VISION IAS

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ANSWERS & EXPLANATION

GENERAL STUDIES (P) TEST – 1786 (2016)

1. (B)

 The directive principles are like the instrument of instructions, which were issued to the Governor-
General and to the Governors of the colonies of India by the British Government under the
Government of India Act of 1935. The only difference is that the DPSPs are the instructions to the
legislature and the executive.

2. (D)

 Half of the world's wetlands have disappeared since 1900. Development and conversion continue to
pose major threats to wetlands, despite their value and importance.
 Conversion of wetlands for commercial development, drainage schemes, Urbanization, Agriculture,
Aquaculture, Water transport, extraction of minerals and peat, overfishing, tourism, siltation, pesticide
discharges from intensive agriculture, toxic pollutants from industrial waste, and the construction of
dams and dikes, often in an attempt at flood protection, are major threats to wetlands everywhere.

3. (D)

 Conservation reserves and community reserves in India are terms denoting protected areas of India
which typically act as buffer zones to or connectors and migration corridors between established
national parks, wildlife sanctuaries and reserved and protected forests of India. Such areas are
designated as conservation areas if they are uninhabited and completely owned by the Government
of India but used for subsistence by communities and community areas if part of the lands are
privately owned.
 These protected area categories were first introduced in the Wildlife (Protection) Amendment
Act of 2002 − the amendment to the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972. These categories were added
because of reduced protection in and around existing or proposed protected areas due to private
ownership of land, and land use.
 Conservation Reserves can be declared by the State Governments in any area owned by the
Government, particularly the areas adjacent to National Parks and Sanctuaries and those areas which
link one Protected Area with another. Such declaration should be made after having consultations
with the local communities. Conservation Reserves are declared for the purpose of protecting
landscapes, seascapes, flora and fauna and their habitat. The rights of people living inside a
Conservation Reserve are not affected.
 Hence all statements are correct.

4. (A)

 Narmada and Son are the two rivers originating from Amarkantak Plateau.
 Tapi - It originates from Multai in the Betul district of Madhya Pradesh.
 Mahanadi - It rises near Sihawa in Raipur district of Chhattisgarh.

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5. (A)

 In Taiga region, coniferous forests occur extensively. The trees are evergreen and needle-shaped
leaves prevent loss of moisture by transpiration. The forests contain soft wood trees like birch, cedar,
maple and spruce. Also, the forests are relatively free from undergrowth.

6. (B)

 The map of the Buddhist circuit as envisaged by the ministry comprises Bodh Gaya, Vaishali, Rajgir
and Kushinagar in Bihar, Sarnath, and Shravasti in UP, along with Kapilavastu and Lumbini in Nepal
where Buddha was born.
 The Ministry has already taken the Buddhist circuit under its Swadesh Darshan scheme, and released
funds of Rs 100 crore.
 Pavapuri is a holy site for Jains located in the Nalanda district in the Bihar state of Eastern India.
Around 5th Century BCE, Mahavira, the last of the twenty-four Tirthankara attained Nirvana or
moksha (liberation). He was cremated at Pavapuri.

7. (B)

 Marginal Standing Facility (MSF) refers to the penal rate at which banks can borrow money from the
central bank over and above what is available to them through the LAF window.
 MSF, being a penal rate, is always fixed above the repo rate. The MSF would be the last resort
for banks once they exhaust all borrowing options including the liquidity adjustment facility by
pledging government securities, where the rates are lower in comparison with the MSF.
 The MSF would be a penal rate for banks and the banks can borrow funds by pledging government
securities within the limits of the statutory liquidity ratio.
 The scheme has been introduced by RBI with the main aim of reducing volatility in the overnight
lending rates in the inter-bank market and to enable smooth monetary transmission in the financial
system.
 MSF represents the upper band of the interest corridor with repo rate at the middle and reverse repo as
the lower band.
 MSF scheme is provided by RBI by which the banks can borrow overnight upto 1 per cent of their net
demand and time liabilities (NDTL) i.e. 1 per cent of the aggregate deposits and other liabilities of the
banks. However, with effect from 17th April 2012 RBI raised the borrowing limit under the MSF
from 1 per cent to 2 per cent of their NDTL.

8. (A)
 Notified Area Committee is neither an elected body nor a statutory body – All its members are
nominated.
 Township is a type of urban government established by the large public enterprises to provide civic
amenities to its staff and workers who live in the housing colonies built near the plant. It has no
elected members.
 Town Area Committee is a set up for the administration of a small town. It is a semi municipal
authority created by a separate act of a state government. It can be wholly elected or wholly
nominated or partially elected and partially nominated.
 Cantonment Board– It is established for municipal administration of civilian population in the
cantonment area. It works under the administrative control of the Defense Ministry of the Central
Government. A cantonment board consists of partially elected and partially nominated members.

9. (B)
 The main architectural features of Odisha temples are classified in three orders, i.e., rekhapida,
pidhadeul and khakra. Most of the main temple sites are located in ancient Kalinga—modern Puri
District, including Bhubaneswar or ancient Tribhuvanesvara, Puri and Konark. The temples of Odisha
constitute a distinct substyle within the nagaraorder. In general, here the shikhara, called deulin
Odisha, is vertical almost until the top when it suddenly curves sharply inwards. Deulsare preceded,
as usual, by mandapas called jagamohanain Odisha. The ground plan of the main temple is almost
always square, which, in the upper reaches of its superstructure becomes circular in the crowning
mastaka.
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10. (D)

ASTROSAT is India’s first dedicated multi wavelength space observatory. This scientific satellite
mission endeavours for a more detailed understanding of our universe. One of the unique features of
ASTROSAT mission is that it enables the simultaneous multi-wavelength observations of various
astronomical objects with a single satellite.

Currently, 34 satellites are operational in the country comprising of:

 13 Communication Satellites namely, INSAT-3A, INSAT-3C, INSAT-4A, INSAT-4B, INSAT-4CR,

GSAT-6, GSAT-7, GSAT-8, GSAT-10, GSAT-12, GSAT-14, GSAT-15 and GSAT-16.
 12 Earth Observation Satellites namely, Resourcesat-2, RISAT-1, RISAT-2, Cartosat-1, Cartosat-2,
Cartosat-2A, Cartosat-2B, Oceansat-2, SARAL, Kalpana-1, Megha-Tropiques and INSAT-3D.
 7 Navigational Satellites namely, IRNSS-1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E, 1F & 1G.
 2 Space science Satellites namely Mars Orbiter Mission & Astrosat.

11. (B)

 Rowlatt Act, (February 1919), legislation passed by the Imperial Legislative Council, the legislature
of British India. The act allowed certain political cases to be tried without juries and permitted
internment of suspects without trial. Their object was to replace the repressive provisions of the
wartime Defence of India Act (1915) by a permanent law. They were based on the report of Justice
S.A.T. Rowlatt‘s committee of 1918.

12. (B)

 An escarpment or the highly precipitous slope is associated with the typical landforms caused by the
phenomenon of faulting. The fault scarps of Western Ghats overlooking the Arabian Sea are formed
due to faulting.

13. (C)

 Any natural habitat on earth that is inhabited just by a single species doesn't exist. There is no
such habitat and such a situation is even inconceivable. For any species, the minimal requirement is
one more species on which it can feed. Even a plant species, which makes its own food, cannot
survive alone; it needs soil microbes to break down the organic matter in soil and return the inorganic
nutrients for absorption. It also requires pollinating agents for survival. It is obvious that in nature,
animals, plants and microbes do not and cannot live in isolation but interact in various ways to form a
biological community.
 Rest all statements are correct.

14. (A)

 Three events influenced the course of the Ghadar movement: the arrest and escape of Har Dayal, the
Komagata Maru incident and the outbreak of the First World War.
 The Singh Sabha Movement was a Sikh movement begun in the late 19th century. The movement's
aims were the revival of the Sikh Gurus' teachings, the production of religious literature in the Punjabi
language using the Gurmukhi script. It did not impact the Ghadar movement.

15. (C)

 Purnima Devi Barman and the Hargilla army have got India Biodiversity award, 2016 in the category
of conservation of species.
 The Greater Adjutant bird, is found only in two areas in India and Cambodia. Purnima Devi
Barman and the women‘s Hargilla army protected this endangered species increasing nests three-fold
in six years.
 The India Biodiversity Awards (IBA) is a joint initiative of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and
Climate Change and UNDP India, to recognize and honour outstanding models of biodiversity
conservation, sustainable use and governance at the grassroots level.

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16. (D)

The Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR) is a prudential measure under which (as per the Banking Regulations
Act 1949) all Scheduled Commercial Banks in India must maintain an amount in one of the following
forms as a percentage of their total Demand and Time Liabilities (DTL) / Net DTL (NDTL);

(i) Cash.

(ii) Gold; or

(iii) Investments in un-encumbered Instruments that include;

(a) Treasury-Bills of the Government of India.

(b) Dated securities including those issued by the Government of India from time to time under the market
borrowings programme and the Market Stabilization Scheme (MSS).

(c) State Development Loans (SDLs) issued by State Governments under their market borrowings
programme.

(d) Other instruments as notified by the RBI.

In contrast to the CRR, under which banks have to maintain cash with the RBI, the SLR requires holding
of assets in one of the above three categories by the bank itself.

LAF is a facility extended by the Reserve Bank of India to the scheduled commercial banks (excluding
RRBs) and primary dealers to avail of liquidity in case of requirement or park excess funds with the RBI
in case of excess liquidity on an overnight basis against the collateral of Government securities including
State Government securities.

The operations of LAF are conducted by way of repurchase agreements (repos and reverse repos)
with RBI being the counter-party to all the transactions. It does not include SLR.

17. (D)

 The Legal Services Authorities Act (1987) has established a nation-wide network to provide free and
competent legal aid to the poor and to organise lok adalats for promoting equal justice. Lok adalat is a
statutory forum for conciliatory settlement of legal disputes.
 The Lok Adalat is presided over by a sitting or retired judicial officer as the chairman, with two
other members, usually a lawyer and a social worker. Hence, 1st statement is correct.
 A Lok Adalat has the jurisdiction to settle, by way of effecting compromise between the parties, any
matter which may be pending before any court, as well as matters at pre-litigative stage i.e. disputes
which have not yet been formally instituted in any Court of Law. Such matters may be civil or
criminal in nature, but any matter relating to an offence not compoundable under any law cannot be
decided by the Lok Adalat even if the parties involved therein agree to settle the same. Hence, 2nd
statement is correct.
 It has been given the status of a civil court. Its awards are enforceable, binding on the parties and
final as no appeal lies before any court against them. Hence, 3rd statement is correct.

18. (A)

 The air in contact with the earth rises vertically on heating in the form of currents and further
transmits the heat of the atmosphere. This process of vertical heating of the atmosphere is known as
convection. The convective transfer of energy is confined only to the troposphere.
 In tropical regions particularly in northern India during summer season local winds called ‘loo’
is the outcome of advection process and not convection process. The transfer of heat through
horizontal movement of air is called advection. Horizontal movement of the air is relatively more
important than the vertical movement. In middle latitudes, most of dirunal (day and night) variation in
daily weather are caused by advection alone.

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19. (C)

 Incheon Strategy is an agenda for empowerment of person with disability. The United Nations
Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) has a long history of working to
improve the rights of persons with disabilities. Since 1993, when it launched its first Asian and Pacific
―Decade on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities‖ (1993-2002), it has consistently demonstrated
leadership in this important area. The second decade, 2003-2012, continued this process, culminating
in what is now known as the Incheon Strategy to "Make the Right Real" for Persons with Disabilities
in the Asia Pacific Region, or simply, the Incheon Strategy.

20. (A)

 Bhitarkanika is a unique habitat of Mangrove Forests criss-crossed with numerous creeks and mud
flats located in Kendrapara district of Orissa.
 Bhitarkanika is home to diverse flora and fauna. Bhitarkanika located between 86’-45” To 87’17”
East longitude and 20’-17” to 20’-47” North latitude in the estuary of Brahmani, Baitarani,
Dhamra & Mahanadi river systems, has unique attraction and a boast of nature‘s most picturesque
sites.
 Apart from the Mangroves, another rarity that the sanctuary has to its account is the inhabitation of
its ecosystem by the Giant Salt Water Crocodiles.
 Bhitarkanika has a very rich historical and cultural past. It used to be the hunting grounds of the
erstwhile King of Kanika . The hunting towers and artificial watering holes can be seen at many
places including Bhitarkanika trail and at Dangmal. It is also the home to medieval Hindu temples
which can be found dotted throughout the sanctuary.

21. (C)

 Carbon has the highest number of compunds.It is mainly due to Catenation.

 Catenation is the tendency of an element to form chains of identical atoms is called catenation. This
tendency is observed in the case of non-metals showing covalency of two or more. However, this
property is maximum in carbon as it can combine with other carbon atoms by single, double or triple
covalent bonds.

22. (D)

 The steel and aluminum industries have witnessed deaccelerated growth in the last year. Due to near-
stagnant demand for steel globally, and in particular in China, major global steel producers are
pushing steel products into the Indian market, leading to a surge in steel imports. The Indian steel
industry with higher borrowing and raw material costs and lower productivity is at a comparative
disadvantage.

23. (B)

These four are amongst the highest peaks in India.

 Saltoro Kangri - Jammu and Kashmir

 Kamet - Uttrakhand
 Nanda Devi - Uttrakhand
 Kangchenjunga - Sikkim

24. (A)

Initially the Delhi Sultans had divided their empire into several ‗Iqtas‘ or provinces or spheres of
influence and put them under the charge of officers called ‗Iqtadars‘ (governors).

Duties and powers of the Iqtadar:

 He was under the supervision of the Central government and carried on orders of the Sultan.
 He enjoyed the same powers in the province as the Sultan enjoyed in the empire.

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  He maintained large armies and was required to send the same when asked by the Sultan.
 He maintained order in the territory under his charge and protected the life and property of the
people.
 He appointed soldiers in his army.
 He collected revenue from the people of his territory.
 From the revenue thus collected he administered expenditure on the maintenance of his army, his pay
and other administrative expenditure and deposited the rest in the state treasury.
 He sent yearly report of his income and expenditure to the centre.

Restrictions on the Iqtadar:

 The Iqtadar did not enjoy hereditary powers. The Sultan could take back Iqta from him whenever
he pleased.
 The Iqtadar was liable to be transferred from one place to another.
 He could not engage himself in wars of extension without the prior approval of the Sultan.
 He was required to send a part of the booty to the Sultan.
 The elephants and the members of the royal family captured during wars were to be sent to the Sultan.
 He was not allowed to hold his own court.
 He could not use a canopy or royal emblem.
 He could not mint coins in his name.
 He could not read ‗Khutba‘ in his name.

25. (C)

 Many adaptations have evolved over a long evolutionary time and are genetically fixed. In the
absence of an external source of water, the kangaroo rat in North American deserts is capable of
meeting all its water requirements through its internal fat oxidation (in which water is a by
product). It also has the ability to concentrate its urine so that minimal volume of water is used to
remove excretory products.
 Mammals from colder climates generally have shorter ears and limbs to minimise heat loss.
(This is called the Allen‘s Rule.) In the polar seas aquatic mammals like seals have a thick layer of fat
(blubber) below their skin that acts as an insulator and reduces loss of body heat.
 Some organisms possess adaptations that are physiological which allow them to respond quickly to a
stressful situation. If you had ever been to any high altitude place (>3,500m Rohtang Pass near Manali
and Mansarovar, in China occupied Tibet) you must have experienced what is called altitude sickness.
Its symptoms include nausea, fatigue and heart palpitations. This is because in the low atmospheric
pressure of high altitudes, the body does not get enough oxygen. But, gradually you get
acclimatised and stop experiencing altitude sickness. The body compensates low oxygen
availability by increasing red blood cell production, decreasing the binding capacity of
hemoglobin and by increasing breathing rate.

26. (B)

 The Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) is an intergovernmental organization located at The

Hague in the Netherlands. The PCA is not a court, but rather an organiser of arbitral tribunals to
resolve conflicts between member states. It should not be confused with the International Court of
Justice, a separate institution.
 The court was established in 1899 by the first Hague Peace Conference. It was first permanent
organization to solve international disputes through arbitration.
 India is a member country of PCA.
 It was in news due to Italian marine, Salvatore Girone, facing a murder charge in India.

27. (A)

 The Constitution does not specify the castes or tribes which are to be called the SCs or the STs. It
leaves to the President the power to specify as to what castes or tribes in each state and union territory
are to be treated as the SCs and STs. Thus, the lists of the SCs or STs vary from state to state and
union territory to union territory. In case of the states, the President issues the notification after
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 consulting the governor of the state concerned. But, any inclusion or exclusion of any caste or tribe
from Presidential notification can be done only by the Parliament and not by a subsequent Presidential
notification. Hence, 1st statement is correct.
 The 82nd Amendment Act of 2000 provides for making of any provision in favour of the SCs and
STs for relaxation in qualifying marks in any examination or lowering the standards of evaluation, for
reservation in matters of promotion to the public services of the Centre and the states. Hence, 2nd
statement is correct.
 The Centre should pay grants-in-aid to the states for meeting the costs of schemes of welfare of
STs(Article 275(1)) and for raising the level of administration in scheduled areas. There is no such
mandatory provision for SCs. Hence, 3rd statement is incorrect.

28. (C)

 The writ of Habeas Corpus is an order issued by the court to a person who has detained another
person, to produce the body of the latter before it. The court then examines the cause and legality of
detention. It would set the detained person free, if the detention is found to be illegal. Thus, this writ is
a bulwark of individual liberty against arbitrary detention. Hence, 1st statement is correct.
 The Constitution has divided the legislative power with regard to preventive detention between the
Parliament and the state legislatures. The Parliament has exclusive authority to make a law of
preventive detention for reasons connected with defence, foreign affairs and the security of India.
Both the Parliament as well as the state legislatures can concurrently make a law of preventive
detention for reasons connected with the security of a state, the maintenance of public order and the
maintenance of supplies and services essential to the community. Hence, 2nd statement is correct.

29. (C)

 Mahad Satyagraha was a satyagraha led by Dr. B. R. Ambedkar on 20 March 1927 to allow
untouchables to use water in a public tank in Mahad (currently in Kolba district), Maharasthra, India.
 The Vedaranyam March or Vedaranyam Satyagraha was organised to protest the salt tax imposed by
the British Raj in India. The march took place in April 1930 and was the second of its kind following
the Dandi March organised by Mahatma Gandhi, both in the framework of the Civil Disobedience
Movement.The march was led by a group of 100 volunteers from the Indian National Congress (INC)
under the leadership of C. Rajagopalachari-often referred to as "Rajaji". It began at Trichinopoly (now
Tiruchirappalli) and ended in Vedaranyam, a small coastal town in Tanjore District
 The Bardoli Satyagraha of 1928, in the state of Gujarat, India during the period of the British Raj, was
a major episode of civil disobedience and revolt in the Indian Independence Movement. The
movement was eventually led by Vallabhbhai Patel, and its success gave rise to Patel becoming one of
the main leaders of the independence movement.

30. (C)

 Maintenance of a constant internal environment (homeostasis) by the organisms contributes to

optimal performance, but only some organisms (regulators) are capable of homeostasis in the face of
changing external environment.
 Some organisms are able to maintain homeostasis by physiological (sometimes behavioural also)
means which ensures constant body temperature, constant osmotic concentration, etc. All birds and
mammals, and a very few lower vertebrate and invertebrate species are indeed capable of such
regulation.
 An overwhelming majority (99 per cent) of animals and nearly all plants cannot maintain a
constant internal environment. Their body temperature changes with the ambient temperature. In
aquatic animals, the osmotic concentration of the body fluids change with that of the ambient water
osmotic concentration. These animals and plants are simply conformers.

31. (B)

 Mumbai is a natural harbour and the biggest port of the country. The port is situated closer to the
general routes from the countries of Middle East, Mediterranean countries, North Africa, North
America and Europe where the major share of country‘s overseas trade is carried out.

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  Marmagao Port, situated at the entrance of the Zuari estuary, is a natural harbour in Goa. It gained
significance after its remodelling in 1961 to handle iron-ore exports to Japan.
 Kochchi Port, situated at the head of Vembanad Kayal, popularly known as the ―Queen of the Arabian
Sea,‖ is also a natural harbour. This port has an advantageous location being close to the Suez-
Colombo route.
 Chennai Port is one of the oldest ports on the eastern coast. It is an artificial harbour built in 1859. It is
not much suitable for large ships because of the shallow waters near the coast.

32. (D)

 The Government of India has set up Invest India as the national investment promotion and facilitation
agency. An innovation promotion platform called Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) and a techno-
financial, incubation and facilitation programme called Self-Employment and Talent Utilization
(SETU) are being implemented to encourage innovation and start-ups in India. Further, a Micro Units
Development Refinance Agency (MUDRA) Bank has been set up to provide and refinance to
commercial banks/NBFCs/cooperative banks for loans given to micro-units.

33. (B)

 Dvaita Vedanta sub-school was founded by the 13th-century scholar Madhvacharya. Adi
Sankaracharya was a proponent of Advaita Vedanta. Hence, statement 1 is incorrect.
 He explained the key difference between Hinduism and Buddhism, stating that Hinduism asserts
"Atman (Soul, Self) exists", while Buddhist concept of Annata is at variance with it. Hence,
statement 2 is correct.

34. (D)

 The temples at Khajuraho were built during the Chandella dynasty, which reached its apogee between
950 and 1050. Only about 20 temples remain; they fall into three distinct groups and belong to two
different religions - Hinduism and Jainism.
 The Khajuraho temples are made of sandstone, with a granite foundation that is almost concealed
from view.

35. (A)

 ePACE, INFRACON and an updated version of INAMPRO, three innovative IT initiatives of the
Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, developed in house by NHIDCL (National Highways and
Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd.)
 ePACE (Projects Appraisal & Continuing Enhancements) is an online integrated Management
Information System that brings projects from all wings of the Ministry under a common platform,
ensuring their effective and real time tracking.
 INFRACON is the National Portal for Infrastructure Consultancy Firms and Key Personnel. This
portal acts as a kind of bridge between consultancy firms working in the road engineering and
construction sector.
 NAM PRO has been developed as a web-based application (www.inampro.nic.in) for Infrastructure
and Material Providers.

36. (B)

 Core Inflation, also known as underlying inflation, is a measure of inflation which excludes items that
face volatile price movement, notably food and energy. In other words, Core Inflation is nothing but
Headline Inflation minus inflation that is contributed by food and energy commodities.
 Headline inflation reflects the rate of change in prices of all goods and services in an economy over a
period of time.
 In India, headline inflation is measured through the WPI - which consists of 676 commodities
(services are not included in WPI in India). It is measured on year-on-year basis i.e., rate of change in
price level in a given month vis-a-vis corresponding month of last year. This is also known as point to
point inflation.

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37. (C)

 The Amendment in the First Schedule of Industries (Development and Regulation) Act, 1951 to
transfer the authority to regulate 'potable alcohol' to States as recommended by the Law Commission
in its 158th Report.
 With this Amendment in the First Schedule of Industries (Development and Regulation) Act, 1951, a
long standing confusion about jurisdiction of Central and State - Government on Alcohol - Potable
Alcohol and Industrial Alcohol has been resolved.
 However, Union government will continue to be responsible for formulating all policy and regulating
foreign collaborations for all products of fermentation industries, including industrial and potable
alcohol.

38. (C)

Correct order is -

Cereals > Oilseeds and Pulses > Fibres > Fruits and Vegetables.

Percentage Share of Area To Gross Cropped Area of these are s follows:

 Cereals: 51.20%
 Pulses and Oilseeds: 11.98% + 14.43% = 26.41%
 Fruits and vegetables: 2.03% + 2.79% = 4.82%
 Fibres: 6.73%

39. (B)

The Governor of a state tabled the following reports before the state legislature for discussion

 State Finance Commission

 State Public Service Commission
 CAG report pertaining to finances of state

No report of state election commission is being table by Governor before the state assembly.

40. (A)

Article 248: Residuary powers of legislation:

 Parliament has exclusive power to make any law with respect to any matter not enumerated in the
Concurrent List or State List.
 Such power shall include the power of making any law imposing a tax not mentioned in either of
those Lists

In case of a conflict between the Central law and the state law on a subject enumerated in a concurrent
list, it is the central law which prevails. But there is an exception. If the state law has been reserved for the
consideration of the President and has received his assent, then the state law prevails in that state.
However, Parliament can still override such a law by making a law on the same matter.

41. (B)

 Option A is true for all population models. Both Option A and C will not explain the asymptote.
 Option D is not related to population model.

Logistic Growth: No population of any species in nature has its disposal unlimited resources to permit
exponential growth. This leads to competition between individuals for limited resources. Eventually, the
‗fittest‘ individual will survive and reproduce. The governments of many countries have also realized this
fact and introduced various restraints with a view to limit human population growth. In nature, a given
habitat has enough resources to support a maximum possible number, beyond which no further growth is
possible. Let us call this limit as nature‘s carrying capacity (K) for that species in that habitat.
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 A population growing in a habitat with limited resources show initially a lag phase, followed by phases of
acceleration and deceleration and finally and asymptote, when the population density reaches the carrying
capacity. A plot of N in relation to time (t) results in a sigmoid curve. This type of population growth is
called Verhulst-Pearl Logistic Growth and is described by the following equation:

dN/dt = rN (K - N/K)

Where N = Population density at time t

r = Intrinsic rate of natural increase

K = Carrying capacity

Since resources for growth for most animal populations are finite and become limiting sooner or later, the
logistic growth model is considered a more realistic one.

Population growth curve:

a when responses are not limiting the growth, plot is exponential

b when responses are limiting the growth, plot is logistic

K is carrying capacity

42. (D)

 Dadabhai Naoroji was born into a leading Parsi family in Bombay. In 1855 Naoroji became a partner
in an important Parsi commercial firm in London, and in 1862 he set up his own commercial house
there. In the same year he founded the influential East Indian Association to educate the English
public on Indian affairs.
 He stood unsuccessfully for election to Parliament in 1886. In 1892, however, he was elected
Liberal member of Parliament for Central Finsbury, London. He became widely known for his
unfavourable opinion of the economic consequences of British rule in India and was appointed a
member of the royal commission on Indian expenditure in 1895. In 1886, 1893, and 1906 he also
presided over the annual sessions of the Indian National Congress, which led the nationalist
movement in India. In the session of 1906 his conciliatory tactics helped to postpone the impending
split between moderates and extremists in the Congress Party. In his many writings and speeches and
especially in Poverty and Un-British Rule in India (1901), Naoroji argued that India was too highly
taxed and that its wealth was being drained away to England.

43. (B)

 In nature populations of different species in a habitat do not live in isolation but interact in many
ways. Depending on the outcome, these interactions between two species are classified as competition
(both species suffer), predation and parasitism (one benefits and the other suffers), commensalism
(one benefits and the other is unaffected), amensalism (one is harmed, other unaffected) and
mutualism (both species benefit).

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  The human liver fluke (a trematode parasite) depends on two intermediate hosts (a snail and a fish) to
complete its life cycle. The malarial parasite (Plasmodium) needs a vector (mosquito) to spread to
other hosts. Majority of the parasites harm the host.
Parasites that feed on the external surface of the host organism are called ectoparasites. The most
familiar examples of this group are the lice on humans and ticks on dogs.
 The mosquito does not need blood to reproduce, they lay their eggs in water. Female mosquitos only
feed on blood. A parasite is a creature that cannot live/breed without completely depending on another
being. Mosquitos are not considered parasites just as lions and other predatory animals are not
parasites.

44. (B)

 The National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) outlines a methodology to rank institutions
across the country. The methodology draws from the overall recommendations broad understanding
arrived at by a Core Committee set up by MHRD, to identify the broad parameters for ranking various
universities and institutions. The parameters broadly cover ―Teaching, Learning and Resources,‖
―Research and Professional Practices,‖ ―Graduation Outcomes,‖ ―Outreach and Inclusivity,‖ and
―Perception‖.
 Although the Ranking Frameworks are similar, the exact methodologies are domain specific. Ranking
methods have been worked out for 6 categories of institutions i.e., Engineering, Management,
Pharmacy, Architecture, Universities and Colleges. Thus statement 1 is wrong.
 National Board of Accreditation has undertaken the task of doing the ranking exercise.

45. (C)

 Asian Water bird Census is an annual event in which thousands of volunteers across Asia and
Australasia count waterbirds in the wetlands of their country. This event is coordinated by wetalands
International and forms part of global waterbird monitoring programme called the International
Waterbird Census (IWC).
 Reclamation of wetlands and the aquatic ecosystems, which are often considered as wastelands, is
spelling trouble to several taxa. The stake nets used for fishing removes a wide array of non-target
organisms, which are functionally important to the aquatic environment. Destructive fishing practise
are also taking a toll on the bird population, it was reported.
 Unregulated fishing, reclamation of wetlands, dumping of solid waste and domestic sewage too posed
threats to the wetlands of Kerala, according to ornithologists.

46. (C)

 The Karbi Anglong Plateau and the Meghalaya Plateau in the northeast are extensions of the
Peninsular block.
 It is believed that due to the force exerted by the northeastward movement of the Indian plate at the
time of the Himalayan origin, a huge fault was created between the Rajmahal hills and the Meghalaya
plateau. Later, this depression got filled up by the deposition activity of the numerous rivers. Today,
the Meghalaya and Karbi Anglong plateau stand detached from the main Peninsular Block.
 Patkai Bum is part of the Himalayan Mountain system.

47. (C)

 United Nation's Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) defines CSR in terms of the
responsiveness of businesses to stakeholders‘ legal, ethical, social and environmental expectations.
According to them, Corporate Social Responsibility is a management concept whereby companies
integrate social and environmental concerns in their business operations and interactions with their
stakeholders.
 CSR spending is applicable to every company incorporated in India, including its holding or
subsidiary, and a foreign company having its branch office or project office in India.
 Unlike many other countries wherein CSR activities are voluntary, the same is mandated by law in
India.

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  Section 135 and Schedule VII of the Companies Act, 2013, relates to CSR related spending by
companies. Companies (Corporate Social Responsibility Policy) Rules, 2014 was notified on 27th
February 2014 and came into force from 01.04.2014. These Rules provide for the manner in which
CSR activities shall be formulated, undertaken, reported and monitored.

48. (D)

 Their relationship with centre is unitary and are under the direct control and administration of the
Centre.
 An administrator is an agent of the president and not a constitutional head of the state like a governor.
 Parliament can make laws on any subject of the three lists in relation to the union territories.

49. (D)

 The ideals of liberty, equality and fraternity in our preamble have been taken from the French
revolution. The ideal of justice - social, economic and political- has been taken from the Russian
Revolution.
 Liberty doesn‘t mean ‗license‘ to do what one likes, and has to be enjoyed within limitations
mentioned in the constitution itself. In brief, the liberty conceived by the preamble or fundamental
rights is not absolute but qualified.

50. (C)

 The Baltic Dry Index (BDI) is an economic indicator issued daily by the London-based Baltic
Exchange.
 Not restricted to Baltic Sea countries.
 The index provides an assessment of the price of moving the major raw materials by sea.
 Taking in 23 shipping routes measured on a timecharter basis, the index covers Handysize, Supramax,
Panamax, and Capesize dry bulk carriers (types of freight carriers or vessels) carrying a range of
commodities including coal, iron ore and grain.
 A decline in the Baltic Index over FY 2015-16 is a reflection of slowdown in India‘s and the world‘s
merchandise trade as well as of overseas shipping services.

51. (C)

 Ductility is when a solid material stretches under tensile stress. If ductile, a material may be stretched
into a wire. Malleability, a similar property, is a material's ability to deform under pressure
(compressive stress). If malleable, a material may be flattened by hammering or rolling.
 Most common steels, for example, are quite ductile and hence can accommodate local stress
concentrations. Brittle materials, such as glass, cannot accommodate concentrations of stress because
they lack ductility, and therefore fracture easily.

52. (B)

 The 123 Agreement signed between the United States of America and the India is known as the U.S.-
India Civil Nuclear Cooperation or Indo-US nuclear deal.

53. (A)

 Yangtze - Yangtze River is the largest in China and the third longest in the world. Rising in Tanggula
Mountain, it flows eastwards and pours itself into the East China Sea. It mainly runs across Qinghai-
Tibet Plateau, Sichuan, Yunnan, Chongqing, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Anhui, Jiangsu and Shanghai
from west to east.
 Nile - It is the longest river in the world. There are several major cities that are located along the edge
of the Nile. These cities are Cairo, Thebes/Luxor, Khartoum, Gondokoro, Aswan, and Karnak.
 Volga River - river of Europe, the continent‘s longest, and the principal waterway of western Russia
and the historic cradle of the Russian state. It does not pass through Paris.

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54. (C)

 Aitchison Commission - In 1886, a Public Service Commission was set up by the government of
India under the chairmanship of C. U. Aitchison to examine the conditions under which Indians could
be appointed to posts ordinarily reserved for the Europeans. It recommended admission of Indians,
subject to their fitness, into the Civil Services but did not favour holding of competitive examination
simultaneously in India for this purpose.
 Welby Commission - A Royal Commission under the chairmanship of Lord Welby for examining
military and civil expenditures incurred and the apportionment of those charges between government
of Britain and India. William Wedderburn and Dadabhai Naoroji were both members of this
commission. It said that Indian Office must be consulted regarding charges affecting India and that
India's payment to England should be tied to a fixed exchange rate.
 Fraser Commission - In 1902-03, a Police Commission was established for the Police reforms under
Sir Andrew Frazer. ―Thugee and Dakaiti Department‖ was abolished by the Police Commission,
because it was now thought that Thugee no longer exists even in the princely states.

55. (D)

 Sulfur mustard, commonly known as mustard gas, is a cytotoxic and vesicant chemical warfare agent
with the ability to form large blisters on the exposed skin and in the lungs.
 IS Syrian Army troops with mustard gas in an offensive against a Syrian military airport in the eastern
province of Deir al-Zor that borders Iraq, state media said on late Monday.

56. (D)

 Cartosat-2 is an earth observing satelite placed in a sun synchronus orbit. Hence both statements are
wrong.

57. (B)

 Bitcoin is a form of digital currency, created and held electronically. No one controls it. Bitcoin can
be used to buy things electronically. In that sense, it‘s like conventional dollars, euros, or yen, which
are also traded digitally.
 However, bitcoin‘s most important characteristic, and the thing that makes it different to conventional
money, is that it is decentralized. No single institution controls the bitcoin network. It is used in peer
to peer transaction.
 The bitcoin protocol – the rules that make bitcoin work – say that only 21 million bitcoins can ever be
created by miners.
 In 2013, RBI issued warning against Bitcoins, however, the Reserve Bank of India has come around
to appreciate the strengths of the underlying 'blockchain' technology. But it has not recognized and
allowed Bitcoins for daily transactions.
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58. (C)

The main points in C Rajgopalachari Plan were:

 Muslim League to endorse Congress demand for independence.

 League to cooperate with Congress in forming a provisional government at centre.
 After the end of the war, the entire population of Muslim majority areas in the North-West and
―North-East India to decide by a plebiscite, whether or not to form a separate sovereign state.
 In case of acceptance of partition, agreement to be made jointly for safeguarding defence, commerce,
communications, etc.
 The above terms to be operative only if England transferred full powers to India.

According to the Desai Liaqat Pact: the Congress and the League had agreed to form an interim
government in the Centre. The composition of such government would be on the following lines:

 an equal number of persons nominated by the Congress and the League. The persons nominated needs
not be the members of the Central Legislature.
 Representatives of the minorities especially the Scheduled Castes and the Sikhs, and (c) The
Commander-in-Chief.

The Government would function within the framework of the existing Government of India Act.
However, it did not provide provisions related to partition.

Mountbatten Plan:

Lord Mountbatten worked out a detailed plan for the transfer of power to the Indian people. The salient
features of the Mountbatten plan were as follows:

 Muslim-dominated areas may be separated to form a Dominion In that case such a domination would
be constituted by a partition of Bengal and the Punjab.
 A referendum in North-west Frontier Province would decide whether it should join Pakistan or not.
 Similarly the people of Sylhet, in Assam, were also to give their verdict in a referendum whether they
were willing to join the Muslim area in Bengal.
 A Boundary Commission was to define the boundaries of the Hindu and Muslim Provinces in the
Punjab and Bengal
 The British Parliament was to legislate an Act for the immediate transfer of Power. (6) The
representatives of the Muslim-dominated areas could form a separate Constitution-making body or
Constituent Assembly.

59. (D)

 According to the Shastras, only Kshatriyas could be kings. However, several important ruling lineages
probably had different origins. Satavahana claimed to be Brahmans. The most famous ruler Gotami-
puta Siri-Satakani, claimed to be both a unique Brahmana (eka bamhana)and a destroyer of the pride
of Kshatriyas.
 They upheld the fourfold Varna order but entered into a marriage alliance outside Varna System.
 Satavahana rulers were identified through metronymics (names derived from that of the mother)
however succession to the throne was generally patrilineal.

60. (B)

 Astronomers have discovered the most luminous supernova ever observed, which is up to 50 times
brighter than the entire Milky Way galaxy.
 The super-luminous supernova, called ASASSN-15lh, was discovered by the All Sky Automated
Survey for SuperNovae team (ASAS-SN), an international collaboration at the Ohio State University
in US, which uses a network of 14-centimetre telescopes around the world to scan the visible sky
every two or three nights looking for very bright supernovae.

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61. (B)

 Delhi is no longer the most polluted city in the world, the latest air quality report from the World
Health Organization (WHO) says.
 The national capital which earned notoriety for the state of its environment now stands 11th among
3,000 cities in 103 countries in terms of fine particulate matter or PM 2.5. The ‗Global Urban
Ambient Air Pollution Database (2016)‘ released by WHO on Thursday placed the capital in 25th
place based on bigger particulate or PM 10 levels.
 Gwalior, Allahabad, Patna, Raipur in WHO‘s global top 10 list

62. (D)

Following were the reasons:

 The government seeing the revolutionary potential of the movement, came down with a heavy hand.
 The, internal squabbles, and especially, the split, in 1907 in the Congress weakened the movement.
 The Swadeshi Movement lacked an effective organisation and party structure. The movement had
thrown up programmatically almost the entire gamut of Gandhian techniques such as passive
resistance, non-violent non-cooperation, social reform etc.
 The movement declined partially because of the very logic of mass movement itself- they cannot be
sustained endlessly at the same pitch of militancy and self sacrifice.

63. (A)

 Central Taxes to be subsumed under GST: Central Excise Duty, Additional Excise Duties, The
Excise Duty levied under the Medicinal and Toiletries Preparation Act, Service Tax, Additional
Customs Duty, commonly known as Countervailing Duty (CVD) , Special Additional Duty of
Customs - 4% (SAD) Surcharges, and Cesses.
 State taxes and levies to be subsumed under GST: VAT / Sales tax, Entertainment tax (unless it is
levied by the local bodies), Luxury tax, Taxes on lottery, betting and gambling, State Cesses and
Surcharges in so far as they relate to supply of goods and services, Entry tax not in lieu of Octroi.
 Exemptions (as of now):
o Purchase tax: Some of the States felt that they are getting substantial revenue from Purchase Tax
and, therefore, it should not be subsumed under GST while majority of the States were of the
view that no such exemptions should be given. The difficulties of the foodgrain producing States
was appreciated as substantial revenue is being earned by them from Purchase Tax and it was,
therefore, felt that in case Purchase Tax has to be subsumed then adequate and continuing
compensation has to be provided to such States. This issue is being discussed in consultation with
the Government of India.
o Tax on items containing Alcohol: Alcoholic beverages would be kept out of the purview of
GST. Sales Tax/VAT could be continued to be levied on alcoholic beverages as per the existing
practice. In case it has been made Vatable by some States, there is no objection to that. Excise
Duty, which is presently levied by the States may not also be affected.
o Tax on Tobacco products: Tobacco products would be subjected to GST with ITC(Input Tax
Credit). Centre may be allowed to levy excise duty on tobacco products over and above GST with
ITC.
o Tax on Petroleum Products: As far as petroleum products are concerned, it was decided that the
basket of petroleum products, i.e. crude, motor spirit (including ATF) and HSD would be kept
outside GST as is the prevailing practice in India. Sales Tax could continue to be levied by the
States on these products with prevailing floor rate. Similarly, Centre could also continue its levies.
A final view whether Natural Gas should be kept outside the GST will be taken after further
deliberations.
o Taxation of Services: As indicated earlier, both the Centre and the States will have concurrent
power to levy tax on goods and services. In the case of States, the principle for taxation of intra-
State and inter- State has already been formulated by the Working Group of Principal Secretaries
/Secretaries of Finance / Taxation and Commissioners of Trade Taxes with senior representatives
of Department of Revenue, Government of India. For inter-State transactions an innovative model
of Integrated GST will be adopted by appropriately aligning and integrating CGST and IGST.
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64. (B)

 A transformer that reduces the output voltage is called a step down transformer. In a step-down
transformer the AC output gives the current less than the input current as the voltage also
reduces.
 A Mobile phone charger is essentially a step down transformer.
 The cellphone charger extracts the power from the home supply (AC 220V) and converts it to a DC
level of required voltage.

65. (B)

 According to the Economic Survey 2016-17, it is a challenge to attain fiscal consolidation while
ensuring that sufficient funds are allocated for public investment, in the face of low tax to GDP ratio.
Therefore, improving the quality of expenditure becomes central to achieving sustained fiscal
consolidation. It also includes better targeting of subsidies which would mean ensuring sufficient
public investment funds without compromising fiscal consolidation.
 Option (a) - decreasing customs duty will not help in fiscal consolidation.
 Option (c) - reducing NPAs though important for economy is not directly related to fiscal
consolidation. It is more related to corporate activity and economic environment.
 Option (d) - Here again rationalizing Public Private Partnerships is more related to balancing risks and
is not directly to fiscal consolidation.

66. (B)

Mineral Leading Producing State

Iron : Odisha (Mayurbhanj,
Sambalpur, Koraput)
Copper : Madhya Pradesh (Balaghat,
Betul)
Bauxite : Odisha (Kalahandi, Koraput)
Gold : Karnataka (Kolar, Dharwad,
Raichur)
67. (A)

 In the state of Jammu and Kashmir the vegetation, especially grasses belonging to the higher regions
of the mountain system is known as Margs or alpine pastures. The alpine pastures lie between 3600 m
to 4000 m above sea level.

68. (D)

The All-India Kisan Sabha was formed in April 1936 at Lucknow with Swami Shajanand as President and
N.G. Ranga as General-Secretary.

 The first session of the All-India Kisan Sabha was addressed by Jawaharlal Nehru. Others participants
included Ram Manohar Lohia, Sohan Singh Josh, Indulal Yagnik, Jaya Prakash Narayan, Acharya
Narendra Deva, Kamal Sarkar.
 A Kisan Sabha manifesto was finalized and this was adopted by the Congress at Faizabad session.
 The Kisan Sabha held its 2nd session along with the Faizpur Congress Session in 1936.

In August 1936, the Kisan Manifesto was released, which demanded the elimination of zamindari system
and annulment of rural debts. The Congress manifesto (especially the agrarian policy) for the 1937
provincial elections was strongly influenced by AIKS agenda.

69. (A)

 Yoga is widely considered as an "immortal cultural outcome" of the Indus Saraswati Valley
Civilisation - dating back to 2700 BC - and has proven itself to cater to both material and spiritual
uplift of humanity. A number of seals and fossil remains of Indus Saraswati Valley Civilisation with
Yogic motifs and figures performing Yoga sadhana suggest the presence of Yoga in ancient India.

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 The seals and idols of mother Goddess are suggestive of Tantra Yoga. The presence of Yoga is also
available in folk traditions, Vedic and Upanishadic heritage, Buddhist and Jain traditions, Darshanas,
epics ofMahabharata including Bhagawadgita and Ramayana, theistic traditions of Shaivas,
Vaishnavas and Tantric traditions.
 Though Yoga was being practiced in the pre-Vedic period, the great sage Maharishi Patanjali
systematised and codified the then existing Yogic practices, its meaning and its related knowledge
through Patanjali's Yoga Sutras.

70. (B)

While the proclamation of financial emergency (Article 360) is in operation, the Centre can give
directions to the states:

 To observe the specified canons of financial propriety

 To reduce the salary of all class of persons including the high court judges.
 To reserve all money bills and other financial bills for the consideration of the President.

71. (A)

72. (A)

 The GI tag for basmati rice has been approved in February 2016. It has been given to the seven north
Indian Basmati rice-producing states like Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, Delhi,
parts of Uttar Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir.
 Litti Chokha has not been given the Geographical Indication status.
 The GI tag for rosogolla has resulted into a controversy. West Bengal has set off the official process
of staking its claim, by filing application for the Geographical Indication (GI) for the syrupy sweet. A
bitter-war has broken out over the origins of this white dripping-with-sweetness-ball of cottage-
cheese. The fight is between Odisha and West Bengal, with each one claiming ownership of rasagolla.
The bitter contest over the Intellectual Property Rights to an iconic sweet, the ‗rosogolla‘ has moved
into a new phase with Odisha citing ‗literary evidence‘ to buttress its claim over West Bengal.
 Some of the other examples of GI are Mysore Silk, Mysore Agarbathi, Kancheepuram Silk, Orissa
Ikat, Channapatna Toys & Dolls, and Coimbatore Wet Grinder.

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73. (A)

 No-tillage (also zero tillage) is a minimum tillage practice in which the crop is sown directly into soil
not tilled since the harvest of the previous crop. Weed control is achieved by the use of herbicides and
stubble is retained for erosion control.
 No implements are used to turn the soil over, cultivate it, or incorporate crop residues.
 Also, Crop rotation is fundamental to Zero Tillage, since this promotes adequate biomass levels for
permanent mulch cover; it also assists in the control of weeds, pests and diseases, as well as in
improving the physical condition of the soil.

74. (B)

 Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) is a leading Indian nature conservation organisation committed to the
service of nature. Its mission is to conserve wildlife and its habitat and to work for the welfare of
individual wild animals, in partnership with communities and governments. WTI‘s team of 150
dedicated professionals work towards achieving its vision of a secure natural heritage of India, in six
priority landscapes, knit holistically together by seven key strategies or Big Ideas.
 It is not under the Ministry of Environment and Forests.
 Five international NGOs working on wildlife conservation have joined hands to raise £20 million for
securing 100 elephant corridors across India in the next one decade. Elephant Family, International
Fund for Animal Welfare, IUCN Netherlands, World Land Trust and Wildlife Trust of India have
signed an MoU under the umbrella of Asian Elephant Alliance.

75. (B)

 Sections 499 and 500 deals with the criminal defamation. In India, defamation is both civil and
criminal offence. The remedy for a civil defamation is covered under the Law of Torts. The Indian
penal Code, 1860 provides an opportunity for the defamed person to file a criminal case against the
accused. Under sections 499 and 500 of the IPC, a person guilty of criminal defamation can be sent to
jail for two years. There are several petitions filed in Supreme Court of India challenging the
constitutional validity of sections 499 and 500 of IPC. In a recent judgement SC validated criminal
defamation.
 Section 3(d) of the Indian Patent Act: This section states that inventions that are mere "discovery" of a
"new form" of a "known substance" and do not result in increased efficacy of that substance are not
patentable. This implied that India did not support patents for inventions which were minor
modifications and prevented undue monopoly during the extended period of patent protection by the
company.
 Section 8 of the Representation of the People Act Deals with disqualification of MLAs and MPs on
conviction for certain offences.

76. (B)

 Sulphur free sugar are currently in huge deamand as sugar containing the sulphur is harmful for the
body according to many new researches.
 Sulphur is added to the sugar in order to make the sugar white and increase the shelf life of the sugar.
Raw sugar has a yellow to brown color. To produce a white sugar, sulfur dioxide is bubbled through
the cane juice before evaporation so as to bleach color-forming impurities into colourless ones.

77. (B)

 Lead has been widely used as a petrol additive since the 1920's. However, leaded petrol cannot be
used by cars equipped with catalytic converters designed to reduce harmful exhaust emissions, as lead
very rapidly and permanently renders the catalyst completely ineffective. This, together with the
realization that lead emitted from vehicle exhausts has the potential to adversely affect human health,
resulted in it being phased out.
 Petrol needs a certain octane level to prevent the engine from "pinging" or "knocking". Engine knock
is caused by the uncontrolled detonation of the last part of the air-fuel mixture in the combustion
chamber and may damage the engine. The octane rating of a fuel is a measure of its resistance to

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 knock - the higher the rating, the less will be the tendency of a fuel to cause knock. Adding lead
compounds to petrol was the most cost-effective way of boosting its octane rating. Therefore,
statement 2 is not correct.

78. (D)

 Under the bill, any aid to the hijacker will be prosecuted for abetting the crime
 Making a credible threat to commit hijack is also an offence.
 Directing someone else to commit or agreeing with the crime is also an offence under the Anti-
Hijacking Bill.
 Hijacking is a non-bailable crime under the bill.Punishment for hijacking:Death penalty in case of the
death of hostage or crew.
 Life imprisonment in all other cases.
 Confiscation of all movable and immovable property of the hijacker.
 Extradition: Hijacking and the related offences shall be extraditable. Extraditable offences are those
offences for which one country many transfer the accused to another country‘s legal jurisdiction. No
request for extradition shall be refused on the ground that hijacking is a political offence or is
connected to a political offence.

79. (B)

 Submarine canyons are deep gorges on the ocean floor. They are strikingly deep valleys with steep
slopes that form long concave profiles. They occur around all the coasts of the world and are mainly
restricted to the continental shelf, slope and rise.

80. (B)

 Majjhima Nikaya, is part of a dialogue between a king named Avantiputta and a disciple of the
Buddha named Kachchana. While it may not be literally true, it reveals Buddhist attitudes towards
varna.
 After there conversation, Avantiputta conceded that there was no difference amongst the varnas.

81. (C)

 Persistent organic pollutants work their way through the food chain by accumulating in the body fat of
living organisms and becoming more concentrated as they move from one creature to another. This
process is known as "biomagnification".
 When contaminants found in small amounts at the bottom of the food chain biomagnify, they can pose
a significant hazard to predators that feed at the top of the food chain. This means that even small
releases of POPs can have significant impacts.

82. (B)

 The Pelindaba Treaty signed in 1996, also known as the African Nuclear Weapon Free Zone Treaty,
aims at preventing nuclear proliferation and preventing strategic minerals of Africa from being
exported freely.
 On the sidelines of its campaign for membership in the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), India is
likely to ask African countries to relax commitment to the Pelindaba Treaty which controls supply of
uranium from key mineral hubs of Africa to the rest of the world.

83. (B)

 Inter-state Council - The Inter-State Council was established under Article 263 of the Constitution of
India through a Presidential Order dated 28 May 1990. The council is chaired by the Prime Minister.
 Zonal Council - The idea of creation of Zonal Councils was mooted by the first Prime Minister of
India, Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru in 1956 when during the course of debate on the report of the States
Re-organisation Commission, he suggested that the States proposed to be reorganised may be grouped
into four or five zones having an Advisory Council 'to develop the habit of cooperative working‖
among these States. The Union Home Minister is the Chairman of each of these Councils.
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  National Integration Council - National Integration Council set up in June 1962 by the then Prime
Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to address the problems of communalism and regionalism in India. It is
chaired by Prime Minister of India.

84. (C)

 The concept of martial law has been borrowed from the English common law. However, the
expression ‗martial law‘ has not been defined anywhere in the constitution. Hence, 1st statement is
incorrect.
 It affects only Fundamental Rights and not Centre- State relations because it is different from National
Emergency. During the operation of martial law, the military authorities are vested with abnormal
powers to take all necessary steps. They impose restrictions and regulations on the rights of the
civilians, can punish the civilians and even condemn them to death. Hence, 2nd statement is
incorrect.
 It refers to a situation where civil administration is run by the military authorities according to their
own rules. It thus implies the suspension of ordinary law and the government. It is imposed in some
specific area of the country. Hence, 3rd statement is correct.

85. (C)

 Location of oil refinery at Mathura, coach factory at Kapurthala and fertilizer plant at Jagdishpur are
some of the results of government policies.
 Raw material is not a factor for location of oil refinery at Mathura. Also, there is no water body near
Jagdishpur. Therefore, both options (a) and (b) can be eliminated.
 Industrial Inertia - Industries tend to develop at the place of their original establishment, though the
original cause may have disappeared. The lock industry at Aligarh is such an example.

86. (A)

The Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) has launched a programme called Unnat Bharat
Abhiyan with an aim to connect institutions of higher education, including Indian Institutes of Technology
(IITs), National Institutes of Technology (NITs) and Indian Institutes of Science Education & Research
(IISERs) etc. with local communities to address the development challenges through appropriate
technologies.

The objectives of Unnat Bharat Abhiyan are broadly two-fold:

 Building institutional capacity in Institutes of higher education in research & training relevant to the
needs of rural India.
 Provide rural India with professional resource support from institutes of higher education ,especially
those which have acquired academic excellence in the field of Science, Engineering & Technology
and Management

87. (D)

 In 1905, Gokhale laid the foundation of the Servants of India Society with a view to " the training of
national missionaries for the service of India, and to promote , by all constitutional means the true
interests of the Indian people". Also, this Society created awareness among people and released
journals to fight against social evils.

88. (D)

 Power of Judicial Review of High Court: Judicial Review is the power of the High court to examine
the constitutionality of:
o Executive order of the centre.
o Executive order of the concerned state.
o Law enacted by Centre.
o Law enacted by the concerned state.
 Hence, all the statements are correct.
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89. (C)

Decadal population growth rate (2001-2011) :

 Dadra and Nagar Haveli : 55.50 per cent (highest in India)

 Kerala : 4.86 per cent (second lowest but growth rate is positive)
 Nagaland : -0.47 per cent
 All India Average : 17.64 per cent

90. (A)

 The Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM) is an experimental expandable space station
module developed by Bigelow Aerospace, under contract to NASA, for testing as a temporary module
on the International Space Station (ISS) from 2016 to 2018.

91. (D)

 Constitutional bodies are the institutions which are specifically mentioned in the constitution with
functions and powers.
 Election commission is a quasi-judicial body as it has powers to act as a court for settling disputes
related to granting of recognition of political parties and allotment of election symbols to them
 National Commission for SCs also is quasi-judicial in nature as it has powers of a civil court in cases
related to investigation of matters pertaining to complaints of deprivation of rights of SCs.
 Finance commission is a quasi-judicial body. It has all the powers of the Civil Court as per the Code
of Civil Procedure, 1908. It can call any witness, or can ask for the production of any public record or
document from any court or office. It can ask any person to give information or document on matters
as it may feel to be useful or relevant. It can function as a civil court in discharging its duties.

92. (A)

Liberalised Remittance Scheme (LRS) Under LRS, all resident individuals can freely remit $250,000
overseas every financial year for a permissible set of current or capital account transactions. Remittances
are permitted for overseas education, travel, medical treatment and purchase of shares and property, apart
from maintenance of relatives living abroad, gifting and donations. Individuals can also open, maintain
and hold foreign currency accounts with overseas banks for carrying out transactions.

 However, the rules do not allow remittances for trading on the foreign exchange markets, margin or
margin calls to overseas exchanges and counterparties and the purchase of Foreign Currency
Convertible Bonds issued by Indian companies abroad.
 Sending money to certain countries and entities is also barred. Under LRS, people can‘t send money
to countries identified as ‗non cooperative‘ by the Financial Action Task Force. Remittances are also
prohibited to entities identified as posing terrorist risks.

Why is it important?

 The LRS represents India‘s baby steps towards dismantling controls on foreign exchange movements
in and out of the country. It has allowed large numbers of Indians to study abroad and diversify their
portfolios from purely desi stocks and property.

93. (B)

 Freshwater habitats can be further divided into two groups as lentic and lotic ecosystems based on the
difference in the water residence time and the flow velocity.
 A Lotic Ecosystem has flowing waters. Examples include: creeks, streams, runs, rivers, springs,
brooks and channels.
 A Lentic Ecosystem has still waters. Examples include: ponds, basin marshes, ditches, reservoirs,
seeps, lakes.

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94. (B)

Secondary Market refers to a market where securities are traded after being initially offered to the public
in the primary market and/or listed on the Stock Exchange. Majority of the trading is done in the
secondary market. Secondary market comprises of equity markets and the debt markets.

Following are the main financial products/instruments dealt in the secondary market:

 Equity Shares
 Rights Issue / Rights Shares
 Preferred Stock / Preference shares
 Government securities (G-Secs)
 Debentures
 Bond
 Commercial Paper

An initial public offering (IPO) is the first sale of stock by a private company to the public. IPOs are often
issued by smaller, younger companies seeking the capital to expand, but can also be done by large
privately owned companies looking to become publicly traded. It is part of primary market.

95. (D)

 IDFs are investment vehicles which can be sponsored by commercial banks and NBFCs in India in
which domestic/offshore institutional investors, specially insurance and pension funds can invest
through units and bonds issued by the IDFs. State-owned India Infrastructure Finance Co. Ltd (IIFCL)
in the process of raising Rs.1,000 crore from second tranche of infrastructure debt fund (IDF) to
finance renewal energy projects.
 The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has revamped priority sector lending (PSL) norms. Now, loans to
sectors such as social infrastructure, renewable energy and medium enterprises will also be treated as
PSL.
 The National Clean Energy Fund (NCEF) is a fund created in 2010-11 using the carbon tax - clean
energy cess - for funding research and innovative projects in clean energy technologies of public
sector or private sector entities, upto the extent of 40% of the total project cost. The Fund is designed
as a non lapsable fund under Public Accounts.

96. (D)

 Transfusion-transmitted infections (TTIs) are infections resulting from the introduction of a pathogen
into a person through blood transfusion. A wide variety of organisms, including bacteria, viruses,
prions, and parasites can be transmitted through blood transfusions.
 Parasitic Disease - Leishmaniasis and Malaria.
 Viral Disease - Dengue, Hepatitis A/B/C and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).

97. (A)

 The Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (CGPCS) was created on January 14, 2009
pursuant to UN Security Council Resolution 1851. This voluntary, ad hoc international forum brings
together countries, organizations, and industry groups with an interest in combating piracy.
Participating states seek to coordinate political, military, and other efforts to bring an end to piracy off
the coast of Somalia and to ensure that pirates are brought to justice.
 European Union Chair of the Contact Group of Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (CGPCS) announced
the revision of the limits of the piracy High Risk Area (HRA) with effect from 01 December 15.

98. (C)

 Differentiated banks are distinct from universal banks as they function in a niche segment. The
differentiation could be on account of capital requirement, scope of activities or area of operations. As
such, they offer a limited range of services / products or function under a different regulatory
dispensation.
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  Both Small Finance Banks and Payment Banks are examples of differentiated banks.
 The Small Finance Banks will be small sized universal banks. They have to finance priority sector to
the extent of 75% of their NDTL; while 40% should be as per standard priority sector norms, the other
35% can be in any of the priority sector. 50% of their credit portfolio will have to be of ticket size of
less than Rs.25 lakh.
 The Payments Banks can undertake payment and deposit services only. They can accept deposits from
a customer upto Rs.1 lakh only. They will have no credit portfolio. They should invest 75% of their
NDTL only in Government securities. They will not be subject to priority sector norms. They can
perform Banking Correspondent functions to other banks.

99. (B)

 Scientists using data from NASA‘s Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) have pinned down an
interstellar magnetic field which lies at the very edge of the giant magnetic bubble surrounding our
solar system called the heliosphere.
 Close to the Sun, the solar wind has a large pressure and can easily push the interstellar medium away
from the Sun. Further away from the Sun, the pressure from the interstellar medium is strong enough
to slow down and eventually stop the flow of solar wind from traveling into its surroundings. The
entire area or bubble inside the boundary of the solar system is called the heliosphere. The place
where the solar wind slows down and begins to interact with the interstellar medium is called the
heliosheath.

100. (C)

 Oil is the world‘s leading fuel, accounting for 32.9 per cent of global energy consumption and is
gaining market share for the first time since 1999. Coal came in as the second-largest fuel by market
share (29.2 per cent). Natural gas‘ market share of primary energy consumption stood at 23.8 per cent.

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