GK Quiz | 1 December 2020

TOPIC: GS 2 - Government Policies and Interventions for Development in various sectors and Issues arising out of their Design and Implementation; Issues Relating to Development and Management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources

Q1: Consider the following statements with reference to the Mission COVID Suraksha

1. It is India’s targeted effort to enable the development of indigenous, affordable and accessible vaccines for the country.
2. It is implemented by a dedicated Mission Implementation Unit at the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC).
3. Phase-I of the Mission has been allotted Rs. 900 Crore for a period of 1 year.

Which of the statement(s) given above is/are incorrect?

1. 1 and 2 only
2. 3 only
3. 1 and 3 only
4. None

Solution: D)

Explanation:

Statement 1, 2 and 3: Recently, the Government of India has announced the stimulus package of Rs. 900 crore for the Mission COVID Suraksha.

 About Mission COVID Suraksha:

• It is India’s targeted effort to enable the development of indigenous, affordable and accessible vaccines for the country.
• It will complement the ongoing mission of Atmanirbhar Bharat.
• The Mission with its end-to-end focus from preclinical development through clinical development and manufacturing and regulatory facilitation for deployment, would consolidate all available and funded resources towards accelerated product development.
• It will be led by DBT and implemented by a dedicated Mission Implementation Unit at the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC).
• Phase-I of the Mission has been allotted Rs. 900 Crore for a period of 12 months. This grant will be provided to the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) for Research and Development (R&D) of Indian Covid-19 vaccines.

So, all statements are correct and hence, option D is correct.

 

TOPIC: GS 2 - Important international organisations.

Q2: Consider the following statements about Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)

1. It is an international organization founded in 1969.
2. It is the largest inter-governmental organization in the world.
3. It has permanent delegations to the United Nations and the European Union.

Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?

1. 1 and 3 only
2. 2 only
3. 1,2 and 3
4. 1 and 2 only

Solution: A)

Explanation:

Statement 1, 2 and 3: About the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC):

• It is an international organization founded in 1969, consisting of 57 member states.
• Its Headquarter is in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
• It is the second largest inter-governmental organization after the United Nations.
• It is the collective voice of the Muslim world. It endeavors to safeguard and protect the interests of the Muslim world in the spirit of promoting international peace and harmony among various people of the world.
• It has permanent delegations to the United Nations and the European Union.

So, statement 1 and 3 are correct and statement 2 is incorrect. Hence, option A is correct.

 

TOPIC: GS 3 - Awareness in space.

Q3: Consider the following statements about Hayabusa2 mission

1. It was launched in December 2014 on a six-year mission to study the asteroid Ryugu.
2. It is operated by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?

1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2

Solution: A)

Explanation:

Statement 1 and 2: About Hayabusa2 project:

• It was launched on 3 December 2014 on a six-year mission to study the asteroid Ryugu.
• It is operated by the Japanese space agency, JAXA
• It carried multiple science payloads for remote sensing, sampling, and four small rovers that will investigate the asteroid surface to inform the environmental and geological context of the samples collected.
• Objective:

• • To characterize the asteroid from remote sensing observations (with multispectral cameras, near-infrared spectrometer, thermal infrared imager, laser altimeter) on a macroscopic scale
  • To analyse the samples returned from the asteroid on a microscopic scale.

Asteroid Ryugu: It is a C-type asteroid – a relic from the early days of the Solar System. Scientists think that C-type asteroids contain both organic matter, and trapped water, and might have been responsible for bringing both to Earth, thereby providing the planet with the materials necessary for life to originate.

So, statement 1 is correct and statement 2 is incorrect. Hence, option A is correct.

 

TOPIC: GS 3 - Indigenization of technology.

Q4: Consider the following statements regarding Dry Swab-Direct RT-PCR method

1. In this method, nasopharyngeal or oropharyngeal swab samples collected are placed in Viral Transport Medium (VTM).
2. It involves RNA isolation from the sample.
3. It is easy to implement with no requirement of new kits.

Which of the following statement(s) given above is/are correct?

1. 1 and 2 only
2. 3 only
3. 1,2 and 3
4. None

Solution:  B)

Explanation:

Statement 1, 2 and 3:  About Dry Swab-Direct RT-PCR method:

• It is a simple variation of the existing gold standard RT-PCR method.
• In the conventional testing method, nasopharyngeal or oropharyngeal swab samples collected are generally placed in a liquid called Viral Transport Medium (VTM), while in dry swab method involves collecting and transporting the nasal swab in dry state which makes the transportation and handling of the samples easy and less prone to spillage and spread of infection.
• The step of RNA isolation from the sample has been omitted in this method. This method involves only simple processing of the sample followed by direct RT-PCR using the kit recommended by the ICMR.
• It is cost effective and easy to implement with no requirement of new kits.

So, statement 1 and 2 are incorrect and statement 3 is correct. Hence, option B is correct.

 

TOPIC: GS 3 - Awareness in the fields of IT, Space, Computers, Robotics, Nano-technology, Bio-technology and issues relating to Intellectual Property Rights.

Q5: With reference to the Reverse Transcriptase loop-mediated isothermal amplification technology (RT-LAMP), consider the following statements

1. It is a one-step nucleic acid amplification method to multiply specific sequences of RNA of the coronavirus.
2. Like RT-PCR, it also needs complex expensive equipment.
3. It needs different temperatures in one cycle.

Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?

1. 1 and 3 only
2. 2 only
3. 1,2 and 3
4. 1 only

Solution: D)

Explanation:

Statement 1, 2 and 3: About RT-LAMP technology:

• It stands for Reverse Transcriptase loop-mediated isothermal amplification technology.
• It is a one-step nucleic acid amplification method to multiply specific sequences of RNA of the coronavirus. The RNA is first made into cDNA (copy DNA) by the usual reverse transcription. Then, the DNA is amplified by the LAMP technique.
• It is superior to the PCR technology–based COVID-19 kits where specificity is around 95% only.
• It is cost effective and does not need complex expensive equipment.
• RT-PCR needs different temperatures in one cycle, while RT-LAMP technology is done at 65 degrees Celsius, where the DNA amplification is done at a constant temperature.

So, statement 1 is correct and statement 2 and 3 are incorrect. Hence, option D is correct.