EDEN IAS

Daily MCQ UPSC Current Affairs

Daily MCQs for UPSC Current Affairs | 28TH NOVEMBER 2022

Question 6: Consider the following statements:

  1. Abstention from voting and negative voting are protected as freedom of expression.
  2. A daily wage worker shall get a paid holiday for the voting day.
  3. Employers cannot cut the wages of those who take leave but don’t go to vote.
  4. Free and fair election is a basic structure of the Constitution.
  5. Voter turnout during the 2019 Lok Sabha election was more than 70%.
  6. No states have reached close to 90 per cent voter turnout.

Which of the following statements is/are true?

  1. 1,2 and 4
  2. 1, 3, 4 and 5
  3. 1, 4 and 6
  4. 3, 4 and 5

Correct Answer: A

Explanation

  • The Supreme Court, in PUCL vs Union of India, 2013, (popularly known as the NOTA judgment) has held that abstention from voting and negative voting are protected as freedom of expression — a fundamental right (Article 19).
  • Section 79 D of the Representation of People Act, 1951 defines “electoral right” to mean the right of a person to… vote or refrain from vote at an election”. The same provision exists in the Indian Penal Code, vide Section 171A (b).
  • The law completely enables, but does not force, citizens to vote.
  • Section135B of the Representation of People Act, 1951, grants a paid holiday to every person employed in any business, trade, industrial undertaking or any other establishment.
  • Even a daily wage worker shall be paid for the Contravention of the law carries a fine for the employer which may extend to Rs 500.
  • The only exception is essential Employers at best can cut the wages of those who take leave but don’t go to vote.
  • In PUCL vs Union of India, the Court said: “… free and fair election is a basic structure of the Constitution.
  • The noble objective of enhanced voter participation can be best achieved through systematic voter education, amply demonstrated by the ECI in elections in all the states and Union territories since 2010 when a voter education division was set up. This soon evolved into its SVEEP program. “Naming and shaming” of non-voters is not an option available, even to the Election Commission.
  • In the 2019 Lok Sabha election, the 67.3 per cent turnout beat all previous records. Many states have reached close to 90 per cent turnout and above.
  • Independent India’s First Voter was Shyam Saran Negi.

Question 7: Consider the following statements:

  1. Rajaraja Chola created the great anicut of Kallanai, is one of the oldest water regulatory structures.
  2. During the chola empire, the    people    had    the    right    to    recall    if    any candidate/representative failed to declare details of his property.
  3. During the chola empire, every village had a Neerkatti, in-charge of irrigation, who supplied water from tanks to the fields by following a schedule.
  4. The Cholas had a separate body for lake management called the “Eri Varyam”.

Which of the following statements is/are true?

  1. 2 and 4
  2. 2 and 3
  3. 1, 2 and 4
  4. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Correct Answer: B

Explanation

  • The illustrious Karikala Chola created the great anicut of Kallanai (Tamil Nadu), one of the oldest water regulatory structures and a heritage irrigation structure that is still in use The great/grand anicut with its multiple channels still ensures that the waters of the Cauvery reach the fields.
  • In 2020, Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the foundation stone laying ceremony of Parliament highlighted “historical evidence in the village of Uttaramerur… in Tamil Nadu” and how “stone inscriptions on the panchayat system prevalent during the Chola empire” explained how “every village was categorized as Kudumbu, which we call the ward One representative from these kudumbus was sent to the General Assembly, as it happens today”.
  • The people had the right to recall if any candidate/representative failed to declare details of his property. The Chola kings granted autonomy to village councils to make decisions about their villages while the kingdom held the power of audit over them.
  • Every village had a Neerkatti, in-charge of irrigation, who supplied water from these tanks to the fields by following a schedule. The Parakesarivarman inscriptions highlight the punishment for unauthorized withdrawal of water.
  • The Pallavas had a separate body for lake management called the “Eri Varyam”.

Question 8: Consider the following statements:

  1. Open Quantum Safe project is a global initiative started for prototyping and integrating quantum-resistant cryptographic algorithms.
  2. Direct financial support for the development of Open Quantum Safe has been provided by IBM.

Which of the following statements is/are true?

  1. 1 only
  2. 2 only
  3. 1 and 2 only
  4. Neither 1 nor 2

Correct Answer: A

Explanation

Question 9: Consider the following statements:

  1. A classical computer processes the information in the form of bits that are stored as either 0 or 1.
  2. A qubit can be both 0 and 1 at the same time.
  3. The higher the number of qubits signifies the lower the amount of information stored.

Which of the following statements is/are true?

  1. 1 and 2
  2. 2 and 3
  3. 1 and 3
  4. 1, 2 and 3

Correct Answer: A

Explanation

  • Our traditional computers work on the basis of the laws of classical physics, specifically by utilizing the flow of electricity. A quantum computer, on the other hand, seeks to exploit the laws that govern the behavior of atoms and subatomic at that tiny scale, many laws of classical physics cease to apply, and the unique laws of quantum physics come into play.
  • Let us look at how a classical computer processes information. Bits of information are stored as either 0 or 1. Every string of such digits (bitstrings) represents a unique character or instruction; for example, 01100001 represents the lowercase “a”.
  • In a quantum computer, information is stored in quantum bits, or and a qubit can be both 0 and 1 at the same time.
  • Quantum physics involves concepts that even physicists describe as weird. Unlike classical physics, in which an object can exist in one place at one time, quantum physics looks at the probabilities of an object being at different points.
  • Existence in multiple states is called superposition, and the relationship among these states is called entanglement.
  • The higher the number of qubits, the higher the amount of information stored in Compared to the information stored in the same number of bits, the information in qubits rises exponentially.

Question 10: Consider the following statements:

  1. Under the Indus Water Treaty (IWT), all the waters of the eastern rivers, Sutlej, Beas, and Ravi, are allocated to India for unrestricted use.
  2. India is permitted to construct the run of the river plants on western rivers.
  3. India and Pakistan signed the treaty in 1960, with the World Bank being a signatory.

Which of the following statements is/are true?

  1. 1 and 2
  2. 2 and 3
  3. 1 and 3
  4. 1, 2 and 3

Correct Answer: D

Explanation

  • Under the Indus Water Treaty (IWT), all the waters of the eastern rivers—Sutlej, Beas, and Ravi—amounting to around 33-million-acre feet (MAF) annually are allocated to India for unrestricted use. The waters of western rivers—Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab—amounting to around 135 MAF annually have been assigned largely to Pakistan.
  • India is permitted to construct the run of the river plants on western rivers with limited storage as per criteria specified in the treaty.
  • India and Pakistan signed the treaty in 1960 after nine years of negotiations, with the Washington-based World Bank being a signatory. The treaty sets out a mechanism for cooperation and information exchange between the two countries regarding their use of the rivers.