December 15-16 2024 Current Affairs MCQs

Explanation

Both statements are incorrect

• Daylight saving time (DST) or summer time is the practice of advancing clocks by one hour during summer months in the US. In DST, evening time is increased by sacrificing the morning hours.
• Typically, users in regions with summer time (some countries in the extreme north and south) adjust clocks forward one hour close to the start of spring and backwards in the autumn to standard time.
• DST aims to improve energy efficiency by reducing the need for artificial lighting, making it relevant to climate change and energy overconsumption. It is considered an environmentally sustainable concept.
• Current Practice: Today, DST is practised in around 70 countries, including the European Union.
• India’s case: India does not observe DST, primarily because countries near the Equator do not expe-rience variations in daylight hours between seasons.

Answer: (c) Both 1 and 2; Difficulty Level: Easy

Explanation

Statements 1 and 3 are correct

• SC sought replies from the Centre & states on a plea addressing the urgent need for anti-venom availability & snakebite treatment infrastructure to tackle India’s high mortality rate.
• Snakebite envenoming is classified by WHO as a high-priority Neglected Tropical Disease.
• Challenges in Snakebite Management:
  • Scarcity of Anti-Venom: Limited production, inconsistent supply and inadequate stockpiles in prima-ry and secondary health centres delay effective treatment.
  • Policy Gaps: No dedicated budget or national-level program exists for snakebite treatment.
  • Inadequate Schemes: Ayushman Bharat and NHM (National Health Mission) fail to comprehensively address snakebite-related issues.

Statement 2 is incorrect

• Need for Action:
  • Global Leader in Snakebite Deaths: India records approximately 58,000 deaths annually, contrib-uting to nearly 50% of global snakebite fatalities.
  • Snakebite ‘Hotspots’: UP, West Bengal, Odisha & AP face disproportionately high incidences.

Answer: (b) Only two; Difficulty Level: Medium

Explanation

Option (a) is correct

• Ireland’s government has announced the launch of its “Our Living Islands policy”, which is an effort to revive Ireland’s island communities that aren’t connected to the mainland.
• It aims to improve infrastructure and increase job opportunities, including the option for remote work.
• The policy plan raised concerns about the declining youth population. It showed that from 1996 to 2016, the population on the islands in the policy fell by 12.8%.

  

Answer: (a) Ireland; Difficulty Level: Easy

Explanation

All statements are correct

• Mirror life bacteria are synthetic microbes created from mirror images of naturally occurring molecules.
• Life on Earth is built from biomolecules like DNA, proteins, and carbohydrates, which possess a unique property called chirality or structural asymmetry.
  • How Mirror Bacteria Created?
    • Mirror bacteria are synthesised in labs using molecules with reversed chirality.
    • The concept is derived from existing pharmaceutical applications, where mirror-image molecules prolong drug activity by resisting natural enzymatic breakdown.
  • Risks and Concerns:
    • Evasion of Natural Predators: Mirror bacteria could evade natural immune responses and predators, including viruses and microbes that usually keep bacterial populations in check.
    • Human and Animal Health: These bacteria could cause lethal infections that spread unchecked in humans, animals, and plants.

Answer: (d) 1, 2 and 3; Difficulty Level: Hard

Explanation

Option (d) is correct

Answer: (d) The triggering mechanism involves a parliamentary vote based on misconduct, such as corruption, in South Africa, while in India, it is impeachment by Parliament on grounds of violation of the Constitution; Difficulty Level: Medium

Explanation

Both statements are correct

• Provisions of the Disaster Management (Amendment) Bill, 2024:
  • Plan Preparation Responsibility: NDMA (National Disaster Management Authority) and SDMA to prepare, update and assess disaster management plans instead of Executive Committees.
  • Enhanced Powers and Functions: NDMA and SDMA are authorised to periodically assess risks, assist lower authorities, and recommend uniform relief standards. NDMA is authorised to appoint officers and consultants and issue disaster management regulations.
  • Disaster Databases: National & state-level databases mandated for risk assessment & resource planning.
  • Urban Disaster Management Authorities: UDMAs to be established for major cities and state capitals under municipal commissioners.
  • Statutory Committees: NCMC (National Crisis Management Committee) and HLC (High-Level Committee) for crisis management and financial assistance have been made statutory.
  • State Disaster Response Forces: States empowered to form SDRFs for effective disaster responses.

Answer: (c) Both 1 and 2; Difficulty Level: Medium

Explanation

Option (a) is correct

• Gravitational lensing happens when a huge celestial body, like a galaxy cluster, bends the path of light around it. This effect makes the light curve as if passing through a lens.
• The object causing the light to bend is called a gravitational lens. This bending effect magnifies the light, allowing us to see distant objects that would otherwise be too faint and far away.
• In 1915, Albert Einstein first predicted gravitational lensing. According to his general theory of relativity, time and space are combined into a single entity called spacetime. Massive objects cause spacetime to curve, and gravity is this curvature.
• Light Bending: When light from a distant object passes by a gravitational lens, its path curves, creating a distorted image. This image might look like a ring or halo around the lensing object.

                          

  Source: esahubble

Answer: (a) The bending of light around massive celestial objects, causing it to curve as if passing through a lens; Difficulty Level: Easy

Explanation

Statement 1 is incorrect

• It is a chronic and progressive lung disease characterised by the thickening and stiffening lung tissue, leading to irreversible scarring (fibrosis).

Statements 2 and 3 are correct

• The term “idiopathic” means that the cause of the condition is unknown.
• Symptoms: Common symptoms include shortness of breath (dyspnea), a persistent dry cough, fatigue, and weight loss. Over time, oxygen levels in the blood may drop, leading to complications such as pulmonary hypertension and respiratory failure.
• Risk Factors: Ageing, particularly in individuals over 50 years old. Smoking, a family history of the condition, and prolonged exposure to dust or certain chemicals can also increase the risk.
• Treatment: While there is no cure for IPF, treatments can help manage symptoms and slow disease progression. These may include pulmonary rehabilitation, supplemental oxygen, and medications like pirfenidone or nintedanib. In severe cases, lung transplantation may be considered.

Answer: (d) 2 and 3 only; Difficulty Level: Hard