Previous Year UPSC Questions

Explanation

Banking Correspondents (BCs) also known as Bank Saathis are individuals or entities hired by banks in India (including commercial banks, Regional Rural Banks (RRBs), and Local Area Banks (LABs)) to provide banking services in areas with limited or no banking access. A BC acts as an agent for the bank, serving as a substitute for the bank’s physical branch.

Statement 1 is correct: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) launched the Business Correspondent (BC) Model in 2006 to improve financial inclusion in India. BCs play a critical role in disbursing direct benefit transfers (DBT), including subsidies and social security payments, to beneficiaries in rural areas. This eliminates the need for beneficiaries to travel long distances to a bank branch to collect their payments.

Statement 2 is correct: BCs offer a range of basic banking services, including accepting deposits, facilitating withdrawals, and enabling other small transactions. This brings basic banking services to people who previously had limited or no access.

Explanation

A food chain represents the transfer of energy through a series of organisms, starting from green plants (primary producers) and progressing through successive consumers. For example: Grasses Grasshopper Frog Snake Hawk/ Eagle. Each step in the food chain is referred to as a trophic level, indicating the organism’s position in the chain. Food chains begin with producers and end with top carnivores. In marine ecosystems, phytoplankton serve as primary producers. These include:

Diatoms (unicellular algae) Coccolithophores (unicellular eukaryotic protists), Cyanobacteria (blue-green algae such as Synechococcus, Prochlorococcus, Nostoc, and Spirogyra) Dinoflagellates (flagellated protists) Crustaceans, a group of arthropods that includes crabs, lobsters, shrimp, krill, and barnacles, feed on diatoms. In turn, herrings, a type of fish, consume crustaceans, completing this segment of the marine food chain.

Explanation

Statutory Reserve Requirements, such as the Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) and Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR) are regulatory tools employed by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to ensure the stability and liquidity of the banking system. These requirements mandate that commercial banks maintain a certain percentage of their net demand and time liabilities (NDTL) in the form of liquid asset

Statement 1 is correct: When the central bank wants to increase the money supply in the economy, it lowers the reserve ratio. Hence it enables the Central Bank to control the amount of advances the banks can create.

Statement 2 is correct: RBI requires commercial banks to keep reserves in order to ensure that banks have sufficient assets to draw on when account holders want to be paid.

Statement 3 is incorrect: Reserve requirements are de-signed as "precautionary measures" to control the economy and not to stop banks from making "excessive" profit.

Statement 4 is incorrect: Vault cash (cash held by banks in their vaults) is separate from CRR. CRR is the cash banks must hold with the RBI, not in their own vaults. While banks need sufficient vault cash for daily operations, this is a separate operational requirement, not directly enforced by the SRR.

Explanation

Statement 1 is correct: PV technology directly converts sunlight into electricity using semiconductor materials like silicon. When sunlight hits the PV cells, it excites electrons, generating Direct Current (DC) electricity. This is a clean and efficient method of harnessing solar energy for electricity. Solar thermal systems use solar collectors to capture the Sun’s heat. This heat is typically used to produce steam, which drives turbines connected to generators, producing electricity. Solar thermal is often used in large-scale power plants and heating systems.

Statement 2 is incorrect: PV systems initially produce Direct Current (DC), which is then converted to Alternating Current (AC) using inverters for compatibility with the electrical grid and household appliances. Solar Thermal systems generate heat, which is used to produce AC electricity through conventional turbines and generators.

Statement 3 is incorrect: India has established manufacturing capabilities for both Solar Thermal and Photovoltaic technologies. The country is expanding its PV manufacturing capacity, aiming to become self-sufficient and reduce reliance on imports.

Explanation

Eco-Sensitive Zones are defined "as areas/zones with identified environmental resources having incomparable values which require special attention for their conservation" because of its landscape, wildlife, biodiversity, historical and natural values.

Statement 1 is incorrect: The National Wildlife Action Plan (2002-2016) of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) stipulates that state governments should declare land falling within 10 km of the boundaries of national parks and wildlife sanctuaries as eco-fragile zones or Eco-Sensitive Zones (ESZs) under the Environmental (Protection) Act, 1986 and not Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

Statement 2 is incorrect: The basic aim is to regulate certain activities around National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries so as to minimise the negative impacts of such activities on the fragile ecosystem encompassing the protected area. In Eco-Sensitive Zones (ESZs), prohibited activities include commercial mining, polluting industries, and large hydropower projects. Regulated activities involve tree felling, hotel construction, and road widening. Permitted activities include ongoing farming, organic practices, rainwater harvesting, and use of renewable energy. Activities such as eco-tourism, education, and sustainable development can take place under the guidelines issued by MoEFCC

Explanation

Hibernation is a survival strategy employed by various animals to endure periods of reduced food availability and harsh environmental conditions, typically during winter. This state is characterized by significantly lowered metabolic rates, decreased body temperatures, and reduced physiological activities. Many bat species enter hibernation during colder months when their insect prey becomes scarce. During hibernation, bats can experience a substantial drop in body temperature and significant reduction in metabolic rate. They often hibernate communally in caves, mines, or other sheltered locations that provide stable, cold environments. Bears undergo a form of hibernation known as torpor, which is less extreme than the hibernation observed in smaller mammals. During torpor, bears experience a moderate decrease in body temperature and metabolic rate. They remain in dens throughout the winter months, surviving on stored body fat. Notably, female bears give birth during this period and are capable of nursing their cubs without leaving the den. Species such as ground squirrels and certain mice enter deep hibernation during which they significantly lower their body temperatures and metabolic rates. This state allows them to conserve energy and survive extended periods without food. Rodents often prepare for hibernation by accumulating fat reserves and creating insulated nests or burrows to protect against the cold.

Explanation

A Protected Area is a clearly defined geographical space, recognized, dedicated and managed through legal or other effective means, to achieve the long-term conservation of nature with associated ecosystem services and cultural values. Biosphere reserves, Botanical gardens, National parks, Wildlife sanctuaries, Conseravation and Community reserve etc are examples of protected areas.

Option (a) is correct:

Biosphere reserves are legally protected regions where people and the environment can coexist while honouring each other’s needs. These areas might be terrestrial, coastal, or a combination of both. They are recognised under UNESCO’s MAB programme and nominated and established by the relevant nations. They consist of three zones: the core zone, buffer zone, and transition zone. The core zone is strictly protected, while the buffer and transition zones allow for sustainable human activities, ensuring a balance between conservation and livelihood. Unlike national parks and wildlife sanctuaries, which primarily focus on preserving wildlife, biosphere reserves encourage sustainable human activity and help integrate conservation with traditional practices. Therefore, they serve as a model for preserving biodiversity alongside the needs of local communities.

Explanation

The carbon cycle is a biogeochemical process where carbon atoms continuously move between the atmosphere, oceans, soil, and living organisms through processes like photosynthesis, respiration, decomposition, and combustion. Through photosynthesis, plants absorb atmospheric CO₂ to produce glucose, while animals release CO₂ through respiration, and when organisms die, decomposition returns their carbon to the soil and atmosphere, completing this vital planetary cycle.

Statement 1 is correct: Volcanic eruptions release CO₂ stored in Earth’s mantle into the atmosphere, contributing to the carbon cycle.

Statement 2 is correct: Respiration is the process by which organisms, including plants and animals, convert organic compounds into energy, producing CO₂ as a byproduct. This CO₂ is then released into the atmosphere.

Statement 3 is incorrect: Photosynthesis is the process by which green plants, algae, and some bacteria absorb CO₂ from the atmosphere and, using sunlight, convert it into glucose and oxygen. This process removes CO₂ from the atmosphere.

Statement 4 is correct: When organisms die, decomposers like bacteria and fungi break down their organic matter, resulting in the release of CO₂ back into the atmosphere through the process of decomposition.

Explanation

Ecological succession is the process of change in the species structure of an ecological community over time. Types of Succession:

Primary Succession occurs on newly formed or exposed land where no previous life existed (e.g., bare rock, lava flows). Pioneer species like lichens and mosses initiate the process, gradually leading to the development of soil and a stable ecosystem. Secondary Succession happens in areas where an ecosystem previously existed but was disturbed (e.g., after a forest fire or flood). Soil is already present, and recovery occurs more quickly than in primary succession.

Option (b) is correct: Lichens are among the first organisms to colonize bare rock or barren environments, breaking down minerals to create soil and paving the way for other plants and organisms. They are unique composite organisms resulting from a symbiotic association between a fungus and a photosynthetic partner, which can be either green algae or cyanobacteria. In this partnership, the fungal component, known as the mycobiont, provides structure and protection, while the photosynthetic partner, referred to as the photobiont, contributes nutrients through photosynthesis.

Explanation

Queen Victoria’s Proclamation (1858) ended East India Company rule, bringing India directly under British Crown control. Lord Canning became the first Viceroy and Governor-General.

Statement 1 is correct: The proclamation was read out by Lord Canning at a durbar held on November 1, 1858 at Allahabad. The proclamation put an end to the era of further expansion of the British Empire in India.

Statement 2 is correct: Queen Victoria’s proclamation of 1858 aimed at ending the rule of the company and transferring all the powers to the British crown after the 1857 revolt. It also promised non- interference in the religious affairs of the people, grant of equal protection of law and respect for ancient rights and customs of the people.

Statement 3 is incorrect: Queen Victoria’s Proclamation (1858) is aimed at improving the administrative machinery of supervision and control over the Indian government.