UPSC Weekly Current Affairs Quiz — May 21 to May 27, 2023

QUESTION 9

With reference to Union Public Service Commission, consider the following statements:

1. Prior to 1854, civil servants for India were nominated by the East India Company, and then trained at Haileybury College in London.

2. Satyendranath Tagore became the first Indian to clear the exam and the exam started being held in India only after the Second World War.

Which 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 10

With reference to Ordinances, consider the following statements:

1. An Ordinance is valid for six months from the date on which the next session starts.

2. If an Ordinance makes a law that Parliament is not competent to enact under the Constitution, it shall be considered void.

3. The President may return the recommendation of the Cabinet once if she feels it warrants reconsideration; if it is sent back without reconsideration, she may not promulgate it.

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

(a) 1 only

(b) 1 and 3 only

(c) 2 only

(d) 3 only

ANSWERS TO MCQs

1. (b)

FYI:

— The Central Vista complex is the centre of administration for the nation and houses all facilities needed for the efficient functioning of the Government of India.

— It is also of significance as a major tourist attraction, besides being the site for most of India’s national festivals and key ceremonial events.

— Lutyens and Baker were commissioned to design the Central Vista complex to streamline the administrative functioning of the then-British government. Hence, statement 2 is correct.

—  It was inaugurated in 1931.

— It comprises the Rashtrapati Bhavan, the Parliament House, the North and South Blocks, and the Record Office, later renamed the National Archives. Hence, statements 1 and 3 are not correct.

Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer.

2. (a)

FYI:

— The Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was given a warm welcome by Papua New Guinea’s PM James Marape after he landed in the country for the Forum for India–Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC) summit. It is the third session of the FIPIC summit.

— The Pacific Island Countries (PICs) is a cluster of 14 island nations in the Southwestern Pacific namely the Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Niue, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu.

— All these islands are located at the crossroads of strategically important maritime trade corridors.

— Among the PICs, Fiji and Papua New Guinea (PNG) are the ones with the biggest populations and the most heft.

— The interaction of India with the PICs has traditionally focussed on its engagement with Fiji and PNG, mainly due to the presence of a large diaspora.

Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer.

3. (d)

FYI:

— Sengol has been derived from the Tamil word semmai, meaning righteousness. Hence, statement 1 is correct.

— It is a significant historical symbol of Independence that signifies the transfer of power from the British to the Indians. Hence, statement 2 is correct.

— Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru accepted Sengol at around 10:45 pm on August 14, 1947, through the Adhinam of Tamil Nadu, it was a sign of the shift of power from Britishers to the people of our country.

— The sceptre is five feet in length and has a Nandi, Lord Shiva’s sacred bull, on the top, symbolising justice.

Therefore, option (d) is the correct answer.

4. (a)

FYI:

— The Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the International Museum Expo 2023 in New Delhi. On the occasion, the PM  unveiled the stylised and contemporarised life-size version of a 5-feet tall toy in Channapatna style inspired by the Bronze Dancing Girl.

— The mascot, according to the PIB, “is interpreted as a modern-day “dwarpaal” or “door-guardian” that ushers the audience into the experience of the International Museum Expo 2023.”

— The Dancing Girl is one of the highest achievements of the artists of Mohenjodaro. It belongs to the Indus Valley Civilization and dates back to circa 2500 BCE.

— The ‘Dancing Girl’ is a sculpture made of bronze. It is 10.5 cm in height, 5 cm in width and 2.5 cm in depth.

Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer.

5. (b)

FYI:

— The Centre appointed chief justices to five high courts, including Justice R D Dhanuka who will have a four-day tenure as chief justice of the Bombay High Court. 

— The Chief Justice and Judges of the High Courts are to be appointed by the President under clause (1) of Article 217 of the Constitution. Hence, statement 1 is not correct.

— When a permanent vacancy is expected to arise in any year in the office of a Judge, the Chief Justice will as early as possible but at least 6 months before the date of occurrence of the vacancy, communicate to the Chief Minister of the State his views as to the persons to be selected for appointment.

— The proposal for the appointment of a Judge of a High Court shall be initiated by the Chief Justice of the High Court. Hence, statement 2 is correct.

— The Governor as advised by the Chief Minister should forward his recommendation along with the entire set of papers to the Union Minister of Law, Justice and Company Affairs as early as possible but not later than six weeks from the date of receipt of the proposal from the Chief Justice of the High Court.

Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer.

6. (b)

FYI:

—  Nearly every country in the world uses hackers to gather intelligence. Major powers like the United States and Russia have large stables of such groups – many of which have been given colourful nicknames by cybersecurity experts, like “Equation Group” or “Fancy Bear.”

— Where experts worry is when such groups turn their attention from intelligence gathering to digital sabotage. So when Microsoft Corp said in a blog post on Wednesday that Volt Typhoon was “pursuing development of capabilities that could disrupt critical communications infrastructure between the United States and Asia region during future crises,” it immediately brought to mind escalating tensions between China and the United States over Taiwan. Any conflict between those two countries would almost certainly involve cyberattacks across the Pacific.

Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer.

7. (d)

FYI:

— More than a quarter of menstruating women and girls around the world – some 500 million people – struggle to manage their periods, often because they cannot afford sanitary pads, according to the World Bank.

— Concern about “period poverty” has fuelled campaigns globally calling for the end of the so-called tampon tax, which refers to consumption levies such as value-added tax (VAT) that most countries charge on items such as sanitary pads, tampons, panty liners and menstrual cups.

— In some countries, period products are considered non-essential items for VAT purposes, while items including toilet paper, condoms and over-the-counter medicines are tax-free or carry a lower levy.

— Since Kenya became the first country to scrap VAT on sanitary pads and tampons in 2004, at least 17 countries have followed suit, according to research by the Thomson Reuters Foundation. In nearly two dozen U.S. states, menstrual products still carry a general sales tax (GST) similar to VAT that is levied on all consumer goods and services, said Laura Strausfeld, executive director at Period Law, a non-profit doing law and policy work to end the tampon tax in the United States. Hence, statement 1 is not correct.

— In 2022, Scotland became the first nation to make tampons and sanitary pads free and available at designated public places such as community centres, youth clubs and pharmacies. Hence, statement 2 is not correct.

Therefore, option (d) is the correct answer.

8. (a)

FYI:

— India will unveil its new 18 petaFLOP supercomputer for weather forecasting institutes later this year, Union Earth Sciences Minister Kiren Rijiju said on May 24.