February 21 2025 Current Affairs MCQs

Explanation

All statements are incorrect

• Deposit insurance is a protection scheme that ensures depositors get their money back (up to a limit) in case of bank failures.
• It is managed by Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation (DICGC), a subsidiary of RBI and not directly by RBI.
• Insurance Limit: Each depositor is insured upto ₹5 lakh per bank, including principal & interest.
• Coverage Scope:
  • Included: Savings accounts, fixed deposits, current accounts, recurring deposits.
  • Not Included: Deposits of foreign governments, central/state governments, inter-bank deposits, and deposits with State Land Development Banks.
• Treatment of Multiple Accounts: Deposits across different branches of the same bank are clubbed under one insurance cover

Answer: (d) None; Difficulty Level: Medium

Explanation

Option (d) is correct

• President’s Rule, also known as State Emergency or Constitutional Emergency, is a provision under Article 356 of the Constitution.
• It allows the central government to take direct control of a state when the state government is unable to function according to constitutional provisions (on receipt of a report from the Governor of a state).
• The President can assume all or any of the functions of the state government.
• President’s Rule was imposed in Manipur in February 2025 after CM N. Biren Singh resigned amid ongoing ethnic violence and political instability.
• Key Objectives:
  • Protect unity and integrity of the nation in a diverse society.
  • Address governance breakdown and uphold law and order.
  • Strengthen federalism while ensuring cooperation between Centre and States.
  • Protect individual liberty when state machinery collapses.
  • Ensure constitutional compliance by state governments.
  • Secure states from external aggression and internal disturbances under Article 355.

Answer: (d) All four; Difficulty Level: Easy

Explanation

Option (d) is correct

• Conflict minerals are minerals extracted from conflict-affected regions, where profits fund armed groups and human rights abuses.
• Key Conflict Minerals (3TGs): Tin, Tantalum, Tungsten, and Gold, classified by OECD.
• Major Sources: DRC, Sierra Leone, Venezuela, and other conflict-prone areas.
• Extraction Process: Sourced from ores like cassiterite (tin), columbite-tantalite (tantalum), and wolframite (tungsten).

Answer: (d) All four; Difficulty Level: Hard

Explanation

• Iron Age in India: Timeline and Evolution:
  • Initially believed to have started around 700-600 BCE.
  • Radiocarbon dating pushed the timeline back to 1800 BCE, with evidence of iron smelting in the Central Ganga Plain and Eastern Vindhyas.
  • Recent Tamil Nadu discoveries suggest iron metallurgy was established as early as 3300 BCE.

Options 3 and 4 are correct

• Iron Age sites in South India:
  • Tamil Nadu’s ancient iron metallurgy sites include Mayiladumparai (3300 BCE, India’s oldest iron use), Paiyampalli (1200 BCE, large-scale smelting), Sivagalai (1100 BCE, early smelting), and Adichanallur (1000 BCE, Megalithic iron tools and burial urns).
  • State Archaeology Department of Tamil Nadu (2025): Confirms iron smelting began between 3,345 BCE–2,953 BCE.
  • Limited availability of copper ores in South India might have led to early adoption of iron technology.
  • Excavations in Sivagalai, Adichanallur, Kilnamandi, and Mayiladumparai indicate that Tamil Nadu’s Iron Age predates much of North India.

Options 1 and 2 are incorrect

• Iron Age sites in Central and Northern India:
  • Raja Nala-ka-tila (UP): Iron tools & slag found in pre-NBP (Northern Black Polished) deposits (1400–800 BCE).
  • Malhar (1200 BCE) and Dadupur (1000 BCE) in UP were major iron metallurgy centers with evidence of large-scale smelting and furnaces.
  • Hastinapur (UP): Iron tools associated with the Painted Grey Ware (PGW) culture (1000 BCE).
  • Takshashila (Punjab, Pakistan): Iron tools found in Gandhara settlements (800 BCE).
• Iron Age sites in Western and Central India:
  • Ahar (Rajasthan): Chalcolithic culture (2500–1700 BCE) showed early evidence of iron artifacts.
  • Naikund (Vidarbha, Maharashtra): Discovery of an iron smelting furnace (1000 BCE).
  • Mahurjhari (Nagpur, Maharashtra): Horse ornaments made of copper with iron knobs (800 BCE).

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

Explanation

Statement 1 is incorrect

• OPEC is a permanent intergovernmental organization of 12 oil-exporting developing nations.
• Headquarters: Vienna, Austria.
• Formation: At Baghdad Conference in 1960, by Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela.
• Objective: To coordinate and unify petroleum policies among Member Countries to secure pricing for producers, supply for consumers, and return on capital for investors.

Statement 2 is incorrect

• Members of OPEC (12): Algeria, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Venezuela.

Statement 3 is correct

• OPEC controls 79.1% of the world’s proven crude oil reserves, produces 39.7% of global crude oil, and exports about 60% of the world’s petroleum.

Answer: (c) 3 only; Difficulty Level: Easy

Explanation

• ISRO-developed space technologies are now benefiting various industries, while ISRO retains IPR with non-exclusive industry access.

Pair 1 is correct and pairs 2 and 3 are incorrect

• Applications of ISRO Technologies:
  • 3D LiDAR Camera: Used for people counting in crowds, parcel measurement, near-terrain flight assistance, pedestrian detection, and gesture recognition in consumer electronics.
  • Rocket Propulsion Pressure Sensors: Help determine airbag deployment timing in vehicles.
  • Chandrayaan-3 Landing Software: Enables collision prevention systems in automobiles.
  • Benzoxazine Polymer: Used for electronic encapsulation and as a flame-retardant material.
  • Anti-Corrosive Coatings (NRCM-204): Protect metals, composites, and buildings from acid corrosion.
  • Vibration Management System: Enables seismic isolation for buildings; reduces noise in transportation.
  • Lithium-Ion Battery Tech: Supports green transportation by providing cost-effective EV batteries

Answer: (a) Only one; Difficulty Level: Hard

Explanation

Option (c) is correct

• ISRO, in collaboration with CMTI (Central Manufacturing Technology Institute, Bengaluru), developed a 10-tonne vertical planetary mixer, enhancing India’s space sector self-reliance.
• Vertical Planetary Mixer a high-capacity mixing system for processing solid propellants used in rocket motors.
• It ensures precise blending of hazardous and sensitive ingredients, crucial for rocket motor efficiency.
• How It Works?
  • Uses multiple hydrostatic-driven agitators for uniform mixing of solid propellant components.
  • Operated remotely via a PLC-based control system with SCADA stations for precision and safety.
  • SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition): A real-time monitoring and control system for industrial processes.

Answer: (c) ISRO; Difficulty Level: Easy

Explanation

All the options are correct

• PCOS is a common hormonal disorder affecting millions of women, leading to menstrual irregularities, metabolic issues, and fertility challenges.
• Endocrine disorder characterized by hormonal imbalance, chronic anovulation & metabolic disturbances.
• Prevalence: Affects 6-26% of women globally; in India, the prevalence is 3.7-22.5%.
• Causes: Genetic predisposition, neuroendocrine dysfunction, sedentary lifestyle, dietary habits, & obesity.
• Health Risks Associated with PCOS:
  • Endocrine Complications: Increased testosterone levels leading to metabolic disorders.
  • Cardiovascular Risks: Hypertension, high cholesterol, and an elevated risk of heart disease.
  • Insulin Resistance: High likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes due to impaired glucose metabolism.
  • Mental Health Concerns: Increased prevalence of anxiety and depression among PCOS patients

Answer: (c) All three; Difficulty Level: Easy

Explanation

Option (a) is correct

• An Einstein ring is a ring of light around a form of dark matter, galaxy or cluster of galaxies. It is essentially an example of gravitational lensing.
• They are extremely rare, less than 1% of galaxies have an Einstein ring. The first Einstein ring was discovered in 1987.
• Einstein rings can be observed only through space telescopes.
• The European Space Agency’s (ESA) Euclid space telescope has discovered an ‘Einstein ring’, around a NGC 6505 galaxy nearly 590 million light-years away from Earth.
• Gravitational Lensing:
  • Gravitational lensing occurs when a massive celestial body such as a galaxy cluster warps space and time causing light to bend, distort, and magnify as it passes around the massive object.
  • The body causing the light to curve is called a gravitational lens.
  • Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity predicted that light could bend and brighten around objects across the cosmos.

Answer: (a) An example of gravitational lensing; Difficulty Level: Medium