Daily Current Affairs MCQ / UPSC / IAS / 23-08-19 | Free PDF

 MCQ 1

 Recently RBI governor gave an ‘India Panglossian’, when talking about the Indian economy. It meant

1. Economy in best state
2. Its growth is stuck due to low investment
3. Unwarranted Optimism
4. Economy is in depression

Panglossian

•  Recently RBI governor gave an ‘India Panglossian’, when talking about the Indian economy.
• He said that RBI is not maintaining a Panglossian countenance and smile away every difficulty of the Indian economy.
• ‘Pangloss’ is a fictional character in Voltaire’s novel ‘Candide’.
• Pangloss means “a person who views a situation with unwarranted optimism”.
• The term “Panglossianism” describes baseless optimism of the sort exemplified by Pangloss’s beliefs.
• A Panglossian way of life is convinced whatever happens is for the best, and hence make no effort to change it.
• The Indian economy is losing steam has been confirmed by numbers from all key sectors and the governor acknowledged all these bottlenecks
• He said, RBI is closely monitoring and a revival in growth is now the top priority for every policymaker.

MCQ 2

1. XDR TB can only be developed in a patient who has left treatment of TB in between
2. It is impossible to cure

Choose correct

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

XDR TB – A deadly disease

• Worldwide, TB has surpassed HIV-AIDS as the leading cause of death due to infectious diseases.
• In 2017, over 13 lakh people died of the disease.
• XDR TB is known as the extensively drug-resistant strain.
• Recently the US-FDA approved a three-drug regimen against the most lethal form of multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis.
• It has approved ‘Pretomanid’ Tablets in combination with ‘Bedaquiline’ and ‘Linezolid’ for the treatment.
• A trial in the US, which enrolled 109 patients with the XDR strain, was able to cure 90% of them.
• Out of 10,800 cases worldwide, India accounted for 2,650 cases or almost one-fourth.
• As per WHO, two-thirds of cases of the XDR-strain are in China, India and Russia.
• WHO explains that XDR can be contracted in two ways.
• It may develop in a patient who is already receiving treatment for TB and misuses the anti-TB drugs, or
• It can be contracted from a person who already has the disease.
• Often, XDR TB may go undiagnosed since lower-middle-income countries lack the infrastructure to detect it.
• Ending the TB epidemic by 2030 is among the health targets of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).

MCQ 3

 Nitrate pollution is related with

1. Algal bloom
2. Green revolution
3. Height of adults
4. All

• Nitrate exposure’s impact
• A new World Bank report looks at the impact of water pollution worldwide.
• In that one aspect covered is the long-term impact of ‘Nitrate’ exposure experienced during infancy.
• Short-term exposure has almost negligible effect on adult height, but cumulative exposure over the first 3 years of life has considerable impact.
• Nitrate pollution is caused by the overuse of nitrogenous fertilisers to boost yields.
• It can be harmful if they leach into water or air.
• In India, the Green Revolution of the 1960s kick-started the use of synthetic fertilisers.
• An infant girl who has been exposed to nitrate levels above the safety threshold in the first 3 years experiences a 1-2cm decrease in her adult height.
• Female adult height in India has increased by approximately 4cm over the last century.
• A 1-2 cm loss means that nitrate exposure in infancy can wipe out almost half of this gain in height.
• The report also found that nitrate levels in groundwater aquifers exceeded permissible levels in more than 50% of the districts across 19 states.

MCQ 4

 Marriage age for Men and Women is related to following laws

1. Indian Majority Act 1875
2. Hindu Marriage Act 1955
3. Indian Penal Code (IPC)
4. Sarda Act

(A) 2 only
(B) 2 & 4
(C) 1,2 & 4
(D) All

• Marriage age for Men and Women
• The Delhi High Court took up a plea that sought a uniform age of marriage for men and women.
• The petitioner has challenged the law on the grounds of discrimination,
• Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution, guarantee the right to equality and the right to live with dignity.
• They are violated by having different legal age for men and women to marry.
• Currently, the minimum age of marriage is different for men and women.
• The law prescribes that the minimum age of marriage is 21 and 18 years for men and women, respectively.

Indian Majority Act 1875’

• An individual attains the age of majority at 18.
• The law prescribes a minimum age of marriage to essentially outlaw child marriages and prevent abuse of minors.
• Personal laws of various religions that deal with marriage have their own standards, often reflecting custom.

 Hindu Marriage Act 1955’

• 18 years is the minimum age for the bride and 21 years is the minimum age for the groom.
• Child marriages are not illegal but can be declared void at the request of the minor in the marriage. • In Islam, the marriage of a minor who has attained puberty is considered valid under personal law. The Special Marriage Act, 1954’ and the ‘Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006’
• Prescribe 18 and 21 years as the minimum age of consent for marriage for women and men respectively. Indian Penal Code (IPC) in 1860,
• Criminalised any sexual intercourse with a girl below the age of 10. Age of Consent Bill 1927’,
• Through this act the provision of rape was amended in 1927.
• It made marriages with a girl under 12 invalid.
• The law had faced opposition from Indian leaders who saw the British intervention as an attack on Hindu customs.

Child Marriage Restraint Act 1929’,

• Set 16 and 18 years as the minimum age of marriage for women and men respectively.
• This law is popularly known as ‘Sarda Act’.
• It was eventually amended in 1978 to prescribe 18 and 21 years as the age of marriage for a woman and a man, respectively.
• The different legal standards for the age of men and women to marry are a codification of custom and religious practices that are rooted in patriarchy.
• Law Commission argued that different legal standards contributes to the stereotype that wives must be younger than their husbands.
• It also recommended that the minimum age of marriage for both genders be set at 18.

MCQ

5 Bavar-373 Missile System is developed by

1. Pakistan
2. Iran
3. Saudi Arabia
4. Israel

 Iran officially unveils Bavar-373 air defense system

• The word Bavar means ‘believe’ in Farsi. It is being touted as Islamic republic’s 1st domestically produced long-range missile defence system…
• Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani inducted the Bavar-373 air defense system into the military at an official unveiling ceremony on Thursday, August 22.
• The indigenous long-range air defense missile system, which Iran claims has a range of 300 km (186 miles) and can strike targets at an altitude of 65 km, has been billed by state media as the country’s answer to the Russian S-300.
• At a ceremony was held in Tehran to mark National Defense Industry Day, Rouhani said the Bavar system is “better than S-300 and close to S-400
• “Bavar-373 is the most important indigenized missile defense system whose design and manufacturing started a few years ago and can engage multiple targets in high altitudes,” Fars News Agency reported Defense Minister Brigadier General Amir Hatami as saying.
• Iran began to design the Bavar-373 system after Russia suspended delivery in 2010 of at least five S-300s under a 2007 contract. The first images of the system were released by the Iranian presidency in August 2016 and it passed initial tests in January 2018.
• The Bavar-373 uses a vertical launch system and a long-range, phased array fire-control radar called Meraj-4. It can reportedly detect up to 100 targets, tracking 60 of them, and engage six concurrently.

MCQ 6

Tridip Suhrud is a

1. Athlete
2. Scientist
3. Writer
4. Grandmaster in chess

• Union Minister Prahlad Singh Patel launches the book ‘the Diary of Manu Gandhi’
• Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Culture and Tourism, Shri Prahlad Singh Patel launched the book ‘ (1943-44) at a function in the auditorium of Nehru Memorial Museum and Library today in New Delhi. The book has been brought out by National Archives of India, on the occasion of 150th anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi in collaboration with Oxford University Press.
• Speaking on the occasion Shri Prahlad Singh Patel said that the art of diary writing is height of self discipline of an individual and habit of diary writing converts an ordinary man into extraordinary man. The Minister appreciated efforts of National Archives of India, Dr Tridip Suhrud and Oxford University Press for English translation of the Diary of Manu Gandhi. He said that this translation will help entire world to understand life of Mahatma Gandhi through the Diary of Manu Gandhi. He also urged NIA to translate the Diary of Manu Gandhi into other Indian languages with the help of Sahitya Academy so that the beauty of this book may spread all over the country.
• The Diary of Manu Gandhi originally in Gujarati has been edited and translated by Dr Tridip Suhrud, a well known scholar engaged in understanding the Gandhian Intellectual tradition. The first volume covers the period 1943- 1944. Manu Gandhi (Mridula) was a grand niece of Mahatma Gandhi, daughter of his Nephew Jaisukhlal Amritlal Gandhi, and stayed with Gandhiji till his assassination. She was an aide to Kasturba Gandhi during her imprisonment in the Aga Khan Palace in 1943.
• The first volume of the diary is a record of her life and times with Mahatma Gandhi between 1943-44. Authenticated by Gandhiji himself, the meticulous and intimate entries in the Diary throws light on his life as a prisoner and his endeavour to establish the possibility of collective non-violence. It further chronicles the spiritual and educational pursuits of a woman who takes up writing as a mode of self examination. She shares a moving portrait of Kasturba Gandhi’s illness and death. The author also expresses the deep emotional bond she had developed with Gandhiji.
• The National Archives of India is an Attached Office under the Ministry of Culture. It was established on 11 March 1891 at Kolkata(Calcutta) as the Imperial Record Department. Following the transfer of the capital from Calcutta to Delhi in 1911, the present building of the National Archives of India was constructed in 1926 which was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens. The transfer of all records from Calcutta to New Delhi was completed in 1937.

MCQ 7

1. Union Ministry of Railways has directed all regional offices to ensure complete removal of single-use plastics from all railways stations effective from 1 st Jan 2020
2. Indian Railways has directed all Railway units to enforce ban on single use plastic material, with more than 50 micron thickness.

Choose correct

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

• The Indian Railways has decided to enforce a ban on single-use plastic materials on its premises, including trains, with effect from October 2, 2019.
• While directing the authorities to expedite installation of 1,853 plastic water bottle crushing machines at 360 major stations in the first phase, the Railway Board asked Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Development Corporation (IRCTC) to implement return of plastic drinking bottles as part of Extended Producer Responsibility.
• General Managers of Zonal Railways and Production Units were told to encourage all railway vendors to avoid use of plastic carry bags. Railway employees were also advised to reduce, reuse and refuse plastic products and to use inexpensive reusable bags to reduce plastic footprint.
• Railways have decided to strictly enforce the ban on single-use plastic materials as mooted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi from October 2. With this in mind, Railways will ban single-use plastic material with less than 50 micron thickness.

 MCQ 8

1. International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief was observed on 22nd august
2. It is observed every year since UN’s inception in 1945

 Choose correct

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

• The international community observed the first International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief on Thursday, as reports of atrocities in Myanmar, Syria, Sri lanka and Palestine — among other parts of the world — continue to surface.
• August 22 was designated as the International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief in a May 28 meeting of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) (adopted resolution A/RES/73/296.)
• The international day aims to honour the victims and survivors of heinous acts who often remain forgotten.
• UNGA Secretary General Antonio Guterres, in a message to commemorate the day, said that the trauma from terrorist attacks “causes lasting damage to families, communities and nations as a whole”.
• He called for the international community to do all it can “to ensure that victims’ voices are heard, their rights respected, and their recovery supported”.
• The international Day comes right after International Day of Remembrance and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism, which is observed on 21 August.

MCQ 9

 The government has approved a proposal to declare which type of ocean energy as Renewable Energy.

1. Tidal energy
2. Geothermal energy
3. Ocean thermal energy
4. Osmotic energy

Choose correct

(A) 1 only
(B) 1 & 3
(C) All
(D) 1,3,4

• The government has approved a proposal to declare ocean energy as Renewable Energy.
• Accordingly, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has clarified to all the stakeholders that energy produced using various forms of ocean energy such as tidal, wave, ocean thermal energy conversion etc. shall be considered as Renewable Energy and shall be eligible for meeting the non-solar Renewable Purchase Obligations (RPO).

Potential of oceans as a renewable energy source:

• Oceans cover more than 70% of Earth’s surface, making them the world’s largest solar collectors.
• The ocean can produce two types of energy: thermal energy from the sun’s heat, and mechanical energy from the tides and waves. These energies are non-polluting, reliable, and very predictable.
• Tidal energy: Tidal Energy, also known as Tidal Power is classified as an alternate energy or better known as the renewable source of energy. It is one of the forms of hydropower energy that exercises energy of the oceanic tides to generate electricity.
• Ocean wave energy: It uses the power of the waves to generate electricity. Unlike tidal energy which uses the ebb and flow of the tides, wave energy uses the vertical movement of the surface water that produce tidal waves.
• Ocean thermal energy: The sun’s heat warms the surface water a lot more than the deep ocean water, and this temperature difference creates thermal energy.
• Ocean current energy: The energy of ocean currents under the surface is comparable to the wind above it. Underwater turbines — large propellers tethered to the seabed — are used to derive power from this source.
• Osmotic energy: This technique — the most surprising — produces energy from the movement of water across a membrane between a saltwater reservoir and freshwater reservoir.
• Total identified potential of Tidal Energy is about 12455 MW, with potential locations identified at Khambat & Kutch regions, and large backwaters, where barrage technology could be used.
• The total theoretical potential of wave energy in India along the country’s coast is estimated to be about 40,000 MW – these are preliminary estimates. This energy is however less intensive than what is available in more northern and southern latitudes.

 MCQ 10

1. Microplastics are not a specific kind of plastic, but rather any type of plastic fragment that is less than 0.5 mm in length according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
2. WHO said that microplastics larger than 150 micrometres (0.15 mm) are unlikely to get absorbed in the human body

Choose correct

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

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