Question 21: Consider the following statements:

1. Lasers travel at light-speed and have long range.
2. A directed-energy weapon is a ranged weapon that damages its target with highly focused energy without a solid projectile.
3. Light is, for practical purposes, unaffected by gravity, windage and Coriolis force.
4. The first use of directed-energy weapons in combat between military forces was in the second world war.

Which of the following statements is/are true?

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

Correct Answer: A

Explanation

Directed energy weapons could have several main advantages over conventional weaponry:

• Directed-energy weapons can be used discreetly; radiation does not generate sound and is invisible if outside the visible spectrum.
• Light is, for practical purposes, unaffected by gravity, windage and Coriolis force, giving it an almost perfectly flat trajectory. This makes aim much more precise and extends the range to line-of-sight, limited only by beam diffraction and spread (which dilute the power and weaken the effect), and absorption or scattering by intervening atmospheric contents.
• Lasers travel at light-speed and have long range, making them suitable for use in space warfare.
• Laser weapons potentially eliminate many logistical problems in terms of ammunition supply, as long as there is enough energy to power them.
• A directed-energy weapon (DEW) is a ranged weapon that damages its target with highly focused energy without a solid projectile, including lasers, microwaves, particle beams, and sound beams.
• The first use of directed-energy weapons in combat between military forces was claimed to have occurred in Libya in August 2019 by Turkey, which claimed to use the ALKA directed-energy weapon.

Question 22: Consider the following statements:

1. Central America consists of nine countries.
2. Belize borders Nicaragua.

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: D

Explanation

• Central America consists of seven countries: Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama.
• Within Central America is the Mesoamerican biodiversity hotspot, which extends from northern Guatemala to central Panama.

Question 23: Consider the following statements:

1. Parties to Ramsar Convention are required to update information for their Ramsar Sites at least once every five years.
2. The term ‘Reserved Forest’ was first introduced in the Indian Forest Act, 1927 in British India.
3. In reserved forests, local people are prohibited, unless specifically allowed by a Forest Officer in the course of the settlement.

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: B

Explanation

• Parties to Ramsar Convention are required to update information for their Ramsar Sites at least once every six years.

Reserved Forests:

• Reserve forests are the most restricted forests and are constituted by the State Government on any forest land or wasteland which is the property of the Government.
• In reserved forests, local people are prohibited, unless specifically allowed by a Forest Officer in the course of the settlement.
• The term was first introduced in the Indian Forest Act, 1927 in British India, to refer to certain forests granted protection under the British crown in British India, but not associated suzerainty.

Question 24: Retail inflation for September was 7.4 per cent in 2022, which means:

1. The price level for retail consumers last month was 7.4 per cent higher than what it was in September 2021.
2. The retail inflation has been outside the RBI’s comfort zone for three consecutive quarters beginning January.

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: C

Explanation

• Retail inflation for September was 7.4 per cent — which means the price level for retail consumers last month was 7.4 per cent higher than what it was in September This also means that retail inflation — which is calculated using the Consumer Price Index (CPI) — has been outside the RBI’s comfort zone for three consecutive quarters beginning January.

Question 25: Under the RBI Act, 1934, if the central bank fails to meet the inflation target for three consecutive quarters, it is required to provide the which of the following information to the government:

1. Reasons for the failure to achieve the inflation target.
2. Remedial actions proposed to be taken.
3. An estimate of the time period within which the inflation target shall be achieved pursuant to timely implementation of the proposed remedial actions.

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 RBI Act, 1934, if the central bank fails to meet the inflation target for three consecutive quarters, it is required to provide the following information to the government:

• reasons for the failure to achieve the inflation target.
• remedial actions proposed to be taken; and
• an estimate of the time period within which the inflation target shall be achieved pursuant to timely implementation of the proposed remedial actions.