Test - 25 solutions.. - INSIGHTSIAS · investor’s home country. ... 20. Solution: a) The Triffin dilemma or paradox is the conflict of economic interests that arises between short-term

Insights Mock Tests – 2015: Test 25 Solutions

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1. Solution: d)

Union Cabinet has approved continuation of Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) programme . The continuation PSLV programme will enable Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to launch of satellites required for earth observation & navigation and Space Sciences. It will also help government to clinch commercial launch service contracts and meet the demand for the launch of satellites at a frequency of four to five launches per year. It was sanctioned by Union Government in 2008 to use PSLV as a workhorse vehicle to meet the country’s satellite launch requirements. The operationalisation of this programme has made India self-reliant in the launching capability of satellites for the purpose of earth observation, disaster management, space sciences and navigation.

2. Solution: d)

Urea is an inexpensive form of nitrogen fertilizer with an NPK (nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium) ratio of 46-0-0. Although urea is naturally produced in humans and animals, synthetic urea is manufactured with anhydrous ammonia. Although urea often offers gardeners the most nitrogen for the lowest price on the market, special steps must be taken when applying urea to the soil to prevent the loss of nitrogen through a chemical reaction.

Read more at http://homeguides.sfgate.com/urea-fertilizer-48588.html

3. Solution: d)

Union Government has decided to amend Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) norms for NRIs, Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs) and Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) to increase capital flows into the country. Government will amend FDI policy on investments by NRIs, PIOs & OCIs which will give them parity in economy and education. Now non-repatriable investments of NRIs, PIOs & OCIs under under Schedule 4 of FEMA regulations will considered as domestic investment.

4. Solution: a)



Word “Repatriation” is derived from the latin word “Repatriare” which means go home. Repatriation is the process of returning a person back to one’s place of origin or citizenship. The term is also used to refer to the process of converting a foreign currency back into the currency of the home country.

Repatriable NRI Investment : It refers to the investment wherein NRI can take the invested money back to foreign currency i.e., amount invested can be converted to an investor’s home country.

Non-Repatriable NRI Investment: It refers to the investment wherein NRI cannot convert invested money back to his home country.

5. Solution: d)

The fish is native to Western Ghats, a biodiversity hotspot. It is generally found in two streams of Mudba and Turad of Tunga River. The male of the Pethia striata species is red in colour and measures 3-4cm in length, while the female is grey with a striking pattern of scales. They are usually are found in small groups of 3-4 individuals in shallow pools.

he discovery of species is addition to the largest fish family which is scientifically called as Cyprinidae that includes goldfish, common carp and zebrafish.

6. Solution: b)

Ancient ruins of Palmyra dates back to the first and second Century when it was under Roman rule. Palmyra was once a Silk Road hub and one of the cultural centres of the ancient world. The city occupies mythological status in Syria and is home to some of the most beautiful and well-preserved ruins of antiquity, including the Temple of Bel, built in 1st century. Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militants have taken complete control of the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra. The city is a UNESCO designated World Heritage site and home to some of the world’s most magnificent ancient ruins. With the seizure of entire ancient city, there are fears that the militants will destroy the ancient ruins as there is no presence of government troops who had entirely withdrawn from the city following an IS advance. It should be noted that the ancient ruins are situated in a strategically important area on the road between Syria’s capital Damascus and the contested eastern city of Deir al-Zour.



7. Solution: b)

The Vernacular Press Act was passed in 1878 under the Governor Generalship and Viceroyalty of Lord Lytton, for better control of Indian language newspapers. The purpose of the Act was to control the printing and circulation of seditious material, specifically that which could produce disaffection against the British Government in India in the minds of the masses.

8. Solution: b)

The report has projected India’s economy to grow by 7.6 per cent in year 2015 and 7.7 per cent in 2016. While, it has projected China’s economic growth will be 7 per cent in year 2015 and 6.8 per cent in 2016.

The main reasons for strengthening of growth in this region will be because of stronger domestic consumption and investment, and increase in exports. The report has forecasted South Asian region’s GDP will grow by 6.7 per cent in 2015 and 6.9 per cent in 2016.

9. Solution: c)

Union Finance Ministry on 14 November 2014 announced that Goa and Kerala became the first states in the country to achieve 100 percent Financial Inclusion under Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY). Also, three Union Territories (UTs) namely Chandigarh, Puducherry and Lakshadweep achieved 100 percent financial inclusion.

And recently, Meghalaya has achieved 100 percent success in implementing Union Government’s flagship scheme for financial inclusion-Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojna (PMJDY).

10. Solution: b)

This discovered site is dry as Mars and has a mean atmospheric relative humidity (RH) of 17.3 percent and a soil RH of a constant 14 percent at a depth of one meter. Soil value taken form the MES site matches the lowest RH measurements taken on Mars by the Mars Science Laboratory at Gale Crater. Thus, making these conditions to establish the fact that this site is as dry as those found recently on the Martian surface. Apart from this scientist also have found some bacteria species living there in the soil profile. This discovery also has toppled the Yungay region which was the



driest area of the hyper-arid Atacama desert. Yungay region conditions were close to the so-called dry limit for life on Earth. However, with this discover MES is much drier than Yungay.

11. Solution: b)

There are several ways of removing particulate matter; the most widely used of which is the electrostatic precipitator (Figure 16.1), which can remove over 99 per cent particulate matter present in the exhaust from a thermal power plant. It has electrode wires that are maintained at several thousand volts, which produce a corona that releases electrons. These electrons attach to dust particles giving them a net negative charge. The collecting plates are grounded and attract the charged dust particles. The velocity of air between the plates must be low enough to allow the dust to fall.

12. Solution: c)

The catalysts, are fitted into automobiles for reducing emission of poisonous gases. As the exhaust passes through the catalytic converter, unburnt hydrocarbons are converted into carbon dioxide and water, and carbon monoxide and nitric oxide are changed to carbon dioxide and nitrogen gas, respectively. Motor vehicles equipped with catalytic converter should use unleaded petrol because lead in the petrol inactivates the catalyst.

13. Solution: b)

Plants, bacteria, fungi and animals whose genes have been altered by manipulation are called Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO). GM plants have been useful in many ways. Genetic modification has:

• made crops more tolerant to abiotic stresses (cold, drought, salt, heat). • reduced reliance on chemical pesticides (pest-resistant crops). • helped to reduce post harvest losses. • increased efficiency of mineral usage by plants (this prevents early exhaustion

of fertility of soil). • enhanced nutritional value of food, e.g., Vitamin ‘A’ enriched rice.

In addition to these uses, GM has been used to create tailor-made plants to supply alternative resources to industries, in the form of starches, fuels and pharmaceuticals.



14. Solution: b)

Some strains of Bacillus thuringiensis produce proteins that kill certain insects such as lepidopterans (tobacco budworm, armyworm), coleopterans (beetles) and dipterans (flies, mosquitoes). B. Thuringiensis forms protein crystals during a particular phase of their growth. These crystals contain a toxic insecticidal protein. Why does this toxin not kill the Bacillus? Actually, the Bt toxin protein exist as inactive protoxins but once an insect ingest the inactive toxin, it is converted into an active form of toxin due to the alkaline pH of the gut which solubilise the crystals.

15. Solution: d)

Ecologists and evolutionary biologists have proposed various hypotheses; some important ones are (a) Speciation is generally a function of time, unlike temperate regions subjected to frequent glaciations in the past, tropical latitudes have remained relatively undisturbed for millions of years and thus, had a long evolutionary time for species diversification, (b) Tropical environments, unlike temperate ones, are less seasonal, relatively more constant and predictable. Such constant environments promote niche specialisation and lead to a greater species diversity and (c) There is more solar energy available in the tropics, which contributes to higher productivity; this in turn might contribute indirectly to greater diversity.

16. Solution: b)

Active euthanasia: In this case medical professionals or another person deliberately do something that causes instant death of patient.

Passive euthanasia: In this case, the common treatments such as antibiotics or life support of patient are withhold which in turn leads to death.

Passive euthanasia is legal in India. On 7 March 2011 the Supreme Court of India legalised passive euthanasia by means of the withdrawal of life support to patients in a permanent vegetative state. The decision was made as part of the verdict in a case involving Aruna Shanbaug, who had been in a vegetative state for 42 years at King Edward Memorial Hospital until her death recently in 2015.

17. Solution: b)

A strategic partnership is a long-term interaction between two countries based on political, economic, social and historical factors. Such a partnership manifests itself



in a variety of relationships. India has signed “strategic partnerships” with more than 30 countries.

You can read this beautiful article for a better understanding.

http://thediplomat.com/2013/11/why-does-india-have-so-many-strategic-partners-and-no-allies/

18. Solution: d)

BoP is a statement that summarizes an economy’s transactions with the rest of the world for a specified time period. The balance of payments, also known as balance of international payments, encompasses all transactions between a country’s residents and its nonresidents involving goods, services and income; financial claims on and liabilities to the rest of the world; and transfers such as gifts. The balance of payments classifies these transactions in two accounts – the current account and the capital account. The current account includes transactions in goods, services, investment income and current transfers, while the capital account mainly includes transactions in financial instruments. An economy’s balance of payments transactions and international investment position (IIP) together constitute its set of international accounts. All the four options form a part of the capital account.

19. Solution: c)

Romesh Chandra Dutt, a retired ICS officer, published The Economic History of India at the beginning of the 20th century in which he examined in minute detail the entire economic record of colonial rule since 1757.

20. Solution: a)

The Triffin dilemma or paradox is the conflict of economic interests that arises between short-term domestic and long-term international objectives when a national currency also serves as a world reserve currency. The dilemma of choosing between these objectives was first identified in the 1960s by Belgian-American economist Robert Triffin. He pointed out that the country whose currency, being the global reserve currency, foreign nations wish to hold, must be willing to supply the world with an extra supply of its currency to fulfill world demand for these foreign exchange reserves, and thus cause a trade deficit.

The use of a national currency, e.g., the U.S. dollar, as global reserve currency leads to tension between its national and global monetary policy. This is reflected in



fundamental imbalances in the balance of payments, specifically the current account: some goals require an overall flow of dollars out of the United States, while others require an overall flow of dollars into the United States.

21. Solution: c)

Read this article to understand the context of the question. Explanation has already been given in the statements.

http://www.newindianexpress.com/business/news/Emerging-Markets-Need-Stronger-Safety-Net-to-Grow-Rajan/2015/05/23/article2828352.ece

Underline the term “prisoner’s dilemma” in the article.

22. Solution: c)

CGA is the principal Accounts Adviser to the Union Government. He is responsible for maintaining and establishing a technically sound management accounting system. Every month he prepares a critical analysis of revenues, expenditures, borrowings and the deficit for Union Finance Minister. He also prepares annual Union Finance Accounts and Appropriation Accounts (Civil) for presentation to the Parliament.

Union Ministry of Finance has recently appointed M J Joseph as the Controller General of Accounts (CGA). He will succeed Jawahar Thakur, who was recently appointed as OSD (Accounting Reforms) in the office of CGA.

23. Solution: d)

Royal Dutch Shell plc commonly known as Shell, is anAnglo Dutch multinational oil and gas company headquartered in the Netherlands and incorporated in the United Kingdom. Created by the merger of Royal Dutch Petroleum and UK-based Shell Transport & Trading, it is the fourth largest company in the world as of 2014, in terms of revenue, and one of the six oil and gas "supermajors".

As of January 2013 the largest shareholder is Capital Research Global Investors with 9.85% ahead of BlackRock in second with 6.89%.

Recently the United Steelworkers union striked against Royal Dutch Shell Plc at nine U.S. oil and chemical plants. Up until recently oil prices had undergone steep drops



since June, but the union's action as part of the supply chain caused the market price to soar more than eight percent.

24. Solution: a)

Warm-blooded animals generate their own heat and maintain a body temperature independent of the environment. They are also known as endotherms. It should be noted most of mammals and birds are warm-blooded animals.

Opah or moonfish has ability to circulate heated blood throughout its body which makes it first fish known to be fully warm-blood. It can internally generate heat through constant flapping of wing-like pectoral fins. Its unique structure also help to prevent this heat from being lost to the environment as its gills lets warm blood to heat up cold blood returning from the gills’ respiratory surface. This generated heat has an average muscle temperature about 4 to 50 C above the surrounding water temperature.

25. Solution: d)

http://www.nearfieldcommunication.org/about-nfc.html

http://www.in.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/What-is-NFC-and-why-is-it-in-your-phone/articleshow/38919446.cms

26. Solution: a)

Union Government formally launched Upgrading the Skills and Training in Traditional Arts/Crafts for Development (USTAAD) Scheme.

The Scheme aims at upgrading Skills and Training of minority communities by preservation of traditional ancestral Arts and Crafts. It also envisages boosting the skill of craftsmen, weavers and artisans who are already engaged in the traditional ancestral work. Under the scheme, assistance will be provided to traditional artisans to sell their products in order to make them more compatible with modern markets. It is fully funded by Union Government and Union Ministry of Minority Affairs is nodal agency in implementing it.

27. Solution: a)

The name Jainism derives from the Sanskrit verb ji, “to conquer.” It refers to the ascetic battle that, it is believed, Jain renunciants (monks and nuns) must fight



against the passions and bodily senses to gain omniscience and purity of soul or enlightenment. The most illustrious of those few individuals who have achieved enlightenment are called Jina (literally, “Conqueror”), and the tradition’s monastic and lay adherents are called Jain (“Follower of the Conquerors”), or Jaina.

28. Solution: c)

Mahatma Gandhi led the Civil Disobedience Movement that was launched in the Congress Session of December 1929. The aim of this movement was a complete disobedience of the orders of the British Government. During this movement it was decided that India would celebrate 26th January as Independence Day all over the country. On 26th January 1930, meetings were held all over the country and the Congress tricolour was hoisted. The British Government tried to repress the movement and resorted to brutal firing, killing hundreds of people. Thousands were arrested along with Gandhiji and Jawaharlal Nehru.

But the movement spread to all the four corners of the country Following this, Round Table Conferences were arranged by the British and Gandhiji attended the second Round Table Conference at London. But nothing came out of the conference and the Civil Disobedience Movement was revived.

During this time, Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru were arrested on the charges of throwing a bomb in the Central Assembly Hall (which is now Lok Sabha) in Delhi, to demonstrate against the autocratic alien rule. They were hanged to death on March 23, 1931.

29. Solution: c)

The Moro people or Bangsamoro are a population of indigenous Muslims in the Philippines, forming the largest non-Catholic group in the country, and comprising about 5% of the total Philippine population.

The Moro Insurgency in the Philippines is an ongoing insurgency in the predominantly-Muslim Southern Philippines. Recently it derailed a peace treaty and caused millions of dollars of revenue loss to Philippines government.

30. Solution: d)

The effect can be seen in the drawing up of liquids between the hairs of a paint-brush, in a thin tube, in porous materials such as paper, in some non-porous materials such as liquefied carbon fiber, or in a cell. It occurs because



of intermolecular forces between the liquid and surrounding solid surfaces. If the diameter of the tube is sufficiently small, then the combination of surface tension (which is caused by cohesion within the liquid) and adhesive forces between the liquid and container act to lift the liquid. In short, the capillary action is due to the pressure of cohesion and adhesion which cause the liquid to work against gravity

31. Solution: a)

Mangroves are defined as assemblages of salt tolerant trees and shrubs that grow in the intertidal regions of the tropical and subtropical coastlines. They grow luxuriantly in the places where freshwater mixes with seawater and where sediment is composed of accumulated deposits of mud.

Inter-tidal zone is the space on the shores between the areas of high tide and low tide. It is very rich in nutrients and hence supports the growth of Mangroves the best.

32. Solution: c)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_strategic_petroleum_reserves

33. Solution: a)

The troposphere is thicker over the equator than the poles because the equator is warmer. Heat differential on the planet's surface causes convection currents to flow from the equator to the poles. This implies that the warmer the weather, the thicker is the troposphere. Thus the simple reason is thermal expansion of the atmosphere at the equator and thermal contraction near the poles.

34. Solution: d)

There are both natural and human sources of methane emissions. The main natural sources include wetlands, termites and the oceans. Natural sources create 36% of methane emissions. Important human sources come from landfills, livestock farming, as well as the production, transportation and use of fossil fuels. Human-related sources create the majority of methane emissions, accounting for 64% of the total

Methane producing microbes living in the ocean create these emissions. This creates 10% of natural methane emissions. Globally, oceans create 19 million tonnes of methane annually.



The majority of oceanic methane emissions gets produced in deeper sediment layers of productive coastal areas.

35. Solution: c)

Supreme Court (SC) on 13 May 2015 issued a slew of guidelines on regulation of public advertisements. This guidelines seeks to prevent ruling politicians at all levels from misusing tax payers’ money to enhance their image or of their parties as it is against democratic principles. Only photographs of the President, Prime Minister (PM) and Chief Justice of India (CJI) can feature in the government advertisements with their prior approval. Besides, the photos of late national leaders like Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru can be used in these advertisements. Henceforth, official advertisements should not carry the name of any political party, political symbol, logo or flag. In order to regulate the issue of public advertisement and to keep check on framed guidelines to prevent its violation, Union government must constitute a three-member committee.

36. Solution: d)

Geo-engineering is still being debated. It includes activites like cloud seeding, installing large sunlight reflecting mirrors, feeding oceans with more minerals to increase phytoplanktons and carbon sinking. But these are not part of ecological engineering.

For the rest just scan through http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecological_engineering#Overview

37. Solution: c)

The boiling point of milk (100.17C) is slightly higher than of water (100C). When milk is heated, its relatively less dense constituents like the fat/proteins begin to float on top cream layer. So, milk vapor can’t pass through this upper layer. Due to this, at boiling point milk will overflow due to large quantity of milk vapor rupturing the cream layer. However, this does not happen in a Milk cooker which is a double-walled vessel. Its gap has water, which boils before milk. So, inner vessel remains at 100C. So, cream layer forms but milk vapor doesn’t form. That’s why milk does not overflow in a milk cooker.



38. Solution: a)

Avalokiteshvara, ( Sanskrit: avalokita, “looking on”; ishivara, “lord”) Chinese Guanyin, Japanese Kannon, the bodhisattva (“Buddha-to-be”) of infinite compassion and mercy, possibly the most popular of all Buddhist deities, beloved throughout the Buddhist world. He supremely exemplifies the bodhisattva’s resolve to postpone his own Buddhahood until he has helped every being on earth achieve emancipation.

Bodhisattva, (Sanskrit), Pali bodhisatta (“one whose goal is awakening”), in Buddhism, one who seeks awakening (bodhi)—hence, an individual on the path to becoming a buddha.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avalokite%C5%9Bvara

39. Solution: c)

Elements of sustainable agriculture includepermaculture, agroforestry, mixed farming, multiple cropping, and crop rotation.

Permaculture is a systems approach. It has many branches that include but are not limited toecological design, ecological engineering, environmental design, construction and integrated water resources management that develops sustainable architecture, regenerative and self-maintainedhabitat and agricultural systems modeled from natural ecosystems.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Permaculture#Common_practices

40. Solution: c)

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/science/Nasas-Messenger-spacecraft-makes-crashing-finale-into-Mercury/articleshow/47119133.cms

http://www.space.com/29281-messenger-spacecraft-mercury-crash.html

41. Solution: c)

Internet.org is a partnership between social networking services company Facebook and six mobile phone companies (Samsung, Ericsson, MediaTek, Opera Software, Reliance and Qualcomm) that plans to bring affordable access to selected Internet services to less developed countries by increasing efficiency, and facilitating the development of new business models around the provision of Internet access.



It has been criticized for violating net neutrality and favoring Facebook's own services over its rivals. An Indian journalist, in his reply to Mark Zuckerberg's article defending Internet.org in India, criticized Internet.org as "being just a Facebook proxy targeting India's poor" as it provides restricted Internet access to Reliance Telecom's subscribers in India. Until April 2015, Internet.org users could access (for free) only a few websites, and Facebook's role as gatekeeper in determining what websites were in that list was criticised for violating net neutrality.

42. Solution: c)

Every union territory is administered by the President acting through an administrator appointed by him. An administrator of a union territory is an agent of the President and not head of state like a governor. He does not have absolute veto power. Only in few cases like in concurrent list legislations, he needs to refer the bill to the President of India. At most, he can delay a bill.

43. Solution: b)

The council of ministers headed by the chief minister aid and advise the lt. governor in the exercise of his functions except in so far as he is required to act in his discretion. In the case of difference of opinion between the lt. governor and his ministers, the lt. governor is to refer the matter to the president for decision and act accordingly.

When a situation arises in which the administration of the territory cannot be carried on in accordance with the above provisions, the president can suspend their (above provisions) operation and make the necessary incidental or consequential provisions for administering the territory.

44. Solution: c)

The electoral college of the President consists of : a) Elected members of both the houses of the parliament b) Elected members of Legislative assemblies of the states and c) Elected members of assemblies of Delhi and Pudducherry.

45. Solution: d)

The President’s powers with respect to the Parliament are restricted by:



• The council of Ministers can be dismissed only when it has lost the confidence of the house.

• Lok Sabha can be dissolved only when no government can be formed. • And, there are only three grounds to issue an ordinance:

o The parliament should not be in session, whether one or both the houses o The subject must be very urgent that any delay in passing such a bill may

be against public interest, like in the recent case of Criminal law (amendment) ordinance, 2013.

o The council of ministers must advice the President to do so.

46. Solution: b)

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/225187/Gandhara-art

47. Solution: c)

NITI Ayog replaces Planning Commission as another executive body. It is not even a statutory body.

PMO is also an executive body set up under an order of cabinet.

Cabinet however finds mention under the constitution. Also, the constitution mentioned about the important parliamentary committee like PAC.

48. Solution: a)

On 22 March 1911, a royal proclamation announced that the Durbar would be held in December to commemorate the coronation in Britain a few months earlier of King George Vand Queen Mary and allow their proclamation as Emperor and Empress of India. Without public forewarning, the announcement of the move of India's capital from Calcutta to Delhi was also made at the Durbar.

Moreover, partition of Bengal was annlued seeing popular opposition; and Bihar, Orrisa and Chotanagpur were separated from Bengal’s jurisdiction.

49. Solution: b)

Provision for Address by the Head of State to Parliament goes back to the year 1921 when the Central Legislature was set up for the first time under the Government of India Act, 1919.



Today this can be seen when a) the house assembles for the first time; b) when a new government is sworn in; c) before the budget is presented etc.

50. Solution: c)

http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/k-4/stories/what-is-a-spacewalk-k4.html#.VWXp8a2qqko

51. Solution: b)

These soils are red to reddish yellow in colour and low in N, P, K, lime and magnesia. These soils are formed in-situ under conditions of high rainfall with alternation dry and wet periods. On account of heavy rainfall there is an excessive leaching of soil colloids and silica hence the soils are porous.

Due to high rainfalls, the organic matter created humic acid which aids the process of Desilication.

52. Solution: d)

The origin of India monsoon has traditionally been ascribed to the differential heating and cooling of the continent of Asia and the Indian Ocean and Monsoon were considered large scale land and sea breezes. This simplistic model fails to explain many of the complex issues associated with monsoon.

According to recent dynamic theories, the Monsoon is a highly complex phenomenon that happens due to seasonal migration of planetary winds and pressure belts following the sun and is closely influenced by the middle and upper tropospheric circulation. The occurrence and changing position of jet stream influence the origin and development of monsoons.

The presence of Himalayan ranges and Tibetan Plateau also have a close bearing on the origin of Monsoon. The jet streams that lie about 12 km in the troposphere are bifurcated by the Himalayan Mountains and the Tibetan Plateau. Moreover other global climatic phenomenon like El Nino and La Nina also affect rainfall pattern in Monsoon.

And it is ultimately circulated with the trade winds.



53. Solution: b)

Tropical Evergreen Rain Forests grow in areas where rainfall is more than 200 cm. They are mainly found on the slopes of the Western Ghats and the north-eastern regions of Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Assam, Nagaland, the Tarai areas of the Himalayas and the Andaman groups of Islands. The trees in these forests never shed their leaves all at a time in any part of the year. Under humid tropical condition, sub-soil water never dries up completely. So that during dry season, trees in these forests do not shed their leaves due to lack of sub-soil water supply. The trees in these belts have dense growth. Important varieties of trees are sisthu, chaplash, rosewood, mehogeny, bamboos, garjan and sandal wood.

54. Solution: a)

The Badami cave temples are a complex of temples located at Badami, a town in the Bagalkot District in the north part of Karnataka, India. They are considered an example of Indian rock-cut architecture, especially Badami Chalukya Architecture initiated during the 6th century. Badami previously known as Vapati Badami, the capital of the Early Chalukyas, who ruled much of Karnataka from middle of 6th until the middle of 8th centuries is suitated on the west bank of artificial lake filed with greenish water, dammed by an earthen wall faced with stone steps.

55. Solution: b)

Rohingya people speak Rohingya language.

Regions with significant populations

Burma (Arakan), Bangladesh, Malaysia,Pakistan, Saudi

Arabia, Thailand, Indonesia,India

Burma 735,000–800,000

Saudi Arabia 400,000

Bangladesh 300,000 - 500,000

Pakistan 200,000



Thailand 100,000

Malaysia 40,070[

56. Solution: d)

All posts whether that of a MP, MLA, Speaker, Vice-President, President etc. are concerned with legislative bodies/business in India.

FPTP is used for electing MPs. PR system is used for electing President. Nomination is used by President for nominating MPs to LS and RS.

57. Solution: b)

Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) (formerly known as Triana, unofficially known as GoreSat) is a NOAA Earth observation and space weather satellite launched by SpaceX on a Falcon 9 launch vehicle on 11 February 2015 from Cape Canaveral.

It was originally developed as a NASA satellite proposed in 1998 by then-Vice President Al Gore for the purpose of Earth observation. It is intended to be positioned at the Sun-Earth L1 Lagrangian point, 1,500,000 km (930,000 mi) from Earth, to monitor variable solar wind condition, provide early warning of approaching coronal mass ejections and observe phenomena on Earth including changes in ozone, aerosols, dust and volcanic ash, cloud height, vegetation cover and climate. At this location it will have a continuous view of the Sun and the sunlit side of the Earth. The satellite is planned to orbit the Sun-Earth L1 point in a six-month period, with a spacecraft-Earth-Sun angle varying from 4 to 15 degrees. It will take full-Earth pictures about every two hours and be able to process them faster than other Earth observation satellites.

58. Solution: c)



Question Hour: The first hour of every sitting of Parliament is generally reserved for the asking and answering of questions. Zero Hour: The time immediately following the Question Hour has come to be known as "Zero Hour". It starts at around 12 noon (hence the name) and members can, with prior notice to the Speaker, raise issues of importance during this time. Typically, discussions on important Bills, the Budget, and other issues of national importance take place from 2pm onwards.

59. Solution: a)

The constitution lays down three conditions without fulfilling which "No money out of the Consolidated Fund of India shall be appropriated" or withdrawn. These conditions are:

o the appropriation must be in accordance with a law authorising appropriation of money from the Consolidated Fund; and

o the appropriation should be for a "purpose provided in this Constitution"; and o the appropriation must be made "in the manner provided in this

Constitution" as the manner for appropriation of money from the Consolidated Fund of India (which is that of a regular budget)

60. Solution: d)



The governor holds an independent office under the constitution. Conventions like consulting the CM; Governor being from a different state etc. are not mentioned in the constitution. It is solely on the discretion of the President on how he wants to appoint the Governor (given some qualifications mentioned in the constitution of India)

61. Solution: d)

When a bill is passed by the legislative assembly and transmitted to the legislative council, the latter has four alternatives before it:

o it may pass the bill as sent by the assembly (i.e., without amendments); o it may pass the bill with amendments and return it to the assembly for

reconsideration; o it may reject the bill altogether; and o it may not take any action and thus keep the bill pending.

If the council passes the bill without amendments or the assembly accepts the amendments suggested by the council, the bill is deemed to have been passed by both the Houses and the same is sent to the the governor for his assent. On the other hand, if the assembly rejects the amendments suggested by the council or the council rejects the bill altogether or the council does not take any action for three months, then the assembly may pass the bill again and transmit the same to the council. If the council rejects the bill again or passes the bill with amendments not acceptable to the assembly or does not pass the bill within one month, then the bill is deemed to have been passed by both the Houses in the form in which it was passed by the assembly for the second time. Therefore, the ultimate power of passing an ordinary bill is vested in the assembly

62. Solution: c)

http://www.unctad.info/en/Infocomm/Agricultural_Products/Caoutchouc/Crop/Plant-profile-Hevea-brasiliensis/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_rubber

63. Solution: c)



The scheme is being implemented by the Ministry of Labour and Employment

First statement is wrong as it is still a proposal put forward recently by the new government at the centre.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Govt-proposes-complete-ban-on-child-labour-till-14-years/articleshow/47195609.cms

http://labour.gov.in/content/division/about-child-labour.php

64. Solution: d)

The Chief Justice of India must consult a collegium of judges. After this the President of India gives orders for the transfer of judges, even while the high courts come under the administrative control of the SC.

The state governments have no control over the HC judges. Only the Governor is consulted before appointing the judges and CJI of the HCs.

65. Solution: a)

The Bill seeks to amend the Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Act, 1988 by adding additional provisions that provides for stringent measures against violators in order to curb and check the generation of black money in the country. It also adds provisions for attachment and confiscation of benami properties and imposes fine with imprisonment. The Bill also has provision for prosecution and aims to act as a major avenue for blocking benami property, which leads to generation and holding of black money especially in real estate.

66. Solution: c)

There had been a lot of discussion and lobbying on MAT both in the budget and in the recently setup committee on MAT. Union Government has recently constituted Committee headed by Justice A.P. Shah to look into the issue of Minimum Alternate Tax (MAT) on Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs).

What is MAT?

In the past, a large number of companies showed book profits on their profit and loss account and at the same time distributed huge dividends. However, these companies



didn’t pay any tax to the government as they reported either nil or negative income under provisions of the Income-Tax Act. These companies were showing book profits and declaring dividends to their shareholders but were not paying any tax. These companies are popularly known as ‘zero tax’ companies.

More exemptions, deductions, and other incentives under the Income-Tax Act in the form of liberal rates of depreciation gradually led to the emergence of zero tax companies, which in spite of having high book profit were able to reduce their taxable income to nil. In order to bring such companies under the I-T net, Section 115JA was introduced from assessment year 1997-98.

Then, all companies having book profits under the Companies Act shall have to pay a minimum alternate tax at 18.5%. MAT is a way of making companies pay minimum amount of tax. It is applicable to all companies except those engaged in infrastructure and power sectors.

67. Solution: a)

Read just the introduction from the link below – it includes right speech, right conduct, right livelihood, right effort, right view, right intent, right mindfulness and right concentration.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noble_Eightfold_Path

68. Solution: b)

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/351624/Luni-River

69. Solution: c)

Varishtha Pension Bima Yojana (VPBY) will benefit the vulnerable section of society with limited resources as it will provide monthly pension ranging from Rs 500/ to Rs 5,000/ per month to senior citizens of the country. This scheme is for the benefit of citizens aged 60 years and above.

VPBY is like reverse of a normal insurance policy as in case of VPBY, the beneficiary gets an income at the overall rate of 9.38 % per annum on their deposits as they are being paid on monthly basis.



Under this revived Varishtha Pension Bima Yojana (VPBY), the senior citizens would get pension on fixed basis either on yearly or monthly basis which will provide social security to senior citizens. LIC of India has been given the sole privilege to operate this scheme.

70. Solution: d)

The last great king of the Gupta was Skanda Gupta was ascended the throne about 455 A.D. Even during the later years of Kumar Gupta's reign, the empire was attacked by a tribe called Pushyamitra but it was repulsed, And immediately after the accession of Skanda Gupta, Hunas made inroads, but they too were repelled.

However, fresh waves of Invaders arrived and shattered the fabric of the Gupta Empire. Although in the beginning the Gupta king Skanda Gupta tried effectively to stem the march of the Hunas into India, his successors proved to be weak and could not cope with the Huna invaders, who excelled in horsemanship and who possibly used stirrups made of metal,

The Gupta empire was further undermined by the rise of the feudatories. The governors appointed by the Gupta kings in north Bengal and their feudatories in Samatata or south-east Bengal broke away from the Gupta control.

After the middle of the fifth century the Gupta kings made desperate attempts to maintain their gold currency by reducing the content of pure gold in it. The loss of western India complete by the end of the fifth century, must have deprived the Gutpas of the rich revenues from trade and commerce and crippled them economically, and the princes of Thaneswar established their power in Haryana and then gradually moved on to Kanauj.

71. Solution: c)

The Dīn-i Ilāhī was a syncretic religion propounded by the Mughal emperor Akbar the Great in 1582 AD, intending to merge the best elements of the religions of his empire, and thereby reconcile the differences that divided his subjects. The elements were primarily drawn from Islam and Hinduism, but some others were also taken from Christianity, Jainism and Zoroastrianism.

Din-i-Ilahi prohibits lust, sensuality, slander and pride, considering them sins. Piety, prudence, abstinence and kindness are the core virtues. The soul is encouraged to purify itself through yearning of God. Celibacy is respected and the slaughter of animals is forbidden.



72. Solution: d)

In summer and winter, water across layers of lake hardly mixes. So, either the upper layer or deep water is cold or warm. Hence, there is little churning of oxygen and nutrients. But, due to similar water temperatures at both surface and under water in autumn and spring, water tends to mix.

73. Solution: d)

Various Committees on Panchayati Raj :

• Balwant Rai Mehta : Estd 1957 • V.T.Krishnammachari : 1960 • Takhatmal Jain Study Group: 1966 • Ashok Mehta Committee : 1977 • G.V.K Rao committee :1985 • Sarkaria Commission : 1986 • Dr.L.M.Singhvi Committee:1986

74. Solution: c)

Rotation of earth is maximum at the equator and minimum at the poles. The rotation of the earth pushes objects away from its surface. The gravitational force pulls it inwards. The difference is the weight of the object. So the higher the rotation speed of the earth, the lesser weight you will experience.

The period of revolution of the earth does not concern itself with gravity and weight.

Moreover, if the radius of the earth changes, the gravitational force acting on you will change, hence your weight.

75. Solution: a)

As traditional breeding techniques failed to keep pace with demand and to provide sufficiently fast and efficient systems for crop improvement, another technology called tissue culture got developed. It was learnt by scientists, during 1950s, that whole plants could be regenerated from explants, i.e., any part of a plant taken out and grown in a test tube, under sterile conditions in special nutrient media.



This method of producing thousands of plants through tissue culture is called micro-propagation. Each of these plants will be genetically identical to the original plant from which they were grown, i.e., they are somaclones. Many important food plants like tomato, banana, apple, etc., have been produced on commercial scale using this method.

76. Solution: a)

Magna Carta (Latin for "the Great Charter"), also called Magna Carta Libertatum (Latin for "the Great Charter of the Liberties"), is a charter agreed by King John of England at Runnymede, near Windsor, on 15 June 1215. First drafted by the Archbishop of Canterbury to make peace between the unpopular King and a group of rebel barons, it promised the protection of church rights, protection for the barons from illegal imprisonment, access to swift justice, and limitations on feudal payments to the Crown, to be implemented through a council of 25 barons. Neither side stood behind their commitments, and the charter was annulled by Pope Innocent III, leading to the First Barons' War.

The four remaining original copies of the Magna Carta go on public display at the British Library in London to commemorate the 800th anniversary signing of the document in June 1215.

77. Solution: d)

Refer to this link. It has been explained very well. It mentions other diseases too.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/15-diseases-india-can-stamp-out-by-improving-sanitation/article1-1270690.aspx

78. Solution: c)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UNESCO

79. Solution: d)

It is basically rational and non-populist public expenditure that does not rely solely on cutting public expenditure (but also relies on increasing revenue). Refer to http://www.thehindu.com/business/budget/fiscal-prudence-needed-to-put-economy-on-track/article6191798.ece



80. Solution: a)

Some LED lamps are made to be a directly compatible drop-in replacement for incandescent or fluorescent lamps. An LED lamp packaging may show the lumen output, power consumption in watts, color temperature in kelvins or description (e.g. "warm white"), operating temperature range, and sometimes the equivalent wattage of an incandescent lamp of similar luminous output.

Most LEDs do not emit light in all directions, and their directional characteristics affect the design of lamps. Although through the progression of time, omnidirectional lamps are becoming more common, allowing for 360° light spread. The light output of single LEDs is less than that of incandescent and compact fluorescent lamps; in most applications multiple LEDs are used to form a lamp, although high-power versions (see below) are becoming available.

LED chips need controlled direct current (DC) electrical power; an appropriate circuit is required to convert alternating current from the supply to the regulated low voltage direct current used by the LEDs. LEDs are adversely affected by high temperature, so LED lamps typically include heat dissipation elements such as heat sinks and cooling fins.

81. Solution: b)

CRR is the amount of cash that banks keep with RBI. If CRR is more, they have less to give as loan. This reduced money supply in the market.

In addition to this higher interest rates will further discourage investments. Therefore, the net result will be a tight monetary policy leading to lower investments.

82. Solution: b)

These are loans raised by the government from the public which are called market borrowings, borrowing by the government from the Reserve Bank and commercial banks and other financial institutions through the sale of treasury bills, loans received from foreign governments and international organisations, and recoveries of loans granted by the central government. Other items include small savings (Post-Office Savings Accounts, National Savings Certificates, etc), provident funds and net receipts obtained from the sale of shares in Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs).

83. Solution: d)



In the last four decades (1972-2010), people have moved from self-employment and regular salaried employment to casual wage work. Yet self-employment continues to be the major employment provider. Scholars call this process of moving from self-employment and regular salaried employment to casual wage work as casualisation of workforce. This makes the workers highly vulnerable due to lack of proper legal protection, tough work conditions and social security schemes.

The last statement is exaggerated. There is no concrete evidence to show that it leads to lower economic growth of a country.

84. Solution: b)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biosphere_reserves_of_India

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nokrek_National_Park

85. Solution: d)

Per capita Income = NNP = GDP – Depreciation + Net Income from abroad.

As you vary these three factors, NNP will change.

Depreciation can be logical or artificial ( state dictated). Though economies fix their rates of depreciation, international bodies fix their own rates of depreciation while ranking nations on the basis of national income.

86. Solution: c)

The oil and gas industry is usually divided into three major sectors: upstream, midstream and downstream. The upstream oil sector is also commonly known as the exploration and production (E&P) sector.

The upstream sector includes the searching for potential underground or underwater crude oil and natural gas fields, drilling of exploratory wells, and subsequently drilling and operating the wells that recover and bring the crude oil and/or raw natural gas to the surface.

The midstream sector involves the transportation (by pipeline, rail, barge, oil tanker or truck), storage, and wholesale marketing of crude or refined petroleum products.



The downstream sector commonly refers to the refining of petroleum crude oil and the processing and purifying of raw natural gas, as well as the marketing and distribution of products derived from crude oil and natural gas.

87. Solution: b)

http://steel.gov.in/overview.htm

88. Solution: a)

Ocean currents are of two type’s viz. Surface Currents and Deep Currents. Surface currents affect surface water above the pycnocline (<10% of ocean water). These currents are primarily driven by major wind belts. The Deep currents affect deep water below pycnocline (90% of ocean water) and are primarily driven by density differences. The deep currents are larger and slower than surface currents.

89. Solution: d)

Tides are a very complex phenomenon. For any particular location, their height and fluctuation in time depends to varying degrees on the location of the Sun and the Moon, and to the details of the shape of the beach, coastline, coastline depth and prevailing ocean currents.

The tidal bulge of the Moon follows along the path on the earth's surface which intersects with the orbital plane of the Moon. This plane is tilted about 23 degrees with respect to the equatorial plane of the earth. The result is that near the equator, the difference between high tide and low tide is actually rather small, compared to other latitudes. To see this, draw a circle inscribed in an ellipse, with the major axis of the ellipse rotated by 23 degrees with respect to the circle's horizontal diameter. Now measure the height of the elliptical contour just above the 'equator' of the circle. You will see that it is quite small compared to other positions on earth, particularly at latitudes of 23 degrees or so. Even larger differences can occur depending on the shape of a bay or inlet or continental shelf.

90. Solution: c)

Subduction is responsible for high rates of volcanism, earthquakes, and mountain building. When the large pieces of material on the subducting plate are pressed into the overriding plate, it results in the Orogeny or Mountain formation. These areas are subject to many earthquakes.



In the ocean bed, earthquake can lead to a s tsunami because of displacement of a large quantity of water in a very short period of time.

91. Solution: c)

There are different ways of heating and cooling of the atmosphere.

The earth after being heated by insolation transmits the heat to the atmospheric layers near to the earth in long wave form. The air in contact with the land gets heated slowly and the upper layers in contact with the lower layers also get heated. This process is called conduction.

Conduction takes place when two bodies of unequal temperature are in contact with one another, there is a flow of energy from the warmer to cooler body. The transfer of heat continues until both the bodies attain the same temperature or the contact is broken. Conduction is important in heating the lower layers of the atmosphere.

The air in contact with the earth rises vertically on heating in the form of currents and further transmits the heat of the atmsphere. This process of vertical heating of the atmosphere is known as convection. The convective transfer of energy is confined only to the troposphere.

The transfer of heat through horizontal movement of air is called advection. Horizontal movement of the air is relatively more important than the vertical movement.

92. Solution: d)

Just scan through this link. No need to read in detail. Just grasp the central idea of the philosophy. It is important for UPSC.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C4%ABm%C4%81%E1%B9%83s%C4%81#Epistemology

93. Solution: c)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyclone#Tropical

Although their effects on human populations can be devastating, tropical cyclones can also relieve drought conditions. They also carry heat and energy away from the tropics and transport it toward temperate latitudes, which makes them an important



part of the global atmospheric circulation mechanism. As a result, tropical cyclones help to maintain equilibrium in the Earth's troposphere.

94. Solution: c)

Archaeological records provide no immediate answers for a centre of power or for depictions of people in power in Harappan society. But, there are indications of complex decisions being taken and implemented. For instance, the extraordinary uniformity of Harappan artefacts as evident in pottery, seals, weights and bricks. These are the major theories:

• There was a single state, given the similarity in artefacts, the evidence for planned settlements, the standardised ratio of brick size, and the establishment of settlements near sources of raw material.

• There was no single ruler but several: Mohenjo-daro had a separate ruler, Harappa another, and so forth.

• Harappan society had no rulers, and everybody enjoyed equal status.

95. Solution: d)

The conditions for tropical cyclones have been covered in NCERT textbooks but this link below explains it even better.

http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/tcfaq/A15.html

96. Solution: a)

In Bengal, the indigo planters, nearly all Europeans, exploited the local peasants by forcing them to grow indigo on their lands instead of the more paying crops like rice. The planters forced the peasants to take advance sums and enter into fraudulent contracts which were then used against the peasants.

The planters also tried methods like evictions and enhanced rents. The ryots replied by going on a rent strike by refusing to pay the enhanced rents and by physically resisting the attempts to evict them.

Gradually, they learned to use the legal machinery and initiated legal action supported by fund collection.



The Bengali intelligentsia played a significant role by supporting the peasants’ cause through newspaper campaigns, organisation of mass meetings, preparing memoranda on peasants’ grievances and supporting them in legal battles.

The Government appointed an indigo commission to inquire into the problem of indigo cultivation. Based on its recommendations, the Government issued a notification in November 1860 that the ryots could not be compelled to grow indigo and that it would ensure that all disputes were settled by legal means.

97. Solution: d)

The Bardoli taluqa in Surat district had witnessed intense politicisation after the coming of Gandhi on the national political scene. The movement sparked off in January 1926 when the authorities decided to increase the land revenue by 30 per cent.

The Congress leaders were quick to protest and a Bardoli Inquiry Committee was set up to go into the issue. The committee found the revenue hike to be unjustified. In February 1926, Vallabhbhai Patel was called to lead the movement.

It set the condition that first the enhanced rent be paid by all the occupants (not actually done). Then, a committee went into the whole affair and found the revenue hike to be unjustified and recommended a rise of 6.03 per cent only.

During the 1930s, the peasant awakening was influenced by the Great Depression in the industrialised countries and the Civil Disobedience Movement which took the form of no-rent, no-revenue movement in many areas.

98. Solution: c)

https://www.speedsolving.com/wiki/index.php/Rubik%27s_Cube_Fact_sheet

http://www.mathematische-basteleien.de/rubikscube.htm

99. Solution: a)

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/energy/2014/02/1402277-global-warming-2-degree-target/



100. Solution: d)

These are the opening words of the preamble to the Indian Constitution

“ WE, THE PEOPLE OF INDIA, having solemnly resolved to constitute India into a SOVEREIGN SOCIALIST SECULAR DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC and to secure to all its citizens:

JUSTICE, social, economic and political;

LIBERTY of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship;

EQUALITY of status and of opportunity;

and to promote among them all

FRATERNITY assuring the dignity of the individual and the unity and integrity of the Nation;

IN OUR CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY this twenty-sixth day of November, 1949, do HEREBY ADOPT, ENACT AND GIVE TO OURSELVES THIS CONSTITUTION.

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Test - 25 solutions.. - INSIGHTSIAS · investor’s home country. ... 20. Solution: a) The Triffin dilemma or paradox is the conflict of economic interests that arises between short-term