The 2018 Codex
Questions 31 to 40 (Set A)
Regarding Money Bill, which of the following statements is not correct?
The Secret Whisper
Official Key: (c)
Article 110 of the Constitution defines what constitutes a Money Bill. It strictly deals with taxes, the borrowing of money, and the custody of the Consolidated Fund or the Contingency Fund. However, the crucial trap is the word "appropriation". A Money Bill deals with the appropriation of moneys out of the Consolidated Fund of India, not the Contingency Fund. The Contingency Fund is an emergency purse placed at the disposal of the President for unforeseen expenditures, requiring a later Parliamentary approval to be recouped, not a direct legislative appropriation bill.
Route: [REALM 139: Money & Financial Bills]The Dual Vaults
The Value of a Vote
With reference to the election of the President of India, consider the following statements:
1. The value of the vote of each MLA varies from State to State.
2. The value of the vote of MPs of the Lok Sabha is more than the value of the vote of MPs of the Rajya Sabha.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
The Secret Whisper
Official Key: (a) 1 only
Statement 1 is True: The value of an MLA's vote is determined by dividing the population of the state (as per the 1971 census) by the total number of elected members in the legislative assembly, multiplied by 1000. Because populations and assembly sizes differ, the value fluctuates heavily (e.g., an MLA from UP has a much higher vote value than an MLA from Sikkim).
Statement 2 is False: To ensure parity between the states and the Union, the total value of all MLA votes is divided by the total number of elected Members of Parliament (both Lok Sabha AND Rajya Sabha). Therefore, the value of the vote of every single MP is exactly the same, regardless of which House they sit in.
Route: [REALM 100: Election of President]In the Indian context, what is the implication of ratifying the 'Additional Protocol' with the 'International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)'?
The Secret Whisper
Official Key: (a) The civilian nuclear reactors come under IAEA safeguards.
As a part of the historic Indo-US Civil Nuclear Deal, India agreed to separate its nuclear facilities into two strict categories: Civilian and Military. By signing and ratifying the IAEA Additional Protocol in 2014, India allowed the UN watchdog enhanced access to monitor and inspect its civilian nuclear facilities to assure the global community that imported nuclear material is not being diverted to make bombs. Crucially, India's military/strategic nuclear installations remain entirely outside the purview of the IAEA.
Route: [REALM 467: India’s Nuclear Policy] & [REALM 186: Nuclear Security]The Overseer's Eye
The Asian Hub
Consider the following countries:
1. Australia
2. Canada
3. China
4. India
5. Japan
6. USA
Which of the above are among the 'free-trade partners' of ASEAN?
The Secret Whisper
Official Key: (c) 1, 3, 4 and 5
ASEAN has a web of regional Free Trade Agreements (commonly referred to as ASEAN+1 FTAs), which formed the foundation of the massive RCEP negotiations. The six official FTA partners of ASEAN are Australia, New Zealand, China, India, Japan, and South Korea.
North American countries like the USA and Canada do not have overarching Free Trade Agreements with the ASEAN bloc as a whole.
Route: [REALM 89: India–ASEAN Relations] & [REALM 194: Global Trade Agreements]With reference to the 'Global Alliance for Climate-Smart Agriculture (GACSA)', which of the following statements is/are correct?
1. GACSA is an outcome of the Climate Summit held in Paris in 2015.
2. Membership of GACSA does not create any binding obligations.
3. India was instrumental in the creation of GACSA.
The Secret Whisper
Official Key: (b) 2 only
Statement 1 is False: GACSA was launched at the UN Climate Summit in New York in 2014, not the famous Paris COP21 in 2015.
Statement 2 is True: It is a voluntary, multi-stakeholder platform. Signing up does not force any legally binding targets or financial obligations on member states.
Statement 3 is False: India was definitely not instrumental in its creation. In fact, India and several civil society organizations were deeply skeptical of GACSA because the term "climate-smart agriculture" was vague and could be hijacked by massive corporate agribusinesses, potentially harming smallholder Indian farmers. India stayed away from joining it initially.
Route: [REALM 320: Climate-Smart Agriculture]The Voluntary Seed
The Rural Web
Which of the following is/are the aim/aims of "Digital India" Plan of the Government of India?
1. Formation of India's own Internet companies like China did.
2. Establish a policy framework to encourage overseas multinational corporations that collect Big Data to build their large data centres within our national geographical boundaries.
3. Connect many of our villages to the Internet and bring Wi-Fi to many of our schools, public places and major tourist centres.
The Secret Whisper
Official Key: (b) 3 only
The "Digital India" umbrella programme is built on three core visions: Digital infrastructure as a utility to every citizen, governance and services on demand, and digital empowerment of citizens.
Statement 1 is False: India has an open, democratic internet. We have absolutely no stated policy aim to build state-controlled tech monopolies or a "Great Firewall" like China.
Statement 2 is False: While data localization later became a hot topic, it was never a primary "aim" or core pillar of the original Digital India plan to lure MNCs to build server farms here.
Statement 3 is True: This is the very heart of the mission—the BharatNet project connecting 2.5 lakh Gram Panchayats with broadband and setting up public Wi-Fi hotspots.
Route: [REALM 114: Digital India]Consider the following pairs: Towns sometimes mentioned in news vs Country
| 1. Aleppo | Syria |
| 2. Kirkuk | Yemen |
| 3. Mosul | Palestine |
| 4. Mazar-i-sharif | Afghanistan |
Which of the pairs given above are correctly matched?
The Secret Whisper
Official Key: (b) 1 and 4
During the intense years of the ISIS conflict (2016-2018), these cities dominated global news headlines.
- 1. Aleppo: One of the oldest cities in the world, devastated by the Syrian civil war. (True)
- 2. Kirkuk: An oil-rich, highly contested city in northern Iraq (often fought over by Iraqi forces and Kurds), NOT Yemen. (False)
- 3. Mosul: A major city in northern Iraq, famously captured by ISIS and later liberated in a massive military campaign. It is NOT in Palestine. (False)
- 4. Mazar-i-sharif: The fourth-largest city in Afghanistan. (True)
The Conflict Compass
The Viceroy's Reserve
In the Federation established by The Government of India Act of 1935, residuary powers were given to the
The Secret Whisper
Official Key: (b) Governor General
The Government of India Act 1935 introduced a federal structure and divided legislative powers into three lists: Federal List, Provincial List, and Concurrent List. But what if a totally new topic arose that wasn't on any list? These are "residuary powers."
Instead of giving this power to the federal legislature (as is done in modern India where Parliament holds it), or to the provinces (like in the USA), the British vested the residuary powers absolutely in the hands of the Governor-General (Viceroy), who could authorize either legislature to make a law on it at his sole discretion.
Route: [REALM 41: GOI Act 1935 & Ministries]Consider the following statements:
1. The Speaker of the Legislative Assembly shall vacate his/her office if he/she ceases to be a member of the Assembly.
2. Whenever the Legislative Assembly is dissolved, the Speaker shall vacate his/her office immediately.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
The Secret Whisper
Official Key: (a) 1 only
Article 179 of the Constitution lays out the exact rules for the Speaker of the State Assembly.
Statement 1 is True: The Speaker is chosen from among the members. If they lose their membership to the house (resignation, disqualification, etc.), they immediately vacate the office of Speaker.
Statement 2 is False: To ensure continuity of the institution, when an Assembly is dissolved (for fresh elections), the Speaker does not vacate their office immediately. They hold the post right up until immediately before the first meeting of the newly elected Assembly.
Route: [REALM 215: Officers of State Legislature]The Unbroken Chair
The Shield of Locke
Which one of the following reflects the most appropriate relationship between law and liberty?
The Secret Whisper
Official Key: (b) If there are no laws, there is no liberty.
This captures the core philosophy of John Locke. He argued famously: "Where there is no law, there is no freedom." In a complete state of nature (no laws), society descends into anarchy where the strong freely oppress the weak. Thus, the weak have zero liberty. Therefore, rational laws created by a social contract are not the enemy of liberty; they are the shield that protects it.
Route: [REALM 18: Liberty] & [REALM 84: John Locke]