September 05-2024 Current Affairs MCQs

Explanation

Statements 1 and 2 are correct

• Genome mapping refers to determining the location of genes on an organism’s chromosomes.
• Significance of Genome Mapping
  • Understanding Genetics: It helps us understand the genetic basis of traits, diseases, and evolution.
  • Medical research: Genome mapping is crucial for identifying disease-associated genes, leading to potential treatments and cures.
  • Personalised medicine: It can help tailor medical treatments to an individual’s genetic makeup.
  • Agriculture: It can develop crops with improved yields, resistance to pests, and high nutritional value.
  • Forensic science: DNA profiling, a technique based on genome mapping, is used in forensic investigations to identify individuals.

Statement 3 is incorrect

• Genome mapping is not limited to human genes; it is also applied to studying viruses and agriculture.
• Genome mapping helps track a virus’s origins, changes, and potentially harmful mutations that could affect its transmissibility or severity.
• Sequencing viral genomes helps monitor viruses that could cause future outbreaks or pandemics.
• It helps develop testing kits, vaccines, and therapeutics for treating or controlling viral infections.

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

Explanation

Option (a) is correct

• Formed in 1971, PIF is an intergovernmental organisation with 18 members located in Pacific region.
• Member states: Australia, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, French Polynesia, Kiribati, Nauru, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Republic of Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu.
• Associated members: Tokelau, Wallis and Futuna.

  

  Source: Pacific Islands Forum

Answer: (a) 1, 3, 5 and 7; Difficulty Level: Hard

Explanation

Statement 1 is correct, and Statement 2 is incorrect

• Fibrinogen
  • Fibrinogen is a soluble glycoprotein produced by the liver and found in blood plasma.
  • It is the precursor of fibrin. It plays a crucial role in blood clotting (coagulation).
• Fibrin
  • Fibrin is an insoluble protein. It’s formed when fibrinogen is converted by an enzyme called thrombin.
  • Fibrin forms a mesh-like structure that traps blood cells and platelets, creating a stable blood clot.

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

Explanation

Statement 1 is correct

• Economic factors, especially market demand, play a crucial role in the shift of cropping patterns. Farmers tend to prefer crops that yield higher profits, particularly high-value commercial crops such as cotton and sugarcane.

Statement 2 is correct

• Climate change is having a profound impact on Indian agriculture, influencing farmers’ decisions regarding what crops to plant.

• Irregular rainfall patterns, delayed monsoons, and extreme weather events such as droughts and floods are reducing the predictability of traditional Kharif and Rabi cropping seasons.

Statement 3 is incorrect

• The adoption of high-yielding variety (HYV) seeds has been a major technological advancement in Indian agriculture. These seeds have significantly improved crop productivity and are more resistant to pests and diseases, as well as sometimes more climate-resilient.
• Between 2014 and 2022, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) released 1,956 high-yielding crop varieties, of which 1,622 were specifically designed to be climate-resilient.

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

Explanation

Option 1 & 3 are correct, 2 & 4 are incorrect

• There are three crop seasons in India: Kharif season (July – Sept/Oct), Rabi season (Oct – Mar/Apr) and Zaid season (Mar – June).
• Maize is primarily kharif, though it can be grown in rabi in some regions.
• It is typically sown during the kharif season because it relies on monsoon rains for growth.
• Wheat is sown in the winter (October-December) and harvested in the spring (March-April). It requires cooler temperatures for germination and growth, with irrigation used instead of monsoon rains.
• Rice is primarily a Kharif crop, heavily dependent on the monsoon for water. It is sown during the rainy season (June-July) and harvested in the autumn (October-November).
• Mustard is a Rabi crop, grown in cooler temperatures during the winter months and harvested in early spring. It requires dry and cool conditions for proper growth and seed development.

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

Explanation

Option (a) is correct

• The Codex Alimentarius Commission is a global body responsible for developing international food standards, guidelines, and codes of practice to ensure the safety, quality, and fairness of food traded across borders.
• Its primary focus is to protect consumer health and facilitate international food trade by establishing a uniform framework that countries can use to create or adjust national food safety regulations.
• Codex standards are often used as references in the World Trade Organization’s Agreement on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS Agreement), which means that many nations adopt these standards into their national policies to avoid trade disputes.
• Codex covers a wide range of food-related topics, including contaminants, food additives, veterinary drugs, pesticides, and more, ensuring that food safety measures are based on sound science provided by independent risk assessment bodies such as the FAO and WHO.
• Although Codex standards are technically voluntary, they often form the foundation for national legislation due to their global acceptance and scientific rigor, making them a key player in international food safety.

Option (b) is incorrect

• The Codex Alimentarius Commission does not handle agricultural subsidies or trade policies directly. However, its food safety standards play a significant role in shaping international food trade by eliminating barriers related to food quality and safety.

Option (c) is incorrect

• Codex’s mandate does not include environmental protection regulations, as it primarily focuses on food safety and trade-related issues concerning food standards.

Option (d) is incorrect

• Codex does not deal with pharmaceutical drug approvals; instead, its role is confined to food safety and the quality of food products in global trade.

Answer: (a) International food safety standards; Difficulty Level: Medium

Reference: FAO

Explanation

Option (c) is correct

• AFSPA was completely withdrawn from Tripura in 2015. It is no longer in force in the state.

Option (a), (b), and (d) are incorrect

• It is still in force in parts of Nagaland.
• It continues to be in effect in certain areas of Assam, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh.

Answer: (c) Tripura; Difficulty Level: Easy

Explanation

Option (b) is correct

• Project Strawberry is OpenAI’s initiative to release its most advanced AI model, which aims to significantly enhance reasoning, math, and programming abilities, moving closer to Artificial General Intelligence (AGI).
• It can generate high-quality synthetic data to fill gaps in real-world data & improve training accuracy.

Options (a), (c), and (d) are incorrect

• These projects are more commonly associated with defense technology and are not related to OpenAI’s AI model development.

Answer: (b) Project Strawberry; Difficulty Level: Easy