IAS Prelims GS Questions and Answers - Apr 26, 2016

1)   What is countervailing duty?

a. Subsidies given for export promotion
b. Duties to compensate on for subsidies
c. Taxes on products imported for value addition only
d. Duties on petroleum products
Answer  Explanation 

ANSWER: Duties to compensate on for subsidies

Explanation:

  • Countervailing duties (CVDs), also known as anti-subsidy duties, are trade import duties imposed under World Trade Organization (WTO) rules to neutralize the negative effects of subsidies.
  • They are imposed after an investigation finds that a foreign country subsidizes its exports, injuring domestic producers in the importing country.
  • According to World Trade Organization rules, a country can launch its own investigation and decide to charge extra duties, provided such additional duties are in accordance with the GATT Article VI and the GATT Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures.


2)   India’s first public-private-partnership (PPP) agreement for research and innovation in preventive health is between ICMR and

a. Sun Pharma
b. Ranbaxy
c. GlaxoSmithKline
d. Johnson and Johnson
Answer  Explanation  Related Ques

ANSWER: Sun Pharma

Explanation:

  • India’s first public-private-partnership (PPP) agreement for research and innovation in preventive health is between ICMR and Sun Pharma.
  • As part of the partnership, ICMR and Sun Pharma will establish a malaria elimination demonstration project- ‘Malaria Free India’ to support the National Framework for Elimination of Malaria which was announced by the Health Ministry in February 2016.
  • The demonstration project shall be launched first in Mandla, one of the most malaria endemic districts of Madhya Pradesh.
  • To demonstrate the feasibility of eliminating malaria and prevention of re-establishment of this disease, ICMR and Sun Pharma will use rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) and antimalarial drugs (ACTs), long-lasting insecticide treated bednets and indoor residual spray (IRS).


3)   Which of the following is/are true?

1) Uchhatar Avishkar Yojana (UAY) has been launched for promoting research that is socially relevant.
2) It will be implemented in all universities and colleges of India.


a. Only 1
b. Only 2
c. Both 1 and 2
d. Neither 1 nor 2
Answer  Explanation  Related Ques

ANSWER: Only 1

Explanation:

  • Uchhatar Avishkar Yojana (UAY) has been launched for promoting research that is socially relevant and is of use to the end users like the Industry.
  • The UAY promotes industry sponsored, outcome-oriented research projects.
  • The main aim of launching the UAY scheme is to make students more accustomed with the outer world and give them a market oriented mindset.
  • The Scheme is to be implemented first in premier institutes like IITs only.


4)   The eClassroom programme is known as

a. e-Shala
b. e-Pathshala
c. National Mission on Education through Information and Communication Technology
d. SWAYAM
Answer  Explanation  Related Ques

ANSWER: SWAYAM

Explanation:

  • The Ministry of HRD has a proposal to impart education through e-Classes and e-books for the college students.
  • About 93,000 e-Books for the college students are already available under National Mission on Education through Information and Communication Technology (NMEICT) Programme.
  • However, education through e-Classes under a programme called Study Webs of Active Learning for Young Aspiring Minds (SWAYAM) is likely to begin around August, 2016 and it shall make available ‘On Line Courses’ called ‘MOOCs’ for students from class 9 to 12, Under Graduate and Post Graduate classes in all the disciplines.


5)   MOOCS is

a. Massive Open Online Courses
b. Multiple Open Online Curriculum System
c. Massive Online Open Curriculum
d. Masters of Online Computer Systems
Answer  Explanation  Related Ques

ANSWER: Massive Open Online Courses

Explanation:

  • MOOCS or massive open online courses have made access to top university-level content for every learner possible. By providing free online courses on demand, MOOCS enable learners to learn from anywhere irrespective of their situation as long as they have internet access.
  • Statistics from major MOOC providers show that India is a home of second largest audience for MOOCS after US, which brings great challenges and opportunities for the use of such courses in India.
  • Students from India being the second largest in terms of enrolment in MOOCS shows that their hunger for affordable and quality education and MOOCS are the best way to provide this to them.
  • As a part of providing quality and affordable education to its students, Indian government has recently launched an Indian focused MOOC platform for all. This MOOC platform is termed as ‘Swayam’- Study Webs of Active-learning for Young Aspiring Minds.
  • Along with SWAYAM, the Government of India has announced another project is to create online digital library that will have resources from nation’s top universities and institutes; it is termed as ‘National E-Library’. The library can be accessible to every leaner with Internet access.


6)   Good manufacturing practice or Current Good manufacturing practice (CGMP) are for manufacture and sale of

1) Food products
2) Pharma products
3) All Packaged Products


a. 1, 2
b. 1, 3
c. 2, 3
d. All of the above
Answer  Explanation 

ANSWER: 1, 2

Explanation:

  • Good manufacturing practices (GMP) are the practices required in order to conform to the guidelines recommended by agencies that control authorization and licensing for manufacture and sale of food, drug products, and active pharmaceutical products.
  • These guidelines provide minimum requirements that a pharmaceutical or a food product manufacturer must meet to assure that the products are of high quality and do not pose any risk to the consumer or public.


7)   First of its kind Current Good Manufacturing Practise (CGMP) compliant facility within the Central Government for manufacture of DPT and TT vaccine has been started in

a. Uttarakhand
b. Himachal Pradesh
c. Jammu and Kashmir
d. Maharashtra
Answer  Explanation  Related Ques

ANSWER: Himachal Pradesh

Explanation:

  • Health Ministry inaugurated the first of its kind Current Good Manufacturing Practise (CGMP) compliant facility within the Central Government for manufacture of DPT and TT vaccine at the Central Research Institute (CRI), Kasauli in Himachal Pradesh.
  • To ensure that Indian vaccine manufacturers have global quality standards, the government is exploring the feasibility of establishing WHO-approved Current Good Manufacturing Practice (CGMP) facility for yellow fever drugs.
  • Such a facility will help in supplying yellow fever vaccine to African and Latin American countries as well.
  • CRI has been working as one of the few pioneer institutions in the field of vaccine manufacturing. The institute has plans to manufacture all vaccines viz., Japanese encephalitis vaccine, Rabies vaccine and Typhoid vaccine, which were earlier manufactured in the Institute, after establishing CGMP compliant facilities and application of recent technological advancement.


8)   Lithograph is

a. Stone Sculpting Method
b. Wax Modelling Method
c. Printing Method
d. Method to segregate chemicals
Answer  Explanation  Related Ques

ANSWER: Printing Method

Explanation:

  • Lithography is a method of printing originally based on the immiscibility of oil and water. The printing is from a stone (lithographic limestone) or a metal plate with a smooth surface.
  • It was invented in 1796 by German author and actor Alois Senefelder as a cheap method of publishing theatrical works.
  • Lithography can be used to print text or artwork onto paper or other suitable material.
  • Bengaluru will display a rare collection of celebrated painter Raja Ravi Varma’s lithographs for the first time.


9)   Panama disease affects primarily

a. Humans
b. Animals
c. Plants
d. Microorganisms
Answer  Explanation  Related Ques

ANSWER: Plants

Explanation:

  • The Panama disease is caused by a soil-borne fungus in banana crops.
  • Also called Fusarium Wilt of banana, Panama is caused by the soil-borne fungus Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. Cubense (Foc).
  • The fungus enters the plant through the roots and goes on to colonise the plant through the vascular system. It causes discoloration and wilting of leaves, and eventually kills the plant.
  • The recommended treatment is soil treatment with fungicides.
  • The symptoms are – Leaf Yellowing, wilted leaves, stem splitting
  • A new virulent strain of the disease known as Tropical Race 4 (TR4) is now threatening banana crops in Asia, Australia, Africa and the Middle East.


10)   E-Pathshala provides access to

1) E-books
2) Video Lectures
3) Teacher manuals
4) Audio Lectures


a. 1, 2, 4
b. 1, 3
c. 2, 3, 4
d. All of the above
Answer  Explanation  Related Ques

ANSWER: All of the above

Explanation:

  • E-pathshala, a mobile app as well as a website, has been launched by the Ministry of Human Resources, which will serve as a platform to provide free access to the NCERT books.
  • E-pathshala, which is available through a especially developed mobile app interface on Android, IOS and windows platforms, is broadly divided into four segments - students, teachers, parents and educators. The resources are available in three languages-English, Hindi and Urdu.
  • For students, they get to access the e-books, audio/video tutorials and can keep track of the books they accessed, hours spent on a certain subject/ book and even bookmark the chapters studied.
  • Teachers can download teaching manuals and curricular resources which are listed class and subject wise.
  • Parents too can access the e-resources and the additional feature in this section is the learning outcome.
  • The final stakeholder, the educators too can log into this application and get access to additional periodicals. Right now tertiary educational periodicals are available for educators.