INSIGHTS MOCK TEST SERIES 2015: TEST – 28 SOLUTIONS 1. Solution: d) This recent article is The Hindu is the most comprehensive article written on INO by Kalam and Srijan Pal Singh. It will address all aspects of Neutrino related studies too. Its an important topic for this year Prelims. http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/going-all-out-for-neutrino-research/article7322627.ece 2. Solution: c) Neutrinos are the information bearers of the universe — which are almost never lost in their path. India’s effort in studying neutrinos at INO may help us unravel the deepest mystery of the universe — why there is more matter than antimatter in the universe. Neutrinos are the least harmful of all elementary particles, as they almost never react with solid bodies. The mean free path for iron, or the average distance a neutrino will travel in say an iron rod, before interacting with an atom, is about 1 light year. Needless to say, with the human body being less than 2 metres in height, any harmful effect of neutrino is near impossible. Also, people tend to confuse the “neutrino” for the “neutron”. This has also led to the confusion that neutrinos can be weaponised, which is far from the truth. The neutron bomb, which many discuss, is dangerous but has nothing to do with harmless neutrinos and is made based on a technology around the neutrons, particles which are much heavier. 3. Solution: a) The h-index is an index that attempts to measure both the productivity and citation impact of the published body of work of a scientist or scholar. The index is based on the set of the scientist's most cited papers and the number of citations that they have received in other publications. The index can also be applied to the productivity and impact of a scholarly journal as well as a group of scientists, such as a department or university or country. The index was suggested in 2005 by Jorge E. Hirsch, a physicist at UCSD, as a tool for determining theoretical physicists' relative quality and is sometimes called the Hirsch index or Hirsch number. http://www.saharasamay.com/nation-news/676542754/c-n-r-rao-s-first-indian-scientist-reach-h- index.html http://www.insightsonindia.com INSIGHTS Page 1 INSIGHTS MOCK TEST SERIES 2015: TEST – 28 SOLUTIONS 4. Solution: d) GAGAN was jointly developed by the ISRO and Airports Authority of India (AAI) for the advancement of air navigation. It is an indigenous navigational guide system developed on the lines of GPS system of the US. Presently, GAGAN signal is broadcasted through two Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) satellites-GSAT8 and GSAT10. Recently, ISRO has announced to provide navigational support to Indian Railways through GPS Aided Geo Augmented Navigation (GAGAN) system. The navigational support along with space technology-based tools will be provided to Indian Railways for unmanned level crossings safety. By using GAGAN software system, a train will get to know the location of any unmanned level crossing by a warning signal. Once this warning signal is given, the train’s hooter will automatically start when it comes near an unmanned crossing. 5. Solution: b) NOWCAST weather alert system will provide free SMS service alerts on extreme weather conditions (ex-hailstorm) to over one crore registered farmers on their mobile phones. The free SMS alerts will be sent in Hindi, English and regional languages as per farmers’ request. It will be issued to farmers whose mobile phones are already registered on the government’s mKisan portal. Under this initiative, the extreme weather data originated from IMD will be updated on mKisan portal using a web service. Later, from mKisan portal the warnings regarding extreme weather conditions will be automatically transmitted by SMS to farmers located at district and block level. Insurance Web-Portal (www.farmer.gov.in/insurance) will be used to create awareness and encourage farmers to insure their crops by taking advantage of existing schemes. 6. Solution: d) Agricultural Insurance in India is covered by “National Crop Insurance Programme” by merging three schemes viz. Modified National Agricultural insurance Scheme (MNAIS), Weather Based Crop insurance Scheme (WBCIS) and Coconut Palm Insurance Scheme (CPIS). These three schemes now serve as components of the NCIP. The FIIS and CCIS were discontinued before 2000. http://www.insightsonindia.com INSIGHTS Page 2 INSIGHTS MOCK TEST SERIES 2015: TEST – 28 SOLUTIONS Also, read this very insightful article on agricultural insurance related issues in India. http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2015-04-26/news/61542788_1_crop-insurance- scheme-insurance-fraud-kisan-credit-card 7. Solution: d) Broadly, the National Crop Insurance Scheme in India covers three stages of crop production. • First stage is of planting or sowing, if the crop was prevented from planting / sowing due to deficit rainfalls and adverse seasonal conditions. • Second stage is to cover standing crops which got damaged due to unpreventable risks such as drought, flood, Inundation, Pests, Landslides, Natural Fire, Storms, Cyclones etc. • Third stage is the time period of two weeks after harvesting when the crops are allowed to dry in field and something wrong happens which destroys the crop such as cyclonic rains/ hailstorms etc. There are some key differences between its sub-schemes - Modified National Agricultural insurance Scheme (MNAIS) and Weather Based Crop insurance Scheme (WBCIS). • MNAIS specifically indemnifies the cultivator against shortfall in crop yield, WBCIS indemnifies against the crop loss due to adverse weather incidences. • MNAIS is on Individual approach, where claim assessment is made for every individual insured farmer who has suffered a loss. WBCIS is on area approach where sum assured is pre- defined. 8. Solution: c) Election Commission of India (ECI) has suspended recognition of the PA Sangma-led National People’s Party (NPP) which was a recognized state party in Meghalaya. ECI decision in this regard comes in line with Supreme Court’s judgement in the case of Common Cause Vs Union of India and others. In this judgement SC had made compulsion for all political parties to file their election expenditure statement within 75 days of assembly elections and 90 days of Lok Sabha elections. The de-recognition of a party does not mean its banned. http://www.insightsonindia.com INSIGHTS Page 3 INSIGHTS MOCK TEST SERIES 2015: TEST – 28 SOLUTIONS 9. Solution: a) The new type of thinnest bulb can be used as broadband light emitter. It can also be integrated into chips which will pave the way towards the realisation of atomically flexible, thin and transparent displays. It will also help to boost graphene-based on-chip high speed optical communications. Graphene Graphene has many extraordinary properties. It is about 200 times stronger than steel by weight, conducts heat and electricity with great efficiency and is nearly transparent. The global market for graphene is reported to have reached $9 million by 2014 with most sales in the semiconductor, electronics, battery energy and composites industries. 10. Solution: a) Charles Correa recently passed away. He was India’s greatest contemporary architect. He was Chief Architect for Navi Mumbai along with Shirish Patel and Pravina Mehta from 1970–75. He also had served as first Chairman of the National Commission on Urbanization and was appointed by then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1985. He is founder of Mumbai’s Urban Design Research Institute (established in 1984) dedicated to protect the environment and improve lives of urban communities. 11. Solution: a) A commemoration of the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo was held in Belgium. http://www.insightsonindia.com INSIGHTS Page 4 INSIGHTS MOCK TEST SERIES 2015: TEST – 28 SOLUTIONS In this battle around ninety thousand French troops led by Napoleon Bonaparte were defeated which had ended their quest of conquering major parts this region. The battle was fought on 18 June 1815 (Sunday) near Waterloo i.e. in present-day Belgium, then part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands. French army was defeated by the armies of the Seventh Coalition, comprising Anglo-allied army and Prussian arm led by the Duke of Wellington and Field Marshal Bluecher. After the defeat in this war, Napoleon was exiled to the island of Saint Helena in the South Atlantic Ocean, where he died in 1821. The battle had played important role in redrawing the map of Europe and maintaining the peace in this continent for almost a century until the World War I (started in 1914) tore it apart again. 12. Solution: d) The project was launched in Rajjipur village of Panchkula district of state in collaboration with Indian School of Business (ISB). VMP is the first of its kind initiative in Haryana under which villages in the state would be mentored by leading educational institutions, corporate houses and other organizations. It will be launched in a phased manner in 5 villages each of the 22 districts in the state. In case of Rajjipur village of Panchkula district, faculty and students of ISB will visit the village. They will present a street play on the theme of Continuing girl education, sanitation, hygiene and nutrition and also conduct a counseling session, health camps engaging with the school kids and village residents. 13. Solution: b) President of Tanzania is on a five-day tour to India from 17 June to 21 June 2015. India and Tanzania have inked various agreements including for cooperation in the field of statistics, hydrography, agricultural science and tourism. Among them this deserves mention: • Loan agreement to operationalise the LoC: Loan agreement on LOC for US 268.35 million dollars for extension of Lake Victoria pipeline project • Agreement for appointing the former as PMC: The agreement will pave way for preparing Detailed Project Report (DPR) for Lake Victoria pipeline project.