Karnataka (KAS) Prelims Paper-I Mock Test- 1 - KPSC KAS (Karnataka) MCQ

• Every Census in independent India from 1951 to 2011 has published data on Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, but not on other castes.
• Our Constitution too favours conducting a caste census. Article 340 mandates the appointment of a commission to investigate the conditions of socially and educationally backward classes and make recommendations as to the steps that should be taken by governments.
• The Justice Rohini committee was appointed in 2017 to look into the sub-categorisation of the OBC communities.

• Only pairs 3 and 4 are correctly matched.
• Odisha: Cuttack Rupa Tarakasi (Silver Filigree)
• West Bengal: Banglar muslin (Traditional Handloom Craft)
• Madhya Pradesh: Ratlam Riyawan Lahsun (Garlic)
• Tripura: Risa Textile

• Only statements 1 and 3 are correct.
• Context: Former Supreme Court judge A.M. Khanwilkar has been appointed as the chairperson of the anti-corruption ombudsman Lokpal, filling a vacancy that existed for nearly two years.
• S1: The idea of a Lokpal — the central anti-corruption ombudsman — first came up in 1963 during a discussion on Budget allocation of the Union Law Ministry. Bills seeking an ombudsman were introduced in Parliament eight times between 1968 and 2001 but were not passed, noted a 2020 report by anti-corruption organisation Transparency International India.
• S2: Over the years, different states set up their own Lokayuktas — the state equivalent of the Lokpal. Maharashtra was first in this respect with its Lokayukta body established in 1971 under the Maharashtra Lokayukta and Upayukta Act
• S3: The Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013, subsequently came into force on January 16, 2014. The Act provides for establishing a Lokpal headed by a Chairperson, who is or has been a Chief Justice of India, or is or has been a judge of the Supreme Court, or an eminent person who fulfils eligibility criteria as specified. Of its other members, not exceeding eight, 50 per cent are to be judicial members, provided that not less than 50 per cent belong to the Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST), Other Backward Classes, or minority communities, or are women. The Lokpal and Lokayukta deal with complaints against public servants, including the Lokpal chairperson and members.

Statement 2 is incorrect.

Koraput Kala Jeera Rice

• The black-coloured rice variety, also known as the ‘Prince of Rice’, is famous for its aroma, taste, texture and nutritional value. Tribal farmers of the Koraput region have preserved the rice variety for around 1,000 years. As the rice grains resemble cumin seeds, it is also called Kala Jeera. Consumption of the rice variety helps in increasing haemoglobin levels and improves metabolism in the body.
• The farmers and producers of Koraput Kala Jeera rice have followed the traditional knowledge and practices in cultivation. Ancient tales also speak about the physical, mental and spiritual delights resulting from the consumption of the rice variety.

Both statements provided are actually correct:

1. The Kharif season corresponds to the rainy season, while the Rabi season corresponds to the winter.
2. The short period in between the harvest of the Rabi crops and the sowing of the Kharif crops is called the Zaid season.

Therefore, since neither of the statements is incorrect, the answer is:

4. Neither 1 nor 2

Statement 3 is incorrect.

• India has taken some steps to promote the internationalisation of the rupee (e.g., enable external commercial borrowings in rupees), with a push to Indian banks to open Rupee Vostro accounts for banks from Russia, the UAE, Sri Lanka and Mauritius and measures to trade with ~18 countries in rupees instituted.
• For a currency to be considered a reserve currency, the rupee needs to be fully convertible, readily usable, and available in sufficient quantities. India does not permit full capital account convertibility (i.e., allowing free movement of local financial investment assets into foreign assets and vice-versa), with significant constraints on the exchange of its currency with others — driven by past fears of capital flight (i.e., outflow of capital from India due to monetary policies/lack of growth) and exchange rate volatility, given significant current and capital account deficits.

Statement 4 is incorrect.

• The Central government has approved a new treatment regimen for leprosy, aiming to stop its transmission at the sub-national level by 2027, three years ahead of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
• The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has decided to introduce a three-drug regimen for Pauci-Bacillary (PB) cases in place of a two-drug regimen for six months.
• According to the WHO, leprosy is a chronic infectious disease caused by the Mycobacterium leprae bacteria. The disease predominantly affects the skin and peripheral nerves. Left untreated, it may cause progressive and permanent disabilities.
• The bacteria are transmitted via droplets from the nose and mouth during close and frequent contact with untreated cases. Leprosy, reported from all the six WHO regions, is curable with multi-drug therapy (MDT). The majority of new cases detected annually are from South East Asia.
• The WHO’s recommended treatment regimen consists of three drugs — dapsone, rifampicin and clofazimine.

Statement 2 is incorrect.

The Maldives has expressed its intention to terminate a bilateral agreement with India that allowed collaboration in the hydrographic survey of Maldivian territorial waters.

What is a Hydrographic Survey?
A hydrographic survey is a scientific process that involves mapping and measuring the physical features of underwater terrain. It includes the study of the depth, topography, and characteristics of the seabed and water bodies.

Mixed Cropping: When two or more crops are grown on an equivalent land simultaneously, it’s referred to as mixed cropping. For example, growing wheat and gram on an equivalent land at an equivalent time is mixed cropping.

The practice of this method helps to minimize the risk of the failure of one of the crops and provides insurance against the crop failure due to abnormal weather conditions. The crops that are grown together should have a different maturation time and different water requirements.

Statement 3 is incorrect.
The Securities Appellate Tribunal (SAT) has overturned the Securities and Exchange Board of India’s (Sebi) fine on the National Stock Exchange (NSE) in the dark-fibre case.
The investigation focused on potential violations of regulations and circulars related to fraudulent and unfair trade practices.
About Dark Fiber:

• Dark fibre, also known as unlit fibre, is unused fibre-optic cable and infrastructure. It’s available for purchase or rent from network service providers.
• Dark fibre is used for private networking, internet access, and internet infrastructure networking. It’s typically used for telecom and network communications.
• Dark fibre is different from “lit fibre” which refers to cables that are actively being used. Dark fibre is inactive because no information is passed through it, so no light pulse is transmitted.

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.

• Soil microbiomes play a crucial role in maintaining healthy water and environmental stability. Moreover, they underpin global food security that eventually affects the overall sustainability of terrestrial life in multiple ways, the experts said in a study published in the journal Nature Communications on June 3, 2023.
• These microbiomes provide a habitat for microorganisms that benefit the environment by delivering important ecosystem and host functions. But they also work as a reservoir of human pathogens that induce antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and are sources of organic and inorganic pollutants.
• Soil microbiomes impact human and animal immune systems by interacting with them through food chains. They also directly influence the quality of the environment through air and water.
• Soil, for instance, “is a direct source of plant microbiomes, including beneficial and pathogenic microorganisms. Grazing herbivores are exposed to soil microbiomes via direct ingestion or the consumption of plant microbiomes, which provides a microbial source for the gut microbiome that can impact overall health and immune-system priming”.

Option 1, 2 and 3 is correct.
The Nordic countries are a geographical and cultural region in Northern Europe and the North Atlantic. It includes the sovereign states of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden; the autonomous territories of the Faroe Islands and Greenland; and the autonomous region of Åland.

Statement 1 is incorrect.

• A 35-year-old man from Mandkha, Uttar Pradesh, was booked under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, for “illegally” keeping and nursing an injured Sarus crane (Grus Antigone) he found in his village.
• The Sarus crane is usually found in wetlands and is the state bird of Uttar Pradesh. Standing at 152-156 centimetres, it is the world’s tallest flying bird.
• Under Section 39 of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, no person is allowed to acquire or keep in his possession, custody or control any wildlife which is state property. If anyone does so — for example, to treat an injured bird as in the present case — she must report it to the nearest police station or the authorised officer within forty-eight hours of obtaining such possession. Further, under Section 57 of the Act, if a person is found in possession, custody or control of any wildlife, the burden of proof for establishing that the possession, custody or control is not illegal is on the person.
• WLPA does not allow anyone to take home an injured wild bird and keep it for months without written permission from the state’s chief wildlife warden.

Option 1 and 2 is correct.

 The source of the Sutlej is west of the catchment area of Lake Rakshastal in Tibet, as springs in an ephemeral stream.

 Brahmaputra River has its source in southwest Tibet.

 Ravi river rises in the Bara Bhangal, District Kangra in Himachal Pradesh.

 Chenab river rises in the upper Himalayas in the Lahaul and Spiti district of Himachal Pradesh.

The Pink Bollworm (PBW) is causing significant damage to cotton fields in northern Rajasthan, Haryana, and Southwestern Punjab, with the infestation being more widespread and serious than before.
Farmers have been using Bt cotton seeds, which have lost their effectiveness against the PBW.
The pink bollworm (Pectinophora gossypiella) is an insect that is a pest in cotton farming. It is native to Asia but has become an invasive species in most cotton-growing countries around the world. It is considered possibly the most destructive pest on cotton worldwide.

Real power vests with the elected representatives of the people in a parliamentary form of democracy. The Governor, as an appointee of the President, is a titular head of the State. The Governor acts on the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers save in areas where the Constitution gives him discretion. The power to take decisions affecting the governance of the State or the nation is essentially entrusted to the elected arm of the state. 

• Madhya Pradesh, known as the “tiger state” of India due to its substantial tiger population, has officially designated a new protected area for these magnificent creatures called the ‘Veerangana Durgavati Tiger Reserve.’
• This newly established reserve becomes the seventh tiger reserve in the state.
• Madhya Pradesh has consistently held the title of the “tiger state,” with its tiger population increasing from 526 in 2018 to 785 in the 2022 census.
• The Veerangana Durgavati Tiger Reserve incorporates the previously recognized eco-sensitive zone of Nauradehi and Veerangana Durgavati sanctuaries, along with surrounding forest areas, into the buffer zone.

Statement 3 is incorrect.

• A company or business is said to be “over leveraged” if it has unsustainably high debt against its operating cash flows and equity. Such a company would find it difficult to make interest and principal repayments to its creditors, and may struggle to meet its operating expenses as well. In the latter case, the company may be forced to borrow even more just to keep going, and thus enter a vicious cycle. This situation can ultimately lead to the company going bankrupt.

• S1: The largest electorate in the world – 96.88 crores are registered to vote for the forthcoming General Elections in India. After months long intensive Special Summary Revision 2024 (SSR 2024) exercise and ahead of the General Elections 2024, the Election Commission of India has published the electoral rolls in all States/UTs across the country with reference to 1st January, 2024 as the qualifying date. This also included successful completion of revision of electoral rolls in Jammu & Kashmir and Assam, following the delimitation of constituencies. The endeavour, undertaken with meticulous planning, coordination and participation of political parties has yielded noteworthy achievements in terms of inclusivity, health and purity of the electoral rolls.
• S2: This revision was the first one since the government amended the election laws to allow four qualifying dates every year — January 1, April 1, July 1 and October 1. Those who turn 18 after January 1 were also asked to submit their registration forms during the SSR so they may be included in the rolls as and when they qualify. These new electors would be included during quarterly updation.

• Context: The Ministry of Defence has denotified civil areas of 10 cantonments, including ones in Uttarakhand, UP, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, and Rajasthan. The process involves merging these areas with state municipalities. Himachal Pradesh, with seven cantonments, is also undergoing this process, with Khas Yol already denotified.
• S1: Cantonments are civilian areas that are under the control of the military, and they usually have a civilian population living in them as well. Military stations, on the other hand, are purely military areas where only military personnel and their families reside.
• S2: Cantonment administration falls under the purview of the Union Government (Ministry of Defence), as outlined in the Cantonments Act, 2006, following the guidelines set by the 74th Constitutional Amendment. While the Union Government holds administrative authority, State Governments have the prerogative to implement schemes within Cantonment areas.

• Context: The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for 34 residential hostels across various states and central institutes (under PM-AJAY), in order to cater to the accommodation needs of Scheduled Castes (SC) and Other Backward Classes (OBC) students.
• Pradhan Mantri Anusuchit Jaati Abhuyday Yojana (PM- AJAY) is a merged scheme of 03 Centrally Sponsored Scheme namely Pradhan Mantri Adarsh Gram Yojana (PMAGY), Special Central Assistance to Scheduled Castes Sub Plan ( SCA to SCSP) and Babu Jagjivan Ram Chhatrawas Yojana(BJRCY) and has been implemented since 2021-22 with an aim to reduce poverty of the SC communities by generation of additional employment opportunities through Skill development, income generating schemes and other initiatives and to improve socio-economic developmental indicators by ensuring adequate infrastructure and requisite services in the SC dominated villages.

Statement 3 is incorrect.

Aichi Biodiversity Targets that expired in 2020. No single country met all 20 Aichi Targets within its own borders, according to a September 2020 UN assessment.

What were the Aichi Targets?

The Aichi Targets, adopted during the 2010 CBD summit in Nagoya, located in Japan’s Aichi prefecture, included goals such as reducing deforestation by at least half during the coming decade and curbing pollution so that it no longer harmed ecosystems.

After parties adopted the Aichi Targets, they were expected to devise their own national biodiversity strategies that would mimic the goals laid out by Aichi. Nearly all parties created these strategies, but most were never fully implemented.

• PM-JANMAN Yojana aids the development of particularly vulnerable tribal groups (PVTG).
• PM-Vishwakarma Yojana provides end-to-end support to artisans and craftspeople engaged in 18 trades
• Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) has played a pivotal role in providing access to clean cooking fuel, releasing 10 crore LPG connections to households.
• Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All (UJALA) program has contributed to energy efficiency by distributing over 37 crore LED bulbs, along with providing about 72 lakh LED tube lights and 23 lakh energy-efficient fans.

Today, GWR has over 75 adjudicators across the world, who determine whether a record has been broken or not. There is even an application process – one can apply to invite an adjudicator to witness a record being broken. However, there are some strict criteria that make a Guinness World Record.

A record must satisfy all of the following criteria to count.

• It should be objectively measurable.
• It should be breakable– it cannot be something so unique that only one person can do it.
• Similarly, it should also be standardisablewith a possibility to create a set of parameters and conditions that all challengers can follow.
• It should be verifiable.
• It should be based ononly one variable.
• It should be the best in the world. For any new record, GWR sets a minimum standard that has to be met for the record to be broken.

Statement 1 is incorrect.

The Indian Navy has unveiled new epaulettes for Admirals, inspired by the naval ensign and Chhatrapati Shivaji’s rajmudra, as part of an initiative to reflect India’s rich maritime heritage and move away from British nomenclature.

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s Rajmudra is a royal seal and symbol of his dream of a Maratha Swarajya.

The seal includes Sanskrit inscriptions that express Shivaji’s gratitude to his father and his commitment to ruling his land independently and the welfare of his subjects.

The Rajmudra’s text is in Sanskrit, unlike other royal seals from the time, which were usually carved in Persian.

Statement 3 is incorrect.

Changes in the environment especially due to anthropogenic activities have limited the population of pollinators (such as Bees). In such a situation, plants evolve to self-pollinate itself.

What is Self-pollination?

It is a reproductive process in plants where pollen from a flower’s male reproductive organs (anther) fertilizes the female reproductive organs (stigma) of the same flower or another flower on the same plant.

The mechanism ensures the plant’s ability to reproduce without relying on external pollinators like insects or wind.

Mechanism of the Self-Pollination:

• Anther and Stigma Proximity: In self-pollinating plants, the anther (producing pollen) is close to the stigma (receiving pollen) within the same flower.
• Pollen Transfer: Pollen grains are transferred from the anther to the stigma, either by physical contact or through the plant’s internal mechanisms.
• Fertilization: The pollen tube grows down the style to the ovary, where fertilization takes place, resulting in the formation of seeds.
• Genetic Similarity: Since both the pollen and the ovule come from the same plant, the offspring are genetically identical to the parent, leading to limited genetic diversity.

Self-pollination ensures reproductive success, especially in environments with limited pollinators, but it can also reduce genetic variability in plant populations and risk to the plant-pollinator interaction system.

Article 2 of the Constitution grants two powers to the parliament: the power to admit into the Union new states and the power to establish new states. It does not deal with the formation of or changes in the existing states of the Union. Article 3 deals with the internal re-adjustments of the territories. Hence, the increase in area of any state and altering the boundaries of states comes under the purview of Article 3.

Statement 1 is incorrect.

• The Mission on Advanced and High Impact Research has been launched jointly by the Ministry of Power and Ministry of New and Renewable Energy
• It is aimed to identify emerging technologies and areas of future relevance for the Global power sector and to take up indigenous end to end development of relevant Technologies.
• the mission will run for an initial period of 5 years from 2023-24 to 2027-28.
• It will be funded by Ministry of Power, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy and Central Public Sector Enterprises under these ministries
• additional funding if required, will be provided from budgetary sources of the central government.
• The mission will serve as a catalyst for National priorities such as achieving Net Zero emissions and promoting initiatives like Make in India and Start Up India
• it will also contribute towards achieving United Nations’ Sustainable Development goals.
• The project will support pilot projects of indigenous Technologies developed especially by Indian startups and facilitate their commercialisation.

MAHIR will work with premier institutions such as IITs, IIMs, NITs, IISR and universities on one hand and public and private power sector startups and established industries with the government acting as an enabler for creating an innovation ecosystem in the country.

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.