Current Affairs MCQs for UPSC & State PSC Exams (16 September 2022)

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

Date: 16 September 2022

Q1. Consider the following statements about the Fresh Water:

1. Fresh water makes up around 30% of water on earth.
2. Fresh water excludes seawater and brackish water.
3. It includes non-salty mineral-rich waters such as chalybeate springs.

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

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

Answer: (C)

Explanation:

  • Saline water in oceans, seas and saline groundwater make up about 97% of all the water on Earth.
  • Only 2.5–2.75% is fresh water, including 1.75–2% frozen in glaciers, ice and snow, 0.5–0.75% as fresh groundwater and soil moisture, and less than 0.01% of it as surface water in lakes, swamps and rivers.
  • The term specifically excludes seawater and brackish water.
  • It includes non-salty mineral-rich waters such as chalybeate springs.
  • Fresh water may encompass frozen and meltwater in ice sheets, ice caps, glaciers, snowfields and icebergs, natural precipitations such as rainfall, snowfall, hail/sleet and graupel, and surface runoffs that form inland bodies of water such as wetlands, ponds, lakes, rivers, streams, as well as groundwater contained in aquifers, subterranean rivers and lakes.

Q2. Consider the following statements regarding Indian Polity and official languages.

1. English is the second most spoken language in the country after the Hindi.
2. Although article 343 declares Hindi as the official language, the language of the Supreme Court of India is English.
3. Article 350B provides for the establishment of a Special Officer for linguistic minorities.

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

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

Answer: (A)

Explanation:

  • Hindi is the most widely spoken, with 52.8 crore individuals which is about 43 % of the population, declaring it as their mother tongue.
  • The next highest is Bengali, mother tongue for 9.7 crores (8%) — less than one-fifth of Hindi’s count.
  • Article 343 is about the official language of the Union of India.
  • It designates Hindi in Devnagri script as the official language, and numerals should follow the international form of Indian numerals.
  • Article 348(1) of the Constitution of India provides that all proceedings in the Supreme Court and in every High Court shall be in English language until Parliament by law otherwise provides.
  • Article 350B provides for the establishment of a Special Officer for linguistic minorities.

Q3. Consider the following statements regarding National Social Assistance Programme:

1. It is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
2. It represents a significant step towards the fulfilment of the DPSP in Article 41 of the Constitution.
3. It aims to provide financial assistance to the elderly, widows, and persons with disabilities in the form of social pensions.

Which of the following statements given above is/are correct?

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

Answer: (B)

Explanation:

  • It is a welfare programme being administered by the Ministry of Rural Development.
  • Article 41 of the Constitution of India directs the State to provide public assistance to its citizens in case of unemployment, old age, sickness and disablement and in other cases of undeserved want within the limit of its economic capacity and development.
  • It aims to provide financial assistance to the elderly, widows and persons with disabilities in the form of social pensions.

Q4. Consider the following statements regarding Maritime State Development Council (MSDC):

1. It was created in 1997 by an executive order.
2. The Union Minister of Shipping acts as chairperson of the council.
3. MSDC serves as an apex advisory body for the coordinated development of major ports and non-major ports.

Which of the following statements given above is/are correct?

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

Answer: (D)

Explanation:

  • In 1997, a Maritime State Development Council (MSDC) was created by an executive order, with the Union Minister of Shipping as chairperson and the Ministers in charge of ports of the maritime States/UTs as members.
  • The MSDC serves as an apex advisory body for the coordinated development of major ports and non-major ports. It has met only 18 times in the last 25 years.
  • The Union Ministry of Shipping provides secretarial services for the MSDC’s meetings.

Q5. Consider the following statements about Investment in India.

1. India’s Gross Capital Formation (investment rate) has fallen in last decade.
2. Private investment is an important component of aggregate demand that contributed more than 73 per cent to the total investment.

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

a) 1 only
b) 2 only
c) Both 1 and 2
d) None of these

Answer: (C)

Explanation:

  • In just under a decade, India’s Gross Capital Formation (investment rate) has fallen about 10.4 percentage points from a high of 40 per cent of GDP in 2010-11 to about 29.6 per cent in 2021-22.
  • Private investment is an important component of aggregate demand that contributed more than 73 per cent to the total investment and accounted for around 22 per cent of the GDP during the period 2017-2020. This could be attributed to weak business sentiment.