March 08 2025 Current Affairs MCQs

Explanation

Option (a) is correct

• Eurasian otter is also called European otter or common otter.
• Distribution: Found across Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, and Asia, including northern, northeast, and southern India.
• Habitat: Inhabits rivers, lakes, streams, swamps, marshes, and coastal areas; found in cold hills and mountain streams in India.
• Physical Features: Sleek brown fur with a paler underside, a long body, a thick tail, and short legs.
• Adaptations: Webbed feet, dense fur trapping air for insulation. Ability to close ears & nose underwater.
• Behaviour: Has acute sight, smell & hearing; whiskers (vibrissae) help detect prey. Solitary & elusive; uses high-pitched whistles between mother & cubs, twittering sounds in play, cat-like noises when fighting.
• Keystone and Indicator Species: Play a crucial role in maintaining ecological balance and biodiversity.
• Conservation Status: IUCN: NT.

Answer: (a) Eurasian Otter; Difficulty Level: Easy

Explanation

Option (c) is correct

• Nilgiri Tahr is an endemic mountain ungulate (a herbivorous hoofed mammal) subject to focused conservation programs.
• Locally known as Varaiaadu, is the state animal of Tamil Nadu.
• It is the only mountain ungulate in southern India among the 12 species found in India.
• Habitat: Tropical montane grasslands, sholas forests and rocky areas at high elevations.
• Distribution: Endemic to the southern part of the Western Ghats, which falls in Kerala & Tamil Nadu.
• Eravikulam National Park has the highest density and largest surviving population of Nilgiri tahr.
• Adaptation: It is adapted to a cold and wet tropical environment. The species is diurnal and not crepuscular. It has high stress tolerance levels.
• Threats: Habitat loss and poaching.
• Conservation Status: IUCN: EN | WPA, 1972: Schedule-I.

Answer: (c) They are crepuscular in nature.; Difficulty Level: Medium

Explanation

Option 1 is correct

• Threat posed to native biodiversity in Assam due to the invasive Ruellia elegans were recorded.
• Common Names: Brazilian petunia, Christmas pride, elegant Ruellia, red Ruellia, wild petunia.
• Annual plant native to Latin America (Brazil).
• Invasive in Andaman Islands, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Odisha, and Assam.
• Physical Characteristics: Bright red trumpet-shaped flowers with semi-fuzzy green foliage thrive in wet tropical biomes and loamy soil and tolerate light frost but die at 28°F.
• Threats: Susceptible to bacterial leaf spots, fungal infections, rust and root rot.
• Conservation Status: Not assessed.

Option 2 is incorrect

• Baobabs are tall trees with wide trunks and compact tops native to the African continent.
• They are not invasive.

Option 3 is incorrect

• Cannabis is a plant that has medicinal and recreational uses.
• They are not invasive.

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

Explanation

Option (d) is correct

• Countries are racing to secure copper supplies.
• Reason for growing importance of copper:
  • Surging demand for EV batteries, clean energy technologies and defence industries outpacing production.
  • Supply deficit projected to outstrip mine production by 2035 which intensifies global competition.
  • Copper ore is refined into cathodes, essential for industrial applications making it a key component of value chain
  • Limited Alternatives: Recycling helps, but mining remains critical for supply security.
• China controls over 50% of global smelting and refining capacity, securing long-term supply contracts with mines in DRC, Chile, and Peru, but facing overcapacity challenges.
• India’s domestic copper production is stagnant, increasing reliance on imports.
• India’s Strategy to Secure Copper Supplies:
  • Overseas Investments: Acquiring copper assets in Chile & Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
  • Focus on Africa: Secured a 9,000-sq-km copper-rich block in Zambia for exploration.
  • Government Initiatives: The Ministry of Mines is working to acquire critical minerals abroad.

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

Explanation

Option (d) is correct

• Care economy is the sector of economic activity involving paid roles like nurses and teachers & unpaid caregiving such as childcare & household work, essential for health, education, child & elder care & social welfare.
• Care work is undervalued in economic policies despite being crucial for gender equality, social welfare, labour force reproduction and economic growth creating a “hidden care economy.”
• Difference from Monetized Economy: Unlike the formal market-based system, care work often lacks direct monetary valuation despite its economic and social significance.
• Historical Recognition: Feminist economists highlighted unpaid labour’s exclusion, leading to the 1995 Beijing Platform for Action advocating its recognition.

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

Explanation

• A recent study analysed the sources and health impacts of PM2.5 pollution in Northern India, particularly in the Indo-Gangetic Plain.
• PM2.5 (Particulate Matter ≤2.5 microns) consists of tiny airborne pollutants that can deeply penetrate the lungs and enter the bloodstream.
• Source of PM2.5 includes natural sources like dust storms and wildfires and human activities such as fossil fuel burning, industrial emissions, and biomass combustion.
• Health Risks: Linked to respiratory diseases, cardiovascular conditions, and reduced lung function.

Statements 1 and 2 are correct but statement 3 is incorrect

• Key Findings of the Study:
  • Toxicity from Organic Aerosols: Inefficient combustion of biomass and fossil fuels is the primary contributor to PM2.5 toxicity.
  • PM2.5 Sources in Delhi: Vehicular emissions, fossil fuel burning and residential heating.
  • PM2.5 Sources Outside Delhi: Higher levels of ammonium sulfate, ammonium nitrate, and biomass-burning aerosols.
  • Winter Pollution from Heating and Cooking: Biomass burning, especially cow dung combustion, elevates organic aerosol levels, making winter pollution 10 times worse than summer.
  • Health Risks from Traffic and Fuel Burning: Increased oxidative stress (imbalance between free radicals & antioxidants, leading to cellular damage – measure of it’s toxicity and ability to cause cellular damage) due to emissions from vehicles & residential fuel burning.
  • Traffic as a Major Contributor: Hydrocarbon-like organic aerosols (HOA) peak at 8 μg/m³ in urban roadside sites and contribute 50% of fossil fuel-derived aerosols not 90%.
  • India’s High PM2.5 Toxicity: Oxidative potential of PM2.5 in Indian cities is up to 5 times higher than in Chinese and European cities, necessitating urgent emission control policies.

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

Explanation

Both statements are incorrect

• NITI Aayog launched the “From Borrowers to Builders“ report highlighting the increased financial participation of women.
• Key Findings on Women’s Financial Participation
• Increased Credit Participation: Women borrowers tripled between 2019 and 2024, with 60% from semi-urban and rural areas.
• Loans: Women’s share in business loans increased by 14%, in gold loans by 6% since 2019.
• Credit Monitoring & Awareness: 42% increase in women who monitored their credit in 2024 from 2023.
• Regional Trends: Southern states lead in women borrowers, while northern and central states saw the fastest growth in the last five years.
• Improved Credit Scores: 62% of self-monitoring women fall into prime or above credit bands, enhancing credit health.

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

Explanation

Option 1 is correct

• Leith’s softshell turtle is a large freshwater soft-shelled turtle endemic to peninsular India.
• They are found in all major rivers of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu & Odisha.
• Physical description: Adults have olive-green/ greyish carapace & off-cream plastron, with orangish-red markings behind their eyes. Many display black stripes along the head with red blotches in between.
• Threats: Poaching, hunting, illegal consumption.
• Conservation Status: IUCN: CR | WPA: Schedule IV | CITES: Appendix I

Option 2 is incorrect

• Slender Loris is a small nocturnal primate (Loris lydekkerianus) of Loridae family.
• It’s first-ever sanctuary in India is in TN.
• They are documented in Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve.
• Two species: Grey Slender Loris (Loris lydekkerianus) & Red Slender Loris (Loris tardigradus).
• Grey Slender Loris:
  • Habitat: Native to India & Sri Lanka; Found in tropical rainforests, scrub forests, semi-deciduous forests, and swamps across Eastern & Western Ghats; prefers acacia & tamarind-dominated thorn forests.
  • Physical Traits: Lean body, slender limbs, large ears, pointed snout, and eyes circled with black or dark brown; fur ranges from dark grey to earthy brown.
  • Diet & Behavior: Primarily insectivorous, feeding on ants, termites, beetles, spiders & molluscs, but also eats berries; slow-moving & mostly active at night.
  • Threats: Habitat loss, the disappearance of acacia trees, hunting for pet trade, road kills, superstitions, traditional medicine, and habitat fragmentation.
  • Conservation Status: IUCN: NT | CITES: Appendix II | WPA, 1972: Schedule I.

Option 3 is incorrect

• Pangolins, or scaly anteaters are a type of mammals.
• They are unique in that they are the only mammals covered in large keratin scales, serving as natural armour.
• India Hosts Two Species: Indian Pangolin (Manis crassicaudata: IUCN: EN) & Chinese Pangolin (Manis pentadactyla: IUCN: CR).

Option 4 is correct

• Dugong also called Sea Cow is a marine mammal.
• Found in shallow coastal waters of the Indian and Pacific Oceans, with major populations in northern Australia and the Arabian Gulf.
• Physical Characteristics: Grows 2.2–3.4 m long, weighs 230–420 kg, has a tapered body with a deeply notched tail, rounded flippers, and no hind limbs or visible neck.
• Conservation Status: IUCN: CR.

Option 5 is correct

• Asian giant softshell turtle, commonly known as Cantor’s giant softshell turtle and the frog-faced softshell turtle, is a large freshwater species native to South & Southeast Asia, inhabiting the Cauvery River in TN.
• Habitat: Lakes, rivers, estuaries, seacoasts, and occasionally in coastal marine waters.
• Range: Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore (extirpated), Thailand, Vietnam
• Behaviour: Spends 95% of life buried & motionless, with only its eyes & mouth protruding from sand.
• Threats: Illegal Poaching, Habitat destruction, etc.
• Conservation Status: IUCN: Critically Endangered (CR) | WPA: Schedule I | CITES: Appendix II

Answer: (b) Only three; Difficulty Level: Hard