VISION IAS

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ANSWERS & EXPLANATION

GENERAL STUIDES (P) 2016 (Test Code 1716)
1.

(D)

2.

(B)

3.

Mediterranean climate is characterized by all the given features. Shift in wind belts leads to climatic
conditions like winter rain, dry summer etc. Such climate is very much suitable for fruit farming.

(C)

Aurora is natural phenomena observed when the magnetosphere is ionized and excited by the solar
winds. These solar winds destabilise the earth's magnetosphere which causes ionisation. It is generally
observed in higher latitudes.

(C)

6.

After metamorphism, Sandstone is converted into Quartzite and not Schist. Hence Statement 1 is
incorrect. Limestone is converted into marble; Granite is converted into Gneiss and Shale into Slate
after the process of metamorphism.

(A)

5.

The term albedo (Latin for white) is commonly used to applied to the overall average reflection
coefficient of an object. 'Albedo of the Earth' is the fraction of solar energy (shortwave radiation)
reflected from the Earth back into space. Hence, it is the total amount of radiation reflected back by
lithosphere, atmosphere and hydrosphere.

(C)

4.

Heating of earth's surface involves radiation from sun. In turn Earth's surface heats the layers above it
through conduction of sun's radiation and by transmission of heat by upward movement of air current
or convection.

MSG, is a glutamate, or salt of glutamic acid, a non-essential amino acid, which means it is
produced by the body, and thus not required in our diet.
MSG is a naturally occurring salt in tomatoes, Parmesan cheese, potatoes, mushrooms, soybeans and
seaweed. But today, instead of extracting and crystallising MSG from seaweed broth or other natural
foods, MSG is produced by fermentation of starch, sugar beets, sugar cane or molasses in laboratories.
MSG is a neurotransmitter - transporting messages from one nerve cell to another. Because it is said
to enhance flavours, some scientists believe it excites nerve endings and exhibits neuro-excitatory
properties, that is the ability to stimulate neurons. In the few cases of excessive stimulation, this can
result in killing or damaging of nerve cells. Which is why some people consider MSG to induce
headaches at best and Alzheimers at worst.
FDA has received many complaints of adverse reactions to foods containing MSG. These reactions known as MSG Symptom Complex, or Chinese Restaurant Syndrome - include headaches, flushing,
sweating, facial pressure, numbness, tingling or burning in the face/neck, heart palpitations, chest
pain, nausea and weakness.
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7.

(C)

8.

(B)

9.

Statement 1 is correct: In the youth stage of stream, V-shaped valleys with no flood plains are
observed. Waterfalls and rapids are common at this stage.
Statement 2 is incorrect: Most of the landscape is at sea level or slightly above it during the old stage.
Statement 3 is incorrect: Waterfalls and rapids disappear at the mature stage.

(C)

11.

Mining the ocean can be devastating to the natural ecosystems. When the ocean floor is mined, a
cloud of sediment rises up in the water, interfering with photosynthetic processes of phytoplankton
and other marine life, in addition to introducing benign heavy metals into the food chain.
Plate movements have not been established as a consequence of mining.

(A)

10.

Meteorites are pieces of matter which enter the earths atmosphere from outer spaces due to
gravitational force of the Earth. They are large in size, do not burn completely and therefore manage
to reach the surface of the Earth.

Mauna Loa and St Helena Islands are Volcanic Islands while Gilbert and Marshall Islands are Coral
Islands

(D)
The SECC measures deprivation along seven criteria
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
VI.
VII.

Households with only one room with no solid walls and roof,
Those with no adult member aged 15-59,
Female-headed households with no adult male aged 15-59,
Those with differently abled members and no able-bodied member,
SC/ST households,
Those with no literate member above the age of 25, and
Landless households deriving a major portion of their income from manual casual labour.

Hence D is the correct answer.

Nearly 19 % of Indias rural population in 2011 lacked at least one of seven socio-economic parameters
used to estimate deprivation.

The SECC 2011 is the first census, since 1931, that takes into account the caste.
For data on rural households, the census was distributed across three categories: those that have to be
compulsorily excluded; those that have to be compulsorily included; and those that fall in-between
they were then ranked based on seven deprivation criteria.
o Those that were automatically included were households without shelter, destitute living on alms,
manual scavengers, primitive tribal groups and legally released bonded labourers. This figure has
been pegged at less than 1 %.
o The automatically excluded category included households with any of the following: motorised
vehicles, mechanised agricultural equipment, Kisan credit card with credit limit of Rs 50,000 and
above. They also included households with any member as a government employee, with nonagricultural enterprises registered with the government, any family member earning more than Rs.
10,000 a month, those paying income/professional tax, living in houses with three or more rooms
with all having pucca walls and roof, owning a refrigerator, landline phone, possessing irrigated
land, etc.
The SECC covered 24.39 crore households nationally, out of which 6.48 crore households were
automatically excluded. Thus, only 17.91 crore rural households were surveyed.
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12.

(B)

13.

(A)

14.

The prolonged wave attack on the base of a cliff excavates holes in the regions of local weakness
called caves. When the two caves approach one another from either side of headland and unite, they
form an arch. Further erosion by waves will lead to the total collapse of the arch. The seaward portion
of the headland will remain as a pillar of rock known as a stack. The Vertical pillars after being
eroded resulted into the stump.

(A)

Anti-dumping duty is a protectionist tariff that a domestic government imposes on foreign imports
that it believes are priced below fair market value. Usually countries initiate anti-dumping probes to
check if domestic industry has been hurt because of a surge in below-cost imports.
For example recently in India, Ministry of finance has imposed anti-dumping duty on imports of
graphite electrodes used in steel plants, cold-rolled flat products of stainless steel, Linen imports from
China and Hong Kong, Vitamin-C imports from China and phenol imports from South Africa.
In India, anti-dumping duty is recommended by the Union Ministry of Commerce, while the Union
Finance Ministry imposes it. Hence C is the correct answer.

(C)

18.

Micro-organisms are responsible for an estimated three quarters of a soil's metabolic activity. These
micro-organisms help release nutrients from dead organisms. Algae, fungi, protozoans, actinomycetes
and other miniscule organisms play a role in soil development. Virus do not play a direct role in soil
development as they need a host for growth and survival.

(C)

17.

Salinity of an ocean can be affected by these following factors: Evaporation, Precipitation, Water flow
from rivers, Freezing and thawing of ice (in polar regions), Wind (by transferring water to other
areas), Ocean currents.

(C)

16.

Solar eclipses can only occur during a new Moon, when the Moon moves between the Earth and the
Sun and the three celestial bodies form a straight line: Earth - Moon - Sun. There are 3 kinds of solar
eclipses: total, partial, annular.
A lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth comes between the Sun and the Moon and blocks the Sun's rays
from directly reaching the Moon. Lunar eclipses only happen at full Moon. There are 3 kinds of lunar
eclipses: total, partial, and penumbral.
During a total solar eclipse, the Sun is completely invisible only from the umbra region.

(B)

15.

Extrusive igneous rocks have a fine grained structure as they are formed as molten lava cools down
rapidly, while intrusive igneous rocks have large grains as they are formed when magma cools down
slowly. Hence, statement 1 is wrong.
Basic igneous rocks have high proportions of basic oxides such as those of iron, aluminum etc. hence
are denser and darker in colour. Hence, statement 2, is correct.

Statement 1 is correct. Antarctica does not have a fixed time zone. Different based stations follow
different time zones, usually that of the parent country or their supply base.
Statement 2 is incorrect. The international date line has kinks or deviations from the 180 degree
meridian to avoid intersecting landmasses, so that one country does not have to follow two dates.

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19.

(C)

20.

(B)

21.

Statement 1 is incorrect. Oceanic crust is denser than continental crust.

Statement 2 is incorrect. Oceanic rocks are made up of basalt and continental rocks are made up of
granite.
Statement 3 is correct. Since oceanic crust is denser than continental crust, it subducts under the
continental crust.

The IAP Healthphone Programme is the world's largest digital mass education programme for
addressing the issue of malnutrition in women and children.
It has been launched by the Indian Academy of Pediatrics (IAP) in partnership with the Ministry of
women and child development, UNICEF and supported by Vodafone India.

(B)
India, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh signed a landmark Motor Vehicles Agreement (MVA) for the
Regulation of Passenger, Personnel and Cargo Vehicular Traffic among the four South Asian neighbours.

The MVA agreement between sub-groupings of four SAARC nations Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and
Nepal (BBIN) will pave the way for a seamless movement of people and goods across their borders
for the benefit and integration of the region and its economic development.
The BBIN framework is seen as a conducive model of sub-regional co-operation in the area of
Connectivity which involves transport as well as energy.

The talks of a similar agreement with Myanmar and Thailand are going on currently.
22.

(C)

23.

(A)

24.

Most kayals or backwaters are predominantly brackish i.e. saline. In certain areas, such as the
Vembanad Kayal, where a barrage has been built near Kumarakom, salt water from the sea is
prevented from entering the deep inside, keeping the fresh water intact. Such fresh water is
extensively used for irrigation purposes.

(A)

Kuroshio current moves from South to North in the Northern Hemisphere. Hence, it is a warm
oceanic current.
Benguela current flows from South to North in the Southern Hemisphere. Hence, it is a cold oceanic
current.
Similarly, Brazilian current moves from North to South in the Southern hemisphere. Hence, it is a
warm oceanic current. While, Labrador flows from North to South in the Northern Hemisphere. Thus,
it is a cold current.

(D)

25.

The deposits making up deltas are very well sorted with clear stratification. The coarsest materials
settle out first and the finer fractions like silt and clays are carried out into the sea. As the delta grows,
the river distributaries continue to increase in length and the delta continues to build up into the sea.
The Ganges delta is the largest delta in the world.

The peninsular block is formed by a great complex of ancient gneisses and granite rocks. The northern
boundary of the Peninsular Block may be taken as an irregular line running from Kachchh along the
western flank of the Aravali Range near Delhi and then roughly parallel to the Yamuna and the Ganga
as far as the Rajmahal Hills and the Ganga delta.
Apart from these, the Karbi Anglong and the Meghalaya Plateau in the northeast and Rajasthan in the
west are also extensions of this block.
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26.

(C)

27.

Both statements are correct.

Isostasy refers to the state of gravitational equilibrium between the earth's crust and mantle, or more
generally, between the lithosphere and asthenosphere. It explains the variation in topographic height
across the Earth's surface.
The Himalayas are not in isostatic equilibrium as they continue to rise in height. At isostatic
equilibrium, their height would not change any further due to endogenic forces.

(D)

Shield volcanoes are broad, domed-shaped volcanoes with long, gently sloped sides. This type of
volcano can be hundreds of miles across and many tens of thousands of feet high. The individual
islands of the state of Hawaii are simply large shield volcanoes. Mauna Loa, a shield volcanoon the
"big" island of Hawaii, is the largest single mountain in the world, So option pair 1 is correct.
Composite cone volcanoes, which are also called 'stratovolcanoes' or simply 'composite volcanoes,'
are cone-shaped volcanoes composed of layers of lava, ash and rock debris, These volcanoes are
characterised by eruptions of cooler and more viscous lavas than basalt. These volcanoes often result
in explosive eruptions. Along with lava, large quantities of pyroclastic material and ashes find their
way to the ground. Mount St. Helens and Mount Rainier, Mt. Stromboli and Mt. Etna are impressive
examples of composite volcanoes; Mt. Paricutin is an example of cinder cone volcanoes so Pair 2 is
incorrect.
Cinder cone volcanoes are steep, cone-shaped volcanoes built from lava fragments called 'cinder'.
These volcanic cinder also known as 'scorcia'. these volcanoes consist almost entirely of loose, grainy
cinders and almost no lava. They are small volcanoes, usually only about a mile across and up to
about a thousand feet high. They have very steep sides and usually have a small crater on top. Mt.
Paricutin, Mt. Nuovo are some examples of cinder cone volcanoes, Mt. Etna are impressive examples
of composite volcanoes so pair 3 is incorrect.

(C)

30.

Sheet erosion takes place on level lands after a heavy shower and the soil removal is not easily
noticeable. It is harmful since it removes the finer and more fertile top soil.
Gully erosion is common on steep slopes. Gullies deepen with rainfall, cut the agricultural lands into
small fragments and make them unfit for cultivation.
Therefore both statements are incorrect.

(A)

29.

Statement 1 is incorrect. Fold Mountains may also be called Mountains of elevation. Volcanic
mountains are often called mountains of accumulation.
Statement 2 is incorrect. The upfolded waves of Fold Mountains are called anticlines and are convex
in shape.
Statement 3 is correct. Overriding portion of the thrust fold is termed a 'nappe'.

(D)

28.

Since the Cambrian period, the Peninsula has been standing like a rigid block with the exception of
some of its western coast which is submerged beneath the sea and some other parts changed due to
tectonic activity without affecting the original basement.

The Blue Mormon is a large, swallowtail butterfly found primarily in Sri Lanka and India, mainly
restricted to the Western Ghats of Maharashtra, South India and coastal belts. It may occasionally be
spotted in the Maharashtrian mainland between Vidarbha and Western Maharashtra.
It is reportedly the second largest butterfly found in India, just smaller than the southern birdwing.
Not uncommon. Not thought to be threatened. Occurs throughout the year but more common in the
monsoon and immediately after it. Maharashtra has become the first State in the country to have a
State butterfly. Thus all statements are wrong. Hence D is the correct answer.
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31.

(B)

32.

(D)

33.

The British type, Laurentian type and China type of climatic zones enjoy rainfall all throughout the
year, however scanty all seasons have some amount of rainfall.
Steppe type has light summer rain which also does not allow growth of forests.

(A)

37.

An antecedent stream is a stream that maintains its original course and pattern despite the changes in
underlying rock topography. A stream with a dendritic drainage pattern, for example, can be subject
to slow tectonic uplift. However, as the uplift occurs, the stream erodes through the rising ridge to
form a steep-walled gorge. The stream thus keeps its dendritic pattern and maintains its original
course.
The Himalayan rivers are a good example of antecedent rivers in India because these rivers originated
well before the Himalayan region was uplifted. The rivers Indus, Brahmaputra and Sutlej originated
on Tibetan side and now traverse the existing mountain ranges, cutting deep gorges.

(A)

36.

Statement 1 is correct. It is through the process of differentiation that the inner layers of the earth was
formed. Differentiation means the separation of materials on the basis of density.
Statement 2: The early atmosphere largely consisted of water vapour, nitrogen, CO2, methane etc. and
very little of oxygen.
Statement 3: The reverse of the 3rd statement is true. Saturation of oxygen in oceans resulted in
flooding the atmosphere.

(C)

35.

Odisha has one of the largest reserves of Bauxite. Bauxite is the ore of Aluminium. Bihar is also one
of the largest producer states of Mica. Uranium is found in Meghalaya. However, Copper is not found
in Tripura.

(C)

34.

Out of the eight planets, Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars are called as inner planets as they lie
between the sun and the belt of asteroids. The other four planets are called the outer planets.

A seismic shadow zone is an area of the Earth's surface where seismographs cannot detect an
earthquake after its seismic waves have passed through the Earth. When an earthquake occurs,
seismic waves radiate out spherically from the earthquake's focus. The primary seismic waves (P
waves) are refracted by the liquid outer core of the Earth and are not detected between 104 and 140
from the epicenter. The Secondary seismic waves (S waves) cannot pass through the liquid outer core
and are not detected more than 104 from the epicenter.
S-wave velocity is entirely dependent on the rigidity of the material it travels through. Liquids,
however, have zero rigidity. Outer core being liquid makes the S-wave velocity overall zero creating a
shadow zone for S wave.

(C)

The deer is endemic to Keibul Lamjao National Park (KLNP).

It is listed as an critically endangered (Mentioned int Red pages and not the yellow pages) species by
International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Conservation efforts have helped in reviving
the population of the deer to 204 in 2013 from less than 100 in 2008.

Manipur State Forest Department has decided to translocate a section of Sangai deer with an aim to save it
from extinction. The deer is endemic to Keibul Lamjao National Park (KLNP) will be translocated to
Pumlen Pat which is close existing habitat to Loktak.
6

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38.

(C)

39.

(D)

40.

The tropic of cancer passes through Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, West Bengal,
Tripura and Mizoram.
The northern and southern parts of the state are hilly, while the central part is a fertile plain.
Deciduous forests of the Eastern Highlands Forests cover roughly 44% of the state. The state animal
is the van bhainsa, or wild water buffalo.
The Rihand River, a tributary of the Ganges, drains this State

(A)

45.

Statement 1 is correct. A fold mountain is formed by action of compressive forces only, however a
block mountain is formed by action of both compressive as well as tensional forces. Hence, statement
2 is wrong.

(A)

44.

The Sargasso Sea is a region in the gyre in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean. It is bounded on
the west by the Gulf Stream; on the north, by the North Atlantic Drift; on the east, by the Canary
Current; and on the south, by the North Atlantic Equatorial Current.

(A)

43.

Statement 1 is incorrect. The magnitude scale is known as the Richter scale, the intensity scale is
known as Mercalli scale. The magnitude relates to the energy released during the quake. Statement 2
is incorrect. The magnitude is expressed in absolute numbers of 0-10. The range of intensity scale is
from 1-12. Statement 3 is correct. Seismograph is used to record the earthquake waves.

(B)

42.

Oceans and atmosphere act as giant thermal engines that transfer heat from the tropis towards the
poles. Ocean
currents influence the temperature of the adjacent areas. The influence of cold
currents is felt the most in the tropics and during the summer months in the mid-latitudes. Heat
transfer is maximum at the mid-latitudes. All the three statements are correct.

(C)

41.

Nathu La pass in Sikkim connects India-China was recently opened for pilgrim purpose to
Mansarovar lake.
Earlier Lipulekh Pass as used for the route for Mansarovar pilgrimage, but it was badly damaged in
the floods in Uttarakhand in 2013.
Zoji La is a high mountain pass in India, Kashmir, located D between Srinagar and Leh.
Rohtang La pass in Himachal connects Manali in the Kullu Valley to Keylong in the Lahaul Valley.

Earthquake waves get recorded in seismographs located at far off locations. However, there exist
some specific areas where the waves are not reported. Such a zone is called the shadow zone'. A zone
between 105 and 145 from epicentre is identified as the shadow zone for both the types of waves
thus option 1 is correct.
The entire zone beyond 105 does not receive S-waves, so option 2 is incorrect.
The shadow zone of S-waves is much larger than that of P-waves. The shadow zone of S-waves is not
only larger in extent but it is also a little over 40 per cent of the earth surface. So option 3 is incorrect

(D)
A submarine canyon is a steep-sided valley cut into the sea floor of the continental slope, sometimes
extending well onto the continental shelf. Trenches are the zones of subduction, therefore are
associated with volcanoes and strong earthquakes due to faulting and folding of rocks. The maximum
number of deeps are found in the Pacific Ocean and least in Indian Ocean
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46.

(B)

47.

(C)

48.

Spring tides are the high tides which are formed when the sun, the moon and the earth are in straight
line. Hence, statement 1 is wrong.
Spring tides take place during new moon as well as full moon, as at both days sun, moon and earth are
in straight line. Hence, statement 2 is wrong.

(D)

50.

The Bay of Bengal islands including the Andaman and Nicobar Islands are largely tectonic and
volcanic in origin.
While the Islands of Arabian Sea including Lakshadweep are mainly coral formations.
Deccan trap was formed during cretaceous period due to intense volcanic activities.
Aravali ranges are nothing but the remains of old fold mountains.

(D)

49

Methods of soil conservation are:

Afforestation
Restrictions on felling of trees
Contour ploughing and strip cultivation
Control of floods
Restriction of shifting cultivation
Restoration of long fallows
Reclamation of saline and alkaline soil through application of Gypsum etc.

Among BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) the correct order is China> Brazil > India > Russia.
Russia dropped out of the top 10 as foreign investors exited its oil sector and other projects after
Western countries slapped economic sanctions on it. Among the top 10 FDI recipients in the world,
half are developing economies - Brazil, China, Hong Kong (China), India and Singapore.
India has topped in the regional inflow of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in South Asia region
during year 2014, accounting for 34 billion US dollars investments. It was revealed in United Nations
Conference on Trade and Developments (UNCTADs) World Investment Report 2015.
After 2008, for the first time, India again broke in to the top 10 recipients of foreign direct investment
(FDI) during 2014. India, however, is the only BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) country that
hasnt yet crossed the $50 billion-a-year FDI mark. China became the largest recipient of FDI in 2014
with $129 billion inflows, followed by Hong Kong (China) that received $103 billion and the U.S.
with $92 billion.
Top five FDI recipients in South Asia: India, Iran, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka.

(A)
Sakaar is Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) Augmented Reality (AR) application designed for
Andriod devices.
Augmented Reality is a live direct view of a physical, real-world environment whose elements are
augmented (or supplemented) by computer-generated 3D models, animations, videos etc. It enhances
users current perception of reality. The interesting example is projecting a calculator on a palm where
one can perform normal calculations.
Applications of Augmented Reality:

Navigation: Enhanced GPS systems are using augmented reality to make it easier to get from point A
to point B.
Military: A transparent display is positioned directly in the fighter pilots view, it shows information
about altitude, speed etc.
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51.

(D)

52.

The P-waves are similar to sound waves, Primary waves (P-waves) are compressional waves that are
longitudinal in nature they travel through gaseous, liquid and solid materials, so option 1 is correct.
P-waves vibrate parallel to the direction of the wave, so option 2 is incorrect.
P-waves exert pressure on the material in the direction of the propagation, As a result it creates
density differences in the material leading to stretching and squeezing of the material, so option 3 is
also correct

(D)

Black Soil/Regur Soil is found in the Deccan Plateau & parts of Andhra & Tamil Nadu. It is suitable
for cotton cultivation and is both clayey & impermeable in nature. Hence, statements 1, 3 and 4 are
correct.
Black Soil swells when sticky & wet & shrinks when dry(develops cracks that aids in self-ploughing)
this unique characteristic of Black Soil i.e. slow absorption & less moisture helps it to retain the
moisture for a long time and aids in cultivation of rain-fed crops even in dry season. Hence, 2nd
statement is incorrect.

(B)

57.

Opposite side of the Earth experiences a tide due to the strong centrifugal force to balance the rotation
of the Earth.

(B)

56.

Cirrus clouds do not cause rainfall. The rainfall in the temperate cyclones is generally caused by
Cumulo-nimbus clouds. The rainfall in the tropical cyclones is generally caused by Nimbo-stratus
clouds.

(A)

55.

Ocean currents are streams of water flowing constantly on the ocean surface in definite directions.
The ocean currents may be warm or cold Generally, the warm ocean currents originate near the
equator and move towards the poles. The cold currents carry water from polar or higher latitudes to
tropical or lower latitudes Warm currents bring about warm temperature over land surface. The areas
where the warm and cold currents meet provide the best fishing grounds of the world. Seas around
Japan and the eastern coast of North America are such examples. The areas where a warm and cold
current meet also experience foggy weather making it difficult for navigation.

(B)

54.

Mass movement refers to transfer of rock debris down a slope under the influence of gravity. No other
geomorphic agent participates in the process. As gravity acts not only on the weathered debris but also
on the bedrock, weathering is not a pre-requisite for mass movement. However, weathering aids in
mass movement.

(D)

53.

Medical: Medical students use the technology to practice surgery in a controlled environment.
Gaming: With recent advances in computing power and technology, gaming applications in
augmented reality are on the upswing.
AR is also useful in knowing the identity of the people using various facial recognition devices which
compares the identity of a person in data bases of social networking sites. However this application
has lot of legal and ethical issues regarding right to privacy, anonymity concerns etc.

Increase in wind speed increases rate of evaporation hence salinity also increases.
Enclosed seas will have higher salinity because of no dilution effect and lesser circulation.
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58.

(C)
The Bibek Debroy committee report on the restructuring of Indian Railways lays down a five-year
roadmap to evolve a statutory rail regulator, scrap the Rail Budget and make room for more players in an
open access regime which turns the Railways into just another train-service provider in the country.

59.

(D)

60.

Both Loktak and Kolleru are fresh water Ramsar sites located in Manipur and Andhra Pradesh
respectively. Sasthamkotta lake is a brackish-water lake in Kerala. Similarly, Chilika lake has a status
of coastal Ramsar Site.

(A)

10

A large part of irrigated and (cultivable land) has lost its fertility due to alkanisation& salinity of soils
around 8 million ha land) & waterlogging (around 7 million ha) .

(A)

63.

Ocean currents affect the temperature by transporting heat or cold to different regions. Winds act in a
similar fashion. Natural vegetation impacts the local temperature through dense vegetative cover. For
instance, in amazon forest where sunlight is not able to penetrate the local temperature is cooler. Dark
soil have small albedo compared to light alluvial soil, therefore, to some extent, this also affects the
local temperature of a region.

(C)

62.

Minicoy is separated from rest of the Lakshadweep Islands by the 'Nine Degree Channel'

(D)

61.

Committee's recommendations are based on three pillars: commercial accounting, changes in HR and
an independent regulator.
The report envisages the creation of a Railway Ministry eventually with at least three Secretary-level
officers (not attached with the Railway Board) to lay down policy for the rail sector, not just of
Railways alone that should ensure competitionencourage private entry and private investments.
The report makes the existence of an independent, quasi-judicial Railway Regulatory Authority of
India a prerequisite for reforms like un-bundling and restructuring of Railways. It will be up to the
Regulator to decide technical standards, set freight rates and resolve disputes. The Regulator can
recommend fare revisions but these will not be binding on the Railway Ministry.
The Regulator will work under the policy framed by the Ministry, while the present Railway Board
will become a board of Indian Railways the government-run operator alone. The Board itself
might be pruned to having only five secretary-level officers from the present seven.
The Rail Budget should cease to exist after 5 years and the government should take the entire burden
of social cost borne by Railways by way of subsidy.
The first five years will see preparatory work: migration to a commercial accounting system (to figure
out the social cost burden) in two years; uniform induction system of all new Human Resource; and
devolution of powers to General Managers, Divisional Railway Managers and Station Managers.
It recommended separation of railway track construction, train operations, and rolling-stock
production units under different entities to enable open access.
The Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation Limited (DFCCL) should be made autonomous and
separated from Indian Railways so that it gives non-discriminatory access to both Indian Railways
and private operators. The Committee does not recommend privatization of Indian Railways. It does,
however endorse private entry with the proviso of an independent regulator. The committee
recommended commercial accounting as without it is difficult to know the rate of return on the
projects. Thus Statement 1 is wrong. Statement 2 and 3 are correct. Hence C is the correct answer.

Inversion of temperature takes place only in the troposphere, where majority of atmospheric
phenomena takes place related to weather.
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64.

(B)

65.

(C)

66.

Patagonia desert is a mid-latitude desert. Other mid-latitude deserts are Gobi Turkestan which are
formed due to their interior position in the continent away from the rain-wearing winds. But
Patagonian desert is more due to its rain-shadow position in the leeward side of lofty Andes than
continentality.

The north-south corridor extends from Srinagar to Kanyakumari. The east-West corridor extends from
Porbandar to Silchar. National Waterway 1 extends from Allahabad to Haldia. National Waterway 3
extends from Kollam to Kottapuram in Kerala.

(C)
South to North, the N-E States are arranged as follows:
Mizoram-Manipur-Nagaland-Arunachal Pradesh. However, Tropic of Cancer passes only through two
States of N-E India i.e. Mizoram and Tripura

67.

(C)

68.

(C)

69.

Mercury and Venus have no moons. Earth has 1 moon, named Luna in scientific terminology. Mars
has 2 moons Deimos and Phobos. Jupiter has 67 confirmed moons. Io, Europa, Ganymede and
Callisto are the four largest moons of Jupiter. Ganymede is the largest moon in the Solar System.
Saturn has 3 named moons, including Titan, the second largest moon in the solar system. Other
important moons of Saturn include Rhea and Enceladus. Uranus has 27 moons. Its 5 major moons Miranda, Titania, Oberon, Ariel and Umbriel, are named after characters in Shakespeare's works.
Neptune has 14 moons, Triton being the major one. Pluto has 5 moons, Charon being the largest.

(A)

70.

A mineral, by definition, is any naturally occurring, inorganic substance, often additionally

characterized by an exact crystal structure. Its chemical structure can be exact, or can vary within
limits. Native elements that occur naturally are also considered minerals.
A rock is an indefinite mixture of naturally occurring substances, mainly minerals. Its makeup may
vary in containment of minerals and organic substances, and its composition is never exact.

Rosetta is a space probe built by the European Space Agency launched on 2 March 2004. Along with
Philae, its lander module, Rosetta is performing a detailed study of comet 67P. In November 2014,
Philae comet lander had created space history by becoming first to probe landed on a comet. The
historic feat was achieved after it was dropped on to the surface of Comet 67P by its mothership
Rosetta. After successfully landing on the comet it had worked for 60 hours and had conducted
experiments and transmitted that data to Earth before going into hibernation after its solar-powered
battery ran flat. Probe resumed its communication on 14 June 2015 by sending about 300 packages of
data to Earth via its mother ship Rosetta which is still orbiting the comet.
Thre are many active space probes to explore Mars like Mangalyaan, Mars Atmosphere and Volatile
EvolutioN (MAVEN) etc.
IceCube is a particle detector situated at South Pole.
'New Horizon' is an interplanetary space probe with primary mission to perform a flyby study of the
Pluto system, and a secondary mission to fly by and study one or more other Kuiper belt objects.

(C)
The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) is the national Standards Body of India working under the aegis of
Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, Government of India. It is established by the
Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 1986. Thus it is a statutory body. The Minister in charge of the Ministry
or Department having administrative control of the BIS is the ex-officio President of the BIS.

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The Bureau of Indian Standards Bill, 2015 was introduced in Lok Sabha by Mr. Ram Vilas Paswan,
Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution on August 7, 2015. Main features:
(a) To establish the Bureau of Indian standards (BIS) as the National Standards Body of India.
(b) The Bureau to perform its functions through a Governing Council, which will consist of its President
and other members.
(c) To include goods, services and systems, besides articles and processes under the standardization
regime;
(d) To enable the Government to bring under the mandatory certification regime such article, process or
service which it considers necessary from the point of view of health, safety, environment, prevention of
deceptive practices, security etc. This will help consumers receive ISI certified products and will also help
in prevention of import of sub-standard products;
(e) To allow multiple types of simplified conformity assessment schemes including Self Declaration Of
Conformity (SDOC) against any standard which will give multiple simplified options to manufacturers to
adhere to standards and get a certificate of conformity, thus improving the "ease of doing business";
(f) To enable the Central Government to appoint any authority, in addition to the Bureau of Indian
Standards, to verify the conformity of products and services to a standard and issue certificate of
conformity;
(g) To enable the Government to implement mandatory hallmarking of precious metal articles;
(h) To strengthen penal provisions for better and effective compliance and enable compounding of
offences for violations;
(i) To provide recall, including product liability of products bearing the Standard Mark, but not
conforming to relevant Indian Standards.
71.

(D)

72.

(D)

73.

Geologists collect information about Earth's remote interior from several different sources. Some
rocks found at the earth's surface, known as kimberlite and ophiolite, originate deep in the crust and
mantle. Some meteorites are also believed to be representative of the rocks of the earth's mantle and
core. These rocks provide geologists with some idea of the composition of the interior. Another
source of information, while more indirect, is perhaps more important. That source is earthquake, or
seismic waves. When an earthquake occurs anywhere on Earth, seismic waves travel outward from
the earthquake's center. The speed, motion, and direction of seismic waves changes dramatically at
different levels within Earth, known as seismic transition zones.

(B)

12

Bandipur National Park is famous park located in the southern part of Karnataka, while Damodar
drains the Bihar (Northern region).The Bandipur National park is flanked by the Kabini river in the
north and the Moyar river in the south. Keibul Lamjao Wild Life Sanctuary is located in Manipur
while Manas river flows in the Arunachal Pradesh and Assam Bhagwan Mahavir National Park (or
Sanctuary and Mollem National Park) is located in the state of Goa. It contains the famous dudhsagar
falls, which is located over the Mandovi river, which passes through the national park.

Off-shore trade winds and cold currents inhibits moisture ladden wind to bring rain in the regions
resulting into desert formation. Cold current lower the carrying capacity of the winds entering into the
region. Moisture ladden winds enter the continent in lower latitudes from eastern margin and by the
time they reach the western margin, their moisture is mostly exhausted. Hot deserts lie in the
subtropical high pressure belts where the air is descending, a condition least favourable for
precipitation.
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74.

(D)

75.

(C)

76.

13

Just above the earth surface lies the troposphere extending up to 10 kms on an average in which
temperature decreases with altitude. Above troposphere is stratosphere extending from 10 to 50 kms
above the earth surface where temperature increases with altitude.
Ozone layer lie in this part of atmosphere at the height of 10-15 kms. In the lower part of this layer
there is very little or no weather phenomenon making it suitable for jet flying.

(D)

78.

For dew formation the dew point must be above the freezing point and if it is below the freezing point
frost formation takes place and snowfall may occur.

(C)

77.

Tulsi is well known for its myriad medicinal properties - antibacterial, antifungal, antipyretic,
antioxidant, antiseptic and anticancer.
For centuries, the dried leaves have been mixed with stored grains to repel insects. In Sri Lanka this
plant is used as a mosquito repellent.
CSIR-Central Institute of Medicinal & Aromatic Plants (CSIR-CIMAP), has published whole genome
sequence of Tulsi. Other medicinal benefits:
It is tused in several systems of traditional medicine, including Ayurveda, Greek, Roman, Siddha, and
Unani.
It is used in the preparations to cure various diseases like bronchitis, bronchial asthma, malaria,
diarrhea, dysentery, skin diseases, arthritis, painful eye diseases, chronic fever, insect bite.
It has also been described to possess anti-fertility, anti-cancer, anti-diabetic, anti-fungal, antimicrobial, hepatoprotective, cardioprotective, anti-emetic, anti-spasmodic, analgesic, adaptogenic and
diaphoretic actions.

Temperature inversion occurs when warm air moves over cold surface,bthe air above the surface is
colder than the upper layers and insulates vertical layers, preventing cooling of upper layers, therefore
no condensation and rainfall.
Cumulus clouds are formed when cold air moves over a warm surface, resulting in turbulence,
instability and convection. This can be seen when polar cold air masses move down over sub polar
warm surface.
Air masses of different densities do not mix readily, this boundary zone of convergence is called
Fronts. In mid-latitudes temperate cylones are formed in these frontal zones.
Maritime air masses have high humidity and produce large amounts of precipitation, on the other
hand continental air masses are dry and produce less amounts of precipitation.

(A)
Statement 1 is correct: A Chit fund is a kind of savings scheme practiced in India. A chit fund
company is a company that manages, conducts, or supervises such a chit fund, as defined in Section
of the Chit Funds Act, 1982.
Statement 2 is correct: The Chit fund business is regulated under the Central Act of Chit Funds Act,
1982. Rules are framed under this Act by various State Governments for this purpose. The Central
Government has not framed any rules of operation for them. Thus, registration and regulation of Chit
funds are carried out by State Governments under the rules framed by them.
Statement 3 is incorrect: Recently, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) decided that Non-Resident
Indians (NRIs) can make unlimited investments in chit funds in India on a non-repatriation basis. This
implies that an NRI can get back the proceeds of such investments only in rupee. Earlier, NRIs were
not allowed to invest in companies that were engaged in the business of chit funds.
Hence A is the correct answer.
Functionally, Chit funds are included in the definition of Non- Banking Financial Companies by RBI
under the sub-head miscellaneous non-banking company (MNBC). However, RBI has not laid out any
separate regulatory framework for them.
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79.

(C)

80.

(D)

81.

Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) is a viral respiratory disease caused by a novel
coronavirus (MERSCoV) that was first identified in Saudi Arabia in 2012.
Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that can cause diseases ranging from the common cold to
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).
Typical MERS symptoms include fever, cough and shortness of breath.
Pneumonia is common, but not always present. Gastrointestinal symptoms, including diarrhoea, have
also been reported.
Approximately 36% of reported patients with MERS have died.
Although the majority of human cases of MERS have been attributed to human-to-human infections,
camels are a major reservoir host for MERS-CoV and an animal source of MERS infection in
humans. However, the exact role of camels in transmission of the virus and the exact route(s) of
transmission are unknown. Hence all statements are correct.
The virus does not seem to pass easily from person to person unless there is close contact, such as
occurs when providing unprotected care to a patient.

(C)

14

Ranthambore National Park:

Park lies at the edge of a plateau, and is bounded by north by Banas river and in south by Chambal
river.
Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve located at the junction of the Aravalis and the Vindhyas.
It is site of one of the largest Banyan Tree in India at Jogi Mahal.
The Park is under Project Tiger also.
An important geological feature the 'Great Boundary Fault' where the Vindhya plateaus meet the
Aravali hill ranges, meanders through the Reserve.

(D)

84.

Tilaiya Dam is located on Barakar River(Jharkhand)

Hirakud Dam located on Mahanadi River (Odisha)
Koyna Dam is on Koyna River, tributary of Krishna River (Maharashtra)

(B)

83.

Major reef formations are observed in the Gulf of Kutch and Gulf of Mannar. Some coral reefs around
small inlets in the western part of the Gulf of Khambat have also been observed.

(B)

82.

The newly-floated United Liberation Front of Western South East Asia (UNLFW) is a conglomerate
of United Liberation Front of Assam (Independent), Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland
(Khaplang), Kamatapur Liberation Organization (KLO) and National Democratic Front of Boroland
(Songbijit). Thus it is Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland (Khaplang) group which is a part of
the conglomerate and not the Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland (Issac-Munivah). Hence C is
the correct answer.
In the wake of the gruesome attack by militants on the Indian Army in Manipur on June 4, 2015, and
intelligence reports warning of more such imminent attacks on Indian soil, the special forces wing of
the Indian Army launched a covert military offensive, allegedly deep inside Myanmar. Nationalist
Socialist Council of Nagaland (Khaplang) millitants were killed by the Indian army.

The order of cities from west to east, starting from the date line, is Los Angeles (West Coast), New
York (East Coast), London and Rome.

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85.

(D)

86.

(D)

87.

Left hand tributaries of Kaveri are : Herangi, Hemavati, Shimsha, and Akravati Right hand tributaries
of Kaveri are: Lakshamantirtha, Kabini, Amravati, Bhawani

(A)

15

Blue green algae: Pre-cambrian era

Fish: Palaezoic era
Frog: Mesozoic era
Ape: Cainozoic era
How to arrive at the answer:
Bacteria and other unicellular organisms were the first species. Hence, options c and d can be
eliminated. Also, we are closest to ape genetically. Hence, it must be the last specie before humans.

(C)

92.

High temperature coupled with air convergence reduces the pressure of the equatorial region.
Humidity and Coriolis force does not impact the pressure of equatorial region.

(A)

91.

Bora wind blows in the eastern shore of Adriatic Sea during winter. Gibli blows in Libya during
summer and Chinook blows in the interior west of North America during winter.

(B)

90.

Jet streams are high velocity winds associated with the troposphere.
Hence, statement 1 is incorrect. Density is highest on the surface of the earth. It gradually decreases
on going upwards (Therefore, density of Troposphere>Stratosphere>Mesosphere>Thermosphere).
Electrically charged layer Ionosphere reflects the radiowaves transmitted from the earth, this helps in
communication.
Since, Ionosphere is a part of Thermosphere, hence Thermosphere helps in communication.
Temperature in Mesosphere decreases with height.

(A)

89.

Magnetic storms are caused when earth's magnetic field is impacted by solar flares (due to sunspot
cycle) or magnetic clouds. They cause disruption of electric grids, functioning of radar, radio and
magnetic compass as ionosphere and magnetic field of earth got affected.
Aurora event got shifted to lower latitude than general due to magnetic storms. Pendulum functions
on gravitation of earth which is not impacted hence, they did not hamper its functioning (statement 3
incorrect)

(B)

88.

Clearly looking at the Southern India map Palconda Hills are in the north followed by Javadi,
Shevaroy and Palani is located in transverse mode as southernmost hills.

World heritage sites are places of importance of cultural or natural heritage as described in the
UNESCO World Heritage Convention, established in 1972. Western Ghats, Kaziranga Wildlife
sanctuary and Humayun's tomb have been recognised as World heritage sites, however remains at
Nalanda and Golden temple are part of the tentative list submitted by India to UNESCO for
acceptance.

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(A)

93.

94.

(B)

95.

Denser the material, higher the velocity. Hence, velocity increases as waves moves from crust to core.
Density of crust is 3g/cm^3, while that of mantle and core are 3.4g/cm^3 and 5g/cm^3 respectively.
Both P and S waves provide an idea about the interior of earth. How? P waves bend as it enters the
mantle. It suggests that the medium has changed (in this case: solid to molten).
While, S waves travel only through the solid state. This characteristic helps scientists in understanding
the interior of the earth.

(D)

96.

All of these are tropical cyclones. Temperate cyclones are not named as they occur throughout the
year

(A)

97.

AIIB is designed to finance infrastructure projects including energy, transport and infrastructure
projects in Asia-Pacific region.
Membership: While a number of Western and European countries, including Australia, Germany and
France have joined the Bank, the US and Japan have stayed away citing reservations about its
openness. The AIIB is seen as a rival to the World Bank and Asian Development Bank.
Members have been allocated their capital share on quota basis i.e. based on their economic size.
Voting share: for each member country it is based on the size of their economy and not on authorised
capital share to the Bank. China is the largest shareholder followed by India and Russia.
The voting rights of member countries are not equal. The voting shares of China, India and Russia are
26.06%, 7.5% and 5.92%, respectively. Hence, statement 2 is incorrect.
Its HQ are located in Beijing. Hence, only statement 1 is correct.

(C)

98.

Statement 1 is incorrect: Tsunamis are generated by undersea earthquakes and volcanic eruptions
alongwith other factors such as, displacement of seawater due to landslides, fall of meteorites and
asteroids in the ocean. Hence, statement 1 is wrong.
Statement 2 is incorrect: As the tsunami waves approach the shore, the water depth becomes
shallower, waves slow down, wavelength becomes shorter and the waves gain larger amplitude or
heights and become destructive.
Statement 3 is correct.

(D)

16

El-Nino refers to a a condition of unusual warming of peru current resulting in heavy rainfall in west
coastal region of south America and drought like condition in India, Indonesia and Australia and other
south Asian regions.

Statement 1 is correct: Antarctica owing to its unique and isolated environment provides unique
opportunities to scientists to learn more about the Earth. It is therefore also called a 'continent for science'.
Statement 2 is correct: Queen Maud Range divides the continent almost into two equal parts.
Statement 3 is correct: Mount Erebus is an active volcano located on it, is the southernmost active volcano
on Earth.

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Benj

(C)

99.

Statement 1 is correct: The plate tectonic theory proposes that the earth's lithosphere is divided into seven
major plates namely:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Antarctica and the surrunding oceanic plate

North American plate
South American plate
Pacific plate
India-Australia-New Zealand plate
Africa with eastern Atlantic floor plate
Eurasia and the adjacent oceanic plate

Statement 2 is correct: The boundary between India and the Antarctic plate is a divergent boundary.
100.

(A)
The Global Apollo Programme aims to make the cost of clean electricity lower than that from coal-fired
power stations across the world within 10 years. It calls for 15 billion British Pounds a year of spending
on research, development and demonstration of green energy and energy storage, the same funding in
todays money that the US Apollo programme spent in putting astronauts on the moon. India has shown
willingness to join the programme. Notably, India and China, both are large economies powered by the
fossil fuels, will be central to the plan.

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