The 2014 Codex
Questions 71 to 80 (Set A)
The power of the Supreme Court of India to decide disputes between the Centre and the States falls under its
The Secret Whisper
Official Key: (c) original jurisdiction
This is a direct test of Article 131 of the Indian Constitution. As a federal court, the Supreme Court acts as the sole umpire in disputes between different units of the Indian Federation.
Any dispute between the Centre and one or more States, or between two or more States, falls under the Original Jurisdiction of the Supreme Court. It is termed "original" because such high-level federal disputes cannot originate or be heard in any lower court (like a High Court) and must be brought directly and exclusively to the Supreme Court.
Route: [REALM 82: Supreme Court Jurisdictions (Article 131)]The Federal Umpire
The Genetic Edit
Consider the following techniques/phenomena:
1. Budding and grafting in fruit plants
2. Cytoplasmic male sterility
3. Gene silencing
Which of the above is/are used to create transgenic crops?
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Official Key: (b) 2 and 3
Transgenic crops are Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) created by artificially altering DNA using advanced biotechnology.
- 1. Budding and grafting: False. These are ancient, traditional vegetative propagation techniques used by farmers for thousands of years. They involve physical splicing, not genetic engineering.
- 2. Cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS): True. CMS is a critical genetic tool utilized extensively in hybrid seed production, notably combined with the barnase-barstar gene system to create transgenic crops like GM Mustard (Dhara Mustard Hybrid-11).
- 3. Gene silencing: True. Techniques like RNA interference (RNAi) are used to silence specific genes. This was famously used to create the Flavr Savr tomato (delaying ripening) and pest-resistant transgenic plants.
Consider the following statements:
1. Maize can be used for the production of starch.
2. Oil extracted from maize can be a feedstock for biodiesel.
3. Alcoholic beverages can be produced by using maize.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
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Official Key: (d) 1, 2 and 3
Maize (corn) is one of the most versatile and heavily processed industrial crops globally.
- Statement 1 is True: The endosperm of the maize kernel is predominantly starch. It is heavily milled to produce commercial corn starch (used in food, paper, and bioplastics).
- Statement 2 is True: Corn oil (extracted from the germ of the maize kernel) is a highly viable biological feedstock used globally to chemically synthesize biodiesel.
- Statement 3 is True: The starch in maize is easily fermented into ethanol. It is globally used to produce alcoholic beverages (most famously, Bourbon whiskey, which by law must be made from at least 51% corn).
The Versatile Crop
The Odd Phylum Out
Among the following organisms, which one does not belong to the class of other three?
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Official Key: (a) Crab
This is a basic biological classification question within the Phylum Arthropoda (animals with jointed appendages).
- Spider, Scorpion, and Mite all belong strictly to the Class Arachnida. They are characterized by having exactly eight legs and lacking antennae.
- Crab, however, belongs to the Class Malacostraca (within the Subphylum Crustacea). Crustaceans typically possess ten legs, have two pairs of antennae, and are primarily aquatic. Thus, the crab is the odd one out.
The power to increase the number of judges in the Supreme Court of India is vested in
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Official Key: (b) the Parliament
This tests the institutional balance of power regarding the judiciary.
Under Article 124(1) of the Constitution, the Supreme Court of India shall consist of a Chief Justice of India and, "until Parliament by law prescribes a larger number," not more than seven other Judges. Therefore, the absolute constitutional power to increase the number of Supreme Court judges lies entirely with the Parliament.
Note: The Parliament exercises this power by amending the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act, 1956 (the number was gradually increased from 8 to 34 over the decades). The President merely signs the appointments, but cannot alter the sanctioned strength.
Route: [REALM 82: The Supreme Court (Composition)]The Judicial Expansion
The Handloom Map
Consider the following towns of India:
1. Bhadrachalam
2. Chanderi
3. Kancheepuram
4. Karnal
Which of the above are famous for the production of traditional sarees/fabric?
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Official Key: (b) 2 and 3 only
This maps famous towns to their primary cultural or economic exports.
- 2. Chanderi (True): Located in Madhya Pradesh, it is globally famous for its handloom Chanderi sarees, known for their sheer texture and Zarri work.
- 3. Kancheepuram (True): Located in Tamil Nadu, it is legendary for its rich, heavy silk Kanjeevaram sarees.
- 1. Bhadrachalam (False): Located in Telangana, it is primarily a major Hindu pilgrimage town famous for the Sita Ramachandraswamy Temple, not textiles.
- 4. Karnal (False): Located in Haryana, it is famous for the National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI) and agriculture, not traditional sarees.
Consider the following pairs: National Highway : Cities connected
| 1. NH 4 | Chennai and Hyderabad |
| 2. NH 6 | Mumbai and Kolkata |
| 3. NH 15 | Ahmedabad and Jodhpur |
Which of the above pairs is/are correctly matched?
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Official Key: (d) None
Context Note: This question uses the older (pre-2010 rationalization) NH numbering system valid during the 2014 exam. All pairs are completely mismatched.
- 1. NH 4: Connected Mumbai to Chennai (via Pune and Bengaluru). It did not connect to Hyderabad.
- 2. NH 6: Connected Surat (Hazira in Gujarat) to Kolkata (via Nagpur). It did not originate in Mumbai.
- 3. NH 15: Was the major border highway running from Pathankot (Punjab) to Samakhiali (Gujarat) via Rajasthan. It did not primarily link Ahmedabad and Jodhpur as its definitive endpoints.
The Highway Mismatch
The Ecosystem Canopy
Consider the following international agreements:
1. The International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture
2. The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification
3. The World Heritage Convention
Which of the above has/have a bearing on the biodiversity?
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Official Key: (d) 1, 2 and 3
This tests the broad, interconnected nature of global environmental conventions.
- 1. ITPGRFA (Seed Treaty): Directly protects agrobiodiversity and plant genetic resources crucial for food security.
- 2. UNCCD (Desertification): By preventing land degradation and restoring arid ecosystems, it directly saves the native flora and fauna residing in those fragile environments from extinction.
- 3. World Heritage Convention: Besides cultural sites, it explicitly identifies and protects "Natural Heritage" sites of outstanding universal value (like Kaziranga or the Great Barrier Reef), making it a massive tool for biodiversity conservation.
Consider the following statements regarding 'Earth Hour':
1. It is an initiative of UNEP and UNESCO.
2. It is a movement in which the participants switch off the lights for one hour on a certain day every year.
3. It is a movement to raise the awareness about the climate change and the need to save the planet.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
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Official Key: (c) 2 and 3 only
Earth Hour is one of the most famous grassroots environmental campaigns globally.
Statement 1 is False: It is an institutional trap. Earth Hour was completely originated and organized by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) (starting in Sydney in 2007), not by UN agencies like UNEP or UNESCO.
Statements 2 and 3 are True: The defining action of the movement is asking individuals, businesses, and landmarks to switch off non-essential lights for exactly one hour (usually the last Saturday of March) purely as a symbolic gesture to raise massive public awareness regarding climate change and energy conservation.
Route: [REALM 191: Conservation NGOs (WWF & Earth Hour)]The Panda's Dark Hour
The Marine Ladder
Which one of the following is the correct sequence of a food chain?
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Official Key: (a) Diatoms-Crustaceans-Herrings
This traces the fundamental trophic levels of a marine aquatic food chain.
- Diatoms (Producer): These are microscopic, photosynthetic single-celled algae (phytoplankton). They form the absolute base of the marine food web.
- Crustaceans (Primary Consumer): Small zooplankton crustaceans (like krill and copepods) filter-feed on the diatoms.
- Herrings (Secondary Consumer): These are small pelagic fish that swim in massive schools and feed predominantly on those tiny crustaceans.