January 08 2025 Current Affairs MCQs

Explanation

Statement 1 is correct

• Indus Valley Civilization, thrived between 3300 BCE and 1300 BCE; peak phase from 2600 BCE to 1900 BCE, covered 800,000 sq km across present-day Pakistan and northwestern India.
  • The civilization is known for advanced trade, taxation systems & urban planning with elaborate drainage.
• Features of the Indus Script includes:
  • Symbols: Found on seals and terracotta tablets; include human & animal motifs and unknown characters.

Statement 2 is incorrect

• Inscription Length: Typically short, with an average of five characters, the longest has 26 characters.
• Signs Count: Varied scholarly estimates – 62 (S.R. Rao), 425 (Asko Parpola), 676 (Bryan K Wells).
• Writing System: Believed to be logosyllabic, where signs represented objects, words or homophones).

• Challenges in Deciphering the script are:
  • No Rosetta Stone: Lack of multilingual inscriptions makes comparisons difficult.
  • Short Texts: Inscription brevity hinders pattern recognition.
  • Disagreements: Divergent scholarly views on the nature and purpose of the script.

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

Explanation

Both Statement I and Statement II are correct, but Statement II is not the correct explanation for Statement I

• The BHARATPOL portal by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) will be launched.

• The portal will streamline processing all requests for international assistance through INTERPOL, including issuing INTERPOL Notices.
• CBI is the National Central Bureau (NCB-New Delhi) for INTERPOL in India.
• Through the portal, the country’s law enforcement agencies will be able to access real-time information.
• Statement II is not the correct explanation for Statement I, as the primary purpose of BHARATPOL is to facilitate real-time information sharing among domestic law enforcement agencies, rather than specifically processing international requests through INTERPOL.

Answer: (b) Both Statement I and Statement II are correct, but Statement II is not the correct explanation for Statement I; Difficulty Level: Easy

Explanation

Statement 1 is correct

• Polar Vortex:
  • It is a large low-pressure area of cold air swirling at up to 155 mph around the Earth’s poles, rotating counterclockwise.
  • Polar vortex events are seasonal but not guaranteed annually.
  • The term gained prominence after the 2013-14 winter storm due to its severe effects.

Statement 2 is correct, but Statement 3 is incorrect

• Types of Polar Vortex:
  • Tropospheric: Exists in the lowest atmospheric layer, directly influencing weather patterns.
  • Stratospheric: Located 16-48 km above Earth, stronger in winter and dissipates in summer.

Answer: (b) 1 and 2 only; Difficulty Level: Medium

Explanation

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

• In a 2019 ruling, the Madras High Court dismissed a petition seeking punishment for not playing the National Anthem, citing the absence of any legal mandate requiring its mandatory playing or singing at all official functions.
• Similarly, the Supreme Court has observed that while playing the National Anthem in cinemas or other settings is encouraged, it is not mandatory unless explicitly specified by law.

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

Explanation

Option (a) is incorrect

• While the method introduces unmanned machinery to enhance safety, it does not completely replace manual labor.
• It introduces a paradigm shift by utilising unmanned, automated machinery for mining operations.

Option (b) is correct

• It is cost–effective, with an estimated 7-10% reduction in operational costs compared to conventional.
• Moreover, the unmanned operation of the Dozer Push Mining method greatly enhances worker safety.

Option (c) is incorrect

• The project’s primary objective was to develop a method that optimises the mining process and ensures that vibration and fly rock are controlled within safe limits.
• It provides advantages such as improved efficiency by enabling faster coal recovery and reducing delays caused by adverse weather conditions such as the monsoon season.

Option (d) is incorrect

• Trial blasting is part of the process to optimise mining and ensure safety, as demonstrated in the trial blast conducted by CSIR-CIMFR.
• CSIR-Central Institute of Mining and Fuel Research (CSIR-CIMFR) has conducted the first trial blast for the Dozer Push Mining Method at Coal Mine in Ambikapur, Chhattisgarh

Answer: (b) It provides a cost-effective alternative to traditional mining methods with an estimated 7-10% reduction in operational costs; Difficulty Level: Easy

Explanation

Statement 1 is correct

• Scientists confirmed that the universe’s fabric constantly vibrates due to gravitational waves from super-massive black hole collisions using a galaxy-sized detector.
• Gravitational Waves: First detected in 2015 using earth-based detectors like LIGO, these are ripples in space-time caused by massive objects like black holes orbiting, colliding or mergers at galactic centres.

Statement 2 is correct

• Detectors Used:
  • Detector Type: Pulsar Timing Arrays (PTAs) use rapidly spinning neutron stars (pulsars) as detectors.
  • Pulsars: Neutron stars emitting radiation pulses, used for detecting gravitational waves.
  • MeerKAT is the largest PTA, observing 83 pulsars using South Africa’s MeerKAT radio telescope, which measures timing variations in pulsar signals caused by spacetime distortions from gravitational waves.
  • International Pulsar Timing Array (IPTA) is a collaborative effort combining global PTA data for enhanced precision.

Statement 3 is correct

• Findings:
  • Gravitational Wave Background (GWB): A cosmic “ocean” of waves from all galactic mergers in history.
  • Unexpected Intensity: GWB is louder than predicted, meaning more supermassive black hole mergers.
  • Hot Spot Discovery: Anomalous gravitational wave activity identified in the Southern Hemisphere sky.
• Implications of the Findings:
  • Enabled precise mapping of cosmic architecture from gravitational wave signals.
  • Potential Origins of GWB: Likely caused by black hole interactions but could include early universe events or exotic phenomena.

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

Explanation

Option 1 is correct

• Noctule bats:
  • Common noctule bats migrate thousands of kilometers every spring across Europe. Warm storm fronts aid bats in conserving energy during migration. Bats cover up to 400 km in a single night.
  • Unlike birds, noctule bats do not store significant fat before migration.
  • Bats adopt a hopping migration pattern with frequent stops for feeding.
  • Conservation Status: IUCN: Least Concern.

Option 2 is correct

• Arctic tern:
  • Arctic tern, a seabird, is the longest migratory animal in the world. It flies from its Arctic breeding grounds to the Antarctic and returns back again each year.
  • Distribution: Arctic, Antarctica, and cool temperate parts of North America and Eurasia.
  • Habitat: Grasslands, inland wetlands and coastal regions.
  • Threats: Hunting, habitat loss, diseases and alien species.
  • Conservation Status: IUCN: Least Concern.

Option 3 is correct

• Monarch Butterfly:
  • The migratory monarch butterfly is a subspecies of the monarch butterfly. It is famous for its migration from the northern US and Canada to Mexico and California during winter (travels around 4000 km).
  • It breeds in only one plant, the Milkweeds (where the female monarchs lay their eggs).
  • Distribution: It is native to North America and Oceania. It is also reported in the Indian Subcontinent, China, Central Asia and Europe.
  • Habitat: Forests, shrublands and grasslands.
  • Significance: It is an important pollinator and provides various ecosystem services such as maintaining the global food web.
  • IUCN: VU | CMS: Appx II

Option 4 is incorrect

• Rock pigeon:
  • They are commonly seen in cities and towns and do not migrate.
  • IUCN: Least Concern.

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

Explanation

Statements 1 and 2 are correct

• India’s nuclear program is a three-stage plan to use nuclear power to reduce the country’s reliance on fossil fuels and create a low-carbon economy:
  • Stage 1: Uses pressurized heavy water reactors (PHWRs) fueled by natural uranium
  • Stage 2: Uses fast neutron reactors to burn plutonium with a blanket of uranium and thorium to produce more plutonium and U-233
  • Stage 3: Uses advanced heavy water reactors (AHWRs) to burn thorium-plutonium fuels to produce U-233, which can be used to fuel a fleet of AHWRs
• India’s nuclear program is based on a closed fuel cycle, where spent fuel from one stage is reprocessed to fuel the next. This process reduces waste and increases the energy potential of the fuel.
• Technological and Operational Limitations of nuclear programme:
  • Outdated Reactor Technology: India relies on Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs), less competitive than globally preferred LWRs.
  • High Costs: Nuclear projects require significant investment, less competitive than renewable energy.
  • Regulatory and Bureaucratic Delays: Persistent delays in clearances impede project execution.
  • Resistance: Safety concerns due to incidents like Fukushima (2011) cause resistance to nuclear expansion.

Statement 3 is incorrect

• Legal Barriers of nuclear programme:
  • India’s Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act, 2010: Channels liability for nuclear accidents to equipment suppliers; Deters foreign companies due to concerns over potential future liabilities.

Answer: (a) 1 and 2 only; Difficulty Level: Medium