GK Quiz | 5 December 2020

TOPIC: GS 3 - Science and Technology - Awareness in space

Q1: Consider the following statements:

1. The aim of the Surveyor-2 mission was to reconnoiter the lunar surface ahead of the Apollo missions.
2. Pan-STARRS telescope is a system for wide-field astronomical imaging, developed and operated by the Institute of Astronomy at the University of Hawaii.

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

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

Solution: D)

Explanation:

Statements 1 and 2: The Surveyor-2 spacecraft was supposed to make a soft landing on the Moon’s surface in September 1966, during which time one of the three thrusters failed to ignite, as a result of which the spacecraft started spinning and crashed on the surface. The aim of the mission was to reconnoiter the lunar surface ahead of the Apollo missions that led to the first lunar landing in 1969.

About Pan-STARRS1 telescope:

• Pan-STARRS1 stands for Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System.
• It is a system for wide-field astronomical imaging, developed and operated by the Institute of Astronomy at the University of Hawaii.
• It is the first part of Pan-STARRS to be completed.

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

 

TOPIC: GS 3 - Science and Technology- Awareness in Space

Q2: Consider the following statements about the Arecibo telescope:

1. It is a massive telescope of Peru.
2. It is the second-largest single-dish radio telescope in the world.

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: B)

Explanation:

Statement 1 and 2: Recently, Puerto Rico’s massive Arecibo telescope collapsed.

About Arecibo telescope:

• It was built in 1963.
• It is the second-largest single-dish radio telescope in the world.
• It is the most powerful radar and thus, scientists employed Arecibo to observe planets, asteroids and the ionosphere, making several discoveries over the decades, including finding prebiotic molecules in distant galaxies, the first exoplanets, and the first millisecond pulsar.

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

 

TOPIC: GS 2 - Government Policies and Interventions for Development in various sectors and Issues arising out of their Design and Implementation.

Q3: Consider the following statements about Technical Textiles:

1. They are functional fabrics.
2. They are textiles materials and products manufactured primarily for aesthetic characteristics.
3. National Technical Textiles Mission aims at taking domestic market size to USD 40 billion to USD 50 billion by 2024.

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:

Statements 1, 2 and 3: About Technical Textiles:

• They are textiles materials and products manufactured primarily for technical performance and functional properties rather than aesthetic characteristics.
• They are functional fabrics with applications across various industries, including civil engineering and construction, automobiles, agriculture, healthcare, industrial safety (fire proof jackets), space applications, personal protection (bullet proof jackets, high altitude combat gear), etc.

About National Technical Textiles Mission:

• It was approved with a total outlay of Rs. 1480 crore in February 2020.
• It aims at taking domestic market size to USD 40 billion to USD 50 billion by 2024 and to position the country as a global leader in technical textiles and increase the use of technical textiles in the domestic market.
• For its implementation, a Mission Directorate is operational in the Ministry of Textiles.
• It will be implemented for four years starting from 2020-2021 and has four components.

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

 

TOPIC: GS 3 – Environment - Conservation

Q4: Consider the following statements about Malayan Giant Squirrel:

1. It is endemic to India.
2. It is found mostly in evergreen and semi-evergreen forests.
3. It is protected under schedule I of Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.

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

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

Solution: C)

Explanation:

Statements 1, 2 and 3: Recently, the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), in a first-of-its-kind study, has projected that numbers of the Malayan Giant Squirrel could decline by 90% in India by 2050, and it could be extinct by then if urgent steps are not taken.

About Malayan Giant Squirrel:

• It is one of the world’s largest squirrel species.
• It has a dark upper body, pale under parts, and a long, bushy tail.
• India is home to three giant squirrel species and the other two are Grizzled Giant Squirrel and Indian Giant Squirrel, which are found in peninsular India.
• Unlike the nocturnal flying squirrels, giant squirrels are diurnal (active during the day) but arboreal (tree-dwelling) and herbivorous like the flying squirrels.
• It is found mostly in evergreen and semi-evergreen forests, from plains to hills at elevations of 50 m to 1,500 m above sea level.
• In India, it is found in the forests of Northeast and globally, distributed through Southern China, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Burma, the Malayan Peninsula, Sumatra, and Java.
• It is listed as near threatened by IUCN RedList and is protected under schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.

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

 

TOPIC: GS 3 – Indian Economy- Major Crops 

Q5: Consider the following statements about Millets:

1. These are less water-intensive.
2. India is the second-largest producer of millets in the world after China.
3. Millets are nutritionally superior to wheat & rice.

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: A)

Explanation:

Statements 1,2 and 3: About Millets:

• Millets refer to a number of small-seeded annual grasses that are cultivated as grain crops, primarily on marginal lands in dry areas in temperate, subtropical and tropical regions.
• These include Jowar (Sorghum), Ragi (Finger millet), Sama (Little millet), Variga (Proso millet), and Bajra (Pearl millet).
• India is the largest producer of millets in the world after China.
• Millets are less expensive and nutritionally superior to wheat & rice owing to their high protein, fibre, vitamins and minerals like iron content.
• These are also rich in calcium and magnesium and antioxidants.
• Millets are photo-insensitive means these do not require a specific photoperiod for flowering, and resilient to climate change and can grow on poor soils with little or no external inputs.

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

 

TOPIC: GS 2 – Health, Government Policies and Interventions

Q6: Consider the following statements:

1. India had signed the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, 1961.
2. Under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985, the production of cannabis is a punishable offence.
3. Delta9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the major psychoactive constituent of cannabis.

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

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

Solution: D)

Explanation:

Statements 1,2 and 3: Recently, the United Nations (UN) Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND), at its 63^rd session, has taken a number of decisions, leading to changes in the way cannabis is internationally regulated, including its reclassification out of the most dangerous category of drugs.

India has voted with the majority at the United Nations to remove cannabis and cannabis resin from Schedule IV of the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, 1961. India had signed and ratified this convention. Under India’s Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act 1985, the production, manufacture, possession, sale, purchase, transport, and use of cannabis is a punishable offence.

Cannabis: According to the WHO, it is a generic term used to denote the several psychoactive preparations of the plant Cannabis sativa. It is by far the most widely cultivated, trafficked and abused illicit drug in the world. Delta9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the major psychoactive constituent of cannabis.

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