IAS Prelims GS Questions and Answers - May 25, 2016

ANSWER: 2, 3

Explanation:

• Government today announced 13 more smart cities.
• Lucknow topped the list of winners of the Fast Track competition.
• 13 winners of Fast track Smart City competition are Lucknow, Warangal, Dharamsala, Chandigarh, Raipur, New Town Kolkata, Bhagalpur, Panaji, Port Blair, Imphal, Ranchi, Agartala and Faridabad.

ANSWER: All of the above

Explanation:

• Seven capital cities left out of Smart City Mission will also be allowed to participate in the competition.
• These cities are: Patna, Shimla, Naya Raipur, Itanagar (Arunachal Pradesh), Amaravati (Andhra Pradesh), Bengaluru and Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala).

ANSWER: Hypersonic speed is one that is highly supersonic

Explanation:

• In aerodynamics, a hypersonic speed is one that is highly supersonic.
• Since the 1970s, the term has generally been assumed to refer to speeds of Mach 5 and above.
• Subsonic are below speed of sound.

ANSWER: Both b and c

Explanation:

• A cruise missile is a guided missile used against terrestrial targets that remains in the atmosphere and flies the major portion of its flight path at approximately constant speed.
• Cruise missiles are designed to deliver a large warhead over long distances with high accuracy, that is, small circular error probability.
• Modern cruise missiles are capable of travelling at supersonic or high subsonic speeds, are self-navigating, and are able to fly on a non-ballistic, extremely low-altitude trajectory.

ANSWER: Only 2

Explanation:

• Speed of Mach 1 is equal to the speed of sound. Therefore, Mach 0.65 is about 65% of the speed of sound (subsonic), and Mach 1.35 is about 35% faster than the speed of sound (supersonic).
• The Mach number is a dimensionless quantity representing the ratio of the speed of a body to the speed of sound in the surrounding medium.
• It is helpful to measure speeds relative to speed of sound.

ANSWER: 1, 2

Explanation:

• Indian sea-based nuclear-armed ballistic missiles are – Dhanush, K4, Sagarika (K-15), [K5 is under development]
• Indian land-based nuclear-armed ballistic missiles are – Agni, Prithvi, Surya
• Cruise Missiles capable of carrying Nuclear warhead are – Brahmos and Nirbhay

ANSWER: Neither 1 nor 2

Explanation:

• Every ordinance issued by the President during the recess of Parliament must be laid before both the Houses of Parliament when it reassembles. If the ordinance is approved by both the Houses, it becomes an act. If Parliament takes no action at all, the ordinance ceases to operate on the expiry of six weeks from the reassembly of Parliament.
• The ordinance may also cease to operate even earlier than the prescribed six weeks, if both the Houses of Parliament pass resolutions disapproving it.
• If the Houses of Parliament are summoned to reassemble on different dates, the period of six weeks is calculated from the later of those dates. This means that the maximum life of an ordinance can be six months and six weeks, in case of non-approval by the Parliament (six months being the maximum gap between the two sessions of Parliament).

ANSWER: Only 2

Explanation:

• An ordinance like any other legislation, can be retrospective, that is, it may come into force from a back date.
• It may modify or repeal any act of Parliament or another ordinance. It can alter or amend a tax law also. However, it cannot be issued to amend the Constitution.
• The Supreme Court ruled that successive re-promulgation of ordinances with the same text without any attempt to get the bills passed by the assembly would amount to violation of the Constitution and the ordinance so re-promulgated is liable to be struck down. It held that the exceptional power of law-making through ordinance cannot be used as a substitute for the legislative power of the state legislature.

ANSWER: 1, 3

Explanation:
The financial powers and functions of the President are:

• Money bills can be introduced in the Parliament only with his prior recommendation.
• He causes to be laid before the Parliament the annual financial statement (ie, the Union Budget).
• No demand for a grant can be made except on his recommendation.
• He can make advances out of the contingency fund of India to meet any unforeseen expenditure.
• He constitutes a finance commission after every five years to recommend the distribution of revenues between the Centre and the states.