Test Preparation on IAS Prelims Sample Paper -35

Justification and Learning: "Arctic greening" is a term related with the C02 fertilization effect.The carbon fertilization effect suggests that the increase of carbon dioxide in the atmosphereincreases the rate of photosynthesis in plants. The effect varies depending on the plant species,the temperature, and the availability of water and nutrients. From a quarter to half of Earth'svegetated lands has shown significant greening over the last 35 years largely due to rising levelsof atmospheric carbon dioxide. Scientists have been finding, that as northern portions of theplanet (Arctic) warm up even as total atmospheric carbon dioxide increases, there's been anincrease in plant growth in these regions. Studies led by Trevor Keenan from the Department ofEnergy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) show that, from 2002 to 2014,plants appear to haye gone into overdrive, starting to pull more carbon dioxide out of the air 'than they have done before. The result was that the rate a^which carbon dioxide accumulates inthe atmosphere did not increase during this time period, although previously, it had grownconsiderably in concert with growing greenhouse gas emission

Justification: Statement 1: It was the regulating Act of 1773.In 1765, the Company, which till now had purely trading functions obtained the 'diwani' (i.e.,rights over revenue and civil justice) of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa. The regulating Act of 1773 is ofgreat constitutional importance as (a) it was the first step taken by the British Government tocontrol and regulate the affairs of the East India Company in India; (b) it recognised, for the firsttime, the political and administrative functions of the Company; and (c) it laid the foundations ofcentral administration in India.Statement 2: This was due to the Gol Act of 1858, the details of which are well covered inLaxmikanth and need not be repeated here. The act known as the Act for the Good Governmentof India, abolished the East India Company, and transferred^the powers of government,territories and revenues to the British Crown.Statement 3: Federal Service Commission, division of powers. Parliamentary form ofgovernment etc. have all their roots in the acts enacted prior to 1947. We will cover this ingreater depth as we proceed with the syllabus.Statement 4: This was the regulating Act of 1773. It provided for the establishment of a SupremeCourt at Calcutta (1774) comprising one chief justice and three other judges

Justification: Statement 1: The Straits of Malacca provide China with its shortest maritimeaccess to Europe. Africa, and the Middle East. Approximately 80% of its Middle Eastern energyimports also pass through the Straits of Malacca. As fhe world's biggest oil importer, energysecurity is a key concern for China while current sea routes used to import Middle Eastern oil arefrequently patrolled by the United States' Navy. In the event that China were to face hostileactions from a state or non-state actor, energy imports through the Straits of Malacca could behalted, which in turn would paralyse the Chinese economy in a scenario that is frequentlyreferred to as the "Malacca Dilemma", in addition to vulnerabilities faced in the Straits ofMalacca region, China Is heavily dependent upon sea-routes that pass through the South ChinaSea, near the disputed Spratly Islands and Paracel Islands, which are currently a source oftension between China, Taiwan, Vietnam, the Philippines, and the United States. The CPECproject will allow Chinese energy imports to circumvent these contentious areas and find a newartery in the west, and thereby decrease the possibility of confrontation between the UnitedStates and China.Statement 2: In addition to its significance to reduce Chinese dependence on the Sea of Malaccaand South China Sea routes, CPEC will provide China an alternative and shorter route for energyimports from the Middle East, thereby reducing shipping costs and transit times. The currentlyavailable sea-route to China is roughly 12,000 kilometres long, while the distance from GwadarPort to Xinjiang province is approximately 3,000 kilometres, with another 3,500 kilometres fromXinjiang to China's eastern coast.Learning: CPEC is a collection of infrastructure projects that are currently under constructionthroughout Pakistan. The CPEC is a landmark projecMn the annals of history of Pakistan. It is thelargest investment Pakistan has attracted since independence and largest by China in any fweigncountry. The CPEC Alignments will improve connectivity to restive Xinjiang, thereby increasingthe region's potential to attract public and private investment. CPEC is considered central toChina-Pakistan relations; its central importance is reflected by China's inclusion of the project aspart of its 13th five-year development plan. The CPEC projects will also complement China'sWestern Development plan, which includes not only Xinjiang^ but also the neighbouring regionsof Tibet and Qinghai.-DISCLAIMER: The international borders depicted in the image above are by no meansauthoritative and only serve illustrative and pedagogi.

Justification: Statement 2: Look at the word "only" in 52. Statements containing 'only, 'must','always' and other such extreme words are usually wrong. A zoonosis is any disease or infectionthat Is naturally transmissible from vertebrate animals to humans. Animals thus play an essentialrole in maintaining zoonotic Infections In nature. Zoonoses may be bacterial, viral, or parasitic, ormay Involve unconventional agents. As well as being a public health problem, many of the majorzoonotic diseases prevent the efficient production of food of animal origin and create obstaclesto International trade In animal products. According to WHO, the NIpah virus Infection Is a newlyemerging zoonosis. Kozhlkode and Malappuram districts have been declared free of NIpah virusrecently by the Kerala government.

Learning: Pacifism preaches opposition to war or violence as a means of settling disputes. Itcovers a spectrum of views ranging from a preference for diplomacy in resoiving internationaidisputes to absolute opposition to the use of violence, or even force, in any circumstancePacifisrp may be based on principle or pragmatism. Principled pacifism springs from the beliefthat war, deliberate lethal force, violence or any form of coercion is morally wrong. Pragmaticpacifism does not adhere to such an absolute principle but holds that there are better ways ofresolving a dispute than war, or considers the benefits of a war to be outweighed by the costs.Dove or dovish afe informal terms used to describe people who seek to avoid war. The termsallude to the placid nature of the dove. Some peopie termed dovish would not view theirposition as pacifist, for they wouid consider war to be justifiable in some circumstances. Theopposite of a dove is a 'hawk' or a warmonger. Some pacifists, while opposing war, are notopposed to all use of coercion, physical force against people or destruction of property. Antimilitarists,for example, are specifically^opposed to the modern nation-sjates' militaryinstitutions rather than to 'violence' in "general. Other pacifists follow principles of non-violence,believing that only non-violent action is acceptableQ Source; Additional Research: Chapter 2; 11th NCERT Political Theory

Justification: The famous session of the Indian National Congress was held at Avadi in January1955. This historical meet emphasised the importance of socialism and its impact on socialdevelopment. Jawaharlal Nehru with Morarji Desai and other Congress leaders at the AiCCsession declared that a socialistic pattern of society was the goal of the Congress This was thebasic philosophy of the INC- "It is not possible to pursue a policy of iaissez-faire inindustry.... It isincompattble with any planning. It has long been Congness-policy that basic industries should beowned or controlled by the state." "This policy holds and must be progressively given effect toState trading should be undertaken wherever the balance of advantage lies in favour of such acourse. A large field for private enterprise is, however, left over. Thus our economy will have apublic sector as well as a private sector. But the private sector-must-acceptthe objective of theNational Plan and fit into it.

Justification: The term Swaraj incorporates within it two words - Swa (Self) and Raj (Rule). Itcan be understood to mean both the rule of the self and rule over self. Swaraj, In the context ofthe freedom struggle In India referred to freedom as a constitutional and political demand andas a value at the social-collective level. That is why Swaraj was such an important rallying cry inthe freedom movement inspiring Tilak's famous statement - "Swaraj is my birth right and I shallhave rt."' It is the understanding of Swaraj as Rule over the Self that was highlighted by MahatmaGandhi in his work Hind Swaraj where he states, "It is swaraj when we learn to rule ourselves"Swaraj is not just freedom but liberation In redeeming one's self-respect, self-responsibility, andcapacities for self-realisation from institutions of dehumanisation.

Justification: The Karakoram pass falls on the boundary of Indian state of Jammu and Kashmirand China (Xinjiang Autonomous Region). It also plays a major geographic role in the disputebetween Pakistan and India over control of the Siachen Glacier area immediately to the west ofthe pass. This situation arose from the Simla Agreement, signed in 1972 between India andPakistan, when the treaty failed to specify the last 100 km (60 mi) or so of the cease-fire linefrom the end of the Line of Control to the border with China. A potential China-India-Pakistantripoint at Karakoram Pass is referenced In a 1963 boundary treaty between China and Pakistanconcerning the Trans-Karakoram Tract, but India was not party to that treaty nor any tripointagreement. The current de facto tripoint is about 100 km west of the pass near Indira Col in theSiachen Muztagh, where the Actual Ground Position Line between Indian and Pakistani forcesmeets the border with China.

Justification: Statement 1 and 2: Rajendra Prasad, Nehru (who moved the objectives resolution)and Vallabhbhai Patel, who largely worked behind the scenes, were the three major figures fromcongress behind the constitution. Besides this Congress trio, Ambedkar was a very importantmember of the Assembly, who had actually been a political opponent of the Congress; but, onthe advice of Mahatma Gandhi, he was asked at Independence to join the Union Cabinet as lawminister.Statement 3 and 4: In this capacity, he served as Chairman of the Drafting Committee of theConstitution. Serving with him were two other lawyers, K.M. Munshi from Gujarat and AlladiKrishnaswamy Aiyar from Madras, both of whom gave crucial inputs in the drafting of theConstitution. Aiyar was the Advocate general of Madras. These six members were given vitalassistance by two civil servants. One was B. N. Rau, Constitutional Advisor to the Government ofIndia, who prepared a series of background papers based on a close study of the politicalsystems obtaining in other countries.Q Source; Chapter 15: Themes in Indian History: Part III

Justification: Statement 3: There is very little helium-3 available on the Earth. However, thereare thought to be significant supplies on the Moon.Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)'s second moon mission