Test: Weekly Current Affairs: January 1 to 7, 2024 - UPSC MCQ

Statement 2 is incorrect.

• The Coinage Act, 2011 gives the central government the power to design and mint coins in various denominations. In the case of coins, the role of the RBI is limited to the distribution of coins that are supplied by the central government.
• The government decides on the quantity of coins to be minted on the basis of indents received from the RBI on a yearly basis, the central bank says. Coins are minted in four mints owned by the Government of India in Mumbai, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Noida.
• Two of India’s currency note printing presses (in Nasik and Dewas) are owned by the Government of India; two others (in Mysore and Salboni) are owned by the RBI through its wholly owned subsidiary, Bharatiya Reserve Bank Note Mudran Ltd (BRBNML).
• Ashoka Pillar Banknotes: The first banknote issued in independent India was the Re 1 note issued in 1949. While retaining the existing design, the new banknotes replaced the portrait of King George with the symbol of the Lion Capital of the Ashoka Pillar at Sarnath in the watermark window.

Warmer air can hold more moisture than cooler air.

A more direct way to understand the implications of the relative humidity for your wellbeing is in the form of the wet-bulb temperature (a.k.a. the adiabatic saturation temperature). It is the lowest temperature a surface – like your skin – can reach when water evaporates from it. The wet-bulb temperature is equal to the dry-bulb temperature when the relative humidity is 100%.

A wet-bulb temperature in an environment of 32-35º C or higher can be quickly lethal, even if you are not doing any physical activity or are in the shade. (At least one study has shown that even a wet-bulb temperature of more than 29º C can be dangerous.)

A psychrometer is a device for measuring air humidity.

The term oxidation was originally used to describe reactions in which an element combines with oxygen. The iron metal is oxidized to form the iron oxide known as rust.
Electrochemical reactions are great examples of oxidation reactions.
All the above are the examples of Oxidation Reaction.

Statement 3 is incorrect.
Natural gas, extracted from the earth, powers appliances like stoves and furnaces.

Natural gas is mainly methane, which is a greenhouse gas – capable of trapping significant amounts of heat in the atmosphere. Natural gas is a relatively clean burning fossil fuel, resulting in fewer emissions of nearly all types of air pollutants and CO₂ when compared with burning coal or petroleum products to produce an equal amount of energy.

Extraction of natural gas from the ground also involves release of certain greenhouse gases.

Statement 2 is incorrect.

• West Bengal boasts of the highest number of ponds and reservoirs; Andhra Pradesh the highest number of tanks; and Tamil Nadu the highest number of lakes.
• The majority of water bodies serve as resources for fish farming, with their subsequent uses including irrigation, replenishing groundwater, and providing water for household and drinking needs. Among the total 20,30,040 utilised water bodies, 55.5% (11,26,830) are dedicated to fish farming, 16.5% (3,35,768) to irrigation, 12.1% (2,44,918) to groundwater replenishment, and 10.1% (2,05,197) to domestic and drinking water needs. The remaining are employed for recreational, industrial, religious and other purposes.
• A substantial 97.1% of water bodies can be found in rural regions; only 2.9% are situated in urban areas. Of these, 83.7% are in use, while the rest are non-functional or unused due to factors such as construction, siltation, irreparable damage, and industrial effluents, among others.

Statement 3 is incorrect.

A reserve currency refers to any currency that is widely used in cross-border transactions and is commonly held as reserves by central banks. 

Other currencies such as the British pound and the French franc have served as international reserve currencies in the past. It should be noted that it is the currencies of economic superpowers that have usually ended up being used as the global reserve currency. As the economic clout of these countries waned, their currencies faced a similar downfall. This was the case, for example, with the British pound which was gradually replaced by the U.S. dollar as Britain lost its status as a global economic superpower in the first half of the 20th century.

Statement 1 is incorrect.

The combination of high temperature and high humidity, referred to as the wet bulb temperature, is what makes heatwaves deadly. High moisture content in the atmosphere makes it difficult for the sweat to evaporate and bodies to cool down, as a result of which the internal body temperature increases sharply, and is often fatal.

Access to drinking water or oral rehydration solutions (ORS). These can be lifesavers in such situations.

Statement 3 is incorrect.

• ADHD is one the most common neurodevelopmental disorders of childhood, usually diagnosed at an early age and lasting into adulthood. According to the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), children with ADHD might have trouble paying attention or controlling impulsive behaviours, and can be overly active.
• Many adults remain undiagnosed, and symptoms can cause difficulty at work, home or relationships. The CDC states that symptoms can appear different at older ages, for example, hyperactivity can appear as extreme restlessness.
• For people diagnosed with ADHD, Adderall can help improve focus, concentration, impulse control and hyperactivity, because of its effects on the central nervous system.

The EU in 2021, came up with a proposal for a Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM).

The CBAM plans to impose a tariff on a set of carbon-intensive imports, which will have to be paid by EU importers and companies who export such goods to EU countries.

With the CBAM, the EU also wants to create a level-playing field for business in the bloc with those outside by making equal the price for the carbon content of goods regardless of where they are made.

Only Statement 1 is correct.

• FCRA seeks to “regulate the acceptance and utilisation of foreign contribution or foreign hospitality by certain individuals or associations or companies and to prohibit [such] acceptance and utilisation…for any activities detrimental to the national interest…”
• The law was enacted during the Emergency in 1976.
• The Act prohibits receipt of foreign funds by candidates for elections, journalists or newspaper and media broadcast companies, judges and government servants, members of legislature and political parties or their office-bearers, and organisations of a political nature.
• FCRA registrations are granted to individuals or associations that have definite cultural, economic, educational, religious, and social programmes.
• Following the application, the MHA makes inquiries through the Intelligence Bureau into the antecedents of the applicant, and accordingly processes the application. The MHA is required to approve or reject the application within 90 days — failing which it is expected to inform the NGO of the reasons for the same.
• Once granted, FCRA registration is valid for five years. NGOs are expected to apply for renewal within six months of the date of expiry of registration. In case of failure to apply for renewal, the registration is deemed to have expired.
• The government reserves the right to cancel the FCRA registration of any NGO if it finds it to be in violation of the Act. Registration can be cancelled for a range of reasons including, if “in the opinion of the Central Government, it is necessary in the public interest to cancel the certificate”. Once the registration of an NGO is cancelled, it is not eligible for re-registration for three years. All orders of the government can be challenged in the High Court.

Statement 3 is incorrect.

• The U.S. central bank usually increases the supply of dollars through various means to tackle economic downturns and also to fund the U.S. government’s expenditures. But it should be noted that the U.S. Federal Reserve is not the only central bank in the world that has been debasing its currency by engaging in expansionary monetary policy over several decades. Other countries have also been expanding their respective money supplies to address their domestic economic problems. As long as the U.S. does not debase its currency at a faster pace than other countries, the dollar may manage to hold its value against other currencies and hence its reserve currency status may not come under serious threat.
• The global acceptability of the U.S. dollar has primarily been attributed to the popularity of U.S. assets among investors. It should be noted that the U.S. has been running a persistent trade deficit for decades now (in fact the last time the U.S. ran a trade surplus was way back in 1975). That is, the value of its imports has for a long time exceeded the value of its exports to the rest of the world. The excess dollars that the rest of the world accumulates due to the U.S.’s trade deficit has been invested in U.S. assets such as in debt securities issued by the US government.

• El Niño is characterised by an unusual warming of waters in the eastern equatorial Pacific, which has a high correlation with warmer summers and weaker monsoon rains in India. La Nina is the meteorological opposite.
• A map WMO issued on expected rainfall patterns globally during El Niño years showed most parts of north, northeast, northwest, and central India experiencing dry periods during the June to September monsoon season. It shows largely wet months during the October to December northeast monsoon season in the peninsular region.
• Normally, El Nino is good for the northeast monsoon but bad for the southwest monsoon but there is no one-to-one relationship.

The history of smallpox holds a special place in the field of epidemiology. One of the deadliest diseases known to mankind, it is also the only one to have been eradicated by vaccination. However, the origins of smallpox have always been unclear. Until now, the earliest confirmed case of the disease was found in the mummified remains of a 17th-century Lithuanian child, even though written records suggest that it is much older. A new study carried out by an international team of researchers provides fresh insight into the origins of the disease caused by the Variola virus (VARV), suggesting that the smallpox was in existence as early as during the Viking age in the 8th century CE.

Only Statement 2 is correct.

• Permafrost is essentially any ground that stays frozen — 0 degree Celsius or lower — for at least two years straight. These permanently frozen grounds are often found in Arctic regions such as Greenland, Alaska (the United States), Canada, Russia and Eastern Europe.
• Permafrost is composed of “a combination of soil, rocks and sand that are held together by ice. The soil and ice in permafrost stay frozen all year long.” However, although the ground remains perennially frozen, permafrost regions aren’t always covered with snow.
• As the Arctic is getting warmer nearly four times as fast as the rest of the planet due to climate change, permafrost is thawing rapidly. Thawing permafrost can severely impact the planet. One of its most dangerous consequences is the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

Internal Complaints Committee (ICC), as mandated by law under the 2013 Prevention of Sexual Harassment (PoSH) Act.

The ICC was designed to be the first port of call for any grievance under the PoSH Act, a key element needed to create a safe workplace environment for women.

As per the law, it needs to have a minimum of four members – at least half of them women – of whom one shall be an external member, preferably from an NGO or an association that works for women’s empowerment or a person familiar with issues related to sexual harassment, like a lawyer. In fact, a functional ICC is one of the key conditions set up by the Ministry of Sports to grant annual recognition to the federations.

Statement 3 is incorrect.

Statement 2 is incorrect.

• The Governments of France and Morocco, together with the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), launched the Buildings Breakthrough today at COP28, which will see countries joining forces to accelerate the transformation of the sector – which accounts for 21 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions – with a view to making near-zero emissions and climate resilient buildings the new normal by 2030. 
• The Buildings Breakthrough is part of the Breakthrough Agenda, which provides a framework for countries, businesses and civil society to join up and strengthen their actions every year in key emitting sectors, through a coalition of leading public, private and public-private global initiatives.
• It is coordinated under the auspices of the UNEP-hosted Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction (GlobalABC).

Statement 3 is incorrect.

• The “debt ceiling” or “debt limit” is the maximum amount of debt the federal government is allowed to accumulate in order to fulfil its financial obligations.
• The government typically spends more than it earns. This means that it needs to borrow in order to pay for things like social security, Medicare, military and other salaries, interest on the national debt, tax refunds, etc.
• The debt limit was introduced in 1917 – when the US entered World War I – and according to the US Treasury Department, the Congress has increased or suspended the debt limit 78 times since 1960. As of 2023, the debt ceiling stands at $ 31.4 trillion.
• Constitutionally, the Congress controls the government’s purse strings. The debt ceiling was introduced in order to make it easier for the executive to operate without having to turn to the Congress every time it wants to spend – it allowed the government to borrow as required as long as it kept under the debt limit, which has to be approved by the Congress.
• If the debt ceiling is breached, the Treasury Department would be unable to make payments when they are due – meaning that the US would enter into a default.

• The government is trying to work out a mechanism to bestow tax remission benefits on exports of sugar, which had been placed in the ‘restricted’ category in mid-2022, and is considering a demand from tea exporters to raise their tax remission rates.
• The Remission of Duties and Taxes on Export Products (RoDTEP) scheme, launched in January 2021, is aimed at ensuring that no domestic taxes are added on to goods’ shipments meant for export. Authorities had denied benefits under the scheme to sugar exporters after the sweetener was removed from the ‘free’ category in June 2022 as a pre-emptive measure to boost domestic availability and avoid a spurt in prices.
• “Any item which is restricted is not entitled for the RoDTEP benefits. So once sugar was brought into the restricted list, it has been prevented from getting RoDTEP,”
• The scheme was announced as a replacement for the Merchandise Export from India Scheme (MEIS), which was not compliant with the rules of the World Trade Organisation.

The Bab-el-Mandeb is a strait between Yemen on the Arabian Peninsula and Djibouti and Eritrea in the Horn of Africa. It connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden.

• Scientists from the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) and M/s. IDRS Labs Pvt. Ltd. in Bengaluru have collaboratively developed a breakthrough nutraceutical named AKTOCYTE tablets.
• These tablets aim to enhance the quality of life for cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy by minimizing the side effects associated with the treatment.
• AKTOCYTE tablets have shown remarkable results, particularly in pelvic cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy-induced Cystitis, leading to extraordinary recovery and eliminating the need for surgical interventions like the removal of the urinary bladder.
• AKTOCYTE has received approval from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), ensuring its safety and compliance with quality standards.

• The Supreme Court has clarified in a judgment that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) need not furnish a person accused under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) with a copy of the grounds of detention at the time of his arrest.
• The judgment comes amid debate that non-communication of the grounds of arrest was a violation of Article 22(1) of the Constitution, which upholds the fundamental right of any person who is in custody to be informed as to why he has been arrested.