436: Consider the following statements:
1. Sweet orange plant is propagated by grafting technique.
2. Jasmine plant is propagated by layering technique.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 & 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
437: The following news item appeared in a National daily dated 1-12-1999:
.....Parliament today rejected a Bill to grant women the right to vote and stand for office in parliamentary elections, by a margin of 32 to 30.
The National Assembly was split between liberal, pro-government and Shiite Muslim deputies who were in favour of women's rights, while the opposition camp grouped Sunni Muslim fundamentalists and tribal MPs. A total of 64 MPs and Ministers were present, of whom two abstained.
The Parliament referred to in this quotation is that of
(a) Kuwait
(b) Iran
(c) Bahrain
(d) Saudi Arabia
438: When the bark of a tree is removed in a circular fashion all around near its base, it gradually dries up and dies because
(a) Water from soil cannot rise to aerial parts
(b) Roots are starved of energy
(c) Tree is infected by soil microbes
(d) Roots do not receive oxygen for respiration
439: The Basque separatist organisation is active in
(a) Russia
(b) Cyprus
(c) Portugal
(d) Spain
440: The difference between a bank and a Non-Banking Financial Institution (NBFI) is that
(a) a bank interacts directly with customers while an NBFI interacts with banks and governments
(b) a bank indulges in a number of activities relating to finance with a range of customers, while an NBFI is mainly concerned with the term loan needs of large enterprises
(c) a bank deals with both internal and international customers while an NBFI is mainly concerned with the finances of foreign companies
(d) a bank's main interest is to help in business transactions and savings/ investment activities while an NBFI's main interest is in the stabilisation of the currency