UPSC Weekly Current Affairs Quiz | November 26 to December 02, 2023

1. It is an annual climate meeting of the United Nations (UN).

2. The first ever COP took place in Paris, France, in 1995.

3. The meeting is aimed to stabilise greenhouse gas concentrations.

How many of the statements given above are correct?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) All three

(d) None

QUESTION 2

Consider the following statements about the Kambala:

1. It is a folk sport practised by the Bunt community.

2. It is practiced in coastal Kerala districts.

3. Adda Halage is a category of Kambala, in which jockeys run behind the animals.

How many of the statements given above are correct?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) All three

(d) None

QUESTION 3

He was the founder of Sikhism and the first of its nine gurus. His teachings laid the ground for the emergence of a distinct faith. Among his followers were both lower-caste Hindus and Muslim peasants. He is said to have travelled as far as Sri Lanka, Baghdad and central Asia to spread his teachings. His last journey was to Mecca and Madina, the holiest sites in Islam, and he visited sites revered in other religions, too.

The above-mentioned lines refer to

(a) Guru Gobind Singh

(b) Guru Har Krishan

(c) Guru Nanak

(d) Guru Tegh Bahadur

QUESTION 4

With reference to the Booker Prize, consider the following statements:

1. It is a literary award for fiction writing in English.

2. William Butler Yeats has been awarded Booker prize for the year 2023.

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 5

With reference to the LeadIT 2.0, consider the following statements:

1. It was launched on the sidelines of COP28, focusing on inclusive and just industry transition.

2. It focuses on co-development and transfer of low-carbon technology.

3. India and the United States have jointly launched LeadIT 2.0

How many of the statements given above are correct?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) All three

(d) None

QUESTION 6

With reference to the “loss and damage fund”, consider the following statements:

1. It is a global financial package to help vulnerable countries cope with the impact of climate change.

2. It was first announced during COP 25 held in Madrid, Spain.

3. It refers to the compensation that developed nations pay to vulnerable nations whose carbon footprint is low but are facing the brunt of rising sea levels.

How many of the statements given above are correct?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) All three

(d) None

QUESTION 7

He was the only Prime Minister of India with a foreign policy approach identified with his name. He held several Cabinet positions, including the External Affairs Minister portfolio twice. His Doctrine was based on the understanding that India’s size and population by default made it a major player in South East Asia, and its position and prestige could be better cemented by adopting a non-domineering attitude towards its smaller neighbours.

The above-mentioned lines refer to which Prime Minister?

(a) Gulzarilal Nanda

(b) Lal Bahadur Shastri

(c) P. V. Narasimha Rao

(d) Inder Kumar Gujral

QUESTION 8

Consider the following pairs:

(Colour Code)         (Stage of Warming)

1. Orange                    Cyclone Alert

2. Yellow                    Cyclone Warning

3. Red                       Post landfall out look

How many of the pairs given above are correctly matched?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) All three

(d) None

QUESTION 9

With reference to the World Malaria Report, 2023, consider the following statements:

1. The number of malaria cases dropped globally from 2000 to 2019.

2. The number of malaria deaths remained lower than the pre-pandemic levels.

3. India witnessed an increase in malaria cases and deaths in 2022 as compared to 2021.

How many of the statements given above are correct?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) All three

(d) None

QUESTION 10

Who became third Indian woman player to achieve the title — “Grandmaster” by crossing 2,500 International Chess Federation (FIDE) ranking points at the IV El Llobregat Open?

(a) Koneru Humpy

(b) Vaishali Rameshbabu

(c) Harika Dronavalli

(d) Tania Sachdev

ANSWERS TO THE MCQs

1. (b)

FYI:

— COP is the annual United Nations (UN) climate meeting. In 1992, at the Rio Earth Summit, 154 countries signed a multilateral treaty called the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Hence, statement 1 is correct.

— It aimed to stabilise greenhouse gas concentrations “at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic (human-induced) interference with the climate system.” Hence, statement 3 is correct.

— COP was a result of a strong belief in the power of international agreements to tackle environmental problems.

— The first ever COP took place in Berlin, Germany, in 1995. Hence, statement 2 is not correct.

— COP meetings aim to review progress towards the overall goal of limiting climate change. The annual conference is held to discuss a global agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere, which are the primary cause of rising global temperatures. It mostly consists of negotiations and debates.

Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer.

2. (a)

FYI:

— Bengaluru held its first Kambala race with 159 pairs of buffaloes and jockeys racing through specially made slush tracks in the city’s Palace Grounds.

— Kambala has in the past been banned by the Supreme Court, but the Karnataka government, keeping its popularity in mind, amended legislation to allow the races to go on.

— Kambala is a folk sport practised in coastal Karnataka districts, especially in regions where Tulu speakers form a majority. Hence, statement 2 is not correct.

— Kambala is a matter of prestige for many families, especially from the Bunt community in the coastal areas. Hence, statement 1 is correct.

— Kambala is generally held under four categories:

(1) Negilu (plough), where light ploughs are used to tie buffaloes for the race. The event is for entry-level animals.

(2) Hagga (rope), where buffaloes are raced by jockeys with just a rope tying the pair together.

(3) Adda Halage, in which jockeys stand over a horizontal plank dragged by buffaloes. Thus, unlike Hagga and Negilu, where jockeys run behind the animals, in this, buffaloes drag the jockeys. Hence, statement 3 is not correct.

(4) Kane Halage, where a wooden plank is tied to buffaloes. The plank, on which the jockeys stand, has two holes through which water gushes out as the plank is dragged along the slush tracks. The height to which water splashes determines the winner of the event.

Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer.

3. (c)

FYI:

— Guru Nanak Jayanti marks the birthday of the founder of Sikhism and the first of its nine gurus, Guru Nanak or Baba Nanak.

— Nanak’s teachings paved the way for the formation of a distinct faith. His adherents included both lower-caste Hindus and Muslim peasants. Here are five facts about his life that you should be aware of.

— Nanak was born on April 15, 1469, in a Hindu family in the city of Nankana Sahib, which is part of Pakistan today. Since an early age, he is said to have harboured curiosity about philosophical questions – the meaning of life and religion.

— According to Khushwant Singh’s book – A History of the Sikhs, Guru Nanak ater working as an accountant for some time in Sultanpur, he joined a Muslim minstrel named Mardana. He writes it was during one of these early morning ablutions by the river that Nanak had his first mystic experience.

— Nanak is said to have travelled as far as Sri Lanka, Baghdad and central Asia to spread his teachings. His last journey was to Mecca and Madina, the holiest sites in Islam, and he visited sites revered in other religions, too.

— Nanak spent the last years of his life in Kartarpur and his disciples followed a particular routine under him. They arose before sunrise, bathed in cold water and gathered in the temple to recite the morning prayer and sang hymns.

Therefore, option (c) is the correct answer

4. (a)

FYI:

— Irish author Paul Lynch’s “Prophet Song” was named the winner of the Booker Prize 2023, beating London-based Indian-origin author Chetna Maroo’s debut novel “Western Lane”, at a ceremony in London. Hence, statement 2 is not correct.

— The Booker Prize is the leading literary award in the English. Hence, statement 1 is correct.

— He won for his novel presenting a dystopian vision of Ireland in the grips of totalitarianism, something the author describes as “an attempt at radical empathy”.

Irish writers and the Booker Prize

— The Irish have been the light in the literary sky since the inception of the Booker Prize in 1969 (then known as the Booker Prize for Fiction). Lynch is the Prize’s fifth winner, for his novel about a dystopian Ireland where democratic rights are threatened by a totalitarian regime.

— The £50,000 Booker Prize is not the only award where the Irish have made their mark. Four Irish writers — William Butler Yeats in 1923, George Bernard Shaw in 1925, Samuel Beckett in 1969, and Heaney in 1995 — have won the Nobel Prize for Literature for their life’s work.

Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer.

5. (b)

FYI:

— On the sidelines of COP28 in Dubai, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched LeadIT 2.0, with a focus on inclusive and just industry transition. Hence, statement 1 is correct.

— LeadIT 2.0 focuses on co-development and transfer of low-carbon technology and financial assistance to emerging economies. Hence, statement 2 is correct.

— India and Sweden have jointly launched LeadIT 2.0. Hence, statement 3 is not correct.

Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer.

6. (b)

FYI:

— A loss and damage fund to assist vulnerable countries in dealing with the effects of climate change was officially launched on the first day of the COP28 climate conference in Dubai. Hence, statement 1 is correct.

— The loss and damage fund was first announced last year at COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. However, it wasn’t until a few weeks before COP 28 that rich and poor countries were able to work out some of their differences and reach an agreement on key aspects of the fund. Hence, statement 2 is not correct.

— The term refers to the compensation that rich countries must pay to poor countries who have a low carbon footprint but are suffering from rising sea levels, floods, crippling droughts, and intense cyclones, among other things. Climate change has had an impact on people’s lives, livelihoods, biodiversity, cultural traditions, and identities. Hence, statement 3 is correct.

— Loss and damage is often categorised as either economic or non-economic. Economic loss and damage are negative impacts that we can assign a monetary value to.

Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer.

7. (d)

FYI:

— November 30 marks the 11th death anniversary of IK Gujaral, the 12th Prime Minister of India.

— Gujaral was in charge for less than a year, and his tenure received little individual attention from India’s leaders. He is, however, the only Prime Minister with a foreign policy approach named after him — the Gujral Doctrine.

— It was during his second tenure as External Affairs Minister (EAM) that Gujral delineated his approach towards India’s neighbours, which later came to be known as the Gujral Doctrine.

— This consisted of five basic principles, as outlined by Gujral at a speech in Chatham House in London in September 1996.

(1) India does not ask for reciprocity but gives all that it can in good faith and trust with the neighbours like Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives and Sri Lanka.

(2) No South Asian country will allow its territory to be used against the interest of another country of the region.

(3) None will interfere in the internal affairs of another.

(4) All South Asian countries must respect each other’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.

(5) To settle all their disputes through peaceful bilateral negotiations.

— The Gujral Doctrine was based on the understanding that India’s size and population by default made it a major player in South East Asia, and its position and prestige could be better cemented by adopting a non-domineering attitude towards its smaller neighbours.

Therefore, option (d) is the correct answer.

8. (a)

FYI:

— The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast a cyclonic storm, Cyclone Michaung, over the southwest Bay of Bengal.

— An ‘orange’ alert has been issued over Tamil Nadu, as well as coastal and interior Andhra Pradesh for Sunday and Monday by the IMD.

— According to the IMD, a low-pressure area in the Bay of Bengal intensified into a depression on Friday and is likely to become a cyclonic storm, named Cyclone Michaung.

— Cyclone Michaung is expected to cross India’s eastern coast between Machilipatnam in south Andhra Pradesh and Chennai in north Tamil Nadu.

Colour Code	Stage of Warning
Yellow	Cyclone Alert
Orange	Cyclone Warning
Red	Post landfall out look

Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer

(Other Source: rsmcnewdelhi.imd.gov.in)

9. (a)

FYI:

— The recently released World Malaria Report shows that the number of cases and deaths due to the mosquito-borne infection India have continued to decline.

— India saw a decline of 30 per cent in malaria incidence and 34 per cent in mortality in 2022, compared to the previous year. Hence, statement 3 is not correct.

— India’s downward trend was reflected in the larger WHO South East Asian region that remained on track to achieving the 2030 target of reducing cases and deaths by 90 per cent.

— The number of malaria cases had dropped from 243 million to 233 million globally between 2000 and 2019. Hence, statement 1 is correct.

— In 2020, however, there will be an increase of 11 million cases. They remained stable in 2021 before increasing by 5 million to 249 million in 2022.

— Malaria deaths have also remained higher than pre-pandemic levels. In 2022, there were 608,000 reported deaths, compared to 576,000 in 2019. Hence, statement 2 is not correct.

— Good preventive practices, use of effective tools to keep the mosquito population in check, use of point of care tests for quick diagnosis, and good management of the malaria cases have been key to reducing cases and deaths due to malaria over the years.

Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer.

10. (b)

FYI:

— Indian chess player Vaishali Rameshbabu became a Grandmaster by crossing 2,500 International Chess Federation (FIDE) ranking points at the IV El Llobregat Open in Spain.

— She is only the third Indian woman player to achieve the title, besides Koneru Humpy and Harika Dronavalli.

— Vaishali and her younger brother, Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa, have become the first-ever Grandmaster brother-sister duo in history.

— Grandmaster is the highest title or ranking that a chess player can achieve. The Grandmaster title — and other chess titles — is awarded by the International Chess Federation, FIDE (acronym for its French name Fédération Internationale des Échecs), the Lausanne-Switzerland-based governing body of the international game.

Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer.

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