[T25] UPSC Mock Round#25: BepiColombo, MYC Initiative, IOWave18 & more current affairs questions

1. Instructions
2. History- INA special
3. Environment & Disasters
4. Science & Technology
5. International Relations (IR) & Diplomacy
6. Yearbook & Schemes
7. Persons and Places in News

Instructions

• Timelimit: 30 minutes. 2 Marks for correct answer; -0.66 marks for wrong answer.
• Mitron, my [T25] series contains 25 Mock MCQ primarily aimed at UPSC IAS/IPS Civil Service exam aspirants.
• I usually don’t give direct answer below the MCQs but indirect hints. Because, then you’ve to read the MCQ again & apply logical reasoning skills. This will improve your mental faculties compared to a scenario where direct answers are spoon-fed.
• This 25th set focuses mainly on Subhas Chandra Bose, & various current affairs from September-October-2018. That means so far I’ve set 25 sets x 25 questions each = 625 MCQs. Let’s see if it crosses 1000 before Prelims-2019.

History- INA special

Q. On 21st October 2018, PM Modi hoisted Tricolor at Red Fort to commemorate 75th anniversary of Azad Hind government formed by Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. Find correct statements in this regard

1. Indian National Army (INA) had three Brigades were the Subhas Brigade, Nehru Brigade and Laxmibai Bridage.
2. During WW2, INA at first successfully captured Imphal from the British but were defeated at Kohima.
3. Subhas Chandra Bose founded Azad Hind Fauj (INA) in 1942 and Azad Hind Government in 1943.
4. None of the above.

HINT:

• INA had three Brigades Subhas Brigade, Gandhi Brigade and Nehru Brigade. The women’s wing of the army was named after Rani Laxmibai.
• INA had won Kohima first and then they marched towards Imphal.
• In 1942, Captain Mohan Singh setup INA in Singapore. In 1942 S.C. Bose reorganized it.

Q. Find correct pairs:

1. Subhas Chandra Bose’s political guru was Chittaranjan Das.
2. M K Gandhi’s political guru was Gopal Krishna Gokhale.
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2

HINT: Both correct.

Q. Who among the following had hailed Subhas Chandra Bose as “Deshnayak”?

1. Chittaranjan Das
2. Rabindranath Tagore
3. M.K.Gandhi
4. Laxmi Sehgal

HINT: Rabindranath Tagore wrote an essay in 1939 hailing S.C.Bose as “Deshnayak”.

Q. Who was Laxmi Sehgal?

1. She was a Captain in the Indian National Army (INA)
2. She was Minister of Women’s Affairs in the Azad Hind government.
3. She had fired point blank at the University Chancellor while receiving her Medical Degree.

Answer Codes:

1. Only 1 and 2
2. Only 2 and 3
3. Only 1 and 3
4. All of them

HINT: It was Bina Das from Bengal who fired at Governor of Bengal Stanley Jackson while receiving degree. Bina Das was sentenced to nine years of imprisonment and nicknamed “Agnikanya”.

Environment & Disasters

Q. In 2018-Oct, Supreme court stayed the NGT order which had approved the Char Dham highway project. This project aimed to connect which of the following sacred sites?

1. Yamunotri, Gangotri, Prayag, Hardwar
2. Kedarnath, Badrinath, Prayag, Hardwar
3. Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath, Badrinath
4. Prayag, Hardwar, Yamunotri, Kedarnath

HINT: Char Dham highway project launched in 2016 to connect highways leading to four pilgrimage sites in Uttarakhand – Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath.

Q. Find correct statements about “MOBILISE YOUR CITY” (MYC) initiative?

1. It was launched by Germany and France on the sidelines of Paris summit on climate change in 2015.
2. In 2018, India and France signed agreement to implement MYC initiative in India.
3. Primary objective of MYC is to mobilize urban people against global warming.

Answer Codes:

1. Only 1 and 2
2. Only 2 and 3
3. Only 1 and 3
4. All of them

HINT:

• Primary objective: Reduce of Green House Gas (GHG) emissions related to urban transport through planning, funding and sharing best practices. So, ‘awareness generation for global warming’ could be a by-product, not primary objective.
• India and France signed agreement in 2018-Sept. to run pilot projects in Nagpur, Kochi and Ahmedabad. Then think, what is the correct answer?

Q. In 2018-Sept. “Exercise IOWave18” was held by _ _ _ for _ _ _.

1. Google for AI related to input/output device.
2. Indian Coastguard for Costal Security
3. Environment Ministry for Costal Erosion
4. UNESCO for Tsunami.

HINT: The purpose of Exercise IOWave18 was to evaluate and improve the effectiveness of Tsunami preparedness in Indian Ocean.

Science & Technology

Q. In 2018-Oct, a spacecraft named BepiColombo was launched. Find incorrect statements about it:

1. It’s a joint mission by the European & American space agencies.
2. It aims to study Mercury planet.
3. It’s named after Ms. Bepi Colombo- the first female astronaut from Europe.

Answer Codes:

1. Only 1 and 2
2. Only 2
3. Only 2 and 3
4. Only 1 and 3

HINT:

• European space agency ESA and Japanese space agency JAXA launched this joint mission to Mercury, the planet closest to the sun.
• Spacecraft is named after Italian (male) scientist Giuseppe “Bepi” Colombo, who had made certain studies about Mercury orbit & gravity.
• Mind it: you’ve to find wrong statements!

Q. In 2018-Oct, a news came that International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) is 58% complete. Find correct statement(s) about this ITER project:

1. It’s world’s largest nuclear fusion reactor located in France.
2. It aims to generate electricity on commercial scale using nuclear fission.
3. India, China, Japan, EU and USA are contributing 20% each in this project.
4. All of the above.

HINT:

• Unlike today’s fission-based nuclear plants, which produce electricity by splitting atoms, ITER aims to fuse hydrogen atoms to generate power. So it wants “nuclear fusion”, not “fission”.
• EU funds 45% whereas China, India, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Russia, and the United States each contribute 9% equally.

Q. From December 1, 2018, “Drone Regulation 1.0” will become effective. Find correct statements about it:

1. These regulations are designed by Ministry of Defense.
2. It classifies airspace into three zones: Green, Amber and Blue.
3. Before every drone flight, the user will have to obtain written permission from the concerned police station in the respective area.

Answer Codes:

1. Only 1 and 2
2. Only 2 and 3
3. Only 1 and 3
4. All of them

HINT:

• Civil Aviation ministry designed the rules.
• Green, Amber and Blue are WTO subsidy box colors. Here, airspace zones are classified into Red Zone (flying not permitted), Yellow Zone (controlled airspace), and Green Zone (automatic permission).
• Drone-User will have to do one-time-registration with Digital Sky Platform app which has “no permission, no takeoff” (NPNT) type mechanism. For every flight users will be required to ask ask permission from mobile app and an automated process permits or denies the request instantly. Any drone without a digital permit to fly will simply not be able to takeoff.

Q. Prime Minister during his Independence Day address had announced ‘Gaganyaan — India’s maiden human spaceflight programme’. Find correct statement(s) about it

1. We’ll send three Indians to space by 2025.
2. Scramjet Engine launch vehicle will be used for this program.
3. The crew members will be selected jointly by ISRO and PMO.
4. All of the above

HINT:

• 2 men and 1 woman will be sent by 2022 i.e. India’s 75th Independence day OR sooner.
• The crew will be selected by Indian Air Force (IAF) and ISRO.
• Scramjet is still in trial phase. GSLV Mk-III launch vehicle will be used for Gaganyaan.
• The spacecraft will be placed in a low earth orbit of 300-400km. The total programme cost is expected to be less than Rs. 10,000 crores.

International Relations (IR) & Diplomacy

Q. In 2018-Aug, India and Pakistan participated in an anti-terrorism military exercise of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). Find correct statement(s) in this regard.

1. This military exercise was named “Peace Mission”
2. It was the first time since Independence, that both countries participated in a military exercise.
3. It was held in Russia.
4. All of the above.

HINT: SCO includes Russia, China, Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. India and Pakistan were added in 2017. “Peace Mission” was held in Chelyabinsk city in west-central Russia. It was for the first time since Independence that India and Pakistan both were part of a military exercise. Hence all three are correct.

Q. In 2018-Sep. Government released funds under Border Area Development Programme (BADP). Find correct statement about this program:

1. This program is run by the Defense Ministry.
2. It focuses on people living within 500 kilometers of International border.
3. Both Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand are among the eligible states.
4. None of the above.

HINT:

• Department of Border Management, Ministry of Home Affairs runs it.
• BADP covers 17 states to meet special development needs of border population with a focus on the people living within 50 kilometres of the International Border.
• Eligible states are: Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu Kashmir, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal

Q. In 2018-Aug, India had opened land immigration check-post at Zokhawthar. It’s situated in _ _ _ state and connects India with _ _ _ country.

1. Nagaland, Bhutan
2. Mizoram, Myanmar
3. Assam, Bangladesh
4. Punjab, Pakistan

HINT: Are we in such cordial relation with Pakistan that we’ll open a new checkpost? Are we so interested to accept more immigrants from Bangladesh that we’ll open a new checkpost? Does Nagaland even share border with Bhutan? Socho!!

Q. India shares largest international border with _ _ _ country.

1. Pakistan
2. China
3. Myanmar
4. Bangladesh

HINT: India shares borders with Pakistan (3,323 km), China (3,488 km), Nepal (1,751 km), Bhutan (699 km), Myanmar (1,643 km) and Bangladesh (4,096 km). For more mental exercise, arrange them in ascending and descending orders as well!

Q. In 2018-Oct, USA announced to withdraw from Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces treaty (INF). USA had signed this INF-treaty with _ _ _ .

1. EU
2. Saudi Arabia
3. Russia
4. S.Korea

HINT: Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces treaty (INF) was signed between USA and Russia in 1987 to ban the ground-launch nuclear missiles with ranges from 500km to 5,500km. Trump argues that Russia’s Novator ground-based missile violates the INF range restrictions hence USA can’t continue obliging to this treaty.

Yearbook & Schemes

Q. PM Modi inaugurated National Police Memorial in Delhi on 21st October 2018. Why is October 21 observed as the Police Commemoration Day?

1. In memory of the policemen killed during ‘Operation Polo’ against Nizam of Hyderabad.
2. In memory of the policemen killed at Hot Springs in Ladakh by Chinese troops on this date in 1959.
3. Because Assam Rifles’ foundation day is 21st October 1835.
4. Because CRPF’s foundation day is 21st October 1939.

HINT: Ladakh.

Q. In 2018-Sept. Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare released draft charter of Patients’ Rights. In this regard which of the following statements are correct? (GPSC-2018)

1. This was prepared by National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).
2. It was recommended by a statutory body named ‘National Council of Clinical Establishments’.
3. This charter gives 17 rights to patients.

Codes

1. Only 1 and 2
2. Only 2 and 3
3. Only 1 and 3
4. 1, 2 and 3

HINT: All three statements are correct.

Q. Every year National Nutrition Week is observed during 1st to 7th September. The theme of year 2018 is _ . (GPSC-2018)

1. Go further with Food
2. Better Nutrition : Key to Development
3. Life cycle approach for better Nutrition
4. Nutrition for Nation

HINT:

• It’s organized by The Food and Nutrition Board of Ministry of Women & Child Development.
• Theme 2017: ‘Optimal Infant & Young Child Feeding Practices’.
• Theme 2018: ‘Go Further with Food’.

Persons and Places in News

Following MCQs are more important for Non-IAS exams, than for UPSC Prelims.

Q. In 2018-Oct, UP government changed the name of Allahabad to Prayagraj. This city is known for

1. Ardh Kumbh Mela of 2019 will be held here.
2. Freedom fighter Chandra Shekhar Azad was killed here in a public park.
3. The highcourt of Uttar Pradesh is located here.
4. All of the above.

HINT: For faster revision, all correct.

Q. In 2018-Oct, the disturbing news of the assassination of a prominent journalist Jamal Khashoggi came. Even USA and G-7 nations expressed concerns. He belongs to _ _ _ country.

1. Turkey
2. Saudi Arabia
3. Syria
4. USA

HINT: Prominent Saudi journalist who is critique of their Sultan. Believed to be murdered in Turkey. He was working with The Washington Post.

Q. Find correct pair(s) of CEO & MDs of Private Banks:

1. ICICI: Chanda Kocher
2. Axis: Shikha Sharma
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2

HINT: For ICICI: Mr. Sandeep Bakhshi (CEO & MD). Whereas for Axis Bank: Amitabh Chaudhry (MD & CEO). Both Chanda and Shikha have been forced to leave their respective banks due to controversies regarding their performance. RBI approved Sandeep Bakhshi (ICICI)’s appointment in 2018-Oct, hence in news.

Q. In 2018-Oct, Paul Allen died. He was the co-founder of _ _ _ company.

1. Linux
2. Microsoft
3. Apple
4. Amazon

HINT: Paul died of cancer, he had founded Microsoft with Bill Gates.

Q. Which of the following book has won Man Booker Prize 2018?

1. Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders
2. Everything Under by Daisy Johnson
3. Milkman by Anna Burns
4. Washington Black by Esi Edugyan

HINT: Booker prize is an annual British award for novel in English.

• 2017’s Winner: Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders.
• 2018’s Winner: Milkman by Anna Burns (N.Ireland). The story follows an 18-year-old girl who is forced into a relationship by an older married man known as the गुरमीत राम-रहीम “milkman”.

Q. Yuval Noah Harari is an Israeli historian. He has not authored following book:

1. 21 Lessons for the 21st Century
2. Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow
3. Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind.
4. Lethal White

HINT: Hariri in news because his latest book 21 Lessons for the 21st Century was released in 2018-Aug / Sept. Lethal White is a novel about Detective Cormoran Strike written by Robert Galbraith (penname of Harry Potter’s author J.K.Rowling) Lethal White was released in 2018-Sept. hence in news.

Visit Mrunal.org/prelims for Previous Rounds of [T25] Mock MCQ Question / Answers.