[MISSION 2022] INSIGHTS CURRENT AFFAIRS (9 May 2022 ) REVISION THROUGH MCQS – INSIGHTSIAS

Ans: (a)

Explanation:

• S1: Value of vote of MLA is based on population criterion and population of each state has a different value hence, statement 1 is correct
• S2: The value of vote of each MP is same whether it is Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha. Statement 2 is a little unclear on whether it refers to an individual MP or MPs as a whole. But, then the term “The value of THE VOTE (and not VOTES)” makes it clear that the examiner is not asking you for the total number of votes. So, “MPs of Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha” are to be understood as a single group here, and not as a plural entity. Thus, S2 will be wrong.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2022/05/09/value-of-the-vote-of-mps-in-presidential-elections/

Ans: (c)

Explanation:

• S1&S2: The Indian President is elected through an electoral college system, wherein the votes are cast by national and State-level lawmakers. The elections are conducted and overseen by the Election Commission (EC) of India.
• S3 and S4: A vote cast by each MP or MLA is not calculated as one vote. There is a larger vote value attached to it.
  • The fixed value of each vote by an MP of the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha is 708. Meanwhile, the vote value of each MLA differs from State to State based on a calculation that factors in its population vis-a-vis the number of members in its legislative Assembly. As per the Constitution (Eighty-fourth Amendment) Act 2001, currently, the population of States is taken from the figures of the 1971 Census. This will change when the figures of the Census taken after the year 2026 are published.
  • The value of each MLA’s vote is determined by dividing the population of the State by the number of MLAs in its legislative Assembly, and the quotient achieved is further divided by 1000. Uttar Pradesh for instance, has the highest vote value for each of its MLAs, at 208. The value of one MLA’s vote in Maharashtra is 175, while that in Arunachal Pradesh is just 8. The total votes of each Legislative Assembly are calculated by multiplying the vote value of each MLA by the number of MLAs.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2022/05/09/value-of-the-vote-of-mps-in-presidential-elections/

Ans: (c)

Explanation:

• A supermoon occurs when the Moon’s orbit is closest to the Earth at the same time that the Moon is full. In a typical year, there may be two to four full supermoons and two to four new supermoons in a row.
• During a total lunar eclipse, the Moon usually turns a deep, dark red because it is illuminated by light that has passed through the Earth’s atmosphere and has been bent back towards the Moon by refraction.
• A total lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon and the Sun are on exact opposite sides of Earth.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2022/05/09/lunar-eclipse-blood-moon/

Ans: (b)

Explanation:

• The government has selected five Archeological sites that are to be set-up or developed as Iconic Sites with on-site Museums at the following locations. These sites are:
  • Rakhigarhi (Haryana)
  • Hastinapur (Uttar Pradesh)
  • Shivsagar (Assam)
  • Dholavira (Gujarat)
  • Adichanallur (Tamil Nadu)
• Rakhigarhi:
  • Rakhigarhi, in Haryana,became an archaeological hotspot when Amarendra Nath, former director of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), undertook excavations at the site in 1997.
  • It is a 5,000-year-old site that showcases continuity from the Harappan age to the present times. The village also has havelis that are a couple of hundred years old.
  • The site is located in the Sarasvati river plain,some 27 km from the seasonal Ghaggar river.
  • The Rakhigarhi site is one of the “five iconic sites” declared by the Central government in the Union budget 2020-21.
• Why in the News?
  • DNA samples collected from two human skeletons unearthed at Rakhigarhi have been sent for scientific examination.
  • The outcome might tell about the ancestry and food habits of people who lived in the Rakhigarhi region thousands of years ago.

Refer: facts for prelims: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2022/05/09/mission-2022-insights-daily-current-affairs-pib-summary-09-may-2022-2/

Ans: (a)

Explanation: About Dal:

• It was known as the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir.
• It is named the “Jewel in the crown of Kashmir” or “Srinagar’s Jewel”.
• The lake is also an important source for commercial operations in fishing and water plant harvesting.
• The lake is located in the Zabarwan mountain valley,in the foothills of the Shankracharya hills, which surround it on three sides.
• The lake has four main interconnected basins namely, Hazratbal, Bod dal, Gagribal and Nagin.
• The floating gardenshere, known as “Raad” in Kashmiri, blossom with lotus flowers during July and August.

Refer: Facts for Prelims: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2022/05/09/mission-2022-insights-daily-current-affairs-pib-summary-09-may-2022-2/

Ans: (b)

Explanation:

• Some of the best examples of Dravidian style temples are in the Southern region of Tamil Nadu. Out of these, the Brihadeswara Temple at Tanjavur built by the mighty ruler, Rajaraja I of the Chola Empire, is known for its grandeur and exceptional architectural features.
• Rajaraja I, started the construction of the Brihadeswara Temple in the nineteenth year of his reign. A major source of information related to its building and construction has been the inscriptions that run throughout the temple’s plinth. One inscription reads, ‘The King, on the two hundred and seventy fifth day of the twenty fifth year of reign (A.D. 1010), presented a gold covered finial to be planted on the top of the vimana of the temple’. This means that it took a mere six years for this architectural brilliance to be completed.

Refer: https://thanjavur.info/thanjavur-tourism/brihadeeswarar-temple-thanjavur/

Ans: (c)

Explanation:

• The Great Himalayan National Park Conservation Area is located in the Banjaar sub-division of Kullu, Himachal Pradesh. It was established in 1984 and was designated as a National Park only in 1999.
• GNHP lies at the junction of two important faunal regions of the world, the orinetal to the South and the palaearctic to the North.
• It is also a sanctuary for four globally endangered mammals (serow, himalayan tahr, musk deer, snow leopard), three endangered bird species (western tragopan, koklas, cheer pheasants) and several medicinal plants. GNHP also has 34 out of 47 species of threatened medicinal plants of Himachal Pradesh. All the species are protected under the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972.

Refer: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1406/

Ans: (d)

Explanation:

• Keoladeo National Park is an avifauna sanctuary in Bharatpur, Rajasthan, India. It was formerly known as Bharatpur Ghana Bird Sanctuary. It has been recognised as one of the world’s most important bird breeding and feeding grounds.
• Keoladeo served as a royal duck shooting reserve and these rights were withdrawn in 1972. In 1981, Keoladeo National Park was declared a World Heritage Site.
• It is a man-made national park and is home to three hundred sixty-six species of birds, three hundred and seventy-nine floral species, fifty species of fish, thirteen species of snakes, seven amphibian species, seven turtle species and five species of lizards.
• The highlight of Keoladeo sanctuary is that it is the only known wintering area of the endangered Siberian Crane (bird-Crane). Every year these birds cover a distance of up to 6000 km from Siberia to reach Bharatpur which now has declined due to hydrological changes. The park has also been identified as the largest roost of Eurasian Marsh Harrier (Bird). It has been observed that more than one hundred and fifty Eurasian Marsh Harrier roost in the grasslands of the sanctuary when conditions are favourable.
• Being a wetland it becomes absolutely necessary for the sanctuary to get running water supply. Currently, the park receives water from a reservoir called ‘Ajan Bund’ and the seasonal rainfall.

Refer: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/340/

Ans: (c)

Explanation:

• The Khangchendzonga National Park forms the core area of the Khangchendzonga Biosphere Reserve which was declared as India’s first ‘Mixed World Heritage Site’ by UNESCO in 2016. This declaration recognizes both the rich natural and cultural heritage of the site.
• The park is named after the mountain Kangchenjunga (alternative spelling Khangchendzonga), which is the third-highest peak in the world.
• It was included in the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Programme.

Refer: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1513/

Ans: (a)

Explanation:

• Manas Wildlife Sanctuary is located in the state of Assam. It is situated in the foothills of the Himalayas on the eastern bank of the Manas River, which is the largest tributary of the river Brahmaputra. The northern part of the sanctuary lies in an area of a dense, mixed semi-evergreen, evergreen, and wet-deciduous forest region. The southern part of the preserve is grassland. Together the vegetation offers a habitat to a large number of endangered and endemic species of flora and fauna. In 1985 UNESCO designated the sanctuary as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
• The park also sustains elephants, tigers, clouded leopards, sloth bears, and swamp deer. The sanctuary has a wild-buffalo population which is supposed to be the only pure strain of this species to be presently found in India. It also has some endemic species like the pygmy hog, hispid hare and golden langur. There are a large number of birds, reptiles, and amphibians that inhabit the sanctuary, which includes the endangered Bengal florican. A highly diversified plant life is seen here which includes trees, shrubs, herbs, climbers and dense undergrowth. Besides these, the grasses that grow here provide vital forage to a range of hoofed mammals that live here.

Refer: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/338/