ASPSC GROUP – I & II MAINS EXAM , 2024 Science and Technology TEST 12 (Prepared on 17.5.2024 )

 

Civils Prelims 2024 Model Questions

 

ASPSC GROUP – I & II MAINS  EXAM , 2024

Science and Technology TEST 12

(Prepared on 17.5.2024 )

Prepared by :

Praturi Potayya Sarma MA,LLB,PGDIRP

 

 

GENERAL STUDIES / Model Questions based on (Current Affairs)

TOPICS: SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY,ENVIRONMENT

 

 

1)Consider the following about CRISPRs and Cas9  :

 

1)CRISPRs (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) In the late 1980s, while sequencing the genome of bacteria E. coli, Japanese scientist Yoshizumi Ishine and his colleagues noticed an unusual DNA sequence with five identical but palindromic DNA repeat sequences, each made up of 29 nucleotide bases. These repeat sequences were separated from each other by seemingly random 32 base sequences called ‘spacers’. Unlike the repeat sequences, each spacer had a unique base sequence.

2)Later, other scientists discovered similar sequences in a wide variety of microbes. However, the biological significance of these sandwich sequences was not clear and they were just dubbed as “Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats”, or CRISPRs.

3) It was also observed that CRISPR sequence was accompanied by a collection of genes, which were named CRISPR-associated genes, or Cas genes. These genes encoded DNA nucleases, which can cut the DNA strand. Other teams of scientists noticed that the spacer DNA resembled sections of viral genomes. Putting these disparate pieces of information together, scientists proposed that the bacteria may be using the CRISPR-Cas system as a defence against invading viruses and plasmids.

4)When a virus attacks, the bacteria incorporate a piece of the viral DNA as a spacer in the CRISPR region. The next time the bacteria encounter that virus, they use the DNA in the spacer to make an RNA that recognises the matching sequence in the viral DNA and binds to it.

5)A Cas protein attached to the RNA cuts up the viral DNA and prevents it from replicating. In 2012, Jennifer Doudna and her colleagues at the University of California, Berkeley designed a single RNA coupled to a particular enzyme known as Cas9 (one of the many Cas enzymes) which could slice a matching DNA sequence in test tubes. In the following year, Feng Zhang form MIT and George Church from Harvard Medical School, independently reported that the CRISPR/Cas9 could be used for gene editing in all types of animal cells too, including humans. In practice, to use the CRISPR/Cas9 system to edit a gene, an RNA that matches a specific DNA sequence in the gene is synthesised and fused with the Cas9 enzyme. When this construct is delivered to the host cell, RNA guides the enzyme to the target sequence where the Cas9 enzyme produces a double-strand break in the DNA strand.

And because the same cutting enzyme is used regardless of the target sequence, it is possible to simultaneously challenge multiple genes in the host cell by simply using Cas9 and the corresponding RNA guides.

 

Which of the above  is / are correct ?

(a) 1 only

(b) 1,2,3,4,5

(c ) 1 and 2

(d )  Either 1 or 3

Ans : b

 

2) Consider the following about nDNA and mtDNA :

 

1)Mitochondria, also known as ‘powerhouses of the cell’, are organelles (specialised parts) present in the cell which are extremely important and crucial for life.

2)The function of the mitochondria is to convert chemical energy from food into energy molecules called adenosine triphosphate (ATP).

3)This energy is then utilised by the cell for performing different activities of core functioning, growth and maintenance. If mitochondria do not work properly, less and less energy is generated; the cells get damaged and ultimately die leading to organ and system failure.

4)Mitochondrial functions are conducted through more than 1,500 different types of proteins.

 5)These proteins are coded by two types of DNA − the nuclear DNA (nDNA) and the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA, or mDNA).

6) The mitochondrion is the only organelle in the cell, besides the nucleus, which contains a small DNA fragment consisting of 16,000 base pairs comprising 37 genes. These genes code for 13 proteins, which play different roles in the functioning of the mitochondria.

Which of the above  is / are correct ?

(a) 1 only

(b) 1,2,3,4,5,6

(c ) 1 and 2

(d )  Either 1 or 3

Ans : b

 

 

3) Consider the following about Sunderbans :

 

1)The densely forested wetlands of the Sundarbans, formed by the delta of the rivers Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna, constitute the largest river-mouth system in the world.

2)The Sundarbans forest spreads approximately over 10,000 sq km across the Indian state of West Bengal and the neighbouring country Bangladesh, of which 40% lies in India, and the remaining 60% in Bangladesh, making it the largest block of tidal halophytic mangrove forest on Earth. It supports a large, biodiversity-rich ecosystem well known for its unique and rich variety of flora and fauna as well as the scenic landscapes.

3) Parts of Sundarbans in the two countries are listed as World Heritage Sites by the UNESCO, in recognition of their high biodiversity and the occurrence of threatened species, underlining their importance as conservation landscapes. As the forest spreads over the lower Gangetic delta, it is flat and alluvial, and is intersected by several wide rivers and a number of winding creeks from north to south

4)The Sundarbans takes its name from its most common mangrove tree, the ‘sundari’, a Bengali word for ‘beautiful’. But behind the beauty, this tangled mangrove forests on the Bay of Bengal is the kingdom of a creature rarely seen by humans− one of the most efficient predators, the legendary Royal Bengal tiger (Pantheratigris), the guardian of the Sundarbans.

5)The Bengal tiger has an attractive flame colour, with stripes ranging from dark brown to black; the belly and the interior parts of the limbs are white, and the tail is orange with black rings. The tigers of Sundarbans are excellent swimmers and their prey mainly comprises deer, boars, monkeys, monitor lizards, birds, crabs and fish

Which of the above  is / are correct ?

(a) 1 only

(b) 1,2,3,4,5

(c ) 1 and 2

(d )  Either 1 or 3

Ans : b

 

4) Consider the following :

1)Konya, is located in the Asiatic part of Turkiye, Anantolia, which constitutes the bulk of the country’s area. The European part, Thrace, borders Greece and Bulgaria and is separated from Anatolia by the Strait of the Bosphorus.

 

2)Anatolia is not far from the historic ‘Fertile Crescent’, so-called as it is shaped like that. It stretched from the Holy Land and Syria to the estuary of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.

3)The Fertile Crescent was a ‘cradle of civilisation’. Ancient civilisations like Philistia, Phoenicia, Assyria, Sumer, Akkad and Babylonia flourished here. The civilisations of Ancient Iran and Ancient Egypt were its neighbours.

4)Interestingly, both wheat (Triticum aestivum) and barley (Hordeum vulgare) were first domesticated by humans in the Fertile Crescent. Their domestication has been dated to 10,000 BCE (Before Common Era)

5)It was at around this time that itinerant humans first started farming and made the transition from hunter-gatherers to settled farmers

Which of the above  is / are correct ?

(a) 1 only

(b) 1,2,3,4,5

(c ) 1 and 2

(d )  Either 1 or 3

Ans : b

 

 

 

5) Consider the following about Community radio ?

 

1)Community Radio is an important third tier in Radio Broadcasting, distinct from Public Service Radio broadcasting and Commercial Radio.

2)Community Radio Stations (CRSs) are low power Radio Stations, which are meant to be set-up and operated by local communities. 

3)India’s first Community Radio was inaugurated in the year 2004 on the Anna University campus. Currently, there are 481 CRSs in India, and in the last two years, more than 133 CRSs have become operational.

4)In December 2002, the Government of India approved a policy for the grant of licences for setting up of Community Radio Stations to well established educational institutions, including IITs/IIMs.

5)The matter was reconsidered in the year 2006 and the Government decided to broadbase the policy by bringing ‘non-profit’ organisations like civil society organisations, voluntary organisations, etc, under its ambit in order to allow greater participation by civil society on issues relating to development and social change.

6)The revised Policy Guidelines were issued in the year 2006, and subsequently amended in the years 2017, 2018, and 2022.

Which of the above  is / are correct ?

(a) 1 only

(b) 1,2,3,4,5,6

(c ) 1 and 2

(d )  Either 1 or 3

Ans : b

 

6) Consider the following about PM-WANI  :

 

1) Under PM–WANI (Prime Minister’s Wi-Fi Access Network Interface) Scheme, Gram Panchayats can access to uninterrupted and reliable Wi-Fi internet services through Public Wi-Fi Hotspots.

2)Through this, Gram Panchayats  can facilitate various developmental initiatives and empower their communities in numerous ways such as education, healthcare, agriculture, e-Governance, skill development, economic opportunities to name a few.

3)Gram Panchayats play a pivotal role in bridging the digital divide and fostering inclusive growth, and a reliable Wi-Fi internet service is a catalyst for socio-economic development in Gram Panchayats utilizing this responsible and rapid way of connecting the unconnected.

4)By ensuring uninterrupted connectivity, the Ministry of Panchayati Raj has taken significant step to empower Gram Panchayats to contribute meaningfully to the vision of Viksit Bharat, where every individual has access to opportunities for growth and prosperity in the digital era.

Which of the above  is / are correct ?

(a) 1 only

(b) 1,2,3,4

(c ) 1 and 2

(d )  Either 1 or 3

Ans : b

 

7)Consider the following about Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) :

 

1)Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are pivotal in advancing modern technology by showcasing extraordinary properties.

2)They have found applications in diverse fields, including rechargeable batteries, flexible electronics, aerospace, transparent electrodes, touch screens, supercapacitors, and medicine.

3)However, conventional CNT synthesis methods require high temperatures (~1000 0C) and metal catalysts (Fe, Co, and Ni). These catalysts pose biocompatibility concerns for potential biomedical applications.

4)The challenge of removing these catalysts from CNTs adds a significant cost, highlighting the urgent need for cleaner, more sustainable CNT synthesis methods - an exciting frontier in the realm of nanotechnology.

Which of the above  is / are correct ?

(a) 1 only

(b) 1,2,3,4

(c ) 1 and 2

(d )  Either 1 or 3

Ans : b

 

 

8) Consider the following :

1)'Sangam: Digital Twin' symbolizes a collaborative leap towards reshaping infrastructure planning and design, combining the prowess of 5G, IoT, AI, AR/VR, AI native 6G, Digital Twin and next-gen computational technologies with the collective intelligence of public entities, infrastructure planners, tech giants, startups, and academia to break the silos and engage in a whole-of-nation approach.

2)Sangam brings all stakeholders on one platform aiming to transform innovative ideas into tangible solutions, bridging the gap between conceptualization and realization, ultimately paving the way for groundbreaking infrastructure advancements.

3)Sangam champions a holistic approach to innovation, urging stakeholders to transcend traditional boundaries and harness unified data and collective intelligence.

4)Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has unveiled the 'Sangam: Digital Twin' initiative, an unparalleled venture inviting Expressions of Interest (EoI) from industry pioneers, startups, MSMEs, academia, innovators and forward-thinkers. Digital Twin technology offers a solution by creating virtual replicas of physical assets, allowing for real-time monitoring, simulation and analysis for experimental iterations and feedback loop to adapt to the changes for achieving the best outcomes.

Which of the above  is / are correct ?

(a) 1 only

(b) 1,2,3,4

(c ) 1 and 2

(d )  Either 1 or 3

Ans : b

 

 

9) Consider the following :

1)The “First International Quantum Communication Conclave” was, organised by TEC in collaboration with C-DOT and TSDSI,  was a resounding success and the national and international experts shared insights on the roadmap and the developments in the Quantum Technologies along with their potential impact and applications in  various sectors viz. healthcare, energy, finance, Telecom, Defence, etc. The detailed report is available at

2)The two-day conclave brought together a diverse spectrum of experts, including global experts and distinguished experts from premier academic and R&D institutions, industries/start-ups, Government Organizations shaping the future of quantum communication.

3)It aims at fostering the collaborative development in the area of Quantum Technologies and promote standardization activities.

4)The conclave will also feature demonstrations from the following institutions/industries/start-ups presenting various solutions on Quantum Technologies including Quantum Key Distribution System, Quantum-safe secure IP phone, Hardware Security Modules, Quantum chip set, Quantum Random Number Generators, etc.:

 

Which of the above  is / are correct ?

(a) 1 only

(b) 1,2,3,4

(c ) 1 and 2

(d )  Either 1 or 3

Ans : b

 

10) Consider the following about DLT(Distributed Ledger Technology)  platforms :

1)Efforts have already been made by Department of Telecommunication and Telecomm Regulatory Authority (TRAI) to address the issue related to spam messages and pesky calls from registered telemarketers.

2)The telemarketers have been advised to get their business entity, sender IDs and SMS templates on DLT platforms.

3)DLT platforms are operator-run portals such as Airtel, Vodafone, Jio, BSNL etc. where businesses need to register by giving their business details.

4)TRAI (Telecom Regulatory Authority of India) has released new guidelines for the Bulk SMS Service Industry by introducing DLT (Distributed Ledger Technology) - a block-chain based registration system that will maintain the record of all transactions made by business entities.

5)The sole objective of TRAI DLT regulations is to bring transparency to the system, counter the menace of SMS spam and protect the consumers from fraudulent practices.

Which of the above  is / are correct ?

(a) 1 only

(b) 1,2,3,4,5

(c ) 1 and 2

(d )  Either 1 or 3

Ans : b

 

11) Consider the following :

1)Environmental groups  petitioned the U.S. government seeking endangered species protection for the American horseshoe crab, a “living fossil” under threat from commercial harvests for bait and biomedical use as well as from habitat loss and climate change.

These spine-tailed sea creatures, named for the shape of their body shells, were once a familiar sight to summer beachgoers along the U.S. mid-Atlantic and Gulf Coasts.

2)But populations have crashed in recent decades, with spawning numbers down two-thirds from 1990 in the Delaware Bay estuary that was once their biggest stronghold, according to conservation groups. Research also shows their egg densities falling more than 80% in the past four decades.

3)Those trends are tied to stress on other marine species that feed on their larvae and eggs, including the rufa red knot, a migratory shorebird whose own 2014 threatened-species listing cited horseshoe crab harvests as a contributing factor.

4)Classified not as true crabs but as marine arthropods more closely related to spiders and scorpions, horseshoe crabs are among the oldest living creatures on the earth, with fossils of their ancestors dating back some 450 million years.

5)“We’re wiping out one of the world’s oldest and toughest creatures,” said Will Harlan, a senior scientist at the Center for Biological Diversity, one of 23 groups petitioning the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for the endangered species declaration.

Such a listing would generally make it unlawful to harm or kill a horseshoe crab without a special permit. The petition also seeks designation of “critical habitat” to be protected, especially during spawning season.

The petition cites numerous threats to the American horseshoe crab, one of four living species of the animal, stemming from human activities.

6)Pharmaceutical companies reap horseshoe crabs in large numbers — nearly 1 million in 2022 — for their blue-coloured blood, which contains a clotting agent used to test drugs and medical devices for bacterial endotoxins, the petition said.

Regulations allow the biomedical industry to extract only a portion of a horseshoe crab’s blood and then release it alive in the area it was collected, though 10-15% of harvested animals die during this process, NOAA says on its website.

The creatures also face growing habitat loss from oceanfront development, dredging, pollution, coastal erosion and sea-level rise linked to global warming from increased greenhouse gas emissions.

7)Mass die-offs have been observed in the past three years, with NOAA in 2023 ranking the horseshoe crab’s overall vulnerability to climate change as “very high,” the petition said.

Which of the above  is / are correct ?

(a) 1 only

(b) 1,2,3,4,5,6,7

(c ) 1 and 2

(d )  Either 1 or 3

Ans : b

12) Consider the following about earthquakes :

1)A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck north-central China – a seismically active region — killing over 100 people on December 18, 2023. 

2)The earthquake, which occurred at a depth of 10 kilometres, formed in an intraplate region.

3) Intraplate earthquakes are rare and happen far from the boundaries between plates. More than 98 per cent of earthquakes strike plate boundaries.

4)The quake occurred on the northern margin of the Tibetan Plate.. The area sits in north of the Himalayas and was formed due to the ongoing collision between the India and Eurasia plates. The collision began 50 million years ago, resulting in the formation of the Himalayan Mountain range and Tibetan Plateau and continues even today.

5)“This whole region is deforming due to the collision between the Indian and Eurasian plates,”

This is a seismically active region, with many known faults and recorded earthquakes, Hubbard added.

6)Since 1900, 23 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.5 or higher have occurred within 250 km of the region. The largest, per USGS, was a 7.7 magnitude  earthquake in May 1927, which led to roughly 40,000 deaths. 

7)More than 100 large (magnitude greater than 6) earthquakes have occurred in North China since 23 BC. The 1556 Huaxian earthquake of magnitude 8.3 was the deadliest one in human history,

8)“Earthquake-related losses in China are common, even for moderate-magnitude earthquakes, owing to the proximity of large population centres to shaking, the prevalence of structures that are vulnerable to earthquake shaking, and the occurrence of landslides in steep topography,”

9)“Buildings here are vulnerable to earthquake shaking,” Wendy Bohon, a geologist who studies earthquakes, . The predominant vulnerable building types are adobe block and unreinforced brick with mud construction.

10)Earlier, an earthquake of 5.5 magnitude at a depth of 10 km was recorded in Luding County (southeastern Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province, southern China)..

11)Meanwhile, India also experienced 10 earthquakes on December 18 and 19, six of which occurred in Kishtwar, a town in Jammu and Kashmir. The magnitudes ranged between 2.9 and 4.8.

Which of the above  is / are correct ?

(a) 1 only

(b) 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11

(c ) 1 and 2

(d )  Either 1 or 3

Ans : b

 

12) Consider the following :

 

1)There has been an increase in the number of earthquakes in January to November, 2023 compared to the last three years

2)Data indicates increase in earthquake activity in the year 2023 and it was mainly attributed to the activation of the Almora fault in Western Nepal. 

3)The activation led to major earthquakes on January 24, 2023 (magnitude 5.8), October 3, 2023 (magnitude 6.2) and November 3, 2023 (magnitude 6.4). These mainshocks, accompanied by subsequent aftershocks, have led to an increased frequency of earthquakes in the year 2023. However, the background seismicity remained unchanged during this period.

4)Occasional moderate earthquakes and fluctuations in seismic activity are common in northern India and Nepal.

5)“Nepal and the neighbouring northern part of India, situated near the active faults of the Himalayan region, are highly seismically active areas prone to frequent earthquakes due to collision tectonics, where the Indian plate subducts beneath the Eurasian Plate,” it read.

 6)Tectonic collisions are the only reason for earthquakes in the Himalayan region

 7)Severe earthquakes don’t happen every year and when they do, many small earthquakes follow it, which are called aftershocks.

Which of the above  is / are correct ?

(a) 1 only

(b) 1,2,3,4,5,6,7

(c ) 1 and 2

(d )  Either 1 or 3

Ans : b

 

13) Consider the following :

 

1)In 2023, two major earthquakes occurred — first in January and second in November. As a result, the number of earthquakes this year has increased. 

2)Whenever an earthquake occurs, it is named. For example, the earthquake that occurred in Nepal was named the Gorkha earthquake, after the Gorkha district in Nepal. A Gorkha Fault also lies in the region, which is completely inactive. The earthquake occurred in the Main Himalayan Thrust under the Gorkha district, but was named the Gorkha earthquake.

3)A thrust fault is a break in the Earth’s crust. There are two thrusts in Kumaon, Uttarakhand: One is the South Almora Thrust and the other is the North Almora Thrust. This Almora Fault extends to western Nepal and is likely called by the same name in the neighbouring country as well. But the question is whether this earthquake happened on the Almora Fault, the expert pointed out.  

4)Geologists studying the tectonics of the Himalayas know that all the earthquakes that occur in the Himalayas, are due to a fault 15 to 20 kilometres below the mountain range called the Main Himalayan Thrust. 

5)Both of the major earthquakes in 2023 occurred on the Main Himalayan Thrust. Its likely they were incorrectly attributed to the Almora Fault as it has been mapped. While it is not scientifically correct, the common people can accept the attribution. If scientific terminology is used, this earthquake occurred on the Main Himalayan Thrust, the geologist stated. 

6)None of the faults in the Himalayas — Main Boundary Thrust, North Almora Thrust or South Almora Thrust — are active.

7)The Almora Thrust is not deep and does not reach the mantle, according to geologist MPS Bisht, former director of the Uttarakhand Space Application Centre (USEC). “While it is a thrust, it is also referred to as a fault by some. However, the possibility of an earthquake is negligible”

Which of the above  is / are correct ?

(a) 1 only

(b) 1,2,3,4,5,6,7

(c ) 1 and 2

(d )  Either 1 or 3

Ans : b

 

14) Consider the following about earthquakes:

1)Describing the structure of the planet, it is said the top layer of Earth is called a crust, which is made of layered rocks.

2)The next layer is the mantle, which is made of rocks in semi-molten form.

3)The pressure in the mantle is very high and a lot of activities happen in the layer, which causes movements in the upper crust. 

. Which of the above  is / are correct ?

(a) 1 only

(b) 1,2,3

(c ) 1 and 2

(d )  Either 1 or 3

Ans : b

15) Consider the following about Cyclone Michuang:

1)Chennai city received 468 millimeters of rain in 48 hours (in December, 2023) leading to massive flooding. This is slightly less than half of Chennai’s annual rainfall of 1,200 millimetres.

2) “Slow-moving cyclones are more destructive because they persist over an area for a longer time, resulting in high wind speeds and intense heavy rain for longer duration compared to a fast-moving cyclone,”

 

3)Coastal Andhra is expected to witness light to moderate rainfall in most places, with a few places receiving heavy to very heavy rainfall on December 5,2023 according to IMD. The following day could bring isolated heavy rainfall over north coastal Andhra Pradesh.

6)As for Telangana, light to moderate rainfall is likely at most places, with isolated heavy to extremely heavy rainfall on December 5. Heavy rainfall can be expected on December 6.

7)Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Vidarbha, Rayalaseema and North Coastal Tamil Nadu are expected to see light to moderate rainfall in many places.

8)The cyclone has emerged as an El Niño, the warm phase of a recurring climate pattern across the tropical Pacific, the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) – has gained strength. “During El Nino, the potential of forming more cyclones in the Bay of Bengal is large compared to the Arabian Sea.”

9)The December 2015 floods, too, were during an El Nino year. “Both current(2023) and the past flooding events seem comparable.”

 Which of the above  is / are correct ?

(a) 1 only

(b) 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9

(c ) 1 and 2

(d )  Either 1 or 3

Ans : b

 

16) Consider the following:

 1)Outer Space Treaty (OST), a multilateral agreement that prohibits the placement of weapons of mass destruction in earth’s orbit. By this time, some news reports had also quoted anonymous sources saying that the Russian capability was either nuclear in nature or that the satellite bearing the capability would be nuclear-powered.

 

2) However, since it is said the capability would violate the OST, the nuclear concern isn’t out of the question yet. (The OST is against nuclear weapons in space, not nuclear-powered satellites.)

 

3)Anti-satellite (ASAT) weapons are designed to debilitate and/or destroy satellites that are already in orbit and operational. ASAT weapons violate the OST through the latter’s Article VII, which holds parties to the treaty liable for damaging satellites belonging to other parties, and Article IX, which asks parties to refrain from the “harmful contamination” of space

Which of the above  is / are correct ?

(a) 1 only

(b) 1,2,3

(c ) 1 and 2

(d )  Either 1 or 3

Ans : b

17)

In 2019, when Mr. Musk launched Starlink, a satellite swarm, his idea was to provide space-based Internet to people in remote parts of the world.

Consider the following :

1) Each LEO satellite (Low Earth Orbit satellite)  in the network has a mass of about a quarter tonne, and they are positioned on the geosynchronous equatorial orbit, at about 550 km above the earth, surrounding the equator.

2)This positioning enables the satellite swarm to transmit data to the terminals located on the ground consistently, and during all weather conditions. The space company plans to deploy a total of 12,000 satellites in the short-term, and possibly increase the constellation size by another 30,000 LEO satellites in the long-term.

3)As on February 16, 2024, SpaceX has 5,459 Starlink satellites in orbit, out of 5,850 launched, per data maintained by space historian and astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell.

4)Starlink’s constellation delivers high-speed Internet that supports streaming and video calls. Such capabilities, particularly on the battlefield, provide strategic advantage to the military by connecting defence forces to uninterrupted, secure communication channels and helping them deploy state-of-the-art weapon systems

Which of the above  is / are correct ?

(a) 1 only

(b) 1,2,3,4

(c ) 1 and 2

(d )  Either 1 or 3

Ans : b

 

18)The GSLV-F14 carrying INSAT-3DS meteorological satellite was successfully launched on Saturday i.e.,17.2.2024 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. About 18 minutes after the lift-off from the spaceport’s launchpad, the GSLV-F14 deployed the INSAT-3DS into the intended geosynchronous transfer orbit(GSTO)

Consider the following :

1)“The spacecraft has been injected into a very good orbit. The injection conditions were as expected and we also noted that the vehicle has performed very, very well,”

2) The INSAT-3DS satellite is a follow-on mission of the third generation meteorological satellite from geostationary orbit. The satellite is an exclusive mission designed for enhanced meteorological observations, monitoring of land and ocean surfaces for weather forecasting, and disaster warning.

3)The INSAT-3DS satellite will augment meteorological services along with the presently operational INSAT-3D and INSAT-3DR in-orbit satellites.

4)The GSLV or geosynchronous launch vehicle was termed the “naughty boy” of Indian space due to its repeated failures in the past. Following Saturday’s successful launch, GSLV-F14/INSAT-3DS it is said that the GSLV had become a “disciplined boy”.

5)“The naughty boy has matured as a disciplined boy. Like PSLV, the GSLV has become a robust vehicle for ISRO,”

6)Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) developed the GSLV-F14 was developed.

7)The primary objectives of the mission are to monitor earth’s surface, carry out oceanic observations and its environment in various spectral channels of meteorological importance, provide the vertical profile of various meteorological parameters of the atmosphere, provide data collection and dissemination capabilities from data collection platforms, and provide satellite-aided search and rescue services.

8)Subsequent orbit-raising maneuvers will be performed to position the satellite in a geo-stationary orbit (GSO).

Which of the above  is / are correct ?

(a) 1 only

(b) 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8

(c ) 1 and 2

(d )  Either 1 or 3

Ans : b

 

19) Consider the following about National Quantum  Mission (NQM) :

 

1)Aiming to seed, nurture, and scale up scientific and industrial Research and Development (R&D), and create a vibrant & innovative ecosystem in Quantum Technology (QT), the Union Cabinet has approved the National Quantum Mission (NQM) at a total cost of Rs 6003.65 crore from 2023-24 to 2030-31.

2)This will accelerate QT-led economic growth, nurture the ecosystem in the country, and make India one of the leading nations in the development of Quantum Technologies & Applications (QTA).

3)The new Mission targets developing intermediate scale quantum computers with 50-1000 physical qubits in 8 years in various platforms like superconducting and photonic technology. Satellite-based secure quantum communications between ground stations over a range of 2000 kilometres within India, long distance secure quantum communications withother countries, inter-city quantum key distribution over 2000 km as well as multi-node Quantum network with quantum memories are also some of the deliverables of the mission.

4)It will help develop magnetometers with high sensitivity in atomic systems and atomic clocks for precision timing, communications, and navigation. It will also support design and synthesis of quantum materials such as superconductors, novel semiconductor structures and topological materials for fabrication of quantum devices. Single photon sources/detectors, entangled photon sources will also be developed for quantum communications, sensing, and metrological applications

5)Four Thematic Hubs (T-Hubs) will be set up in top academic and National R&D institutes on the domains - Quantum Computing, Quantum Communication, Quantum Sensing & Metrology, and Quantum Materials & Devices. The hubs which will focus on generation of new knowledge through basic and applied research as well as promote R&D in areas that are mandated to them

6)NQM can take the technology development ecosystem in the country to a globally competitive level. The mission would greatly benefit communication, health, financial and energy sectors as well as drug design, and space applications. It will provide a huge boost to National priorities like Digital India, Make in India, Skill India, and Standup India, Startup India, Selfreliant India, and Sustainable Development Goals.

 

Which of the above  is / are correct ?

(a) 1 only

(b) 1,2,3,4,5,6

(c ) 1 and 2

(d )  Either 1 or 3

Ans : b

20) Consider the following about EdTech ?

1)EdTech is the usage of technology – software and/or hardware, to enhance teaching and learning.

2)Smartphones loaded with EdTech apps have now become synonymous with education.

3)Classrooms have now moved beyond bricks and mortar to clicks and portals.

4)The potential for EdTech to reach underprivileged students in areas far and wide has played and will continue to play a big role in the sector’s growth in the coming years. The needs of each student are different, as are the pace and style with which they learn. EdTech enables everyone to get a consistent quality of education, no matter their age or learning abilities.

5)Given these advantages, why has EdTech not been embraced in all these years? The answer to this question lies in the fact that for EdTech to flourish, there is a need for the availability of and access to a robust Information and Communication Technology (ICT) ecosystem. Let us see the growth of this system in India over the last two decades.

Which of the above  is / are correct ?

(a) 1 only

(b) 1,2,3,4,5

(c ) 1 and 2

(d )  Either 1 or 3

Ans : b

 

21)Consider the following about Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM):

1)Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission envisions an integrated digital health infrastructure for the country and aims to develop the backbone that is necessary to support it. These digital highways will bridge the existing gap among different stakeholders of healthcare ecosystem.

2)The Prime Minister launched ABDM in September 2021. ABDM proposes to create a seamless onlineplatform through the provision of a wide-range of data, information and infrastructure services, duly leveraging open, interoperable, standardsbased digital systems while ensuring the security, confidentiality and privacy of health-related personal information.

3)The ABDM will eventually connect the digital health solutions of hospitals across the country. This will not only make the processes of hospitals simplified but also will increase ease of living. The digital ecosystem will also enable a host of other facilities, like digital consultation, consent of patients to letting medical practitioners access their records, etc.

4)An important part of ABDM is ABHA (Ayushman Bharat Health Account). The ABHA is a 14-digit number that will uniquely identify a beneficiary as a participant in India’s digital healthcare ecosystem. It will  allow the users, insurance companies, and hospitals to access and share the health records digitally. It is envisaged to be used for uniquely identifying persons, authenticating them, and threading their health records (only with their informed consent) across multiple systems and stakeholders.

5)Another new feature introduced recently is the Scan & Share service. Introduced in October 2022, this service provides faster OPD registrations. This helps to reduce the time taken at the OPD registration counter, provides accurate data in the hospital record, and most importantly, avoids the wait in the long queues. This service allows old as well as new patients to simply scan a QR code and share their demographic details with the hospital. Once the profile is shared, the hospital provides a token number (queue number). The token generated is sent as a notification to the patient’s selected app and is also displayed on the screens placed at the OPD registration counters for the patient’s ease.

6)As per their token number, the patient can go to the registration counter and directly collect their outpatient slip (OP slip) for doctor consultation, as their details are already present at the registration counter. Within five months of its launch, the service has been adopted by 365 hospitals and helped over 5 lakh patients save time. The service is currently live in 125 districts across 25 States/ UTs in the country.

Which of the above  is / are correct ?

(a) 1 only

(b) 1,2,3,4,5,6

(c ) 1 and 2

(d )  Either 1 or 3

Ans : b

22) Consider the following about CoWIN ?

1)The Covid Vaccine Intelligence Network (CoWIN) system was launched on 16 January 2021.

2)It has provided the technological backbone to India’s Covid-19 vaccination programme, which has administered more than 220 crore doses.

3)CoWIN was developed in record time with consideration given to scalability, modularity, and interoperability to connect various stakeholders, including vaccine manufacturers, administrators, and verifiers, public and private vaccination facilities, and vaccine recipients, etc.

4)The platform has been made available in English and 11 regional languages to allow citizens across multiple states to access it with ease.

5)With CoWIN, beneficiaries could book for Covid vaccination from any part of the country through a seamless network. To circumvent the lack of digital access, the platform provided for up to six members to be registered under one mobile-number linked account.

 6)The key features of the CoWIN platform are: (i) Blended registration- Beneficiaries can register online or on-site (walk-in) to Vaccination Centre. (ii) Beneficiaries can book online appointment based on convenience of time and choice of location (iii) Track Vaccination Schedule (iv) Instant Digital vaccination Certificate with certificate correction utility (v) Multilingual portal with 12 languages (vi) Mobile application for their ease of use for vaccinator (vii) Vaccine Stock Management (viii) Publishing of Vaccine Schedules in advance (ix) Real Time Dashboards (x) tracking of Adverse Event Following Immunization (AEFI) (xi) Digital Covid-19 vaccination Certificate tracking, and (xii) Facility wise coverage.

7)As of February 2023, more than 10 crore teleconsultations have benefitted patients (more than 9 crore at AB-HWCs; and nearly 97 lakh through eSanjeevani OPD) through medical specialists and super-specialists trained in telemedicine.  It is reassuring to note that over 57% of the beneficiaries are women and around 12% are senior citizens.

Which of the above  is / are correct ?

(a) 1 only

(b) 1,2,3,4,5,6,7

(c ) 1 and 2

(d )  Either 1 or 3

Ans : b

 

23)Consider the following about Router (a digital postman) ?

1)“I came to Bengaluru for a very special purpose. First indigenously-developed 2.4 tbps router. It’s not a very small thing. It’s really a momentous achievement for our country”

2) It is wished  that thousands of these products are installed in the coming months in the country and Nivetti 2.4 tbps becomes a product which is exported to the world.

3)Terabytes per second (TBps) is data transmission rate equivalent to 1,000 gigabytes, or one lakh crore bytes per second.

4) A router is a kind of device which gets lots of information and data from various sources and it processes it properly and disseminates in the appropriate destination.

5)“Router is a digital postman, which delivers the information to the right receptor from one end to an another”

Which of the above  is / are correct ?

(a) 1 only

(b) 1,2,3,4,5

(c ) 1 and 2

(d )  Either 1 or 3

Ans : b

24) Consider the following :

1)The 15-km-long magma dike that formed beneath Grindavík, Iceland, in November 2023 reached an unprecedented subsurface magma flow rate of 7,400 cubic meters per second.

2)The dike formation preceded the more recent Sundhnúkur eruptions in December 2023 and January 2024.

3) The study shows how tectonic stress can drive magma flow into dikes with only modest overpressure in the feeding magma body. The measurement of such flow rates provides insight into the formation of major dikes.

Which of the above  is / are correct ?

(a) 1 only

(b) 1,2,3

(c ) 1 and 2

(d )  Either 1 or 3

Ans : b

 

25) Consider the following about El Nino and global warming  :

1)The tropical Pacific Ocean keeps soaking up heat during normal and La Niña years and belches it out in an El Niño year. This causes a mini global warming, with consequences at distant locations — the so-called teleconnections; the latter is what tells us that the pattern of warming really matters.

2)Depending on whether warming due to an El Niño is in the eastern Pacific Ocean or closer to the international dateline, the impacts on the monsoon and the other parts of the world can be very different.

3)An added difficulty is that the El Niño teleconnections themselves also modify the warming pattern. As a result, droughts can have a stronger feedback that affects temperature than floods in many instances. The massive deluges that California is experiencing this winter are driven by the El Niño but likely amplified by global warming. The amounts of rain and snow will subsequently feedback to local and global temperatures.

4)These same processes work in the global warming regime as well.

5)As human-made greenhouse gases initiate the warming, the warming pattern is amplified in the Arctic and over the desert regions of the Middle East but damped over the eastern Pacific and the northern Atlantic oceans. These local warmings and coolings and their magnitudes determine the net effect of natural variability and global warming in a particular locality.

Which of the above  is / are correct ?

(a) 1 only

(b) 1,2,3,4,5

(c ) 1 and 2

(d )  Either 1 or 3

Ans : b

26) Consider the following :

1)At least 131 people have died in the wildfire that ravaged Chile in February 2024

2)This makes it the country’s deadliest wildfire since record-keeping began in 1900, according to the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR). 

3)The recent wildfires fall under the category of “large wildfires” with at least 26,000 hectares of area burnt. At least 26 people died in the 2023 wildfires which burnt close to 0.42 million ha. 

4)The recent wildfires in Chile which began on February 2, 2024 may also be linked to climate change and El Nino, if the warnings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the scientific studies and recent statements by the WMO and scientists are considered. 

5)“In recent weeks, central Chile has had near-record warm temperatures, reaching as high as 42.9 degrees Celsius (109°F). These conditions have fuelled the fires. Extreme drought and extremely dangerous fire conditions have been brought about by the concomitant lack of rainfall,”

 

Which of the above  is / are correct ?

(a) 1 only

(b) 1,2,3,4,5

(c ) 1 and 2

(d )  Either 1 or 3

Ans : b

 

27) Consider the following about Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) :

1)AMOC transports warm salty surface waters from the tropics to the northern regions in the Atlantic Ocean .

2)The waters then cool down, increase in density and sink in the North Atlantic Ocean, in a phenomenon called downwelling or overturning.

3)Cold, fresh water from the melting ice of the Arctic is added to the cooler ocean that moves towards the equator. This cycle, therefore, acts like a heat conveyor belt, warming the northern latitudes and cooling the southern latitudes. But for the past few decades, more fresh cold water is added to the North Atlantic Ocean due to increased precipitation and rapid melting of the Greenland ice sheet, which is reducing salinity and density of the water.

4)In other words, the colder layer of the ocean is expanding and the warmer layer is contracting. This is slowing down AMOC and will lead to its collapse.

5)Over the last few decades, AMOC has already slowed down by about 15 per cent and is at its slowest in 1,600 years.

Which of the above  is / are correct ?

(a) 1 only

(b) 1,2,3,4,5

(c ) 1 and 2

(d )  Either 1 or 3

Ans : b

 

28) Consider the following :

1)The global climate emergency has broken two more records if scientists from the European Union (EU) are to be believed. Not only has the world experienced a 12-month period where temperatures have exceeded 1.5 degrees Celsius (°C), but January 2024 has been the hottest January on record, according to the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service.

2)Global leaders meeting in the French capital during the 21st Conference of Parties (COP21) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), had agreed to try and prevent global warming from exceeding 1.5°C.

3)While the world has not yet breached the Paris Agreement target, it is moving ever closer to it, according to media reports.

4) In January 2024, …. The year 2023 was also confirmed as the planet’s hottest year and the world’s warmest in the last 100,000 years, according to the EU’s climate agency.

5)The burning of fossil fuels — which produces greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane — is largely responsible for the heat in 2023.

6)Also, the climate phenomenon known as El Nino, the warm phase of the El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO), which began in the later half of 2023, is to blame.

7)Several places globally — from the United States in the west to China in the east — recorded instances of extreme weather last year. There were heatwaves, wildfires, droughts and floods, just to name some.

Which of the above  is / are correct ?

(a) 1 only

(b) 1,2,3,4,5,6,7

(c ) 1 and 2

(d )  Either 1 or 3

Ans : b

29) Consider the following  about The CMS COP14  held at Samarkand, Uzbekistan):

1)The Fourteenth Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS COP 14) concluded on February 17, 2024, with parties agreeing to adopt listing proposals for 14 migratory species and several other resolutions for global wildlife.

2)The 14 species are Eurasian lynx, Peruvian pelican, Pallas’s cat, guanaco, Laulao catfish, Balkan lynx, Lahille’s bottlenose dolphin, harbour porpoise, Magellanic plover, bearded vulture, Blackchin guitarfish, Bull ray, Lusitanian cownose ray and Gilded catfish.

 

3) The other proposal which saw recommendation for adoption was to include the Magellanic plover (Pluvianellus socialis) in Appendix I of the Convention.

The proposal was tabled by Chile and Argentina. Brazil and Peru supported it. The plovers are limited to southern South America, with an estimated population of about 1,500 and 1,700 individuals. The population is as low as 500 in some areas

Which of the above  is / are correct ?

(a) 1 only

(b) 1,2,3

(c ) 1 and 2

(d )  Either 1 or 3

Ans : b

 

30) Consider the following about Methane gas ?

1)Methane is a short-lived greenhouse gas (GHG), which has an atmospheric lifetime of around a decade, as against the dominant GHG carbon dioxide, which affects the climate for hundreds of years.

2)However, methane is more than 25 times as potent as carbon dioxide at trapping heat in the atmosphere.

 

3)The study noted four broad strategies in mitigating methane emissions: i) Animal breeding and management; ii) Feed management, diet formulation and precision feeding; iii) Forages and iv) Rumen manipulation

Which of the above  is / are correct ?

(a) 1 only

(b) 1,2,3

(c ) 1 and 2

(d )  Either 1 or 3

Ans : b

31) Consider the following about  pink bollworm attacking on Bt Cotton :

1)This is the first story in a series about pink bollworm attacks on Bt Cotton in the North Zone, comprising Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan.

2)Cotton crops across North Indian states, Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan, are reporting a severe pink bollworm (Pectinophora gossypiella) attack and even the genetically modified pest-resistant variety called Bt Cotton (Bollgard II seed) is falling prey to the pest it was created to resist.

 

3) However, the insect invasion is claiming more than just the crops — the losses are pushing farmers to the brink of sad phase.

Which of the above  is / are correct ?

(a) 1 only

(b) 1,2,3

(c ) 1 and 2

(d )  Either 1 or 3

Ans : b

32) Consider the following :

1)National Hydrogen Mission (NHM) was launched by the Prime Minister  while commemorating India’s 75 years of Independence with an aim to cut down carbon emissions and increase the use of renewable sources of energy

 

2)It is a futuristic vision that can help India not only cut down its carbon emissions but also diversify its energy basket and reduce external reliance

 

Which of the above  is / are correct ?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c ) Both 1 and 2

(d ) Neither 1 nor 2

Ans : c

 

33) Consider the following about greenhouse gases from agriculture :

1)High-income nations across the world seem to have chosen agriculture as a priority sector to enforce emissions cut for meeting their national climate targets. Since last year, at least half a dozen countries have taken, or are planning to take, steps to curb farm sector emissions. These include the Netherlands, New Zealand and Canada.

2)Methane (from livestock belching, flatulence and dung) and nitrous oxide (from nitrogen fertilisers) are the two main greenhouse gases (GHGs) from the agriculture sector. Emissions and storage from soil carbon (which is counted in land use) and farm energy use are not counted as part of agricultural emissions. As per US Environmental Protection Agency, methane and nitrous oxide account for 16 per cent and 6 per cent of global GHGS.

3)There are two main multilateral treaties to deal with agricultural emissions. First is the Global Methane Pledge (GMP), which has been signed by 149 countries since its launch in 2021 at the Conference of the Parties (COP) to United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change held at Glasgow, Ireland. The signatory nations have pledged to cut methane emissions by 25 per cent by 2030 compared to 2020 levels. Second is the European Green Deal, a Europe-specific treaty announced in 2020 and signed by 27 countries, which are required to reduce their GHG emissions by at least 55 per cent by 2030 compared to 1990 levels. A Nature Restoration Law, passed this July under the deal, aims to restore and recover nature on at least 20 per cent of EU land and sea area by 2030, through binding targets relating to habitat and species restoration.

4)Methane is of two main types — biogenic (produced from plants and animals) and fossil (which has been locked up underground for millions of years). Biogenic methane has an atmospheric life of about a decade, before it becomes carbon dioxide (CO2,) and is taken up by plants again, followed by the same cycle of plants being eaten by animals.

5)Methane from fossil fuels, on the other hand, adds CO2, to the atmosphere. It is linked with leaks from coal mining and flaring from oil and gas drilling, transport of fossil fuels, and natural sources like onshore seeps.

Which of the above  is / are correct ?

(a) 1 only

(b) 1,2,3,4,5

(c ) Both 1 and 2

(d ) Neither 1 nor 2

Ans : b

 

34) Consider the following about Waste Pickers Day ?

1)On March 1, International Waste Pickers Day, waste pickers across the world will pay homage to fellow pickers who were murdered in Colombia in 1992.

2)The world of the informal waste picker,— who is an often-forgotten, hyper-marginalised worker cohort in the waste value chain ecosystem, and an indispensable but invisible part of waste management systems in India — needs to be understood.

3)The International Labour Organization defines the informal sector in waste management as ‘individuals or small and micro-enterprises that intervene in waste management without being registered and without being formally charged with providing waste management services’.

4)These workers are the primary collectors of recyclable waste, playing a critical role in waste management and resource efficiency by collecting, sorting, trading and sometimes even reinserting discarded waste back into the economy. Yet, they face systemic marginalisation due to non-recognition, non-representation, and exclusion from social security schemes and legal protection frameworks.

Which of the above  is / are correct ?

(a) 1 only

(b) 1,2,3,4

(c ) Both 1 and 2

(d ) Neither 1 nor 2

Ans : b

35) Consider the following about EPR :

1)Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) has gained traction in India as a means to enhance plastic waste management. It transfers the responsibility of waste management from municipal authorities and holds commercial waste producers accountable.

2)EPR appears seemingly promising, with potential for social inclusion for waste pickers and other informal grassroots actors.

3) In practice, however, as noted by Women in Informal Employment: Globalizing and Organizing (WIEGO), EPR redirects waste away from the informal sector, threatening large-scale displacement of informal waste pickers.

4) It is  observed that EPR guidelines in India identify several stakeholders including the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), producers, brand owners, industry, industry associations, civil society organisations, and, of course, citizens themselves. But it is unclear whether these stakeholders include informal waste pickers, or their representing organisations. Although the Solid Waste Management Rules 2016 mandate the inclusion of waste pickers in municipal solid waste management systems, they are evidently missing in the prioritisation. The EPR Guidelines 2022 published by the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change have blatantly ignored the role of informal waste pickers in waste management and recycling

Which of the above  is / are correct ?

(a) 1 only

(b) 1,2,3,4

(c ) Both 1 and 2

(d ) Neither 1 nor 2

Ans : b

36) Consider the following :

1)Globally, waste pickers collect and recover up to 60% of all plastic which is then recycled, as in the 2022 World Economic Forum report. Despite their crucial role in sustainable recycling, their work is rarely valued and they struggle to earn a decent living.

 

2)The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Pew reports state that in 2016 alone, informal waste pickers collected 27 million metric tonnes of plastic waste (59% of all plastic material collected for recycling), preventing it from ending up in landfills or the ocean.

 

3)But they also have to bear burning plastic fumes and consume water and air tainted by microplastics. When we endorse the UN resolution to end plastic pollution, to create a legally binding agreement by 2024, the treaty must ensure a just transition for these workers.

4)The role of waste pickers in successful plastic management has emerged as a critical factor as India’s per capita plastic waste generation rises.

5)As mentioned in a recent CPCB report, January 6 is plastic overshoot day for India — a country that is already among the 12 countries responsible for 52% of the world’s mismanaged waste.

6) The EPR mechanism holds producers responsible for plastic pollution, but only involves large recycling units, bypassing an entire workforce responsible for transformation of waste to recyclable material.

7)Waste pickers possess traditional knowledge around handling waste, which could strengthen the EPR system and its implementation. In this context, we need to rethink the formulation of EPR norms, while also addressing how to integrate millions of informal waste pickers into the new legal framework.

Which of the above  is / are correct ?

(a) 1 only

(b) 1,2,3,4,5,6,7

(c ) Both 1 and 2

(d ) Neither 1 nor 2

Ans : b

37) Consider the following about aDNA (ancestral DNA) ?

Ancient DNA (aDNA) studies powered by cutting-edge genomic techniques have opened a window into the past, providing unprecedented insights into the genetic makeup of our ancestors. And by extracting and analysing DNA from ancient skeletal remains, scientists can reconstruct the genetic profiles of these people.

 

1)Chromosomal karyotyping is a method to visualise the complete set of chromosomes in a cell, and is among the best techniques to diagnose such abnormalities. However, karyotyping requires live cells, which in turn requires scientists to adopt laborious methods to culture and stain them.

2)But thanks to advances in the last decade, scientists today can fortunately use whole-genome sequencing data from fragmented and/or degraded DNA to understand chromosomal abnormalities. Scientists have since adopted these approaches to study chromosomal abnormalities in aDNA as well.

3)For example, on January 11, 2024 researchers at the Francis Crick Institute in London published evidence of some of the earliest known instances of Turner syndrome, Kinefelter’s syndrome, and Down’s syndrome in aDNA dating from the Iron age in Britain.

4)Similarly, a research group from Italy, Germany, and the U.S. reported an interesting analysis of genetic variants associated with cardiovascular diseases in modern humans. They studied DNA isolated from 22 mummified individuals from a variety of geographical regions and time periods. Some 17 samples from ancient Egypt were dated to 3600 BC whereas those from Bolivia, Peru, Switzerland, and Australia were from 1500-1900 AD.

5)These scientists used a novel approach to enrich specific parts of each genome that we know are associated with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease in modern humans. Then, once they had sequenced these parts, the scientists computed the ancient people’s risk of developing the disease based on 87 genetic variants that mapped to 56 genes – also well-studied in modern humans. This way, the team concluded that five of the mummified samples had significantly high risk of developing cardiovascular disease and two had calcified heart vessels, suggesting they already had the disease.

6)In all, the scientists said they believe cardiovascular disease has been widespread in human populations for at least 5,000 years.

7) A tide of interest in this question prompted archaeologists to re-excavate the cave more recently, when they found several bone remains. When they sequenced genetic material from these bones using high-throughput sequencing, the DNA sequences they found unequivocally pointed in the direction of Homo sapiens. When they dated the samples using radiocarbon dating, the samples were found to be some 45,000 years old.

 

Which of the above  is / are correct ?

(a) 1 only

(b) 1,2,3,4,5,6,7

(c ) Both 1 and 2

(d ) Neither 1 nor 2

Ans : b

38) Consider the following about quantum computing :

1)Quantum computing differs from traditional computing, which uses ‘bits’—binary digits of 0s and 1s — to represent information.

2)However, quantum computing uses quantum bits, or ‘qubits’, which can exist in multiple states simultaneously, instead of just two states (i.e., 0 and 1).

 

3)This property of qubits, known as ‘superposition’ allows quantum computers to perform many computational calculations orders of magnitude faster than classical computing.

 

4)Further, quantum computing also borrows inspiration from another property of quantum mechanics called entanglement, wherein two qubits could be connected in such a way that the state of one qubit intrinsically affects the state of the other qubit.

 

5)As quantum computing moves steadily towards real-world applications, it continues to be a thriving area for interdisciplinary research and booming scholarly outputs, as well as new fundamental discoveries in physics.

 

6)In 2012, Serge Haroche and David Wineland were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for their ground-breaking experimental methods that enable the measurement and manipulation of individual quantum systems. Their work has profound implications for quantum information and quantum computing.

Which of the above  is / are correct ?

(a) 1 only

(b) 1,2,3,4,5,6

(c ) Both 1 and 2

(d ) Neither 1 nor 2

Ans : b

39) Consider the following about Semiconductors :

1)The Union Cabinet  approved three semiconductor proposals totalling ₹1,25,600 crore, and to be located at Dholera and Sanand in Gujarat, and Morigaon in Assam.

2)The Dholera and Morigaon facilities would be built by Tata Electronics Pvt. Ltd. and Tata Semiconductor Assembly and Test Pvt. Ltd. The former would be India’s first full-fledged fabrication unit with capacity to produce 50,000 ‘wafer starts’ — the initial form of silicon chips — per month.

3)The announcement marks a milestone in India’s efforts to kick-start a semiconductor ecosystem as while most of the current investments through government subsidies and Productivity-Linked Incentive schemes have only yielded less sophisticated packaging plants that rely on raw and intermediate material from other sources, fabrication is a more fundamental, expensive and technologically extensive domain. The move also reflects growing pressures on global electronics supply chains to diversify away from China.

4) Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation (PSMC) of Taiwan would be the technology partner for the fab unit, while the technology partners for the assembly and testing unit in Morigaon had been kept confidential at their request.

Which of the above  is / are correct ?

(a) 1 only

(b) 1,2,3,4

(c ) Both 1 and 2

(d ) Neither 1 nor 2

Ans : b

 

40) Consider the following about Chatbots ?

1)Chatbots are not an entirely new phenomenon. Even before the recent disruption in the market, you may have encountered them, say, while exploring a website. You may remember that tiny window that suddenly appears at the bottom right of the webpage and inquires, ‘May I help you?’ That is a bot. Chatbot, to be more precise. Though this one may have been a conventional chatbot with limited capabilities to converse with humans, understand user input and provide accurate information.

 

2)Moreover, it could only understand text-based input. In simple terms, a bot is a piece of code, a programme, or an application that can conduct pre-defined tasks using a database of pre-existing responses or a limited knowledge base. They are unable to give appropriate answers to complex queries or questions that the developers did not know might be asked.

 

3)The recent emergence of chatbots is a clear indication of the incredible transformation that artificial intelligence is currently undergoing and creating. The new-age chatbots utilise AI and Natural Language Processing (NLP) to simulate human-like conversations and automate responses to customer queries, making it easier for users to find information without human intervention. They have progressed into more sophisticated, context-aware, and self-learning programmes that rely on machine learning and deep learning to create a detailed knowledge base of questions and responses. Consequently, they are enhancing their ability to predict user requirements and provide accurate responses over time.

4)They are not limited to understanding text-only queries, as audio input has emerged as another popular mode of interaction with AI.

 

5)Voice-based chatbots are interacting with millions of users worldwide almost in a manner that mimics human interactions

 

Which of the above  is / are correct ?

(a) 1 only

(b) 1,2,3,4,5

(c ) Both 1 and 2

(d ) Neither 1 nor 2

Ans : b

41)Consider the following about 5 G :

1)5th Generation of the mobile network, or 5G is the latest global standard for wireless communications.

2)Every few years, a new generation of mobile communications takes shape and is described as 1G, 2G, 3G, 4G networks, and so on. Each of these brings higher data transfer speeds and lower latency rates – the time it takes for data to transfer or download.

 

3)5G is expected to bring in an average data rate of 100 megabits per second and promises to go up to 20 gigabits per second.

4) These higher speeds will potentially ensure lower latency rates and, thus, more reliability in mobile data communications. The ultra-fast speed of 5G indeed holds the promise of revolutionary changes in how we communicate and consume content on the internet. Upgraded mobile service is among the most noticeable impacts of initial 5G network rollouts.

 

5) However, it will subsequently impact edtech, autonomous and robotic systems, telemedicine, and precision agriculture. Besides, 5G will unleash the benefits of Internet of Things (IoT) technologies and connected devices. High speed and low latency will enable the connected devices to communicate in real-time, offering better and more reliable performance. This will benefit household purposes (such as IoT-enabled smart homes) and the industrial sector (for example, smart factories and automated manufacturing).

 

6)According to one study, by 2035, 5G will enable US$ 13.2 trillion of global economic output and support 22.3 million jobs

7) Another important dimension in the context of 5G is privacy risks. Unlike 4G, networks running on 5G have a much smaller area of coverage. Hence, they require several smaller antennas and base stations. This can allow precise location trackingof mobile phone or internet users inside and outside, potentially compromising their privacy. Besides, 5G inherits the vulnerability from previous generation protocols, i.e., threat actors can get hold of the International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) – the number used to identify and authenticate subscribers on the mobile network. By seizing the IMSI, threat actors can intercept mobile traffic in a defined area to monitor an individual user’s activity, including tracking location and intercepting calls

 

 

Which of the above  is / are correct ?

(a) 1 only

(b) 1,2,3,4,5,6,7

(c ) Both 1 and 2

(d ) Neither 1 nor 2

Ans : b

 

42) Consider the following about avalanche :

1)A Russian skier was killed and another injured after an avalanche struck the ski slopes of Gulmarg at Baramulla in north Kashmir on 22.2.2024.

2)Officials said a group of six Russian skiers and a local guide were caught in the avalanche on the slopes of Kongdoori, on the upper reaches of Gulmarg, around 1 p.m. They had gone into the red zone, an avalanche-prone area.

3)“A collaborative effort between the Gulmarg Ski Patrol of the Tourism Department and the J&K Police resulted in the successful rescue of a group comprising six Russian skiers and one local guide following an avalanche at the higher reaches of Gulmarg, known as Army Ridge,” an official spokesman said.

4) The avalanche was triggered by heavy snowfall observed in the region since February 17. On February 21,2024 a warning for a ‘medium danger level avalanche’ was issued for Baramulla district.

Which of the above  is / are correct ?

(a) 1 only

(b) 1,2,3,4

(c ) Both 1 and 2

(d ) Neither 1 nor 2

Ans : b

43) Consider the following about Quantum Computers :

1)A classical computer is a collection of information storage units called bits. These physical devices have two states each, denoted 0 and 1. Any computation that a computer performs is essentially the result of the manipulation of the states of bits.

2)Similarly, a qubit is a physical system with two quantum states, and it is the fundamental physical component of a quantum computer. A qubit can exist in one of the two states or — unlike classical computers — a superposed state with contributions from both states.

3)This superposition is a quantum feature that the bits in conventional computers don’t exhibit.

4)Superposed states, also known as coherent superpositions, are important in quantum information-processing protocols.

5)However, superpositions are fragile. The fragility arises out of the interaction between the qubit and other systems. The more the number of interaction channels, the faster the superposition “decoheres” and the qubit ends up in one of the two states.

Which of the above  is / are correct ?

(a) 1 only

(b) 1,2,3,4,5

(c ) Both 1 and 2

(d ) Neither 1 nor 2

Ans : b

 

44) Consider the following about ’10,000 genome’ project :

1)The Department of Biotechnology (DBT)  officially announced the completion of the ‘10,000 genome’ project — an attempt to create a reference database of whole-genome sequences out of India.

2)While India first sequenced a complete human genome in 2006, creating a database that is representative of India’s population diversity is seen as a key step to being able to learn about genetic variants that are unique to India’s population groups and use that to customise drugs and therapies.

3)About 20 institutions across India are involved in the project with the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru and the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad being the lead institutions coordinating the project

4) The Indian population of 1.3 billion consists of over 4,600 population groups, and many of them are endogamous. These factors have contributed to the genetic diversity of the current population. Thus, the Indian population harbours distinct variations and often many disease-causing mutations are amplified within some of these groups.

Which of the above  is / are correct ?

(a) 1 only

(b) 1,2,3,4

(c ) Both 1 and 2

(d ) Neither 1 nor 2

Ans : b

45) Consider the following about Virus, Viroids and Obelisks ?

1)For nearly seven decades since their discovery in 1898, viruses were the only organisms at the boundary between the living and the non-living. Their obligate host dependence, parasitism, and small genome sizes collectively made sure they weren’t classified as ‘life’ per se.

2)Each virion is composed of a nucleic acid (DNA or RNA) core that serves as the genetic material, surrounded by a protein coat, and, in some cases, a lipid (fat) layer outside that coat. Viruses’ life cycle is simple: they infect a host cell, use the cell’s machinery to make more copies of themselves, then infect a new cell to repeat the cycle.

3)  In 1971  Theodor Diener, a plant pathologist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Research Center in Maryland tried to isolate the pathogen that caused potato spindle tuber disease. With his colleague William Raymer, Deiner realised the organism responsible — if he could call it that — didn’t contain the lipid layer or the protein coat found in viruses. It appeared to be just plain, naked RNA.

4) This RNA would enter a cell as RNA, force the cell to make more copies of itself, and the new RNAs would then infect other cells. Diener called these life-forms ‘viroids’ since they resembled viruses. There was, however, one important distinction. Usually, genetic material contains a code that tells cells how to make various proteins. This is true of all known organisms, including viruses. But the RNA of viroids didn’t code for any protein. For the most part, they were just small pieces of RNA that served no function apart from propagating themselves.

Deiner also noticed that the viroid RNA was tiny (250-400 base pairs versus a few thousand in RNA viruses). Deiner’s discovery added a new dimension to plant pathology, and, as a result, viruses were no longer the sole creatures at the edge of life.

5) When analysing genetic material from bacteria present in the human gut, the scientists identified a new form of life lying between viruses and viroids on the scale of simplicity. They called them ‘obelisks’. .   Scientists  managed to link one particular obelisk to the bacterial species Streptococcus sanguini, commonly found in the human mouth.

Which of the above  is / are correct ?

(a) 1 only

(b) 1,2,3,4,5

(c ) Both 1 and 2

(d ) Neither 1 nor 2

Ans : b

 

46) Consider the following about GenomeIndia :

1)“Reference Genome for Indian Population” created under the project will lead to a better understanding of the nature of diseases and specific interventions essential for various ethnic groups. The GenomeIndia will place India on the world map of genome research and will collectively facilitate future large-scale human genetic studies for researchers across the globe.

 

2)GenomeIndia is a consortium of 20 national institutes exemplifies the significance of collaborative, nation-wide, mission-oriented scientific partnerships, and visionary funding by the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India.

3)Joint Coordinators of the GenomeIndia,  said in their presentations that beyond the sheer scale of sequencing and establishing a Reference Genome, the creation of a biobank housing 20,000 blood samples at the Centre for Brain Research, coupled with data archiving at the Indian Biological Data Centre exemplify the project's commitment to transparency, collaboration, and future research endeavours. The data is being stored at the Indian Biological Data Centre (IBDC) set up by Department of Biotechnology, Government of India at the Regional Centre for Biotechnology (RCB), Faridabad

Which of the above  is / are correct ?

(a) 1 only

(b) 1,2,3

(c ) Both 1 and 2

(d ) Neither 1 nor 2

Ans : b

47) Consider the following about Project Cheetah  :
Project Cheetah has mobilized the local community and provided them with livelihood options by direct and indirect employment which has resulted in their overwhelming support for cheetah conservation.

 

1)17^th September, 2022 was historical in the arena of wildlife conservation in India with the World’s fastest land animal finally back in India after nearly 75 years of their local extinction from the country. In the first ever intercontinental wildlife translocation and decades after extinction of their Asiatic counterparts in India, eight African cheetahs from Namibia translocated into Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh.  Subsequently, twelve cheetahs from South Africa were also translocated and released in Kuno National Park in February, 2023.

2)The entire project was implemented under meticulous supervision of the expert team consisting of Government officials, Scientists, Wildlife Biologists and Veterinarians from Namibia, South Africa and India. The reintroduction of cheetahs is bringing much-needed focus to the conservation of the country's dry grasslands and will also generate job opportunities for local communities. The success of this project will open up possibilities for rewilding initiatives worldwide.

3)Most of the Cheetahs are adapting well to Indian conditions and showing expected acclimatisation through hunting, exploration of the landscape, protecting their kill, avoiding/chasing other carnivores like leopards & hyena, establishing territory, internecine fights, courtship and mating & no negative interactions with human beings. Seven introduced Cheetahs have died but none due to unnatural causes like poaching, hunting, snaring, accident, poisoning, and retaliatory killing. This has been largely been possible due to huge community support from the local villages.

4)The most heartening news so far has been birth & survival of 8 cubs on the Indian soil, taking the total number of Cheetah to 21 in Kuno.

Which of the above  is / are correct ?

(a) 1 only

(b) 1,2,3,4

(c ) Both 1 and 2

(d ) Neither 1 nor 2

Ans : b

48) Consider the following about V-SATs in Tribal villages :

1)The Tribal Affairs Ministry is planning to collaborate with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to deploy V-SAT (very small aperture terminal) stations on a pilot basis for around 80 tribal villages in Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, and Maharashtra to bring Internet services there, according to a proposal unveiled on Thursday at a Ministry event meant to brainstorm innovative projects for tribal development.

2)ISRO chief  confirmed  that they were going to collaborate with the Ministry on this project and that the two bodies would soon sign a memorandum of understanding to give pilot connectivity (services such as Internet, medical and educational connectivity) to these tribal-dominated villages.

3)This proposal was among the many that were tabled at Thursday’s meeting, chaired by Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda, on innovative projects for empowering tribal communities.

Which of the above  is / are correct ?

(a) 1 only

(b) 1,2,3

(c ) Both 1 and 2

(d ) Neither 1 nor 2

Ans : b

49) Consider the following :

1)Prime Minister of India inaugurated Kolkata Metro’s Esplanade-Howrah Maidan section, which passes below the mighty Hooghly river through the country’s first underwater transportation tunnel.

2)He also took a ride on a Metro train from Esplanade to Howrah Maidan and interacted with school students during the journey passing through the tunnel, which is a testament to the country’s engineering capabilities.

3)PM returned to the Esplanade station through the same route, and was accompanied by leaders.

4)The 4.8-km Esplanade-Howrah Maidan stretch, which is a part of the East-West Corridor, has been built at a cost of ₹4,965 crore.

Which of the above  is / are correct ?

(a) 1 only

(b) 1,2,3,4

(c ) Both 1 and 2

(d ) Neither 1 nor 2

Ans : b

50) Consider the following :

1)The Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) region has been facing more and more flood-related situations in the last few years.

2)This region, which includes the world’s highest mountains, covers four million square kilometres across eight countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal and Pakistan. It is vital for the lives and livelihoods of 240 million people.

3)While some floods in the area have been caused by natural causes, the most catastrophic ones may be the result of glacial lake outburst floods (GLOF).

4) The last recorded GLOF event in India was in Sikkim, when at least 14 persons were killed in the northern part of the state last October.

5)Research also indicates that the HKH region is warming faster than the global average. This directly threatens its diverse ecosystems and rich biodiversity.

Which of the above  is / are correct ?

(a) 1 only

(b) 1,2,3,4,5

(c ) Both 1 and 2

(d ) Neither 1 nor 2

Ans : b