Test 7 Solutions

INSIGHTS MOCK TEST SERIES 2015: TEST 7 SOLUTIONS
1. Solution: d)
There is a general understanding among the countries of the world to select the standard meridian in
multiples of 730' of longitude. That is why 8230' E has been selected as the standard meridian of India.
Indian Standard Time is ahead of Greenwich Mean Time by 5 hours and 30 minutes. Moreover, it falls in
the centre of India. So no part of India would be much out of sync with the national time.
There are some countries where there are more than one standard meridian due to their vast east-to-west
extent. For example, the USA has seven time zones.
2. Solution: a)
A longer coastline is more vulnerable to a large number of cyclones and tsunamis for e.g. the recent cyclone
Hudhudh in AP.
Coastal security is inextricably linked with a longer coastline. The Mumbai 26/11 incident depicts this.
Earthquakes in the sea crust translate into tsunamis. So earthquakes on the land surfaces do not have a link
with longer coastlines.
3. Solution: a)
Himalayas are not only the physical barrier; they are also a climatic, drainage and cultural divide. They
regulate the climate of Indian sub-continent by stopping the winds from Central ASIA entering into India.
However, Himalayan region is vulnerable to earthquakes as the plate movements still continue. This
movement stores and releases energy which causes earthquakes instead of containing it.
4. Solution: b)
All these regions are found in between Great Himalayan range and Pir Panjal.
The Kashmir Himalayas are also famous for Karewa formations, which are useful for the cultivation of
Zafran, a local variety of saffron.
Some of the important passes of the region are Zoji La on the Great Himalayas, Banihal on the Pir Panjal,
Photu La on the Zaskar and Khardung La on the Ladakh range. Some of the important fresh lakes such as
Dal and Wular and salt water lakes such as Pangong Tso and Tso Moriri are also in this region.
5. Solution: a)
The Arunachal Himalayas- extend from the east of the Bhutan Himalayas up to the Diphu pass in the east.
The general direction of the mountain range is from southwest to northeast. Some of the important
mountain peaks of the region are Kangtu and Namcha Barwa. These ranges are dissected by fast-flowing
rivers from the north to the south, forming deep gorges.
Bhramaputra flows through a deep gorge after crossing Namcha Barwa. Some of the important rivers are
the Kameng, the Subansiri, the Dihang, the Dibang and the Lohit. These are perennial with the high rate of
fall, thus, having the highest hydro-electric power potential in the country. An important aspect of the
Arunachal Himalayas is the numerous ethnic tribal communities inhabiting in these areas.
http://insightsonindia.com
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6. Solution: c)
Each party fills its quota of seats by picking those many of its nominees from a preference list that has been
declared before the elections. This system of elections is called the Proportional Representation (PR)
system. In this system a party gets the same proportion of seats as its proportion of votes.
In the PR system there could be two variations. In some countries, like Israel or Netherlands, the entire
country is treated as one constituency and seats are allocated to each party according to its share of votes in
the national election. The other method is when the country is divided into several multi-member
constituencies as in Argentina and Portugal. Each party prepares a list of candidates for each constituency,
depending on how many have to be elected from that constituency. In both these variations, voters exercise
their preference for a party and not a candidate. The seats in a constituency are distributed on the basis of
votes polled by a party. Thus, representatives from a constituency, would and do belong to different
parties. In India, we have adopted PR system on a limited scale for indirect elections.
The Constitution prescribes a third and complex variation of the PR system for the election of President,
Vice President, and for the election to the Rajya Sabha and Vidhan Parishads.
7. Solution: c)
The Eastern Hills and Mountains are a part of the Himalayan mountain system having their general
alignment from the north to the south direction. They are known by different local names. In the north,
they are known as Patkai Bum, Naga hills, the Manipur hills and in the south as Mizo or Lushai hills.
These are low hills, inhabited by numerous tribal groups practising Jhum cultivation Most of these ranges
are separated from each other by numerous small rivers. The Barak is an important river in Manipur and
Mizoram.
The physiography of Manipur is unique by the presence of a large lake known as Loktak lake at the
centre, surrounded by mountains from all sides. Mizoram which is also known as the Molassis basin
which is made up of soft unconsolidated deposits. Most of the rivers in Nagaland form the tributary of the
Brahmaputra. While two rivers of Mizoram and Manipur are the tributaries of the Barak River, which in
turn is the tributary of Meghna; the rivers in the eastern part of Manipur are the tributaries of Chindwin,
which in turn is a tributary of the Irrawady of Myanmar.
8. Solution: a)
Western Ghats are locally known by different names such as Sahyadri in Maharashtra, Nilgiri hills in
Karnataka and Tamil Nadu and Anaimalai hills and Cardamom hills in Kerala. Western Ghats are
comparatively higher in elevation and more continuous than the Eastern Ghats. Their average elevation is
about 1,500 m with the height increasing from north to south.
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Anaimudi (2,695 m), the highest peak of Peninsular plateau is located on the Anaimalai hills of the
Western Ghats followed by Dodabetta (2,637 m) on the Nilgiri hills. Most of the Peninsular rivers have
their origin in the Western Ghats. Eastern Ghats comprising the discontinuous and low hills are highly
eroded by the rivers such as the Mahanadi, the Godavari, the Krishna, the Kaveri, etc. Some of the
important ranges include the Javadi hills, the Palconda range, the Nallamala hills, the Mahendragiri hills,
etc. The Eastern and the Western Ghats meet each other at the Nilgiri hills.
9. Solution: d)
The Meghalaya and Karbi Anglong plateau stand detached from the main Peninsular Block. The
Meghalaya plateau is further sub-divided into three: (i) The Garo Hills; (ii) The Khasi Hills; (iii) The Jaintia
Hills,named after the tribal groups inhabiting this region. An extension of this is also seen in the Karbi
Anglong hills of Assam. Similar to the Chotanagpur plateau, the Meghalaya plateau is also rich in mineral
resources like coal, iron ore, sillimanite, limestone and uranium. This area receives maximum rainfall from
the south west monsoon. As a result, the Meghalaya plateau has a highly eroded surface. Cherrapunji
displays a bare rocky surface devoid of any permanent vegetation cover.
10. Solution: d)
Last week, 13 women died in India after undergoing sterilization procedures in the central Indian state of
Chhattisgarh, possibly because of tainted pills administered after the surgery. This tragedy has cast a
negative light on sterilization.
But in fact, female sterilization is the world's most popular form of family planning. In 2009, 223 million
women used sterilization as birth control and that number is on the rise.
For women, sterilization is usually done as tubal ligation, a minimally invasive surgery where the
Fallopian tubes are cut and tied off. For men, it's the vasectomy, a procedure in which the vas deferens is
cut and tied. This procedure is used by about 28 million men worldwide.
Family planning advocates, who prefer the term "permanent contraception" to "sterilization," say it is
effective, low-risk and inexpensive, as well as empowering to women. For insights, Goats and Soda talked
with John Townsend, director of reproductive health at the Population Council in Washington, D.C.
Why is sterilization so popular for women?
In countries where people have their children early, if they want two or three [children], they have
completed their desired family size quite early. To stay at that family size, they would have to use some
form of contraception for maybe 25 years. [With permanent contraception] they don't have to come back,
buy supplies or worry about stock-outs [stores running out of desired products]. They can have the life
they want without worrying about unwanted pregnancies.
In most countries, women have one or two children more than they say they would like. Either they aren't
using contraception or they aren't using contraception effective enough to help them meet their goals.
How effective is the surgery?
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For female sterilization, the failure rate is half a per cent, and for vasectomy, it's .15 per cent. Compare that
to injectable birth control, which is 5 to 6 per cent, the pill, which is 9 per cent, condoms which are around
18 per cent.
Usually [permanent contraception] services are free at a public hospital or relatively low-cost. They are
administered in government hospitals. For women who have unintended pregnancies, up to half get
abortions. An abortion is never low-cost. Even in India where it is supposedly free and widely available
it can cost $50 to $500. And there is no guarantee that it's safe.
What are the risks of sterilization surgery?
The potential risks for vasectomy are significantly lower than the techniques used for women. [For]
vasectomy, nowadays, they don't use a scalpel and the operation doesn't require anaesthesia. It takes about
three minutes. I got mine in Mexico, and it took longer to wait for the elevator than to get the operation.
For women, it's more complicated. But techniques have improved dramatically over time, and under good
clinical practice, the complications are minor: certainly less than 1 per cent. The type of risk you see is when
[the surgery is performed by] someone without skill or not using hygienic techniques.
If the risks are less for vasectomy and it's a less invasive procedure, why do more women get
sterilization surgery than men?
Women who have the surgery have confidence that it's actually been done. Men rarely talk about
vasectomies, while it's relatively easy for a woman in almost any country to find a woman she can talk to
about the experience [of sterilization], where she went, what the doctor was like and what she should
expect.
From the supply side, there are very few skilled providers for vasectomy in most countries. OB/GYNs
have gone through training and learned how to do female sterilization.
What makes for a safe environment for these procedures?
It's important that the man and woman are given the opportunity to be fully informed and that they give
their consent, which, in most places, for permanent contraception, should be written. It shouldn't be a
complicated, seven-page form that essentially is only preventing the providers from any lawsuits. [Those
seeking the procedure] should be completely informed about the risk and have opportunities to talk to a
counsellor. They should have a space that is clean and indicative of respect for the patient. They should be
given high-quality medicines and techniques that are modern, accepted and part of professional protocols.
They should be given the opportunity for recovery, and arrangements should be made with their family for
safe transport. They should be given contact information if they develop a fever or a symptom that would
suggest a side effect or complication.
Is this what most women experience?
I'd say it's highly variable. Even in the U.S. you have malpractice because physicians don't do what they are
supposed to. I would say 50 to 80 per cent compliance, for any clinic, on all these things is more common
than 100 per cent. The places where you get the poorest care is where they are understaffed, unsupervised,
with lots of patients demanding care and a health system that isn't very supportive of that.
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In your work, have you found that permanent contraception can empower women? Does it improve
women's lives?
As women have the children they want, if they decide on permanent contraception, they no longer have to
spend that money every month or every three months for an injectable [contraceptive] or every three to five
years for an implant. They can take on other things with the confidence they won't become pregnant. They
can take on jobs and we know that women who have opportunities to do that often do relatively well and
are able to contribute income to their families. They have a sense of autonomy, are less subjected to genderbased violence and overall, have a fuller, richer life.
11. Solution: d)
The dependency ratio is a measure comparing the portion of a population which is composed of dependents
(i.e., elderly people who are too old to work, and children who are too young to work) with the portion that
is in the working age group, generally defined as 15 to 64 years. The dependency ratio is equal to the
population below 15 or above 64, divided by population in the 15-64 age group; the ratio is usually
expressed as a percentage. A rising dependency ratio is a cause for worry in countries that are facing an
aging population, since it becomes difficult for a relatively smaller proportion of working-age people to
carry the burden of providing for a relatively larger proportion of dependents. On the other hand, a falling
dependency ratio can be a source of economic growth and prosperity due to the larger proportion of
workers relative to non-workers. This is sometimes referred to as the demographic dividend, or benefit
flowing from the changing age structure. However, this benefit is temporary because the larger pool of
working age people will eventually turn into non-working old people.
12. Solution: a)
The western coastal plains are an example of submerged coastal plain. It is believed that the city of
Dwaraka which was once a part of the Indian mainland situated along the west coast is submerged under
water. Because of this submergence it is a narrow belt and provides natural conditions for the development
of ports and harbours. Kandla, Mazagaon, JLN port Navha Sheva, Marmagao, Mangalore, Cochin, etc. are
some of the important natural ports located along the west coast.
13. Solution: a)
As compared to the western coastal plain, the eastern coastal plain is broader and is an example of an
emergent coast. There are well developed deltas here, formed by the rivers flowing eastward in to the Bay
of Bengal. These include the deltas of the Mahanadi, the Godavari, the Krishna and the Kaveri. Because of
its emergent nature, it has less number of ports and harbours. The continental shelf extends up to 500 km
into the sea, which makes it difficult for the development of good ports and harbours. Name some ports on
the eastern coast.
14. Solution: a)
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A river drains the water collected from a specific area, which is called its catchment area.
An area drained by a river and its tributaries is called a drainage basin. The boundary line separating one
drainage basin from the other is known as the watershed. The catchments of large rivers are called river
basins while those of small rivulets and rills are often referred to as watersheds. There is, however, a slight
difference between a river basin and a watershed. Watersheds are small in area while the basins cover
larger areas. River basins and watersheds are marked by unity. What happens in one part of the basin or
watershed directly affects the other parts and the unit as a whole. That is why, they are accepted as the
most appropriate micro, meso or macro planning regions.
15. Solution: d)
Indian drainage system may be divided on various bases. On the basis of discharge of water (orientations
to the sea), it may be grouped into: (i) the Arabian Sea drainage; and (ii) the Bay of Bengal drainage. They
are separated from each other through the Delhi ridge, the Aravalis and the Sahyadris (water divide).
Nearly 77 per cent of the drainage area consisting of the Ganga, the Brahmaputra, the Mahanadi, the
Krishna, etc. is oriented towards the Bay of Bengal while 23 per cent comprising the Indus, the Narmada,
the Tapi, the Mahi and the Periyar systems discharge their waters in the Arabian Sea.
16. Solution: a)
Right to constitutional remedies is the means through which this is to be achieved. Dr. Ambedkar
considered the right to constitutional remedies as heart and soul of the constitution. It is so because this
right gives a citizen the right to approach a High Court or the Supreme Court to get any of the fundamental
rights restored in case of their violation. The Supreme Court and the High Courts can issue orders and give
directives to the government for the enforcement of rights.
Any other court, if specified by the Parliament can issue writs.
17. Solution: d)
The Brahmaputra receives numerous tributaries in its 750 km long journey through the Assam valley. Its
major left bank tributaries are the Burhi Dihing, Dhansari (South) and Kalang whereas the important right
bank tributaries are the Subansiri, Kameng, Manas and Sankosh. The Subansiri which has its origin in
Tibet, is an antecedent river. The Brahmaputra enters into Bangladesh near Dhubri and flows southward.
In Bangladesh, the Tista joins it on its right bank from where the river is known as the Yamuna. It finally
merges with the river Padma, which falls in the Bay of Bengal.
The Brahmaputra is well-known for floods, channel shifting and bank erosion. This is due to the fact that
most of its tributaries are large, and bring large quantity of sediments owing to heavy rainfall in its
catchment area.
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18. Solution: d)
The Peninsular drainage system is older than the Himalayan one. This is evident from the broad, largelygraded shallow valleys, and the maturity of the rivers. The Western Ghats running close to the western
coast act as the water divide between the major Peninsular rivers, discharging their water in the Bay of
Bengal and as small rivulets joining the Arabian Sea. Most of the major Peninsular rivers except Narmada
and Tapi flow from west to east. The Chambal, the Sind, the Betwa, the Ken, the Son, originating in the
northern part of the Peninsula belong to the Ganga river system. The other major river systems of the
peninsular drainage are the Mahanadi the Godavari, the Krishna and the Kaveri.
19. Solution: d)
Hard rocks, steep slope and short course mean the sedimentation will be less. So rivers will not be able to
change courses. Moreover, hard rocks do not allow bank erosion. With the steep slopes besides, there will
be no meandering. So ox-bow lakes cannot be formed too. So no possibility of shifting courses.
20. Solution: d)
The countrys wetlands have been grouped into eight categories, viz. (i) the reservoirs of the Deccan
Plateau in the south together with the lagoons and other wetlands of the southern west coast; (ii) the vast
saline expanses of Rajasthan, Gujarat and the Gulf of Kachchh; (iii) freshwater lakes and reservoirs from
Gujarat eastwards through Rajasthan (Keoladeo National Park) and Madhya Pradesh; (iv) the delta
wetlands and lagoons of Indias east coast (Chilika Lake); (v) the freshwater marshes of the Gangetic Plain;
(vi) the floodplains of the Brahmaputra; the marshes and swamps in the hills of northeast India and the
Himalayan foothills; (vii) the lakes and rivers of the montane region of Kashmir and Ladakh; and (viii) the
mangrove forest and other wetlands of the island arcs of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
21. Solution: d)
Parliament can make laws or take actions that are outside or inconsistent with DPSP. DPSP is not a legally
binding code. For e.g. even though the DPSP provides for a ban on liquors and intoxicants, they are still
sold and regulated by laws in India.
The SC or the HCs may approve of a law that violates the FRs under Article 14 and 19, if it implements
Article 39 of the DPSP (minimizing socio-economic inequality).
Read the section in Chap2 of NCERT 11th polity - RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS
AND DIRECTIVE PRINCIPLES for greater clarity.
22. Solution: c)
According to state records, the forest area covers 23.28 per cent of the total land area of the country. It is
important to note that the forest area and the actual forest cover are not the same. The forest area is the area
notified and recorded as the forest land irrespective of the existence of trees, while the actual forest cover is
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the area occupied by forests with canopy. The former is based on the records of the State Revenue
Department, while the latter is based on aerial photographs and satellite imageries. In 2001, the actual
forest cover was only 20.55 per cent. Of the forest cover, the share of dense and open forests was 12.60 per
cent and 7.87 per cent respectively. Both forest area and forest cover vary from state to state. Lakshadweep
has zero per cent forest area; Andaman and Nicobar Islands have 86.93 per cent. Most of the states with less
than 10 per cent of the forest area lie in the north and north-western part of the country. These are
Rajasthan, Gujarat, Punjab, Haryana and Delhi.
23. Solution: c)
The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer (a protocol to the Vienna Convention
for the Protection of the Ozone Layer) is an international treaty designed to protect the ozone layer by
phasing out the production of numerous substances that are responsible for ozone depletion. It was agreed
on September 16, 1987, and entered into force on January 1, 1989.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montreal_Protocol
http://www.downtoearth.org.in/content/cse-host-side-event-montreal-protocol-meet
24. Solution: d)
An age pyramid narrow at the middle portion indicates that working age population (15-45) in the nation is
less. So it will not reap a demographic dividend in the near future.
Wider base indicates more children hence more birth rate.
25. Solution: c)
http://agritech.tnau.ac.in/forestry/agroforestry_index.html#difference
See the portions on the top of the page too. It provides good information about agro-forestry.
26. Solution: d)
http://www.nps.gov/keaq/forteachers/mangrove-swamp-functions.htm
27. Solution: d)
Eating iron-rich food at night and staying awake raises blood glucose IF YOU work graveyard shifts, it is better to
avoid iron-rich food at night. It has been found that food with high iron content disrupts the circadian clock
of the liver. The body's main circadian clock that regulates sleep and eating is in the brain. But other
tissues, such as the liver, have their own circadian clocks and work on their own schedule. The circadian
clock of the brain is set by light which tells when to sleep and when to wake, while the circadian clock of
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the liver (which regulates blood glucose levels) is set by food intake. Tests on mice have shown that eating
food high in iron at night puts the circadian clock of the liver out of sync with that of the brain, resulting in
abnormal blood glucose levels. Disruption of circadian clocks is believed to be a cause of type 2 diabetes,
obesity and cancer.
Source: http://www.downtoearth.org.in/content/science-technology-briefs-8
28. Solution: d)
The Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve covers an area of 105,000 hectares on the southeast coast of India. It
is one of the worlds richest regions from a marine biodiversity perspective. The biosphere reserve
comprises 21 islands with estuaries, beaches, forests of the nearshore environment, sea grasses, coral reefs,
salt marshes and mangroves. Among the Gulfs 3,600 plant and animal species are the globally endangered
sea cow (Dugong dugon) and six mangrove species, endemic to Peninsular India.
29. Solution: d)
Black soil covers most of the Deccan Plateau which includes parts of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh,
Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and some parts of Tamil Nadu. In the upper reaches of the Godavari and the
Krishna, and the north western part of the Deccan Plateau, the black soil is very deep. These soils are also
known as the Regur Soil or the Black Cotton Soil.
30. Solution: d)
The laterite soils develop in areas with high temperature and high rainfall. These are the result of intense
leaching due to tropical rains. With rain, lime and silica are leached away, and soils rich in iron oxide and
aluminium compound are left behind. Humus content of the soil is removed fast by bacteria that thrives
well in high temperature. These soils are poor in organic matter, nitrogen, phosphate and calcium, while
iron oxide and potash are in excess. Hence, laterites are not suitable for cultivation; however, application of
manures and fertilisers are required for making the soils fertile for cultivation.
Red laterite soils in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala are more suitable for tree crops like
cashewnut.
31. Solution: a)
http://agritech.tnau.ac.in/forestry/agroforestry_index.html
32. Solution: c)
Saline soils contain a larger proportion of sodium, potassium and magnesium, and thus, they are infertile,
and do not support any vegetative growth. They have more salts, largely because of dry climate and poor
drainage.
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They occur in arid and semi-arid regions, and in waterlogged and swampy areas. Their structure ranges
from sandy to loamy. They lack in nitrogen and calcium. Saline soils are more widespread in western
Gujarat, deltas of the eastern coast and in Sunderban areas of West Bengal.
In the Rann of Kuchchh, the Southwest Monsoon brings salt particles and deposits there as a crust.
Seawater intrusions in the deltas promote the occurrence of saline soils. In the areas of intensive cultivation
with excessive use of irrigation, especially in areas of green revolution, the fertile alluvial soils are
becoming saline.
Excessive irrigation with dry climatic conditions promotes capillary action, which results in the deposition
of salt on the top layer of the soil. In such areas, especially in Punjab and Haryana, farmers are advised to
add gypsum to solve the problem of salinity in the soil.
33. Solution: a)
Fairly large area of arable land in the irrigated zones of India is becoming saline because of over-irrigation.
The salt lodged in the lower profiles of the soil comes up to the surface and destroys its fertility. Chemical
fertilisers in the absence of organic manures are also harmful to the soil. Unless the soil gets enough
humus, chemicals harden it and reduce its fertility in the long run. This problem is common in all the
command areas of the river valley projects, which were the first beneficiaries of the Green Revolution.
According to estimates, about half of the total land of India is under some degree of degradation.
34. Solution: a)
The first function of a constitution is to provide a set of basic rules that allow for minimal coordination
amongst members of a society.
The second function of a constitution is to specify who has the power to make decisions in a society. It
decides how the government will be constituted.
The third function of a constitution is to set some limits on what a government can impose on its citizens.
These limits are fundamental in the sense that government may never trespass them.
The fourth function of a constitution is to enable the government to fulfil the aspirations of a society and
create conditions for a just society.
A constitution does not always specify for a democracy. Syrian constitution is an example.
35. Solution: c)
http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=111529
36. Solution: d)
Example of political value is democracy; universal adult franchise etc.
Example of moral value is respecting women; provision for disabled and old age people etc.
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Example of economic value is promoting socialism or capitalism ; equal pay for equal work for men and
women; minimizing inequalities in wealth and income of citizens etc.
All of these are provided in the Indian constitution in the Preamble, DPSP and Fundamental Rights.
37. Solution: c)
http://inbministry.blogspot.in/2014/11/tsr-subramanian-committee-submits.html
http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2014-10-10/news/54868222_1_forest-rights-act-protectedforest-forest-officials
38. Solution: d)
UK is a democracy which does not have written constitution. Syria is an autocracy which has a written
constitution. Even when Nepal was a monarchy, it had a written constitution.
39. Solution: a)
The Constitution drew enormous legitimacy from the fact that it was drawn up by people who enjoyed
immense public credibility, who had the capacity to negotiate and command the respect of a wide crosssection of society, and who were able to convince the people that the constitution was not an instrument for
the aggrandisement of their personal power. The final document reflected the broad national consensus at
the time.
Some countries have subjected their constitution to a full-fledged referendum, where all the people vote on
the desirability of a constitution. The Indian Constitution was never subject to such a referendum, but
nevertheless carried enormous public authority, because it had the consensus and backing of leaders who
were themselves popular. Although the Constitution itself was not subjected to a referendum, the people
adopted it as their own by abiding by its provisions. Therefore, the authority of people who enact the
constitution helps determine in part its prospects for success.
40. Solution: c)
The Constituent Assembly was composed roughly along the lines suggested by the plan proposed by the
committee of the British cabinet, known as the Cabinet Mission. According to this plan:
Each Province and each Princely State or group of States were allotted seats proportional to their
respective population roughly in the ratio of 1:10,00,000. As a result the Provinces (that were under
direct British rule) were to elect 292 members while the Princely States were allotted a minimum of
93 seats.
The seats in each Province were distributed among the three main communities, Muslims, Sikhs
and general, in proportion to their respective populations.
Members of each community in the Provisional Legislative Assembly elected their own
representatives by the method of proportional representation with single transferable vote.
The method of selection in the case of representatives of Princely States was to be determined by
consultation.
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41. Solution: d)
The Himalayan drainage system has evolved through a long geological history. It mainly includes the
Ganga, the Indus and the Brahmaputra river basins. Since these are fed both by melting of snow and
precipitation, rivers of this system are perennial. These rivers pass through the giant gorges carved out by
the erosional activity carried on simultaneously with the uplift of the Himalayas. Besides deep gorges,
these rivers also form V-shaped valleys, rapids and waterfalls in their mountainous course. While entering
the plains, they form depositional features like flat valleys, ox-bow lakes, flood plains, braided channels,
and deltas near the river mouth.
42. Solution: a)
http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2014-06-02/news/50272561_1_adb-asian-developmentbank-governors
It was in news recently: http://www.business-standard.com/article/government-press-release/shri-rajivmehrishi-appointed-as-india-s-alternate-governor-on-the-114111801003_1.html
43. Solution: c)
It was debated in the CA whether India should be a Parliamentary or a Presidential democracy. Only that
we are to be a democracy giving fundamental rights to people was agreed upon earlier.
44. Solution: d)
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45. Solution: c)
While D looks like it should be a reason; C is a better reason. Moreover, many Acts also came before the
constitution came into being but that does not mean those acts were superior to the Parliament.
46. Solution: a)
SC expanded the scope of rights. For e.g. Right to life and liberty now includes Right to a pollution free
environment; Right to good governance etc.
Parliament has also expanded the Right to life and liberty by including the Right to Education as
fundamental right. It has also added Right to form cooperatives as a FR.
47. Solution: c)
Abolition of economic inequality nowhere mentioned in the constitution. At most in the DPSP, it says that
economic inequalities should be minimized.
48. Solution: b)
Right to move the courts can be suspended during an emergency by the state. The other two are enjoyed
unqualified in every circumstance.
49. Solution: a)
Over millions of years, the Indo-Australian plate broke into many parts and the Australian plate moved
towards the south-eastern direction and the Indian plate to the north. This northward movement of the
Indian plate is still continuing and it has significant consequences on the physical environment of the
Indian subcontinent.
The Peninsula is formed essentially by a great complex of very ancient gneisses and granites, which
constitutes a major part of it. Since the Cambrian period, the Peninsula has been standing like a rigid block
with the exception of some of its western coast which is submerged beneath the sea and some other parts
changed due to tectonic activity without affecting the original basement. As a part of the Indo-Australian
Plate, it has been subjected to various vertical movements and block faulting. The rift valleys of the
Narmada, the Tapi and the Mahanadi and the Satpura block mountains are some examples of it. The
Peninsula mostly consists of relict and residual mountains like the Aravali hills, the Nallamala hills, the
Javadi hills, the Veliconda hills, the Palkonda range and the Mahendragiri hills, etc. The river valleys here
are shallow with low gradients.
50. Solution: d)
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In India, everyone is free to choose a religion and practice that religion. Freedom of religion also includes
the freedom of conscience. This means that a person may choose any religion or may choose not to follow
any religion. Freedom of religion includes the freedom to profess, follow and propagate any religion.
Freedom of religion is subject to certain limitations. The government can impose restrictions on the practice
of freedom of religion in order to protect public order, morality and health. This means that the freedom of
religion is not an unlimited right. The government can interfere in religious matters for rooting out certain
social evils. For example in the past, the government has taken steps banning practices like sati, bigamy or
human sacrifice. Such restrictions cannot be opposed in the name of interference in right to freedom of
religion.
51. Solution: a)
The Himalayan ranges show a succession of vegetation from the tropical to the tundra, which change in
with the altitude. The southern slopes of the Himalayas carry a thicker vegetation cover because of
relatively higher precipitation than the drier north-facing slopes. At higher altitudes, mosses and lichens
form part of the tundra vegetation.
52. Solution: a)
Being a country which is home to several religions, it is necessary that the government must extend equal
treatment to different religions. Negatively, it means that government will not favour any particular
religion. India does not have any official religion. We dont have to belong to any particular religion in
order to be a prime minister or president or judge or any other public official. We have also seen that under
the right to equality, there is a guarantee that government will not discriminate on the basis of religion in
giving employment. The institutions run by the state will not preach any religion or give religious
education nor will they favour persons of any religion. The objective of these provisions is to sustain and
nurture the principle of secularism.
While the government can help a religion, for e.g. it used to give Haj subsidies, it has to be within the limits
so as to not diminish any religion or at the expense of any religion.
53. Solution: c)
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/children-pick-up-the-broom-as-part-of-balswachhata-mission/article6603395.ece
54. Solution: d)
Legislators can be issued Quo warranto for e.g. if a legislator holds some office which makes him ineligible
for become an MP. Executive can be issues mandamus or Habeas corpus. Judiciary can be issues certiorari,
or prohibition.
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55. Solution: d)
In the Himalayan reaches, the course of the Himalayan rivers are highly tortuous, but over the plains they
display a strong meandering tendency and shift their courses frequently.
River Kosi, also know as the sorrow of Bihar, has been notorious for frequently changing its course. The
Kosi brings huge quantity of sediments from its upper reaches and deposits it in the plains. The course gets
blocked, and consequently, the river changes its course.
Read further here http://www.scienceclarified.com/landforms/Ocean-Basins-to-Volcanoes/Stream-andRiver.html
56. Solution: b)
Compulsory voting is nowhere mentioned in the constitution. Democracy is all about choices. Others are
for the enforcement of DPSP like right to livelihood; health and nutrition for citizens etc.
57. Solution: a)
Rajasthans State tree Khejri is dying a slow death, scientists and environmentalists have warned.
Khejri (Prosopis cineraria) covers about two-thirds of the total geographical area of the State and and is of
immense significance culturally and economically. The tree supports rural economy like no other wild
vegetation does.
The fruit of the tree is eaten as sangria, cooked as a delicious vegetable and mixed with the fruits of Kair,
another dominant vegetation across the desert region. It is rich in proteins and dry sangria is sold at Rs.
300-400 a kg. The dead leaves of the tree are natural fertilizers. Other parts are fed to the cattle as it
increases the milk yield.
A branch or two on the top of the tree is left uncut, which helps rejuvenate the tree within a few months.
The Desert Tree, as it is also known as, was the lifeline of the people in Western Rajasthan in the earlier
times. It provided firewood and even acted as a cash crop.
The root cause of decline in the Khejri cover is its excessive lopping (cutting of branches), which all farm
owners do annually to procure its fruit, pods, leaves, branches and twigs, says environmentalist Harsh
Vardhan. Indiscriminate cutting of branches takes its toll on the tree and its decay gets expedited, Mr.
Harsh Vardhan explains.
Scientists at Jodhpur-based Arid Forest Research Institute (AFRI) have assessed that Khejri mortality
ranged from 18.08 per cent to 22.67 per cent with an average mortality of 20.93 per cent in Jodhpur,
Nagaur, Churu, Sikar, Jhunjhunu and Jalore districts.
Many scientific explanations have been offered for the death of Khejri like declining water table and
growth of parasite Gonoderma luciderm, but there is nothing conclusive so far, says Dr. Mertia, an
authority on desert vegetation.
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Source: The Hindu
58. Solution: c)
http://www.preservearticles.com/2011111216893/cultural-and-educational-rights-as-guaranteed-byindian-constitution.html
For e.g. when Jains were accorded Minority status, they will be able to reserve 50% of the seats in their
institutions for Jain students.
59. Solution: d)
The winning candidate need not secure a majority of the votes. This method is called the First Past the Post
(FPTP) system. In the electoral race, the candidate who is ahead of others, who crosses the winning post
first of all, is the winner. This method is also called the Plurality System.
This is the method of election prescribed by the Constitution.
In the Lok Sabha elections of 1984, the Congress party came to power winning 415 of the 543 Lok Sabha
seats more than 80% of the seats. Such a victory was never achieved by any party in the Lok Sabha.
The Congress party got 48% of the votes. This means that only 48% of those who voted, voted in favour of
the candidates put up by the Congress party, but the party still managed to win more than 80% of the seats
in the Lok Sabha.
60. Solution: b)
Shipkila and Bomdila are not hill ranges. They are passes throughout the Himalayas.
Indian sub-continent is formed by Himalayas in the north, Hindukush and Sulaiman ranges in the
northwest, Purvachal hills in the north-east and by the large expanse of the Indian Ocean in the South.
61. Solution: d)
Looking at the Rajya Sabha elections, it can be seen that it is a complicated system which may work in a
small country, but would be difficult to work in a sub-continental country like India.
The reason for the popularity and success of the FPTP system is its simplicity. The entire election system is
extremely simple to understand even for common voters who may have no specialised knowledge about
politics and elections. There is also a clear choice presented to the voters at the time of elections. Voters
have to simply endorse a candidate or a party while voting. Depending on the nature of actual politics,
voters may either give greater importance to the party or to the candidate or balance the two. The FPTP
system offers voters a choice not simply between parties but specific candidates.
In other electoral systems, especially PR systems, voters are often asked to choose a party and the
representatives are elected on the basis of party lists. As a result, there is no one representative who
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represents and is responsible for one locality. In constituency based system like the FPTP, the voters know
who their own representative is and can hold him or her accountable.
62. Solution: c)
This decision to reserve constituency is taken by an independent body called the Delimitation Commission.
The Delimitation Commission is appointed by the President of India and works in collaboration with the
Election Commission of India. It is appointed for the purpose of drawing up the boundaries of
constituencies all over the country. A quota of constituencies to be reserved in each State is fixed
depending on the proportion of SC or ST in that State. After drawing the boundaries, the Delimitation
Commission looks at the composition of population in each constituency. Those constituencies that have
the highest proportion of Scheduled Tribe population are reserved for ST.
In the case of Scheduled Castes, the Delimitation Commission looks at two things. It picks constituencies
that have higher proportion of Scheduled Caste population. But it also spreads these constituencies in
different regions of the State. This is done because the Scheduled Caste population is generally spread
evenly throughout the country. These reserved constituencies can be rotated each time the Delimitation
exercise is undertaken.
63. Solution: d)
The Election Commission of India can either be a single member or a multi-member body. Till 1989, the
Election Commission was single member. Just before the 1989 general elections, two Election
Commissioners were appointed, making the body multi-member.
Soon after the elections, the Commission reverted to its single member status. In 1993, two Election
Commissioners were once again appointed and the Commission became multi-member and has remained
multi-member since then. Initially there were many apprehensions about a multi-member Commission.
There was a sharp difference of opinion between the then Chief Election Commissioner and the other
Commissioners about who had how much power. The matter had to be settled by the Supreme Court. Now
there is a general consensus that a multi-member Election Commission is more appropriate as power is
shared and there is greater accountability.
The Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) presides over the Election Commission, but does not have more
powers than the other Election Commissioners. The CEC and the two Election Commissioners have equal
powers to take all decisions relating to elections as a collective body.
64. Solution: d)
The Election Commission of India has a wide range of functions.
It supervises the preparation of up-to-date voters list. It makes every effort to ensure that the
voters list is free of errors like nonexistence of names of registered voters or existence of names of
those non-eligible or non-existent.
It also determines the timing of elections and prepares the election schedule. The election schedule
includes the notification of elections, date from which nominations can be filed, last date for filing
nominations, last date of scrutiny, last date of withdrawal, date of polling and date of counting and
declaration of results.
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During this entire process, the Election Commission has the power to take decisions to ensure a free
and fair poll. It can postpone or cancel the election in the entire country or a specific State or
constituency on the grounds that the atmosphere is vitiated and therefore, a free and fair election
may not be possible. The Commission also implements a model code of conduct for parties and
candidates. It can order a re-poll in a specific constituency. It can also order a recount of votes when
it feels that the counting process has not been fully fair and just.
The Election Commission accords recognition to political parties and allots symbols to each of them.
The Election Commission has very limited staff of its own. It conducts the elections with the help of the
administrative machinery.
However, once the election process has begun, the commission has control over the administration as far as
election related work is concerned. During the election process, the administrative officers of the State and
central governments are assigned election related duty and in this respect, the Election Commission has
full control over them. The EC can transfer the officers, or stop their transfers; it can take action against
them for failing to act in a non-partisan manner.
65. Solution: d)
The Board of directors consist of either direct representatives or nominees. So it is an example of indirect
democracy. Same can be said of the assembly.
In the case of Gram Sabha, it is the most direct decision-making directly by the people.
66. Solution: d)
There are at least three situations where the President can exercise the powers using his or her own
discretion.
In the first place, we have already noted that the President can send back the advice given by the Council of
Ministers and ask the Council to reconsider the decision. In doing this, the President acts on his (or her)
own discretion. When the President thinks that the advice has certain flaws or legal lacunae, or that it is not
in the best interests of the country, the President can ask the Council to reconsider the decision. Although,
the Council can still send back the same advice and the President would then be bound by that advice, such
a request by the President to reconsider the decision, would naturally carry a lot of weight. So, this is one
way in which the president can act in his own discretion.
Secondly, the President also has veto power by which he can withhold or refuse to give assent to Bills
(other than Money Bill) passed by the Parliament. Every bill passed by the Parliament goes to the President
for his assent before it becomes a law. The President can send the bill back to the Parliament asking it to
reconsider the bill. This veto power is limited because, if the Parliament passes the same bill again and
sends it back to the President, then, the President has to give assent to that bill. However, there is no
mention in the Constitution about the time limit within which the President must send the bill back for
reconsideration. This means that the President can just keep the bill pending with him without any time
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limit. This gives the President an informal power to use the veto in a very effective manner. This is
sometimes referred to as pocket veto.
Then, the third kind of discretion arises more out of political circumstances. Formally, the President
appoints the Prime Minister. Normally, in the parliamentary system, a leader who has the support of the
majority in the Lok Sabha would be appointed as Prime Minister and the question of discretion would not
arise. But imagine a situation when after an election, no leader has a clear majority in the Lok Sabha.
Imagine further that after attempts to forge alliances, two or three leaders are claiming that they have the
support of the majority in the house. Now, the President has to decide whom to appoint as the Prime
Minister. In such a situation, the President has to use his own discretion in judging who really may have
the support of the majority or who can actually form and run the government.
67. Solution: a)
The Vice President is elected for five years. His election method is similar to that of the President, the only
difference is that members of State legislatures are not part of the electoral college. The Vice President may
be removed from his office by a resolution of the Rajya Sabha passed by a majority and agreed to by the
Lok Sabha. The Vice President acts as the ex-officio Chairman of the Rajya Sabha and takes over the office
of the President when there is a vacancy by reasons of death, resignation, removal by impeachment or
otherwise.
68. Solution: d)
President exercises his powers only on the advice of the Council of Ministers. The Council of Ministers is
headed by the Prime Minister. Therefore, as head of the Council of Ministers, the Prime Minister becomes
the most important functionary of the government in our country. The Prime Minister then decides who
will be the ministers in the Council of Ministers. The Prime Minister allocates ranks and portfolios to the
ministers.
In India, the Prime Minister enjoys a pre-eminent place in the government. The Council of Ministers cannot
exist without the Prime Minister. The Council comes into existence only after the Prime Minister has taken
the oath of office. The death or resignation of the Prime Minister automatically brings about the dissolution
of the Council of Ministers but the demise, dismissal or resignation of a minister only creates a ministerial
vacancy.
69. Solution: c)
The Parliament enacts legislations for the country. Despite being the chief law making body, the Parliament
often merely approves legislations. The actual task of drafting the bill is performed by the bureaucracy
under the supervision of the minister concerned. The substance and even the timing of the bill are decided
by the Cabinet. No major bill is introduced in the Parliament without the approval of the Cabinet. Members
other than ministers can also introduce bills but these have no chance of being passed without the support
of the government.
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However, in a democracy, legislature controls taxation and the way in which money is used by the
government. If the Government of India proposes to introduce any new tax, it has to get the approval of the
Lok Sabha. The Financial powers of the Parliament, involve grant of resources to the government to
implement its programmes. The government has to give an account to the Legislature about the money it
has spent and resources that it wishes to raise. The legislature also ensures that the government does not
misspend or overspend. This is done through the budget and annual financial statements.
70. Solution: d)
Broadly speaking, it was in the colonial period that a specifically Indian consciousness took shape. Colonial
rule unified all of India for the first time, and brought in the forces of modernisation and capitalist
economic change. By and large, the changes brought about were irreversible society could never return to
the way things were before. The economic, political and administrative unification of India under colonial
rule was achieved at great expense. Colonial exploitation and domination scarred Indian society in many
ways. But paradoxically, colonialism also gave birth to its own enemy nationalism.
The shared experience of colonial domination helped unify and energise different sections of the
community. The emerging middle classes began, with the aid of western style education, to challenge
colonialism on its own ground. Ironically, colonialism and western education also gave the impetus for the
rediscovery of tradition. This led to the developments on the cultural and social front which solidified
emergent forms of community at the national and regional levels.
71. Solution: d)
Among the most famous theories of demography is the one associated with the English political economist
Thomas Robert Malthus (1766-1834). Malthuss theory of population growth outlined in his Essay on
Population (1798) was a rather pessimistic one. He argued that human populations tend to grow at a much
faster rate than the rate at which the means of human subsistence (especially food, but also clothing and
other agriculture-based products) can grow. Therefore humanity is condemned to live in poverty forever
because the growth of agricultural production will always be overtaken by population growth.
Unfortunately, humanity has only a limited ability to voluntarily reduce the growth of its population
(through preventive checks such as postponing marriage or practicing sexual abstinence or
celibacy).Malthus believed therefore that positive checks to population growth in the form of famines
and diseases were inevitable because they were natures way of dealing with the imbalance between food
supply and increasing population.
72. Solution: a)
A significant theory in demography is the theory of demographic transition. This suggests that population
growth is linked to overall levels of economic development and that every society follows a typical pattern
of development-related population growth. There are three basic phases of population growth. The first
stage is that of low population growth in a society that is underdeveloped and technologically backward.
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Growth rates are low because both the death rate and the birth rate are very high, so that the difference
between the two (or the net growth rate) is low. The third (and last) stage is also one of low growth in a
developed society where both death rate and birth rate have been reduced.
73. Solution: d)
74. Solution: d)
It is striking that the lowest child sex ratios are found in the most prosperous regions of India. Punjab,
Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Gujarat and Maharashtra are among the richest states of India in terms of per
capita incomes, and they are also the states with the lowest child sex ratios. So the problem of selective
abortions is not due to poverty or ignorance or lack of resources. For example, if practices like dowry mean
that parents have to make large dowry payments to marry off their daughters, then prosperous parents
would be the ones most able to afford this. However, we find the sex ratio is lowest in the most prosperous
regions.
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It is also possible (though this issue is still being researched) that as economically prosperous families
decide to have fewer children often only one or two now they may also wish to choose the sex of their
child. This becomes possible with the availability of ultra-sound technology, although the government has
passed strict laws banning this practice and imposing heavy fines and imprisonment as punishment.
75. Solution: d)
The chapter on Directive Principles lists mainly three things:
The goals and objectives that we as a society should adopt;

Certain rights that individuals should enjoy apart from the Fundamental Rights; and
Certain policies that the government should adopt.
Some idea of the vision of makers of our Constitution can be gotten by looking at some of the Directive
Principles shown below. The governments from time to time tried to give effect to some Directive
Principles of State Policy. They passed several zamindari abolition bills, nationalised banks, enacted
numerous factory laws, fixed minimum wages, cottage and small industries were promoted and provisions
for reservation for the uplift of the scheduled castes and scheduled tribes were made.
76. Solution: a)
77. Solution: d)
Caste is an institution uniquely associated with the Indian sub-continent. While social arrangements
producing similar effects have existed in other parts of the world, the exact form has not been found
elsewhere. Although it is an institution characteristic of Hindu society, caste has spread to the major nonHindu communities of the Indian sub-continent. This is specially true of Muslims, Christians and Sikhs.
However, the caste system stood for different things in different time-periods, so that it is misleading to
think of the same system continuing for three thousand years. In its earliest phase, in the late Vedic period
roughly between 900 500 BC, the caste system was really a varna system and consisted of only four
major divisions. These divisions were not very elaborate or very rigid, and they were not determined by
birth. Movement across the categories seems to have been not only possible but quite common. It is only in
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the post-Vedic period that caste became the rigid institution that is familiar to us from well known
definitions.
78. Solution: d)
The present form of caste as a social institution has been shaped very strongly by both the colonial period
as well as the rapid changes that have come about in independent India.
Many British administrative officials were also amateur ethnologistsand took great interest in pursuing
such surveys and studies.
But by far the most important official effort to collect information on caste was through the census. First
begun in the 1860s, the census became a regular ten-yearly exercise conducted by the British Indian
government from 1881onwards. The 1901 Census under the direction of Herbert Risley was particularly
important as it sought to collect information on the social hierarchy of caste i.e., the social order of
precedence in particular regions, as to the position of Savitri each caste in the rank order. This effort had a
huge impact on social perceptions of caste and hundreds of petitions were addressed to the Census
Commissioner by representatives of different castes claiming a higher position in the social scale and
offering historical and scriptural evidence for their claims. Overall, scholars feel that this kind of direct
attempt to count caste and to officially record caste status changed the institution itself. Before this kind of
intervention, caste identities had been much more fluid and less rigid; once they began to be counted and
recorded, caste began to take on a new life.
Other interventions by the colonial state also had an impact on the institution. The land revenue
settlements and related arrangements and laws served to give legal recognition to the customary (castebased) rights of the upper castes. These castes now became land owners in the modern sense rather than
feudal classes with claims on the produce of the land, or claims to revenue or tribute of various kinds.
Large scale irrigation schemes like the ones in the Punjab were accompanied by efforts to settle populations
there, and these also had a caste dimension. At the other end of the scale, towards the end of the colonial
period, the administration also took an interest in the welfare of downtrodden castes, referred to as the
depressed classes at that time. It was as part of these efforts that the Government of India Act of 1935 was
passed which gave legal recognition to the lists or schedules of castes and tribes marked out for special
treatment by the state. This is how the terms Scheduled Tribes and the Scheduled Castes came into
being. Castes at the bottom of the hierarchy that suffered severe discrimination, including all the so-called
untouchable castes, were included among the Scheduled Castes.
79. Solution: a)
Sanskritisation refers to a process whereby members of a (usually middle or lower) caste attempt to raise
their own social status by adopting the ritual, domestic and social practices of a caste (or castes) of higher
status. Although this phenomenon is an old one and predates Independence and perhaps even the colonial
period, it has intensified in recent times. The patterns for emulation chosen most often were the brahmin or
kshatriya castes; practices included adopting vegetarianism, wearing of sacred thread, performance of
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specific prayers and religious ceremonies, and soon. Sanskritisation usually accompanies or follows a rise
in the economic status of the caste attempting it, though it may also occur independently.
80. Solution: a)
67P is from the outer regions of our solar system, but its not orbiting the Jupiter.
http://sci.esa.int/rosetta/14615-comet-67p/
http://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/more-audacious-than-rosetta/99/
81. Solution: b)
http://chealth.canoe.ca/channel_section_details.asp?text_id=5778&channel_id=1020&relation_id=96449
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antibiotic_resistance
82. Solution: c)
Lysins, also known as endolysins or murein hydrolases, are hydrolytic enzymes produced
by bacteriophages (a kind of virus) in order to cleave the host's cell wall during the final stage of the lytic
cycle. Lysins are highly evolved enzymes that are able to target one of the five bonds
in peptidoglycan (murein), the main component of bacterial cell walls, which allows the release of progeny
virions from the lysed cell. These enzymes are being used as antibacterial agents due to their high
effectiveness and specificity in comparison with antibiotics, which are susceptible to bacterial resistance.
http://indianexpress.com/article/technology/science/new-drug-to-replace-antibiotics/
83. Solution: b)
http://indianexpress.com/article/technology/science/why-suns-corona-is-hotter-than-its-surfacedecoded/
84. Solution: b)
Sandflies only spread it. They carry disease causing protozoa, Leishmania .
Important and latest news related to Kala-azar: http://www.downtoearth.org.in/content/single-shotcure-kala-azar-launched-bihar
85. Solution: c)
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Progress towards the elimination of measles has stalled, warns the World Health Organization (WHO).
According to data provided by WHO, more than 145,000 people died of measles in 2013 which is a
significant increase from the number of deaths in 2012 at 122,000.
According to the data, which was published in WHOs Weekly Epidemiological Report and the Centers for
Disease Control and Preventions (CDC) Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, the estimated number of
measles deaths in 2013 represents a 75 per cent decline in mortality since 2000, much below the target of a
95 per cent reduction in deaths between 2000 and 2015.
Despite being vaccine-preventable, measles is still an important cause of death and disability among
children worldwide.
Poor progress in increasing measles vaccination coverage has resulted in large outbreaks of this highly
contagious disease, throwing the 2015 elimination targets off-track, said Peter Strebel from the WHO
Department of Immunization, Vaccines, and Biologicals.
According to the report, while the increase in the disease in 2013 was in large part due to outbreaks in
China, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria, sizeable outbreaks were also reported from other parts
of the world. The European region has seen measles re-emerge with outbreaks in Georgia, Turkey and
Ukraine.
Countries urgently need to prioritize maintaining and improving immunization coverage, said Strebel.
The vast majority of measles deaths are in poor countries, according to the data. In 2013, more than 70 per
cent of global measles deaths were in six countries India, Nigeria, Pakistan, Ethiopia, Indonesia and the
Democratic Republic of Congo.
In developing countries it costs around US $1 to vaccinate a child against the disease. During 2013, 205
million children were immunised against measles through large-scale campaigns in 34 countries, including
Cambodia, Cape Verde, Ghana, Jordan, Senegal, and Sudan.
WHO strongly recommends that every child receives two doses of measles vaccine. Measles is a highly
contagious viral disease, which affects mostly children. It is transmitted via droplets from the nose, mouth
or throat of infected persons. There is no specific treatment for measles and most people recover within 2-3
weeks. However, particularly in malnourished children and people with reduced immunity, measles can
cause serious complications, including blindness, encephalitis, severe diarrhoea, ear infection and
pneumonia.
Source: http://www.downtoearth.org.in/content/progress-measles-elimination-has-got-stalled-says-who
86. Solution: b)
Please read this article:
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http://www.downtoearth.org.in/content/official-document-exposes-government-s-intent-incentivisesterilisation
87. Solution: d)
On the basis of genesis, colour, composition and location, the soils of India have been classified into:
(i) Alluvial soils
(ii) Black soils
(iii) Red and Yellow soils
(iv) Laterite soils
(v) Arid soils
(vi) Saline soils
(vii) Peaty soils
(viii) Forest soils.
In the coming questions locations and characteristics of these soils will also be discussed.
88. Solution: a)
The Green Climate Fund (GCF) is a fund within the framework of the UNFCCC founded as a mechanism
to redistribute money from the developed to the developing world, in order to assist the developing
countries in adaptation and mitigation practices to counter climate change. The GCF is based in the
new Songdo district of Incheon, South Korea. It is governed by a Board of 24 members and initially
supported by an Interim Secretariat.
The Green Climate Fund will support projects, programmes, policies and other activities in developing
country Parties using thematic funding windows.[1] It is intended to be the centrepiece of efforts to
raise Climate Finance of $100 billion a year by 2020. This is not an official figure for the size of the Fund
itself, however. Disputes also remain as to whether the funding target will be based on public sources, or
whether "leveraged" private finance will be counted towards the total.[2] Only a fraction of this sum had
been pledged as of July 2013, mostly to cover start-up costs.
Regarding Australias share, read this article:
http://www.downtoearth.org.in/content/australia-backs-coal-run-new-climate-deal
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89. Solution: c)
90. Solution: d)
http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/stats_popup2.html
Stunted growth or stunting is a reduced growth rate in human development. It is a primary manifestation
of malnutrition and recurrent infections, such as diarrhea andhelminthiasis, in early childhood and even
before birth, due to malnutrition during fetal development brought on by a malnourished mother. The
definition of stunting according to the World Health Organisation (WHO) is for the "height for age" value
to be less than two standard deviations of the WHO Child Growth Standards median.
In medicine, wasting, also known as wasting syndrome, refers to the process by which a
debilitating disease causes muscle and fattissue to "waste" away. Wasting is sometimes referred to as "acute
malnutrition" because it is believed that episodes of wasting have a short duration, in contrast to stunting,
which is regarded as chronic malnutrition.
Related important news:
http://www.downtoearth.org.in/content/india-can-dramatically-reduce-stunting-children-says-worldbank-report
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91. Solution: a)
Prenatal EXPOSURE to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), a pollutant generated from fossil fuel
burning, could be one of the reasons behind attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (AHAD) in children.
Children having AHAD find it hard to focus and are hyperactive. Not much is known about what causes
the disorder, but a study on 233 women found that children born to PAH-exposed mothers had five times
higher chances of getting AHAD.
92. Solution: c)
Most OFthe debate on climate change focuses on greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere. But it has
emerged that ocean circulation has an equally important role. It was believed that the severe cooling the
earth underwent 2.7 million years ago was caused by changes in carbon dioxide (CO2) levels. But analyses
of ocean sediments (2.5 million-to 3.3 million-year-old) suggest the cooling happened due to the emergence
of sub-surface ocean currents. These currents absorb heat and CO2 from winds blowing close to the ocean
surface in the Atlantic and release them in the Pacific.
93. Solution: b)
http://www.nwf.org/wildlife/threats-to-wildlife/invasive-species.aspx
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invasive_species#Biodiversity
http://www.downtoearth.org.in/content/invasion-triggers-evolution
94. Solution: d)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuiper_belt
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pluto
Kuiper Belt was in news recently: http://zeenews.india.com/news/sci-tech/nasa-spots-kuiper-belttargets-for-pluto-mission_1485635.html
95. Solution: d)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lidar#Applications
LIDAR, which stands for Light Detection and Ranging, is a remote sensing method that uses light in the form
of a pulsed laser to measure ranges (variable distances) to the Earth. These light pulsescombined with
other data recorded by the airborne system generate precise, three-dimensional information about the
shape of the Earth and its surface characteristics.
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A LIDAR instrument principally consists of a laser, a scanner, and a specialized GPS receiver. Airplanes
and helicopters are the most commonly used platforms for acquiring LIDAR data over broad areas. Two
types of LIDAR are topographic and bathymetric. Topographic LIDAR typically uses a near-infrared laser
to map the land, while bathymetric lidar uses water-penetrating green light to also measure seafloor and
riverbed elevations.
LIDAR systems allow scientists and mapping professionals to examine both natural and manmade
environments with accuracy, precision, and flexibility. NOAA scientists are using LIDAR to produce more
accurate shoreline maps, make digital elevation models for use in geographic information systems, to assist
in emergency response operations, and in many other applications.
http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-15845550
It was in news: http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/telangana/ts-plans-tank-surveys-citymapping-with-lidar-tech/article6595776.ece
96. Solution: c)
http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/science/virgin-galactic-working-on-new-spaceship-aftercrash/article6570003.ece
97. Solution: b)
Tatarstan, also called Tatariya, republic in the east-central part of European Russia. The republic lies in the
middle Volga River basin around the confluence of the Volga and Kama rivers. Kazanis the capital.
The Tatars, who today constitute approximately half of Tatarstans population, are a Turkic people.
Descendants of the Mongols of the Golden Horde, they established themselves in this area in the mid-13th
century, largely replacing or absorbing the native Bulgar population.
98. Solution: a)
99. Solution: d)
The rivers that originate in WG, either flow eastwards or westwards. There is a high gradient for the west
flowing rivers than the east flowing rivers. Therefore with being very close to coast and with high gradient,
there's less chances of rivers getting wide (spread out) towards the sea unlike east flowing rivers.
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More gradient means higher is the velocity of the river. Therefore West flowing rivers end up forming
estuaries rather than deltas. Example River Kali estuary in Karwar of Karnataka.
Moreover, rivers, (for example, Narmada) which arise from the Western Ghats, there is not much plain or
flat land for the rivers to form a delta. They quickly empty into the Arabian sea, not giving any time to slow
down and bifurcate into tributaries.
100.
Solution: b)
An important aspect of the Arunachal Himalayas is the numerous ethnic tribal community inhabiting in
these areas. Some of the prominent ones from west to east are the Monpa, Daffla, Abor, Mishmi, Nishi and
the Nagas. Most of these communities practise Jhumming. It is also known as shifting or slash and burn
cultivation. This region is rich in biodiversity which has been preserved by the indigenous communities.
Due to rugged topography, the inter-valley transportation linkages are nominal. Hence, most of the
interactions are carried through the duar region along the Arunachal-Assam border.
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INSIGHTS MOCK TEST SERIES 2015: TEST 7 SOLUTIONS

INSIGHTS MOCK TEST SERIES 2015: TEST 7 SOLUTIONS

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INSIGHTS MOCK TEST SERIES 2015: TEST 7 SOLUTIONS

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The goals and objectives that we as a society should adopt;

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