10 PM Current Affairs Quiz: April 20, 2020

Both statements are correct

Statement 1 is correct: World Heritage Day was started by the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) in 1982.It was also approved by the UNESCO General Assembly in 1983.

Statement 2 is correct: ICOMOS works for the conservation and protection of cultural heritage places. It is the only global non-government organisation of this kind, which is dedicated to promoting the application of theory, methodology, and scientific techniques to the conservation of the architectural and archaeological heritage.

The Maastricht Treaty, officially known as the Treaty on European Union, marked the beginning of “a new stage in the process of creating an ever closer union among the peoples of Europe”. It laid the foundations for a single currency, the euro, and significantly expanded cooperation between European countries.

Both statements are incorrect.

Statement 1 is incorrect: Special Drawing Right (SDR) is neither a currency nor a claim on the IMF. It is an international reserve asset created by the IMF in 1969 to supplement its member countries official reserves.

Statement 2 is incorrect: The value of the SDR is based on a basket of five currencies—the U.S. dollar, the euro, the Chinese renminbi, the Japanese yen and the British pound sterling.

While there are hundreds of corona viruses, there are seven that we know can infect humans. Out of the seven, two are alpha corona viruses (229E and NL63) and four are beta corona viruses (OC43, HKU1, MERS and SARS-CoV). The classification of the viruses is based on their phylogeny, which is to say it reflects how these virus strains evolved from their common ancestors.

Both statements are correct.

Statement 1 is correct: A non-resident entity can invest in India, subject to the FDI Policy except in those sectors/activities which are prohibited.

Statement 2 is correct: An entity of a country, which shares land border with India or where the beneficial owner of an investment into India is situated in or is a citizen of any such country, can invest only under the Government route.

Statement 1 is incorrect. Asymptomatic patients refer to those which have the virus in their body but do not show any symptom of the disease.

Statement 2 is incorrect. Since these patients have the virus in their body, it can be diagnosed with a RT-PCR test. Asymptomatic patients can act as carriers of disease and infect other people.

Statement 1 is correct. The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) is the second largest intergovernmental organization after the United Nations with a membership of 57 states spread over four continents., African Union has 55 members.

Statement 2 is incorrect. India does not have observer status at OIC. India was the guest of honor in the plenary session in 2019. Pakistan scuttled several attempts to accommodate India in the OIC.

Statement 1 is incorrect. Guru Nanak founded the Kartarpur town by Ravi River in 1515 in today’s Pakistan. The shrine is located five kilometres from the Indo-Pakistani border.

Statement 2 is incorrect. Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib is one of the holiest sites of the Sikh religion,  the gurdwara is built where Guru Nanak is said to have died in 1539. Gurdwara Janam Asthan is the birthplace of Guru Nanak located in Nankana Sahib, Pakistan.

Bangalore Blue is a variety of fox grape grown in districts around Bangalore in India. It is recognised as a Geographical Indication.

Statement 1 is correct. A debt fund is an investment fund, such as a mutual fund or exchange-traded fund, in which the holdings mainly comprise fixed income investments like bonds and treasury bills.

Statement 2 is incorrect. Debt funds are preferred by individuals who are not willing to invest in a highly volatile equity market. A debt fund is comparatively less volatile.

Statement 1 is incorrect. A Serological test or Antibody test is based on the presence of antibodies in the bloodstream.

Statement 2 is incorrect. Antibodies may be present even in a person who had the disease in the past but is now cured, therefore it is not the confirmatory test. RT-PCR is the confirmatory test for COVID-19.

Statement 1 is correct. The Certificate of Deposit (CD) is an agreement between the depositor and the bank where a predetermined amount of money is fixed for a specific time period, it is regulated by the Reserve Bank of India.

Statement 2 is incorrect. As per the guidelines by RBI, Ordinary individuals, Corporations, Banks, Financial institutions, Mutual fund associations, NRIs (they are not allowed to repatriate on maturity) can invest in a certificate of deposit.

Social Vaccine refers to educational and behavioural measures that can be used to raise public consciousness about unhealthy situations, Social vaccine involves spreading education on how to protect oneself and others.

Statement 1 is incorrect. As per the PIB release the fund is a dedicated national fund with the primary objective of dealing with any kind of emergency or distress situation in a country like that posed by COVID-19.

Statement 2 is correct. As per notification issued by Ministry of Corporate affairs and Companies act, 2013 the fund set up by Central government is eligible for CSR donations.

Statement 1 is incorrect. Each member country in the IMF is assigned a quota, that reflects the country’s relative share in the global economy. This quota also determines their relative voting power. Thus, the financial contributions from member countries are linked to their voting power in the organization.

Statement 2 is  incorrect. The IMF’s Managing Director is both Chairperson of the Executive Board and Head of IMF staff. He or she is appointed by the Executive Board for a renewable term of five years. The Executive Board may select a Managing Director by a majority of votes cast. Historically the IMF’s managing director has been European and the president of the World Bank has been from the United States.