APSC MCQs / APSC Prelims Practice Questions based on Assam Tribune (Daily) – 01/07/2025

1. What is a “heat dome” in the context of climate events?

A. A greenhouse gas-induced ozone hole
B. A persistent high-pressure area that traps warm air near the surface ✅
C. A volcanic ash layer that blocks solar radiation
D. A type of cloud formation during El Niño

🧠 Explanation:
A heat dome occurs when a high-pressure system traps hot air over a region, preventing heat from escaping and leading to prolonged heatwaves.

2. Which of the following international climate instruments is legally binding?

A. Paris Agreement
B. UNFCCC
C. Kyoto Protocol ✅
D. COP28 Declaration

🧠 Explanation:
The Kyoto Protocol was a legally binding treaty under UNFCCC. The Paris Agreement sets voluntary, nationally determined contributions (NDCs).

3. Channa barca, recently in news, is:

A. A traditional rice variety in Assam
B. A species of critically endangered turtle
C. A rare freshwater fish endemic to Northeast India ✅
D. A Brahmaputra dolphin subspecies

🧠 Explanation:
Channa barca is one of the rarest snakehead fish species, endemic to floodplains of Assam and listed as Critically Endangered.

4. Under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, a Schedule I species:

A. May be hunted with state permission
B. Can be traded internationally
C. Receives the highest level of protection ✅
D. Is not protected in aquatic ecosystems

🧠 Explanation:
Schedule I species of the Wildlife (Protection) Act receive the strictest protection, and offences involving them attract the highest penalties.

5. Which of the following taxes was NOT subsumed under the GST regime?

A. VAT
B. Service Tax
C. Excise Duty on Petroleum ✅
D. Central Sales Tax

🧠 Explanation:
Petroleum products like petrol, diesel, natural gas are still outside GST, and are taxed separately through excise duty and VAT.

6. Which constitutional body is responsible for GST policy decisions?

A. NITI Aayog
B. GST Network
C. Finance Commission
D. GST Council ✅

🧠 Explanation:
The GST Council, under Article 279A, is chaired by the Union Finance Minister and includes state finance ministers.

7. What is a Village Grazing Reserve (VGR) in Assam?

A. Reserved land for wildlife corridors
B. Land allocated for tribal agriculture
C. Government-notified land for communal cattle grazing ✅
D. Revenue forest land for dairy farming

🧠 Explanation:
VGRs are public lands specifically reserved for grazing by village cattle herds, governed under Assam’s land revenue rules.

8. In the context of evictions, which Supreme Court case mandated that rehabilitation is part of the Right to Life?

A. Olga Tellis v. Bombay Municipal Corporation ✅
B. Maneka Gandhi v. Union of India
C. Vishaka v. State of Rajasthan
D. Indra Sawhney v. Union of India

🧠 Explanation:
In Olga Tellis (1985), the SC held that eviction without proper rehabilitation violates Article 21 – Right to Life and Livelihood.