UPSC 2019 Prelims Questions with Answers

Explanation

Burning stubble (parali) is the process of removing crop residue from the field in order to prepare it for the next crop. Open stubble burning releases a lot of harmful pollutants into the air, including smoke, particles, greenhouse gases (CO₂, N₂O, O₃ CH₄), air pollutants (CO, NH₃, NOx, SO₂, NMHC), and volatile organic compounds. These pollutants are dangerous to human health. Husk burning reduces the fertility of the soil by destroying its nutrients. When stubble burns, heat is produced that permeates the soil, causing the loss of moisture and beneficial microbes.

Explanation

Statement 1 is incorrect: It was the 39th Constitutional Amendment (1975), passed during the Emergency, that placed elections for key offices like Prime Minister beyond judicial review. The 44th Amendment (1978) reversed several provisions of the 42nd Amendment, restoring civil liberties and the right to property.

Statement 2 is correct: The 99th Constitutional Amendment aimed to establish the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC). But in 2015, the Supreme Court struck it down, affirming the collegium system. Justice JS Kehar, who was part of the bench that struck down the NJAC, emphasized that NJAC undermined the judicial independence which is crucial for safeguarding citizens’ rights.

Explanation

Statement 1 is incorrect: Though the 42nd Amendment Act of 1976 curtailed the power of HC in judicial review and debarred the HC from considering the constitutional validity of any central law. But the 43rd Amendment Act of 1978 restored the original position of the HC. Moreover now the HC is considered as the principal civil courts of original jurisdiction in each state and union territory. They can declare any central law to be constitutionally invalid in their jurisdiction.

Statement 2 is incorrect: The Constitution of India allows for amendments under Article 368 but the Supreme Court has the authority to review constitutional amendments, particularly to ensure that such amendments do not violate the basic structure of the Constitution. The Kesavananda Bharati case (1973) established the basic structure doctrine, where the Supreme Court ruled that Parliament could amend the Constitution but could not alter its basic structure.

Explanation

Statement 1 is correct: The Industrial Employment (Standing Orders) Central (Amendment) Rules, 2018 introduced fixed-term employment, allowing companies to hire workers for a specific period based on written contracts. Employers are not required to provide retrenchment benefits or notice periods for non-renewal of contracts, making it easier to terminate employment. Once the contract ends, the employer is not obliged to provide further employment. This effectively makes it easier for companies to let go of workers without facing legal hurdles.

Statement 2 is correct: As per the amendment rules, temporary workers, including those on fixed-term contracts, do not require a notice of termination if their contract expires naturally. The employer is not obligated to provide a prior notice period or severance pay unless stated in the contract.

Explanation

There is a renewed interest in two dominant methods of geoengineering such as stratospheric sulphate aerosol increase and cirrus cloud thinning aims to reduce global warming effects. Geoengineering, often known as climate intervention, is the deliberate and extensive modification of the Earth’s climatic system with the intention of reducing global warming. The stratosphere can be injected with sulphate aerosol particles to block some of the sun’s rays and possibly cool the planet. Sulphur droplets are good at scattering the sun’s light back out into space and it does not heat the stratosphere as much as other aerosols.

Explanation

Denisovans were an extinct hominin species closely related to Neanderthals and modern humans. Denisovans are an extinct species of archaic humans who lived around 50,000 to 300,000 years ago. They were first identified from DNA extracted from fossils found in the Denisova Cave in Siberia, Russia in 2010. They are closely related to Neanderthals and also interbred with early modern humans (Homo sapiens). Genetic studies show that traces of Denisovan DNA can still be found in present-day humans, especially in Melanesians, Australian Aboriginals, and some East Asian populations.

Explanation

As per the Indian Nitrogen Assessment report, 2017, the share of agriculture in total GHG emissions has gradually declined from 28% in 1994 to 14% in 2016. Agricultural emissions in India are primarily from the livestock sector (54.6%) and the use of nitrogenous fertilizers (19%). Rice cultivation in anaerobic conditions accounts for a major portion of agricultural emissions (17.5%).

Statement 1 is correct: Agricultural soils release nitrogen oxides into the environment Fertilizers (especially nitrogen-based like urea) lead to the emission of nitrous oxide (N₂O), a greenhouse gas. Microbial processes such as nitrification and denitrification release NO, NO, and NO.

Statement 2 is correct: Cattle release ammonia into the environment Cattle excrete urea in urine, which breaks down into ammonia (NH₃) through microbial action. Livestock farming is a major contributor to ammonia emissions.

Statement 3 is correct: Poultry industry releases reactive nitrogen compounds into the environment Poultry litter (manure, bedding material, and feed waste) contains nitrogen compounds that can convert into ammonia, nitrates, and nitrites. This contributes to air and water pollution.

Explanation

Option (a) is correct: Maintenance of law and order is not a sub-index of the Ease of Doing Business Index. While law and order are important for the business environment, the index does not specifically measure this factor. Options (b), (c) and (d) are incorrect:

Paying taxes is indeed a sub-index. It evaluates the tax system’s efficiency, ease of compliance, and tax rates. Registering property is a sub-index that measures the ease of transferring property ownership and registering real estate. Dealing with construction permits is a sub-index. It assesses the procedures, time, and cost to build a warehouse, considering factors like zoning and construction approvals.

Explanation

Hydrogen-enriched CNG (H-CNG) is a blended gas. It is produced by mixing hydrogen with CNG. HCNG reduces emissions of CO up to 70% and engines can be calibrated to release lower amounts of NO. enables up to 5 % savings in fuel. It can be the first step towards the future Hydrogen economy. It gives better performance due to higher Octane rating of H2.

Statement 1 is incorrect: HCNG doesn’t eliminate but reduces emissions of CO up to 70%.

Statement 2 is correct: It can be used in place of gasoline, diesel fuel and propane (C3H8) / LPG and its combustion produces fewer undesirable gases.

Statement 3 is correct: The blending of hydrogen with CNG provides a blended gas termed as HCNG. Also, the ideal Hydrogen concentration is close to 20 %. It can prove to be the ideal fuel for heavy-duty vehicles and applications with high loads.

Statement 4 is incorrect: The current cost of Hydrogen is more than the cost of Natural Gas. So, HCNG’s cost is more than CNG.

Explanation

Option (b) is correct: The LIGO detectors detected the first gravitational waves produced by two giant merging blackholes in 2016. Gravitational waves are ripples in spacetime’s fabric brought on by cosmic catastrophes like neutron stars or black hole collisions. These disturbances are incredibly powerful, yet their signals are feeble and difficult to detect when they travel through distant regions of space and time. In other words, it took that long for the signals to reach Earth. As a result, the observatory provides a chance to go back in time and solve puzzles about the origins of the universe. Options (a), (c) and (d) are incorrect:

A wormhole is a hypothetical structure that connects dispersed places in spacetime. It is based on a unique solution to the Einstein field equations. It is also known as an Einstein-Rosen bridge or wormhole. Although wormholes are consistent with the general theory of relativity, it is yet unknown whether they truly exist. The Higgs field, one of the fields in particle physics theory, undergoes quantum excitation to form the Higgs boson, an elementary particle in the Standard Model of particle physics. The Higgs particle is a large scalar boson with no electric charge, colour, or spin in the Standard Model. A gravitational singularity, or spacetime singularity, is a point where the values used to describe the gravitational field become infinitely large, regardless of the coordinate system used. At this point, the distinction between physical laws breaks down, and space and time lose their independent identities, merging into an indistinguishable and undefined state.