July 20-2024 Current Affairs MCQs

Explanation

Row 1 is correctly matched

• Dar es Salam’s residents face severe water shortages due to ageing infrastructure, rapid urbanisation, and inadequate government response.
• Dar es Salaam, Tanzania’s largest city, is located in a bay along the Indian Ocean and has become a crucial economic centre for the entire East African region.

Row 2 is incorrectly matched

• It is a French overseas island territory in the Pacific Ocean located near Australia.
• A recent French bill aims to give voting rights to French residents who have lived in New Caledonia for more than ten years but it was opposed by older residents.
• Socialist Kanak National Liberation Front (FLNKS) of the South Pacific French territory of New Caledonia called to abandon the plan to modify the electoral reform.
• Protests and riots erupted in response to the French parliament’s decision to amend the voters’ list.

Row 3 is incorrectly matched

• Recently, around 300 families from Gardi Sugdub in Panama’s Guna Yala province were relocated to the mainland due to persistent flooding caused by rising sea levels.
• Gardi Sugdub, or ‘Crab Island,’ is a tiny island in an archipelago off Panama’s northern Caribbean coast and has been home to Guna Indigenous people for over 100 years.
• Originally, the island provided the Guna with refuge from mainland mosquito-borne illnesses and colonial restrictions, but Gardi Sugdub faces new challenges today.

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

Explanation

• Six children have died of Chandipura virus (CHPV) infection in Gujarat.

Statement 2 is correct

• It is a virus of the Rhabdoviridae family, which includes the lyssavirus that causes rabies.

Statement 1 is incorrect

• Vectors: Sandflies (Phlebotomine sandflies and Phlebotomus papatasi) and mosquitoes (Aedes aegypti).
• Transmission: Transmitted by sandflies or mosquitoes. The virus resides in the salivary gland of vectors and is transmitted to humans and other vertebrates, like domestic animals, via sandfly bites.
• Contagion: No direct person-to-person spread. Infected patients should avoid exposure to vectors.

Statement 3 is incorrect

• Diagnosis: Using RT-PCR (Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction) Test.
• Treatment: There is no specific antiretroviral therapy or vaccine. Treatment is symptomatic; severe cases may require ventilator support.
• The infection is endemic to the central part of India (the population of vectors is higher).

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

Explanation

Statement 1 is incorrect and Statement 2 is correct

• Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM)was originally instituted as the “Vishisht Seva Medal, Class II” in 1960 & was renamed AVSM in 1967.
• Eligibility: Awarded for distinguished service of an exceptional order to all ranks of the armed forces.
• Eligible persons:
  • All ranks of the Army, Navy and Air Force, including Territorial Army Units, & other lawfully constituted Armed Forces.
  • Nursing officers and other members of the Nursing Services in the Armed Forces.
  • It can also be granted posthumously.
• It is a peacetime equivalent of the Uttam Yuddh Seva Medal.

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

Explanation

• OpenAI’s Q* Project, now codenamed Strawberry, aims to develop self-training AI with human-like advanced reasoning and planning for deep research.
• Applications:
  • Facilitate experiments, data analysis & solve complex mathematical & theoretical problems.
  • Provide personalised tutoring, create educational content and analyse market trends.

Answer: (b) Advancing AI reasoning capabilities; Difficulty Level: Easy

Explanation

Statement 1 is correct

• The Warkari sect has been a part of Hindu culture in Maharashtra since it emerged as a ‘Panth’ during the Bhakti Movement in the 13th century CE.
• The term ‘warkari’ is a combination of two words: “war” (short for “wari”) meaning “pilgrimage,” and “kari” meaning person who performs the pilgrimage.

Statement 2 is incorrect

• It is a non-Brahmanical tradition that worships Lord Vitthal or Vithoba (deity of Pandharpur), which is seen as a form of Vishnu or Krishna.
• They chant the name of the Lord (nam japa), sing abhangs (holy song), and read haripath (sacred text), along the journey.
• They conduct their annual pilgrimage known as ‘wari’ on the auspicious occasion of Ashadi Ekadashi.
• Tukaram, Namdev, Chokhamela, Eknath, and Dnyaneshwar are among the saints and gurus of the bhakti movement associated with the Warkaris, and they are all given the dignified title of ‘Sant.’

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