Karnataka (KAS) Prelims Paper-I Mock Test- 2 - KPSC KAS (Karnataka) MCQ

• Context: The FAO and ICAR released the first national report on AMR surveillance (INFAAR 2019-22 Report) in India’s fisheries and livestock sectors.
• What is INFAAR?
  • ICAR, supported by FAO, initiated INFAAR (Indian Network for Fishery and Animal Antimicrobial Resistance) in 2017 to monitor AMR in the aquaculture and veterinary sectors.
• AMR can develop through genetic mutations within microbial populations, allowing them to survive exposure to antimicrobial agents. Additionally, horizontal gene transfer, where resistant genes are transferred between different organisms, also plays a crucial role in the spread of AMR. This process can occur through mechanisms such as conjugation, transformation, and transduction.

• Context: Nagpur has initiated India’s first city-specific Zero Carbon Buildings Action Plan (ZCBAP), aiming to achieve net-zero carbon emissions from buildings by 2050.
• The plan covers public buildings, affordable housing, commercial buildings, and homes, focusing on decarbonization and sustainable development.
• Developed by Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) and Nagpur Smart and Sustainable City Development Corporation Limited (NSSCDCL), with support from international partners, the ZCBAP aligns with India’s climate goals and global commitments.

• Context: During the 37th African Union Summit, held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, African leaders launched the ‘Africa Club’, an alliance of African multilateral financial institutions.
• Focusing on the urgent need for reforming the global financial system to address climate and development needs.
• To tackle this, there was a call for increased access to high-quality finance for climate and development efforts, which led to the
• African leaders also demanded solutions to the debt crisis, increased grant and concessional money to Africa, and rechannelling of Special Drawing Rights (SDR) to African financial institutions.

Only Statement 3 is correct.

• The Square Kilometer Array will not be a single large telescope, but a collection of thousands of dish antennas operating as a single unit. The name, Square Kilometer Array, comes from the original intention to create one square kilometre (one million square metre) of effective area for collecting radio waves. This was meant to be achieved by installing thousands of smaller antennas in a specific array design that would make them function like a single radio telescope.
• The antennas, about 200 of them in South Africa and more than 130,000 in Australia, are being installed in sparsely populated locations, chosen to ensure they are as far away from human activities as possible. This has been done in order to minimise signal interference from undesirable Earth-based sources.
• Though none of the SKA facilities would be located in India, there are immense science and technology gains for the country by participating in the project as a full member.
• The intellectual properties generated by the project, though owned by the SKA Observatory, would be accessible to all the member countries. 

• Coal emits nearly twice as much carbon dioxide as natural gas and about 60% more than oil, on a kilogram comparison having a greater role in global warming.
• Combusting coal also leaves behind partially burnt carbon particles that feed pollution and trigger respiratory disorders.
• Environmental issues associated with Coal Mining that is air pollution, water pollution, soil pollution etc.
• Opencast mining and underground mining of coal affect the vegetation pattern.
• Several occupational hazards are associated with coal mining: Pneumoconiosis (by inhaling coal dust), allergies and asthma, noise hazard etc.

China also commands 60% of the total production of germanium. The element is used in fibre-optic cables, infrared imaging devices (used by enforcement agencies for surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance, particularly in the dark) and optical devices (to improve the ability to operate weapon systems in harsh conditions). They are also used in solar cells for their ability to withstand heat and higher energy conversion efficiency. 

Statement 3 is incorrect.

• The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, has approved the Minimum Support Prices (MSPs) for copra for the 2024 season.
• Copra is the dried, white flesh of the coconut. It’s a major cash crop and is valued for the coconut oil that can be extracted from it.
• The palatable oil cake, known as copra cake, obtained as a residue in the production of copra oil is used in animal feeds.

Statement 3 is incorrect.
Passports have historical roots, with mentions in the Hebrew Bible and established systems in countries like France and the UK. Modern passports emerged due to the British Nationality and Status of Aliens Act in 1914, featuring photographs and distinguishing features. The League of Nations’ 1920 conference aimed to standardize passport regulations, influencing the common British system. In the 1920s, the US enacted immigration laws tied to passports, limiting inflows. Despite initial discomfort, passports have endured as a vital aspect of modern citizenship.

Passports in India:
The issuance of Indian passports began during the First World War (1914-1918) under the Defence of India Act, when the British government mandated passports for travel.

Natural gas is an odorless, gaseous mixture of hydrocarbons—predominantly made up of methane (CH₄).

Natural gas is a fossil fuel energy source. Natural gas contains many different compounds. The largest component of natural gas is methane, a compound with one carbon atom and four hydrogen atoms (CH₄). Natural gas also contains smaller amounts of natural gas liquids (NGLs, which are also hydrocarbon gas liquids), and nonhydrocarbon gases, such as carbon dioxide and water vapor. We use natural gas as a fuel and to make materials and chemicals.

Logistics refers to the management and coordination of the flow of goods, services, and information from the point of origin to the point of consumption. It involves various activities such as transportation, storage, handling, and distribution to ensure the efficient movement of products within the supply chain.
India has ranked 38 out of 139 countries in the World Bank’s Logistics Performance Index 2023 (2018 rank of India was 44)
The unorganized sector amounts to over 90% of the logistics sector.

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 names of the recipients of the prestigious Sahitya Akademi Awards were announced recently.
• The list of works that were deemed eligible by the Akademi for awards includes six novels, nine poetry anthologies, five short story collections, three essays, and one literary study.
• The award was presented in the shape of a casket containing an engraved copper plaque. It also included a cash prize – a lump sum of Rs 1,00,000.

Statement 3 is incorrect.

• The PM Vishwakarma Scheme, launched by the Centre on September 17, has received over 21 lakh applications in two and a half months, data from the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) show. The scheme, aimed at supporting and providing skill-upgradation training to artisans and craftspeople.
• The Vishwakarma Scheme provides formal training for upgradation and modernisation of traditional skills amid a changing economic landscape. It also offers financial assistance and creates avenues of “market linkage” for persons working in 18 trades and crafts. These include carpenter, boat-maker, armourer, blacksmith, hammer and tool kit maker, locksmith, goldsmith, potter, sculptor, cobbler, mason, basket-maker, doll and toy-maker, barber, garland maker, washerman, tailor, and fishing net-maker.

Statement 3 is incorrect.

• The undersea mining will be conducted to extract key battery materials — cobalt, copper, nickel, and manganese — from potato-sized rocks called “polymetallic nodules” found at depths of 4 kilometers to 6 kilometers (about 2.5 miles to 3.7 miles).
• The Jamaica-based ISA was established under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. It holds authority over the ocean floors outside of its 167 member states’ Exclusive Economic Zones.

The language movement not only gave rise to the Bengali national identity in the then Pakistan, but also became the stepping stone for the Bengali nationalist movement, the six-point movement, the student movement in 1962, the uprising in 1969 and the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War. This is perhaps the only movement in history that started with protecting linguistic and cultural rights and ultimately led to the birth of an independent nation, Bangladesh.

Statement 3 is incorrect.
The Chandrayaan-3 rover, Pragyan, which has the Indian national emblem and the ISRO logo on its rear wheels, has been unable to leave a clear imprint of these symbols on the lunar soil.
This inability to imprint the symbols has provided new insights into the properties of lunar soil in the South Pole region.

Features of Lunar Soil:

• It is not dusty but rather lumpy, indicating that something is binding the soil together.
• Lunar Soil is a thick layer of regolith, fragmental and unconsolidated rock material, that covers the entire lunar surface.
• Lunar soil contains no organic matter.

This discovery could have significant implications for future missions targeting lunar habitation and sustained human presence, especially in the context of potential water discovery in the region.

Bihar is getting its second tiger reserve in Kaimur (Kaimur Wildlife Sanctuary), expected to be established by the end of 2023 or early 2024. The need for a second reserve arose as the Valmiki Tiger Reserve (Bihar’s 1st tiger reserve) reached its capacity to manage tigers.

• This annual exercise is a collaborative effort between the Indian Army and the United States Army.
• The theme of “EXERCISE YUDH ABHYAS-23” centres on the ‘Employment of an Integrated Battle Group in Mountain/Extreme Climatic Conditions,’ following Chapter VII of the United Nations mandate.

Statement 2 is incorrect.

• El Niño years in India have witnessed extreme heat and below normal rainfall levels during monsoon, even though El Niño might not be the only factor or even have direct links to them. In 2014, a El Niño year, India received 12 per cent deficient rainfall from June to September.
• On the other hand, La Nina years are known to favour the Indian summer monsoon.
• El Niño has been associated with rising heatwaves and extreme temperatures.
• India’s Northeast monsoon rainfall remained subdued during past La Niña events, but the 2021 monsoon remains an exception in recent years.
• Intense hurricanes and cyclones have frequently occurred in the Atlantic Ocean and the Bay of Bengal during La Nina years.

• Context: Pandavula Gutta, an ancient geological marvel in Telangana (Jayashankar Bhupalpally District), has been designated as the exclusive Geo-heritage site in the state.
• Geological Survey of India (GSI) declares geo-heritage sites/ national geological monuments for protection and maintenance. The State-wise details are given in Annexure. GSI or the respective State governments take necessary measures to protect these sites.

Only 2 and 3 pairs are correctly matched

• Context: The recent Nepal-India official dialogue did not address progress on the significant Pancheshwar Multipurpose Project (PMP), despite the signing of a long-term power-sharing agreement over a month ago.
• The project remains stalled due to disagreements over benefit sharing, posing challenges to its initiation.
• About the Pancheshwar Multipurpose Project (PMP):
  • It is a joint hydropower initiative situated on the Mahakali River, shared by Nepal and India. It is governed by the integrated Mahakali Treaty signed in 1996. The project aims to generate approximately 6,480 MW of energy, with equal division between the two countries, and provide irrigation water for 130,000 hectares of land in Nepal and 240,000 hectares in India.

Only Statement 1 is correct.

‘Green hydrogen’, the emerging novel concept, is a zero-carbon fuel made by electrolysis using renewable power from wind and solar to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. This ‘Green hydrogen’ can be utilised for the generation of power from natural sources — wind or solar systems — and will be a major step forward in achieving the target of ‘net zero’ emission.

Black hydrogen is produced by use of fossil fuel, whereas pink hydrogen is produced through electrolysis, but using energy from nuclear power sources.

Grey hydrogen is produced from natural gas.

The dual control structure:

• Its uniqueness lies in the fact that Assam Rifles is the only paramilitary force with a dual control structure. While the administrative control of the force is with the MHA, its operational control is with the Indian Army, which is under the Ministry of Defence (MoD). This means that salaries and infrastructure for the force is provided by the MHA, but the deployment, posting, transfer and deputation of the personnel is decided by the Army.
• In some ways, the force is the only central paramilitary force (CPMF), as its operational duties and regimentation are on the lines of the Indian Army. However, being a Central Armed Police force under MHA, its recruitment, perks, promotion of its personnel and retirement policies are governed according to the rules framed by the MHA for CAPFs.

While a company can go for repurchase of its shares when it is sitting on a lot of cash but does not have many avenues to invest and prefers to return cash to shareholders, the case of Paytm is different – it’s sitting on huge losses and now using part of investors’ proceeds for the buyback.

Who is eligible to participate in buyback?

To be eligible to participate in the share repurchase process, a shareholder needs to hold the shares of the company, which has announced the buyback, before the record date declared in the announcement. The share also needs to be held in the demat form.

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has expanded the scope of card-on-file tokenisation (CoFT) to include card issuing banks and institutions directly, moving beyond services provided through merchants.
• CoFT is a security measure for users opting for digital payments, replacing the practice of merchants storing card details with specially created tokens.
• Tokenization is the process of replacing sensitive data with a non-sensitive equivalent, called a token. Tokens are random strings of characters that have no meaningful value if breached. They serve as a reference to the original data, but cannot be used to guess those values.

• The law of demand states that, if all other factors remain equal, the higher the price of a good, the less people will demand that good. In other words, the higher the price, the lower the quantity demanded.
• The amount of a good that buyers purchase at a higher price is less because as the price of a good goes up, so does the opportunity cost of buying that good.
• The law of supply says that at higher prices, sellers will supply more of an economic good. From the seller’s perspective, the opportunity cost of each additional unit that they sell tends to be higher and higher. Producers supply more at a higher price because the higher selling price justifies the higher opportunity cost of each additional unit sold.

Ectotherm, any so-called cold-blooded animal—that is, any animal whose regulation of body temperature depends on external sources, such as sunlight or a heated rock surface. The ectotherms include the fishes, amphibians, reptiles, and invertebrates. The body temperature of an aquatic ectotherm is usually very close to the temperature of the surrounding water.

• 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.