Ans: D

Exp: 

Wayanad, which is grappling with the horror of the deadly July 30 landslide disaster, was among several places in Kerala that had featured high on a national-level database created by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in 2023 based on exposure to landslides in terms of “key socio-economic parameters.”

Factors controlling the occurrence of landslides in the Western Ghats:

• Statement 1 is correct: Topography: The region’s steep slopes and escarpments contribute to terrain instability, making it prone to landslides.
• Geological Composition: The type of rock and soil in the area, including weathered and fractured rocks, can influence the stability of the slopes.
• Statement 2 is correct: Soil Cover: The type and thickness of soil cover on slopes can significantly impact slope stability, with shallow soils being more prone to landslides.
• Statement 3 is correct: Heavy Rainfall: Intense monsoon rains can saturate the soil, reducing its stability and increasing the likelihood of landslides.
• Statement 4 is correct: High Population Density: Areas with high population density often experience increased pressure on land resources, leading to activities such as deforestation, construction, and agriculture on vulnerable slopes.
• Deforestation and Land Use Changes: Activities such as deforestation, agriculture, and construction can remove stabilising vegetation and alter natural drainage, increasing landslide risk.

Ans: C

Exp: 

India’s major mineral imports rose 80% over five years to ₹68,633 crore. Copper ore imports led with ₹25,951 crore, followed by phosphorite at ₹12,649 crore.

• Statement 1 is correct: Copper ore concentrate imports continue to be the highest for 5 years or nearly 40 per cent of the total import of major minerals in FY24. Imports more than doubled in five years, from ₹12,146 crore to ₹25,951 crore.
• Identified Critical Minerals in India: The Expert Committee under the Ministry of Mines has identified a set of 30 critical minerals for India.
  • Statement 2 is correct: These are Antimony, Beryllium, Bismuth, Cobalt, Copper, Gallium, Germanium, Graphite, Hafnium, Indium, Lithium, Molybdenum, Niobium, Nickel, PGE, Phosphorous, Potash, REE, Rhenium, Silicon, Strontium, Tantalum, Tellurium, Tin, Titanium, Tungsten, Vanadium, Zirconium, Selenium, and Cadmium.

Ans: A

Exp:

Recently, SEBI proposed a series of measures to curtail speculative trading in the index derivatives segment. This comes amidst concerns about an exponential rise in the volume of trade in the futures and options (F&O) segment, particularly by individual investors.

Futures Contracts

• Definition: A futures contract is a standardised legal agreement to buy or sell an asset at a predetermined price at a specified time in the future. Both parties are obligated to fulfil the terms of the contract.
• Use: Futures can be used for hedging or speculation. For example, a farmer might use a futures contract to lock in the price of a crop, thereby hedging against the risk of a price drop.
• Settlement: Futures are settled either by physical delivery of the asset or in cash. They have a specific expiration date.
• Leverage: Futures contracts often require a margin deposit, and because they are leveraged, they can lead to significant gains or losses.

Options Contracts

• Definition: An option is a contract that gives the holder the right, but not the obligation, to buy or sell an asset at a specified price (strike price) within a specified period.
• Types:
• Call Option: Gives the holder the right to buy an asset.
• Put Option: Gives the holder the right to sell an asset.
• Premium: The buyer of an option pays a premium to the seller for this right. This premium is the maximum loss the buyer can incur, while the seller (writer) faces potentially unlimited loss.
• Exercise: The buyer can choose to exercise the option (buy/sell the underlying asset at the strike price) or let it expire worthless.
• Use: Options can be used for hedging (protecting against unfavourable price movements) or speculation (profiting from expected price movements).

Statement 1 is correct: Futures and options are derivatives that can be used to hedge against price movements in an underlying asset or to speculate on price movements.

• Hedging involves reducing risk by taking a position in a derivative that offsets potential losses in another investment. 
• Speculation involves taking a position in a derivative to profit from expected price changes.

Statement 2 is incorrect: Futures and options both have an expiration date.

Statement 3 is incorrect: Premiums are associated with options contracts and not with futures contracts.

Ans: B

Exp: 

Tanzania has been forcibly evicting Indigenous Maasai from their ancestral lands, a Human Rights Watch (HRW) report says.

Major Tribes of the World:

• Pair 1 is incorrectly matched: The Maasai are a Nilotic ethnic group of East Africa inhabiting northern, central and southern Kenya and northern Tanzania, near the African Great Lakes region. 
  • The Maasai speak the Maa language, a member of the Nilotic language family. They are mostly cattle rearing tribes. 
• Pair 2 is correctly matched: The Kyrgyz people are a Turkic ethnic group native to Central Asia. 
  • They primarily reside in Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, China, Pakistan and Afghanistan. A Kyrgyz diaspora is also found in Russia, Tajikistan, and Kazakhstan. 
  • They speak the Kyrgyz language, which is the official language of Kyrgyzstan.
• Pair 3 is incorrectly matched: The Bedouin, Beduin, or Bedu are pastorally nomadic Arab tribes who have historically inhabited the desert regions in the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa, the Levant, and Mesopotamia.
• Pair 4 is correctly matched: Bushmen are the hunting gathering aborigines of Kalahari desert of Africa including countries Botswana, Namibia, Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Lesotho and South Africa. They are excellent stalkers and hunters.

Ans: A

Exp:

The Central Water Commission (CWC) has been honored with the  GEEF Global WaterTech Award  under the category ‘Water Department of the Year’ at the prestigious Global Water Tech Summit -2024 organized by the Global Energy and Environment Foundation (GEEF) in New Delhi.

About Central Water Commission (CWC):

• Statement 1 is correct: The Central Water Commission (CWC), established in 1945 on the counsel of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, stands as India’s premier technical organization in the field of water resources. 
• Statement 2 is incorrect: Operating under the Ministry of Jal Shakti, it plays a pivotal role in coordinating and advancing water-related schemes across the nation. 
• These schemes encompass flood control, irrigation, navigation, drinking water supply, and hydro power development. 
• The CWC’s three wings—the Designs and Research Wing, River Management Wing, and Water Planning and Projects Wing—work in tandem to ensure integrated and sustainable water resource management.
• Statement 3 is incorrect: Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) is an independent scientific department under Department of Water Resources, RD & GR, Ministry of Jal Shakti, Government of India.
  • An Expert Committee (Chair: Dr. Mihir Shah) recommended that the CWC and CGWB should be restructured and unified to form a new National Water Commission (NWC) in 2016.