IAS Prelims GS Questions and Answers - Oct 27, 2015

ANSWER: Only 1

Explanation:
- The venue for 9th Ministerial Conference was Bali, Indonesia where Bali package was approved.
- It is aimed at lowering global trade barriers and is the first agreement reached through the WTO that is approved by all its members.
- The package forms part of the Doha Development Round, which started in 2001.
- Tenth ministerial conference will be held 15-18 December 2015 in Nairobi, Kenya.

ANSWER: Only 2

Explanation:
- Yakshagana is a folk theater style is mainly found in the coastal districts and the Malenadu region of Karnataka.
- It was started during the Vaishnav Bhakti movement in the 11th century. In 13th century, a Sage named Narahari Thirtha started Dashavathara performance in Udupi, which later developed into the Yakshagana of today.
- A form of dance theater called Yakshaganamu in Andhra Pradesh also shows some resemblance to the forms of Karnataka plateau region.

ANSWER: Only 1

Explanation:
- The second summit was held at the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa.
- The third summit is held in New Delhi, India from 26-30 October 2015.
- It is the largest-ever turnout of African leaders in India, at least 41 leaders-including South African president Jacob Zuma, Egiptian president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Zimbabwe president Robert Mugabe and Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari have confirmed their presence.

ANSWER: African Union

Explanation:
- The African Standby Force (ASF) is an international, continental African, and multidisciplinary peacekeeping force with military, police and civilian contingents.
- It acts under the direction of the African Union.
- The ASF is to be deployed in times of crisis in Africa.
- Addis Ababa, Ethiopia serves as the Force's Headquarters.

ANSWER: 1 and 3

Explanation:
- The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is a regional group of fifteen West African countries.
- It was founded in 1975, with the signing of the Treaty of Lagos.
- It's aim is to promote economic integration across the region.
Member countries:
Benin, Côte d'Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde.

ANSWER: Both

Explanation:
- The term was coined in reports from the UNEP Indian Ocean Experiment (INDOEX).
- The Asian brown cloud is created by a range of airborn particles and pollutants from combustion (e.g. woodfires, cars and factories), biomass burning and industrial processes with incomplete burning.
- The cloud is associated with the winter monsoon (November/December to April) during which there is no rain to wash pollutants from the air.

ANSWER: Coronation Durbar of King George V

Explanation:
- The Coronation Durbar was held to commemorate the accession of King George V.
- The British reversed the partition of Bengal due to economic reasons as well as for political reasons.

ANSWER: IUCN

Explanation:
- Uttar Pradesh forest department and WWF-India will get the financial assistance of National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) will launch Dolphin census under the My Ganga, My Dolphin campaign 2015 at Ganga barrage in Kanpur.
- The campaign was launched to commemorate the sixth anniversary of the declaration of Ganga River Dolphins as National Aquatic Animal.

ANSWER: Iraq

Explanation:
- The battle of Karbala took place on Muharram in the year 61AH of the Islamic calendar.
- The Battle of Karbala is commemorated during an annual 10-day period held every Muharram by Shia.
- Karbala is famous as the site of the martyrdom of Hussein ibn Ali (Imam Husayn), and commemorations are held by millions of Shias annually to remember it.

ANSWER: Only 2

Explanation:
- ICANN is a nonprofit organization based in Los Angeles, California.
- Before the establishment of ICANN, the IANA function of administering registries of Internet protocol identifiers.
- On September 29, 2006 ICANN signed a new agreement with the United States Department of Commerce (DOC) that moves the organization further towards a solely multistakeholder governance model.

ANSWER: Brazil

Explanation:
- The World Indigenous Games are a multi-sport event involving indigenous athletes that will be first staged in 2015.
- The Games are governed by the Inter Tribal Council, a Brazilian indigenous peoples NGO that has staged Brazil’s national Indigenous Games since 1996.
- The first edition of the Games will be held in Palmas,Brazil, in 2015.

ANSWER: Both

Explanation:
- Asbestosis is a chronic inflammatory and fibrotic medical condition affecting the parenchymal tissue of the lungs caused by the inhalation and retention of asbestos fibers.
- People with extensive occupational exposure to the mining, manufacturing, handling, or removal of asbestos are at risk of developing asbestosis.

ANSWER: Both

Explanation:
- Article 18 is related to abolition of titles.
- It prohibits citizen of India from accepting any title from any foreign State.
- No person who is not a citizen of India shall, while he holds any office of profit or trust under the State, accept without the consent of the President any title from any foreign State.

ANSWER: 1,3,5

Explanation:
- The Nobel Peace Prize 1995 was awarded to Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs for their efforts to diminish the part played by nuclear arms in international politics and, in the longer run, to eliminate such arms
- The Nobel Peace Prize 1977 was awarded to Amnesty International.
- The Nobel Peace Prize 2006 Grameen Bank for their efforts to create economic and social development from below.

ANSWER: All

Explanation:
Diseases that used to be common in this country and around the world, including polio, measles, diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough), rubella (German measles), mumps, tetanus, rotavirus and Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) can now be prevented by vaccination.

ANSWER: Malaria

Explanation:
- Mosquirix, otherwise known as the RTS,S vaccine, is the first against a parasitic infection in humans.
- It has been designed specifically to combat malaria infection in children in Africa.
- In 2001 a partnership was established between GSK and the PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative, through a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, with the aim of accelerating development of malaria vaccines.