The 2016 Codex
Questions 91 to 100 (Set A)
Consider the following statements: The Mangalyaan launched by ISRO
1. is also called the Mars Orbiter Mission
2. made India the second country to have a spacecraft orbit the Mars after USA
3. made India the only country to be successful in making its spacecraft orbit the Mars in its very first attempt
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
The Secret Whisper
Official Key: (c) 1 and 3 only
Statement 1 is True: Mangalyaan is the informal name for the official Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) launched by ISRO in 2013.
Statement 2 is False: This is a factual trap. India was not the second country. India was the fourth space agency to reach Mars, following the Soviet space program (Roscosmos), NASA (USA), and the European Space Agency (ESA).
Statement 3 is True: This was ISRO's legendary achievement. While the USSR, USA, and ESA took multiple failed attempts to reach Martian orbit, India became the first and only country in the world to succeed on its very first maiden attempt.
Route: [REALM 378: ISRO Interplanetary Missions]The First Attempt
The Broken Congress
What was the main reason for the split in the Indian National Congress at Surat in 1907?
The Secret Whisper
Official Key: (b) Extremists' lack of faith in the capacity of the moderates to negotiate with the British Government
The Surat Split of 1907 was the dramatic breaking point of the Indian National Congress. Following the Swadeshi Movement (1905), the "Extremist" faction (led by Lal-Bal-Pal and Aurobindo Ghosh) wanted to expand the boycott globally across India and use militant mass agitation.
The "Moderates" (led by Gokhale and Pherozeshah Mehta) wanted to confine the movement to Bengal and rely strictly on constitutional methods, petitions, and prayers. The Extremists had utterly lost faith in these "mendicancy" (begging) tactics and believed the Moderates were incapable of negotiating real change. This fundamental ideological clash over methods tore the party apart.
Route: [REALM 27: Extremist Phase & Surat Split]The plan of Sir Stafford Cripps envisaged that after the Second World War
The Secret Whisper
Official Key: (d) India should be given Dominion status
In March 1942, with the Japanese advancing rapidly toward India during World War II, the British desperately needed Indian political support. They sent the Cripps Mission.
The core proposal of Stafford Cripps was to grant India Dominion Status and set up a Constituent Assembly, but only after the end of the war. The Indian National Congress, which had already declared Purna Swaraj (Complete Independence) as its goal back in 1929, completely rejected this. Mahatma Gandhi famously dismissed the Cripps offer as a "post-dated cheque on a crashing bank."
Route: [REALM 46: Cripps Mission & Quit India]The Post-Dated Cheque
The Cultural Cartography
Consider the following pairs: Famous place : Region
1. Bodhgaya : Baghelkhand
2. Khajuraho : Bundelkhand
3. Shirdi : Vidarbha
4. Nasik (Nashik) : Malwa
5. Tirupati : Rayalaseema
Which of the pairs given above are correctly matched?
The Secret Whisper
Official Key: (c) 2 and 5 only
This maps famous cultural centers to India's micro-geographic regions:
- 1. Bodhgaya: False. It is located in the Magadh region of Bihar. Baghelkhand is in northeastern Madhya Pradesh.
- 2. Khajuraho: True. It is located in the Chhatarpur district, which is the heart of the Bundelkhand region (MP/UP border).
- 3. Shirdi: False. It is located in the Ahmednagar district of western Maharashtra. Vidarbha is the eastern-most region of Maharashtra (Nagpur/Amravati).
- 4. Nasik: False. Nasik is in the northwestern region of Maharashtra (Khandesh/Desh region). Malwa is a volcanic plateau in western Madhya Pradesh.
- 5. Tirupati: True. The temple city is located in the Chittoor district, which falls precisely in the Rayalaseema region of Andhra Pradesh.
The Parliament of India acquires the power to legislate on any item in the State List in the national interest if a resolution to that effect is passed by the
The Secret Whisper
Official Key: (d) Rajya Sabha by a majority of not less than two-thirds of its members present and voting
This is a direct test of Article 249 of the Constitution, which deals with the legislative relations between the Centre and the States.
Normally, Parliament cannot make laws on subjects in the State List. However, if the Rajya Sabha (the Council of States, which represents state interests) declares that it is necessary in the national interest, it can temporarily transfer an item to the Union. To do this, the Rajya Sabha must pass a resolution supported by a special majority—not less than two-thirds of the members present and voting. (Such a resolution remains in force for one year).
Route: [REALM 128: Special Powers of Rajya Sabha] & [REALM 80: Centre-State Legislative Relations]The Federal Transfer
The Desert Canal
Recently, which of the following States has explored the possibility of constructing an artificial inland port to be connected to sea by a long navigational channel?
The Secret Whisper
Official Key: (d) Rajasthan
In a highly ambitious infrastructure proposal in 2015/2016, the landlocked state of Rajasthan explored the feasibility of developing an artificial inland port in its Jalore district. The plan proposed digging a massive navigational channel connecting Jalore directly to the Arabian Sea via the Rann of Kutch in Gujarat, aiming to drastically cut logistics costs for exporting the state's minerals and goods.
Route: [REALM 103: Ports & Waterways Infrastructure]With reference to the Agreement at the UNFCCC Meeting in Paris in 2015, which of the following statements is/are correct?
1. The Agreement was signed by all the member countries of the UN and it will go into effect in 2017.
2. The Agreement aims to limit the greenhouse gas emissions so that the rise in average global temperature by the end of this century does not exceed 2°C or even 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.
3. Developed countries acknowledged their historical responsibility in global warming and committed to donate $ 1000 billion a year from 2020 to help developing countries to cope with climate change.
The Secret Whisper
Official Key: (b) 2 only
The Paris Agreement (COP21) is the bedrock of modern climate action.
- Statement 1 is False: It was not signed by *all* UN countries immediately, and it actually went into effect earlier than expected, in November 2016, after the threshold of 55 countries representing 55% of global emissions ratified it.
- Statement 2 is True: This is the absolute core mandate of the treaty: keeping global temperature rise this century well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and pursuing efforts to limit it to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
- Statement 3 is False: This is an extra-zero trap by the examiner. Developed countries committed to mobilizing $100 billion a year by 2020 (not $1000 billion / $1 Trillion) for climate finance.
The Boiling Point
The 2030 Agenda
Consider the following statements:
1. The Sustainable Development Goals were first proposed in 1972 by a global think tank called the 'Club of Rome'.
2. The Sustainable Development Goals have to be achieved by 2030.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
The Secret Whisper
Official Key: (b) 2 only
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are the successor to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
Statement 1 is False: This mixes up two different historical events. The Club of Rome published the famous report "The Limits to Growth" in 1972. The SDGs were born much later; they were first proposed at the 2012 Rio+20 Summit and formally adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2015.
Statement 2 is True: The formal title of the SDG framework is "Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development", setting 17 global goals to be achieved by the year 2030.
Route: [REALM 183: SDGs & MDGs]A recent movie titled The Man Who Knew Infinity is based on the biography of
The Secret Whisper
Official Key: (a) S. Ramanujan
Released in 2015, the British biographical drama film The Man Who Knew Infinity (starring Dev Patel) is based on the 1991 book of the same name by Robert Kanigel. It chronicles the tragic but brilliant life of the legendary Indian mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan, highlighting his relationship with his mentor, Professor G. H. Hardy, at Trinity College, Cambridge.
Route: [REALM 88: Famous Indian Scientists/Mathematicians]The Cambridge Equation
The Village Clock
Consider the following statements:
1. The minimum age prescribed for any person to be a member of Panchayat is 25 years.
2. A Panchayat reconstituted after premature dissolution continues only for the remainder period.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
The Secret Whisper
Official Key: (b) 2 only
This tests standard provisions of the 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act (Part IX).
Statement 1 is False: Unlike the Lok Sabha or State Legislative Assemblies where the minimum age is 25, the minimum age required to contest Panchayat (local government) elections is 21 years (Article 243V).
Statement 2 is True: The normal term of a Panchayat is five years. However, if it is dissolved prematurely (say, after 2 years), elections must be held within six months. The newly elected Panchayat does not get a fresh 5-year term; it only serves for the remainder of the original term (i.e., the remaining 3 years) (Article 243E).
Route: [REALM 143: Panchayati Raj Institutions]