21st February 2014 IAS PCS Questions of the Day

Question 1. National Income may include which of the following?

1. Investment in the national economy.

2. External Commercial borrowing.

3. Indirect taxes imposed by the government.

Select the correct answer using the codes below

(a) 2 and 3

(b) Only 1

(c) 1 and 3

(d) All of these

Solution 1.(d) National Income = Consumption + investment + Government spending (It includes all taxes and sources of income also.)

Question 2. Which of the following steps cannot by taken by a House of Parliament during the first two reading of a bill?

(a) Circulating the bill for eliciting public opinion

(b) Rejecting the bill as a whole

(c) Moving amendments to the bill

(d) Referring the bill to a joint committee of the two houses

Solution 2. (b) Circulation of the bill for eliciting public opinion, referring the bill to a Joint Committee as well as moving amendments to the bill are all steps that can be taken by the house concerned during the second reading of the bill. However, acceptance or rejection of the bill as a whole is done during the third reading.

Question 3. Consider the following

1. Rice fields

2. Coal mining

3. Domestic animals

4. Rotting garbage dumps

Which of the above are sources of methane, a major greenhouse gas?

(a) 1 and 4

(b) 2 and 3

(c) 1,2 and 3

(d) All of these

Solution 3. (d) Methane occurs naturally when organic material decomposes. Man-made processes produce methane in several ways by extracting it from coal, from large herds of livestock (i.e., digestive gases), from the bacteria in rice paddies, decomposition of garbage in landfills.

Question 4. Which one of the following is correct statement about Rashtriya Mahila Kosh (RMK)?

(a) The main aims and objectives of RMK is to promote and undertake activation for the promotions of or to provide credit as an instrument of socio-economic change and development through financial services for the development of women

(b) Rashtriya Mahila Kosh (RMK) is focused on providing credit for agricultural activities only to poor women and their empowerment

(c) RMK works as a micro credit agency

(d) None of the above

Solution 4. (a) It was created in 1993 to provide micro-credit for all livelihood purposes.

It provides micro-credit in a quasi-informal manner, lending to intermediate micro credit organisations, which lends to women through various mechanisms

Question 5. According to the United Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)

1. Coastal water – The Zone extending 3 nm from the baseline.

2. Contiguous zone – The zone extending 12 nm from the baseline.

3. Territorial sea – The area extending 24 nm from the baseline.

4. Exclusive economic zone – The area extending 200 nm

Which of the statements given above are correct?

(a) 1 and 2

(b) 1 and 4

(c) 1,3 and 4
(d) All of these

Solution 5. (b) The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), also called the Law of the Sea Convention or the Law of the Sea Treaty, is the international agreement, which defines the rights and responsibilities of nations in their use of the world’s oceans, establishing guidelines for businesses, the environment and the management of marine natural resources. The zones of maritime boundaries are expressed in concentric limits surrounding coastal and feature baselines.

Coastal Waters - The zone extending 3 nm from the baseline.

Territorial Sea - The zone extending 12 nm from the baseline.

Contiguous Zone - The area extending 24 nm from the baseline. A state could continue to enforce laws in four specific areas: pollution, taxation, customs and immigration.

Exclusive Economic Zone - The area extending 200 nm Nautical Miles from the territorial edge except, when the space between two countries is less than 400 nm.