[Mission 2022] QUIZ – 2021: Insights Current Affairs Quiz , 08 April 2022 – INSIGHTSIAS

Solution: b)

What is avian influenza or bird flu?

It is a highly contagious viral disease caused by Influenza Type A viruses which generally affects poultry birds such as chickens and turkeys. There are many strains of the virus – some of them are mild and may merely cause a low egg production or other mild symptoms among chickens, while others are severe and lethal.

How does the bird flu spread?

Wild aquatic birds such as ducks and geese are the natural reservoir of Influenza A viruses and the central players in the ecology of these viruses.

Many birds carry the flu without developing sickness, and shed it in their droppings. Since birds excrete even while flying, they provide “a nice aerosol of influenza virus, shedding it all over the world”

Solution: b)

FATF maintains two different lists of countries: those that have deficiencies in their Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing (AML/CTF) regimes, but they commit to an action plan to address these loopholes, and those that do not end up doing enough. The former is commonly known as grey list and latter as blacklist.

Once a country is blacklisted, FATF calls on other countries to apply enhanced due diligence and counter measures, increasing the cost of doing business with the country and in some cases severing it altogether. 

Although the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is a full Member of the FATF, the individual Member countries of the GCC (of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates) are not. 

Solution: b)

The Census is a statutory exercise conducted under the provisions of the Census Act 1948 and Rules made there under. 

All information collected under the Census is confidential and will not be shared with any agency – Government or private. Certain information collected under the NPR will be published in the local areas for public scrutiny and invitation of objections.

According to the SECC website, “all the personal information given in the Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC) is open for use by Government departments to grant and/or restrict benefits to households”.

Solution: a)

If external aid is a grant or coming without interest, no better way to finance the deficit, if we ignore their inflationary effects.

When the domestic market has limited amount of funds, and if the government desires to borrow a large share of it to finance the fiscal deficit, it tends to raise the demand for funds in the market. This shoots the market interest rate for the funds and causes problems to the domestic investors who now have to pay a higher interest rate to avail the same loan.

If the same money is borrowed from abroad, the crowing out effect doesn’t occur.

Solution: b)

While trans fat is naturally present in red meat and dairy products, the focus is on restricting the industrially produced trans fat used solely to prolong the shelf life of products at less cost.

Even when the fat/oil contains less than 2% trans fat, repeated use at high temperature can increase the trans fat content. 

It is now well known that trans fat can be completely eliminated and replaced with healthier substitutes without any change in the food taste or cost.