The 2014 Codex
Questions 11 to 20 (Set A)
With reference to a grouping of countries known as BRICS, consider the following statements:
1. The First Summit of BRICS was held in Rio de Janeiro in 2009.
2. South Africa was the last to join the BRICS grouping.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
The Secret Whisper
Official Key: (b) 2 only
The evolution of BRICS contains specific geographical trivia.
- Statement 1 is False: The very first BRIC (not BRICS yet) summit was held in Yekaterinburg, Russia in June 2009, not in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
- Statement 2 is True: The original grouping was just "BRIC" (Brazil, Russia, India, China) conceptualized by Jim O'Neill. South Africa was formally invited to join the group in December 2010, appending the 'S' to make it BRICS. Thus, it was the last to join the original expansion.
The S Added Last
The Zero Count
Consider the following diseases:
1. Diphtheria
2. Chickenpox
3. Smallpox
Which of the above diseases has/have been eradicated in India?
The Secret Whisper
Official Key: (b) 3 only
Eradication implies that the disease is permanently eliminated worldwide, with zero natural cases.
- Smallpox (3) is the only human disease to have been completely eradicated globally. The WHO officially certified its eradication in 1980.
- Diphtheria (1) and Chickenpox (2) are vaccine-preventable, but they are absolutely still active and prevalent in India. They have not been eradicated.
Note: Guinea worm disease and Polio have also been officially eradicated from India, but they were not in the options.
Route: [REALM 154: Public Health & Eradicated Diseases]Which of the following phenomena might have influenced the evolution of organisms?
1. Continental drift
2. Glacial cycles
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
The Secret Whisper
Official Key: (c) Both 1 and 2
Evolution is driven heavily by environmental changes and geographical isolation.
1. Continental drift (True): As tectonic plates moved and supercontinents like Pangea broke apart, populations of organisms were physically isolated from each other across new oceans. This geographic isolation prevents interbreeding, leading directly to allopatric speciation (e.g., marsupials evolving uniquely in Australia).
2. Glacial cycles (True): The repeated advance and retreat of massive ice sheets drastically altered global climates and sea levels. Organisms were forced into isolated "refugia" (ice-free pockets), adapting to harsh new environments or facing extinction, massively driving natural selection.
Route: [REALM 141: Ecology & Evolutionary Biology]The Geological Drivers
The Fragmented River
Other than poaching, what are the possible reasons for the decline in the population of Ganges River Dolphins?
1. Construction of dams and barrages on rivers
2. Increase in the population of crocodiles in rivers
3. Getting trapped in fishing nets accidentally
4. Use of synthetic fertilizers and other agricultural chemicals in crop-fields in the vicinity of rivers
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
The Secret Whisper
Official Key: (c) 1, 3 and 4 only
The Gangetic Dolphin (Susu) is highly sensitive to ecological disturbances in its riverine habitat.
- 1. Dams and Barrages (True): These structures fragment the river, blocking migration paths and isolating dolphin populations, making them vulnerable to localized extinction.
- 3. Trapped in nets (True): Entanglement in nylon gillnets (bycatch) is actually one of the highest causes of accidental dolphin mortality.
- 4. Fertilizers/Chemicals (True): Agricultural runoff poisons the river ecosystem, accumulating toxins in the fish that dolphins consume (biomagnification).
- 2. Crocodiles (False): Gharials and crocodiles have coexisted with Gangetic dolphins for millions of years. Their population increase is not a driving reason for the dolphin's decline.
The Radcliffe Committee was appointed to
The Secret Whisper
Official Key: (c) delimit the boundaries between India and Pakistan
As the British finalized their exit under the Mountbatten Plan (1947), the monumental and chaotic task of physically dividing the subcontinent was assigned to two Boundary Commissions (one for Punjab, one for Bengal).
Both commissions were chaired by a British lawyer, Sir Cyril Radcliffe (who had never visited India before). The Radcliffe Committee's sole and hurried mandate was to delimit the boundaries between the newly created nations of India and Pakistan. The resulting border became known as the Radcliffe Line.
Route: [REALM 46: Partition & Independence (Mountbatten Plan)]The Architect's Pen
The Silent Persisters
Brominated flame retardants are used in many household products like mattresses and upholstery. Why is there some concern about their use?
1. They are highly resistant to degradation in the environment.
2. They are able to accumulate in humans and animals.
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
The Secret Whisper
Official Key: (c) Both 1 and 2
Brominated Flame Retardants (BFRs) are synthetic mixtures added to industrial and consumer products (like electronics and furniture) to reduce flammability.
However, they belong to the dangerous class of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs). This means they are extremely stable chemical structures that resist natural degradation in the environment (1). Because they are lipophilic (fat-soluble) and do not break down, they move up the food chain and deeply bio-accumulate in the fatty tissues of animals and humans (2), posing severe risks to the endocrine and nervous systems.
Route: [REALM 152: Chemical Pollution & POPs]Consider the following: 1. Bats, 2. Bears, 3. Rodents. The phenomenon of hibernation can be observed in which of the above kinds of animals?
The Secret Whisper
Official Key: (c) 1, 2 and 3
Hibernation is a state of severe metabolic depression (reduced body temperature, slowed breathing) adopted by certain animals to survive long winters when food is scarce.
- 1. Bats: True. Many species of bats are true deep-hibernators, clustering in caves for months.
- 2. Bears: True. Bears undergo a form of winter sleep/hibernation where their metabolic rate drops significantly, though they can wake up more easily than deep hibernators.
- 3. Rodents: True. Many rodents (like marmots, ground squirrels, and dormice) are classic examples of extreme true hibernators.
The Winter Sleep
The Numbers Game
Which one of the following is the largest Committee of the Parliament?
The Secret Whisper
Official Key: (b) The Committee on Estimates
This is a straightforward test of parliamentary committee memberships.
- The Estimates Committee is the absolute largest committee in Parliament. It consists of exactly 30 members, and uniquely, all 30 members are elected exclusively from the Lok Sabha (no Rajya Sabha representation).
- Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has 22 members (15 from LS and 7 from RS).
- Committee on Public Undertakings (COPU) also has 22 members (15 from LS and 7 from RS).
- Committee on Petitions has 15 members in Lok Sabha and 10 members in Rajya Sabha.
Which of the following adds/add carbon dioxide to the carbon cycle on the planet Earth?
1. Volcanic action
2. Respiration
3. Photosynthesis
4. Decay of organic matter
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
The Secret Whisper
Official Key: (c) 1, 2 and 4 only
The key word here is "adds" CO2 to the atmosphere.
- 1. Volcanic action: True. Eruptions release vast amounts of deeply trapped CO2 into the atmosphere.
- 2. Respiration: True. All aerobic animals (and plants at night) breathe in oxygen and exhale CO2.
- 4. Decay of organic matter: True. Decomposers breaking down dead matter release CO2 back into the cycle.
- 3. Photosynthesis: False. This is the exact opposite. Plants absorb (remove) CO2 from the atmosphere to make glucose. It does not add CO2.
The Source vs Sink
The Foraging Partner
1. Painted Stork
2. Common Myna
3. Black-necked Crane
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
The Secret Whisper
Official Key: (b) 2 only
This beautiful question tests everyday ecological observation (commensalism).
- 2. Common Myna (True): The Common Myna (along with the Cattle Egret) is famous for closely trailing grazing cattle. As the heavy cows walk through the grass, they flush out hidden insects, which the Myna immediately swoops down and eats.
- 1. Painted Stork (False): This is a large wading bird strictly found in wetlands and shallow waters, hunting for fish and frogs, not stalking cattle in dry grasslands.
- 3. Black-necked Crane (False): A high-altitude bird native to the Tibetan plateau and Ladakh. It does not engage in this countryside cattle-stalking behavior.