, therefore, a direct relationship between electricity and weight.
• So, in principle, scientists can define a kilogram, or any other weight, in terms of the amount of electricity needed to counteract the weight (gravitational force acting on a mass).

What is Planck’s constant?

• There is a quantity that relates weight to electrical current, called Planck’s constant – named after the German physicist Max Planck and denoted by the symbol h.
• But h is an incredibly small number and to measure it, the research scientist Dr Bryan Kibble built a super-accurate set of scales. The Kibble balance, as it has become known, has an electromagnet that pulls down on one side of the scales and a weight – say, a kilogram – on the other.
• The electrical current going through the electromagnet is increased until the two sides are perfectly balanced.
• By measuring the current running through the electromagnet to incredible precision, the researchers are able to calculate h to an accuracy of 0.000001%.
• This breakthrough has paved the way for Le Grand K to be deposed by “die kleine h”.

MCQ 3

1. BSNL has introduced Voice over Wi-Fi (VoWiFi), a first for India.
2. Only limitation is that, Wi-Fi Calling is aimed especially for areas where cellular networks are strong

Choose correct
(A) Only 1
(B) Only 2
(C) Both
(D) None

Wi-Fi Calling:

• Bharti Airtel has introduced Voice over Wi-Fi (VoWiFi), a first for India.
• Wi-Fi Calling is aimed especially for areas where cellular networks are not strong.
• It uses high speed Internet connection, available via broadband, to make and receive high definition (HD) voice calls.
• Users don’t have to pay extra for these calls as it is using a Wi-Fi network.
• Wi-Fi Calling can be configured on compatible smartphones by upgrading operating systems to the version that supports Wi-Fi Calling, and enabling this in Settings.

MCQ 4

1. India Skills Report 2019-20 is released by NITI Aayog
2. Availability of employable talent has improved over the past six years.

Choose correct
(A) Only 1
(B) Only 2
(C) Both
(D) None
What is India Skills Report?

• It is a joint initiative by PeopleStrong, a Global Talent Assessment Company, in collaboration with Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) along with partners like UNDP, AICTE, and AIU.
• The report also consists of an in-depth study of employability amongst the fresh candidates joining the workforce.

 Key findings:

• About 46.21 per cent students were found employable or ready to take up jobs in 2019, compared with 33 per cent in 2014, and 47.38 per cent in 2018.
• Female employability witnessed an upward trend at 47 per cent this year from 38 per cent in 2017 and 46 per cent in 2018.
• Most employable candidates as per the courses were MBA Students at 54 per cent as against 40 per cent in the last two years.
• A decline in employability was seen in BTech, Engineering. MCA graduates, Technical & Computer-related courses.

Performance of states:

• Top three states in terms of employability: Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh.
• Top two employable cities: Mumbai and Hyderabad.
• States that registered a dip in ranking were West Bengal and Haryana, which could not make it to the top ten list.

Availability of employable talent has improved over the past six years.

• Prime Minister Modi’s vision of India becoming a $5 trillion economy requires increasing the per-capita income of Indians which can happen only when people get employment, which consequently demands the skills and useful talent.
• To achieve that, along with the universities and colleges in India, various emerging start-ups are already using innovative technologies to facilitate skill up-gradation, job creation, internships and workforce management on their platforms.

MCQ 5

1. OSIRIS Rex mission will be first to collect samples from an asteroid and return to Earth.
2. Bennu is a carbonaceous asteroid found in Kuiper belt

Choose correct
 (A)Only 1
(B)Only 2
(C)Both
(D)None

 OSIRIS-REx (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security, Regolith Explorer) is a NASA asteroid study and sample-return mission.

• The mission’s main goal is to obtain a sample of at least 60 grams (2.1 oz) from 101955 Bennu, a carbonaceous near-Earth asteroid, and return the sample to Earth for a detailed analysis.
• The material returned is expected to enable scientists to learn more about the formation and evolution of the Solar System, its initial stages of planet formation, and the source of organic compoundsthat led to the formation of life on Earth.
• If successful, OSIRIS-REx will be the first U.S. spacecraft to return samples from an asteroid.
• The Lidar instrument used aboard the OSIRIS-REx was built by Lockheed Martin, in conjunction with the Canadian Space Agency
• OSIRIS-REx was launched on 8 September 2016, flew past Earth on 22 September 2017, and reached the proximity of Bennu on 3 December 2018, where it began analyzing its surface for a target sample area over the next several months. It is expected to return with its sample to Earth on 24 September 2023
• It is the third planetary science mission selected in the New Frontiers program, after Juno and New Horizons.

 MCQ 6

1. Rheumatoid arthritis is a disease caused by protozoa
2. The team of researchers from the Central Drug Research Institute (CSIR-CDRI) have found that the protein FhHDM-1, prevented the joint bone from being destroyed
3. The Central Drug Research Institute is a multidisciplinary research laboratory in Kanpur, India

Choose correct
 (A) Only 2
(B) 2 and 3
(C) Only 3
(D) All

• Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory disorder that can affect more than just your joints.
• In some people, the condition can damage a wide variety of body systems, including the skin, eyes, lungs, heart and blood vessels.
• An autoimmune disorder, rheumatoid arthritis occurs when your immune system mistakenly attacks your own body’s tissues.
• Unlike the wear-and-tear damage of osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis affects the lining of your joints, causing a painful swelling that can eventually result in bone erosion and joint deformity.

• The Central Drug Research Institute (CDRI) is a multidisciplinary research laboratory in Lucknow employing scientific personnel from various areas of biomedical sciences. Liver fluke (parasites) secretion
• Liver flukes secrete certain specialized proteins that help the parasites to evade recognition by the host immune system and also blunt the killing machinery of the immune system by dialling down the inflammatory responses.
• The protein — Fasciola helminth defence molecule-1 (FhHDM-1) — secreted by liver fluke has similarity with a human protein that mitigates inflammatory responses.

MCQ 7

1. The latest edition of Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) was recently presented at the climate summit in Madrid.
2. India, at rank 9, joins the top ten countries.

Choose correct
(A) Only 1
(B) Only 2
(C) Both
(D) None

• The latest edition of Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) was recently presented at the climate summit in Madrid.

What is Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI)?

• Designed by the German environmental and development organization Germanwatch e.V.
• Published in cooperation with the New Climate Institute and Climate Action Network International and with financial support from Barthel Foundation.
• Objective: To enhance transparency in international climate politics.
• First published in 2005 and an updated version is presented at the UN Climate Change Conference annually.
• The CCPI was extended in order to include the measurement of a country’s progress towards the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and the country’s 2030 targets. The national performances are assessed based on 14 indicators in the following four categories:

1. GHG Emissions (weighting 40%).
2. Renewable Energy (weighting 20%).
3. Energy Use (weighting 20%).
4. Climate Policy (weighting 20%).

 India’s performance:

• India, at rank 9, joins the top ten countries.
• Despite high ratings for the performance of its climate policy, the government is yet to draw up a roadmap to reduce subsidies on fossil fuels in a phased manner.
• In short, more stringent laws and amendments should be made to achieve climate change targets.

Performance of other countries:

• USA for the first time replaces Saudi Arabia as worst performing country.
• Sweden is ranked first, Denmark climbs up significantly in the ranking.
• Eight EU countries rated “high” – Poland and Bulgaria “very low”.
• China, the largest global emitter, once again slightly improves its ranking to 30th place (“medium”).
• While only two G20 countries, the UK (7th) and India (9th), are ranked in the “high” category, eight G20 countries are remaining in the worst category of the index (“very low”).

 Key findings:

• Majority of countries show decline in emissions.
• Decreasing emissions in 31 out of 57 high emitting countries – global coal consumption falling.
• But more ambition and accelerated action needed.

MCQ 8

1. The Ghaggar-Hakra River is an intermittent, endorheic river.
2. Most sites of the Mature Harappan Civilisation (2600-1900 BCE) are actually found along the (dried-out) bed of the Ghaggar-Hakra

Choose correct
(A)Only 1
(B) Only 2

(C) Both

(D)None

• An endorheic basin (also endoreic basin or endorreic basin) is a limited drainage basin that normally retains water and allows no outflow to other external bodies of water, such as rivers or oceans, but converges instead into lakes or swamps, permanent or seasonal, that equilibrate through evaporation.
• Such a basin may also be referred to as a closed or terminal basin or as an internal drainage system or interior drainage basin.
• Nineteenth and early 20th century scholars, but also some more recent authors, have suggested that the Ghaggar-Hakra might be the defunct remains of the mythological Sarasvati, fed by Himalayanfed rivers which changed their course due to tectonics.

MCQ 9

1. Acinetobacter baumannii is a soil bacterium
2. A. baumannii has also been identified as an ESKAPE pathogen

Choose correct
(A) Only 1
 (B) Only 2
(C) Both
(D) None

• Acinetobacter baumannii is a typically short, almost round, rod-shaped (coccobacillus) Gram-negative bacterium. It is named after the bacteriologist Paul Baumann.
• It can be an opportunistic pathogen in humans, affecting people with compromised immune systems, and is becoming increasingly important as a hospital-derived (nosocomial) infection.
• While other species of the genus Acinetobacter are often found in soil samples (leading to the common misconception that A. baumannii is a soil organism, too), it is almost exclusively isolated from hospital environments.
• Although occasionally it has been found in environmental soil and water samples, its natural habitat is still not known
• A. baumannii is part of the ACB complex (A. baumannii, A. calcoaceticus, and Acinetobacter genomic species 13TU).
• A. baumannii has also been identified as an ESKAPE pathogen
• Enterococcusfaecium,
• Staphylococcus aureus
• , Klebsiella pneumoniae,
• Acinetobacter baumannii
• , Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and
• Enterobacter species
• These group of pathogens have a high rate of antibiotic resistance that are responsible for the majority of nosocomial infections

MCQ 10

1. CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) of Wild Fauna and Flora is also known as the Washington Consensus
2. Roughly 5,000 species of animals and 29,000 species of plants are protected by CITES against over-exploitation through international trade.

Choose correct
(A) Only 1
 (B) Only 2
(C) Both
(D) None

• CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, also known as the Washington Convention) is a multilateral treaty to protect endangered plants and animals.
• It was drafted as a result of a resolution adopted in 1963 at a meeting of members of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
• The convention was opened for signature in 1973 and CITES entered into force on 1 July 1975.
• Its aim is to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten the survival of the species in the wild, and it accords varying degrees of protection to more than 35,000 species of animals and plants.
• In order to ensure that the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) was not violated, the Secretariat of GATT was consulted during the drafting process
• Roughly 5,800 species of animals and 30,000 species of plants are protected by CITES against over-exploitation through international trade.
• They are listed in the three CITES Appendices.

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