The 2015 Codex
Questions 21 to 30 (Set A)
Which one of the following issues the 'Global Economic Prospects' report periodically?
The Secret Whisper
Official Key: (d) The World Bank
The Global Economic Prospects (GEP) report is a flagship publication issued twice a year (in January and June) by the World Bank Group. It examines global economic developments and prospects, with a special focus on emerging market and developing economies.
Note: Do not confuse this with the World Economic Outlook, which is published by the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Route: [REALM 184: World Bank Group & Reports]The World's Ledger
The Liquidity Release
When the Reserve Bank of India reduces the Statutory Liquidity Ratio by 50 basis points, which of the following is likely to happen?
The Secret Whisper
Official Key: (c) Scheduled Commercial Banks may cut their lending rates
The Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR) is the minimum percentage of deposits that a commercial bank must maintain in safe liquid assets (like government bonds or gold) before lending to customers.
If the RBI reduces the SLR, it means banks are required to lock up less money in reserves. This instantly frees up their cash, giving them more money to lend to the public (increasing liquidity, contradicting option d). Because they have more funds available to lend, Scheduled Commercial Banks may cut their lending rates (interest rates) to attract borrowers and deploy this excess liquidity into the market.
Note: Option A is too extreme ("drastically"). Option B depends more on interest rate differentials and global market sentiment than domestic SLR cuts.
Route: [REALM 114: Instruments of Monetary Policy]With reference to the use of nanotechnology in health sector, which of the following statements is/are correct?
1. Targeted drug delivery is made possible by nanotechnology.
2. Nanotechnology can largely contribute to gene therapy.
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
The Secret Whisper
Official Key: (c) Both 1 and 2
Statement 1 is True: One of the most revolutionary applications of nanomedicine is targeted drug delivery. Instead of flooding the entire body with toxic chemo-drugs, nanoparticles (like liposomes or carbon nanotubes) can be engineered to carry the drug directly to the specific cancer cells, vastly reducing side effects.
Statement 2 is True: Gene therapy involves replacing or repairing defective DNA inside a patient's cells. Nanotechnology contributes heavily to this by providing non-viral nanovectors (like polymeric nanoparticles) that can safely protect and transport the fragile therapeutic DNA/RNA directly into the cell nucleus without triggering an immune response.
Route: [REALM 511: Nanomedicine & Gene Therapy]The Nano Healers
The State Mandi
In India, markets in agricultural products are regulated under the
The Secret Whisper
Official Key: (b) Agricultural Produce Market Committee Act enacted by States
Because 'Agriculture' is specifically listed as a State Subject in the Seventh Schedule of the Indian Constitution, the physical marketing of agricultural products is strictly regulated by the respective State governments.
States do this by enacting their own Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) Acts. These acts establish the APMC Mandis (wholesale markets) where farmers bring their produce to be auctioned transparently, preventing exploitation by local moneylenders and middlemen.
Route: [REALM 128: Agricultural Marketing & APMC]Which one of the following is the national aquatic animal of India?
The Secret Whisper
Official Key: (c) Gangetic dolphin
In 2009, the Government of India officially declared the Gangetic Dolphin (Platanista gangetica), locally known as "Susu", as the National Aquatic Animal of India.
This highly endangered freshwater dolphin is essentially blind and relies entirely on echolocation. Because it can only survive in pure, fresh water, it serves as a critical indicator species for the ecological health of the entire Ganga-Brahmaputra river ecosystem.
Route: [REALM 105: Aquatic Wildlife Conservation] & [REALM 66: National Symbols]The River's Indicator
The Democratic Left
With reference to Congress Socialist Party, consider the following statements:
1. It advocated the boycott of British goods and evasion of taxes.
2. It wanted to establish the dictatorship of proletariat.
3. It advocated separate electorate for minorities and oppressed classes.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
The Secret Whisper
Official Key: (d) None
The Congress Socialist Party (CSP) was formed in 1934 within the Indian National Congress by Jayaprakash Narayan, Acharya Narendra Dev, and Minoo Masani.
- Statement 1 is False: While they were ardent nationalists, "boycott and tax evasion" was the specific mass-agitation strategy of Gandhi's Non-Cooperation and Civil Disobedience movements, not the core ideological platform defining the CSP.
- Statement 2 is False: This is the defining difference between the CSP and the Communists (CPI). The CSP strongly believed in Democratic Socialism. They rejected the hardcore Soviet Marxist-Leninist idea of establishing a "dictatorship of the proletariat".
- Statement 3 is False: Like the main Indian National Congress, the CSP vehemently opposed the British policy of "divide and rule" and absolutely rejected separate electorates for minorities or depressed classes.
Consider the following statements:
1. The Rajya Sabha has no power either to reject or to amend a Money Bill.
2. The Rajya Sabha cannot vote on the Demands for Grants.
3. The Rajya Sabha cannot discuss the Annual Financial Statement.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
The Secret Whisper
Official Key: (b) 1 and 2 only
This tests the asymmetrical financial powers of the two houses of Parliament.
Statement 1 is True: Under Article 109, the Rajya Sabha cannot reject or amend a Money Bill. It can only make recommendations and must return it to the Lok Sabha within 14 days.
Statement 2 is True: Under Article 113, the power to vote on the Demands for Grants (the actual authorization to spend money from the Consolidated Fund) is the exclusive, absolute privilege of the directly elected Lok Sabha.
Statement 3 is False: While the Rajya Sabha cannot vote on the Demands for Grants, it absolutely can and does discuss the Annual Financial Statement (the Union Budget). The Budget is laid before both Houses.
Route: [REALM 137: Legislative Procedure (Money Bills)] & [REALM 138: Budget in Parliament]The Financial Imbalance
The Federal Blueprint
The Government of India Act of 1919 clearly defined
The Secret Whisper
Official Key: (b) the jurisdiction of the central and provincial governments
The Government of India Act, 1919 (based on the Montagu-Chelmsford reforms) introduced a massive structural change to British Indian administration by formally relaxing central control over the provinces.
It did this through the Devolution Rules, which explicitly demarcated and separated the administrative subjects into two distinct lists: the Central List (defense, foreign affairs) and the Provincial List (health, education). This clearly defined the jurisdiction of the central and provincial governments. (The Provincial List was further divided into Reserved and Transferred subjects, introducing Dyarchy).
Route: [REALM 41: Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms (1919 Act)]Which of the following brings out the 'Consumer Price Index Number for Industrial Workers'?
The Secret Whisper
Official Key: (c) The Labour Bureau
In India, different inflation indices are calculated by different agencies based on their target demographic.
While the broader CPI (Rural/Urban/Combined) is compiled by the National Statistical Office (NSO) under MoSPI, the highly specific Consumer Price Index for Industrial Workers (CPI-IW) is compiled and published by the Labour Bureau (an attached office of the Ministry of Labour & Employment). This specific index is crucial because it is used to calculate the Dearness Allowance (DA) for central government employees and industrial workers.
Route: [REALM 119: Inflation Measurement (CPI & WPI)]The Worker's Basket
The Frozen Telescope
In the context of modern scientific research, consider the following statements about 'IceCube', a particle detector located at South Pole, which was recently in the news:
1. It is the world's largest neutrino detector, encompassing a cubic kilometre of ice.
2. It is a powerful telescope to search for dark matter.
3. It is buried deep in the ice.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
The Secret Whisper
Official Key: (d) 1, 2 and 3
The IceCube Neutrino Observatory is an incredible feat of astrophysics located at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station.
- Statements 1 and 3 are True: It is indeed the world's largest neutrino detector. It consists of thousands of optical sensors distributed over a cubic kilometer volume, buried deep beneath the Antarctic surface (between 1,450 and 2,450 meters deep in the ice) to shield it from background cosmic rays.
- Statement 2 is True: While its primary job is detecting high-energy cosmic neutrinos, one of its fundamental scientific missions is acting as a telescope to search for indirect evidence of Dark Matter (such as WIMPs colliding and annihilating in the Sun or Earth's core, producing neutrinos that IceCube can detect).