November 17-18 2024 Current Affairs MCQs

Explanation

Option (b) is correct

• Fourth World Conference on Women (Beijing, September 1995) resulted in the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, addressing critical issues for global gender equality.
• Key Objectives of the Beijing Declaration:
  • Global Equality: Promote equality, development, and peace for women worldwide.
  • Education Access: Ensure free, quality education for all women and girls.
  • Eradicating Violence: Eliminate violence against women through awareness, policies and programs.
  • Leadership Representation: Increase women’s participation in leadership and decision-making roles.
  • Human Rights: Establish women’s and children’s rights as integral to universal human rights.

Answer: (b) Ensuring gender equality across all aspects of economic, social, cultural, and political life; Difficulty Level: Hard

Explanation

Statements 1 and 3 are correct

• AI Regulation in India:
  • National Strategy for AI (#AIforAll): Focus on healthcare, education, and agriculture.
  • Digital Personal Data Protection Act: Strengthens data privacy and security.
  • India AI Program: Drives innovation, skilling, and ethical AI development.

Statement 2 is incorrect

• Global Initiatives for AI regulation:
  • G7 AI Pact: Voluntary framework for responsible AI use.
  • UNGA Resolution on AI
  • Europe’s AI Act: Risk-based categorization of AI applications.
  • Bletchley Declaration: Collaborative approach to frontier AI opportunities and risks.

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

Explanation

Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I

• The immortal jellyfish, also called the Benjamin Button jellyfish, is one of the only known animals that possess full regenerative capabilities and is the only species of jellyfish with an indefinite lifespan.
• First documented in 1883 in the Mediterranean Sea. It regularly reverts to a sexually immature stage after it has reproduced as well as when it is injured, starving, or dying. The regeneration process is called “transdifferentiation” and it occurs when the jellyfish’s cells convert to an immature polyp state.
• It is the only jellyfish species that does not remain in the last stage (Medusa stage) until death.
• The only way it can die is by being eaten, being removed from the water, or contracting diseases.
• If it starves or gets sick in its immature state when it’s called a polyp, it cannot regenerate and will die.

Answer: (a) Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I; Difficulty Level: Medium

Explanation

Statements 1 and 3 are incorrect

• A hypersonic missile is an advanced weapon system capable of travelling at speeds five times the speed of sound. Their range typically varies between 6,125 km/h (Mach 5) and about 24,140 km/h (Mach 20).
• They can carry conventional or nuclear warheads, making them versatile for different types of missions.

Statement 2 is correct

• Unlike ballistic missiles, hypersonic missiles are highly manoeuvrable, allowing them to change their flight path and precisely target specific locations.
• US, Russia, China and India are at the forefront of hypersonic missile development. Other countries like France, Germany, Japan, & Australia also work on hypersonic weapons technology.
• Types of Hypersonic Weapons:
• Hypersonic Glide Vehicles (HGVs): These vehicles are launched from a rocket. It can Glide towards their target after reaching the upper atmosphere.
• Hypersonic Cruise Missiles: It is powered by air-breathing high-speed engines, known as scramjets. Achieve sustained hypersonic speeds during flight to their target.

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

Explanation

Option (d) is correct

• The Thai Sacbrood Virus is a variant of sacbrood virus (SBV), a viral disease affecting honey bee colonies.
• First observed in Thailand in 1976. In 1991-92, it destroyed more than 90% of the then-existing bee colonies in south India and reemerged in 2021 in Telangana. Also reported in China and Vietnam.
• It kills bees when they are larvae, thereby reducing the population of bee colonies.
• It causes an uneven brood pattern with discoloured, sunken or perforated cappings scattered throughout the brood.
• About Asian Honeybee (Apis cerana):
  • It is primarily found in South Asia, including India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Southeast Asia, encompassing Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia.
  • It is one of the region’s most domesticated bee species. Known for its resilience and adaptability, it plays an important role in agriculture.
  • They are known for their docile nature and effective colony defence mechanisms, including the ability to thermoregulate their hives by fanning their wings.
  • It produces highly valued honey for its medicinal properties and nutritional benefits.

Answer: (d) Asian Honeybee; Difficulty Level: Medium

Explanation

Option (b) is correct

• Both India and Nigeria are members in Commonwealth of Nations and Non-Aligned Movement (NAM).
• Nigeria is not a member of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and IORA while India is a member of both of them.

Answer: (b) Only two; Difficulty Level: Easy

Explanation

Option (b) is correct

• The U.N. International Methane Emissions Observatory (IMEO) report is a key initiative under the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) aimed at providing reliable and actionable data to reduce methane emissions.
• The report examines challenges in addressing methane leaks and explores the steps required to meet global methane reduction targets.

Answer: (b) UNEP; Difficulty Level: Medium

Explanation

Statements 1 and 2 are correct

• British author Samantha Harvey is awarded the Booker Prize 2024 for her novel “Orbital.”
• Harvey is the first woman to win the Booker Prize since Margaret Atwood, who won in 2019.
• “Orbital” is the first space-themed book ever to win the Booker Prize.
• At 132 pages, “Orbital” is the second-shortest novel to win the Booker Prize, following “Offshore” by Penelope Fitzgerald.
• The Booker Prize is awarded annually to the author of the best (in the opinion of the judges) eligible work of long-form fiction written originally in English by an author of any nationality and published in UK and/or Ireland.
• A five-person panel is appointed by the Booker Prize Foundation each year to choose the winning book.

Statement 3 is incorrect

• The Booker Prize is awarded for works published in UK and/or Ireland .
• It is awarded to an author of any nationality for the best eligible work of long-form fiction written originally in English.

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