Sol. Ans.(b).

Parivrajakas were seekers of truth who did not live permanently in any one place. They left their homes and wandered from village to village and forest to forest. Hence they were called Parivrajakas (wanderers) or Bhikshus (mendicants or those who begged). Among these parivrajakas, Vardhamana Mahavira, Gautama Buddha, Makhkhali Goshala and Ajita Keshkambalin became very famous. So, statement 1 is correct

Shramana means “seeker, one who performs acts of austerity, ascetic”. Shramana is a wandering monk in certain austere traditions of ancient India, including Jainism, Buddhism, and ajvika religion. The Shramana tradition gave rise to Jainism and Buddhism. The Shramanas adopted a path that is alternate to the Vedic rituals to achieve salvation, while renouncing domestic life. The Shramana tradition was responsible for the related concepts of saṃsāra (the cycle of birth and death) and moksha (liberation from that cycle). The Shramanas typically engaged three types of activities like austerities, meditation, and associated theories. So, statement 2 is not correct. So only (b) can be right!

Upasaka are from the Sanskrit and Pāli words for "attendant". This is the title of followers of Buddhism, who are not monks, nuns, or novice monastics in a Buddhist order, and who undertake certain vows. So, statement 3 is correct.

[The question is very easy as we know that Shramanas were austere people. Three options are ruled out directly!]

Sol. Ans.(a). Elephant groups are always matriarchal societies, with the males staying away, and coming together only for mating purposes. The head of the herd is a matriarch. So, options (b) and (c) are wrong.

Elephants have the longest-known gestational period of any animal, lasting up to 680 days i.e. 22 months. So, statement 2 is also correct. Hence, (a) is correct.

Elephants can give birth to their offspring up to 50 or in some case even up to 60 years of age.

[A tough one, but if you knew that 1 was right, then guessing gets restricted to just two options]

Sol. Ans.(c). Papikonda National Park is located in Godavari basin, Andhra Pradesh. Others are in Cauvery basin.

[The question needs precise location knowledge of all Protected Areas]

Sol. Ans.(a). They all are birds. There is no way to guess as the names are uncommon.

[The question required specific knowledge of names of bird species]

Sol. Ans.(a). Kanha National Park - The Indian Swamp Deer (Barasingha) is the state animal of Madhya Pradesh. It was very close to extinction when a successful breeding program and conservation practices at Kanha National Park brought the animals back from the brink.

[This was a successful conservation experiment, hence the question was asked]

Sol. Ans.(d). Steel slag is a by-product of steel making, produced during the separation of the molten steel from impurities in steel-making furnaces. The slag occurs as a molten liquid melt and is a complex solution of silicates and oxides that solidifies upon cooling.

Because of its hydraulic property and the large bearing capacity, steelmaking slag is used as a road base course material. With high particle density and hardness, this slag has superior wear resistance and for this reason is used as an aggregate for asphalt concrete.

Presence of steel slag as a stabilization material improves the swelling potential of the clay soils. Both percentage of free swell and swell pressure decrease almost linearly with the increase in steel slag content.

Steel-slag can be used to produce energy-saving cement by co-grinding with OPC clinker and blast furnace slag. Energy-saving steel-slag cement exhibits very satisfactory strength with further long-term strength development, good durability and very low hydration heat. Hence all three uses are possible.

[A tough and tricky question]

Sol. Ans.(a). Askot Musk Deer Sanctuary is located 54 km from Pithoragarh near Askot in Uttarakhand state of India. This sanctuary has been set up primarily with the object of conserving the musk deer (Moschus leucogaster) and its habitat. So answer could be (a) or (d).

Gangotri National Park is home to the snow leopard. To date, 15 mammal species and 150 bird species have been documented in the park, including Asian black bear (Ursus thibetanus), brown bear (Ursus arctos), musk deer (Moschus chrysogaster), blue sheep (Pseudois nayaur), Himalayan tahr (Hemitragus jemlahicus), Himalayan monal (Lophophorus impejanus), Koklass (Pucrasia macrolopha) and Himalayan snowcock (Tetraogallus himalayensis), pheasants, partridges, doves, and pigeons. Hence correct answer is option (a).

Musk deer is a small deer without antlers. About 3 feet high, it weighs from 11-18 kilos. It is sandy brown with a white yellow strip from the throat to the chin. The body slopes forward, as the hind legs are almost a third longer than the forelegs. The ears are large and rounded. Its canine teeth protrude from the mouth. The deer can breed at 2 years of age and usually has just one child born usually in June/July. It can live to 20 years of age. During the day Himalayan musk deer hide in the forest. They come out at dusk into open areas and graze till dawn. They live as couples in the same home range all their lives. Males scent-mark their territories by rubbing their tail gland against trees and stones.

[A tough and tricky question, based on pure facts]

Sol. Ans.(a). A question based on both government schemes and environment-ecology.

Considering the constant threat of global warming, the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) is focusing on green technologies to reduce ‘Carbon Footprint’. States are opting for a minimum 15% roads with green technologies like use of waste plastic, fly ash, copper and iron slag, geo textile, cold asphalt mix, paneled cement concrete and cell filled concrete. Nano Technology products are also being used for stabilization of roads. So statements 1, 2 and 3 are correct.

Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA) is a combination of approximately 95% stone, sand, or gravel bound together by asphalt cement, a product of crude oil. It is not a green option.

Portland cement is the hydraulic binding material consisting of Portland cement clinker, 0~5% limestone or granulated blast furnace slag, and a limited amount of gypsum.

[Based on micro knowledge of materials, and government schemes!]

Sol. Ans.(d). All three are correct.

India's domestic coal reserves have a high ash content—up to 40 to 45 percent. Coal itself isn't a particularly toxic material. But after it's burned, what remains in the ash includes lead, mercury, cadmium, chromium, arsenic, and selenium, all in levels that may threaten human health. So statements 1 and 3 are correct. Option possible is (d).

As for the coal-fired power plants, a lot of news coverage on this topic has existed since long now.

[A doable question]

Sol. Ans.(d). All three are correct.

Biochar is the solid carbonaceous product obtained when plant and/or animal biomass is subjected to pyrolysis. Pyrolysis is a process of chemically decomposing organic materials at elevated temperatures in the absence of oxygen.

Biochar application as growing medium gives noted 50% to 72% increase in soil biological nitrogen fixation. The impacts of biochar on soil physical, chemical and biological properties through the enhancement of soil nutrient and water-holding capacity, pH, bulk density and stimulation of soil microbial activities are by improving aggregation, porosity, surface area and habitat for soil microbes in biochar-amended soils. So statements 2 and 3 are correct and answer should be (d).

[A question from environment and ecology, as well as agriculture, based on new techniques]

Sol. Ans.(c). A very easy question.

The MSP system is not “public investment” in agriculture, but a social support system for farmers to ensure guaranteed minimum incomes. It is a direct expenditure by the government, in the form of a "price support". If you see this point, then options (a), (b) and (d) are eliminated immediately, and (c) is the answer. {A finer point – statement 1 reads – “fixing MSP for all crops”. The govt. does not provide MSPs for all crops in India anyway, but for less than 30 crops.}

Public sector investment in agriculture is decomposed into three sub sectors - agriculture proper, forestry and fishery. The heads are - Crop Husbandry, Soil and Water Conservation, Animal Husbandry, Dairy Development, Fisheries, Forestry and Wildlife, Plantations, Food Storage and Warehousing, Agriculture Research And Education, Co-operation, Other Agricultural Programmes, Rural Development, Irrigation and Flood Control. Hence 2, 3 and 6 are valid.

[A very easy question if you knew that MSP is not “public investment”]

Sol. Ans.(a). Statements 1 and 2 are correct.

Interest Coverage Ratio – It is calculated by dividing a company's earnings (before interest and taxes) during a given period by the company's interest payments due within the same period. So it tells us the multiple.

It is a debt and profitability ratio used to determine how easily a company can pay interest on its outstanding debt. Lenders, investors, and creditors often use this concept to evaluating a company's risk relative to its current debt or for future borrowing.

A higher coverage ratio shows lower risk to companies from debt, and is better. So 3 is wrong. So (c) and (d) are wrong.

[Can be solved if you knew the definition of the term]

Sol. Ans.(d).

Price of any commodity depends on its supply in the market relative to demand. Both 2 and 3 affect the supply of rice in market, hence affect the price. Prices can also be affected by govt. intervention in market, so 1 and 4 are also correct. Some of these may push prices up, and some may create a downward pressure.

[A tough one, as it requires an understanding of the entire crop purchase and sales process, at government and market level]

Sol. Ans.(a).

Bangladesh is the largest trading partner in South Asia, followed by Nepal, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bhutan, Afghanistan and Maldives. The level of Indian exports also follows the same order. So statement 3 is not correct, answer could be option (a) or (b).

Since a bilateral free trade agreement was signed and came into effect in 2000, Indo-Sri Lankan trade rose 128% by 2004 and quadrupled by 2006, reaching US$2.6 billion. So 1 is right, and (b) is the answer.

[A current awareness based question. Remember that Bangladesh’s economy is more than 10 times bigger than Nepal’s. So 3 cannot be part of the answer.]

Sol. Ans.(a). The question needed you to remember the G20 grouping!

The G20 comprises 19 countries and the European Union. The 19 countries are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, France, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Note that Iran is not a part of G20, nor is Malaysia. Singapore is a city-state.

[You should not get this one wrong, as G20 is frequently in news]

Sol. Ans.(b). Both 2 and 5 are capital-intensive activities that cannot be covered by a credit card based system.

The Kisan Credit Card scheme aims at providing adequate and timely credit to the farmers. It can provide credit for post-harvest expenses, produce marketing loan, Consumption requirements of farmer household, working capital for maintenance of farm assets and activities allied to agriculture, investment credit requirement for agriculture and allied activities and Short term credit requirements of rearing of animals, birds, fish, shrimp, other aquatic organisms, capture of fish etc.

Note: Agriculture allied activities include dairy animals, inland fishery, floriculture, horticulture etc.

[Can be solved by common sense]

Ans.(a). A direct question based on CPI and WPI that must be cracked!

In April 2014, the RBI adopted the Consumer Price Index (CPI) as the key measure of Inflation. The entire FIT (Flexible Inflation Targeting) is based on it.

So statement 3 is incorrect. Answer could be (a) or (b).

The weightage of food in CPI is higher than in WPI. So correct answer is option (a).

[You should not get this one wrong]

Ans.(c). A question based on basic geographical details. Only 3 and 4 are correct.

The Mekong rivers begins on the Tibetan Plateau and flows into South China Sea.

Thames river flows into the North Sea via the Thames Estuary.

The Volga discharges into the Caspian Sea.

Emerging from the Kalene Hills in Zambia, the Zambezi River discharge into the Indian Ocean at the Mozambican coast.

[This knowledge is expected from all aspirants]

Ans.(d). Both statements are wrong.

Under the new PM-AASHA scheme, the existing Price Support Scheme (PSS) will continue for pulses, oilseeds and copra (but not cereals), with the NAFED and the Food Corporation of India (central agencies) physically procuring the produce whenever the market rates fall below MSP. So statement 1 is incorrect.

[PM-AASHA – Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay SanraksHan Abhiyan]

MSPs for 23 farm commodities is fixed by center based on the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) recommendations. Statement 2 is also incorrect.

[Could be solved with some common-sense – statement 2 is definitely wrong]

Ans.(c). Both 1 and 3 are correct.

‘Commercial paper’ is a commonly used type of unsecured, short-term debt instrument issued by corporations. It is used for the financing of payroll, accounts payable and inventories. Statement 1 correct. Answer could be (a) or (c).

‘Certificate of Deposit’ is a type of money market instrument issued against the funds deposited by an investor with a bank in a dematerialized form for a specific short period of time. It is regulated by RBI. Statement 2 is not correct. So answer is option (c).

‘Call money’ is a short-term, interest-paying loan from one to fourteen days to a financial institution to another financial institution.

A ‘zero-coupon bond’ is a debt security that does not pay interest but instead trades at a deep discount, rendering a profit at maturity, when the bond is redeemed for its full face value.

[The question requires knowing basic definitions. Must know these! And 4 is surely wrong so two options are eliminated.]

Ans.(b). The Wild Life Protection Act, 1972 is an Act of the Parliament of India enacted for protection of plants and animal species. Before 1972, India had only five designated national parks. Among other reforms, the Act established schedules of protected plant and animal species; hunting or harvesting these species was largely outlawed.

It has six schedules which give varying degrees of protection. Species listed in Schedule I and part II of Schedule II get absolute protection — offences under these are prescribed the highest penalties. Species listed in Schedule III and Schedule IV are also protected, but the penalties are much lower. Schedule V includes the animals which may be hunted. The plants in Schedule VI are prohibited from cultivation and planting.

The Act provides for the protection of wild animals, birds and plants; and for matters connected there with or ancillary or incidental thereto. It extends to the whole of India. It has six schedules which give varying degrees of protection. The specified endemic plants in Schedule VI are prohibited from cultivation and planting.

As on date, list of plants is – 1. Beddomes' cycad (Cycas beddomei); 2. Blue Vanda (Vanda soerulec); 3. Kuth (Saussurea lappa); 4. Ladies slipper orchids (Paphiopedilum spp.); 5. Pitcher plant (Nepenthes khasiana); 6. Red Vanda (Rananthera inschootiana).

[This was a good, logical question requiring the basic knowledge of relevant law.]

Ans.(a). All places were ports. A tough question as the names aren’t well known.

During the Gupta empire, internal and foreign trade flourished, via both land and sea. The main articles of trade were cloth, foodgrains, spices, salt, bullion and precious stones. India exported pearls, precious stones, cloth, perfumes, spices, indigo, drugs, coconuts and ivory articles while its main items of import were gold, silver, tin, lead, silk and horses.

From this resource – https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0001/9900162/2.2/data/0-data/jgofscd/htdocs/marinearc/ancientwreck.html

we get –

In India evidences of ship building, port and warehouses installations are datable to Harappan culture. The important Harappan and late Harappan ports were Lothal, Lakhabawal, Kindarkhera, Kuntasi, Megham, Prabhasa, Todio, Amra. The excavations of these sites have yielded antiquities of Bahrain island, Persian gulf, Egypt and Mesopotmia cities. The same maritime traditions continued even during the life time of Buddha, the Mauryas, the Gupta and in later period. During historical period India had trade and cultural contacts with Egypt, Rome, Greeks, Arabs, China and all most all Southeast Asian countries. Both the coasts of India have been studded with a string of ports. The ports on the west coast were Barygaya, Suppara, Calliena, Semylla, Mandagore, Palaepatme, Malizigara, Aurranobbas, Byzantine, Naura, Tyndis, Muziris and Nelcynda and the ports on the east coast were Tamralipti, Charitrapur, Paluru, Dantapur, Kalingapatnam, Pithunda, Sopatma, Ghantasala, Poduca, Puhar, Korkai and Camara. Inshore explorations have been carried out at Malwan, Sopara, Elephanta island, Chaul, Udyavara, Honnavar, Gopakapatna on the west coast and Manikpatna, Kalingapatna, surrounding region of Poompuhar and Tranquebar on the east coast of India.

[A tricky, tough, factual question]

Ans.(d). All three statements are correct.

Tillage is an agriculture land preparation through mechanical agitation which includes digging, stirring and overturning. Zero tillage farming is a technique for growing crops without using any tillage. Theoretically, it helps save the soil from gradual destruction.

In zero tillage, the crop seed will be sown through drillers without prior land preparation and disturbing the soil where previous crop stubbles are present. Zero tillage reduces the cost of cultivation and also reduces the soil erosion, crop duration and irrigation requirements.

The zero-tillage system is being followed in the Indo-Gangetic plains where rice-wheat cropping is present. Wheat will be planted after rice harvest without any operation.

Advantages of zero tillage

1. Reduction in the cost of inputs for land preparation
2. Dry matter and organic matter get added to the soil
3. Residual moisture can be utilized and irrigation reduced
4. Reduction in the crop duration and thereby early cropping can be done to get higher yields
5. Environmentally safe - Greenhouse effect will get reduced due to carbon sequestration
6. No tillage reduces the compaction of the soil and reduces the water loss by runoff and prevent soil erosion
7. As the soil is intact and no disturbance is done, No Till lands have more useful flora and fauna.

[A good question, but not too tough. If you know that residue burning isn’t done, then 1 is correct and options (b) and (c) are eliminated. And 3 has to be correct.]

Ans.(a). According to India’s National Policy on Biofuels, Sugarcane Juice, Sugar containing materials like Sugar Beet, Sweet Sorghum, Starch containing materials like Corn, Cassava, Damaged food grains like wheat, broken rice, Rotten Potatoes or Potatoes unfit for human consumption can be used for ethanol production.

Full details here – http://petroleum.nic.in/sites/default/files/biofuelpolicy2018_1.pdf

[A tough question because you are expected to remember ALL raw feedstock possibilities]

Ans.(a). An excellent question.

The concept of social cost of carbon (SCC) tries to add up all the quantifiable costs and benefits of emitting one additional tonne of CO2, in monetary terms. This value can then be used to weigh the benefits of reduced warming against the costs of cutting emissions.

EPA and other federal agencies use estimates of the social cost of carbon (SC-CO2) to value the climate impacts of rulemakings. The SC-CO2 is a measure, in dollars, of the long-term damage done by a ton of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in a given year.

A reference source – https://www.carbonbrief.org/qa-social-cost-carbon

[A very nicely framed question from environment and ecology]

Ans.(a). India witnessed a turnaround in pulses production over the past few years. Today, India is the largest producer (25% of global production), consumer (27% of world consumption) and importer (14%) of pulses in the world. MP, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, UP and Karnataka are the top five pulses producing States.

Black Gram - During kharif, it is cultivated throughout the country. It is best suited to rice fallows during rabi in southern and south-eastern parts of India. Statement 1 is correct, so answer could be (a) or (d). Gram (all types black, green included) is the most dominant pulse having a share of around 40 per cent in the total production followed by Tur/Arhar at 15 to 20 per cent and Urad/Black Matpe and Moong at around 8-10 per cent each. So statement 2 is not correct. Hence, (b) and (c) are wrong. Final answer is (a).

[Very precise facts needed on pulses cropping, production and consumption]

Ans.(a). Answer is “cotton”.

Cotton is a subtropical plant, that requires a long frost-free period, plenty of sunshine, and a moderate rainfall, usually from 60 to 120 cm. Soils usually need to be fairly heavy, although the level of nutrients does not need to be exceptional. These conditions are met within the seasonally dry tropics and subtropics in the Northern and Southern hemispheres. Most of the world's cotton is grown in the U.S., Uzbekistan, the People's Republic of China and India.

The suitable climate for growing jute is a warm and wet climate, which is offered by the monsoon climate during the fall season, immediately followed by summer. Temperatures ranging to more than 25 °C and relative humidity of 70%–90% are favorable for successful cultivation.

Sugarcane is a tropical plant, therefore, requires a year warm weather to reach maturity. The areas having temperature of 20° to 26°C and an average rainfall of 150 cm are suitable for its cultivation. ... Sugarcane grows well in alluvium and light-clay soil.

In its wild state, tea (tropical and sub-tropical) grows best in regions which enjoy a warm, humid climate with a rainfall measuring at least 100 centimetres a year. Ideally, it likes deep, light, acidic and well-drained soil.

Well-drained soil is that which allows water to percolate through it reasonably quickly and not pool. Standing water or saturated soil deprives roots of oxygen.

[Detailed knowledge of crops and properties needed]

Ans.(d). Both statements are wrong.

Solar PV is still the best way to run a water pump on solar energy. Whether you use submersible or surface water pumps, you can use it to pump water during the day or at night in any weather condition. Solar-powered pumps are characterized as either positive displacement pumps (e.g. diaphragm, piston, or helical rotor) or centrifugal pumps. Positive displacement pumps are typically used when the TDH is high and the flow rate (measured in gallons per minute) required is low. Conversely, centrifugal pumps are typically used for low TDH and high flow rates.

The recent technology developments and cost decline in solar PV has made it an attractive proposition to run your existing submersible pump on solar. There is no need of battery and it can directly connect the solar panels to the submersible pump input through a variable frequency drive (VFD). VFD is an electronic device equipped with inverter and MPPT (Maximum Power Point Tracking). The variation of solar radiation is observed through frequency modulation and will run the submersible pump at constant torque for a wide range of sunlight from morning to evening.

[A reasonably tough question!]

Ans.(c). Statements 1 and 4 are correct.

Sugarcane is a vegetatively propagated crop. The seed material used are the stem cuttings known as "setts" and each may have one or several eye buds. The use of healthy seed is an important aspect of successful cane cultivation because most of the sugarcane diseases are seed-borne and transmitted through seed setts.

Development of tissue culture technology for rapid multiplication of disease-free planting material has been an important step towards sufficient, true to type and quality seed production in sugarcane. Australia, India and the Philippines in the Asia-Pacific region have already applied this technology for commercial seed production and the benefits have become evident through rapid propagation and distribution of elite varieties and increased sugarcane production. So statement 4 is correct, and answer could be (c) or (d).

The researchers found that the setts having two buds are giving germination about 65 to 70 % with better yield. Large setts have better survival under bad weather but single budded setts also give 70% germination if protected with chemical treatment. So statement 3 is incorrect. Hence option (c).

Source: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/322976767_SUGARCANE_PLANTING_TECHNIQUES_A_REVIEW

[A questions requiring micro knowledge of sugarcane plantation techniques ]

Ans.(d). All the given practices can be used of eco-friendly agriculture in India. Crop diversification helps to maintain nutrients in soil. Legume intensification is a sustainable way of crop production intensification whereby farmers concentrate resources and expend energy on a smaller piece of land thereby reducing labour demand and resulting in higher productivity from lower investment. Tensiometers are used in irrigation scheduling to help farmers determine when to water. Vertical farming is the practice of growing crops in vertically stacked layers. This can reduce the burden of agriculture on land and soil, and consumes significantly less water. So all four are correct.

[Some logic could be applied with 4, and answer arrived at]

Ans.(b). FDI is always welcome as it does not create debt obligations. So (c) and (d) are wrong.

A foreign direct investment (FDI) is an investment in the form of a controlling ownership in a business in one country by an entity based in another country. It is thus distinguished from a foreign portfolio investment (FPI) by a notion of direct control. Broadly, foreign direct investment includes "mergers and acquisitions, building new facilities, reinvesting profits earned from overseas operations, and intra company loans". FDI is the sum of equity capital, long-term capital, and short-term capital as shown in the balance of payments. FDI usually involves participation in management, joint-venture, transfer of technology and expertise.

Stock of FDI is the net (i.e., outward FDI minus inward FDI) cumulative FDI for any given period. Direct investment excludes investment through purchase of shares (if that purchase results in an investor controlling less than 10% of the shares of the company). All these are considered as non-debt creating capital flows. Hence answer (b).

[A manageable question if you knew the basic difference between FDI and FPI]

Ans.(d). India’s merchandise exports in 2018-19 were $331 billion. India’s merchandise imports in 2018-19 were $514 billion. So statement 1 is correct. Answer could be (a) or (d).

India's exports of services were US$ 207 billion in 2018-19. India's imports of services were US$ 176.58 billion in 2018-19. So statement 3 is correct. Answer is option (d).

Interestingly, the situation for 2020-21 may be different from what’s being used to answer this question, as India will run a current account surplus!

[The question looks tough, but it is not, if you knew that 1 was correct]

Ans.(a). West Texas Intermediate can refer to a grade of a mix of crude oil, and/or the spot price, the futures price, or the assessed price for that oil.

[Perhaps the easiest question in the entire paper!]

Ans.(d). Non-financial debt means the debt held by governments, households, and companies not in the financial sector.

Financial companies include commercial and investment banks, insurance companies, finance companies, mortgage lenders and investment firms. Examples of non-financial companies are manufacturing companies, service companies, government entities and households. They will issue non-financial debt. The question is about “debt held”.

So all of 1 and 3 are clearly non-financial in nature – Housing loans held by houeholds and Treasury Bills. So only possible option is (d), which is “1, 2 and 3”. We do have doubt about 2 but there’s no such option (1 and 3 only).

[A typical question but can be solved with common sense]

Ans.(b).

In India, which reactors will be under IAEA safeguard and which will not be, depends on the source of Uranium. If the reactor is fuelled by Uranium procured from abroad then it comes under IAEA safeguard otherwise not.

You could have eliminated options (d) and (a) directly.

[A very well-framed question that needed some fundamental understanding]

Ans.(c). A question on WTO, relevant due to present circumstances.

The Agreement on Trade-Related Investment Measures (TRIMS) recognizes that certain investment measures can restrict and distort trade. It states that WTO members may not apply any measure that discriminates against foreign products or that leads to quantitative restrictions, both of which violate basic WTO principles. Hence statement 1 is correct. Answer could be (a), (c) or (d). The coverage of the Agreement is defined in Article 1, which states that the Agreement applies to investment measures related to trade in goods only. Thus, the TRIMs Agreement does not apply to services. So statement 2 is incorrect. So three options are ruled out in one shot, and (c) is the answer.

[If you knew that services are not covered under TRIMS, the question can be solved fast]

Ans.(b). A direct and easy question! But note carefully the “not” in question.

Expansionary (expansionist!) monetary policy works by expanding the money supply faster than usual or lowering short-term interest rates. It is enacted by central banks and comes about through open market operations, reserve requirements, and setting interest rates. The Marginal Standing Facility (MSF) rate refers to the rate at which the scheduled banks can borrow funds overnight from RBI against government securities. MSF is a very short term borrowing scheme for scheduled commercial banks. So if RBI decides to adopt an expansionist monetary policy it would not increase the MSF but will decrease it. So 2 is wrong, so three options are ruled out in one shot! So (b) is the right answer.

[If you understand the topic generally, the question can be cracked very fast]

Ans.(b). After 1991 there has been a change in occupational structure with a decline in the percentage share of labour force in the agricultural sector and a rise in the services sector. So statement 2 is incorrect. Answer could be (b) or (c). After 2004-05, the rural areas have witnessed negative growth in employment in spite of high growth in output. So statement 4 is correct.

[A tough one requiring in-depth knowledge of workforce structures in India]

Ans.(b). Scheduled commercial banks contributed the major share (78 – 80 per cent) in agricultural and allied credit. Co-operative institutions also play a significant role in extending agricultural credit and the share of all co-operative banks/institutions (i.e. StCBs, DCCBs and PACS put together) constituted 15-16 per cent. The RRBs contributed the remaining 5 per cent of the agricultural credit. Hence statement 1 is not correct.

Major functions of District Central Cooperative Banks – to meet the credit requirements of member-societies, to perform banking business, to act as balancing Centre for the Primary Agriculture Credit Societies (PACS) by diverting the surplus funds of some societies to those which face shortage of funds, to undertake non-credit activities. So statement 2 is correct.

Source: https://www.rbi.org.in/Scripts/PublicationReportDetails.aspx?UrlPage=&ID=942

[A not so easy question]

Ans.(d). First-party coverage insures for losses to the policyholder’s own data, lost income or other harm to the policyholder’s business resulting from a data breach, cyber-attack or ransomware attack. First-party coverage applies to direct costs of the insured business for responding to a data breach or security failure.

Third-party coverage insures against liability to third parties (including customers and government entities) as a result of a data breach, cyber-attack or ransomware attack. Third-party coverage applies when persons sue or make claims against the insured business, or governments or regulators demand information from the insured business.

First-party coverage -

Business interruption and lost income – covers lost income and increased operating expenses when a cyber-incident damages an entity’s network or causes the loss of data that disrupts business continuity and operations.

Computer data loss and network restoration – covers physical damage to an entity’s computer system and the cost to retrieve and restore damaged or stolen data, hardware, and software.

Forensic investigation services – covers costs and expenses for technical, legal or other expert services to assess and stop a cyber-incident.

Notification costs – covers legal advice regarding laws and regulations governing breach remediation, including costs to notify all victims, including customers and employees, of a cyber-incident and possible identity or credit card theft.

Crisis management and public relations – covers customer support, call centers, credit monitoring, and other expenses to educate victims of a cyber-incident of the breach and the business entities’ response, as well as consulting fees to protect against public relations damages.

Extortion and ransomware – covers costs for the investigation of cyber-attacks and threats of attacks, as well as for payments to extortionists.

Electronic theft – covers a business entity’s money that is stolen as a result of network breach and fraudulent transfer of electronic funds.

Third-party coverage -

Litigation – covers costs to defend lawsuits, including class actions, involving allegations of a failure to prevent the unauthorized use / access of confidential information or of a failure of system security to prevent or mitigate a computer attack, the spread of a virus, or a denial of service, and the payment of judgments, settlements and damages arising out of such a cyber-incident.

Governmental and regulatory – covers costs to respond to or defend against governmental investigations or proceedings, as well as the payment of fines and penalties, relating to a cyber-incident.

Credit and fraud monitoring – covers costs for customer credit monitoring, identity theft protection services, and fraud monitoring following a cyber-incident.

Multimedia – covers costs related to claims of online defamation, copyright and trademark infringement.

What is excluded from coverage? Similar to other types of insurance policies, cyber insurance policies often exclude certain losses from coverage. Typical exclusions include claims arising from war, breach of contract, theft of trade secrets, unfair trade practices, and employment practices. Cyber insurance policies also typically exclude coverage for willful, intentional, deliberate, malicious, fraudulent, dishonest, or criminal acts or omissions of the insured.

Source: https://www.sgrlaw.com/client-alerts/cyber-insurance-frequently-asked-questions/

[A very tough question]

Ans.(c). Statement 2 is wrong, but 1, 3 and 4 are correct.

'Fertigation' is the technique of supplying dissolved fertilizer(s) to crops through an irrigation system. It has some specific advantages over broadcast and band fertilization:

1. a frequent supply of nutrients reduces fluctuation of nutrient concentration in soil;
2. Increased nutrient absorption by plants.
3. Accurate placement of nutrient - there is efficient utilization and precise application of nutrients according to the nutritional requirements of the crop; where the water goes the nutrient goes as well.
4. fertilizers are applied throughout the irrigated soil volume;
5. nutrients can be applied to the soil when soil or crop conditions would otherwise prohibit entry into the field with conventional equipment.
6. Ability to "micro dose", feeding the plants just enough so nutrients can be absorbed and are not left to be washed down to storm water next time it rains.
7. Reduction of fertilizer, chemicals, and water needed.
8. Reduced leaching of chemicals into the water supply.
9. Reduced water consumption due to the plant's increased root mass's ability to trap and hold water.
10. Application of nutrients can be controlled at the precise time and rate necessary.
11. Minimized risk of the roots contracting soil borne diseases through the contaminated soil.
12. Reduction of soil erosion issues as the nutrients are pumped through the water drip system.
13. Leaching is decreased often through methods used to employ fertigation.
14. The alkalinity of water can be controlled through fertigation by using acids such as phosphoric, sulfuric, nitric and citric.

Now, focus on water and citrate insoluble phosphatic fertilizers: These contain phosphorus, which is insoluble in water as well as in citric acid. They are suitable in strongly acid soils or organic soils, and are given in green manured fields. Phosphorus is very slowly released by microbes at action and remains in soil for long time. So fertigation may not add much to the “efficiency” with which these are applied.

[This is a very tough question, and completely factual one.]

Ans.(d). Major minerals are those specified in the first schedule appended in the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 (MMDR Act 1957) and the common major minerals are Lignite, Coal, Uranium, iron ore, gold etc. The first schedule of MMDR Act 1957 also contains minerals named Chromite, Kyanite, Sillimanite but not Bentonite.

Chromite is a mineral that is an iron chromium oxide. It has a chemical formula of FeCr2O4.

Kyanite is a blue aluminosilicate mineral, found in aluminium-rich metamorphic pegmatites and/or sedimentary rock.

Sillimanite is an aluminosilicate mineral with the chemical formula Al2SiO5.

So of the four names given, only “Bentonite” is not covered in the major list of minerals, and answer option is (d). The examiner is actually expecting you to remember the full list of minerals!

[A very tough question, completely factual, with no scope of logical guessing]

Ans.(b). Scientists from Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune found that ocean mean temperature (OMT) has a better ability to predict amount of rainfall that India receives during Monsoon season, than the presently used Sea Surface Temperature (SST) method. Compared to SST which has 60% success rate, OMT has a 80% success rate.

OMT is analyzed by measuring the Ocean thermal energy during the period of January to March so that the information on Monsoon whether it will be more or less can be made available by the beginning of April, two months before the south-west monsoon can set in. OMT is measured in the southwestern Indian Ocean region (50°E-70°E and 10°S-0°N; delimited by the rectangular box). Ocean Mean Temperature is measured upto a depth of 26°C isotherm. 26°C isotherm is seen in depths varying from 50-100 meters. Hence statement 1 is partly correct, not fully correct. Hence, option (b) is correct.

[A tough question from Science and Technology, based on environment/ecology]

Ans.(b). The retail prices of non-urea fertilizers were fully deregulated in April 2010. The price of urea, the most dominant fertilizer, remained under government control. So statement 1 is incorrect and answer will be (b) or (c).

A typical modern ammonia-producing plant first converts natural gas (i.e., methane) or LPG (liquefied petroleum gases such as propane and butane) or petroleum naphtha into gaseous hydrogen. The hydrogen is then combined with nitrogen to produce ammonia via the Haber-Bosch process.

Sulfur is a major by-product of oil refining and gas processing. So answer is option (b).

[Since urea’s price is govt. controlled, statement 1 is wrong, so options (a) and (d) were ruled out. You needed to be sure about statement 3 only after this. The question was asked due to a lot of debate on fertilizer subsidy etc. in recent times.]

Ans.(c). The Desert National Park (DNP), Rajasthan, India, is situated in Rajasthan near the districts of Jaisalmer and Barmer. It is one of the largest national parks in India, and also is a protected sanctuary. The endangered Great Indian Bustard is a magnificent bird found in relatively fair numbers. It migrates locally in different seasons. The DNP has 73 villages with thousands of people living, so statement 2 is wrong. The other NPs in Rajasthan are Sariska NP (1982), Ranthambore NP (1980), Mukundra Hills (Darrah) NP (2006), and Keoladeo Ghana NP (1981).

[The question was easy to solve if you knew that 2 is wrong, then three options could be struck off]

Ans. (d). The Siachen Glacier is a glacier located in the eastern Karakoram range in the Himalayas at about 35.421226°N 77.109540°E. As shown in the map it is north of Nubra Valley. It is clear that it cannot be “east” of Aksai China (that would fall inside China), nor can it be “north” of Gilgit.

[This was a direct and easy question. Given the vast coverage to the India-China LAC skirmish, you were expected to know this for sure.]

Ans.(a). Pairs 2 and 4 are wrongly matched.

Bhilsa was a Parmara dynasty city which was raided by Alauddin Khilji in thirteenth century. Presently it is known as Vidisha and is a district of MP. Correct answer could be (a) or (b).

The ancient Sthaneshwar Mahadev Temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva is situated in Thanesar, a holy town in the Kurukshetra district of Haryana, India. So correct answer is (a).

Girinagar (city on top of a mountain) is also called Girnar, and is in Junagarh, Gujarat. It is an ancient city with stories linking it with Lord Dattatreya.

Halebidu (earlier Dwarasamudra) was the regal capital of the Hoysala Empire in Karnataka, in the 12th century.

[A standard question from ancient and medieval history, requiring knowledge of locations]

Ans.(b). The Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA) was constituted under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 for the purposes of regulation and control of ground water development and management in the country. So answer could be (b) or (c).

At 39 million hectares (67% of its total irrigation), India has the world's largest groundwater well equipped irrigation system (China with 19 mha is second, USA with 17 mha is third). Answer is (b).

The annual replenishable ground water resources availability plays an important role in defining the guidelines. The Annual replenishable ground water resources have been estimated as 431 Billion Cubic Metres (bcm). The Net Ground Water Availability is 396 bcm and the overall stage of ground water development of the country is 61%. The “over exploited” and “critical” units are not 36% but less than that. It is a tough fact to remember.

[It is clear that 3 is definitely correct, and that is the cause for great water stress building up, as well.]

Answer (c). Jet streams occur in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. So statement 1 is wrong, and answer could be (b) or (c). So statement 2 is definitely correct. The eye is a region of mostly calm weather at the center of strong tropical cyclones. The eye of a storm is a roughly circular area, typically 30–65 kilometres in diameter. It is surrounded by the eyewall, a ring of towering thunderstorms where the most severe weather and highest winds occur. The cyclone's lowest barometric pressure occurs in the eye and can be as much as 15 percent lower than the pressure outside the storm.

As the air subsides, it compresses slightly and warms, so that temperatures at the centre of a tropical cyclone are some 5.5 °C (10 °F) higher than in other regions of the storm. Because warmer air can hold more moisture before condensation occurs, the eye of the cyclone is generally free of clouds. So statement 3 is wrong. And our answer is (c).

[A standard question, with tricky statements. Some logic could help you a lot.]

Answer (c). The answer is Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam (AP).

Option (a) – Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand has a Critical Tiger Habitat of 821 sqkm. Buffer area is 466 sqkm. Option (b) – Ranthambore in Rajasthan has a Critical Tiger Habitat of 1113 sqkm. Buffer area is 297 sqkm. Option (c) – Nagarjunsagar Srisailam in AP has a Critical Tiger Habitat of 2597 sqkm. Buffer area is 700 sqkm. Option (d) – Sunderbans in West Bengal has a Critical Tiger Habitat of 1699 sqkm. Buffer area is 885 sqkm. So of the given options, (c) has the largest CTH.

Critical 'tiger' habitats (CTHs) are the core areas of tiger reserves, identified under the Wild Life Protection Act (WLPA), 1972 based on scientific evidence that "such areas are required to be kept as inviolate for the purpose of tiger conservation, without affecting the rights of the Scheduled Tribes or such other forest dwellers". The notification of CTH is done by the state government. Critical 'wildlife’ habitats (CWLHs) are defined only in the Forest Rights Act, 2006.

Check full list from Page 44-45-46 of latest report –

https://ntca.gov.in/assets/uploads/Reports/Annual_Reports/Annual_Report_English_2018-19.pdf

[A tough one, as one was expected to know the relative sizes of the CTH]

Sol. Ans.(b). Only 2 and 4 are correct.

The extensive use of Aadhar became a huge problem by 2017, when the issues related to right to privacy came before the Supreme Court. Separately, challenges to the constitutionality of Aadhar Act itself were lodged, and the SC decided on that too, separately.

Aadhaar is no longer mandatory for Bank account, Mobile connection, Schools/Exams, buy insurance products. It is still mandatory for PAN, I-T Returns and Welfare schemes. As per the Supreme Court decision on the Constitutional validity of Aadhaar, the metadata cannot be stored for more than six months. Hence, 1 is incorrect, so options (a) and (d) are wrong. Also, 3 is incorrect, so (c) is also wrong.

Private entities are not permitted to use Aadhaar numbers for the purpose of authentication, on the basis of a contract with the concerned individual, since it would enable commercial exploitation of an individual's biometric and demographic information by private entities.

State cannot share Aadhar data with private bodies on contractual basis. And any welfare benefit funded from the Consolidated Fund of India (CFI) needs mandatory Aadhar.

[One needs to know the micro detail to crack this one]

Sol. Ans.(b).

The Rajya Sabha, as the council of States, is the voice of states in the central legislature. It enjoys equal powers with Lok Sabha in matters like the impeachment of the President, removal of the vice-president, constitutional amendments, and removal of the judges of the Supreme Court and the High Courts. In matter of creating All India Services, the Rajya Sabha enjoys special powers (not equal powers). When the government moves Money Bills in the Lok Sabha, the RS cannot do much about it. Many laws have been pushed through, using that route.

Unlike the Lok Sabha, a member of the Rajya Sabha cannot bring to the house a no-confidence motion against the government. So (c) is wrong.

Also, since the RS is a smaller house (245 members) as compared to the Lok Sabha (543), in any joint sitting the power of RS is automatically diminished.

Cut motions are a power given to the members of the Lok Sabha to oppose a demand in the Financial Bill discussed by the government. If a cut motion is adopted by Parliament and the government does not have the numbers, it is obliged to resign as per rules of the Lok Sabha. RS has no role in it. Hence (d) is wrong.

[A fundamental question from polity and constitution!]

Sol. Ans.(d).

The Local Area Development Scheme known as MPLADS is a government scheme launched in Dec 1993. This central sector scheme was developed as an initiative to enable the parliament members to recommend developmental work in their constituencies based on locally felt needs. These developmental works mainly focused on the areas of national priorities such as drinking water, education, public health, sanitation, roads, etc.So 1 is correct.

It is a government-funded scheme where the annual fund provided to each MP constituency is Rs. 5 crores. Recommendation by the MPs should be done annually with works costing at least 15 percent of the MPLADS entitlement for areas inhabited by Scheduled Caste population and 7.5 percent for areas inhabited by the ST population.So, 2 is correct.

A sum of Rs. 75 lakhs is provided for building assets by trusts and societies as per the scheme guidelines to encourage the trusts and societies for the betterment of tribal people.

MPLADS funds are non-lapsable. They get carried over to next year. So, 3 is wrong. Hence (b) and (c) are wrong.

Utilisation percentage of MPLAD Scheme can be more than 100 per cent.It is calculated as the ratio of amount spent to amount released by the government. In MPLAD Scheme, basically there are three types of amounts: amount released by government, amount sanctioned by district authorities and amount spent. The sanctioned amount can be more than the released amount because it also includes the interest earned on the amount released by GOI and amount carried forward (if any) from past years.

The District Authority would be responsible for overall coordination and supervision of the works under the scheme at the district level and inspect at least 10% of the works under implementation every year. The District Authority should involve the MPs in the inspections of projects to the extent feasible. So, 4 is correct.

Hence, answer is option (d).

[This question was relevant due to the suspension of MPLADS fund by Modi govt. during pandemic. If you knew 3 was wrong, the question was directly solvable]

Sol. Ans.(d). It is all about equality!

The Seven fundamental rights recognised by the constitution are -

1. Right to equality, including equality before law, prohibition of discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth, and equality of opportunity in matters of employment, abolition of untouchability and abolition of titles.
2. Right to freedom which includes speech and expression, assembly, association or union or cooperatives, movement, residence, and right to practice any profession or occupation (some of these rights are subject to security of the State, friendly relations with foreign countries, public order, decency or morality), right to life and liberty, right to education, protection in respect to conviction in offences and protection against arrest and detention in certain cases.
Right against exploitation, prohibiting all forms of forced labour, child labour and traffic in human beings;
3. Right to freedom of religion, including freedom of conscience and free profession, practice, and propagation of religion, freedom to manage religious affairs, freedom from certain taxes and freedom from religious instructions in certain educational institutes.
4. Cultural and Educational rights preserving Right of any section of citizens to conserve their culture, language or script, and right of minorities to establish and administer educational institutions of their choice.
5. Right to constitutional remedies for enforcement of Fundamental Rights
Right to education which ensures that children up to the age of 14 get education. It can also be free of cost.

[A straightforward easy question!]

Sol. Ans.(b). Article 50 of Indian Constitution puts an obligation over the state to separate the judiciary from the executive, and since it falls under the Directive Principles of State policy (DPSP), it is not enforceable.

Article 50 states –

50. Separation of judiciary from executive – The State shall take steps to separate the judiciary from the executive in the public services of the State

[Was easy only if you remembered Article 50]

Sol. Ans.(d). One of the easiest questions in this test!

The Macro-Economic Framework Statement, presented to Parliament as per the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act, 2003. The FRBM instructs the government to make an assessment of the growth prospects of the economy with specific underlying assumptions. The Framework Statement contains assessment regarding the GDP growth rate, fiscal balance of the Central Government and the external sector balance of the economy.

[You cannot get this one wrong!]

Sol. Ans.(d). Limited government is an idea that a government cannot be given unlimited powers to make laws and implement them. So, we need a constitution to define the same. The US Constitution of 1789 and the French Constitution of 1793 were both designed to build a limited government. A key tool to achieve this is the separation of powers between organs of government and on a federal basis.

According to Scott Gordon, a political organization is constitutional to the extent that it "contain[s] institutionalized mechanisms of power control for the protection of the interests and liberties of the citizenry, including those that may be in the minority".

[A rather easy question!]

Sol. Ans.(d). Article 1 of the Universal Declaration says that “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood”. India was a signatory to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. A number of fundamental rights guaranteed to the individuals in Part III of the Indian Constitution are similar to the provisions of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

The Preamble to the Constitution declares India to be a Sovereign, Socialist, Secular and Democratic Republic. The term ’democratic’ denotes that the Government gets its authority from the will of the people. It gives a feeling that they all are equal “irrespective of the race, religion, language, sex and culture.” So, 1 is correct.

The Directive Principles of State Policy (Judicially non-enforceable rights) in Part IV of the Constitution are chiefly those of economic and social character. However, Article 37 makes it clear that their judicial non-enforceability does not weaken the duty of the State to apply them in making laws, since they are nevertheless fundamental in the governance of the county. Additionally, the innovative jurisprudence of the Supreme Court has now read into Article 21 (the right to life and personal liberty) many of these principles and made them enforceable. So, 2 is correct.

Part IV(A) of the Constitution embodies the Eleven Fundamental Duties of every Indian citizen (Article 51-A). The Eighty sixth Constitutional Amendment 2002 inserted a new clause (k) in Article 51(A) instructing “a parent or guardian to provide opportunities for education to his child or as the case may be, ward between the ages of 6 and 14 years.” To that extent, even this is correct!

[A difficult question that requires deeper reflection and understanding]

Sol. Ans.(a). Here, 4 is wrong, so options (b) and (d) are ruled out.

Persons who are entitled to get free legal aid under the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987 -

1. a member of a Scheduled Caste of Scheduled Tribe;
2. a victim of trafficking in human beings or beggar as referred to in Article 23 of the Constitution;
3. a woman or a child;
4. a person with disability as defined in Clause (i) of Section 2 of the person with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation)'; Act, 1995
5. a person under circumstances to the underserved want such as being a victim of mass disaster, ethnic violence, caste atrocity, flood, drought, earthquake or industrial disaster; or an industrial workman; or in custody, including custody in a protective home within the meaning of clause (g) of Section 2 of the Immoral Traffic (prevention) Act, 1956 (104 of 1956), or in a juvenile home within the meaning of clause (j) of Section 2 of the Juvenile Justice Act, 1986 (53 of 1986), or in a psychiatric hospital or psychiatric nursing home within the meaning of clause (g) of Section 2 of the Mental Health Act, 1987 (14 of 1987); or in receipt of annual income less than rupees nine thousand or such other higher amount as may be prescribed by the State Government, if the case is before a court other than the supreme Court, and less than rupees twelve thousand or such other higher amount as may be [prescribed by the Central Government, if the case is before the Supreme Court.

Free legal service is not provided to “Every Senior Citizen”, so statement 4 is not correct. Answer could be (a) or (c). But it is provided to a person with annual income less than Rs. 1,00,000. So correct answer will be option (a).

Source: http://www.legalserviceindia.com/article/l206-Legal-Aid.html

[A tough one, based on static and current GK]

Sol. Ans.(c). The Declaration of Alma-Ata was adopted at the International Conference on Primary Health Care, Almaty, Kazakhstan, 6–12 September 1978. So, statement 1 is correct. Answer could be (a) or (c). But The Hague Convention was on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction. So correct answer is (c).

The Talanoa Dialogueis a process designed to help countries implement and enhance their Nationally Determined Contributions to limit the rise in average global temperature to 2°C above pre-industrial levels, and to pursue efforts to limit the increase to 1.5°C, by 2020.

The Under2 Coalition is a global community of state and regional governments committed to ambitious climate mitigation results.

[A tough one, based largely on static GK]

Sol. Ans.(c). 1 is not matched as Aurang is a Persian term for a warehouse (a place where goods are collected before being sold). The word also refers to a workshop for finished goods. Banian means an Indian trader, merchant, cashier, or money changer. So 2 is also not correct. So answer must be (c).

In India (specifically in South India), ‘Mirasidar’ is a hereditary owner, especially of land; an owner of inherited land prohibited by law from being sold, and leased instead to tenants for a nominal fee in return for its cultivation. A handful of village elites called mirasidars, very often belong to Brahman and other high castes. Under them was a group of farmers who either held permanent rights to cultivate village land or were temporary tenants belonging to other villages. Under the ryotwari settlement system, the government recognized mirasidars as the sole proprietors of land,dismissing tenants' rights completely. Only in villages where no mirasidar system existed were those villagers holding permanent occupancy rights recognized as landholders responsible for the payment of land revenue.

[A tough one, based on Ancient History]

Sol. Ans.(b) The first division in the Buddhist community occurred as a result of the second council, said to have been held 100 years after the Buddha’s death, at Vaisali (Bihar state), when the Acariyavadins (followers of the traditional teaching) split away from the Sthaviravadins (followers of the Way of the Elders) and formed their own school, known as the Mahasanghikas.

The Mahasanghikas’s views on the nature of the Buddha and the arhat (saint) foreshadowed the development of the Mahayana form of Buddhism. So statement 1 is incorrect and 3 is correct. Answer could be (b) or (c).

Further subdivisions of the Mahasanghikas over the next seven centuries included the Lokottaravadins, the Ekavyavaharikas, and the Kaukkutikas. So 2 is correct.

[A tough one, based on minute details of ancient Indian history]

Sol. Ans.(a) First railway line came to India on April 16, 1853 (Mumbai to Thane). So option (c) is not correct. The modern textile industry took birth in India in the early nineteenth century when the first textile mill in the country was established at Fort Gloster near Calcutta in 1818 but the cotton textile industry made its real beginning in Bombay, in 1850s. The first cotton textile mill of Bombay was established in 1854 by a Parsi cotton merchant then engaged in overseas and internal trade. The first cotton mill in Ahmedabad, was established in 1861. The cotton textile industry made rapid progress in the second half of the nineteenth century and by the end of the century there were 178 cotton textile mills. So option (b) is incorrect. Option (d) is clearly incorrect.

Hence,Indian handicrafts were ruinedis the correct answer.

[A tough one, as one can easily get confused with other options]

Sol. Ans.(c)

Statement 1 -Gurjara-Pratiharas, or simply, the Pratiharas (8th century CE - 11th century CE). Bhoja or Mihira Bhoja (836-885 CE) was the most well-known king of this dynasty.

Statement 2 - Pallava dynasty (275 CE - 897 CE). Mahendravarman I (571–630 CE).

Statement 3 -The Chola dynasty was a Tamil thalassocratic empire (dependent on naval power) of southern India, one of the longest-ruling dynasties in the world's history (estd. 300s BCE). The earliest datable references to the Chola are in inscriptions from the 3rd century BCE left by Ashoka, of the Maurya Empire (Ashoka Major Rock Edict No.13). Parantaka I was around 907–950 CE.

Statement 4 -

Hence, the correct order, starting with the earliest is 2-4-1-3. This requires a clear cut knowledge of ancient history’s chronology in India.

[Not an easy one at all!]

Sol. Ans.(c)

Hundi/Hundee is a financial instrument that developed in Medieval India for use in trade and credit transactions. Hundis are used as a form of remittance instrument to transfer money from place to place, as a form of credit instrument or IOU to borrow money and as a bill of exchange in trade transactions. The Reserve Bank of India describes the Hundi as "an unconditional order in writing made by a person directing another to pay a certain sum of money to a person named in the order." During the colonial era, the British government regarded the hundi system as indigenous or traditional, but not informal. Types of Hundi - Sahyog Hundi, Darshani Hundi, Muddati Hundi, Nam-jog hundi, Furman-jog Hundi, Dhani-jog Hundi, Jokhim-Hundi, Jawabi Hundi, Khaka Hundi, Khoti Hundi etc.

[This was easy as only one of the four option was related to finance and money]

Sol. Ans.(Not Sure). Sakharam Ganesh Deuskar (1869 - 1912) was a revolutionary writer, historian and journalist. He was such a thinker whose thinking and writing were on locality and on all-Bangla society. He was like a bridge between Maharashtra and the Bengal. His source of inspiration is Maharashtra, but he writes in Bengali. Arvind Ghosh has written that the credit for the first use of the word 'Swarajya' goes to Deuskar. Deuskar, who started his life as a journalist, was particularly interested in history, literature and politics. He continued writing in most of Bangla's revolutionary magazines. He was a regular writer of Yugantar Patrika. Apart from Yugantar, he wrote a lot of articles related to the history, culture, literature of India in magazines like Sahitya, Bharati, Dharni, Sahitya-Samhita, Pradeep, Bang-Darshan, Aryavart, Ved Vyas, Pratibha etc. which are aimed at the Indian public Knowledge of past and present was to be done. History, literature and politics were his favorite subjects.

One of Deuskar's works that most influenced the Enlightenment of the Renaissance period was the work of Desher Katha published in 1904. It was translated into Hindi by the name 'Desh Ki Baat' (1910) by Baburao Vishnu Paradkar. Sakharam Deuskar composed this historical work primarily on the same basis as William Digby, Dadabhai Naoroji and Ramesh Chandra Dutt wrote about the foreign exploitation of the Indian economy. This work of Deuskar, depicting the ruin of the industries of India, is a document of the wrath of the Indian people living under the chains of British imperialism and exploitation. Frightened by the information of publication of thirteen thousand copies of its five editions in just five years, the British banned the book in 1910. There is an authentic picture of the events to destroy the Indian economy, of the agricultural system, destroying the craftsmanship and industry and dealing with contemptuous sentences in relation to the Indian citizen, is present here.

Sol. Ans.(b). Gandhi-Irwin Pact was a political agreement signed by Mahatma Gandhi and Lord Irwin, Viceroy of India in 1931 before the second Round Table Conference in London. Below are the proposed conditions -

1. Discontinuation of Salt March by the Indian National Congress.
2. Participation by the Indian National Congress in the Second Round Table Conference.
3. Withdrawal of all ordinances issued by the Government of India imposing curbs on the activities of the Indian National Congress.
4. Withdrawal of all prosecutions relating to several types of offenses except those involving violence.
5. Release of prisoners arrested for participating in the Salt March.
6. Removal of the tax on salt, which allowed the Indians to produce, trade, and sell salt legally and for their own private use.

In reply, British Government agreed to -

1. Withdraw all ordinances and end prosecutions.
2. Release all political prisoners, except those guilty of violence.
3. Permit peaceful picketing of liquor and foreign cloth shops.
4. Restore confiscated properties of the satyagrahis.
5. Permit free collection or manufacture of salt by persons near the sea-coast.
6. Lift the ban over the Congress.

[A tough question that asked you micro details of a famous historical development]

Sol. Ans.(a). Gopal Baba Walangkar (1840-1900) is an early example of an activist working to release the untouchable people of India. He developed a racial theory to explain the oppression and also published the first journal targeted at the untouchable people. The Aryan invasion theory, since discredited, was in vogue at this time. Walangkar extended Phule's version of this racial theory, that the untouchable people of India were the indigenous inhabitants and that the Brahmin people were descended from Aryans who had invaded the country. Walangkar claimed that "high-caste people from the south were 'Australian–Semitic non-Aryans' and African negroes, that Chitpavan Brahmans were 'Barbary Jews', and that the high-caste Marathas' forebears were 'Turks'". In 1888, Walangkar began publishing the monthly journal titled Vital-Vidhvansak (Destroyer of Brahmanical or Ceremonial Pollution), which was the first to have the untouchable people as its target audience. He also wrote articles for Marathi-language newspapers such as Sudharak and Deenbandhu, as well as composing couplets in Marathi that were intended to inspire the people.

[An esoteric question, extremely difficult]

Sol. Ans.(a). According to epigraphic evidence, we have references of measurement units of lands such as – “Kulyavapa”, “dronavapa”, “adhavapa” and “Pataka” from Bengal, nivratana” and “bhumi” from Central India and “nivartana and “padavarta” from Western India.

[Fact based question]

Sol. Ans.(a). Edicts of Ashoka – Rock Edict XII - Original text of the Girnar edict as per estampage by Meena Talim. For whosoever honors his own sects and condemns the sects of others wholly from devotion to his own sect, i.e., the thought, “How I may glorify my own sect,” – one acting thus injures more gravely his own sect on the contrary….

Sol. Ans.(b). In a parliamentary system of government, the party with a majority gets the chance to form the government (political executive). In India, electors select the members of the lower house of parliament Lok Sabha, and these MPs form the government. This government remains responsible to the Parliament and Parliament can remove it through a no-confidence motion (if passed). Option (a) is clearly wrong as there is no such norm. Option (c) is wrong as people cannot remove the government. Option (d) is wrong as governments do fall before their term is over (due to no-confidence motion, etc.)

[Options (a) and (c) can directly be eliminated]

Sol. Ans.(a). The part of constitution that declares the ideals of welfare state is the Directive Principles of State Policy (DPSP). These principles give the guidelines to governments (of centre and state) of the country regarding desirable actions for ensuring citizen welfare. These also help in framing laws and have been extensively used by higher judiciary in delivering verdicts.

[A very direct and simple question]

Sol. Ans.(b). Only statement 2 is correct, not 1.

The basic structure doctrine is an Indian judicial principle that evolved much later, most notably propounded by Justice Hans Raj Khanna, that the Constitution of India has certain basic features which cannot be altered or destroyed through amendments by the Parliament of India. Some of the features termed as "basic" are – Supremacy of the Constitution, Rule of law, principle of Separation of Powers, objectives specified in the Preamble to the Constitution of India, Judicial Review, Articles 32 and 226, Federalism (including financial liberty of states under Articles 282 and 293), Secularism, Sovereign, Democratic, Republican structure, Freedom and dignity of the individual, Unity and integrity of the Nation, principle of equality, not every feature of equality, but the quintessence of equal justice, "essence" of other Fundamental Rights in Part III, Effective access to justice, Powers of the Supreme Court under Articles 32, 136, 141, 142 and legislation seeking to nullify the awards made in exercise of the judicial power of the State by Arbitration Tribunals constituted under an Act, etc. These are not titled or called the Basic Structure in the constitution, hence statement 1 is wrong.

Judicial review is recognized as a necessary and a basic requirement of a civilization to safeguard the liberty and rights of the citizen individuals. The power of judicial review is significantly vested upon the High Courts and the Supreme Court of India. Under Article 13 of the Indian Constitution (Fundamental Rights, Part III), the compulsion of judicial review becomes evident.

Article 13 – (2) – The State shall not make any law which takes away or abridges the rights conferred by this Part and any law made in contravention of this clause shall, to the extent of the contravention, be void.

Judicial Review powers are incorporated in Articles 226 and 227 of the Constitution insofar as the High Courts are concerned, and in Articles 32 and 136 as far as the Supreme Court is concerned.

[A trick question because statement 1 is worded in a confusing way]

Sol. Ans.(a). Gandhi’s vision for a society and the Marxist vision had one similarity above all – their conception of an Ideal State. The final aim of both was the establishment of a stateless and classless society, , but the means for achieving this aim were markedly different for both. Mahatma Gandhi wanted to achieve this through non-violence but Marx predicted that this may not be possible without a serious class conflict.

In almost all other areas, their ideas did not match.

Economic determinism is a socioeconomic theory that economic relationships are the foundation upon which other societal and political arrangements in society are based. For Gandhi, spirituality and discovery of self played a major role too.

Gandhi wrote – “Socialism and communism of the West are based on certain conceptions which are fundamentally different from ours. One such conception is their belief in the essential selfishness of human nature. I do not subscribe to it for I know that the essential difference between man and the brute is that the former can respond to the call of the spirit in him. Our socialism or communism should, therefore, be based on non-violence and on harmonious co-operation of labour and capital, landlord and tenant.”

And he wrote – “I must confess that I have not yet been able to fully understand the meaning of Bolshevism. All that I know is that it aims at the abolition of the institution of private property. This is only an application of the ethical ideal of non-possession in the realm of economics and if the people adopted this ideal of their own accord or could be made to accept it by means of peaceful persuasion, there would be nothing like it. But form what I know of Bolshevism it not only does not preclude the use of force, but freely sanctions it for the expropriation of private property and maintaining the collective State ownership of the same.”

[A tough question but with some logic, may be cracked]

Sol. Ans.(d). Civil Service or the bureaucracy constitutes the professionals who are permanent and salaried employees that are a part of the government’s executive organ. They are politically neutral and their main job is to facilitate the effective working of different government departments and policy implementations. They, however, work under the control and leadership of the ministers.

After the elected government decides on a policy it is the responsibility and duty of the bureaucracy to implement those policies. Other key responsibilities of the bureaucracy are to make sure the day to day administration is running effectively, to advice political executives on policy decisions, indirect support in the making of laws, the financial administration of the government, maintaining relations with the general public and keeping and maintain governmental records. And yes, the bureaucracy must refuse to carry out illegal orders, contrary to established law and spirit of the constitution.

[Apply some logic to see that (a), (b) and (c) have a political tone]

Sol. Ans.(d). A preamble is an introductory statement in a document that explains the document’s philosophy and objectives. In a Constitution, it presents the intention of its framers, the history behind its creation, and the core values and principles of the nation. The preamble basically gives idea of the source of the Constitution, nature of Indian State, statement of its objectives and date of its adoption.

Although not enforceable in court, the Preamble states the objectives of the Constitution, and acts as an aid during the interpretation of Articles when language is found ambiguous. The preamble as a part of the Constitution was discussed several times in the Supreme Court. It was used as a reference in Berubari Case and Kesavananda Bharati Case. So, it can be concluded that preamble is part of the introductory part of the Constitution.

In the 1995 case of Union Government vs LIC of India, the Supreme Court has once again held that Preamble is the integral part of the Constitution but is not directly enforceable in a court of justice in India.

[The difference between (a) and (d) is that (a) bluntly makes Preamble powerless, but (d) explains its importance when clubbed with other sections of the Constitution]

Sol. Ans.(d). Gold Tranche – Amount of gold that each member country of the International Monetary fund (IMF) contributes as part of its membership obligations to the fund, and can readily borrow when facing economic difficulties.

Gold played a central role in the international monetary system until the collapse of the Bretton Woods system of fixed exchange rates in 1973. Since then, its role has diminished. But it remains an important asset in the reserve holdings of several countries, and the IMF is still one of the world’s largest official holders of gold. In line with the new income model for the Fund agreed in April 2008, profits from limited gold sales were used to establish an endowment and used to boost the IMF’s concessional lending capacity to eligible low-income countries (LICs).

Reserve tranche is the component of a member country’s quota with the IMF that is in the form of gold or foreign currency. For any member country, out of the total quota, 25% should be paid in the form of foreign currency or gold. Hence this is called called reserve tranche or gold tranche. The remaining 75% can be in domestic currencies and it is called credit tranche.

[All you needed to know is that this is an IMF system]

Sol. Ans.(d). The Part IV in Indian constitution pertains to the Directive Principles of State Policy. These are the guidelines or principles given to the federal institutes governing the state of India, to be kept in mind while framing laws and policies. So, 3 is correct, and hence, options (a) and (b) are incorrect. Sol.

These provisions, contained in Part IV of the Constitution of India, are not directly enforceable by any court (so 1 is also incorrect, so option (c) too is wrong), but the principles are considered crucial guiding posts in the governance of India, making it the duty of the State to apply these while making laws. The aim is to establish a just society in India. Answer is (d) – 2 and 3 only.

[If you know that 1 is wrong, then (a) and (c) are eliminated. Since 3 definitely is correct, answer has to be (d).]

Sol. Ans.(d) Both 1 and 2 are wrong.

In the Republic of India, a person should not be less than 25 years of age to be a member of the Legislative Assembly and not less than 30 years to be a member of the Legislative Council (as per Article 173 of Indian Constitution). Age of voting is 18 years. Hence, a person eligible to vote may not be made a minister if he/she is less than 25 years of age. Rest of the statement is irrelevant for our discussion.

According to Part II, para 8 of Representation of People Act, 1951, a person shall be disqualified from contesting an election, where the convicted person is sentenced to —

1. only fine, for a period of six years from the date of such conviction;
2. imprisonment, from the date of such conviction and shall continue to be disqualified for a further period of six years since his release.

Till date, there is no concept of “permanent disqualification” in Indian elections, based on criminal conviction.

[If you can quickly spot the “eligible to vote” and “permanent disqualification” tags, then the question becomes easy]

Sol. Ans.(c).

Article 85(1) of the Constitution empowers the President to summon each House of Parliament to meet at such time and place as he thinks fit, but six months shall not intervene between its last sitting in one Session and the date appointed for its first sitting in the next Session. So, 1 is correct. So options (b) and (d) are wrong.

Article 85 requires that there should not be a gap of more than six months between two sessions of Parliament. The period during which the House meets to conduct its business is called a session. In India usually there are three sessions namely Budget session (January/February to May), Monsoon session (July to August/September) and the Winter session (November to December). But there is no specific mention of three sessions of Parliament, hence 2 is incorrect.

Yes. There is no minimum number of days that Parliament is required to meet in a year — in fact, the number of days that Parliament meets has reduced over the years. During the first two decades of Parliament, Lok Sabha met for an average of a little more than 120 days a year. This has come down to approximately 70 days in the last decade. So 3 is correct. So option (c) is correct.

Article 85 states –

85. Sessions of Parliament, prorogation and dissolution

1. The President shall from time to time summon each House of Parliament to meet at such time and place as he thinks fit, but six months shall not intervene between its last sitting in one session and the date appointed for its first sitting in the next session
2. The President may from time to time
1. prorogue the Houses or either House;
2. dissolve the House of the People

[Since 2 is surely incorrect, two options are ruled out – (b) and (d)]

Sol. Ans.(d) All of the statements 1, 2, 3 and 4 are true.Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are allotropes of carbon, made of graphite and constructed in cylindrical tubes with nanometer in diameter and several millimeters in length. Their impressive structural, mechanical, and electronic properties are due to their small size and mass, their strong mechanical potency, and their high electrical and thermal conductivity. CNTs have been successfully applied in pharmacy and medicine due to their high surface area that is capable of adsorbing or conjugating with a wide variety of therapeutic and diagnostic agents (drugs, genes, vaccines, antibodies, biosensors, etc.). They have been first proven to be an excellent vehicle for drug delivery directly into cells without metabolism by the body. Then other applications of CNTs have been extensively performed not only for drug and gene therapies but also for tissue regeneration, biosensor diagnosis, enantiomer separation of chiral drugs, extraction and analysis of drugs and pollutants. Carbon nanotubes may be the best tissue engineering candidate among numerous other materials such as natural and synthetic polymers for tissue scaffolds since this nanomaterial is biocompatible, and can be functionalized with biomolecules for enhancing the organ regeneration. It has also been demonstrated that functionalised carbon nanotubes can be degraded by oxidative enzymes. Hence, all the statements are correct. [Look at the options – statement 1 is definitely correct, so option (b) is gone (2, 3 and 4 only). Then, statement 2 is correct, so option (c) is gone (1, 3 and 4 only). So we are left with options (a) and (d) only for final choice. If we can get any one of 3 or 4 as right, answer has to be (d)]

Sol. Ans.(d) All of the statements 1, 2 and 3 are true.

At the present level of technology (2020), there has been extensive usage of drones to spray pesticide on agricultural fields as reported from different parts of state of Telangana. The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare said it was illegal as per the Insecticides Act of 1968.

Researchers around Edgar Zorn from the German Research Centre for Geosciences GFZ in Potsdam are now presenting the results of a series of repeated survey flights with optical and thermal imaging cameras at the Santa Maria volcano in Guatemala. Drones were used to observe the lava dome, a viscous plug of lava. The researchers were able to show that the lava dome shows movements on two different time scales: slow expansion and growth of the dome and fast extrusion of viscous lava. The study was published in the journal "Scientific Reports."

Drones have been used for years to film whales and dolphins swimming near the surface of the water, but in a new study conducted by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute (WHOI), researchers used an unmanned aerial vehicle to do a bit more than spy on the sea creatures. They had it collect breath samples from humpback whales in Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary off the coast of Massachusetts.

Source: https://www.futurefarming.com/Tools-data/Articles/2018/9/Drone-spraying-and-spreading-becoming-reality-335322E/

Source: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/05/200525115649.htm

Source: https://www.cnet.com/news/drone-flies-through-whales-spouts-to-sample-their-breath/

[Look at the options – statement 1 is definitely correct, so option (b) is gone (2 and 3 only). We are left with statements 2 and 3, both not too easy to use for elimination. Hence, a tough one unless facts are known.]

Sol. Ans.(d) The evolved Laser Interfermoter Space Antenna (eLISA) is a mission aiming at exploring the Gravitational Universe from space for the first time. The eLISA mission consists of a “Mother” and two “Daughter” spacecrafts. These will orbit the Sun in a triangular configuration, as shown in the figure. The three satellites will form a precision interferometer, with the two Daughter spacecrafts connected to the Mother one by 1 million km long laser beams. This interferometer will be capable of detecting gravitational waves at frequencies in the range of 0.1 mHz to 1 Hz. Such a frequency interval is not accessible on Earth due to arm length limitations and to noise caused by the terrestrial gravity gradient noise: in this sense, eLISA will complement the efforts of ground-based gravitational-wave detectors.

Source: http://blogs.cardiff.ac.uk/physicsoutreach/gravitational-physics-tutorial/evolved-laser-interferometer-space-antenna-elisa/

[Look at the options – option (a) is definitely wrong, as we know that Voyager-2 was a spacecraft for deep universe exploration and has left the solar system already. Option (b) of New Horizons was for Pluto’s exploration. Both are interplanetary spacecrafts. Final choice will be between (c) and (d) only.]

Sol. Ans.(d) All statements 1, 2 and 3 are correct.

Statement 1 is correct. Eggs and sperms are produced by germ cells ovaries and testes, respectively. And genetic changes in these germ cells, like any other somatic cell, can be introduced by a myriad of techniques, the most favoured among them being Biotechnology besides other rudimentary methods like radiations, chemical or certain biological agents (that often produce undesirable changes).

Statement 2 is correct. Chinese researchers first edited the genes of a human embryo in a lab in 2015 (the controversial case). Scientists in the US have repaired a disease-causing mutation in the DNA of early-stage human embryos, taking a step closer to engineering babies free of inherited disorders.

Statement 3 is also correct.Human induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells hold great therapeutic promise for regenerative medicine. Human iPS cells can proliferate indefinitely in culture and differentiate into all cell types in an adult body. Before translating to the clinic, however, it is imperative to test the safety and efficacy of iPS cell-based therapies using animal models. Owing to easy accessibility, low costs, and a range of available genetic and molecular tools, rodents, in particular mice, have been the most popular animal model for pre-clinical trials. However, in many instances, rodent models cannot accurately reflect the human conditions due to significant differences in development and physiology. Pigs are more similar to humans than the rodents in organ size, physiology, and anatomy, and thus autologous and/or homologous transplantation using pig iPS cell derivatives represents a superior model for regenerative medicine. Moreover, with the development of interspecies blastocyst complementation, human organs generated in pigs may help solve the worldwide shortage of human organs for transplantation in the future.

https://stemcellres.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13287-019-1303-0

[Look at the options – statement 1 is definitely correct, and is well known due to large newspaper reporting in recent times. So options (b) and (c) are ruled out, and only (a) or (d) may be right. If you can prove any one of 2 or 3 as correct, then answer has to be option (d).]

Sol. Ans.(b). Statements 1 and 2 are correct, but 3 is not.

Statement 1 is correct.Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV) can protect both children and adults from pneumococcal disease. Pneumococcal disease is caused by bacteria that can spread from person to person through close contact. It can cause ear infections, and it can also lead to more serious infections (sepsis) of the Lungs (pneumonia), Blood (bacteremia), Covering of the brain and spinal cord (meningitis).

Statement 2 is correct. Second generation pneumococcal conjugate vaccines with extended serotype coverage such as PCV10 (10-valent) and PCV13 (13-valent) have increased direct protection and herd immunity to the pneumococcal serotypes covered by these vaccines with similar efficacy.31,32 Very importantly, just as observed after introduction of PCV7, PCV13 also reduced antibiotic use and in parallel the prevalence of antibiotic non-susceptible strains also decreased.

Statement 3 is not correct.Serious side effects varied by age and dose in the series. The most common problems reported among children were drowsiness, temporary loss of appetite, had redness or tenderness, swelling where the shot was given, where the shot was given, mild or higher fever, fussy or irritable behaviour. Adults have reported pain, redness, and swelling where the shot was given; also mild fever, fatigue, headache, chills, or muscle pain.

Source: http://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6183139/

[Look at the options – statement 3 strikes you as odd – how can a vaccine not have any side-effect at all and cause no allergy? If that is clear, then options (c) and (d) are ruled out directly]

Sol. Ans.(a). Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) is a technology for authenticating users and devices in the digital world. The basic idea is to have one or more trusted parties digitally sign documents certifying that a particular cryptographic key belongs to a particular user or device. The key can then be used as an identity for the user in digital networks. The users and devices that have keys are often just called entities. In general, anything can be associated with a key that it can use as its identity. Besides a user or device, it could be a program, process, manufacturer, component, or something else. The purpose of a PKI is to securely associate a key with an entity.

[This was an easy one, given so much coverage about Digital India and so on]

Sol. Ans.(c). Statement 1 is correct. Plant cells, fungal cells and bacterial cells have cell walls. Plant cell walls are made up of Cellulose, and the cell wall surrounds the cell membrane. This gives the plant cell its unique rectangular shape. Animal cells simply have a cell membrane, but no cell wall.

Statement 2 is incorrect. All types of cells have Plasma Membrane (also called Cell Membrane).

Statement 3 is true. Plant cells have a large, central vacuole that stores waste. Animal cells either don't have vacuoles or have many small vacuoles.

[This was an easy one if you knew that 2 was wrong, then three options are ruled out in one shot – options (a), (b) and (d).]

Sol. Ans.(d). All statements are correct. The main way people are exposed is by breathing in air containing benzene. Benzene can also be absorbed through the skin during contact with a a source such as gasoline, but because liquid benzene evaporates quickly, this is less common. Workers in industries that make or use benzene may be exposed to this chemical. These include the rubber industry, oil refineries, chemical plants, shoe manufacturers, and gasoline-related industries. Benzene is also used to make some types of lubricants, dyes, detergents, drugs, and pesticides. Other people who may be exposed to benzene at work include steel workers, printers, lab technicians, gas station employees, and firefighters. Federal regulations limit exposure to benzene in the workplace (see below).

People can be exposed to benzene in the environment from gasoline fumes, automobile exhaust, emissions from some factories, and waste water from certain industries.Benzene is commonly found in air in both urban and rural areas, but the levels are usually very low. Exposures can be higher for people in enclosed spaces with unventilated fumes from gasoline, glues, solvents, paints, and art supplies. Areas of heavy traffic, gas stations, and areas near industrial sources may also have higher air levels.

Cigarette smoking and secondhand smoke are important sources of exposure to benzene. Cigarette smoke accounts for about half of the exposure to benzene in the United States. Benzene levels in rooms containing tobacco smoke can be many times higher than normal.

People can also be exposed to benzene in contaminated drinking water and some foods (although the levels are usually very low). Many volatile organic compounds have toxic effects on human health and the environment. Benzene in particular, one of the main organic compounds emitted by wood-burning,has the potential to cause cancer.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), many different things including varnished furniture can cause indoor air pollution, and they have a cumulative effect on our health.

Polyurethanes are made from the reaction between an isocyanate and a polyol, all dependent on some form of benzene.

https://www.hogarsintoxicos.org/en/riesgos/furniture-wood

[Look at the options – If you know that 5 is correct, then the answer is (d) straightaway]

Sol. Ans.(a). Statement 1 is correct.

Statement 1 is indeed correct. India is not too dependent on short-term foreign borrowings, and that eliminated the pressure to pay back suddenly in a newly emerging crisis. So 1 will be good for India during the next Global Financial Crisis (GFC) if it arrives. So option (c) is wrong.

Statement 2 will create problems due to deeper integration with the world economy.

Statement 3 shows “full capital account convertibility”. Not a good idea as it may lead to huge capital flight (large movement of capital out of (or in) India) that can destabilise the system.

[Look at the options – If 2 is wrong, then (b) and (d) are gone. If 3 is wrong, then (c) and (d) are wrong.]

Sol. Ans.(d). As we withdraw money from demand deposits, we keep it with us as “currency with public”. So M1 does not change.

As per the RBI – “There is no unique definition of ‘money’, either as a concept in economic theory or as measured in practice. Money is a means of payment and thus a lubricant that facilitates exchange. Money also acts as a store of value and a unit of account. In the real world, however, money provides monetary services along with tangible remuneration. It is for this reason that money has to have relationship with the activities that economic entities pursue. Money can, therefore, be defined for policy purposes as the set of liquid financial assets, the variation in the stock of which could impact on aggregate economic activity. As a statistical concept, money could include certain liquid liabilities of a particular set of financial intermediaries or other issuers. Thus, like other countries, a range of monetary and liquidity measures are compiled in India.”

Following the recommendations of the Second Working Group on Money Supply (SWG) in 1977, RBI publishes four monetary aggregates – M1, M2, M3 and M4 - besides the reserve money M0.

M0 = Currency in Circulation + Bankers’ Deposits with RBI + ‘Other’ Deposits with RBI*

M1 currency with public + demand deposits with the banking system + other deposits with RBI

M2= M1 + saving deposits with post office savings banks

M3= M1 + time deposits with the banking system

M4 = M3 + all deposits with post office savings banks excluding National Saving Certificates

So M0 = monetary base, , M1 = narrow money, and M2 and M3= broad money.

From among the aggregates, M1 and M3 are extensively used both for policy purposes and in academic exercises. While M1 includes currency with the public, non-interest bearing deposits with the banking sector including that of RBI, M3 captures the complete balance sheet of the banking sector. M2 and M4 that include post office savings banks deposits are not very widely used.

Indian economists use the terms ‘money’, ‘money supply’ and ‘money stock’ synonymously. RBI is following the simple sum procedure of measuring money supply in its compilation of monetary aggregates. RBI now publishes data on M1, M2, M3 and M4.

Demand depositis an account with a bank or other financial institution that allows the depositor to withdraw his or her funds from the account without warning or with less than seven days' notice. Demand deposits are a key component of the M1 money supply. It includes savings and current a/c.

Any increased demand for currency will probably cause the money supply to contract because withdrawing money as currency reduces reserves, which, because of the multiplier effect, will reduce the money supply by more than the amount withdrawn.

Money multiplier is the ratio of Broad Money (M3) and Reserve Money with the RBI (M0).

[Basic definitions need to be clear to crack this one]

Sol. Ans.(c). These are perfections whose attainments led to the Bodhisattva path.

Pāramitā (Greater Vehicle), in Mahāyāna Buddhism, any of the perfections, or transcendental virtues, practiced by bodhisattvas (Buddhas-to-be) in advanced stages of their path toward enlightenment. The six virtues are generosity (dāna-pāramitā); morality (śīla-pāramitā); perseverance (kṣānti-pāramitā); vigour (vīrya-pāramitā); meditation, or concentration (dhyāna-pāramitā); and wisdom (prajñā-pāramitā). Some lists expand the virtues to 10 by adding skill in the means of helping others (upāya [kauśalya]-pāramitās), profound resolution to produce enlightenment (praṇidhāna-pāramitā), perfection of the 10 powers (bala-pāramitā), and practice of transcendent knowledge (jñāna-pāramitā).

Source: https://www.britannica.com/topic/paramita

[A factual question]

Sol. Ans.(b). Rakhmabai (1864-1955) was the first practising female doctor in colonial India (although Anandibai Joshi was the first Indian female doctor, she couldn’t practice due to her untimely death). Rakhmabai also made her mark in history due to the legal case she was involved in, which contributed to the enactment of the

Background - Rakhmabai was the daughter of Jayantibai Age of Consent Act, 1891. who had re-married Dr. Sakharam Arjun - a doctor and a professor. Rakhmabai was married off at the young age. Despite being married, Rakhmabai and her husband - Dadaji never lived together. Rakhmabai continued with her education. Dadaji later got in touch with her, perhaps interested in the money she had inherited after her mother passed away. She refused to go, continued to pursue her education, going against the norms of society. Dadaji sent a legal notice to Sakharam, in March 1884, asking him to stop preventing Rakhmabai from living with him.

In 1885, after 12 years of marriage, Bhikaji sought “restitution of conjugal rights”,where the hearing and judgement was presided by Justice Robert Hill Pinhey. Rakhmabai had refused to live with the man she was married to as a child, as she had no say in the marriage. The British precedents could not be implied in this case, as British law was meant to be applied in the case of consenting adults. Justice Pinhey found this limitation in British law and found no previous cases of such nature in Hindu law. Hence his judgement on the case stated that Rakhmabai had been wed as an innocent child, had no say in the matter and now couldn’t be forced.

Source: https://feminisminindia.com/2017/08/22/rukhmabai-essay/

[A factual question]

Sol. Ans.(b). Towards the end of the nineteenth century the indigo monopoly of India was challenged by the invention of a German chemist, who placed synthetic indigo on the world’s market. Since that date the indigo industry of India has rapidly declined and the export trade has shrunk to such small dimensions that its complete extinction was inevitable.

[A factual question from history]

Sol. Ans.(d). Civil Service to the East India Company was the backbone of the East India Company. The initial attempt to train the Civil Servants locally was done by Lord Wellesley. Within the campus of the Fort William, he founded Fort Williams College on 10 July 1800. . The idea was to teach the British rookies understand the Oriental culture, tradition, law and administration to better coordinate in the “governance”.

[Do not get confused with option (b)]

Sol. Ans.(d). Munda Rebellion is one of the prominent nineteenth century tribal rebellions in the Indian Subcontinent. Birsa Munda led this movement in the region south of Ranchi in 1899-1900. The Ulgulan, meaning ‘Great Tumult’, sought to establish Munda Raj and independence. The Mundas traditionally enjoyed a preferential rent rate as the Khuntkattidar or the original clearer of the forest. But in course of nineteenth century they had seen this Khuntkatti land system being eroded by the Jagirdars and thikadars coming as merchants and moneylanders.

[A direct, factual question]

Sol. Ans.(c). Chandragupta II was a benevolent king under whom India enjoyed peace and relative prosperity, he also patronized learning; among the scholars at his court were the astronomer Varahamihira and the Sanskrit poet and dramatist Kalidasa. As for Panini, his existence is estimated around 5th to 6th c. BCE, which is 300 to 400 years prior to Pushyamitra Shunga coming on the scene. Pushyamitra was originally a Senapati "General" of the Maurya Empire. In 185 BCE he assassinated the last Mauryan Emperor, Brihadratha Maurya during an army review, and became emperor. The Sanskrit grammarian Amarsimha was associated with Vikramaditya, and not Harshvardhana.

Source:https://www.britannica.com/biography/Chandragupta-II

[A direct, factual question]

Sol. Ans.(d). The technique of “pronuclear transfer” involves the transfer of pronuclei from one zygote to another, and requires fertilisation of healthy donated egg/s (provided by the mitochondrial donor) with the intending male parent sperm. When a zygote is conceived its mitochondria comes from the mother. If the mother harbours certain anamolies in mitochondrial DNA then those anamolies are transferred via this mitochondria to the baby. To prevent this in the in vitro fertilization, the mitochondria is taken from third party. Such babies are called “three parent babies”.

[A factual but tough question]

Sol. Ans.(d) All Statements are correct. In buildings and factories, AI can monitor and collect information about energy consumption in the form of numbers, text, images and videos. Evaluating what is observed, AI can manage energy usage, reducing it during peak hours. Problems such as bottlenecks can be identified and equipment failures detected – even before they happen. On a larger scale, AI has the ability to compress and analyse data to predict future problems, and ultimately optimise energy consumption in the long term.

AI can already help improve our writing skills. For example, the Hemingway App is an online writing editor created in 2013. It uses natural language processing (NLP) to recognize common writing problems and increase readability. And, yes, it re-wrote this paragraph. You can even use the NLP-powered Dragon Dictation or the online Dictation.io to write without typing.

Correctly diagnosing diseases takes years of medical training. Machine Learning have recently made huge advances in automatically diagnosing diseases. It is particularly helpful in areas where the diagnostic information a doctor examines is already digitized. Such as, Detecting lung cancer or strokes based on CT scans, Assessing the risk of sudden cardiac death or other heart diseases based on electrocardiograms and cardiac MRI images, Classifying skin lesions in skin images and Finding indicators of diabetic retinopathy in eye images.

A TTS tool converts written text into natural speech that can be heard and understood by any human user. Example of a text-to-speech tool are Google Cloud Text-to-Speech tool, Amazon Web Services and Amazon polly. This technology has been enabled by various underlying technologies including deep learning tools like machine learning and artificial intelligence.

Demands in wireless power transfer is expanding and becoming more attractive especially with Industry 4.0 applications. Power management with circuitry allows energy harvesting from multiple sources such as Piezo elements or engine vibration for future researches. As a result, all coupling methods will be widely used technologies to supply power for artificial intelligent systems.

[If you get 1 and 2 as correct, then options (b) and (c) are ruled out. Since 4 is correct, answer has to be (d).]

Sol. Ans.(c). Statements 1, 3 and 4 are correct, but 2 is not.

In 2011, Harald Haas was the first to coin the term Light Fidelity (Li-Fi). Li-Fi is a high speed bi-directional fully connected, visible light wireless communication system and is analogous to Wi-Fi, which uses radio frequency for communication. The Wi-Fi signals have the problem of interference with other RF signals such as its interference with pilot navigational equipment signals in aircraft. Therefore, in the areas that are sensitive to electromagnetic radiation (such as aircrafts) Li-Fi can be a better solution. A Li-Fi also lends support to the Internet of Things (IoT). A speed up to 10Gbits/s is obtained using Li-Fi, which is 250 times more than the speed of super-fast broadband.

Visible light communication (VLC) is a data communications variant which uses visible light between 400 and 800 THz (780–375 nm). VLC is a subset of optical wireless communications technologies.

The use of visible light in the transmission of data holds many different key advantages over technologies that make use of radio frequency. Its biggest advantage is the size of the entire visible light spectrum, which is 10,000 times larger than the entire radio spectrum, which is also too congested due to its overuse. And VLC can transmit much faster than Bluetooth for sure (so 3 is right).

OWC systems operating in the visible band (390–750 nm) are commonly referred to as visible light communication (VLC).

Optical Wireless Communication (OWC) - OWC is a general term that is used to refer to all types of optical communication without the use of cables (for instance, fiber optic cables). This means that visible light communication, LiFi, free space optical communication, and infrared remote control all fall under OWC.

Source: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352864816300335

[Statement 1 is definitely right, so option (d) is gone. Statement 3 is right, so (b) is gone. Statement 4 is correct]

Ans.(d). A blockchain is a decentralized ledger that does not work on trust, but a mathematical structure that is transparently visible to all participants. Blockchain tech has a nearly endless amount of applications across almost every industry. The ledger technology can be applied to track fraud in finance, securely share patient medical records between healthcare professionals and even acts as a better way to track intellectual property in business and music rights for artists. Hence statement 1 is correct and 2 is not. Answer can (a) or (d). Applications can be added to the network without the approval or trust. It is a key debate in cryptocurrency and ultimately in blockchain. So statement 3 is correct.

[First identify statement 2 as wrong, because blockchains can be for a large range of applications. So, (a) and (d) are our possible answers. Since 3 is right, answer is (d).]