T-20

13 August, 2020

Question Type: Concept
Difficulty of Question: moderate
Expected time to solve(in seconds): 60
Concept: Science and Technology in India
Sub Concept:
Concept field :


Q1 Consider the following statements regarding eVIN (electronic vaccine
intelligence network):
1. It is an indigenously developed technology system in India that digitizes
vaccine stocks and monitors the temperature of the cold chain through a
smartphone application.
2. It is implemented by the United Nations Development Programme
(UNDP) in partnership with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
a) 1 only
b) 2 only
c) Both 1 and 2
d) Neither 1 nor 2

correct ans: c

1 is correct: eVIN (Electronic Vaccine Intelligence Network) is an indigenously
developed technology system in India that digitizes vaccine stocks and
monitors the temperature of the cold chain through a smartphone application.
It supports the Government of India’s Universal Immunization Programme.

2 is correct: It is implemented by the United Nations Development Programme
(UNDP) in partnership with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.


Question Type: Concept
Difficulty of Question: moderate
Expected time to solve(in seconds): 60
Concept: Resources
Sub Concept: Energy resources
Concept field :

Q2 Arrange the following energy sources in India in terms of installed capacity
in descending order:
1. Large hydro
2. Wind
3. Nuclear
4. Solar

Select the correct answer using the code given below.
a) 1 2 4 3
b) 4 1 3 2
c) 4 1 2 3
d) 1 4 2 3

Correct ans: a

Question Type: fact
Difficulty of Question: moderate
Expected time to solve(in seconds): 60
Concept: Environment Conservation
Sub Concept:
Concept field :



Q3 Global Forest Watch report is released by which of the following
organisations?
 a) World Resources Institute
b) UN Environment Programme (UNEP)
c) World Wide Fund for Nature
d) Greenpeace

Correct ans: a
Global Forest Watch (GFW) is released by the World Resources Institute (WRI).



Question Type: Concept
Difficulty of Question: moderate
Expected time to solve(in seconds): 60
Concept: Internal Security
Sub Concept: Cyber Security
Concept field :

Q4 With reference to Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In),
consider the following statements:
1. It is the nodal agency responsible for protecting Critical Information
Infrastructure as well as all non-critical systems.
2. It is a statutory body under Ministry of Electronics and Information
Technology.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
a) 1 only
b) 2 only
c) Both 1 and 2
d) Neither 1 nor 2

correct ans: b
1 is incorrect: National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Centre
(NCIIPC) is designated as the National Nodal Agency in respect of Critical
Information Infrastructure Protection. CERT-In is responsible for all non-critical
systems.

2 is correct: CERT-In is a statutory body under the Information Technology
(Amendment) Act 2008 to serve as the national agency to deal with
cybersecurity.



Question Type: Concept
Difficulty of Question: moderate
Expected time to solve(in seconds): 60
Concept: Monetary system
Sub Concept:
Concept field :

Q5 Which of the following are qualitative tools of monetary policy of the
Reserve Bank of India?
1. Marginal Standing Facility
2. Loan to value ratio
3. Open Market Operations
4. Statutory Liquidity Ratio

Select the correct answer using the code given below:
a) 1 and 2 only
b) 3 and 4 only
c) 2 only
d) 3 only

Correct ans: c

Quantitative tools – Repo, reverse repo, OMO, MSF, CRR, SLR
Qualitative tools – Priority sector lending, Loan to value ratio, Moral suasion.

LTV ratio is used to express the ratio of a loan to the value of an asset
purchased.



Question Type: Concept
Difficulty of Question: moderate
Expected time to solve(in seconds): 60
Concept: Banking and financial inclusion
Sub Concept:
Concept field :

Q6 Financial Stability Report is published by
 a) International Monetary Fund
b) Reserve Bank of India
c) NITI Aayog
d) World Economic Forum

Correct Ans: b

Some important publications of RBI –
● Financial Stability report
● Consumer Confidence Survey
● Inflation Expectations Survey of Households
● Industrial Outlook Survey

IMF publishes the Global Financial Stability Report.


Question Type: Concept
Difficulty of Question: moderate
Expected time to solve(in seconds): 60
Concept: Human Geography
Sub Concept: Human Development
Concept field :

Q7 The term 'gig economy' sometimes seen in news refers to
a) an economy facing large labour shortages
b) an economy with a large amount of migrant labour
c) an economy where temporary jobs, contract labour are common instead
of full-time permanent jobs
d) a country's economy which is heavily dependent on the economy of
another sovereign state


correct ans: c
In a gig economy, temporary, flexible jobs are commonplace and companies
tend toward hiring independent contractors and freelancers instead of full-
time employees.

Question Type: Concept
Difficulty of Question: moderate
Expected time to solve(in seconds): 60
Concept: new technologies
Sub Concept:
Concept field :

Q8 Consider the following pairs :

Navigation satellite system Country
1. BeiDou China
2. GLONASS Russia
3. Galileo USA

Which of the pairs are correctly matched?
a) 1 and 2 only
b) 2 and 3 only
c) 1 and 3 only
d) 1, 2 and 3

Correct ans: a
BeiDou – China
GLONASS – Russia
Galileo – EU
GPS - USA


Question Type: Concept
Difficulty of Question: moderate
Expected time to solve(in seconds): 60
Concept: monetary system
Sub Concept:
Concept field :

Q9 Liquidity trap is a situation which negatively affects the economic growth of
a country. In this context, consider the following statements:
1. Consumers avoid investment in bonds and keep their funds in a savings
account.
2. There is a prevailing belief among consumers that market interest rates
will soon rise.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
a) 1 only
 b) 2 only
c) Both 1 and 2
d) Neither 1 nor 2

Correct ans: c
The liquidity trap is the situation in which prevailing interest rates of the
market are low and savings rates are high, making monetary policy ineffective.
In a liquidity trap, consumers choose to avoid bonds and keep their funds in
savings because of the prevailing belief that interest rates will soon rise. Since
bonds have an inverse relationship to interest rates, many consumers do not
want to hold an asset with a price that is expected to decline.




Question Type: fact
Difficulty of Question: moderate
Expected time to solve(in seconds): 60
Concept: physiography of India
Sub Concept:
Concept field :

Q10 Which of the following lakes are found in Ladakh region?
1. Pangong Tso
2. Tso Lhamo
3. Tso Kar
4. Tso Moriri

Select the correct answer using the code given below.
a) 1 and 3 only
b) 2 and 4 only
c) 1, 2, 3 and 4
d) 1, 3 and 4 only

Correct Ans: d
Tso Lhamo – Sikkim
Pangong tso, Tso Kar, Tso Moriri – Ladakh



Question Type: Concept
Difficulty of Question: moderate
Expected time to solve(in seconds): 60
Concept: general science
Sub Concept: physics
Concept field :


Q11 Consider the following statements with respect to atomic clocks:
1. These are devices that use quartz crystal as its timekeeping element.
2. They are used as primary standards for international time distribution
services and in global navigation satellite systems.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
a) 1 only
b) 2 only
c) Both 1 and 2
d) Neither 1 nor 2

Correct Ans: b
1 is incorrect: Atomic clock, type of clock that uses certain resonance
frequencies of atoms (usually cesium or rubidium) to keep time with extreme
accuracy. The electronic components of atomic clocks are regulated by the
frequency of the microwave electromagnetic radiation.

2 is correct: Atomic clocks are the most accurate time and frequency standards
are known, and are used as primary standards for international time
distribution services, to control the wave frequency of television broadcasts,
and in global navigation satellite systems such as GPS. A rubidium atomic clock
is a frequency standard in which a specified hyperfine transition of electrons in
rubidium-87 atoms is used to control the output frequency. It is the most
inexpensive, compact, and widely used type of atomic clock.





Question Type: Concept
Difficulty of Question: moderate
Expected time to solve(in seconds): 60
Concept: Schools of Philosophy
Sub Concept:
Concept field :

Q12 With reference to Indian philosophy, consider the following statements
regarding 'Vishistadvaita':
1. It was propounded by Ramanujacharya.
2. It denies the reality of the world.
3. According to it, Brahma (God) is a personal God with omniscient
qualities.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
a) 1 and 3 only
b) 2 only
c) 1 and 2 only
d) 2 and 3 only

Correct ans: a
Statements 1 and 3 are correct: According to Ramanujacharya, the best means
of salvation was devotion, and the best yoga was bhakti-yoga, such intense
devotion to Vishnu that the worshipper realized that he was but a fragment of
God, and wholly dependent on him. Another means of salvation was prapatti,
the abandonment of self, putting one's soul completely in the hands of God,
trusting in his will, and waiting confidently for his grace. Ramanuja's God
(Brahma) is a personal God with omniscient qualities. He has created the
world, but he has created the world out of His own self. Thus the world bears
to Brahman the relation of part to whole or the relation of a qualified effect‘ to
the base (hence qualified monism). full of grace and love for his creation. It
was one with God, but yet separate, and for this reason, the system of
Ramanuja was called vishistadvaita, or 'qualified monism'.

Statement 2 is not correct: Whereas, the Advaita philosophy laid down by
Shankaracharya also, known as the school of monism of Vedanta philosophy is
the highest intellectual reading of spirituality. In Advaita, the reality of the
world is denied. Brahman is the only reality. Ultimately the only reality was
Brahman, the impersonal World Soul of the Upanisads, with which the
individual soul was identical. The world although it subsists on Brahman has no
intrinsic reality of its own and it is only Brahman at its base which gives it its
reality. The Brahman of Advaita is a purely impersonal entity. Which rejects the
existence of the world. Brahman exists of its own accord and does not in any
way affect the world, the world evolves out of its own cycle of
Nivritti(expansion) and Pravritti (involution). Practice of religion in Advaita is an
intellectual practice. That is why Advaita was often seen as a religion of the
mind rather than the heart. Vishistadvaita's central philosophy is rested on the
belief that: God (Brahman) and the world are two equal real entities but the
world is not separate from God but is formed out of it.

Question Type: fact
Difficulty of Question: moderate
Expected time to solve(in seconds): 60
Concept: Environment Conservation
Sub Concept: Protected Area Network
Concept field :

Q13 Mount Harriet National Park is located in
a) Arunachal Pradesh
b) Lakshadweep islands
c) Uttarakhand
d) None of the above

Correct ans: d
Mount Harriet National Park is a national park located in the Andaman and
Nicobar Islands. Mount Harriet is the third-highest peak in the Andaman and
Nicobar archipelago next to Saddle Peak in North Andaman and Mount in
Great Nicobar.

Question Type: Concept
Difficulty of Question: moderate
Expected time to solve(in seconds): 60
Concept: Balance of Payment
Sub Concept:
Concept field :

Q14 Which of the following is/are part of Capital account in Balance of
Payments?
1. Quota payments to IMF.
2. Unilateral transfers like gifts and donations.
3. External bonds issued by the Government of India.

Select the correct answer using the code given below.
 a) 1 only
b) 1 and 3 only
c) 2 and 3 only
d) 1, 2 and 3

Correct ans: b

1 and 3 are correct. Capital account records all those transactions, between
the residents of a country and the rest of the world, which cause a change in
the assets or liabilities of the residents of the country or its government. It
includes:
● External lending and borrowing
● Foreign currency deposits of banks
● External bonds issued by the Government of India. (3 is
correct)
● Investments by rest of the world in shares of Indian companies,
real estate in India, etc (Example: FDI) and Investments by
Indian residents in shares of foreign companies, real estate
abroad, etc
● Other Capital – Other capital is a residual item and broadly
includes delayed exports receipts, funds raised and held
abroad by Indian corporate, India‘s subscriptions to
international institutions and quota payments to IMF. (1 is
correct)
● Change in Foreign Exchange Reserves.

2 is incorrect. Unilateral transfers including gifts, donations, personal
remittances and other one- way‘ transactions are part of Current Account.


Question Type: fact
Difficulty of Question: moderate
Expected time to solve(in seconds): 60
Concept: national income
Sub Concept:
Concept field :

Q15 World Happiness Report is published by
a) United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network
b) World Economic Forum
 c) The Happiness Foundation
d) World Bank

Correct ans: a
World Happiness Report is an annual publication of the United Nations
Sustainable Development Solutions Network. In 2020 report, India, previously
ranked at 140 dropped to 144.



Question Type: Concept
Difficulty of Question: moderate
Expected time to solve(in seconds): 60
Concept: Infrastructure
Sub Concept:
Concept field :

Q16 Consider the following statements with respect to the National
Investment Fund:
1. It is a fund for providing financial support to states for infrastructure
projects.
2. All the proceeds from the disinvestment of Centre Public Sector
Enterprises are to be channelized in this fund.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
a) 1 only
b) 2 only
c) Both 1 and 2
d) Neither 1 nor 2

Correct ans: b
1 is not correct and 2 is correct. National Investment Fund (NIF) was created in
2005. All the proceeds from the disinvestment of Centre Public Sector
Enterprises were to be channelized in this fund. As per this Scheme, 75% of the
annual income of the NIF was to be used for financing selected social sector
schemes which promote education, health and employment. The residual 25%
of the annual income of NIF was to be used to meet the capital investment
requirements of profitable and revivable PSUs.




Question Type: Concept
Difficulty of Question: moderate
Expected time to solve(in seconds): 60
Concept: current affairs
Sub Concept:
Concept field :

Q17 'Nudge theory' sometimes seen in news refers to:
a) a geo political theory to nudge Pakistan to take action against terrorists
b) a theory related to survival of species
c) a behavioural economics theory related to policy formulation
d) a theory to nudge countries to lower import tariffs

correct ans: c
The ‘nudge theory’ of economist Richard Thaler, was mentioned extensively in
the Economic Survey 2018-19. Nudge theory says that people, rather than
being forced, can be encouraged and influenced to pursue or refrain from
certain actions through nudges.



Question Type: Concept
Difficulty of Question: moderate
Expected time to solve(in seconds): 60
Concept: world geography through maps
Sub Concept:
Concept field :


Q18 Which of the following countries open out to the Persian Gulf?
1. Iran
2. Iraq
3. Yemen
4. Saudi Arabia

Select the correct answer using the code given below.
a) 1 and 2 only
b) 3 and 4 only
c) 1, 2 and 4 only
d) 1, 2, 3 and 4

Correct ans: c

Question Type: Concept
Difficulty of Question: moderate
Expected time to solve(in seconds): 60
Concept: international organizations (economy)
Sub Concept:
Concept field :


Q19 Which of the following is not correct about Asian Infrastructure
Investment Bank (AIIB)?
a) Its objective is to improve social and economic outcome in Asia and
beyond.
b) It was created by the group of BRICS nations.
c) China has the largest share among the member countries.
d) It is a multilateral development bank headquartered in Beijing.

Correct ans: b

AIIB is a multilateral development bank with 84 countries as members. Its
creation was initiated by China and AIIB was proposed at an APEC summit in
Bali in 2013 and started its operation in January, 2016.
It is headquartered in Beijing.
Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) established with the objective to
improve social and economic outcomes in Asia and beyond. China, India,
Russia and Germany are the four largest shareholders of the Bank with 26.06%,
7.5%, 5.93% and 4.5% respectively.



Question Type: Concept
Difficulty of Question: moderate
Expected time to solve(in seconds): 60
Concept: The Earth & The Universe
Sub Concept: Origin of Earth
Concept field :


Q20 In the context of the evolution of earth, consider the following processes:
1. Formation of oceans on earth
2. Flooding of earth’s atmosphere with Oxygen
3. Evolution of life on earth

Which of the following is the correct chronological sequence of occurrence of
the given processes?
a) 1-2-3
b) 1-3-2
c) 3-2-1
d) 3-1-2

Correct ans: b

The earth was mostly in a volatile state during its primordial stage. During the
cooling of the earth, gases and water vapour were released from the interior
solid earth.
As the earth cooled, the water vapour released started getting condensed. The
carbon dioxide in the atmosphere got dissolved in rainwater and the
temperature further decreased causing more condensation and more rains.
The rainwater falling onto the surface got collected in the depressions to give
rise to oceans. The earth‘s oceans were formed within 500 million years from
the formation of the earth. This tells us that the oceans are as old as 4,000
million years.
Sometime around 3,800 million years ago, life began to evolve. However,
around 2,500-3,000 million years before the present, the process of
photosynthesis got evolved. Life was confined to the oceans for a long time.
Oceans began to have the contribution of oxygen through the process of
photosynthesis.
Eventually, oceans were saturated with oxygen, and 2,000 million years ago,
oxygen began to flood the atmosphere.