Current Affairs MCQs for UPSC & State PSC Exams (03 September 2022)

Current Affairs MCQs Quiz for UPSC, IAS, UPPSC/UPPCS, MPPSC. BPSC, RPSC & All State PSC Exams

Date: 03 September 2022

Q1. BBNJ Treaty, sometimes seen in the news, is related to:

a) Conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity.
b) Regulation of Passenger, Personal, and Cargo Vehicular Traffic.
c) Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals.
d) Cybercrime investigation.

Answer: (A)

Explanation:

  • The “BBNJ Treaty”, also known as the “Treaty of the High Seas”, is an international agreement on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction, currently under negotiation at the United Nations.
  • This new instrument is being developed within the framework of the UNCLOS, the main international agreement governing human activities at sea.

Q2. Consider the following statements regarding the Infrastructure development and Logistics in India:

1. In India transportation of goods is majorly carried out by road and Rail’s share in the transportation of goods stands at about 20%.
2. Recently India was ranked 127th in terms of road transport speed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
3. ULIP (Unified Logistics Interface Platform) is an integrated system developed by the Kerala Government to overcome logistics challenges in the implementation of its K-Rail Project.

Which of the statement/s given above is/are NOT correct?

a) 1 only
b) 1 and 2 only
c) 3 only
d) 2 and 3 only

Answer: (C)

Explanation:

  • Recently a paper by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on ‘Road Quality and Mean Speed Score’ ranked India 127th among 162 countries in terms of road transport speed.
  • PM Gati Shakti plan aims to develop a nationwide network integrating digital systems of various ministries dealing with logistics under one platform known as ULIP (Unified Logistics Interface Platform)
  • The ULIP will provide quality data from various data sets of different ministries and departments such as Vahan Saarthi of Highway ministry, ICEGATE of Customs Department, FASTag of NPCI etc.
  • In 2020-21, Rail’s share stood at merely 18 percent as compared to Road’s share of 71 percent.
  • Hassles of multiple loading and unloading owing to lack of last mile connectivity have resulted in a lower share of Rail vis-à-vis Road transport.

Q3. Which of the following statements is true with regard to Cold War 2.0?

1. It can be viewed as ‘Western Freedom and Values’ versus ‘Unique Chinese Civilisation’.
2. America has been laggard in countering China’s growing assertions.
3. Unlike Cold War 1.0, this time China’s reservoir of power is growing, while the American hegemony is declining.

Which of the statement/s given above is/are correct?

a) 1 and 2 only
b) 1 and 3 only
c) 2 and 3 only
d) All of the above

Answer: (D)

Q4. Consider the following statements about the borrowing power of the states:

1. A state government can borrow both within India and abroad upon the security of the Consolidated Fund of the State
2. Any sums required for the purpose of making loans to the states by the centre are to be charged upon the Consolidated Fund of India.
3. A state cannot raise any loan without the consent of the Centre if there is still outstanding any part of a loan made to the state by the Centre.

Which of the statement/s given above is/are NOT correct?

a) 1 only
b) 1 and 2 only
c) 2 and 3 only
d) 1 and 3 only

Answer: (A)

Explanation:

  • The state government can borrow within India (not abroad) upon the security of the Consolidated Fund of the State or can give guarantees, but both within the limits fixed by the legislature of that state.
  • The central government can make loans to any state or give guarantees in respect of loans raised by any state. Any sums required for the purpose of making such loans are to be charged on the Consolidated Fund of India.
  • A state cannot raise any loan without the consent of the Centre if there is still outstanding any part of a loan made to the state by the Centre or in respect of which a guarantee has been given by the Centre.

Q5. Which of the following statements correctly defines the “Virtual Private Network”? UPSC (2011)

a) It is a private computer network of an organization where the remote users can transmit encrypted information through the server of the organization.
b) It is a computer network across a public internet that provides users access to their organization’s network while maintaining the security of the information transmitted.
c) It is a computer network in which users can access a shared pool of computing resources through a service provider.
d) None of the statements (a), (b) and (c) given above is a correct description of Virtual Private Network.

Answer: (B)

Explanation:

  • VPN or “virtual private network” is a service that helps internet users stay private online by hiding their IP addresses.
  • VPN establishes an encrypted connection between the user’s computer and the internet, providing a private tunnel for their data, making them anonymous and blocking anyone from tracking their movements like where they are going or what they are doing.