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Question 91

West Bengal Civil Service (Exe.) Examination (WBCS) 2022• Full Test

Who enunciated his famous formula that 'Swaraj' must be for the 'masses' and not for the 'classes' alone?

  1. AOption (a)

    Motilal Nehru

  2. BOption (b)

    Gandhiji

  3. COption (c)

    Subhas Chandra Bose

  4. DOption (d)

    C. R. Das

View answer & explanation

Correct answer

Answer: (d)D.

C. R. Das

Why this answer is correct

The correct answer is C.R. Das.

Key Points

  • Chittranjan Das gave the famous statement "Swaraj for the masses, not for the classes''.

Chittranjan Das 

  • He was actively involved in Raja Ram Mohan Roy’s Brahmo Samaj.
  • In 1890, Das completed his graduation from Calcutta’s Presidency College and then went to England to pursue higher studies and take the Indian Civil Services exam. He, however, did not clear the ICS.
  • He finished his law studies from England and returned to India in 1893 and practised law for many years at the Calcutta High Court.
  • In the 1908 Alipore Bomb Case, Das defended Aurobindo Ghosh and gained fame among Indians.
  • He also contributed to the English weekly ‘Bande Mataram’ along with Aurobindo and Bipin Chandra Pal (More on Pal at This Day in History dated November 7th).
  • He actively advocated the use of the Bengali language in university examinations.
  • He championed the cause of Khadi and cottage industries and gave up his own western clothes and luxurious lifestyle.
  • He became involved with the Non-Cooperation Movement led by Mahatma Gandhi.
  • He became an important member of the Indian National Congress and was known for his public speaking skills and insight.
  • In 1921, he was arrested along with his son and wife for taking part in the movement. He spent 6 months in prison.
  • When Gandhi withdrew the non-cooperation movement in 1922 owing to the incident at Chauri Chaura, Das and others objected since the movement was going on in full swing. He, along with Motilal Nehru, established the Swaraj Party in January 1923.
  • He was a prolific writer and poet. He published his collection of poems in two volumes titled ‘Malancha’ and ‘Mala’.
  • Das’s health started getting worse in 1925 and he went on to stay in Darjeeling to improve his health.
  • Gandhi was a great admirer of Das and called him a great soul. The people gave him the honorific title ‘Deshbandhu’. Subhas Chandra Bose also revered das.
  • Das died of a severe fever on 16 June 1925 in Darjeeling. His mortal remains were brought to Calcutta for the funeral. Hundreds of people turned up for his funeral. Gandhi led the funeral procession.

Question 92

West Bengal Civil Service (Exe.) Examination (WBCS) 2022• Full Test

Any money bill can not be introduced in the Parliament without the consent of the

  1. AOption (a)

    Prime Minister of India

  2. BOption (b)

    Speaker of the Parliament

  3. COption (c)

    President of India

  4. DOption (d)

    Union Finance Minister

View answer & explanation

Correct answer

Answer: (c)C.

President of India

Why this answer is correct

The correct answer is President of India. 

Key PointsMoney Bill 

  • A money bill is defined in Article 110 of the Constitution as "a proposed law containing primarily provisions dealing with all or any of the topics specified therein."
  • There are limited criteria for a bill to be classified as a money bill.
  • Example: Salary, Allowances and Pension of Members of Parliament (Amendment) Bill 2020, Appropriation Bill 2021, Aadhaar and other laws (Amendment) Bill, 2019, The High Court and the Supreme Court Judges (Salaries and Condition of service) Amendment Bill 2017.​

Stages Of Passage Of Money Bill

  • Unlike Ordinary Bills, Money Bills are introduced only in Lok Sabha on the President's recommendation, which is mandatory.
  • The bill, introduced in the Lok Sabha on the President's recommendation, is referred to as a government bill.
  • It should be noted that all government bills are introduced only by the Minister.
  • After the bill is passed by the Lok Sabha, it is sent to the Rajya Sabha, which has only limited authority. It has no authority to reject or amend the bill.
  • There is no possibility of disagreement, hence there is no provision for a joint sitting regarding money bills.
  • The Lok Sabha speaker certifies the bill as a money bill and his decision is final in this regard.
  • The President's consent is required when the bill has passed both houses. He can either give assent or withhold assent but cannot send a bill for reconsideration.
  • Following the President's approval, the bill becomes an act and is published in the Indian Statute Book.

Important Points

  • Rajya Sabha is required to return the bill within 14 days, with or without amendment recommendations.
  • If it does not return the bill within the specified time frame, it is presumed to have been passed.
  • The amendments may or may not be accepted by the Lok Sabha.

The concept of a money bill is taken from British parliamentary practice.

Question 93

West Bengal Civil Service (Exe.) Examination (WBCS) 2022• Full Test

Xiomara Castro has become the first ever female President of which nation?

  1. AOption (a)

    Cuba

  2. BOption (b)

    Honduras

  3. COption (c)

    Mexico

  4. DOption (d)

    Colombia

View answer & explanation

Correct answer

Answer: (b)B.

Honduras

Why this answer is correct

The correct answer is Honduras.

Key Points

  • In Honduras, the Freedom and Refoundation Party (Libre) member Xiomara Castro has been sworn in as the first female President of the country.
  • The 62-year-old Castro replaces President Juan Orlando Hernández, as 56th President of Honduras. Hernández has held the position for eight years from 27 January 2014 to 27 January 2022.

Question 94

West Bengal Civil Service (Exe.) Examination (WBCS) 2022• Full Test

The earlier name of WTO was

  1. AOption (a)

    UNCTAD

  2. BOption (b)

    GATT

  3. COption (c)

    UNIDO

  4. DOption (d)

    OECD

View answer & explanation

Correct answer

Answer: (b)B.

GATT

Why this answer is correct

The correct answer is GATT.

Key Points

  • The WTO began life on 1 January 1995, but its trading system is half a century older. Since 1948, the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) had provided the rules for the system. (The second WTO ministerial meeting, held in Geneva in May 1998, included a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the system.)
  • It did not take long for the General Agreement to give birth to an unofficial, de facto international organization, also known informally as GATT. Over the years GATT evolved through several rounds of negotiations.
  • The last and largest GATT round, was the Uruguay Round which lasted from 1986 to 1994 and led to the WTO’s creation. Whereas GATT had mainly dealt with trade in goods, the WTO and its agreements now cover trade in services, and in traded inventions, creations and designs (intellectual property).

WTO:- World trade Organization 

  • The World Trade Organisation (WTO) is the sole international organization that deals with international trade rules.
  • The WTO agreements, negotiated and signed by the majority of the world's trading nations and recognized by their parliaments, are at its heart.
  • The World Trade Organisation is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.
  • The Ministerial Conference, which is made up of all member states and meets twice a year, is the highest decision-making body of the organization.
  • The World Trade Organisation (WTO) has 164 countries (160 UN countries, EU, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan).

The WTO has six main objectives:

  • to establish and enforce international trade rules,
  • to provide a forum for negotiating and monitoring further trade liberalization,
  • to resolve trade disputes,
  • to improve decision-making transparency,
  • to collaborate with other major international economic institutions involved in global economic management, and
  • to assist developing countries in fully benefiting from the global trading system.

Question 95

West Bengal Civil Service (Exe.) Examination (WBCS) 2022• Full Test

In which of the following inscriptions we find earliest reference to 'Sati'?

  1. AOption (a)

    Asokan inscription of Girnar

  2. BOption (b)

    Aihole inscription

  3. COption (c)

    Eran inscription

  4. DOption (d)

    Damodarpur inscription

View answer & explanation

Correct answer

Answer: (c)C.

Eran inscription

Why this answer is correct

The correct answer is Eran Inscription.

Key Points

  • The earliest historical evidence of the Sati system is an inscription engraved in AD. 510 (191 of the Gupta era) on a pillar found at Eran near Sagar in Madhya Pradesh, i.e., the Eran posthumous inscription of Goparaja.
  • Ascribed to Bhanugupta, the inscription mentions that his wife followed him on the pyre after his death in the battle against the Hunas.

Eran Inscription

  • Eran inscription is crucial in reconstructing the history of the Gupta Empire. The capital of Erakina (Airikina) Pradesha or Airkina Vishaya, a Gupta administrative division, was Eran or Erakina.
  • Eran is a historic town and archaeological site in Madhya Pradesh. As demonstrated by the various coins discovered here, it was one of the oldest mints for Indian empires.
  • The site contains temples and monuments from the Gupta dynasty, including a giant stone hog with sages and intellectuals depicted on the sculpture’s body.

Additional Information Asokan inscription of Girnar

  • It is in Gujarat, near Girnar Hill, near Junagadh.
  • The inscription is dated shortly after 150 CE.
  • Inscriptions of Ashoka (one of fourteen Major Rock Edicts of Ashoka), Rudradaman I and Skandagupta can be seen on the Junagadh rock.
  • It states that Pushyagupta, one of Chandragupta Maurya's governors, was in charge of constructing a dam on Sudarshana Lake near Girnar in Kathiawar.
  • It is learned from another Skandgupta inscription that this dam was restored during his reign, about 800 years after it was erected.
  • The Girnar inscriptions were discovered in 1822 by British military officer and scholar James Todd and were translated in 1837 by scholar and Orientalist James Princep.

Aihole inscription

  • Aihole inscription is associated with the Chalukya dynasty.
  • It was written by Ravi Kirti, court poet of Chalukya King, Pulakeshin II who reigned from 610 to 642 A.D. Located at Meguti temple in Aihole, Karnataka, the inscription speaks about the defeat of Harshavardhana by Pulakeshin II.
  • It also mentions the victory of Chalukyas on Pallavas.

Damodarpur inscription

  • Damodarpur copper plate inscription of the Gupta period gives details regarding the sale of land.
  • Damodarpur (in Dinajpur District) Copper Plate No. 1 of Kumargupta I (443 - 444 AD) is probably the most important for a knowledge of local administrative pattern and is the most popular source for historians.

Question 96

West Bengal Civil Service (Exe.) Examination (WBCS) 2022• Full Test

The radiation carrying maximum energy -

  1. AOption (a)

    UV rays

  2. BOption (b)

    Gamma rays

  3. COption (c)

    X-rays

  4. DOption (d)

    IR rays

View answer & explanation

Correct answer

Answer: (b)B.

Gamma rays

Why this answer is correct

The correct answer is Gamma rays.

Key PointsGamma rays

  • Gamma rays have the smallest wavelengths and the most energy of any wave in the electromagnetic spectrum.
  • They are produced by the hottest and most energetic objects in the universe, such as neutron stars and pulsars, supernova explosions, and regions around black holes.
  • On Earth, gamma waves are generated by nuclear explosions, lightning, and the less dramatic activity of radioactive decay.

Uses 

  • Gamma rays are ionizing electromagnetic radiation, obtained by the decay of an atomic nucleus.
  • Gamma rays are more penetrating, in matter, and can damage living cells to a great extent.
  • Gamma rays are used in medicine (radiotherapy), industry (sterilization and disinfection) and the nuclear industry.

Gamma rays are the most harmful external hazard.

  • Beta particles can partially penetrate skin, causing “beta burns”.
  • Alpha particles cannot penetrate intact skin. Gamma and x-rays can pass through a person damaging cells in their path.

Question 97

West Bengal Civil Service (Exe.) Examination (WBCS) 2022• Full Test

When was the 'Carlyle Circular' issued?

  1. AOption (a)

    1905

  2. BOption (b)

    1901

  3. COption (c)

    1902

  4. DOption (d)

    1906

View answer & explanation

Correct answer

Answer: (a)A.

1905

Why this answer is correct

The correct answer is 1905.

Key Points'Carlyle Circular' 

The chief secretary of Bengal, Carlyle issued a declaration known as Carlyle circulation, on 22 October 1905.

  • When the Indian youth started opposing the western education against partition of Bengal, then the chief secretary of Bengal, Carlyle issued a declaration known as Carlyle circulation, on 22 october 1905.
  • According to the circular ‘If any college violates the government order and the student quits the educational institution then no assistance will be provided by the government to the institute’. It was termed the declaration of slavery.

Additional Information

  • The National College of Bengal was established on the lines of Tagore's Shantinekatan and its first principal was Aurobindo Ghosh. At this time Bengal Technical College was established and National Education Council was constituted on 15th August 1906.

Indian Society of Oriental Arts was founded in 1906.

Question 98

West Bengal Civil Service (Exe.) Examination (WBCS) 2022• Full Test

Which one of the following is not correctly matched?

  1. AOption (a)

    NH-2 - Delhi-Kolkata

  2. BOption (b)

    NH-35 - Barasat-Bangoan

  3. COption (c)

    NH-41 - Kolaghat-Haldia

  4. DOption (d)

    NH-34 - Sevak-Gangtok

View answer & explanation

Correct answer

Answer: (d)D.

NH-34 - Sevak-Gangtok

Why this answer is correct

The correct answer is NH-34 - Sevak-Gangtok.

Key PointsNational Highway Number: 34

  • National Highway Number 34 Route: Junction with National Highway No. 31 near Dalkola- Behrampore-Barasat-Calcutta
  • National Highway Number 34 State through which passing: West Bengal
  • National Highway Number 34 Starting From: Dalkola
  • National Highway Number 34 Ending at: Calcutta
  • Total Length of NH 34 (km): 443
  • National Highway Number 34 Length passing through State (km): West Bengal – 443

Question 99

West Bengal Civil Service (Exe.) Examination (WBCS) 2022• Full Test

Who is the Guardian of the Public Purse in India?

  1. AOption (a)

    The President of India

  2. BOption (b)

    The Union Finance Minister

  3. COption (c)

    The Comptroller & Auditor General of India

  4. DOption (d)

    The Public Accounts Committee

View answer & explanation

Correct answer

Answer: (c)C.

The Comptroller & Auditor General of India

Why this answer is correct

The correct answer is The Comptroller & Auditor General of India.

Key PointsThe comptroller and Auditor General of India is also known as the Guardian of Public Purse.

Comptroller and Auditor General of India

  • The Constitution of India (Article 148) provides for an independent office of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG).
  • He is the head of the Indian Audit and Accounts Department and is one of the bulwarks of the democratic system of government in India
  • He is the guardian of the public purse and controls the entire financial system of the country at both the levels–the Centre and the state.
  • His duty is to uphold the Constitution of India and laws of Parliament in the field of financial administration.

Appointment, Term & Removal

  • The CAG is appointed by the President of India by a warrant under his hand and seal.
  • The CAG holds office for a period of six years or up to the age of 65years, whichever is earlier.
  • He can resign any time from his office by addressing the resignation letter to the president.
  • He can also be removed by the president on same grounds and in the same manner as a judge of the Supreme Court.
  • In other words, he can be removed by the president on the basis of a resolution passed to that effect by both the Houses of Parliament with special majority, either on the ground of proved misbehaviour or incapacity.

Duties of CAG

  • CAG audits the accounts related to all expenditure from the Consolidated Fund of India, Consolidated Fund of each state and UT having a legislative assembly.
  • CAG audits all expenditure from the Contingency Fund of India and the Public Account of India as well as the Contingency Fund and Public Account of each state.
  • CAG audits all trading, manufacturing, profit and loss accounts, balance sheets and other subsidiary accounts kept by any department of the Central Government and the state governments.
  • CAG audits the receipts and expenditure of all bodies and authorities substantially financed from the Central or State revenues; government companies; other corporations and bodies, when so required by related laws.
  • He ascertains and certifies the net proceeds of any tax or duty and his certificate is final on the matter.

Question 100

West Bengal Civil Service (Exe.) Examination (WBCS) 2022• Full Test

SEBI stands for the

  1. AOption (a)

    State Earnings Board of India

  2. BOption (b)

    Securities and Exchange Bank of India

  3. COption (c)

    Securities and Exchange Board of India

  4. DOption (d)

    State Exchange Bank of India

View answer & explanation

Correct answer

Answer: (c)C.

Securities and Exchange Board of India

Why this answer is correct

The correct answer is Securities and Exchange Board of India.

Key PointsSEBI 

  • Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) is a statutory organisation formed on April 12, 1992, in compliance with the requirements of the Securities and Exchange Board of India Act, 1992.
  • The Securities and Exchange Board of India's primary duties are to safeguard the interests of investors in securities and to promote and regulate the securities market.
  • It is headquartered in Mumbai, has four regional offices in Ahmedabad, Chennai, Delhi, and Kolkata.
  • Ms Madhabi Puri Buch is the current SEBI Chairman, having been selected to take up the chairmanship on March 2, 2022, succeeding outgoing chairman Ajay Tyagi.

 SEBI - Powers and Functions

  • SEBI is a quasi-legislative and quasi-judicial agency with the authority to write rules, conduct investigations, issue judgements, and apply fines.
  • It fulfils the standards of three categories -
  • Issuers - By creating a marketplace for issuers to boost their financing.
  • Investors - By assuring the security and availability of precise and accurate information.
  • Intermediaries - By creating a competitive professional intermediary market.
  • SEBI can now regulate any money pooling arrangement of Rs. 100 crore or more and seize assets in situations of noncompliance under the Securities Laws (Amendment) Act, 2014.
  • SEBI Chairman has the ability to authorise "search and seizure operations". The SEBI board may also request information, such as telephone call data records, from any person or entity in connection with any securities transaction under investigation.
  • SEBI is responsible for the registration and regulation of venture capital funds and collective investment plans, including mutual funds.
  • It also aims to promote and regulate self-regulatory bodies, as well as to ban fraudulent and unfair trading activities in the securities markets.

Recent Government Initiatives

  • The government has proposed a modification to the SEBI Act, which specifies that the SEBI will function as a reserve fund, with 25% of the general fund's annual surplus going into the reserve fund.
  • Further, the size of such reserve funds cannot exceed the total of annual expenditure of the preceding two financial years.