Explanation :

“Bay of Fundy” is along the eastern coast of Canada in the vicinity of Nova Scotia. It is an arm of the North Atlantic Ocean, hence statement-I is wrong. The mouth of the Bay is 62 miles and has the depth in the range of 400-700 feet. The tides of the Fundy are so dramatic that they are considered as highest in the world.

But, what is the reason for this high tide?

If you look into the map of “Bay of Fundy”, you will find that its shape is like a “Funnel” i.e. when the water goes inside that funnel shaped Bay, it has no place to go elsewhere and the only option is to go up.

Why this site is so important?

Due to its high tide, this site is best suited for Tidal Power Generation, and in India, Gulf of Khambhat is also a good site for the Tidal Power Generation.

Intent of the Question

After COP21, all countries are focusing on Renewable Energy, hence such important sites of India or World should be known to the students.

Source Name : Livemint

Explanation :

‘Tropical’ cyclones are “Thermal” in nature and they owe their origin to warmness of oceans, whereas ‘Temperate’ cyclones are “Frontal” in nature. Tropical cyclones will rotate counterclockwise in Northern Hemisphere and Clockwise in Southern Hemisphere as Coriolis force will deflect the wind to its right in Northern Hemisphere and vice versa. To have that Rotating effect, Coriolis force is must and at Equator it is Zero, hence Tropical Cyclone can’t exist at Equator. It will exist slightly above or below Equator. Hence, ‘statement- I’ is correct. Tropical cyclones are called as merely “Cyclone” in Indian Ocean, “Nowaki” in Japan, “Bagnio” in Philippines and “Typhoons” in China Sea, etc.

Purpose of the Question

Due to Hurricane Florence, Tropical cyclone is in news and we advise the students to be thorough with this topic of Geography.

Source Name : The Hindu

Explanation :

Coral Reefs are called as ‘Tropical Rain Forest of Ocean’ because Coral Reef supports many creatures and species and is very rich in that sense. Since, the beauty of Tropical Rain Forest is in its species diversity and species richness, this Coral Reefs do the same by supporting different organism in the Ocean, hence is aptly called as “Tropical Rain Forest of Ocean”.

Why the question?

Recently, Scientists are trying to restore the Coral Ecosystem worldwide, so we thought that students should know some of the important features of Coral Reefs.

Explanation :

MPC is a six member body that decides upon the Repo rate. The earlier system was all about the power concentrated in hands of RBI governor, but in case of MPC, decision is taken by voting and only in case of ‘tie’ the RBI governor has the second vote or casting vote.

Why it was needed?

MPC was needed because Government must have the say in deciding upon the policy rate, as it is answerable to the people of the country. So, the MPC board has the members from the government side too.

Explanation :

Andaman & Nicobar are extension of Purvanchal Range and some of them are of volcanic origin too. Andaman & Nicobar are separated from each other by Ten Degree Channel.

Why the Question?

Recently, NITI AAYOG is planning to develop Andaman & Nicobar as a tourist destination hence this Island is important for Prelims point of view.

Source Name : Livemint

Explanation :

The Levant denotes a vast geographical region situated in the Eastern Mediterranean. The area termed as the Levant does not have fixed boundaries and it changes over time. The countries which comprise the Levant are characterized by similar linguistic, cultural, and religious traits. These countries and regions are Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Cyprus, Turkey (Hatay Province), Israel, Jordan, and Palestine. A broader definition of the Levant roughly refers to the territory from Greece to Egypt. Islamic State of Iraq & Syria changed its name to Islamic State of Iraq & Levant to make it clear that it is not confined to few countries but has spread and raises its voice for large number of countries. The fight against ISIS/ISIL is in the last stage as their last citadel of Idlib is under attack from the forces of Syria, Iran and Russia.

Intent of the Question

UPSC has already asked the question on countries surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. So, it may ask the simple question regarding Levant countries too. So, we thought that our students should be prepared for the same.

Source Name : Diplomat

Explanation :

If a currency depreciates, it means exports become more competitive and imports become more costly. Indian economy imports crude oil a lot, so, depreciated currency will make the price of crude oil high and this in turn will make the price of those things higher that are dependent upon them e.g. transportation of goods, etc. So, this will cause inflation in the economy. When Indian currency depreciated other countries’ currency too depreciated e.g. Renminbi of China too depreciated. So, we don’t have the advantage in the field of export to the countries like China, so statement-III is wrong and statement -II is correct. Assume, ECB was done from US by an Indian company when the exchange rate was $1=Rs 60 and loan amount was $100. So, the liability to the company was Rs 6000, but if the currency depreciates and new value of $1=Rs 70, then, the liability becomes Rs 7000. So, this depreciated currency has created extra burden on the borrower, hence statement-I is correct.

Source Name : The Hindu​

Explanation :

It is a perennial grass, growing up to three meters in height, with spreading rhizomatous roots. Leaves are harsh and linear. In the Terai region-Duar region of India and Nepal it is used to thatch the roofs, fence vegetable gardens, etc. Kans grass quickly colonises exposed silt plains created each year by the retreating monsoon floods, hence sometimes it is seen as invasive species. But, the most important point to remember about Kans Grasslands is that they are an important habitat for the Indian Rhinoceros.

Why it is important for Prelims?

This type of grassland system which looks invasive, favours the rhinoceros breeding, hence students should know about this.

Source Name : The Hindu

Explanation :

The Green Agriculture Project synergises biodiversity conservation, Agriculture production and development. This is a project for the sustainable development of the agriculture by the Indian Government in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).The project is funded by Global Environment Facility (GEF); hence, statement –I and II both are wrong. The pilot projects are taken in the state of Mizoram, Odisha, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand and Madhya Pradesh. Students must remember that GEF is the outcome of Rio Summit 1992.

Source Name : The Hindu

Explanation :

Kudumbashree is a community organization of Self Help Groups (SHG's) of women in Kerala. The overall empowerment of women is closely linked to economic empowerment. Women through these NHGs/SHG work on a range of issues such as health, nutrition, agriculture, etc. besides income generation activities and seeking micro credit. The Mission follows a process approach rather than a project approach. It was first inaugurated by Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The mission was launched by the state government of Kerala in collaboration with NABARD.

Intent of the Question

Kudumbashree programme has been praised all across the world for their active role in Kerala floods and demand is being raised to replicate this model of governance in different states.

Source Name : The Hindu

Explanation :

The idea to create FSDC was first mooted by the Raghuram Rajan Committee on Financial Sector Reforms in 2008. The Central Government had established Financial Stability and Development Council (FSDC) in December 2010 with the Finance Minister as its Chairman. Hence, statement-II is wrong and statement-I is correct. The main purpose of setting up of FSDC was to enhance the coordination between different regulators and between regulators and the Government, but the problem is, it failed to deliver because of following reasons:

• In 8 years, it has met only 18 times, which portrays the dismal performance.
• It should have an independent research team to aid the regulators in solving the differences, but it is not the case.
• It should have been housed independently, not in the Finance Ministry itself.

Purpose of the Question

Such information are vital for Prelims, but, can be used in the Mains suggesting the minor reforms that can be done to avert the situations like Current Account Deficit problem, depreciation of currency, etc.

Source Name : IE

Explanation :

Oxygen which is present in water is called as dissolved oxygen. Water having oxygen less than 4mg/litre is called as highly polluted water. If organic waste in water increases, microbes will demand more oxygen to break it down and hence the BOD increases. But, this BOD will only account for the organic waste as microbes will be in position to decompose them only. But, the wastes will have inorganic components like salt, minerals, etc. which is very less affected by microbes and the total oxygen required to break the organic + inorganic waste is called as COD. So, it is very evident that COD is a better indicator than BOD. If the waste in water increases both BOD and COD will increase, hence both the statements stand incorrect.

Source Name : IE

Explanation :

“Idlib” province is the last citadel of ISIS and is on the verge of collapse. Syria borders with Turkey, Lebanon, Iraq, Israel (Golan Height part) and Jordan. But, it does not share the border with Iran and Saudi Arabia. But, the irony of the situation is, Syria has become a playground for the regional players like Iran and Saudi Arabia. If a student has seen the map and is sure that Iran does not share the border with Syria, with this information only he can get the right option. We have intentionally framed this question as Iran is one of the important players in that Syrian crisis, so during exam it may appear that it might be sharing the border, but it is not the case.

Purpose of the Question

In 17th September ‘Daily Quiz’ and earlier, we have covered the ISIS topic. With this question, we expect students to attempt such questions related to ISIS and related topics in Prelims.

Source Name : The Hindu, IE

Explanation :

Jhum cultivation is usually done by tribal people and is done in hilly tracts of land, hence statement- I is wrong. In this type of agriculture, first of all a piece of forest land is cleared by felling trees and burning of trunks and branches. After the land is cleared, crops are grown for two to three years and then the land is abandoned as the fertility of the soil decreases. The farmers then move to new areas and the process is repeated. Dry paddy, maize, millets and vegetables are the crops commonly grown in this type of farming. It is called locally as Jhum in Assam, Podu in Andhra Pradesh and Ponam in Kerala; hence statement-II is correct.

Source Name : The Hindu, IE

Explanation :

There are significant overlaps between the banks. They target similar client bases, at least in larger cities. Yet, they run separate infrastructures—from IT systems to treasuries to compliance and risk management systems. Hence, this merger will lead to decrease in overlapping of the banks hence statement-I is wrong. The merger will lead to economy of scale and the basic feature of economy of scale is that it leads to reduction in the cost; hence, statement -III is wrong. If the banks merges the client base will increase, the lending capacity, etc. will increase; hence, the correct statement is II only.

Source Name : The Hindu

Explanation :

El-Nino in Spanish means “Child”. Usually, the coast of Chile/Peru (Eastern Pacific Ocean) is having the high pressure and Western Pacific Ocean is having low pressure (Indian Ocean side). So, the winds blow from high pressure to the low pressure and this leads to movement of column of water from the coast of Chile/Peru and to fill that void the deep water from the ocean starts filling that space and this phenomenon is called ‘Upwelling’ and this process brings a lot of nutrients to the coast of Chile and Peru and thus they have excellent fishing potential. The ceasing of upwelling is called as El-Nino and this has negative correlation with the Indian monsoon, hence the statement-II is wrong.

Intent of the Question

El-Nino is a topic that must be understood in great detail for Prelims as well as Mains, as our climatic condition is deeply affected by it. Hence, we have framed the question to give an insight into the topic as it is in news.

Source Name : IE

Explanation :

MPLAD Scheme was launched in December, 1993. It provides a mechanism for the Members of Parliament to recommend works of developmental nature for creation of durable community assets and for provision of basic facilities including community infrastructure, based on locally felt needs. The funds released under the scheme are non-lapsable and is under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MOSPI). Hence, the statement-I is wrong. Nominated members of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha can recommend the work in any part of the country, but the elected Rajya Sabha members can fund the projects to the state from which they are elected and not to the state to which they have the domicile. So, all statements are wrong.

Why the Question?

Since, time and again demand is being raised by the various agencies for streamlining this scheme, as at present Rs 12000 crore is unspent, it portrays the lackadaisical approach of our parliamentarians. So, this bit of information can be used both in Mains and Prelims.

Source Name : IE, PRS

Explanation :

Recently, CDI has been released for 27 rich countries by Centre for Global Development, a Washington based Think Tank, hence statement-I is wrong. It assesses how generous the rich countries are in helping the poor countries. USA has been ranked very poor (Rank 23) and this is topped by Sweden. This ranking shows the parochial mindset of the USA leadership. It assesses the country on the parameters of Foreign Aid, Finance and Environment policy along with four other parameters. Hence, all the statements are wrong.

Explanation :

The Narsimhan Committee of 1991, which was made by Dr. Manmohan Singh, when he was the Finance Minister, recommended the restructuring of Indian Banks and suggested to have three or four large Banks only. Hence statement-I is wrong. Government has set up an Alternative Mechanism (AM) which consists of Union Finance Minister (Chairman), Shri Piyush Goyal and Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman as its member to look into the merger process. This AM is just like Empowered Group of Ministers during previous Government to take decisions on important policy matters. Hence, statement-II is also wrong. NPA ratio is 11.04% for the Dena Bank, 5.40% for the Bank of Baroda and 4.10% for the Vijaya Bank. So, this merger process will lead to lower NPA ratio for the new banks i.e. lower Capital requirement from the Government.

Source Name : IE

Explanation :

Government has launched an online ‘e-Sahaj’ portal for grant of Security Clearance. The portal will facilitate an applicant to submit application online and also to view the status of his application from time to time. The Ministry of Home Affairs is the nodal Ministry for security clearances in certain sensitive sectors before issue of license/permit, permission, contract, etc, to companies/ bidders/individuals by the administrative Ministry.

Source Name : PIB

Explanation :

Senkaku Island is also called as “Diaoyu” and is a disputed territory between Japan, Taiwan and China. Socotra Rock is a disputed territory between South Korea and China. Both of these Islands are present in East China Sea, not the South China Sea. Spratly Island which is also a disputed territory is present in South China Sea. Hence, all the statements are incorrect.

Learning Outcome of this Question

The main aim of asking this question is to make it clear that South China Sea is different from East China Sea (as they both appear to be the same). Socotra Rock is present in Yellow Sea, which is nothing but the extension of East China Sea. So, students should be in a position to make out the difference between the two Seas.

Background

Both China and South Korea say that Socotra Rock, submerged about 15 feet below the Sea’s surface, is part of their “exclusive economic zones” (EEZ). South Korea has built a maritime research station and helipad atop the submerged rock, which sits in the middle of most of South Korea’s incoming and outgoing sea traffic. Some scientists think the reef is home to natural gas and mineral deposits and this is the main bone of contention.

China, Japan and Taiwan claim ownership of Senkaku Islands. They matter because they are close to strategically important shipping lanes, offer rich fishing grounds and are thought to contain oil deposits

Source Name : Livemint

Explanation :

NRI Bonds are the bonds issued by RBI to the non-resident Indians, who are interested in investing their money in India. Since these bonds offer higher return than similar investment mechanism, they are also attractive to the NRIs. Hence, statement-I and III are wrong. It was issued in 1998, and 2000 to arrest the depreciating currency. NRIs are also interested to invest the money through this route since it is less risky as RBI issues it, and it offers an excellent return too. But, students should keep this in mind that it is a temporary mechanism to arrest the depreciation of currency, so it is the case of providing Band-aid to the economy. The permanent solutions are to improve exports and reduce the dependence on Imports.

Intent of the Question

Due to ongoing structural reforms in the Indian Economy, so many important terms need to be covered. Students are advised to focus on them and we are trying to provide information though such questions.

Source Name : The Hindu​

Explanation :

The Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in India proposes to replace the personal laws based on the scriptures and customs of each major religious community in the country with a common set governing every citizen.

Constitutional Provision: The Constitution of India has a provision for UCC in Article 44 as a Directive Principle of State Policy (DPSP) which states that “The State shall endeavor to secure for the citizens a Uniform Civil Code throughout the territory of India”. Hence, statement-I is wrong and only correct statement is II.

Source Name : The Hindu

Explanation :

Fungi are among the most widely distributed organisms on Earth and are of great environmental and medical importance. Mycorrhiza is a fungus that is in symbiotic relationship with the vascular plants. They help them to absorb the nutrients from the soil properly and are so important that they are termed as “Keystone species”. Hence, statement-I is wrong. Around 5-20% species are the only invasive species. But, the point to remember for the students is that after global warming, invasive species are second biggest threat to the environment.

Source Name : BBC

Explanation :

This scheme is a relief payable in cash directly to their Bank Account in case of unemployment and while they search for new engagement. Considering the change in employment pattern and the current scenario of employment in India, which has transformed from a long term employment to fixed short term engagement in the form of contract and temping, this scheme has been launched.

Source Name : PIB​

Explanation :

The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a part of China’s ambitious One Belt One Road (OBOR) initiative to link China with Europe. It will connect Kashgar in Xinjiang province to Gwadar in Pakistan. The maritime route of OBOR is called as “One Road” and the Silk Route is called as “One Belt”. This CPEC will link the two. Hence, statement-III is correct. India has objection to this OBOR/BRI (Belt and Road Initiative) as it passes through the Karakoram Range. So, India has not joined this OBOR. Hence, statement-II is also correct.

Under the ‘1+4’ cooperation framework of CPEC, ‘1’ represents ‘CPEC’ and the 4 includes Energy, Gwadar Port, Transport Infrastructure and Industrial Cooperation. Hence, statement-I is wrong.

Why China is interested in CPEC?

Strait of Malacca is the choking point, and China is the major importer of Oil from the West Asia and Africa. All the vessels pass through this Strait of Malacca. China fears that in case of conflict, this will be its “Achilles Heel”. Hence, by CPEC it can completely bypass the Strait of Malacca.

Source Name : The Hindu, IE

Explanation :

“Akash” missile is indigenously developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). It is a surface-to-air anti-aircraft missile and it is a nuclear capable supersonic missile with speed ranging from Mach 2.8 to 3.5. “Prahar” is a contemporary weapon system capable of carrying multiple types of warheads and neutralizing a wide variety of targets. It is surface to surface short-range ballistic missile. Hence, all the statements are correct.

Source Name : PIB​

Explanation :

Aeroplanes fly in the lower strata of Stratosphere because of following factors:

• Relative consistency of Temperature.
• Relative absence of clouds.
• Relative absence of strong convection currents.

All the atmospheric events take place in the Troposphere. So, it is not at all fit for the aeroplanes. Stratosphere is also called as Ozonosphere due to presence of Ozone. Troposphere extends upto 18km (Approx.) and Stratosphere extends from 18km to 50km in general.

Why the Question?

Recently, a mishap has happened in Jet Airways. So, we thought that our students shall be aware with the flying zone of the atmosphere, hence the question.

Explanation :

Raiganj Wildlife Sanctuary is in West Bengal’s Uttar Dinajpur district. The bird sanctuary is home to 164 species of birds, and some 90,000 to 1,00,000 migratory birds visit the sanctuary every year. This sanctuary is having one of the highest numbers of Openbill Stork population not only in India but in Asia. River Kulik flows besides the sanctuary; hence is popularly called as “Kulik Bird Sanctuary”.

Source Name : The Hindu

Explanation :

ISRO’s first Space Technology Incubation Centre has been opened in NIT Agartala. STIC (Space Technology Incubation Centre) will offer projects to Research, Post graduate and under graduate students from important ongoing and futuristic programmes of Isro. This is expected to inculcate the much required research culture among the student community. So, this incubation centre will be an excellent example where Industry, academia and students will work together for better India.

Source Name : IE

Explanation :

Japan, by defeating others reached up to Burma. So, this created panic among the Britishers and the outcome was Cripps Mission to get the support of Indians. But, the failure of Cripps Mission led to the launching of Quit India Movement (QIM). In early morning of 9th August, all the prominent leaders were arrested and the movement was left leaderless. So, this has to be very clear that it was not led by Gandhiji (as he was arrested too) and was a violent movement from the very beginning. This whole episode is also called as ‘Great August Uprising”. ‘Do or Die’ slogan was given during Quit India Movement only.

Why the Question?

Recently, we have seen the dispute regarding the first person who started Ganpati Mahotsav; hence we covered about Bal Gangadhar Tilak in our Daily Quiz. Since, QIM is also in news, so we thought of apprising our students by this question to focus on QIM, while studying Modern History.

Source Name : The Hindu

Explanation :

We must remember that cyclones are the system having low pressure at the centre (around 960 millibar). Tropical cyclones owe their origin to the warmness of Ocean. So, it is quite clear that it is Thermal in nature, whereas, Temperate cyclones are frontal in nature. Tropical cyclones have circular Isobars whereas Temperate cyclones have Elliptical Isobars. Hence, statement-I is wrong and statement-II is correct. If we look at the Coriolis force in Northern Hemisphere, it always tries to deflect the winds towards its right, so it becomes quite obvious that it will rotate the system in Counter-clockwise in Northern Hemisphere and vice-versa. Hence, statement-III is wrong.

Why the Question?

We are trying and focusing on static part of syllabus which can be linked with current affairs. So, we expect the students to cover Cyclones in great detail.

Source Name : The Hindu, IE

Explanation :

“Amicus curiae” literally means “Friend of the Court”, that means someone not the party to the case, who volunteers to offer information on a point of law, or some other aspect of the case to assist the court in deciding upon the matter before it. The information may be a legal opinion in the form of a brief, testimony that has not been solicited by any of the parties, or a learned treatise on a matter that bears on the case. The decision whether to admit the information lies with the discretion of the court.

Why the Question?

Recently, the Supreme Court of India has made Shri Kapil Sibal as Amicus curiae in the matter of Medical Council of India. Hence, we expect the students to be aware with this legal term.

Source Name : The Hindu

Explanation :

All these terms are related to Gaganyaan mission- a manned mission in low earth orbit (300-400km) by India. It will cost around 10,000 crore. The crew module along with service module (that has fuel and other supplies) is called as “Orbital Module” which will weigh 7 tonnes and hence this mission will be launched by GSLV-Mk3 rocket due to its more weight. Pad Abort Test (or crew escape module system) is an emergency escape measure that helps pull the crew away from the launch vehicle when a mission has to be aborted. ISRO has done the Pad Abort Test successfully.

Source Name : The Hindu

Explanation :

Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) is a statutory body of the Ministry of Women and Child Development, Government of India. It functions as the nodal body for adoption of Indian children and is mandated to monitor and regulate in-country and inter-country adoptions. CARA is designated as the Central Authority to deal with inter-country adoptions in accordance with the provisions of the Hague Convention on Inter-country Adoption, 1993, ratified by Government of India in 2003. It is the outcome of JJ Act, 2015. Hence, the only correct statements are II and III.

Source Name : The Hindu