General Knowledge Mock Test - 5 - CDS

The first statement is correct. The existence of a ploughed field was found at Kalibangan. In Banawali, terracotta ploughs were found. 

​Statements I is correct. Krishna Veda (Black) and Sulka Veda (White) are part of Yajur Veda. Gayatri Mantra is found in Rig Veda. 

The first statement is correct. The Calcutta session (1906) saw 4 resolutions passed – Bengal Partition, Swaraj, Swadeshi and Boycott. The Belgaum session of INC (1924) was presided by M.K Gandhi. It was the only INC session presided by Gandhi. The Surat session (1907) saw the split of Extremists and the Moderates in the INC.

Several political groups active during the Indian Independence Movement were opposed to the Quit India Movement. These included the Muslim League, the Hindu Mahasabha, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the Communist Party of India and the princely states as below:
The Cripps Mission had failed, and on August 1942, Gandhi made a call to Do or Die in his Quit India speech delivered in Bombay at the Gowalia Tank Maidan. Aruna Asaf Ali is widely remembered for hoisting the Indian National Congress flag at the Gowalia Tank maidan in Bombay during the Quit India Movement, 1942.

The Shikhara is the curvilinear tower which is present over the garbagriha. The Nagara style does not possess any elaborate gateways or large boundary walls. Amalaka is the disc like structure present at the top of temples. 

Both statement is correct. Amaravati art is influenced by Hellenistic art like Gandhara or Mathura art. It follows a narrative style of art. . 

All the statements are correct. Ajanta caves mainly has Buddhist works in nature. They contain the forms of Padmapani and Vajrapani Bodhisattva. Maheshmurti sculpture is present in Elephanta caves. Ellora caves consist of Brahmanical, Jain and Buddhist art forms. 

​The Nehru Report was published in 1928, which was a draft Constitution regarding India’s self-governance. The Cripps mission of March, 1942 offered the proposal of dominion status to India after conclusion of the World War II. Quit India Movement started in August 1942, after the failure of Cripps mission to appease the Indian demand for freedom. Wavell Plan, was produced in Shimla conference of 1945, to break the deadlock between the Muslim League and the Indian National Congress. 

All the statements are correct. Navadhyaksha was the superintendent of ships. The Samaharta was the collector of revenue for the whole of the Mauryan Empire. Sannidhata was the officer-in-charge of the treasury and store. 

​The Third Buddhist council was presided over by Mogaliputta Tissa at Pataliputra. 

​The Koppen Climate Classification System is the most widely used system for classifying the world's climates. Its categories are based on the annual and monthly averages of temperature and precipitation. 

In the savanna climate there is a distinct dry season, which is in the winter. Savannas get all their rain in the summer months. There is an annual precipitation of 10 to 30 inches. In a Savanna the temperature does not change a lot during the year, but daily range is high during the winter season. 

​Malik Muhammad Jayasi belonged to 16th century while Moinuddin Chisti was predecessor of Nizamuddin Aualiya and had died much before Khiljis. Khusro was his and his uncle's contemporary and was a student of Nizamuddin Aualia. 

The delta formed by the Krishna River along with the delta formed by the Godavari River is called Rice Granary of South India. 

​All given statements are correct. Important points of the Wood’s despatch are:
(i) It wanted to educate Indian people in order to create a class of civil servants
(ii) It wanted to impart Western knowledge and information about Western Culture to the Indian people
(iii) An education department was to be set in every province
(iv) Universities on the model of the London University to be established in cities such as Bombay, Calcutta and Madras
(v) It proposed to establish at-least one government school in every district. 

​The Chola kingdom grew under Rajaraja into an extensive and well-knit empire, efficiently organized and administered and possessing a powerful standing army and navy. Rajaraja I began his conquests by attacking the confederation between the rulers of the Pandya and Kerala kingdoms and of Ceylon. Polonnaruva became the capital of Chola province in North Ceylon after the defeat of Mahinda V, the Ceylonese king. He also annexed the Maldives.

​Calcutta Unitarian Committee was establiished by Raja Ram Mohan Roy. On 24th January 1868 Keshab Chandra Sen laid the foundation stone of his mandir called the Tabernacle of New Dispensation. The Indian Reform Association was formed on 29 October 1870 with Keshub Chunder Sen as president. It represented the secular side of the Brahmo Samaj. 

​Taniyur, is a large village under Chola administrative division and Eripatti, is name of a place in Tamilnadu. Ghatikas and Mathas were colleges/schools attached to temples.

Kalidasa’s Malavikagnimitram is based on some events of the reign of Pushyamitra Shunga. The play tells the story of the love of Agnimitra, the Shunga Emperor at Vidisha. 

All 3 are tributaries of Brahmaputra. All are major tributaries of Brahmaputra along with Subansiri.

​Advantages and Disadvantages of Drip Irrigation: Maximum use of available water, No water being available to weeds, Maximum crop yield, High efficiency in the use of fertilizers, Less weed growth and restricts population of potential hosts, Low labour and relatively low operation cost, No soil erosion, Improved infiltration in soil of low intake, Ready adjustment to sophisticated automatic control, No runoff of fertilizers into ground water, Less evaporation losses of water as compared to surface irrigation, Improves seed germination, Decreased to tillage operations. 

Kharai camels found in the Kutch region are very unique. They can swim through deep sea waters and it feeds on mangroves and other saline plants. The breeders have meticulously followed the traditional grazing pattern in the coastal districts. They do not provide special housing or shelter to the camels. Given the breed’s ability to survive both on land and sea, the Kharai camel is one of the most preferred choices of graziers in the arid coastal region of Kachchh. People. It can be domesticated also – so its not wild. 

Red sanders is a tree of south India, and found in deciduous forest of India. It is used in traditional herbal medicine as an antipyretic, anti-inflammatory, anthelmintic, tonic, hemorrhage, dysentery, aphrodisiac, anti-hyperglycaemic and diaphoretic. 

Great hornbills are found in the forests of Nepal, India, Mainland Southeast Asia and Indonesian Island of Sumatra. In South Asia they are found in a few forest areas in the Western Ghats and in the forests along the Himalayas. They occur in primary evergreen and moist deciduous forest, mainly in lowland forest, but they can be found up to 2,000 meters in some areas. In north-east India, they are generally not recorded above 1000 m. They are also seen in selectively logged forests and plantations close to larger forests.

​Statement I and III are correct. UNFCCC deals with climate change and individual countries. United Nations program for overcoming desertification under the convention UNCCD. Africa has major focus under this. 

Identified shale-gas formations are spread over several sedimentary basins of the country, such as Cambay, Gondwana, Krishna Godavari Onland, and Cauvery. 

​Air quality index takes into account Particulate matter-10 and 2.5, nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide, ozone, Ammonia and Lead. National Ambient Air Quality by Ministry of Environment categorises air pollution into 6 categories by considering 8 pollutants. These pollutants are PM 10, PM2.5, NO2, SO2, CO, O3, NH3 and PB. Methane CH4 is not in list. These 8 pollutants are referred for measuring Air Quality Index in India. 

​Viruses are can infect all living organisms plants animals and micro-organisms. 

The Bhitarkanika Mangroves are a mangrove wetland in India's Orissa state. The Bhitarkanika Mangroves cover an area of 650 km2 in the river delta of the Brahmani and Baitarani rivers.

To qualify as a hotspot, a region must meet two strict criteria: it must contain at least 1,500 species of vascular plants (> 0.5 percent of the world’s total) as endemics, and it has to have lost at least 70 percent of its original habitat. So we choose Species richness as well as Endemism. Along with this Threat perception is necessary to take, because it makes the base of this concept. Adaptation of flora is an arbitrary option, Ethno-botanical importance does nothing with the Biodiversity Hotspot selection criteria, vegetation Density is also discarded. 

The red data book is contain only 8 lists of threatened plant and animal species.

Biodiversity is higher in the low latitudes as compared to the higher latitudes as the habitat tolerance level is very narrow at greater latitude. Mountains have high range of species at the low latitude as they can support larger number of species due to climatic condition. 

There are 35 act of Indian Government which have relevance to Biodiversity conservation which includes all the four option given in this question. 

Dampa Tiger Reserve, the largest wildlife sanctuary in Mizoram. Saramati peak is in Nagaland. It is located near Tuensang town with a height of 3,826m. Gumti Wildlife Sanctuary is famous wildlife reserve in Tripura. 

It is a global organisation that is responsible for sustaining and restoring wetlands and their resources for people and biodiversity. It is an independent, not-for-profit, global organisation, supported by government and NGO membership from around the world. Wetlands International's work includes research and community-based field projects to advocacy and engagement with governments and international policy fora and conventions.

​Statement 1, 3 and 4 are correct as per WWF and environment ministry. . 

Brominated flame retardants used in many household products are highly resistant to degradation in the environment and they are able to accumulate in humans and animals. 

​Coral reefs are diverse underwater ecosystems held together by calcium carbonate structures secreted by corals. Andaman and Nicobar,Gulf of Kachchh and Gulf of Mannar have coral reefs. However Sunderbans do not have coral reef. 

​In India, the problem of soil erosion is associated with deforestataion. Terace cultivation helps in less erosion of soil. 

Biosphere reserves are established under UNESCO’s Man and Biosphere (MAB) Programme. 

​Rise in temperature by 3°C to that of pre- industrial leue would reverse the carbon cycle instead of absorbing CO2 vegetation and soil would start releasing it.

The Barbara rock cut caves are the oldest rock cut caves. They were originally made for the Ajivikas during the Mauryan period (322-185 BCE) by Asoka. The Ellora caves were built between 5th century and 10th century. There were 34 caves out of which 12 were Buddhist caves, 17 were Hindu caves and 5 were Jain caves. The proximity of the caves clearly demonstrates the religious harmony prevalent at that period of time. 

An ecosystem includes all of the living things (plants, animals and organisms) in a given area, interacting with each other, and also with their non- living environments (weather, earth, sun, soil, climate, atmosphere). 

​IREDA is a Public Limited Government Company which was established as a Non-Banking Financial Institution in 1987 under the administrative control of MNRE to promote, develop and extend financial assistance for renewable energy and energy efficiency/conservation projects with the motto: "ENERGY FOR EVER".

​The Keibul Lamjao National Park is a national park located in Manipur. It is 40 km in area and the only floating park in the world which is located in North East India, and an integral part of Loktak Lake. 

States such as Champaka (Chamba), Durgara (Jammu), Trigarta (Jalandhar), Kuluta (Kulu), Kumaon and Garhwal managed to remain outside the main areas of conflict in the northern plains. 

​In the fourteenth and fifteenth century gun powder was used for military purpose in India and even artillery in its rudimentary form was known. The Babur's first real expedition took place in India in 1519 when he captured Bhera. The Delhi Sultanate's greatest contribution to Indian fine arts was the introduction of Islam ic architectural features, including true domes and arches, and the integration of Indian and Islamic styles of architecture. The Timurid dynasty was a Sunni Muslim dynasty. Members of the Timurid dynasty were strongly influenced by the Persian culture and had established two well-known empires in history, namely the Timurid Empire (1370-1507) in Persia and Central Asia and the Mughal Empire (1526-1857) in the Indian subcontinent.

​Vijayanagara or "city of victory" was the name of both a city and an empire. The empire was founded in the fourteenth century. In its heyday it stretched from the river Krishna in the north to the extreme south of the peninsula, (Krishna-Tungabhadra doab). It was founded by Harihara 1 and Bukka, in 1336. 

​Nehru Report did not provide for separate electorates for any community or weightage for minorities, but it talks of Joint electorates. It also talks for Bills of Rights.

​Rakhine state is a state in Myanmar (Burma). Situated on the western coast, it is bordered by Chin State to the north, Magway Region, Bago Region and Ayeyarwady Region. 

​Nagesh Singh panel gave recommendations regarding wages paid under MGNREGA. It recommended: There is no need to maintain parity in minimum wages paid by various states under MGNREGA. Divergence in pay: Disparity is found between the minimum wages and NREGA wages due to Minimum Wages which are fixed by the states which arbitrarily increased it without following any scientific principles. 

Indian Coast Guard Ship Shaurya is an offshore patrol vessel designed and built indigenously by Goa Shipyard Ltd (GSL) 

​E-Samiksha is an online monitoring and compliance mechanism developed by Cabinet secretariat with Technical help from National Informatics Centre. Recently, Central government departments have been Asked to work out specific targets to be achieved by 2022 which will be monitored by PM under eSamiksha platform.

​Recently,T. K. Viswanathan committee, constituted by the Centre, on Hate speech, has recommended introducing stringent provisions for hate speech.

​Niti Aayog along with the Health ministry has started ranking district hospitals through ‗Health of our Hospitals‘index. Its aims to provide comprehensive secondary health care services to the people in the District at an acceptable level of quality and to be responsive and sensitive to the needs of people andReferring centers. Hence, statement 1 is correct and statement 2 is also correct. 

​The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2017 has been awarded to three American molecular Biologists who used Drosophila melanogaster, the fruit fly, since the 1970s, in their work on the Circadian rhythm. 

​Joint comprehensive plan of action (JCPOA) referred to Iran nuclear deal which was signed in 2015 Between Iran and the P5+1 (the five permanent members of the U.N.S.C and Germany) in which Economic sanctions were removed against Iran. 

At present, 7 undertakings have been designated as Maharatna companies. , These are: Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL),National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC),Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC),Indian Oil Corporation (IOC),Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL),Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) and Coal India Limited (CIL)

Statement (1) is incorrect, because the chairman of NHRC is always a retired Chief Justice of India, and the statement (2) is also incorrect because the chairman and members hold office for a term of 5 years or until they attain the age of 70 years, whichever is earlier. The NHRC is a statutory body. It was established in 1993 under a legislation enacted by the Parliament, namely, the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993. This Act was amended in 2006. The Commission is the watch-dog of human rights in the country.

statement 1 is correct -‘Sakaar’ is an augmented reality (AR) application designed for Android devices.
statement 2- This is developed by ISRO not by CSIR. 

Zika virus is transmitted by Aedes mosquito. This virus affects the pregnant women the most. Infection of this virus can cause ‘microcephaly’ disease in the infants, not in the women. So statement 2 is wrong. This virus can infect through several ways, such as- transfusion of infected blood, pregnant mother to her child in womb, sexual intercourse, and consuming milk of infected mother or animal. No case of infection by this virus has been registered in India so far. So the statement 4 is also wrong.

The President of India is elected by members of Electoral College consisting of 
1. Elected members of both the Houses of Parliament. 
2. Elected members of the Legislative Assemblies of the states. 
3. Elected members of Legislative Assemblies of Delhi and Puducherry. 

Not all elections are democratic in nature. A large number of nondemocratic Countries also hold elections. In fact non-democratic rulers are very keen to present themselves as democratic. They do so by holding elections in such a way that it does not threaten their rule. In very populous states direct Democracy is not viable, where citizens directly participate in day to day decision making and in running the government. Therefore representatives are elected by citizens through election.

Both options are correct 

​Education comes under the concurrent list.

​Public Interest Litigation is generally associated with Judicial Activism

​The Gram Nyayalayas have both civil and criminal jurisdiction. Social Workers at the village level having the integrity and necessary qualifications can be appointed as mediators.

​Spraying urea with neem oil slows the release of nitrogen, by about 10 to 15 per cent, concomitantly reducing consumption of the fertiliser. According to recent research, the “sustained release” nature of neem-coated urea has seen rice yields jump per cent and wheat by 6.9 per cent. 

The members of the Gulf Cooperation Council are Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. Iran is not a member.

The only condition is that the beneficiary should have a savings bank account.

​The ease of doing business index is an index created by the World Bank Group. 

RCEP is a FTA between ASEAN and other countries (Australia,China, India, Japan, S.Korea and NewZealand) 

Sovereign Gold Bond (SGB) scheme was launched as an alternative to physical gold in Nov 2015. The aim of SGB is to reduce demand, including through imports, for physical gold, and in process reduce India’s Current Account Deficit (CAD). 

​NABARD was established in 1982 with it’s headquarter in Mumbai. It is the apex body for coordination of all institution involved in rural financing process. NABARD is not the only agency responsible for rural financing.

All the options are correct 

​When the number of poor is estimated as the proportion of people below the poverty line, it is known as ‘Head Count Ratio’.