UPSC Weekly Current Affairs Quiz : July 23 to July 29, 2023

You can send your queries at manas.srivastava@indianexpress.com or join Telegram: The Indian Express UPSC Hub or ask me Live!  on August 2.

QUESTION 1

The term “tail strike” was in the news. Consider the following statements about the tail strike:

1. It refers to an incident where the tail of an aircraft hits the ground or strikes any other stationary object.

2. Majority of the tail strikes happen during takeoff.

3. Most tail strikes are attributed due to technical errors.

How many of the statements given above are correct?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) All three

(d) None

QUESTION 2

With reference to the India-Myanmar, consider the following statements:

1. Free Movement Regime is a mutually agreed arrangement between the countries that allow tribes living along the border on either side to travel up to 16 km inside the other country without a visa.

2. The border between India-Myanmar runs through three states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Meghalaya.

3. Assam Rifles are deployed along this border to monitor and check infiltration across the border.

How many of the statements given above are correct?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) All three

(d) None

QUESTION 3

With reference to the delisting of securities, consider the following statements:

1. It is done by the Reserve Bank of India.

2. If a company wants to delist its securities, it needs to buy back 50 per cent of the total issued shares.

How many of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

QUESTION 4

With reference to the no-confidence motion, consider the following statements:

1. Any Member of Parliament, who can garner the support of 50 colleagues, can, at any point of time, introduce a motion of no-confidence against the Council of Ministers.

2. It is provided in the Constitution of India.

3. It can be moved in either of the houses of the parliament.

How many of the statements given above are correct?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) All three

(d) None

QUESTION 5

Madhav Gadgil’s Committee report was in the news recently. It is related to:

(a) Banking Reforms

(b) Examine the Western Ghats ecology

(c) Poverty Estimation

(d) Taxation system

QUESTION 6

Which of the following country has provided “stapled visas” to three athletes from the team who belongs to Arunachal Pradesh to perform at the FISU World University Games?

(a) Thailand

(b) Cambodia

(c) China

(d) Japan

QUESTION 7

Consider the following pairs:

(Places in News)                (Country)

Kreminna                              Russia

Hama                                      Turkey

Dar es Salaam                      Ghana

How many of the pairs given above are correctly matched?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) All three

(d) None

QUESTION 8

Consider the following pairs:

(Medicine)             (Effect)

Statin                       Reduce the stress on the heart and prevent abnormal rhythm

Aspirin                    Prevent clotting of the blood

Beta-blockers       Treatment for high levels of bad cholesterol

How many of the pairs given above are correctly matched?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) All three

(d) None

ANSWERS TO MCQs

1. (a)

FYI:

— The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has fined IndiGo a sum of Rs 30 lakhs and issued a show-cause notice to the airline, following a special audit concerning frequent tail strike incidents.

— A tail strike refers to an incident where the tail of an aircraft hits the ground or strikes any other stationary object. Hence, statement 1 is correct.

— The majority of tail strikes happen during the landing of an aircraft, while it can occur during takeoff. Hence, statement 2 is not correct.

— Tail strikes can cause significant damage to the aircraft, with major repairs needed to restore the plane’s structural integrity. Even in cases where the damage is not major or immediately obvious, thorough inspections are carried out before the aircraft is declared fit to fly again.

— Modern aircraft are fitted with a whole gamut of systems to aid pilots in flying aircraft and reduce the probability of human error, most tail strikes can be attributed to mistakes made by pilots. Hence, statement 3 is not correct.

Therefore option (a) is the correct answer.

2. (b)

FYI:

— The illegal migration of tribal Kuki-Chin peoples into India from Myanmar is one of the key issues in the ongoing ethnic conflict between Meiteis and Kukis in Manipur.

— The border between India and Myanmar runs for 1,643 km in the four states of Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland, and Arunachal Pradesh. Hence, statement 2 is not correct.

— The Free Movement Regime (FMR) is a mutually agreed arrangement between the two countries that allows tribes living along the border on either side to travel up to 16 km inside the other country without a visa. Hence, statement 1 is correct.

— The border between India and Myanmar was demarcated by the British in 1826, without seeking the opinion of the people living in the region. The border effectively divided people of the same ethnicity and culture into two nations without their consent.

— Assam Rifles (AR) have been deployed along this border to monitor and check infiltration across the border. Hence, statement 3 is correct.

Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer.

(Other Source: pib.gov.in)

3. (d)

FYI:

— The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) is reviewing delisting regulations for listed companies in an attempt to rein in the manipulation of shares of a company that has opted for delisting from the stock exchanges. Hence, statement 1 is not correct.

— Delisting can be either voluntary or compulsory. In voluntary delisting, a company decides on its own to remove its securities from a stock exchange; in compulsory delisting, they are removed as a penal measure for the company not making submissions or complying with requirements set out in the listing agreement within the prescribed timeframes.

— If a company wants to delist its securities, it needs to buy back 90 per cent of the total issued shares. Hence, statement 2 is not correct.

Therefore, option (d) is the correct answer.

4. (d)

FYI:

— Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla admitted a motion of no-confidence against the government moved by Congress Deputy Leader in Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi after a headcount of 50 MPs required under the rules.
The motion has been supported by constituents of the opposition INDIA alliance and the Bharat Rashtra Samithi.

— Article 75(3) of our Constitution embodies this rule by specifying that the Council of Ministers are collectively responsible to the Lok Sabha.

— For testing this collective responsibility, the rules of Lok Sabha provide a particular mechanism – a motion of no confidence. Hence, statement 2 is not correct.

— Any Lok Sabha MP, who can garner the support of 50 colleagues, can, at any point of time, introduce a motion of no-confidence against the Council of Ministers. Hence, statement 1 is not correct.

— A no-confidence motion can only be moved in the Lok Sabha. Hence, statement 3 is not correct.

— However, the no-confidence motion has historically been used as a strategic tool to force a discussion on a certain topic or issue. The Opposition knows that it does not have the numbers but still has moved the motion to force the government to address their concerns about the situation in Manipur.

Therefore, option (d) is the correct answer.

5. (b)

FYI:

— A landslide in Maharashtra’s Raigad district claimed 27 lives, flattened an entire village, and brought back into focus the 2011 Dr Madhav Gadgil report on the conservation of the Western Ghats.

— In 2010, then Union Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh appointed the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP), to be chaired by ecologist Dr Madhav Gadgil. The commission submitted its 552-page report to the Centre in August 2011.

— The report recommended classifying 64 percent of the Western Ghats, spread over six states, into Ecologically Sensitive Zones called ESZ 1, ESZ 2 and ESZ 3. It also recommended designating the entire region as an Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA).

Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer.

6. (c)

FYI:

— India withdrew its eight-athlete wushu contingent from the Summer World University Games beginning in Chengdu after China issued stapled visas to three athletes from the team who belong to Arunachal Pradesh.

— The Chengdu edition was originally scheduled for 2021 but was postponed because of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the original 2023 games, scheduled to be held in Yekaterinburg, were cancelled after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

— A stapled visa is simply an unstamped piece of paper that is attached by a pin or staples to a page of the passport and can be torn off or detached at will. This is different from a regular visa that is affixed to the passport by the issuing authority and stamped.

— China has made it a practice to issue stapled visas to Indian nationals from Arunachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir. It says the visas are valid documents, but the Government of India has consistently refused to accept this position.

Therefore, option (c) is the correct answer.

7. (d)

FYI:

Places in News	Country
Kreminna	Ukraine
Hama	Syria
Dar es Salaam	Tanzania

Therefore, option (d) is the correct answer.

8. (a)

FYI:

— The American Heart Association (AHA) and the American College of Cardiology (ACC) revised its almost decade-old guidelines for treating chronic heart conditions such as chronic chest pain, those who have had heart attacks or surgeries to open blockages in the heart vessels, or those who are living with narrowing vessels in the heart because of fatty depositions.

— The guidelines suggest fewer tests and surgeries and wider use of some of the newer diabetes medicines. Importantly, it strongly suggests a healthy diet, regular exercise, and other lifestyle changes as the cornerstone of heart health.

— The guidelines focus on the medical management of chronic heart diseases; experts say procedures like angioplasty, to open vessels in the heart, are needed and absolutely necessary only in very few cases.

Medicine	Effects
Statin	It is the first line of treatment for high levels of bad cholesterol. Hence, pair 1 is not correct. It not only reduces cholesterol levels but also for reducing the risk of cardiovascular events.
Aspirin	It is also known as Anti-platelet medicine. It prevents the clotting of the blood after a heart attack or surgery in order to open blockages. Hence, pair 2 is correct.
Beta-blockers	These are a class of medicines that reduce stress on the heart and prevent abnormal rhythms. Hence, pair 3 is not correct. These medicines are usually prescribed after a heart attack.

Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer.

The UPSC Essentials Indian Express is now on Telegram- UPSC Hub. Click here to join our YouTube channel and stay updated with the latest updates.

Share your views, answers and suggestions in the comment box or at manas.srivastava@indianexpress.com