UPPCS Prelims 2018 General Studies Solved Paper Part-2 (Series A)
Q 11. Which of the following is NOT obtained from insects?
- Silk
- Honey
- Lac
- Pearl
Answer: Pearl
- Silk that is made by the silk worm is made up of two main proteins, sericin and fibroin.
- Honey is a sweet, viscous food substance produced by bees and some related insects. Bees produce honey from the sugarysecretions of plants (floral nectar) or from secretions of other insects such as honeydew).
- Lac is the scarlet resinous secretion of a number of species of lac insects, of which the most commonly cultivated is Kerria lacca.
- A pearl is a hard glistening object produced within the soft tissue (specifically the mantle) of a living shelled mollusk or another animal, such as a conulariid.
Q 12 . Which of the following represents the decibel level of the rustling of tree leaves in normal circumstance?
- 10 db
- 20 db
- 60 db
- 100 db
Answer: 20db
| Noise Source | Decibel Level |
comment |
|---|---|---|
| Jet take-off (at 25 meters) | 150 | Eardrum rupture |
| Aircraft carrier deck | 140 | |
| Military jet aircraft take-off from aircraft carrier with afterburner at 50 ft (130 dB). | 130 | |
| Thunderclap, chain saw. Oxygen torch (121 dB). | 120 | Painful. 32 times as loud as 70 dB. |
| Steel mill, auto horn at 1 meter. Turbo-fan aircraft at takeoff power at 200 ft (118 dB). Riveting machine (110 dB); live rock music (108 – 114 dB). | 110 | Average human pain threshold. 16 times as loud as 70 dB. |
| Jet take-off (at 305 meters), use of outboard motor, power lawn mower, motorcycle, farm tractor, jackhammer, garbage truck. Boeing 707 or DC-8 aircraft at one nautical mile (6080 ft) before landing (106 dB); jet flyover at 1000 feet (103 dB); Bell J-2A helicopter at 100 ft (100 dB). | 100 | 8 times as loud as 70 dB. Serious damage possible in 8 hr exposure |
| Boeing 737 or DC-9 aircraft at one nautical mile (6080 ft) before landing (97 dB); power mower (96 dB); motorcycle at 25 ft (90 dB). Newspaper press (97 dB). |
90
|
4 times as loud as 70 dB. Likely damage 8 hr exp |
| Garbage disposal, dishwasher, average factory, freight train (at 15 meters). Car wash at 20 ft (89 dB); propeller plane flyover at 1000 ft (88 dB); diesel truck 40 mph at 50 ft (84 dB); diesel train at 45 mph at 100 ft (83 dB). Food blender (88 dB); milling machine (85 dB); garbage disposal (80 dB). | 80 | 2 times as loud as 70 dB. Possible damage in 8 h exposure. |
| Passenger car at 65 mph at 25 ft (77 dB); freeway at 50 ft from pavement edge 10 a.m. (76 dB). Living room music (76 dB); radio or TV-audio, vacuum cleaner (70 dB). | 70 | Arbitrary base of comparison. Upper 70s are annoyingly loud to some people. |
| Conversation in restaurant, office, background music, Air conditioning unit at 100 ft | 60 | Half as loud as 70 dB. Fairly quiet |
| Quiet suburb, conversation at home. Large electrical transformers at 100 ft | 50 | One-fourth as loud as 70 dB. |
| Library, bird calls (44 dB); lowest limit of urban ambient sound | 40 | One-eighth as loud as 70 dB. |
| Quiet rural area | 30 | One-sixteenth as loud as 70 dB. Very Quiet |
| Whisper, rustling leaves | 20 | |
| Breathing | 10 | Barely audible |
Q 13 . United Nations Conference on climate change, COP21 was held in
- Moscow
- Paris
- Berlin
- Tokyo
Answer: Paris
The 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP 21 or CMP 11 was held in Paris, France.
Q 14 . When was India’s first National Action Plan on Climate Change released?
- 2000
- 2008
- 2012
- 2015
Answer: 2008
The Government of India formulated national plan on water, renewable energy, energy efficiency agriculture and others – bundled with additional ones – into a set of eight missions under the National Action Plan on Climate Change. The Action Plan was released on 30th June 2008 to address the future policies and programs for the climate mitigation and adaptation.
The core of the implementation of the Action plan are constituted by the following eight missions, that will be responsible for achieving the broad goals of adaptation and mitigation, as applicable.
1. National Solar Mission: The NAPCC targets to promote the development and use of solar energy for power generation and other uses with the ultimate objective of making solar competitive with fossil-based energy options. The plan includes:
I. Specific goals for increasing use of solar thermal technologies in urban areas, industry, and commercial establishments;
II. A goal of increasing production of photovoltaics to 1000 MW/year; and
III. A goal of deploying at least 1000 MW of solar thermal power generation.
Other objectives include the establishment of a solar research centre, increased international collaboration on technology development, strengthening of domestic manufacturing capacity, and increased government funding and international support.
2. National Mission for Enhanced Energy Efficiency: Current initiatives are expected to yield savings of 10,000 MW by 2012. Building on the Energy Conservation Act 2001, the plan recommends:
I. Mandating specific energy consumption decreases in large energy-consuming industries, with a system for companies to trade energy-savings certificates;
II. Energy incentives, including reduced taxes on energy-efficient appliances; and
III. Financing for public-private partnerships to reduce energy consumption through demand-side management programs in the municipal, buildings and agricultural sectors
3. National Mission on Sustainable Habitat: To promote energy efficiency as a core component of urban planning, the plan calls for:
I. Extending the existing Energy Conservation Building Code;
II. A greater emphasis on urban waste management and recycling, including power production from waste;
III. Strengthening the enforcement of automotive fuel economy standards and using pricing measures to encourage the purchase of efficient vehicles;
IV. Incentives for the use of public transportation.
4. National Water Mission: With water scarcity projected to worsen as a result of climate change, the plan sets a goal of a 20% improvement in water use efficiency through pricing and other measures.
5. National Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem: The plan aims to conserve biodiversity, forest cover, and other ecological values in the Himalayan region, where glaciers that are a major source of India’s water supply are projected to recede as a result of global warming.
6. National Mission for a “Green India”: Goals include the afforestation of 6 million hectares of degraded forest lands and expanding forest cover from 23% to 33% of India’s territory.
7. National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture: The plan aims to support climate adaptation in agriculture through the development of climate-resilient crops, expansion of weather insurance mechanisms, and agricultural practices.
8. National Mission on Strategic Knowledge for Climate Change: To gain a better understanding of climate science, impacts and challenges, the plan envisions a new Climate Science Research Fund, improved climate modeling, and increased international collaboration. It also encourages private sector initiatives to develop adaptation and mitigation technologies through venture capital funds.
Other Programs of NAPCC
The NAPCC also describes other ongoing initiatives, including:
1. Power Generation: The government is mandating the retirement of inefficient coal-fired power plants and supporting the research and development of IGCC and super critical technologies.
2. Renewable Energy: Under the Electricity Act 2003 and the National Tariff Policy 2006, the central and the state electricity regulatory commissions must purchase a certain percentage of grid-based power from renewable sources.
3. Energy Efficiency: Under the Energy Conservation Act 2001, large energy-consuming industries are required to undertake energy audits and an energy labelling program for appliances has been introduced.
Q 15. Which is the most stable ecosystem?
- Marine (ocean)
- Forest
- Mountain
- Desert