Karnataka (KAS) Prelims Paper-I Mock Test- 9 - KPSC KAS (Karnataka) MCQ

• Context: The Central government has declared September 17 as ‘Hyderabad Liberation Day’ annually, commemorating the integration of Hyderabad into the Indian Union in 1948.
• The announcement, made by the Ministry of Home Affairs through a gazette notification, honours the martyrs who liberated Hyderabad from Nizam’s rule during Operation Polo. This decision aims to instil patriotism.

Explanation: What is the UDGAM portal?

• Developed by RBI, it stands for Unclaimed Deposits-Gateway to Access inforMation. It serves as a centralized platform for the public to search for unclaimed deposits across multiple banks.
• The portal allows users to search for various types of accounts covered by the Depositor Education and Awareness (DEA) Fund of RBI. Users are required to register on the portal and provide specific inputs depending on whether they are searching for individual or non-individual accounts. While the portal facilitates the search for unclaimed deposits, it does not enable users to settle or claim these deposits directly; claims must be made directly with the respective bank.
• As of March 4, 2024, 30 banks are part of the UDGAM portal, covering approximately 90% of unclaimed deposits in the DEA Fund. Each unclaimed deposit is assigned a unique Unclaimed Deposit Reference Number (UDRN) generated by banks, ensuring seamless settlement of claims.

• Context: The Union Cabinet, led by the PM, approved the establishment of three semiconductor units as part of the ‘Development of Semiconductors and Display Manufacturing Ecosystems in India’ initiative.
• When a semiconductor is exposed to light, it can absorb photons with energies greater than the bandgap energy. This absorption can excite electrons from the valence band to the conduction band, creating additional charge carriers and thereby increasing the conductivity of the semiconductor. Hence option C is the correct answer.

The Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) is a non-profit organisation that hosts high-level forums for leaders from government, business and academia in Asia and other continents to share their vision on the most pressing issues in this region and the world at large. BFA is modelled on the World Economic Forum held annually in Davos. 

Key Budget documents include:

• Annual Financial Statement (Article 112)
• Demands for Grants (Article 113)
• Finance Bill (Article 110)
• Fiscal Policy Statements mandated under the FRBM Act, 2003, including
• The Macro-Economic Framework Statement and
• The Medium-Term Fiscal Policy cum Fiscal Policy Strategy Statement.

Only Statement 1 is correct.

• Lothal was one of the southernmost sites of the Indus Valley civilization, located in the Bhāl region of what is now the state of Gujarat. The port city is believed to have been built in 2,200 BC.
• Lothal was nominated in April 2014 as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and its application is pending on the tentative list of UNESCO. As per the nomination dossier submitted to UNESCO, “The excavated site of Lothal is the only port-town of the Indus Valley Civilisation. A metropolis with an upper and a lower town had in on its northern side a basin with vertical wall, inlet and outlet channels which has been identified as a tidal dockyard.

Statement 2 is incorrect.

• Rare iridescent clouds, known as nacreous clouds, were spotted over parts of Scotland, northern England, and the West Midlands recently.
• The clouds, resembling mother of pearl, are known for their pastel light reflections during sunset and sunrise.
• This phenomenon occurs as sunlight diffracts around tiny ice crystals within the clouds, creating an effect similar to a thin layer of oil on water.
• Nacreous clouds are rare in the UKand are usually seen when cold air from the polar vortex temporarily hovers over the region.

Statement 2 is incorrect.

A Camelid refers to any of the even-toed ungulates of the family Camelidae. 

• The United Nations has declared 2024 as the International Year of Camelidsto emphasize the significant importance of camelids, such as alpacas, Bactrian camels, dromedaries, guanacos, llamas, and vicuñas, in the lives of people worldwide.
• Camelids contribute to food security, nutrition, and economic growth in over 90 countries, especially for Indigenous Peoples and local communities.
• They play a crucial role in meeting Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by providing sources of milk, meat, fibre, and transportation.

Statement 2 is incorrect.
Advantages of Indian raw sugar in the International Market:

• Season advantage: India’s crushing is from October to April, whereas Brazilian mills operate from April to November. Hence, importers are utilising Indian raw sugar during Brazil’s off-season.
• Freight cost savings: India is much closer to its major sugar importers (compared to Brazil) and therefore less freight cost.
• Indian sugar is free of dextran: Dextran is a bacterial compound formed when sugarcane stays in the sun for too long after harvesting.

Indian raw sugar has no dextran, as it is produced from fresh cane crushed within 12-24 hours of harvesting (compared to 48 hours or more in Brazil) India’s sugar has a higher % of sucrose present.

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.

Statement 3 is incorrect.

• Green Credit Program (GCP) notified on 13th October, 2023 is an innovative market-based mechanism designed to incentivize voluntary environmental actions across diverse sectors, by various stakeholders like individuals, communities, private sector industries, and companies. The GCP’s governance framework is supported by an inter-ministerial Steering Committee and The Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) serves as the GCP Administrator, responsible for program implementation, management, monitoring, and operation.
• In its initial phase, the GCP focuses on two key activities: water conservation and afforestation.
• The Green Credit Registry and trading platform, being developed by ICFRE along with experts, would facilitate the registration and thereafter, the buying and selling of Green Credits.

Option 4 is incorrect.

• The disqualification of an MP convicted for an offence can happen in two instances.
• First, if the offence for which he is convicted is listed in Section 8(1) of the Representation of the People Act of 1951. This includes certain specific offences such as promoting enmity between two groups, bribery and undue influence or personation at an election. Defamation does not fall under this list.
• Second, if the lawmaker is convicted for any other offence but is sentenced for a period of two years or more. Section 8(3) of the RPA mandates that an MP can be disqualified if convicted and sentenced to not less than two years of imprisonment.

• Milk of magnesia is a medium basic compound because its pH is not so high and not so low. The pH of milk of magnesia is 10.5.
• Egg white is one of the few food products that is naturally alkaline, with an initial pH value that can be as low as 7.6 at time of lay, but with increasing alkalinity as the egg ages, and can reach pH of 9.2.
• Black coffee typically has a pH of about 5 and is thus slightly acidic. It is acidic, with pH between 4 and 5, depending on the beans, roasting, and brewing.
• Lemon juice has a pH between 2 and 3.

Statement 1 is incorrect.

 The National Food Security Act (NFSA) 2013 expanded the coverage of the PDS substantially.

 The law mandates that 50% of the urban and 75% of the rural populations must be covered by the PDS. 

 The NFSA requires that the latest completed Census be used to calculate the total PDS coverage. 

 Some States use their own budgets to “top up” PDS coverage through the Open Market Sale Scheme (OMSS) — for example, Tamil Nadu — or local procurement — for example, Odisha and Chhattisgarh.

Only Statement 1 is correct.

Daylight saving time (DST) is the practice of setting the clocks forward one hour from the standard time during the summer and back again in the autumn. This is done to make better use of natural daylight. India does not follow daylight saving time as countries near the Equator do not experience high variations in daytime hours between seasons.

• The Health Ministry’s unique “adopt a TB-patient” (Ni-kshay Mitras) initiative — probably the only one-of-its-kind in the world.
• The programme was brought in to fill the critical “community’’ elements into India’s fight towards the Pradhan Mantri TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan aimed at eliminating TB by 2025.
• Ni-kshay Mitra (Donor) for this programme includes co-operative societies, corporates, elected representatives, individuals, institutions, non-governmental organisations, political parties and partners who can support by adopting the health facilities (for individual donor), blocks/urban wards/districts/States for accelerating the response against TB to complement the government efforts, as per the district-specific requirements in coordination with the district administration.
• Free diagnostics, free drugs and Ni-kshay Poshan Yojana provided by the National TB Elimination Programme (NTEP) to all the TB patients notified from both the public and the private sector.

Statement 2 is incorrect.

• Under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA), NGOs and associations registered to receive foreign contributions must now annually declare details of movable and immovable assets created using those contributions.
• FCRA was enacted during the Emergency in 1976 amid apprehensions that foreign powers were interfering in India’s affairs by pumping money into the country through independent organisations.
• The law sought to regulate foreign donations to individuals and associations so that they functioned in a manner consistent with the values of a sovereign democratic republic.

The RBI defines a wilful default as a situation where a borrower fails to meet repayment obligations despite having the capacity to do so, diverting the loan for purposes other than its intended use, siphoning off funds that are no longer available in other forms, or disposing of assets securing a term loan without informing the lender.

• Statement 3 is not correct.
• He was one of few founding members of the Great Indian Peninsula Railway along with Sir Jamsetjee Jejeebhoy and David Sasson.
• He became the first Indian to be nominated to the Bombay Legislative Council under the Act of 1861, and became a member of the Bombay Board of Education. He also was the first Indian member of the Asiatic Society of Mumbai, and is known to have endowed a school and donated land in Grant Road for a theater.

• S1: The Pritzker Architecture Prize is specifically focused on honoring excellence in architecture, not urban planning.
• S2: Established in 1979 by the Pritzker family of Chicago, it recognizes living architects for their significant contributions to humanity and the built environment.
• S3: The laureate receives $100,000 and a bronze medallion. Riken Yamamoto, the ninth laureate from Japan, is known for projects like the Hiroshima Nishi Fire Station (2000) and the Koyasu Elementary School (2018), which emphasize transparency and interaction in architectural design.

• Only statements 2 and 3 are correct.
• Context: The Supreme Court ruled that MPs and MLAs can’t claim immunity for bribery. Article 105(2) and 194(2) protections have been overturned.
  • The case involved Sita Soren (daughter-in-law of JMM chief Shibu Soren) accused of taking bribes for the vote.
• S2: The parliamentary privileges do not extend to the President who is also an integral part of the Parliament. Article 361 of the Constitution provides for privileges for the President.
• S1 and S3: Originally, the Constitution (Article 105) expressedly mentioned two privileges, that is, freedom of speech in Parliament and right of publication of its proceedings. With regard to other privileges, it provided that they were to be the same as those of the British House of Commons, its committees and its members on the date of its commencement (ie, 26 January, 1950), until defined by Parliament.
• The 44th Amendment Act of 1978 provided that the other privileges of each House of Parliament, its committees and its members are to be those which they had on the date of its commencement (ie, 20 June, 1979), until defined by Parliament. This means that the position with regard to other privileges remains same. In other words, the amendment has made only verbal changes by dropping a direct reference to the British House of Commons, without making any change in the implication of the provision.
• It should be noted here that the Parliament, till now, has not made any special law to exhaustively codify all the privileges. They are based on five sources, namely, 1. Constitutional provisions, 2. Various laws made by Parliament, 3. Rules of both the Houses, 4. Parliamentary conventions, and 5. Judicial interpretations.

Only Statement 2 is correct.

The Mekong River is a significant transboundary river in East and Southeast Asia, ranked as the world’s twelfth-longest and Asia’s third-longest. It originates from the Tibetan Plateau. Despite being a crucial trade route between Tibet and Southeast Asia, its extreme seasonal fluctuations and natural obstacles like rapids and waterfalls pose challenges to navigation

• The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has launched the GHAR (GO Home and Re-Unite) Portalfor the digital monitoring and tracking of the restoration and repatriation of children as per the protocols under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015.
• The portal facilitates the digital tracking and monitoring of children in the Juvenile Justice system who need to be repatriated to another country, state, or district.
• It enables the digital transfer of cases to the concerned Juvenile Justice Board/Child Welfare Committee for speedy repatriation and allows for requests for translators or interpreters if required.

Statement 2 is incorrect.

• Jeera is an extremely weather-sensitive crop. It requires a moderately cool and dry climate sans any humidity, which is conducive for fungal infestation during the crop’s flowering and seed development stages. That naturally limits the area of cultivation to Saurashtra, Kutch and the northern parts of Gujarat and adjoining districts of western Rajasthan such as Jalore, Barmer, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Pali and Nagaur. Unjha, enjoying the strategic advantage of being in the centre of the country’s jeera cultivation belt, has become the price-setting market for the crop.
• India accounts for some 70% of the world’s production of this seed spice. Other countries such as Syria, Turkey, UAE and Iran make up the balance 30%.
• India’s jeera production is meant for both its domestic market as well as for export. The top export destinations include China, Bangladesh, US, UAE, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey. China has been importing Indian cumin aggressively.

Statement 3 is incorrect.

Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora is an international agreement between governments to ensure that international trade in wild animals and plants does not threaten the survival of the species. The convention entered into force in 1975 and India became the 25th party — a state that voluntarily agrees to be bound by the Convention — in 1976.

All import, export and re-export of species covered under CITES must be authorised through a permit system.

Every two years, the Conference of the Parties (CoP), the supreme decision-making body of CITES, applies a set of biological and trade criteria to evaluate proposals from parties to decide if a species should be in Appendix I or II.

The number of loan accounts for the microfinance industry increased to 136.3 million in FY23, from 123.9 million in FY22, posting a year-on-year (y-o-y) growth of 10%. Lender-wise figures showed that NBFCs registered highest y-o-y growth of 23%, followed by NBFC-MFIs at 15%, not-for profits or NFPs at 6%, banks at 6%, and small finance banks at 5%. 

• Indonesia’s Mount Marapi erupted again recently.
• Marapi is known for sudden eruptions that are difficult to predict because they are not caused by a deep movement of magma, which sets off tremors that register on seismic monitors.

Statement 3 is incorrect.

Decisions taken under Chapter VII, such as economic sanctions or other sections like international security, are binding on UN members; the Security Council is the only UN body with the authority to issue binding resolutions. The UNGA can only make recommendations in this regard.

Decisions that are vetoed by the P-5 cannot be submitted for the review of the UNGA. Also, the UNSC is the authority under the UN charter to take action in situations threatening international peace and security.