(A) The scheme aims to mitigate the unemployment problems of socially and economically weaker sections of society.
(B) The scheme aims to ensure equal opportunities, equity and social justice to persons with disabilities.
(C) It aims to encourage people from the unorganized sector to voluntarily save for their retirement.
(D) It aims to provide support system for budding women entrepreneurs looking to start new ventures in the fields of the retail sector.
Answer:
(C) It aims to encourage people from the unorganized sector to voluntarily save for their retirement.
Explanation:
Swavalamban was a pension scheme introduced by the Government of India specifically aimed at the unorganized sector, encouraging them to voluntarily save for retirement (it was later replaced/transitioned into the Atal Pension Yojana).
Q. 42. What is the purpose of Ethanol Blending Petrol Programme (EBP)?
1. To reduce pollution
2. Conserve foreign exchange
3. Increase value addition in the sugar industry
Select the correct code:
(A) 1 and 2 only
(B) 2 and 3 only
(C) 1 and 3 only
(D) 1, 2 and 3
Answer:
(D) 1, 2 and 3
Explanation:
The EBP programme is multi-pronged: ethanol burns cleaner (reducing pollution), it replaces imported crude oil (conserving foreign exchange), and since ethanol is largely derived from molasses/sugarcane, it boosts the domestic sugar industry.
Q. 43. Which of the following is/are objective(s) of the Competition Commission of India (CCI)?
1. Promoting and sustaining competition
2. Protect the interest of consumers
3. Ensure freedom of trade in India
4. Investigate corporate frauds of serious nature
Select the correct code:
(A) 1, 2, 3 and 4
(B) 1, 3 and 4 only
(C) 1, 2 and 3 only
(D) 1 and 2 only
Answer:
(C) 1, 2 and 3 only
Explanation:
The CCI’s statutory objectives are to prevent practices having adverse effects on competition, promote and sustain competition in markets, protect the interests of consumers, and ensure freedom of trade. Investigating serious corporate frauds is the mandate of the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO), not the CCI.
Q. 44. Consider the following statements with reference to Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB):
1. It combats organized wildlife crime in the country
2. It advises the government on animal welfare issues
3. It also suggests ways and means for the improvement of zoos in the country
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(A) 1, 2 and 3
(B) 1 and 2 only
(C) 1 only
(D) 1 and 3 only
Answer:
(C) 1 only
Explanation:
The WCCB is a statutory multi-disciplinary body specifically established to combat organized wildlife crime. Animal welfare advice is given by the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI), and the improvement of zoos falls under the Central Zoo Authority (CZA).
Q. 45. Dhoklam plateau, recently heard in news is a disputed area between
(A) Bhutan and India
(B) China and India
(C) Nepal and China
(D) China and Bhutan
Answer:
(D) China and Bhutan
Explanation:
Doklam is a strategic plateau situated near the tri-junction of India, Bhutan, and China. The territorial dispute primarily exists between China and Bhutan, though India militarily intervened in 2017 to protect its strategic interests and honor its treaty obligations with Bhutan.
Q. 46. Which of the following statement is/are correct about central government’s council of state formed under Government of India Act 1919?
1. It had a tenure of 3 years.
2. It had only male members.
(A) only 1
(B) only 2
(C) both 1 and 2
(D) neither 1 nor 2
Answer:
(B) only 2
Explanation:
Under the Government of India Act 1919, the Council of State (the upper house of the bicameral legislature) had a tenure of 5 years (not 3 years). It consisted exclusively of male members, as women were not enfranchised or permitted to sit in it.
Q. 47. Which of the following statements is/are true about “Jorwe culture”?
1. It covers parts of modern state Maharashtra.
2. It was predominantly rural culture.
(A) only 1
(B) only 2
(C) both 1 and 2
(D) neither 1 or 2
Answer:
(C) both 1 and 2
Explanation:
The Jorwe culture was a prominent Chalcolithic archaeological culture located mostly in present-day Maharashtra. Like most Chalcolithic cultures, it was primarily a rural, agrarian culture with settlements consisting of simple mud-houses.
Q. 48. Which of the following are cold currents?
1. Falkland current
2. Bengula current
3. Kuroshio current
(A) only 1
(B) only 2
(C) 1 and 2
(D) all the above
Answer:
(C) 1 and 2
Explanation:
The Falkland Current and the Benguela Current are both cold ocean currents. The Kuroshio Current, however, is a strong, warm ocean current that flows northward off the eastern coast of Asia.
Q. 49. Which of the following countries have shores on both atlantic and pacific ocean?
1. Belize
2. Guatemala
3. El Salvador
4. Honduras
5. Nicaragua
(A) all the above
(B) 2,4,5
(C) 1,2,4
(D) 1,2,3,4
Answer:
(B) 2,4,5
Explanation:
Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua are Central American countries that have coastlines touching both the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea (Atlantic Ocean). Belize touches only the Caribbean (Atlantic), and El Salvador touches only the Pacific.
Q. 50. La Nina is related to
(A) warming of western pacific ocean.
(B) warming of eastern pacific ocean.
(C) heavy rainfall on Australian coastal regions.
(D) both A and C.
Answer:
(D) both A and C.
Explanation:
La Niña involves the abnormal cooling of the central and eastern Pacific Ocean, which corresponds to the relative warming of the western Pacific Ocean. This temperature dynamic drives stronger trade winds, bringing increased moisture and heavy rainfall to Australian coastal regions.
