Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 27-11-2020

Useful compilation of Civil Services oriented - Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 27-11-2020

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• SECTION 1 - TEN NEWS HEADLINES

1. Covid-19 Updates – First ‘wave’ of vaccination to cover 30 crore Indians – According to Principal Scientific Adviser K. VijayRaghavan, about 30 crore people will be part of the first “wave” to get the COVID-19 vaccine in India. They consist of health care workers, police personnel, those above 50 and those younger with underlying illnesses that make them vulnerable. He was speaking at a meeting organised by the Science Ministry and the Confederation of Indian Industry.
2. Accidents and Natural Disasters – Three killed, crops damaged as Nivar crosses Tamil Nadu coast – Severe cyclonic storm Nivar, which made landfall at Marakkanam in Villupuram district, between Puducherry and Chennai, left three persons dead and caused considerable damage to crops and fields, besides leaving many areas inundated. The storm system is likely to move northwestwards and weaken into a low pressure by Nov. 27. Several interior areas such as Ambur, Tiruvannamalai, Vellore and Arani experienced rain and strong winds of 50 kmph. Light to moderate rain may continue over a few places in Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Karaikal for the next 48 hours. The Indian Army of Dakshin Bharat Area Headquarters had positioned 22 rescue teams in Puducherry, Chennai and Tiruchirappalli.
3. Terrorism in J&K – Terrorists kill two soldiers on outskirts of Srinagar – Three terrorists attacked and killed two Territorial Army soldiers on duty on the Srinagar-Baramulla road, near the Sharifabad HMT locality on Srinagar’s outskirts. The slain soldiers, who were on road-opening patrol, were identified as Sepoy Ratan of 163 Battalion, Territorial Army, and Sepoy Deshmukh of 101 Battalion, Territorial Army, Kumar said. They were with the Army’s Kilo Force unit. The injured soldiers died in an Army hospital.
4. Polity and Governance – PM pitches for ‘One Nation, One Election’ – PM Modi again pitched for ‘One Nation, One Election’, saying it is the need of the country as elections taking place every few months hamper development works. Mr. Modi was addressing the concluding session of the 80th All India Presiding Officers Conference via videoconference. He also said there should be a single voter list for all polls in the country. The Prime Minister asked the presiding officers attending the meet to apply their mind to simplify the language of statute books and allow for an easier process to weed out redundant laws.
5. Indian Society – About 37% girls from poor families may not go back to school: Study – About 37% of girls from poor households are uncertain whether they would be able to return to school after the pandemic, according to a study which also found that as compared to 37% of boys, only 26% girls in such families have access to mobile and internet to attend online classes. While 52% of the households surveyed had a TV set at home, only 11% of the children accessed educational programmes on TV, says the study conducted in June among 3,176 families whose children attend government schools across five states—Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Assam, Telangana and Delhi. The study—‘Life in the Time of Covid-19” —by The Right to Education Forum, Centre for Budget and Policy Studies and Champions for Girls' Education found that about 70% of the families didn’t have enough food.
6. USA – Biden seeks unity as U.S. battles virus – On a day of grace and grievance, President-elect Joe Biden summoned Americans to join in common purpose against the coronavirus pandemic and their political divisions while the man he will replace stoked the fading embers of his campaign to “turn the election over.” Mr. Biden, in a Thanksgiving-eve address to the nation, put the surging pandemic front and centre, pledging to tap the “vast powers” of the federal government and to “change the course of the disease” once in office. But for that to work, he said, Americans must step up for their own safety and that of their fellow citizens. “I know the country has grown weary of the fight,” Mr. Biden said. “We need to remember we’re at war with the virus, not with one another. Not with each other.”
7. Environment and Ecology – New Zealand To Declare Climate Emergency To Combat Global Warming – New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's government is to declare a climate emergency in a symbolic step to increase pressure for action to combat global warming. The government will put forward a motion to declare the emergency. Ardern returned to power last month delivering the biggest election victory for her centre-left Labour Party in half a century as voters rewarded her for a decisive response to the novel coronavirus.
8. World – Over 300 get life term in Turkey’s 2016 coup trial – A Turkish court jailed 337 former pilots and other suspects for life in one of the largest trials stemming from the bloody 2016 coup attempt against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Fethullah Gulen, a U.S.-based Muslim preacher who was once an Erdogan ally, is accused of ordering the failed putsch. Mr. Gulen, whose movement has been proscribed as a terrorist group by Ankara, strongly denies all charges. A total of 251 people died and more than 2,000 were injured in what has turned into the defining moment of Mr. Erdogan’s rule and contemporary Turkish politics. The presiding judge handed down multiple life sentences to disgruntled air force pilots, who bombed the capital Ankara, and civilians who orchestrated the coup attempt from inside the Akinci military base near the capital.
9. World  – Saudi activist’s trial transferred to terrorism court, says family – Saudi authorities have transferred the trial of jailed activist Loujain al-Hathloul to an anti-terrorism court. Ms. Hathloul, 31, was arrested in May 2018 with about a dozen other women activists just weeks before the historic lifting of a ban on female drivers, a reform they had long campaigned for. While some of them have been provisionally released, Ms. Hathloul and others remain imprisoned on what rights groups describe as opaque charges that include aiding enemies of the state as well as contacting foreign media, diplomats and activist groups.
10. Economy – ‘GDP contracted 10.7% in Q2’ - India’s GDP likely contracted 10.7% in the second quarter, with a further recovery likely in the third quarter, SBI Research said in a report, citing improvements in economic indicators over October and November. The yearly SBI Composite Index reached a 19-month high of 53.9 (reflecting moderate growth) this month, compared to 53 in October. The monthly index has touched an all-time high of 62.1 (reflecting high growth) in November, from 59.3 in October, the report’s author pointed out.

Important Exam Notifications
S. No.	Institution	Exam or Post Name	Vacancies or Seats	Qualification	Last Date to Apply	Link for Details
1	Min. of Envi., Forest & Climate Change	Legal Asst, MTS, LDC/ UDC, Technical Officer, Scientist C, D	7	Matriculation, 12th Class, Degree, PG	NOV-26-2020	http://moef.gov.in/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/NIC_Contractual-Staff_IRO_19.11.2020.pdf
2	NTPC Limited	Diploma Engineer	70	Diploma	DEC-12-2020	https://www.freejobalert.com/ntpc-recruitment/17710/#DiplomaEngineer
3	Indian Air Force	Airmen (Group Y – Non-Technical Trades)	-	Intermediate / 10+2	NOV-27-2020	https://airmenselection.cdac.in/CASB/img/upcoming/rally/PUDUCHERRY%20RALLY%20GP%20'Y'.pdf
4	Min. of Env., Forest & Climate Change	Legal Asst, MTS, LDC/ UDC, Technical Officer, Scientist C, D	7	Matriculation, 12th Class, Degree, PG	DEC-26-2020	http://moef.gov.in/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/NIC_Contractual-Staff_IRO_19.11.2020.pdf
5	Dr. YSR Aarogyasri HCT, Nellore	Aarogya Mithra & Team Leader	8	B.Sc, M.SC (Nursing), B Pharma, B.Sc	NOV-25-2020	https://cdn.s3waas.gov.in/s39c82c7143c102b71c593d98d96093fde/uploads/2020/11/2020112141.pdf
6	Dr. YSR Aarogyasri HCT, Krishna	Aarogya Mithra & Team Leader	13	B.Sc, M.SC (Nursing), B Pharma, B.Sc	NOV-28-2020	https://cdn.s3waas.gov.in/s3c399862d3b9d6b76c8436e924a68c45b/uploads/2020/11/2020112115.pdf
7	Indian Air Force	Airmen (Group Y – Non-Technical Trades)	-	Intermediate / 10+2	DEC-22-2020	https://airmenselection.cdac.in/CASB/img/upcoming/rally/PUDUCHERRY%20RALLY%20GP%20'Y'.pdf

 

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• SECTION 2 - DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS

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• 1. CONSTITUTION AND LAW (Prelims, GS Paper 2, Essay paper)

1.1 Not Available Today

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• 2. ECONOMY (Prelims, GS Paper 3, Essay paper

2.1 FM announces stimulus measures under Atma Nirbhar Bharat 3.0

• FM Sitharaman in Nov 2020 announced 12 stimulus measures to boost the economy under Atma Nirbhar Bharat 3.0. These are expected to provide a boost to employment, agriculture, infrastructure, manufacturing, housing and R&D of Covid-19 vaccine in the country.
• Atma Nirbhar Bharat Rozgar Yojana launched to incentivise creation of new employment opportunities during the Covid recovery phase. The central government will provide subsidy for two years in respect of new eligible employees after October 1, 2020 under the scheme. The scheme will cover workers with wages up to Rs 15,000 who have been employed for the first time by an establishment covered by the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation. Workers who exited from employment during March 1–to September 30 and is employed on or after 1 October 2020 will also be a part of the scheme,
• Rs. 3 lakh crore existing emergency credit line guarantee scheme, announced as part of the Atma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyan for the MSME sector, has been extended till March 31, 2021. The scheme will be utilized for 100% collateral free additional credit at capped interest rate to entities in 26 stressed sectors.
• Boosting support for construction and infrastructure, Earnest Money Deposit (EMO) and performance security requirements will be relaxed for government tenders. to 3% instead of 5 to 10%. This would be extended to ongoing contracts which are free of disputes.
• In a bid to boost housing sales, the permitted differential between the circle rale and the agreement value of housing units has been increased to 20% from the current mandated limit of 10% till June 30. The increase in differential will be applicable in residential units of value up to Rs two crore. It will help in reducing the tax liability as tax will be applicable on lower value of residential units.
• As part of efforts to provide proper funding to infrastructure projects, the government will invest Rs. 6,000 crore equity infusion in NIIF debt platform.
• Rs. 65,000 crores will be provided to ensure adequate availability of fertilizers to farmers for the upcoming crop season to fill the gap of increased demand of fertilizers.
• Under the PM Garib Kalyan Yojana, additional outlay of Rs. 10,000 crore will be provided for generation of employment.
• Rs. 3,000 crore will be released to EXIM Bank for promotion of projects through line of credit under IDEAS (Indian Development and Economic Assistance Scheme). EXIM Bank extends a line of credit on behalf of the government as assistance to developing countries under the scheme.
• Rs. 10,000 crore will be provided as capital and industrial expenditure for promoting domestic defence equipment, industrial infrastructure and green energy sector.
• Rs. 900 crore provided for Covid Suraksha Mission for research and development of India Covid vaccine to the Department of Biotechnology..

2.2 Weekly Round-up     

• In a move aimed at enabling unorganised workers, gig workers and platform workers to avail social security benefits under the Social Security Code, the labour ministry has provided for their self-registration on the government portal. The provisions are part of the draft rules framed by the labour ministry under the Code on Social Security, 2020. The draft rules provide for operationalization of provisions in the Code on Social Security, 2020 relating to Employees’ Provident Fund, Employees’ State Insurance Corporation, Gratuity, Maternity Benefit, Social Security and Cess in respect of Building and Other Construction Workers, Social Security for Unorganised Workers, Gig Workers and Platform Workers. The labour ministry has sought suggestions on the draft rules over the next 45 days.
• The states of Kerala, Goa, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh have been most successful in integrating migrant workers, while crucial migrant receiving states, including Delhi, have done poorly, shows the Interstate Migrant Policy Index (IMPEX) that seeks to measure integration of interstate migrants. The index has been developed by Mumbai-based research non-profit India Migration Now (IMN), and it assesses states’ performance on eight policy areas spanning more than 60 policy indicators.
• MNRE has amended/clarified implementation Guidelines of Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan (PM-KUSUM) Scheme to enable greater solar energy generation in farm sector. Solar power plants can be installed on pastureland and marshy land of farmers besides barren, fallow and agricultural land.
• The government in Nov 2020 approved the revamped viability gap funding (VGF) scheme envisaging a total outlay of Rs 8,100 crore for encouraging public-private partnerships (PPPs) investment in social infrastructure (Rs 6,000 crore) and economic infrastructure (Rs 2,100 crore) projects over a period of five years ending 2024-25. The earlier VGF scheme was limited to projects concerning economic infrastructure. The social sectors will include health, education, waste water, solid waste management and water supply, among others.
• The Union Cabinet in Nov 2020 approved Rs 2 lakh crore worth of production-linked incentives (PLI) for 10 more sectors to boost domestic manufacturing. Incentives will be offered for sectors such as white goods manufacturing, pharmaceutical, specialised steel, auto, telecom, textile, food products, solar photovoltaic and cell battery.
• The 15th Finance Commission (FC) has recommended that the states be given 41% of the divisible tax pool of the Centre during the period 2021-22 to 2025-26. The 15th FC, led by former revenue secretary and parliamentarian N K Singh, submitted its final report to President Ram Nath Kovind on November 9, 2020. It had also recommended the same percentage of devolution in its interim report for 2020-21.
• The power ministry on November 9 said it has mandated all electricity distribution utilities or discoms to comply with the Energy Conservation (EC) Act, 2001, which would reduce energy losses and bring in more transparency in the sector. Earlier, only discoms with annual energy losses equal to or above 1,000 MU (million units), notified as designated consumers, used to come under the purview of the EC Act.
• Postmen will now provide doorstep service to central government pensioners for submitting their life certificates online. It is a chargeable service and will be available to all the central government pensioners across the country.
• Digital current affairs and news portals along with online content providers such as Netflix and Hotstar have been brought under government regulation. A notification, signed by President Ram Nath Kovind, detailed that films, audio-visual programmes, news and current affairs content online platforms be brought under the I&B Ministry
• The Ministry of Textiles has launched a campaign Local for Diwali. Textile Minister Smriti Irani has appealed to the people to celebrate Diwali by buying and gifting local textiles and handicraft items to support local weavers and artisans.
• Enforcement Directorate chief Sanjay Kumar Mishra has got one-year extension on completion of two years of his tenure, during which the agency has taken up investigations into a large number of sensitive

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• 3. ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY (Prelims, GS Paper 3, Essay paper)

3.1 India adds two more Ramsar sites:  Lonar lake, Sur Sarovar   

• Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Prakash Javadekar informed that India has added two more Ramsar sites.
• They are Lonar lake in Buldhana district of Maharashtra which is the only crater lake of the country while the other is Sur Sarovar, also known as Keetham lake in Agra (UP).
• The objective of Ramsar Convention, signed by member countries on 2nd February, 1971, is to preserve the ecological character of their wetlands of international importance. Ramsar is a place in Iran.

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• 4. FOREIGN AFFAIRS (Prelims, GS Paper 2, Essay paper)

4.1 Weekly Round-up – Foreign Affairs I

• 20th Summit of SCO Council of Heads of State was held on November 10, 2020 (in Video Conference Format). The Meeting was chaired by the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin. Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the Indian delegation. Other SCO Member States were represented by their Presidents, while India and Pakistan were represented at the level of Prime Minister.
• External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar represented India at the 15th East Asia Summit (EAS) on November 14, 2020 which discussed ways to strengthen the platform and to make it more responsive to emerging challenges. The virtual summit was chaired by Vietnamese Prime Minister, Nguyen Xuan Phuc.  Established in 2005, the EAS is a regional grouping of 18 countries i.e. 10 ASEAN countries that includes Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam), besides Australia, China, India, Japan, Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Russia and the US.
• 17th ASEAN-India virtual summit was addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed on November 12, 2020. India and ASEAN countries said they would explore ways to increase trade between them despite India’s exit from the 15-nation Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement.
• The first BRICS Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors (FMCBG) meeting was held virtually on November 9, 2020. Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday backed expansion of the membership of the New Development Bank. The BRICS countries – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – created the New Development Bank in 2014 as a multilateral development bank which will provide financial support to public and private projects through loans, guarantees, equity participation and other financial instruments.
• The 44th Annual Meeting of the G-77 Foreign Ministers was held on November 13, 2020. India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador T S Tirumurti represented India at the Meeting.
• Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, attended the BRICS Health Ministers Conference through video conference on November 11, 2020.
• New Delhi and Male on Nov 9 signed four agreements, including a $100 million Indian grant for a connectivity project, during Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla’s visit to the Maldives. In addition to two MoUs for “high impact” community development projects, the countries signed an MoU on cooperation in sports and youth affairs and another for the $100 mn grant, which is part of India’s “$500 million package” for the Greater Male Connectivity Project (GMCP).
• PM  Modi announced a contribution of $1 million to the Covid-19 ASEAN Response Fund at the 17th ASEAN-India Summit virtually on November 12.
• EAM Dr S. Jaishankar in Nov 2020 held a virtual meeting with his Brazilian counterpart Ernesto Araujo. They discussed opportunities to strengthen the India-Brazil Strategic Partnership in a post-COVID world.
• The India Customs intercepted an 18-tonne shipment of red sandalwood destined for the United Arab Emirates, during a month-long (Sept 14-Oct 11) “Operation Thunder 2020”, coordinated by the Interpol and the World Customs Organisation, which involved law enforcement agencies in 103 countries.– 

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• 5. GOVERNMENT SCHEMES (Prelims, GS Paper 2, GS Paper 3)

5.1 Not Available Today

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• 6. MISCELLANEOUS (Prelims, Various GS Papers)

6.1 Jallikattuis India’s entry for Oscar awards

Highlights –

• Malayalam film Jallikattu, directed by Lijo Jose Pellissery, has been selected as India’s official entry for the Best International Feature Film category for the 93rd Academy Awards.
• Jallikattu is the third Malayalam film after Guru (1997) and Adaminte Makan Abu (2011) to be chosen as the country’s official entry for the Oscars.
• Before that, Lagaan (2001), Mother India (1957) and Salaam Bombay! (1988) had made the grade.
• Based on writer S. Hareesh’s acclaimed story Maoist, the film that explores the human psyche follows a buffalo that escapes the butcher’s hold when he is about to slaughter it. The beast runs helter-skelter, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. Before long, the entire village, located in the wild high ranges, is out to trap the elusive buffalo. With every mile that it covers, the buffalo unravels the animosities, the violence, and the selfish interests simmering beneath in the village, which betrays the calm on its surface.
• The selection has been made by a 14-member committee of the Film Federation of India from a shortlist of 26 films.
• Jallikattu was premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, garnering praise from critics. It was later screened at the Busan International Film Festival and a host of other major venues.

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• 7. POLITY (Prelims, GS Paper 2)

7.1 Arunachal records best sex ratio, Manipur the worst

• Arunachal Pradesh recorded the best sex ratio in the country, while Manipur recorded the worst, according to the 2018 report on “Vital statistics of India based on the Civil Registration System” published by the Registrar-General of India.
• Sex ratio at birth is the number of females born per 1,000 males.
• Arunachal Pradesh recorded 1,084 females born per thousand males, followed by Nagaland (965) Mizoram (964), Kerala (963) and Karnataka (957). The worst was reported in Manipur (757), Lakshadweep (839) and Daman & Diu (877), Punjab (896) and Gujarat (897).
• Delhi recorded a sex ratio of 929, Haryana 914 and Jammu and Kashmir 952.
• The ratio was determined on the basis of data provided by 30 States and Union Territories as the “requisite information from six States namely Bihar, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Sikkim, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal is not available”, the report said.
• The number of registered births increased to 2.33 crore in 2018 from 2.21 crore registered births the previous year. The level of registration of births has increased to 89.3% in 2018 from 81.3% in 2009.

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• 8. SOCIAL ISSUES (Prelims, GS Paper 1, GS Paper 2)

8.1 About 37% girls from poor families may not go back to school: Study

• About 37% of girls from poor households are uncertain whether they would be able to return to school after the pandemic, according to a study which also found that as compared to 37% of boys, only 26% girls in such families have access to mobile and internet to attend online classes.
• While 52% of the households surveyed had a TV set at home, only 11% of the children accessed educational programmes on TV, says the study conducted in June among 3,176 families whose children attend government schools across five states—Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Assam, Telangana and Delhi.
• The study—‘Life in the Time of Covid-19” —by The Right to Education Forum, Centre for Budget and Policy Studies and Champions for Girls' Education found that about 70% of the families didn’t have enough food, which puts studies, especially education of girls, most at risk.
• It found that 78% of boys and 76% of girls from households which didn’t have food or cash crisis were hopeful of returning to school while half of them from families which faced cash and food shortage said the same.
• Online classes due to the closure of schools has had a negative impact on education of girls who are not given priority in terms of internet access as compared to boys, the study found.

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• 9. SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (Prelims, GS Paper 3)

9.1 DRDO’s QRSAM system hits pilotless target aircraft directly 

• DRDO’s Quick Reaction Surface to Air Missile (QRSAM) system achieved a major milestone on November 13, 2020 by directly hitting a pilotless target aircraft (PTA) at medium range and medium altitude after being launched from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur near Balasore in Odisha.
• The QRSAM is a short-range surface-to-air missile (SAM) system, primarily designed and developed by DRDO to provide a protective shield to moving armoured columns of the Army from enemy aerial attacks. The entire weapon system has been configured on a mobile and manoeuvrable platform and is capable of providing air defence on the move. It has been designed for induction into the Army and has a range of 25 to 30 km.
• Defence Research and Development Laboratory and Research Centre Imarat in Hyderabad; Electronic and Radar Development Establishment, Bangalore; Research and Development Establishment (Engineers), Pune; Instruments Research and Development Establishment, Dehradun; and Integrated Test Range, Chandipur, took part in the test. The DRDO said the test was a “major milestone” achieved by the QRSAM.

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• 10. FACTS, CHARTS, RANKINGS and EDITORIALS (Prelims + GS Mains)

10.1 Not Available Today

 

10.2 Daily dose of  FIVE Facts -

• Kagiso Rabada won the Purple Cap for taking most wickets in the Indian Premier League (IPL) that concluded in Nov 2020?.
• Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) is a party founded by former Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi.
• Tamil Nadu Agriculture Minister R. Doraikkannu, a Covid-19 patient, passed away in Oct 2020 at the age of 72 in Chennai.
• Michelle Bachelet is the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights.
• The first edition of Sushma Swaraj Lectures were organised by the government in New Delhi in October 2020

10.3 Today's best editorials to read

• We offer you 7 excellent editorials from across 10 newspapers we have scanned. 

CLICK HERE TO OPEN AND READ!

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• SECTION 3 - MCQs (Multiple Choice Questions)

Solve the online quiz given, right now. Check scores, and relative performance!

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