IAS Prelims GS Questions and Answers - July 08, 2015

ANSWER: c) Both

Hampi continues to be an important religious center, housing the Virupaksha Temple, as well as several other monuments belonging to the old glorious city. The ruins are a UNESCO World Heritage Site, listed as the Group of Monuments at Hampi. The emperor Ashoka's minor rock edicts in Nittur & Udegolan (lead one to believe that this region was within the Ashokan kingdom during the 3rd century BCE.

ANSWER: c) 1,3

Pranhita orms border between Maharashtra and Telangana.The Maharashtra government has agreed to lifting of water from the Pranahita but objected only to submergence in its area. ranahita-Chevella project.It is a lift irrigation scheme to harness the water of Pranhita tributary of Godavari river for use in the Telangana state of India. Under Godavari Water Disputes Tribunal award agreements, Maharashtra state earlier agreed for construction of barrages by the undivided Andhra Pradesh state across the Pranhita river which is forming common boundary between the two states before bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh.

ANSWER: b) Only 2

First ever Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC) was done in 1931.

Census Commissioner of India works under Ministry of Home Affairs.Currently Dr. C. Chandramouli is Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India

ANSWER: b) 2,3

In over 90 per cent of rural households, the main earning member makes less than Rs. 10,000 a month.

ANSWER: b) 2,4,3,5,1

Over one-third of population living in rural areas is illiterate. Higher literacy in terms of percentage is in Kerala (88.62), Delhi (86.42), Goa (84.58), Sikkim (79.88) and Himachal Pradesh (77.95).

ANSWER: c) 3,5,1,2,4

Lowest literacy is in Rajasthan (58), Madhya Pradesh (44.19), Bihar (43.85), Telangana (40.42) and Chattisgarh (39.59).

ANSWER: d) Manufacturing of tobacco products

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) prohibited the foreign direct investment (FDI) in manufacturing of tobacco products.

ANSWER: d) Kochi

MPEDA is a state owned company headquartered in Kochi. Established in 1972 under the Marine Products Export Development Authority Act (MPEDA), 1972. It functions under the aegis of Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry as a nodal coordinating agency with different Central and State Government establishments engaged in fishery production and allied activities.

ANSWER: c) Both

The MUDRA scheme is aimed at "funding the unfunded".The scheme, which has a corpus of Rs 20,000 crore, can lend between Rs 50,000 and Rs 10 lakh to small entrepreneurs. MUDRA will be set up through a statutory enactment. It will be responsible for developing and refinancing all micro-finance institutions (MFIs) which are in the business of lending to micro and small business entities engaged in manufacturing, trading and service activities.

ANSWER: c) 1 and 3

The Sahara covers large parts of Algeria, Chad, Egypt, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Western Sahara, Sudan and Tunisia. Around 6,000 years ago, Palaeolake Mega-Chad was the largest freshwater lake on Earth in Sahara desert.

ANSWER: c) Both

Banana is basically a tropical crop. It grows well in a temperature range of 15°C - 35°C with relative humidity of 75-85%. Four months of monsoon (June to September) with an average 650-750 mm. rainfall are most important for growth of banana. At higher altitudes, banana cultivation is restricted to a few varieties like "Hill banana".

Soil for banana should have good drainage, adequate fertility and moisture. Saline solid, calcareous soils are not suitable for banana cultivation. A soil which is neither too acidic nor too alkaline, rich in organic material with high nitrogen content, adequate phosphorus level and plenty of potash is good for banana.

ANSWER: c) Both

The NDB has an authorized opening capital of U.S.$100 billion, with the founding members sharing the subscribed opening capital of $50 billion equally. The proposed CRA has an opening capacity of $100 billion, which will be based on currency swap among member countries. The CRA is primarily intended as a buffer to overcome short-term liquidity pressure Eurasian Economic Union and meet unexpected risks or balance of payment burdens.

ANSWER: c) 2,3,5,6

Special drawing rights or SDR basket consists of dollar, euro, yen and pound.

ANSWER: d) Drachma

ANSWER: a) Only 1

Sarda Act after its sponsor Rai Sahib Harbilas Sarda to the British India Legislature in India was passed on 28 September 1929, fixed the age of marriage for girls at 14 years and boys at 18 years it applies to all of British India, not just to Hindus.

ANSWER: c) Both

DDP was started both in hot desert areas of Rajasthan, Gujarat , Haryana and the cold deserts of Jammu & Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh in 1977-78 for developing Wastelands/degraded lands, drought prone and desert areas.

ANSWER: b) Operation Shiva

Army launches 'Operation Shiva' to secure Amarnath Yatra. Amarnath cave is a Hindu shrine located in Jammu and Kashmir, India. It is dedicated to Shiva.

ANSWER: d) Keshvanand Bharati case

The basic structure doctrine is an Indian judicial principle that the Constitution of India has certain basic features that cannot be altered or destroyed through amendments by the parliament.Key among these "basic features", are the fundamental rights granted to individuals by the constitution. The doctrine thus forms the basis of a limited power of the Supreme Court to review and strike down constitutional amendments enacted by the Parliament which conflict with or seek to alter this "basic structure" of the Constitution. The basic structure doctrine applies only to constitutional amendments.

ANSWER: a) Only 1

There is no ban on shark fishing in India, the catch has been affected due to targeted shark fishing. India is one of the major shark fishing nations of the world, contributing to about 9% of the global catch of sharks which includes rays and skates, next to Indonesia.