The 2016 Codex
Questions 31 to 40 (Set A)
In the context of the developments in Bioinformatics, the term 'transcriptome', sometimes seen in the news, refers to
The Secret Whisper
Official Key: (b) the full range of mRNA molecules expressed by an organism
In molecular biology, the Genome is the entire set of DNA in an organism (the master blueprint). However, DNA must be transcribed into messenger RNA (mRNA) to actually build proteins. The Transcriptome is the complete set of all these mRNA transcripts produced in a cell or a population of cells. Unlike the genome, which is mostly fixed, the transcriptome actively changes based on what the organism needs at that exact moment (e.g., fighting an infection).
Note: Option A refers to CRISPR/Cas9 or restriction enzymes. Option C refers to the central dogma of molecular biology.
Route: [REALM 241: Genetics & Bioinformatics]The Molecular Library
The Seven Colors of Health
'Mission Indradhanush' launched by the Government of India pertains to
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Official Key: (a) immunization of children and pregnant women
Launched by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in 2014, Mission Indradhanush aims to rapidly increase full immunization coverage in India. The name "Indradhanush" (rainbow) was chosen to represent the seven original life-saving vaccines (Diphtheria, Whooping Cough, Tetanus, Polio, Tuberculosis, Measles, and Hepatitis B) provided universally and freely to pregnant women and children under two years of age (later expanded to cover more diseases).
Note: Do not confuse this with "Indradhanush" for Public Sector Banks, which is a 7-point reform plan for reviving PSBs.
Route: [REALM 154: Public Health Schemes]Which of the following best describes/describe the aim of 'Green India Mission' of the Government of India?
1. Incorporating environmental benefits and costs into the Union and State Budgets thereby implementing the 'green accounting'
2. Launching the second green revolution to enhance agricultural output so as to ensure food security to one and all in the future
3. Restoring and enhancing forest cover and responding to climate change by a combination of adaptation and mitigation measures
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
The Secret Whisper
Official Key: (c) 3 only
The National Mission for a Green India (GIM) is one of the eight specific Missions under the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC).
- Statement 1 is False: "Green accounting" (incorporating environmental costs into GDP/Budgets) is a separate macroeconomic goal initiated by bodies like the MoEFCC and statistical agencies, not the objective of the Green India Mission.
- Statement 2 is False: A "second green revolution" relates strictly to agricultural productivity and food security (focusing on eastern India and sustainable farming). The Green India Mission is about forestry, not farming.
- Statement 3 is True: The core aim of GIM is to protect, restore, and enhance India's forest cover and respond to climate change via afforestation, generating carbon sinks (mitigation), and helping forest-dependent communities adapt (adaptation).
The Forest Mandate
The Mandatory Package
With reference to pre-packaged items in India, it is mandatory to the manufacturer to put which of the following information on the main label, as per the Food Safety and Standards (Packaging and Labelling) Regulations, 2011?
1. List of ingredients including additives
2. Nutrition information
3. Recommendations, if any, made by the medical profession about the possibility of any allergic reactions
4. Vegetarian/non-vegetarian
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Official Key: (c) 1, 2 and 4
This tests practical observation of FSSAI rules on everyday packaged food items.
Statements 1, 2, and 4 are Mandatory: Every packaged food must list its ingredients and additives, carry a nutritional information panel, and prominently display the vegetarian (green dot) or non-vegetarian (brown/red dot) logo.
Statement 3 is False: While FSSAI mandates the declaration of major known allergens (like peanuts or gluten), it absolutely does not require "recommendations made by the medical profession" to be printed on food packets. In fact, medical claims on standard food items are highly restricted.
Route: [REALM 374: Food Safety & Standards (FSSAI)]'Project Loon', sometimes seen in the news, is related to
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Official Key: (b) wireless communication technology
Project Loon was a highly ambitious research and development project originally launched by Google's parent company, Alphabet (in their 'X' moonshot lab). The project deployed a network of massive, solar-powered high-altitude balloons flying in the stratosphere (about 18-25 km high) to provide wireless Internet access (LTE) to rural, remote, and disaster-struck areas where building traditional cell towers was impossible or too expensive. (Note: The project was officially shut down in 2021 due to commercial non-viability).
Route: [REALM 496: IoT, Big Data & Telecommunications]The Stratospheric Web
The Reversing Dial
'Net metering' is sometimes seen in the news in the context of promoting the
The Secret Whisper
Official Key: (a) production and use of solar energy by the households/consumers
Net Metering is an essential billing mechanism to incentivize rooftop solar installations. If a household installs solar panels and generates more electricity than it consumes during the day, the excess electricity is exported back to the main power grid. The electricity meter literally runs backward. At the end of the month, the consumer is only billed for the "net" energy used (total energy consumed from the grid minus the total energy exported to the grid).
Route: [REALM 74: Solar Energy & Grid Integration]India's ranking in the 'Ease of Doing Business Index' is sometimes seen in the news. Which of the following has declared that ranking?
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Official Key: (c) World Bank
The Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) Index was a flagship annual report published by the World Bank Group. It ranked 190 economies based on 10 parameters (like starting a business, getting electricity, registering property, paying taxes, and enforcing contracts). India heavily targeted this index to improve its global ranking to attract FDI.
Note: In 2021, the World Bank permanently discontinued the EoDB report due to massive data-rigging scandals involving several countries, shifting to a new methodology called the "Business Ready" (B-READY) project.
Route: [REALM 224: Economic & Business Indices] & [REALM 184: World Bank Group]The Corporate Ladder
The Tanda Caravan
Banjaras during the medieval period of Indian history were generally
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Official Key: (d) traders
During the medieval period (especially under the Delhi Sultanate and Mughal Empire), the Banjaras were the most important nomadic trader-transporters. They moved in massive caravans called Tandas, which sometimes contained tens of thousands of pack-bullocks.
Alauddin Khalji heavily relied on Banjaras to transport grain from the villages to the city markets of Delhi to maintain his strict price control system. Later, Emperor Jahangir wrote in his memoirs that Banjaras carried massive amounts of grain to feed the massive Mughal armies during their military campaigns.
Route: [REALM 34: Economy & Urbanization (Medieval)] & [REALM 27: Cultural History]Who of the following had first deciphered the edicts of Emperor Ashoka?
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Official Key: (b) James Prinsep
This is a massive milestone in Indian historiography. For centuries, the pillars and rock edicts scattered across India were a complete mystery, as the ancient Brahmi and Kharosthi scripts had been entirely forgotten.
In 1837, James Prinsep, an officer in the mint of the East India Company and an official of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, successfully deciphered the ancient Brahmi script. He read the title "Devanampiya Piyadasi" (Beloved of the Gods), which was later proven to be the magnificent Mauryan Emperor, Ashoka. This single decipherment unlocked the entire ancient history of the Mauryan Empire.
Note: William Jones founded the Asiatic Society in 1784. Max Muller was a Vedic scholar. Georg Buhler was a later epigraphist who translated the Laws of Manu.
Route: [REALM 18: Ashoka & Administration] & [REALM 01: Sources of Ancient History]The Unlocked Code
The Village Court
With reference to the 'Gram Nyayalaya Act', which of the following statements is/are correct?
1. As per the Act, Gram Nyayalayas can hear only civil cases and not criminal cases.
2. The Act allows local social activists as mediators/reconciliators.
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
The Secret Whisper
Official Key: (b) 2 only
The Gram Nyayalayas Act, 2008 was enacted to provide access to justice to citizens at their doorsteps at the grassroots level.
Statement 1 is False: Gram Nyayalayas are established at the Panchayat level. They are presided over by a Nyayadhikari (Judicial Magistrate of First Class) and hold jurisdiction over both civil AND criminal cases (specifically petty offenses with lesser punishments).
Statement 2 is True: The primary objective of these courts is to settle disputes through conciliation. Section 27 of the Act mandates the creation of a panel of Conciliators, explicitly including local social activists with integrity, to mediate and resolve disputes peacefully before formal trials.
Route: [REALM 190: Gram Nyayalayas & Alternative Dispute Resolution]