Daily Quiz- 486

Q 1.Consider the following statements regarding the Amendment of the Constitution under Article 368:

1. A bill for the amendment of the Constitution can be initiated in either House of Parliament or in the State Legislatures.

2. The President must give his assent to a Constitutional Amendment Bill and cannot withhold his assent or return the bill for reconsideration.

3. Amendments affecting the federal structure of the Constitution require ratification by the legislatures of all the states in India.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(A) 2 only

(B) 1 and 2 only

(C) 2 and 3 only

(D) 1, 2 and 3

Q2. With reference to the Open Market Operations (OMOs) conducted by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), consider the following statements:

1. OMOs involve the simultaneous buying and selling of short-term and long-term government securities to manipulate the yield curve.

2. When the RBI purchases government securities from the market, it absorbs excess liquidity from the banking system.

3. Both Central Government and State Government securities can be traded under Open Market Operations.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(A) 1 only

(B) 1 and 3 only

(C) 2 and 3 only

(D) 1, 2 and 3

Q3.Consider the following statements regarding Biosphere Reserves in India:

1. The Core Area of a biosphere reserve is a strictly protected ecosystem where absolutely no human activity is allowed, except for limited scientific research.

2.The Transition Zone is an area where sustainable resource management practices and human settlements coexist.

3.All biosphere reserves designated by the Government of India are automatically included in the UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(A) 1 and 2 only

(B) 2 only

(C) 1 and 3 only

(D) 1, 2 and 3

Q4. With reference to the administration during the Delhi Sultanate, consider the following pairs:

1. Diwan-i-Arz: Department of Military

2. Diwan-i-Insha: Department of State Correspondence

3. Diwan-i-Rasalat: Department of Religious Affairs and Charities

Which of the pairs given above are correctly matched?

(A) 1 and 2 only

(B) 2 and 3 only

(C) 1 and 3 only

(D) 1, 2 and 3

Q5. Consider the following pairs of straits and the water bodies they connect:

1. Strait of Malacca: Andaman Sea and South China Sea

2. Strait of Hormuz: Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman

3. Bab-el-Mandeb: Red Sea and Gulf of Aden

Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?

(A) 1 and 2 only

(B) 2 and 3 only

(C) 1 only

(D) 1, 2 and 3

Answers with explanation

Q 1: A

The 24th Constitutional Amendment Act of 1971 made it mandatory for the President to give assent to a Constitutional Amendment Bill. The President can neither withhold assent nor return the bill for parliamentary reconsideration.

Q2: B

Statement 1 is correct: This specific type of simultaneous buy-and-sell OMO operation is colloquially known as "Operation Twist," used by the RBI to lower long-term interest rates while keeping short-term rates stable.

Statement 3 is correct: Under the RBI's market operations framework, both Central Government Securities (G-Secs) and State Development Loans (SDLs/State Government Securities) are eligible instruments for market stabilization liquidity operations.

Q3: A

Statement 1 is correct: The Core Area receives the highest legal protection (usually falling under National Parks or Wildlife Sanctuaries) where human intervention is legally barred to secure wildlife habitats.

Statement 2 is correct: The Transition Zone is the outermost part of the reserve where cropping, forestry, recreation, and settlements are legally permitted in harmony with conservation goals.

Q 4: D

Pair 1 is correctly matched: The Diwan-i-Arz was the powerful military department, created and systematically organized by Sultan Ghiyasuddin Balban to counter Mongol incursions.

Pair 2 is correctly matched: The Diwan-i-Insha managed all official royal correspondence, drafted central decrees, and maintained formal communications with provincial governors.

Pair 3 is correctly matched: The Diwan-i-Rasalat was handled by the chief Sadar and oversaw pious endowments, religious expenditures, and grants to scholars.

Q 5: D

Pair 1 is correctly matched: The Strait of Malacca is a crucial global maritime chokepoint situated between the Indonesian island of Sumatra and the Malay Peninsula, linking the Indian Ocean network to the Pacific via the South China Sea.

Pair 2 is correctly matched: The Strait of Hormuz is the world's most critical oil transit chokepoint, geographically splitting Iran and Oman, and connecting the Persian Gulf with the open Arabian Sea via the Gulf of Oman.

Pair 3 is correctly matched: Known as the "Gate of Tears," the Bab-el-Mandeb strait is located between Yemen on the Arabian Peninsula and Djibouti/Eritrea in the Horn of Africa, acting as the maritime gateway connecting the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean.