Current Affairs MCQ for UPSC Exams - 06 August 2020

Q1 Recently India has terminated the anti-dumping investigation on imports of crude naphthalene coming from China, the EU, Russia, Iran and Japan and has claimed dumping from more countries and wants to enhance the scope of the probe with other countries as well. Which of the following statements regarding the same stands true ?

1) Countervailing duties are the duties that are imposed in order to counter the negative impact of import subsidies to protect domestic producers.
2) In case of anti-dumping duty while the Department of Commerce recommends the anti-dumping duty, it is the Ministry of Finance, which levies such duty.
3) Over the past decade, India has become the world's largest producer of naphthalene, accounting for 64% of total global naphthalene capacity.
Options :
a) 1 & 2 only
b) 2 & 3 only
c) 1 & 3 only
d) all the above

Q2 Albedo is the measure of the diffuse reflection of solar radiation out of the total solar radiation and measured on a scale from 0, corresponding to a black body that absorbs all incident radiation, to 1, corresponding to a body that reflects all incident radiation. Arrange the following surfaces/substances in the increasing percentage of albedo :

A) Grasses
B) Desert
C) Fresh Snow
D) Brick-Concrete

Options :
a) BCDA
b) ACDB
c) CBAD
d) DCAB
answer : c

Q3 Recent reports suggest that the demand for work under the rural employment guarantee scheme falls sharply in July. Which of the following inferences/statements regarding the report stands true ?

1) Demand for work under the rural employment guarantee scheme, the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee, has fallen sharply in July by over 31% after rising for four consecutive months since April
2) This indicates a pickup in industrial activities as well as farm activities resulting in movement of workers back to towns and fields while bringing relief to rural India as pressure on the scheme will be reduced.
3) However the low demand for work cannot be attributed to the movement of people towards agriculture for the sowing season in July until mid of August which is negligible, claims the report.
Options :
a) 1 & 2 only
b) 2 & 3 only
c) 1 & 3 only
d) all the above

Q4 In a bid to save gullible investors from ponzi schemes, the government recently introduced the Banning of Unregulated Deposit Schemes Bill, 2019 in the LokSabha that seeks to put in place a mechanism by which such depositors can be compensated. Which of the following statements regarding the same stands true ?

1) The bill seeks to help tackle the menace of illicit deposit taking activities in the country, which at present are exploiting regulatory gaps and lack of strict administrative measures to dupe poor and gullible people of their hard earned money, according to the government.
2) The bill seeks to provide for a comprehensive mechanism to ban the unregulated deposit schemes including deposits taken in the ordinary course of business, and to protect the interest of depositors.
3) The statement of Objects and Reasons of the bill seeks to put in place a mechanism by which the depositors can be repaid without delay by attaching the assets of the defaulting establishments.
Options :
a) 1 & 2 only
b) 2 & 3 only
c) 1 & 3 only
d) all the above