The 2018 Codex
Questions 21 to 30 (Set A)
Consider the following statements:
1. As per the Right to Education (RTE) Act, to be eligible for appointment as a teacher in a State, a person would be required to possess the minimum qualification laid down by the concerned State Council of Teacher Education.
2. As per the RTE Act, for teaching primary classes, a candidate is required to pass a Teacher Eligibility Test conducted in accordance with the National Council of Teacher Education guidelines.
3. In India, more than 90% of teacher education institutions are directly under the State Governments.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
The Secret Whisper
Official Key: (b) 2 only
Statement 1 is False: Under the RTE Act, the academic authority authorized by the Central Government to lay down the minimum qualifications for teachers is the National Council of Teacher Education (NCTE), not the State Councils.
Statement 2 is True: The RTE explicitly mandates that passing the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET), framed in accordance with NCTE guidelines, is a compulsory requirement to teach primary classes.
Statement 3 is False: A massive structural issue in India's education system is that over 90% of teacher education institutions (like B.Ed colleges) are private, un-aided institutions, not government-run. This was highlighted heavily in the Justice J.S. Verma Committee report.
Route: [REALM 36: Govt Initiatives in Education] & [REALM 37: Education Reforms]The Teacher's Blackboard
The Cultural Map
Consider the following pairs:
| Tradition | State |
|---|---|
| 1. Chapchar Kut festival | Mizoram |
| 2. Khongjom Parba ballad | Manipur |
| 3. Thang-Ta dance | Sikkim |
Which of the pairs given above is/are correct?
The Secret Whisper
Official Key: (b) 1 and 2
Pair 1 is Correct: Chapchar Kut is the biggest, most joyous spring festival of Mizoram, celebrated after the most arduous task of jhum (shifting agriculture) clearing is completed.
Pair 2 is Correct: Khongjom Parba is a traditional musical ballad art form of Manipur, sung to the beat of a Dholak, which depicts stories of the heroic 1891 Anglo-Manipuri war fought at Khongjom.
Pair 3 is False: Thang-Ta (Sword and Spear) is an incredibly famous martial dance of the Meitei people of Manipur, not Sikkim.
Route: [REALM 55: Folk Dances] & [REALM 57: Traditional Martial Arts]Consider the following statements:
1. The Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 replaced the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954.
2. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is under the charge of Director General of Health Services in the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
The Secret Whisper
Official Key: (a) 1 only
Statement 1 is True: Prior to 2006, India had a fragmented system of food laws (like the PFA Act 1954, Fruit Products Order, Meat Food Products Order, etc.). The FSS Act of 2006 consolidated all of these into one single overarching law, repealing the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act.
Statement 2 is False: While FSSAI *is* under the administrative umbrella of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, it is an independent statutory authority. It is headed by a Chairperson (appointed by the Central Government, of the rank of Secretary to GoI), not under the charge of the Director General of Health Services (DGHS).
Route: [REALM 374: Food Safety, Standards & Regulation]The Sovereign Seal
The Divided Land
The term "two-state solution" is sometimes mentioned in the news in the context of the affairs of
The Secret Whisper
Official Key: (b) Israel
The "Two-State Solution" is the primary diplomatic framework endorsed by the UN and the international community to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It envisions establishing an independent State of Palestine (comprising the West Bank and Gaza) coexisting peacefully alongside the State of Israel, based roughly on the pre-1967 borders.
Route: [REALM 82: Israel–Palestine Conflict & India]With reference to the provisions made under the National Food Security Act, 2013, consider the following statements:
1. The families coming under the category of 'below poverty line (BPL)' only are eligible to receive subsidised food grains.
2. The eldest woman in a household, of age 18 years or above, shall be the head of the household for the purpose of issuance of a ration card.
3. Pregnant women and lactating mothers are entitled to a 'take-home ration' of 1600 calories per day during pregnancy and for six months thereafter.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
The Secret Whisper
Official Key: (b) 2 only
Statement 1 is False: The word "only" is the trap. The NFSA covers up to 75% of the rural population and 50% of the urban population. It includes both Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) households and "Priority Households" (which are determined by states and encompass far more people than just strict BPL lists).
Statement 2 is True: In a major step for women's empowerment, Section 13 of the NFSA explicitly mandates that the eldest woman (18+) shall be designated as the head of the household for the purpose of issuing ration cards.
Statement 3 is False: Under Schedule II of the NFSA, pregnant women and lactating mothers are entitled to a nutritional take-home ration of 600 calories and 18-20 grams of protein per day, not 1600 calories. (They also receive a maternity benefit of ₹6,000).
Route: [REALM 157: National Food Security Act (NFSA)]The Ration Card
The Global Umbrella
India enacted The Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999 in order to comply with the obligations to
The Secret Whisper
Official Key: (d) WTO
Geographical Indications (GI tags) protect products that originate from a specific geographical territory and have qualities unique to that place (like Darjeeling Tea). India enacted the GI Act in 1999 explicitly to comply with its obligations under the TRIPS (Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights) agreement, which is governed globally by the World Trade Organization (WTO).
Route: [REALM 158: WTO & IPR] & [REALM 552: Patents, Copyrights, TM & GI]Consider the following statements:
1. In India, State Governments do not have the power to auction non-coal mines.
2. Andhra Pradesh and Jharkhand do not have gold mines.
3. Rajasthan has iron ore mines.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
The Secret Whisper
Official Key: (d) 3 only
Statement 1 is False: Under the MMDR Amendment Act 2015, State Governments are explicitly empowered to grant mining leases through auctions for both minor minerals and non-coal major minerals (like iron ore, bauxite, etc.) found within their territory.
Statement 2 is False: Andhra Pradesh has significant gold deposits in the Ramagiri Gold Field (Anantapur). Jharkhand also has gold reserves in the Singhbhum region (like Kunderkocha).
Statement 3 is True: While Odisha and Jharkhand are famous for it, Rajasthan also has notable iron ore deposits in places like Bhilwara, Jaipur (Morija-Banool), and Udaipur.
Route: [REALM 127: Mining Governance & Law] & [REALM 57: Iron Ore]The Geological Errors
The Factor Count
With reference to digital payments, consider the following statements:
1. BHIM app allows the user to transfer money to anyone with a UPI-enabled bank account.
2. While a chip-pin debit card has four factors of authentication, BHIM app has only two factors of authentication.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
The Secret Whisper
Official Key: (a) 1 only
Statement 1 is True: The BHIM (Bharat Interface for Money) app is built on the Unified Payments Interface (UPI). It allows immediate, direct bank-to-bank transfers to anyone with a VPA (Virtual Payment Address) or a UPI-enabled bank account.
Statement 2 is False: It gets the numbers completely backward. A standard chip-pin debit card uses two factors of authentication (what you have: the physical card, and what you know: the PIN). The BHIM app uses three factors of authentication: Device binding (the mobile phone/SIM), the App login passcode, and the UPI PIN to complete the transaction.
Route: [REALM 33: Digital Payments Infrastructure]Among the following cities, which one lies on a longitude closest to that of Delhi?
The Secret Whisper
Official Key: (a) Bengaluru
This is a pure spatial awareness map question. Longitude measures East-West position (vertical lines on the globe).
- Delhi: ~77.2° E
- Bengaluru: ~77.5° E (Closest, almost a straight line south)
- Pune: ~73.8° E (Much further West)
- Hyderabad: ~78.4° E (Further East)
- Nagpur: ~79.0° E (Further East)
The Meridian alignment
The Broken Gear
International Labour Organization's Conventions 138 and 182 are related to
The Secret Whisper
Official Key: (a) Child labour
The International Labour Organization (ILO) has eight "Core" Conventions outlining fundamental human rights at work. Two of the most critical are:
- Convention 138 (1973): Minimum Age Convention (sets the minimum age for employment to abolish child labor).
- Convention 182 (1999): Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention (demands the immediate prohibition of slavery, prostitution, and hazardous work for children).
India ratified both of these landmark conventions in 2017, aligning its domestic Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Act with global standards.
Route: [REALM 32: Child Labour] & [REALM 178: International Labour Organization]