2016 Archives

1. Consider the following statements : 1. The minimum age prescribed fo

Consider the following statements :

1. The minimum age prescribed for any person to be a member of Panchayat is 25 years.
2. A Panchayat reconstituted after premature dissolution continues only for the remainder period.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

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1 only

2 only

Both 1 and 2

Neither 1 nor 2

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The correct option is B) 2 only.

– Statement 1 is incorrect. Article 243F(1)(a) of the Constitution states that a person shall be disqualified for being chosen as, or for being, a member of a Panchayat if he is less than twenty-one years of age. Thus, the minimum age prescribed for becoming a member of Panchayat is 21 years, not 25 years.
– Statement 2 is correct. Article 243E(3) of the Constitution states that a Panchayat constituted upon the premature dissolution of a Panchayat shall continue only for the remainder of the period for which the dissolved Panchayat would have continued under clause (1) had it not been so dissolved. However, if the remainder period is less than six months, it shall not be necessary to hold any election for constituting the Panchayat for such period.

The 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1992, added Part IX to the Constitution, dealing with Panchayats. It provides for a three-tier system of Panchayats (Village, Intermediate, and District levels) and mandates their elections every five years. The age qualification for voting in Panchayat elections is 18 years, but for being a member, it is 21 years.

2. A recent movie titled The Man Who Knew Infinity is based on the biogra

A recent movie titled The Man Who Knew Infinity is based on the biography of

S. Ramanujan

S. Chandrasekhar

S. N. Bose

C. V. Raman

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The recent movie titled ‘The Man Who Knew Infinity’ is based on the biography of the eminent Indian mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan.

The film, released in 2015 (premiered in 2015, released in 2016), depicts the life and work of Srinivasa Ramanujan and his extraordinary partnership with his professor G.H. Hardy at Trinity College, Cambridge, during World War I.

S. Ramanujan (1887-1920) made substantial contributions to mathematical analysis, number theory, infinite series, and continued fractions. The movie is based on the 1991 book of the same name by Robert Kanigel. The other scientists listed are also famous Indian physicists: S. Chandrasekhar (astrophysicist, Nobel laureate), S. N. Bose (physicist, known for Bose-Einstein statistics), and C. V. Raman (physicist, Nobel laureate for the Raman effect).

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4. With reference to the Agreement at the UNFCCC Meeting in Paris in 2015

With reference to the Agreement at the UNFCCC Meeting in Paris in 2015, which of the following statements is/are correct?

1. The Agreement was signed by all the member countries of the UN and it will go into effect in 2017.
2. The Agreement aims to limit the greenhouse gas emissions so that the rise in average global temperature by the end of this century does not exceed 2°C or even 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.
3. Developed countries acknowledged their historical responsibility in global warming and committed to donate $ 1000 billion a year from 2020 to help developing countries to cope with climate change.

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

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1 and 3 only

2 only

2 and 3 only

1, 2 and 3

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Statement 2 is correct. The Paris Agreement aims to limit the rise in average global temperature by the end of this century to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and pursue efforts to limit the increase to 1.5°C.

The central aim of the Paris Agreement is to strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change by keeping a global temperature rise this century well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase even further to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

Statement 1 is incorrect. While the Agreement was adopted by 195 parties to the UNFCCC in Paris, not every UN member country signed it immediately upon adoption, and its entry into force was on 4 November 2016, triggered by ratification thresholds (55 parties accounting for at least 55% of global GHG emissions), not a fixed date like 2017 for all. Statement 3 is incorrect. Developed countries committed to a goal of mobilizing $100 billion per year by 2020 for climate action in developing countries, not $1000 billion.

5. Recently, which of the following States has explored the possibility o

Recently, which of the following States has explored the possibility of constructing an artificial inland port to be connected to sea by a long navigational channel?

Andhra Pradesh

Chhattisgarh

Karnataka

Rajasthan

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Rajasthan has explored the possibility of constructing an artificial inland port, potentially connecting to the Arabian Sea via a channel through Gujarat.

The concept involves establishing a port facility in a landlocked region like Rajasthan, connected to a major seaport by a dedicated infrastructure like a canal or pipeline, especially for bulk cargo like petroleum. This is seen as a way to reduce logistics costs for industries in Rajasthan.

Feasibility studies have been conducted for such a project in locations like Jalore or Barmer in Rajasthan, aiming to provide direct access to sea trade routes. While still in the conceptual or exploration phase, Rajasthan is the state associated with this specific type of proposal among the given options.

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6. The Parliament of India acquires the power to legislate on any item in

The Parliament of India acquires the power to legislate on any item in the State List in the national interest if a resolution to that effect is passed by the

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Lok Sabha by a simple majority of its total membership

Lok Sabha by a majority of not less than two-thirds of its total membership

Rajya Sabha by a simple majority of its total membership

Rajya Sabha by a majority of not less than two-thirds of its members present and voting

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According to Article 249 of the Indian Constitution, if the Rajya Sabha passes a resolution by a majority of not less than two-thirds of its members present and voting, declaring that it is necessary or expedient in the national interest for Parliament to legislate on any matter enumerated in the State List, Parliament acquires the power to make laws on that matter.

This provision allows the Parliament to encroach upon the legislative domain of states under specific circumstances deemed to be in the national interest, initiated by the Rajya Sabha (Council of States), which represents the states.

Such a resolution remains in force for a period specified in the resolution, not exceeding one year. Laws made by Parliament under this provision cease to have effect six months after the resolution ceases to be in force, though acts done or omitted before the expiration remain valid. This power is distinct from Parliament’s power to legislate on State List subjects during a Proclamation of Emergency (Article 250) or with the consent of states (Article 252).

7. Consider the following pairs: Famous place Region 1. Bodhgaya

Consider the following pairs:

Famous place	Region
1. Bodhgaya	Baghelkhand
2. Khajuraho	Bundelkhand
3. Shirdi	Vidarbha
4. Nasik (Nashik)	Malwa
5. Tirupati	Rayalaseema

Which of the pairs given above are correctly matched?

1, 2 and 4

2, 3, 4 and 5

2 and 5 only

1, 3, 4 and 5

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Pairs 2 and 5 are correctly matched. Khajuraho is in the Bundelkhand region, and Tirupati is in the Rayalaseema region.

Khajuraho is located in the Chhatarpur district of Madhya Pradesh, which falls within the Bundelkhand region, famous for its medieval Hindu and Jain temples. Tirupati is located in the Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh, part of the Rayalaseema region, known for the Sri Venkateswara Temple.

Pair 1: Bodh Gaya is located in Bihar, not Baghelkhand (which is in MP/UP).
Pair 3: Shirdi is located in Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra, in the Desh region (also called Paschim Maharashtra), not Vidarbha (eastern Maharashtra).
Pair 4: Nashik is located in Maharashtra, in the Nashik division, also considered part of Desh or Khandesh regions. Malwa is a plateau region in west-central India, primarily in Madhya Pradesh and parts of Rajasthan and Gujarat.

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8. The plan of Sir Stafford Cripps envisaged that after the Second World

The plan of Sir Stafford Cripps envisaged that after the Second World War

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India should be granted complete independence.

India should be partitioned into two before granting independence.

India should be made a republic with the condition that she will join the Commonwealth.

India should be given Dominion status.

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The Cripps Plan, proposed by Sir Stafford Cripps in 1942 during World War II, envisaged that after the war, India would be granted Dominion status.

The Cripps Mission aimed to secure India’s full cooperation in the war effort by promising constitutional reforms after the war. The main proposal was the creation of an Indian Union with Dominion status, free to decide its relations with the Commonwealth.

The plan also included provisions for a Constituent Assembly to frame a new constitution, and importantly, offered provinces the right to opt-out of the proposed Indian Union and form separate Dominions, or join a separate Dominion. This ‘opt-out’ clause was significant as it implicitly acknowledged the possibility of partition. However, the plan was rejected by both the Indian National Congress (seeking immediate independence and unsatisfied with Dominion status and the partition possibility) and the Muslim League (seeking a clear commitment to Pakistan).

9. What was the main reason for the split in the Indian National Congress

What was the main reason for the split in the Indian National Congress at Surat in 1907?

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Introduction of communalism into Indian politics by Lord Minto

Extremists' lack of faith in the capacity of the moderates to negotiate with the British Government

Foundation of Muslim League

Aurobindo Ghosh's inability to be elected as the President of the Indian National Congress

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The main reason for the split in the Indian National Congress at Surat in 1907 was the fundamental disagreement between the Moderate and Extremist factions over the methods of political struggle and the pace of reform. The Extremists had lost faith in the Moderates’ approach of constitutional petitions and negotiations with the British Government, viewing it as ineffective and too slow.

The Surat split occurred primarily due to ideological differences regarding strategy and goals between the Moderates (led by leaders like Gopal Krishna Gokhale) and the Extremists (led by leaders like Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Lala Lajpat Rai, and Bipin Chandra Pal – the ‘Lal Bal Pal’ trio).

Specific issues leading to the split included disagreements over the resolution on Swaraj (self-rule), Boycott, Swadeshi, and National Education adopted at the Calcutta session in 1906, and the election of the Congress President for the Surat session. The Extremists wanted Tilak or Lajpat Rai as president, while the Moderates managed to elect Rash Behari Ghosh. Lord Minto’s policies and the foundation of the Muslim League in 1906 were significant developments of the time but were not the direct main cause of the INC split itself, though the political climate influenced the growing divide.

10. Consider the following statements: 1. The Mangalyaan launched by IS

Consider the following statements:

1. The Mangalyaan launched by ISRO is also called the Mars Orbiter Mission.
2. made India the second country to have a spacecraft orbit the Mars after USA
3. made India the only country to be successful in making its spacecraft orbit the Mars in its very first attempt

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

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1 only

2 and 3 only

1 and 3 only

1, 2 and 3

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UPSC IAS – 2016

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Statements 1 and 3 are correct. The Mangalyaan is indeed the Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM), and India is the only country to have successfully placed a spacecraft in Mars orbit on its very first attempt.

The Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM), also known as Mangalyaan, is ISRO’s first interplanetary mission. It successfully entered Mars orbit on September 24, 2014.

Statement 2 is incorrect. While India became the fourth entity (after USSR/Russia, NASA, and ESA) to successfully send a spacecraft to orbit Mars, it was not the second country after the USA. Russia (then USSR) achieved orbit in 1971, followed by the USA in 1971. ESA (European Space Agency) achieved orbit in 2003. Statement 3 is correct; no other country/entity had succeeded in reaching Mars orbit on their maiden attempt before India.