December 22-23 2024 Current Affairs MCQs

Explanation

Statement 1 is incorrect

• SpaDeX is a cost-effective technology demonstrator mission that will demonstrate in-space docking using two small spacecraft (‘Chaser’ and ‘Target’) designed to be launched from a single PSLV class vehicle and to dock at an altitude of about 700 kilometres.

Statement 2 is correct

• Objective: To develop and demonstrate the technology needed for rendezvous, docking, and undocking. The mission will also demonstrate the transfer of electric power between the docked spacecraft, manage composite spacecraft control, and conduct payload operations after undocking.

Statement 3 is incorrect

• Through this mission, India is marching towards becoming the fourth country in the world (after US, Russia, and China) to have space docking technology.

Answer: (c) 2 only; Difficulty Level: Medium

Explanation

Options 1 and 4 are correct and options 2 and 3 are incorrect

• About Kuwait:
  • Geography: It is located in the Middle East, bordered by Iraq, Saudi Arabia and the Persian Gulf.
  • Currency: Kuwaiti Dinar (KWD)
  • Oil Reserves: Kuwait has the world’s sixth-largest proven oil reserves.
  • Cultural: It is known as the “Hollywood of the Gulf” because of its popular culture, including television, soap operas, theatre, music, and radio.

Answer: (b) 1 and 4 only; Difficulty Level: Easy

Explanation

Statement 1 is incorrect and statement 2 is correct

• Google DeepMind created a weather prediction tool called GenCast. It is a machine-learning weather prediction model using a “diffusion model” approach, similar to AI image generators.
• It uses the Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) process to generate weather forecasts.
• Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) uses mathematical models to predict the weather based on current conditions.
• It involves solving equations that describe the physical laws of nature.
• NWP requires powerful supercomputers and high-quality data.
• Traditional NWP models can predict weather up to one week in advance.
• It generates multiple forecasts to capture complex atmospheric behaviours like extreme weather events, tropical cyclone tracks, and wind power production leading to more accurate predictions.
• It can predict the weather for 15 days in just 8 minutes.

Answer: (a) 1 only; Difficulty Level: Medium

Explanation

Statements 1 and 2 are correct

• Bharat Ratna Award is generally not conferred posthumously but is granted in exceptional cases.
• 18 posthumous awards (Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Morarji Desai & M.G. Ramachandran).
• 53 awardees till date, including prominent politicians (Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, S. Radhakrishnan, Dr. Rajendra Prasad, BC Roy, Govind Ballabh Pant, etc.)
• Politicians dominate the list, even those not active at the time of their award (Purushottam Das Tandon).

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

Explanation

Statement 1 is incorrect and statement 2 is correct

• Dinga Dinga Virus is locally known as ‘Dinga Dinga’ (meaning ‘shaking like dancing’), and patients experience high fever, extreme weakness and uncontrollable body shaking.
• The symptoms of Dinga Dinga are reminiscent of the Dancing Plague of 1518, where people in Stras-bourg danced uncontrollably for days due to an unknown cause.
• Cause: The exact cause of this virus remains unknown. Speculations range from viral infections to environmental factors, but no definitive cause has been identified yet.
• Current Treatment: Health officials treat the illness with antibiotics, and most patients recover within a week of medical care.

Answer: (b) 2 only; Difficulty Level: Medium

Explanation

Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, and Statement-II is the correct explanation for Statement-I

• U.S. approves first drug treatment for obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA).
• The drug Zepbound is approved for people who are obese or overweight and have a related health condition, such as type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol or high blood pressure.
• Zepbound works by activating receptors of hormones secreted from the intestine to reduce appetite and food intake. Studies show that by reducing body weight, Zepbound also improves OSA.
• Obstructive Sleep Apnoea is a common sleep disorder that occurs when the throat muscles relax and narrow the airway during sleep, leading to interrupted breathing.
• Symptoms: Frequent wakeups in the middle of the night, pauses in breathing while asleep, snoring, night sweats, feeling restless, and excessive daytime sleepiness.
• Risk factors: Obesity, large neck size, being middle-aged or older, abnormalities in the head and neck’s soft and bony tissue structure, developing high blood pressure, having a stroke or heart attack.
• Treatment: Lifestyle changes, continuous positive airway pressure machine, oral appliances, surgery.

Answer: (a) Both Statemetn-I and Statement-II are correct, and Statement-II is the correct explanation for Statement-I ; Difficulty Level: Medium

Explanation

Option (a) is correct

• Orbital docking is the process of joining two space vehicles together in space. The docking process can be temporary or semi-permanent. For e.g., space station modules can dock with the International Space Station (ISS).
• This process, whether manned or unmanned, allows those to operate as a single unit for critical tasks such as refuelling, repair, and crew exchange.
• The first docking was achieved in 1966 when Gemini 8, under the command of American astronaut Neil Armstrong, docked with Agena Target Vehicle (it was uncrewed).

Answer: (a) The process of joining two space vehicles together in space; Difficulty Level: Easy